And we’re back!
Like with most politicians, one term is simply not enough.
So here I am with the continuation of The
Great Presidential Debate!
For those of you new to this blog, let me introduce you to
the main concept and structure. I find interesting campaign slogans and discuss
them in chronological order. Some election years have rather toned down
campaigns while others have no true competition and as a result have no catchy
slogans to discuss. Each post will provide the general context of the election
and then discuss the message being conveyed by the slogan and why it is
effective.
Without further ado, here is the post!
In 1945, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was struggling
with health issues and World War II. His deteriorating health resulted in his
death in office. Vice President Harry Truman was left with the responsibility
of piloting America out of the war. From the peace conference in Potsdam,
Germany to the decision to drop bombs on Japan, Truman was heavily involved in
the decisions made. He saw the formation of the United Nations and the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization. He brought about the continuation of several New
Deal programs, the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.
But despite all this, Truman was predicted to lose the
election of 1948. And it wasn’t really his fault either; Truman had been
ushered into office following the death of one of the nation’s most beloved and
trusted leader. His term was stuck in the shadow of Roosevelt’s achievements.
However, Truman wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
The election of 1948 featured Republican Thomas Dewey against
Democrat Harry Truman. With the popular statement that Truman would lose the
election, the Republicans took a low risk approach to the election trying to
avoid any touchy issues that would decrease popularity. Truman, on the other
hand, went all in on his campaign.
His campaign was characterized by high energy and
willingness to confront issues head on. The campaign’s original slogan was “I’m
just wild about Harry” taken from the song of the same name in the Broadway
show Shuffle Along. The most well-known
Truman slogan and the one that became widely popular with supporters was “Give ‘em
hell, Harry!” The party actually did not come up with this slogan; it was
shouted out by a supporter during Truman’s “whistle-stop” campaigns.
“Give ‘em hell, Harry!” captured the vibe that Truman was
going for. He wanted to be known for his active involvement in solving the
nation’s problems. During his campaign, he depicted himself as competing with a
“do nothing” Congress. The slogan suggests that Truman would make progress no
matter who stood in opposition.
And it was this attitude that won Truman the election. The
Republican’s lackluster campaign and failure to address pertinent topics lost
the support of the people. Truman’s energy and dedication to honesty swayed the
public to accept him for a second term. In fact, his comeback in the election was so last minute that one newspaper had erroneously printed false results. This newspaper misprint led to one of Truman's most famous pictures; him holding up the paper with an ecstatic look on his face.
Image courtesy of the Chicago Tribune
