1952: "I like Ike"

In 1952, a Republican candidate quickly established himself as the big favorite of the presidential election: Dwight D. Eisenhower. The reputation of the former general, commander of Allied troops in Europe during the Second World War, plays in his favor. But it is also with a well-understood campaign slogan that the one the Americans call "Ike" succeeds in winning a large number of votes. In the third episode of the Mister President podcast by Europe 1 Studio, Olivier Duhamel tells you how Eisenhower became the 34th President of the United States and retained his place as "commander in chief" four years later. 

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The 1952 election first experienced an unprecedented case: the outgoing president, in this case Truman, forced to resign. A man named Kefauver, a democratic senator from Tennessee, a populist unleashed in denouncing crime and corruption, defeated Truman in the first primary, that of New Hampshire. He defeated him by almost 3,000 votes, exactly 19,800 against 13,900. Truman was too unpopular, notably because of the Korean War. He throws in the towel.

Continuation of the story: Kefauver won almost all the primaries on the Democratic side. But at the time, it was not everywhere. In many states, party conventions choose their delegates to the National Convention responsible for choosing the candidate. And party bosses, apparatchiks, machine bureaucrats control their state conventions. So much so that in July, at the National Convention, the sulfurous Kefauver, nicknamed "Cow-fever", "cow fever" stumbles. Certain democratic machines have links with the Mafia that he is defending. He was dismissed in favor of Adlaï Stevenson, governor of Illinois and reasonable progressive. Stevenson is the type of elite democrat, a vice-president grandfather at the end of the 19th century, another friend and advisor to Abraham Lincoln, who passed through the most excellent universities, Princeton and then Harvard.

Eisenhower wins quickly

On the Republican side, the primaries essentially oppose two men. The eternal candidate, the conservative Robert Taft whom we already met four years earlier, son of William Taft, president of the United States from 1909 to 1913. And the hero of the Second World War, the commander-in-chief of the allied troops in Europe, General Eisenhower, who this time agreed to go. Eisenhower wins the East Coast primaries, Taft the Midwest primaries, the two arrive at the Chicago Convention shoulder to shoulder. The battle is fierce. Taft loses the first, by a vote which cancels its delegates from southern states, supposedly obtained fraudulently. Some supporters of the two candidates come to blows. Eisenhower won the first vote by a narrow margin, 595 votes to 500, the second round very clearly, 845 against 280. The matter was settled.

Americans want change after twenty years of Democratic presidency. Only one difficulty arises for the Republicans. The candidate vice-president, Richard Nixon, is implicated for donations that have not been declared. He replied with a speech that remained famous, the famous "Checkers speech". First, he dismantles the attacks. Then he talks about a specific gift, that of a dog called Checker. And he says he won't give the little dog back because his daughters love him. Triumph!

For the rest, the campaign is developing a red carpet for Eisenhower. Nicknamed Ike - Americans love to give short nicknames to those with long names. In his family, all were named Ike. His big brother Edgar, big Ike. Him, Douglas, little Ike. And choosing the campaign slogan was as simple as it was great: "I like Ike". During each stage, people come to see Ike, if possible to touch Ike. 34 million votes for Ike, 27 million for Stevenson, 55% versus 44, winner in all states except 9 in the south. Definitely, they liked Ike.

Lesson # 2: An outgoing president can be prevented from standing for re-election. Truman shows it in 1952. François Hollande will undergo this law sixty-five years later.

Lesson # 3: A well-chosen slogan can win a lot of votes. "I like Ike" proved it. François Mitterrand will show it with "La force calme" in 1981.

The 1956 election, 1952 mirror

The 1956 presidential election repeats that of 1952. Same candidates: Eisenhower, the outgoing president, for the Republicans, Stevenson the former challenger for the Democrats. He won the primaries, thanks to the first televised debate which opposed him to Kefauver during the Florida primary. And thanks to the fact that after Kefauver ran out of money and had to give up. Originality, at the National Convention, held in Chicago at the beginning of August, to create a little excitement, Stevenson instead of designating the candidate vice-president by his side, left this choice open to the vote of the delegates. Kefauver won, but he was almost beaten by an unknown young senator outside Massachusetts who had elected him, a certain ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy. RAS then in the countryside. Ike wins in 41 of the 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii do not yet have this status). It triumphs with 57% of popular votes.

Lesson 4: a general who wins a great war is an excellent candidate. De Gaulle will prove it, in 1959 by indirect suffrage, in 1965, elected by the people.

However general he may be, an American president can only serve two terms. So who to succeed Eisenhower in 1960? The suspense will be great. Answer in the next episode. 

"Mister President by Europe 1 Studio" is a podcast imagined by Olivier Duhamel

Preparation: Capucine Patouillet
Production: Christophe Daviaud (with Matthieu Blaise)

Editorial project manager: Fannie Rascle
Distribution and editing: Clémence Olivier
Graphic design: Mikaël Reichardt
Archives: European sound heritage 1