I hope you enjoyed the Presidents Day weekend! Since this is an election year we'll take a look at presidential politics this week. Presidential elections are always important and are usually exciting events that draw the energy and passion of the American people into public service and discussion. The right to vote in free and fair elections is one of the greatest privileges of citizenship, and the need to vote responsibly, which means based on the issues and the character of the candidates, is our greatest civic duty. While many people love politics, for some who have grown cynical, the word itself is negative. Unfortunately the political process has weaknesses; for instance, it takes so much money to run for office today that many qualified citizens never run because they don’t have access to the necessary finances. There is a great debate today about how to fix that problem, because it seems that there is no easy solution.
Perhaps the most hotly contested election and certainly the closest was the election of 1960. The Democrats had no established candidate, and it was obvious that Senator Adlai Stevenson wouldn’t be nominated a third time in a row. The Democrats were the dominate party but had not been in the White House during the previous eight years – instead, a very non-political moderate Republican, Dwight D. Eisenhower, had served. Now that the elderly President Eisenhower was leaving office and it was likely that the Republicans would nominate his young vice-president Richard Nixon to be their candidate, even though there were rumors that he had “bent the rules” in previous elections. Nixon went on national television to deny the allegations and explained that the only bribe he’d ever taken was a puppy named “Checkers” and that he intended to keep the dog.
The Democratic nominee who would emerge is an iconic figure in American history – John F. Kennedy, a young senator from Massachusetts who had served in the Navy in World War II. The Kennedys were a unique family. John Kennedy’s dad was ambassador to Great Britain during FDR’s presidency, and John’s older brother Joe had died during the war. John’s maternal grandfather had been a famous Irish-American mayor of Boston, and both sides of the family were very wealthy. All of the Kennedys attended Harvard and went on to law school. The three young Kennedy men (John and his younger brothers Robert and Edward) all held press credentials, and John’s wife Jacqueline was a reporter who spoke three languages (she would later make speeches in Spanish and French during the Kennedys’ trips to other countries).
The election changed America in several ways. One important development was that for the first time the candidates debated on live television, which played up to Kennedy’s stylish appearance and smooth public speaking abilities. Nixon, on the other hand, was uncomfortable in front of the cameras and came across poorly. To make matters worse he had suffered a serious knee injury and was unable to get the infection properly cared for; the result was that he was in tremendous pain, looked very pale (and refused to allow stage makeup to be applied) and wiped sweat from his face throughout the entire debate. Still, when the votes were counted Kennedy won by a smaller margin than the number of people who usually attend a UK football game – a tiny fraction of one percent of the voting population! Kennedy became the youngest president ever elected (Teddy Roosevelt was younger when he became president, but he took office by accession, not election).
What were the issues that voters were concerned about in that election? I’d like you to take some time and research one of the following elections: 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972. Briefly introduce the two nominees but focus on the issues that were most important to voters during that time period. Some places to start your research might be
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/elections.php
or
http://www.historycentral.com/elections/
Good luck and God bless!
Election of 1964
ReplyDeleteIn the election of 1964 the democratic candidate Lyndon B. Johson ran for re-election against the republican Barry Goldwater. “A choice and not an echo” is what Goldwater promised to the US. He wanted the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam if necessary. He also suggested deep cuts in the social programs and opposed much of the civil rights legislation. The democratic Johnson therefore campaigned on a platform of continued social programs and less or limited involvement in Vietnam.
Because of these discrepancies the election of 1964 was the first election since 1932 that was fought over true issues, and which brought ideology into American politics. “In your guts you know he is nuts” was the democratic slogan towards Goldwater's policies. In their opinion they were dangerous and lead the US into war. However, Lyndon B. Johson won by a landslide 90.3% of electoral votes. By that you can conclude that most of the people of the USA in 1964 didn't want war. The Democratic platform promised to lead America toward achievement of what President Johnson has called “The Great Society.”
For the Election of 1972 the Republican Party nominated Richard Nixon for president and Spiro Agnew as a candidate for the vice presidency. For the Democratic party were Senator George McGovern of South Dakota as a candidate for President and Sargent Shriver as a candidate for Vice President. The congress was partly chaotic. McGovern hold his nomination speech until well after midnight and this largely without TV audience. Richard Nixon won re-election, remaining 37th President of the United States. The Nixon's re-election was the biggest victory that the Republicans could win in the U.S. presidential elections in proportion to the votes given for each.
ReplyDeleteThe number of U.S. troops fighting in Vietnam had been reduced drastically, the war continued to divide Americans. Nixon believes that achieving "peace with honor" in Vietnam is necessary to preserve America's international standing. McGovern believes the war is immoral and calls for an immediate and full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam.
Progressive government programs, stemming from Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, were being re-examined and evaluated. Nixon thinks that certain governmental programs are best administered by the individual states, rather than the federal government. McGovern thinks that the federal government should be responsible for administering and enforcing a wide-range of programs designed to benefit those most in need. This candidate declares that every American family should be guaranteed an annual income.
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DeleteI chose to talk about the United States presidencial election of 1968.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a really interesting election for al the problems that were happening at that time such as the assasination of Martín Luther King, assasination of Robert Kennedy, strikes against Vietnam War etc… Nixon who was a republican from New York won the election against Hubert Humphrey who was a democratic from Minnesota and George Wallace who was American Independent from Alabama. Nixon won by 301 electoral votes, Mr. Humphrey by 191 and Wallace by 46 electoral votes. He was really unpopular I think, maybe because he didn’t belong to any party.
Nixon did not really won by a big difference against the democratic guy who was Hubert Humphrey, it was just a difference of 812, 415 it’s not really that much when you compare the population of the United States. So i think he was pretty lucky with his promise to restore ``Law and Order´´ . I found interesting the fact that it was the last election in which two opposing candidates were vice-presidents.
He got out of office on august of 1974 and died on April 1994.
http://www.270towin.com/1968_Election/
http://www.historycentral.com/elections/1968.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1968
Daniel González.
This week I decide to talk about the Election of 1972. We are kinda arriving to our days! Anyways, this election was won by Richard Nixon. Two years after losing to Kennedy, Nixon ran for governor of California. Everybody thought that his political career was over but he decide to try to run for the presidential election. His speech, started with this words, "It has become fashionable in recent years to point up what is wrong with the American system. The critics contend that it is unfair, so corrupt, so unjust that we should tear it down a substitute something else in its place. I totally disagree, I believe in the American system," put him in his politic career. He was a Republican candidate from New York. For his running mate, he chose governor of Maryland, Spiro T. Agnew. In the Democratic side there was Hubert Humphrey. They gained each 43% of popular vote but the distribution of Nixon's nearly 32 million votes gave him a clear majority in the electoral college. So, Nixon won this election and gave a lesson to who didn't believe in him.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nixon-wins-presidential-election
Marta Civettini (:
For this week’s homework, it’s about presidential elections. On the election of 1964, President Johnson was nominated for re-election by acclamation at the Democratic convention in Atlantic City. And also, Senator Goldwater ran for the Republican nomination, He was opposed by Nelson Rockefeller, but was nominated on the first ballot. Goldwater promised "a choice and not an echo." He suggested the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam. He called for deep cuts in the social programs. And he also opposed much of the civil rights legislation. He suggested that Social Security become voluntary, and that Tennessee Valley Authority be sold. Johnson campaigned on a platform of continued social programs, and a limited involvement in Vietnam. The election of 1964 was the first election since 1932 that was fought over true issues, and which brought ideology into Americans politics. The Democrats claimed that Goldwater's policies were dangerous and that he would lead the US into war. The Democratic slogans included " In Your Guts You Know He is Nuts". Jonson won most of the electoral votes; but the popular votes, he won, but it was so close, only 0.2% different. This is really interesting to me. He won most of the votes from Illinois, Pennsylvania, and the most with 45 votes is New York. So this is why he had a big win. But RICHARD M. NIXON won more states than him.
ReplyDeleteElection of 1960:
ReplyDeleteThe big issue during the campaign was the Cold War and the religious believes of Kennedy. Many people believed, that Kennedy would get orders from the Pope in Rome. Kennedy raised the question, if one quarter of the population are second class citizens, because of their believes. Another big issue during this election was the treat of the Soviet Union. Kennedy felt that the U.S. had fallen behind militarily and economically. He promised the people to get America moving again.
Election of 1964:
Big issues during the Election of 1964 were the treatment of the Soviet Union. Johnson believed that an approach on the Soviet Union is the best way of keep communism from spreading. Gold water believed that the U.S. should act without the approval of other nations. Other big issues were the civil rights movement and the government role in the welfare of it’s citizens.
Election of 1968
The big issue during the Election of 1968 was the involvement of the U.S in the Vietnam war. Many Americans did not support the war.
Election of 1972
The dominant issue during this election was again the Vietnam war. Although the U.S. reduced their war efforts, there were still many Americans who did not support the war.
The Election of 1960
ReplyDeleteThe two candidates for the 1960 election were John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. Kennedy was known as the stronger of the two candidates. 64% of Americans believed that he had “the background and experience to be President.” Prior to the election Kennedy served as Senator. On January 2ND 1960, Kennedy announced he was officially would be running for the Democratic Party. Most of his votes came from Catholic dominant states, while few votes came from Protestant dominant states. Richard Nixon was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946 and in Senate in 1950. In August 1942 he was accepted into the United States Navy. Americas were looking for a strong president who could help bring America back up. Kennedy’s major campaign speech was “the need to get the country going again.” Another theme of his was the “missile gap”; that America was falling behind Russia in producing missiles. Many Americans were inspired by his speeches and his way of talking. On the first of four debates, Nixon appeared pale and tired while Kennedy looked healthy and energetic. Nixon’s performance on TV made his chances seem not to well, but Americans listening to the radio thought that Nixon won. The election was very close, but Kennedy won by only 120,000 votes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon
Election of 1960:
ReplyDeleteThe election of 1960 was a very important election in United States history. The Republican Candidate was Richard M. Nixon, and his running mate was Henry Cabot Lodge. The Democratic candidate was John F. Kennedy, and his running mate was Lyndon B. Johnson. Richard Nixon served as Vice President for eight years under Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was born to Francis A. Nixon and Hannah Milhous Nixon on January 9, 1913 in Yorba Linda, California. He served as a US representative and senator for the state of California. John F. Kennedy was born to Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Fitzgerald on May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He served as a commander of a motor torpedo boat during World War II in the South Pacific. Kennedy also served as both a US senator and a representative. Some of the main issues during the 1960 election were continuing the prosperous economic conditions of the 1950’s and the tension of the Cold War. Kennedy’s religion of Roman Catholicism also caused some issues during the campaign for presidency. John F. Kennedy won the election with 56.4% of the electoral votes. He became the first and only Roman Catholic President thus far in United States History. He served until 1963 when he was assassinated while driving through Dallas, Texas with his wife.
Election 1960:
ReplyDeleteIn the election of 1960 the two candidates were Kennedy and Nixon... Kennedy as the Democratic candidate and Nixon as the Republican candidate. The main issues of this election mainly revolved around religion and economy both in affiliation with Kennedy, the voter were very judgmental on these issue and made more of them then necessary.
Election of 1964:
In the election of 1964 the two candidates were Johnson and Goldwater. Lyndon B. Johnson was the Democratic candidate and Barry Goldwater was the republican candidate. The big issue surrounding this election was the civil rights movement and the governmental role in the welfare of its citizens, which as we can see turned out being a pretty humongous role!
Election 1968:
in the election of 1968 the candidates were Richard Nixon as the Republican candidate and Hubert Humphrey as the Democrat candidate... Nixon won the election but the election definitely had its issues the biggest one being the United States involvement in the Vietnam war... many voters were not at all in any way supportive.
Election of 1972:
in the election of 1972 the candidates were George McGovern as the Democratic candidate and again Richard Nixon as the Republican candidate. As with the elections above there were also other issue involved in the political process of the election, it particularly related to the election of 1968 where the voters were still extremely against the U.S.'s involvement in the Vietnam War. Looks like somethings the people just can't let go of.
Election of 1960:
ReplyDeleteIn the election of 1960 Presidential hopefuls Nixon and Kennedy ran against each other. Nixon was running for the republicans and had already been the Vice-President, while Kennedy, the democratic nominee, was a senator. This election was important because it was the election to have the first televised debates!
Election of 1964:
In the election of 1964 the Presidential candidates were President Johnson, wanted to be re-elected, and Goldwater, running for the republicans. This election is said to be the first election to fight about true issues since the election of 1932. This election was about the response to the Vietnam War, and how the future President would fix the problem.
Election of 1968:
In the election of 1968 the presidential hopefuls were Nixon and Humphrey. This is the election when Johnson almost being upset in New Hampshire, decided not to run for re-election, but hi vice-president Humphrey would instead. This is also the election in which Kennedy, a huge competitor going against Humphrey would be assassinated.
Election of 1972:
In this election President Richard Nixon would run up against George McGovern. In this election McGovern would accuse the President of illegal fundraising and got to the point of the President’s resignation. But in the end President would be the winner in the most one-sided election yet.
1960.
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest rival is John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. John was rich and Nixon wasn’t rich but they were really good friend. When Nixon tried to be a vise president, John didn’t jealous about that. He sent a letter of congratulation. But John started jealous when Nixon could be a vise president and he pushed Nixon in trouble. After that happened, maybe they weren’t friend anymore. When Nixon was young, he didn’t have any money so he was really busy. He made money and he studied. Lots of people liked him better than John. Just few people knew about John but John knew how important is TV so he tried to looks nice on TV. In the TV John looks really nice, young and vibrant but Nixon looks awful like old person and gloomy. So lots of people which one is watching TV wanted to John is be a president but some of the people who are listening the radio wanted Nixon is be a president but TV had more people than radio. John is the first Catholic president. People thought John is from big city because Catholic was just in big city so people wanted John is be a president.
In the election of 1968n there were three major candidates. For the democrats there was Hubert Humphrey who beat Lyndon B. Johnson for the primary. Johnson became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy and became popular after getting his “great society” laws past, although he was losing popularity for his Vietnam policy. Humphrey was also Johnson Vice President. Johnson eventually dropped out helping Humphrey win the nomination. For the Republican Party we Have Richard M. Nixon who was governor of California who ended up winning the race. But the candidate that really made this election interesting was the evil, raciest, bigot of a man George Wallace, governor of Alabama, known for his awful racism. Wallace ran for the American Independent Party and won four states. This election tells us a lot about America at the time. For one it shows an America sick of war, Vietnam had gone for too long, and Johnson changed the small Vietnam conflict into a fully fledged war (even though war was never officially declared.) this election also shows as America tired of racism- Wallace Didn’t even win in most of the southern states. This election is a very important one in American history.
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