Tag: joseph mccarthy
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Commies for Kefauver?
During the 1956 campaign, the Communists published a report that appeared to endorse the Democrats, and Kefauver in particular. it caused a stir… but why didn’t it dominate the campaign?
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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?
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Reds vs. Rights: The Great Cold War Debate
Espionage trials, loyalty oaths, and textbook investigations were common during the early years of the Cold War. Supporters claimed they were needed to combat the Red menace… but what about our Constitutional rights? In 1949, Kefauver stood up for the First Amendment against a prominent anti-Communist Senator in a nationally broadcast discussion.
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Welcome to the Revolution: Kefauver Speaks to Youth
Why was Kefauver so popular with young people? Because he treated them with respect and dignity… and he encouraged them to embrace controversial ideas, even when they disagreed with their elders.
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Sing Along with Keef, Part 3: “The Long, Tall Guy in the Coonskin Cap”
This is a story about one of Kefauver’s campaign songs. But it’s although the story of the plucky Nashville songwriter who leveraged the song’s success to become a D.C. society queen,
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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?
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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?
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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.
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Haste Makes Waste… and Bad Laws: Kefauver and the Jencks Act
What do you get when you have two months to pass a law driven by anti-Communist paranoia, anti-Supreme Court resentment, and with the FBI and Justice Department holding a gun to your head? Nothing good. But it’s a law that’s stood for 75 years.
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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?
Estes Kefauver for President 