Adlai Stevenson 1952 Campaign Ad

[iandhr]

For flash back Friday.

[antiquie]

1. I learned this from my dad

Whistle while you work
Stevenson's a jerk
Eisenhower's got the power
Whistle while you work

Stevenson, obviously, can not hide his lineage. There were (and still are) many people to whom "Stevenson" was a bad word. It was not so long ago that people sang "Eisenhower has the power." and "Stevenson's a jerk" to the tune of "Whistle While You Work." And his father never carried Illinois in a presidential election. The name, nevertheless, is unquestionably working to Adlai III's advantage as he campaigns vigorously through Illinois.

[MADem]

2. HORRIBLE ad--even by the relatively primitive standards of the day.

Shitty graphics, too many words in the tune. The only thing they had going for them is the public domain music--it was recognizable.

Same year, other candidate:

[Brother Buzz]

4. Produced by Roy Disney and Citizens for Eisenhower

[MADem]

5. You can tell, too, by the smile on the elephant!

The thing is rather Dumbo-esque...and the characters do have a Disney flavor to them.

Amazing how the Disney brand is STILL wrapped up in GOP politics after all these years (ABC TV, e.g.)

[Brother Buzz]

6. 1%ers in action before they even invented the word

Amazing how the Disney® brand morphed perception and sanitized history with their films. I'm convinced Sarah Palin, and her ilk, learned US history watching saccharine sweet Disney® movies on TV.

[MADem]

7. Indeed! And the Palins were probably only half paying attention to those complex cartoons, too!

[Brother Buzz]

8. But, but Sarah took copious notes

[MADem]

9. Hahahahaha! nt

[jwirr]

3. What I remember most about that campaign is that the biggest issue was that he was divorced.

The other thing I remember is that in R Iowa I was one of 4 high school students who supported him.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. There was a party where someone told Adlai "Every thinking person in America will vote for you."...

He answered with, "That will do me no good. I need a majority."

[senz]

11. Such a different world back then.

Watching these ads (thanks for the Ike one, MADem) drives home how much more sophisticated our popular culture has become. That, by itself, has to be a good thing.

Adlai Stevenson was a liberal Democrat whom Republicans hated. Though he championed liberal causes, regular people had trouble warming up to him because he was an intellectual who used big words.

From Wikipedia: “The prominent historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., who served as one of his speechwriters, wrote that "Stevenson was a great creative figure in American politics. He turned the Democratic Party around in the fifties and made JFK possible...to the United States and the world he was the voice of a reasonable, civilized, and elevated America. He brought a new generation into politics, and moved millions of people in the United States and around the world."”

I was brought up to dislike him. After leaving home in the 1960s and getting some education, I realized my mistake. Stevenson was a good guy.