Harry Truman in Philadelphia 1948

Harry gives the Republicans hell in Philadelphia at the Democratic Convention in 1948.

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News & Politics

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• Harry
• Truman
• Philadelphia
• Democratic
• Convention
• 1948
• clay
• teunis

[DutchTuna]

Truman made some gutsy decisions and stuck to his intuitions. He also had a very low public opinion poll (sound familiar?). I think the hist books will be kind to Obama, as I have faith in his intellect.

[tmc1967]

@DutchTuna Obama is a lackey for banks and special interests. He shows no leadership. He is a good man but a terrible leader. The books will not be kind, unless they are written by the bankers.

[DutchTuna]

@tmc1967 Can you say that after last night's speech? I know it was a patented "Obamagram," but Socialism or not, we are in the midst of a global depression that should not have to last ten years (as the last one did) if there are solutions. We could wait for massive war production (as in 1939-41) to get us out of the dumps or we can be smart and listen to this head-of-the-class Harvard dark horse.

[NYerintransit]

Dewey was too liberal for many Republicans. He had no plans to end the New Deal. Small wonder that he lost.

[DutchTuna]

Dewey and his lackeys thought he was a shoe-in and got lazy.

Liked your United States of Whatever.

[steverouse56]

This is why I wish that John Edwards was President. He had more of Harry's attitude.

[DutchTuna]

not towards fidelity to his wife, I expect.

[observer9670]

All through 1947, Democrats had tried to get Eisenhower to run for President as a Democrat. Even Truman offered to step aside, if Ike agreed to be the Democratic nominee. When Eisenhower publicly said that he would not run for President in 1948 on either ticket, it left the Democrats little choice but to nominate Truman.

[Mr40acresandamule]

Obama needs to take a page out of Truman's book. He needs to stop kissing the fat asses of those Republicans.

[Buddy212002]

@NYerintransit Yes, he was too good to fight for what he believed in, and the moustache didn't help him much either.

[NYerintransit]

@AwfulVision I do agree that one reason Dewey lost was his campaign style. He wasn't willing to get down and dirty against Truman. Dewey should have played Truman's image as an incompetent president for all it was worth. Defeating Truman would not have been easy but if Dewey had campaigned and attacked just as hard as Truman he would have won.

[NYerintransit]

@AwfulVision The GOP in the late 1940's was the most conservative it had been in a long time up until that point. They won back Congress in 1946 with an anti-New Deal message. Liberal Republicans were more common in the late 40's than they are today, but the base of the party was still fiscally conservative and reviled the New Deal. Dewey didn't give them a platform they could fully embrace so many Republicans stayed home and didn't vote.

[AwfulVision]

@NYerintransit

Finally, E) Dewey lost (and only barely) because his entire campaign was centered around the concept that he was going to win, so he just offered vaguely optimistic platitudes in his speaches and never counter-attacked Truman in some misguided attempt to "appear Presidential" and look like he was "above it all". Meanwhile, Truman spent months trashing Dewey to anyone who would listen.

Truman looked like a fighter, Dewey looked like a stuffy, condescending twit.