"ONE OF MOST CRUSHING DEFEATS FOR THE DEMS"

TALK OF THE TOWN:  DEMOCRATS MAY BE GOING OUT OF BUSINESS, 'PERMANENTLY'

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 18, 1924, G. Gould Lincoln of The Evening Star writes that six weeks after the Election of 1924 there is "talk of the (Democratic) party's going permanently out of business."

The reason:  "one of the most crushing defeats it has sustained."

Lincoln points out, however, that leaders of the party beg to differ.  They cite Democrats hold on to 40 seats in the U.S. Senate and 184 in the U.S. House of Representatives, not to mention control of governorships in many states.

They argue also that Democrats are stronger in Republican districts than Republicans are in Democratic areas such as those in the South-"the Democratic stronghold."

On the negative side, however, is the party debt.  It sits at a quarter of a million dollars as of today.  National Chairman Clem Shaver*, despite the naysayers, intends to remain in his position and is already taking steps to pay off the debt.

JFK+50 NOTE

I watched last night a review of one of the 20 greatest baseball games on the MLB network in which a manager commented, "You learn alot by losing.  You don't learn anything by winning."

That sentiment applies well to the talk of the demise of the Democratic Party after the Election of 1924.  Although its troubles continued in the next election cycle with Hoover's landslide over Al Smith 444-87 & the GOP gaining congressional seats, by 1932 there came a complete and total reversal.

FDR's '32 landslide bettered Hoover's of '28 (472-59) & Democrats gained 9 Senate seats & 90 House seats.  In FDR's re-election in 1936, he won 46 of 48 states & was elected again by great majorities in 1940 & 1944. His successor, Harry Truman, won in 1948.

So obviously, talk of the end of the Democratic Party in 1924 was not only premature, they were just 4 years away from dominating national politics and winning five straight presidential elections. In fact, the GOP went to General Eisenhower in 1952 saying that if he didn't sign on with them it might be the end of the Republican party.

*Clement Lawrence Shaver (1867-1954) was born in Marion County, West Virginia & educated at Fairmont State University (BA) & George Washington University School of Law (LLB).  CLS served as DNC chairman 1924-1928 & ran an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1934.

SOURCE

"Dems Start Rebuilding Amidst Ashes Of Defeat,"  by G. Gould Lincoln, The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., December 18, 1924, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

 

 

C. L. Shaver

DNC Chairman

July 23, 1924

National Photo Company

Library of Congress

I AM A DEMOCRAT

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1824

JFK:  A DEMOCRAT BY INHERITANCE & CONVICTIONS

Boston, Massachusetts (JFK+50) Sixty-two years ago today, January 10, 1954, an exclusive article by Senator John F. Kennedy was published in The Boston Post.*

Senator Kennedy wrote...

"I am a Democrat--both by inheritance and convictions.  The Democratic Party** is not the party of any one group, but of all groups.

In our party may be found members of all races--all religions--all walks of life--all income groups in all parts of the country."

*The Boston Post was founded by Charles Greene and William Beals in November 1831.  The BP was purchased by Edwin Grozier in 1891.  He made it the largest newspaper in New England within 20 years.  

Headquarters were located at 42 Congress Street in Boston.  By the 1930s, the Post boasted a circulation of 1 million readers.  Competition from Hearst newspapers led to a decline & subsequent end of the BP in 1956.

**The Democratic Party traces its origins to the Democratic-Republican Party or Anti-Federalists of the late 1700s founded by Thomas Jefferson & James Madison.  

By 1828, it became the Democratic Party under Andrew Jackson who was elected POTUS in that year.  The DP has had 14 other Presidents including Van Buren, Polk, Pierce, Buchanan, A. Johnson, Cleveland, Wilson, FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ, Carter, Clinton and Obama.

In January 2016, the Democrats are the minority party in Congress holding 44 of 100 Senate seats and 188 of 435 House seats.  Nationwide the party claims only 18 of 50 state governorships.

WHICH PARTY DO WE WANT TO LEAD THE UNITED STATES?

WHICH PARTY DO WE WANT TO LEAD THE UNITED STATES?

Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) The 1st question of the 1st presidential debate on September 26, 1960 was directed at Senator John F. Kennedy by ABC News reporter Bob Fleming.

Mr. Fleming asked:

"The Vice-President has said that you were naive & immature.  He has raised the question of leadership.  On this issue, why do you think people should vote for you rather than the Vice-President?"

Senator Kennedy answered:

"(We) came to Congress together (in) 1946 (&) have been there for 14 years, so our experience in government is comparable.  

The question is...what are the programs we advocate, what is the party record that we lead?

I come out of the Democratic party which, in this century, has produced Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt & Harry Truman, & which supported these programs which I've discussed tonight.

Mr. Nixon comes out of the Republican party (which) most of these last 25 years...has opposed federal aid for education, medical care for the aged, development of the Tennessee Valley (&) development of our natural resources.

I think Mr. Nixon is an effective leader of his party.

The question before us is, which point of view & which party do we want to lead the United States?"

JFK+50 COMMENT

Going into the 1st debate of 1960, Richard M. Nixon was the clear front runner.  He had been Vice-President of the United States for 2 terms under a very popular president, Dwight D. Eisenhower.  The Republicans wanted to emphasize this advantage in the campaign by saying that Mr. Nixon was more experienced than the Democratic challenger.

So this 1st question by Mr. Fleming was most appropriate.

I think JFK hit a home run with his answer.  He turned the question, which might have put him personally on the defensive, into a positive for him by 1st neutralizing the premise of inexperience & 2nd by emphasizing the differences in the respective parties.*

*Following is a quote from an essay written in 1962 which illustrates JFK's skill in the use of television.  Just as FDR was the 1st president to use radio effectively, JFK was the 1st to use television to his advantage.

THE GREAT DEBATE

by Hallock Hoffman, Director of the Center of the Study of Democratic Institutions, 1962.

"It is already clear that Kennedy will use television skillfully as President.  (He) will tell us not only what policies he thinks are right...but also what attitudes & beliefs he wants us to adopt.  In his hands, television will become an active tool of Presidential policies."

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