Across the Continent

There is a school of political thought which declares that “you can’t beat somebody with nobody.” Mr. Eisenhower is somebody. His potential opponent on the Democratic ticket is Mr. Nobody. Stevenson, Harriman, Kefauver, Symington, Lyndon Johnson—they’re just nobodies on the big time. There are many Republicans who feel that Ike lacks the qualities which his office demands, but they will vote for him against nobody.

Traveling across the continent, I found this: “With Eisenhower we have peace and prosperity. Why change it? What have the Democrats got to offer that is better?” Ike looks good because of the quality of his competition. You can’t beat somebody with nobody. Mr. Stevenson is literate, perceptive, subtle at times, but his intellectual qualities are a handicap. To the voter he is supercilious, superior perhaps, but that in itself is an affront to the electorate. Mr. Kefauver, on the other hand, is as common as anyone could wish. But the voters would like to respect their President. Kefauver may satisfy the hillbillies of Tennessee but he doesn’t meet the minimum standards of the politicians of his own Party. Averell Harriman is a man of great wealth, ego and ambition. But the public demands a sense of humor in a Presidential candidate and Mr. Harriman is devoid of that quality. He is the ne plus ultra in stuffed shirts. “Stu” Symington offers mediocrity at its best. As a compromise candidate, he could serve the purposes of the Convention. Whether he could carry his native state of Missouri against Eisenhower is another question.

SJ

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Sam M. Jones

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Dwight D. Eisenhower

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There is a school of political thought which declares that “you can’t beat somebody with nobody.” Mr. Eisenhower is somebody. His potential opponent on the Democratic ticket is Mr. Nobody. Stevenson, Harriman, Kefauver, Symington, Lyndon Johnson—they’re just nobodies on the big time. There are many Republicans who feel that Ike lacks the qualities which his office demands, but they will vote for him against nobody.

Traveling across the continent, I found this: “With Eisenhower we have peace and prosperity. Why change it? What have the Democrats got to offer that is better?” Ike looks good because of the quality of his competition. You can’t beat somebody with nobody. Mr. Stevenson is literate, perceptive, subtle at times, but his intellectual qualities are a handicap. To the voter he is supercilious, superior perhaps, but that in itself is an affront to the electorate. Mr. Kefauver, on the other hand, is as common as anyone could wish. But the voters would like to respect their President. Kefauver may satisfy the hillbillies of Tennessee but he doesn’t meet the minimum standards of the politicians of his own Party. Averell Harriman is a man of great wealth, ego and ambition. But the public demands a sense of humor in a Presidential candidate and Mr. Harriman is devoid of that quality. He is the ne plus ultra in stuffed shirts. “Stu” Symington offers mediocrity at its best. As a compromise candidate, he could serve the purposes of the Convention. Whether he could carry his native state of Missouri against Eisenhower is another question.