Tag: dwight eisenhower
-
Kefauver’s Unconventional Thoughts on Conventions
Ever the reformer, Estes Kefauver proposed a bold plan for reinventing the political convention during his 1952 Presidential campaign. His suggestions were ignored… but some of them were adopted eventually.
-
Better Living Through Chemistry: Kefauver and the Department of Science
The Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 set off a panic that America was losing the race for space. Kefauver thought that a federal Department of Science would help America catch up. Why wasn’t the idea adopted?
-
Conservatives vs. the Warren Court, Part 1: The Forgotten Revolt
In the late 1950s, a cross-party coalition of Congressional conservatives joined forces to try and muzzle the Warren Court. What got them so angry, and why have we forgotten this chapter of American history?
-
Duck and Cover: America’s Troubled History with Civil Defense
After World War II, America tried to develop a plan for civil defense in case of a nuclear attack. Why didn’t it work out, and who’s to blame for its failure?
-
Thank God I’m A Country Boy: Kefauver’s Musical Connection
Throughout his career, Estes Kefauver used country music to connect with people and promote his campaigns. Like Kefauver himself, it may not have impressed the powerful, but it hit home with regular people.
-
Don’t Touch That Dial: Kefauver and Television
Estes Kefauver was the first politician to use TV as a springboard to national fame. Why has his pioneering role been forgotten?
-
Campaign 1956: Kefauver VP Nomination Speech, A Truncated Tribute
When Adlai Stevenson let the convention pick his running mate, Mike DiSalle of Ohio nominated Kefauver. He gave a good speech – one that he had to edit while he spoke,
-
Courage and Cunning vs. Conservative Crackpottery: The Battle Over the Bricker Amendment
In the mid-1950s, conservative isolationists – whipped up by fears of one-world government – tried to amend the Constitution to take away the President’s authority to negotiate treaties. Kefauver stood up to stop it.
-
Never Get Involved in a Land War in Asia: Kefauver and the Formosa Crisis
Estes Kefauver died before America got heavily involved in the Vietnam War. But we can envision how he would have reacted based on his reaction to another Asian conflict: the Formosa crisis of 1955.
-
Nothing Succeeds Like Succession: Kefauver and the 25th Amendment
For 180 years after the Constitution, we had no idea what happened when the President was too sick to do the job. Kefauver tried to fix the problem… but it took a tragedy to get his colleagues to listen.
Estes Kefauver for President 