Keep Cool with Coolidge

This week features a unique presidential campaign with a different sort of candidate.  Calvin Coolidge ran his campaign in his own unique style that goes against the flow of many other Republican campaigns.

(Image Courtesy of Will Rabbe)

Calvin Coolidge was vice president under the Harding administration. When President Harding died in office of heart disease, Coolidge quietly assumed office like any normal vice president. However, unlike the usual, Coolidge decided to run for a second term (only Theodore Roosevelt had done this before).

Coolidge’s campaign was different from the standard Republican bid for presidency. He was a reserved man and very concise with his words. In fact, there is a popular joke that goes along the lines of,

“President “Silent Cal” Coolidge was at a dinner party. Two of the guests were talking about his taciturn nature and made a $10 bet if one of them could make him say more than two words. One guest went up to the president and explained the situation. Coolidge replied, ‘You lose,’ and turned back to his dinner.”

His campaign featured him giving speeches about planned legislation and policies often through the relatively new medium of radio. Coolidge was very non-confrontational and did not resort to insulting or degrading his opponent. The resulting campaign was very clean and showed that the presidential race could actually be about politics.

The slogan is a typical reelection statement; it suggests that the president had a good first term and the second term will be just as good if not better. Following the Teapot Dome Scandal and the death of President Harding, Coolidge was a calm figure for the public to latch on to. This election (1924) was in the middle of the Roaring Twenties and life was good. The public was willing to forget about the past mistakes of the government so long as no problems occurred and Coolidge offered just that. He had handled the investigation of the Teapot Dome Scandal transparently and spent the next years conservatively running the government.

But the line gave the impression that Coolidge was a cool guy. He may not have been the most socially active, but he did his job as president well. He was the most vocal president at the time, giving publicly broadcasted speeches that reached millions of citizens. Coolidge set a precedent for communication with the people of America. In his public appearances, Coolidge set out to create a fun public image, but he kept his work and formal addresses serious.

Coolidge in a Native American headdress (Image courtesy of politico.com) 

The actual slogan is very clever with its diction. The first thing I noticed was that “cool” was repeated twice, once as a word and once as part of the candidate’s name. This utilizes assonance to give the slogan a smooth feel. The repetition also makes the slogan closer to a call to action. Add a few letters and you can get “Keep Coolidge with Coolidge.” The slogan found a clever way say “keep Coolidge” and the voters did.

He Kept Us Out of War

While several American presidents can contribute their successful campaigns to their equally successful military accomplishments, America isn’t always looking for a fight. During his first term, Woodrow Wilson kept America out of the war that was consuming Europe and used this feat in his slogan for his reelection campaign.

(Image Courtesy of Britannica.com)

The first Democratic president of the 20^th century, Woodrow Wilson was faced with a difficult first term. After an era of Republicanism, Wilson and the now Democrat senate set out to create some legislation (politics actually did stuff that mattered for once). These progressive laws, which set up the structure for many of FDR’s New Deal policies and ultimately social services today, are overshadowed by the world conflicts of the same time period.

The major issue was the war going on in Europe. Initially limited to only the European countries, America- Germany tensions began to grow as submarine warfare started hitting shipping lines and passenger vessels. The American public was furious, but Wilson insisted on diplomacy. However, there was another war closer to home: the Mexican Civil War. Although there were some U.S. troops involved in the conflict, America did not take sides and withdrew quickly from the country.  

The election of 1916 had Wilson running for a second term against Charles E. Hughes. Hughes found it extremely difficult to run against the “peace” platform. Wilson was promising peace and had proven that he could do it. Hughes took to attacking Wilson’s labor laws (which many workers were actually happy with). “He kept us out of war” proved to be more powerful than Hughes could handle.

This slogan focused on Wilson’s most notable achievement of his first term. While he made progressive legislation that regulated business, Wilson is best known for his foreign policy. This could be a result of his political alignment. As Republicans were sided with business, his new policies did not settle well with everyone. However, there is no denying that the prevention of war appeals to the vast majority of people. Additionally, the slogan states an undoubtedly true fact; Wilson had many opportunities to declare war (with the support of the American government and people), but he chose not to.

It is worthy to note that Wilson’s slogan (as well as his actual platform and campaign) did not promise to keep them out of war. Becoming involved in the conflict was not in Wilson’s interest, yet there was a limit to how many American deaths from submarine attacks could be forgiven. As much as Wilson tried to keep America out of war, the rising death toll combined with the Zimmerman note begged for something to be done. The nation entered the Great War, now a true World War, on April 4, 1917. It became the war to end all wars and, quote Wilson, “to make the world safe for democracy.” 

Ma, Ma, Where's my Pa?

Scandals are so widespread in current politics that it seems the government is more worried about personal reputation than making laws. But this isn’t a new phenomenon. Presidential campaigns have been mudslinging whenever there is the slightest falter in decorum. And when all else is said and done, politicians will often be remembered most for their scandals.

In 1884, America was enjoying the prosperity brought about by the recent industrial revolution. Politics entered the Gilded Age, where corruption was rampant and laws were made by and for big businesses (because they were giving big money). The Republicans had held the White House since Ulysses S. Grant’s terms with each simply following the policies set forth by their predecessor. The election had two main candidates: Grover Cleveland for the Democrats and James G. Blaine for the Republicans. The resulting campaigns had nothing to do with politics.

Blaine tried to defame Cleveland by focusing on an alleged affair. Maria Crofts Halpin claimed that Cleveland had fathered her child. This rumor was further supported by the fact that Cleveland had paid child support to her (Halpin had been with a few men. Cleveland, a bachelor, would suffer less than if a married man had claimed the child.). This caused the Republicans to jeer “Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa?”

Political Cartoon of "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?" (courtesy of Wikimedia)

Cleveland fought back with “Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, the continental liar from the state of Maine.” Blaine had been heavily involved with the railroad industry and owned chares in several companies. By using his influence as a politician, Blaine managed to profit off of his investments. Although these events occurred much earlier, new damning evidence had appeared. A particular letter sent by Blaine detailing some of his exploits had written at the bottom, “Burn this letter.” The Democrats seized the opportunity presented by this new evidence to seriously question the morals of Blaine. Engaging in underhanded business practices is one thing, but destroying evidence and claiming it never happened makes it much worse. To insult him further, many of the campaign cheers involved “Burn this letter” as a conclusion.

This election focused on attacking the rival’s character, but the slogans provide some insight into their speakers. Blaine’s attack on Cleveland found no immediate fault in his morals (Cleveland is considered to be one of the best presidents in terms of character). As a result, Blaine took to scandals. However, Cleveland openly responded with details about the incident which in turn showed his honesty. On the other hand, Cleveland’s slogan against Blaine helped to show his (Cleveland’s) take on corruption. In his past positions in New York, he had proved to be a strong opponent to corruption.

Blaine’s attempts to defame Cleveland were not strong enough to tarnish the Democrat’s reputation. Grover Cleveland went on to win the election, the only Democrat president in an era of Republicanism. His supporters, part in celebration and part in mockery, expanded upon the old taunt. “Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa? Gone to the White House. Ha! Ha! Ha!

Let Us Have Peace

In the years following the Civil War, politics struggled to regain a sense of normality. Reconstruction was slowly adding the Confederacy back to the Union and new civil rights laws introduced the African American population to the polls. By the 1868 election, Virginia, Texas, and Alabama were yet to be reinstated in the Union and were not allowed to vote. During this time, the presidential campaigns had to be careful on how they presented their candidate.

Grant and Colfax, Election of 1868 (courtesy of Wikimedia)

Grant himself did not do much campaigning. Most of the work was done by the Republican Party which used the two slogans for the campaign: “Vote as you shot” and “Let us have peace.”

“Vote as you shot” was directed towards the Union states (directing it at the South would have been silly). As Grant was the leader of the Union armies, his fame as a war hero was used to encourage people to vote for him. Additionally, many of the voters in the North had been enlisted in the Union army (due in part to the draft). Grant’s leadership had been proven in war, and the Republican campaign strived to put this leader in the White House.

“Let us have peace” was original spoken by Grant after his acceptance as candidate of the Republican Party. This line symbolized what Grant believed in and what he sought to achieve. Peace was a desired thing across the recovering nation and could appeal to all the people of the United States. “Let us have peace” presented two different points:

First, it was an appeal to the desires of the general public. After the bloody years of the Civil War and the turbulent period that followed, the people of the reunited states were looking for a break. The incumbent president, Andrew Johnson struggled to continue the reconstruction started by President Lincoln. Johnson’s failure to connect with the politicians led to divides in the national government. The people of America wanted a strong leader that could reunite the nation and resolve many of the problems. Grant was advertised as the candidate who would bring about a much wanted peace.

Second, it points out the accomplishment of Grant in bringing about the end of the Civil War. Although Grant was the commanding general of the Union army, he truly desired peace. When he was promoted to General of the Army, he sought to swiftly bring an end to the war resulting in the relentless chase of the Confederate Army and total warfare in the South. While these tactics may seem violent, they ultimately hastened the end of the war preventing additional years of bloodshed.

For Grant’s reelection campaign in 1872, his slogan was “Grant us another term.” This statement uses the candidate’s name as a verb to encourage voters to reelect him. The circumstances worked in their favor to allow this clever wordplay. This slogan can also be seen as a continuation of the ideas set forth in Grant’s first term. Grant achieved what he set out to do and after his two terms as president, America was at peace again. 

Don't Change Horses Midstream

Contrary to the title of this post, this week’s post will be slightly different from the previous weeks. The previous entries have been focused on the initial election campaign for the candidate (with the exception of “I Still Like Ike,” as that was a shortened post and I don’t count it), while this week will be looking at a reelection slogan that has been used twice. The reason for the change is I felt like including Abraham Lincoln in this blog before I continued on to more recent presidents. Additionally, while I was looking for blog topics, I noticed that this slogan shows up twice in the presidential races; both times during massive wars. For those who do not like the change, the single president, single campaign format will be back next post; I’m merely looking at another horse midstream.

Lincoln and Johnson, Election of 1864 (courtesy of Wikimedia)

During the election of 1864, there was a war going on. The Civil War had seen some of its bloodiest months and an end was nowhere in sight. Through it all, President Abraham Lincoln was trying to reunite the country without slavery; however, if he was not reelected, the “Peace Democrats” would have gone for peace at any cost, resolving none of the issues that started the war. It was integral that Lincoln oversaw what he started and this was reflected in his slogan.

“Don’t change horses in midstream” is an old expression that fit Lincoln’s campaign perfectly. The saying refers to crossing a river on horseback. To cross with only one horse is a challenge in itself, but to cross with multiple horses is an even more difficult feat. It would be an absurd to try to switch which horse you are riding. If you did, you would risk losing your horses and possibly yourself. This led to the practical meaning of “don’t change your mind about your path halfway through the project or everything may be lost.”

This was the message that Lincoln was trying to convey to the voters. Although many were desperate for peace, they allowed him another term which was cut short by John Wilkes Booth. The shift in leadership following Lincoln’s assassination shows a glimpse of what it was like to “change horses in midstream” in regards to the Reconstruction efforts. The peaceful re-assimilation and smooth transition back to normality that Lincoln had foreseen became a harsh military reconstruction.

Roosevelt and Truman, Election of 1944 (courtesy of Wikimedia)

The next time the slogan* showed up was during World War II for the third reelection campaign (1944) of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Here we find a great amount of similarities to Lincoln’s situation. The nation is at war and the casualties are rising. President Roosevelt has seen the war through from the start and insists he be allowed to finish it. However, Roosevelt’s untimely death caused by his failing health ushered in Harry Truman as president. The war may have ended without the bombing of Japan.

At a time when the nation needs strong leadership, there are often great people to take the lead. In the cases of Lincoln and Roosevelt, they often need more time to achieve the desired goal. As a result, these presidents utilized a common idiom to convey to voters that allowing them to finish what they started is the wisest decision.While this slogan isn't particularly catchy or emblazoned on every campaign item, its meaning serves the purpose of getting voters.

*FDR used "Don't swap horses in midstream" but the meaning and usage are the same.