POL 344, CRITICAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, FALL 2011

1960, THE FIRST MODERN CAMPAIGN

Questions for Donaldson, Preface and chapters 1-6

Wednesday, October 26

1. What can be said about political priorities in the 50s with regards to "Southern acceptance" and Civil Rights? Donaldson points out that sympathy for whites in the South is as important as Civil Rights legislation for blacks. Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Inquiries?

2. What role did race play in the election of 1960?  For that matter, what role did it play in 1956?  What were the major candidate's views on race?

3. Adlai Stevenson was clearly interested in the presidency, yet he consistently insisted that he would not run for the presidency. However, he would also add that "no man should refuse to serve his country" and effectively "kept his options open." What do you think of this strategy? Does it harm or help a potential candidate?

4. Why was Kennedy's campaign spending such an area of contention?  Did people react the same way to Obama's spending?  Why the difference?

5. If Hubert Humphrey had had enough money to be competitive in the primaries, would he have won the nomination?  Could Humphrey have been as successful as Kennedy was against Nixon in the general election?

6. If Johnson had taken advantage of the internal "stop-Kennedy movements" and other opportunities extended to him, is it conceivable he could have extensively challenged for the Democratic nomination? Or, was he too disadvantaged by how he campaigned, keeping in mind he campaigned just like his predecessors in previous decades?

7. Discuss the pros and cons for Kennedy in choosing Johnson as his running mate. Also, considering how well the Kennedy campaign functioned in the primaries and in the nomination floor vote, why did they bungle so many aspects of choosing the vice presidential nominee?

8. There are a few notable examples within the Democratic Party especially (1960 & 2008) where a long, drawn-out nomination process helped the candidate in the general election because by that time the country knew almost everything about that candidate.  So, even though it is incredibly frustrating and time consuming, would you, as a candidate, wish to have the decision go all the way down to the wire or would you prefer to have the decision made after IA and NH?

9. What does the book's portrayal of LBJ and Nixon say about the relationship between experience/effectiveness before seeking the presidency and presidential performance?

10. What did the “New Nixon” (64) stand for? How did this new persona help Nixon fight off potential challenges within the Republican Party from Barry Goldwater and Nelson Rockefeller?

11. In chapter 5, Donaldson writes, "neither [Nixon nor Reagan] counted the other as a friend." What obstacles did they overcome for good-feelings throughout the party; what aspects of their relationship assisted the Republican Party?

12. The book calls 1960 the first modern election. Is this an accurate statement from what we've read so far? Are Kennedy's primary bid and Nixon's anointment similar or dissimilar to what we see today?