Tag: harry truman
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Reckoning With Russell
Richard Russell was considered one of the great Senators of all time. He also led the Southern resistance to civil rights. How should he be remembered?
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Too Much Democracy
The press didn’t approve of Kefauver’s way of campaigning for President. Their criticism belied a deeper unease with the primary system.
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Here Comes the Pitch: Kefauver for President Commercials, Part 1
During the 1956 campaign, Kefauver came into a bit of money, and used it to record a series of commercials. This week, we’re taking a look at some of those ads, and what they said about his campaign.
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Protesting Too Much? Kefauver on Congressional “Vaudeville Shows”
In 1948, Kefauver wrote an article decrying excessive Congressional travel and “headline-hunting hearings.” Did his later career make him a hypocrite?
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Can We Recover the TVA Way?
At the TVA’s 20th anniversary, its former Chairman wrote a book explaining the mindset that made it possible. Have we lost that mindset for good?
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Advise and Dissent: The Short, Controversial Life of the DAC
In the 1950, Democratic liberals were frustrated by conservative Congressional leaders and the ever-popular Ike. So they founded the Democratic Advisory Council to make their voices heard. Was it a success or a failure… or both?
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Electoral College Dropout, Part 4: The Dixiecrats’ Dress Rehearsal
We’ve all heard about the South’s third-party effort in the 1948. But did you know that they plotted to subvert the Electoral College four years earlier?
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“Seventeen Days to Victory”: Democrats’ Televised Hollywood Spectacular
A couple weeks before their landslide loss, the Stevenson-Kefauver campaign held a star-studded coast-to-coast gala event. Was it a waste of money… or a preview of future campaigns?
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Picking a President: Kefauver’s Push for a National Primary
After getting his Presidential hopes crushed at the 1952 convention, Kefauver tried for a Constitution amendment mandating national primaries. Was he the biggest obstacle to his amendment’s success?
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Power of the Press: Drew Pearson’s Campaigns for Kefauver
Kefauver had a lot of challenges in his runs for President, but he had the most powerful political columnist in America on his side. How far did the columnist go to help Kefauver win, and why wasn’t he ultimately able to get it done?
Estes Kefauver for President 