“Electoral Brawlage” examines the first inaugural address of each president in U.S. history, with some commentary and analysis. Check back on Mondays for more.
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Harry S Truman declined to run for another term in 1952, opening the Democratic primary for its first real contest in 20 years. The winner was Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson, who picked John Sparkman—an Alabama Senator—as his runningmate.
Over on the GOP side, Dwight D. Eisenhower threw his hat into the ring. Most recently he had been the president of Columbia University, but his real distinction was from his military service: “Ike,” as he was popularly known, was a five-star general and had been Supreme Allied Commander in Europe in World War 2. That bought him some clout. He also picked a Senator to run with him, a little-known anti-communist from California named Richard Nixon.
How’d it go in November?
Look, if you think we swing one way or the other too much in our current elections, you haven’t looked at the 1900s. These swings are massive and it has a lot to do with the generally unified makeup of the electorate, the consistent interest in issues across the country, and the regional polarization that still lingered ninety years after the Civil War. If you think this map is Too Red, you haven’t seen anything yet. The 70s and 80s are going to blow your mind.
Ike beat Adlai by 9 popularity points (worthless), 30 states (pretty nice), and a whopping 351 Electoral Votes (i.e., touchdowns.) This thing was over before it started. Stevenson was in massive denial about the scale of the loss, so much so that he ran again in 1956, won the nomination again, and got blown out again, picking up Missouri but losing Kentucky and West Virginia (based Appalachia). Ike picked up 15 more EVs on that go-round, and another 1.8 million votes.
How are you going to run against the guy who won WW2 in Europe? They didn’t even have to nuke anyone! Ol’ Addy Hittles heard Ike was coming and did the honors himself! Hats off to Adlai Stevenson I guess, he at least wanted seconds!
The Speech
Anyways, here’s Ike’s 1953 inaugural speech. By the way, I don’t think I’ve explained this yet, but for most of our history the inauguration was on March 4th, not January 20th like it is now.
First things first: I’ve read thirty-four of these things now and while each president has made varying degrees of acknowledgement or supplication to God, I’m pretty sure Ike was the first one to open his with an actual prayer before proceeding to the speech portion. Nice.
He mentions that we’ve crossed the halfway point of the 20th century, and the world looks way different. Thrones have ended, new nations have started, many governments have been toppled and replaced…lots of upheaval.
For our own country, it has been a time of recurring trial. We have grown in power and in responsibility. We have passed through the anxieties of depression and of war to a summit unmatched in man's history. Seeking to secure peace in the world, we have had to fight through the forests of the Argonne to the shores of Iwo Jima, and to the cold mountains of Korea.
He asserts that in the wake of this shakeup, America needs to remember the principles of freedom on which she was founded, and aim to spread that freedom around the world. We won’t be able to if we forget our spiritual foundation.
At such a time in history, we who are free must proclaim anew our faith. This faith is the abiding creed of our fathers. It is our faith in the deathless dignity of man, governed by eternal moral and natural laws.
He proceeds to enumerate fixed principles (nine in total) that are worth reading in his own words so you can understand them. Here’s an extremely abbreviated list:
1-Be ready for war, but don’t seek it.
2-Do not placate tyrants
3-Free citizens must place their country ahead of themselves
4-We shouldn’t use our institutions to impose ourselves on others
5-Strive to help our allies secure their own footing and freedom
6-Economies underpin military strength, thus we should encourage profitable trade.
7-Try to help the world via the United Nations (oof)
8-People are not inferior or expendable based on their race
9-Strive to make the U.N. an effective force
Yeah, there is some naivete in there with regards to the U.N., but it did kick off with noble intentions and ambitions, and only because a useless money suck later on. I get his vision.
In closing, he says:
We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose.
We must be willing, individually and as a Nation, to accept whatever sacrifices may be required of us. A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.
I’m not keeping score, but this is instantly one of my favorite inaugurals. Go check it out.
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