September 18, 2024      10:19 AM

Stekler and Cornfield: It is possible the secret weapon for Truman’s in 1948 could elect Harris

As the Harris/Walz ticket roared out of the Democratic Convention, it was fired up, confident...and probably, at best, in a dead heat given the Electoral College advantage for Republicans and a recent history of polls underestimating GOP strength. As much as the pundits called Harris’ debate performance a decisive victory over an angry and defensive Donald Trump, there’s really no indication that this race will not be a November nail biter. So why is a comparison the Harris campaign with the patron saint of underdog candidates, Harry S. Truman in 1948, apt? Popular history focuses on Truman's famous "give 'em hell" campaign vitality, but it was the impact of the almost forgotten powerful Democratic down-ballot strength that year that was crucial in lifting his chances. In a 1948/2024 comparison, in this year’s swing states, the roster of experienced and popular statewide Democratic candidates, along with the presence of reproductive rights referenda on the ballot, could once again provide the Democrats with a decisive edge.

In the political history of presidential elections, few stories are as mythic as Truman’s non-stop campaign across the country, the legend that propelled him to victory. He gave more than 250 speeches, many from the rear platform of trains, that covered more than 20,000 miles, where he was seen by as many as ten million people. He railed against what he called a Republican “do-nothing” Congress while his opponent, New York Governor Thomas Dewey, seemed to wait for his inevitable victory. Truman barnstormed across Ohio, thought to be hopeless for him, whereas Dewey, despite pleas from the state party, made a single speech in Cleveland.

By Paul Stekler and Michael Cornfield

Copyright September 18, 2024, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved