"Primary"

Tonight I watched a documentary entitled “Primary.”  The subject was the battle between John Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey in 1960 for Wisconsin’s convention delegates.  Kennedy’s religion was an issue, as was agricultural policy.  Kennedy seemed to inspire more enthusiasm, but Humphrey connected much better with farmers and won the rural areas.  Ultimately Kennedy took Wisconsin, although the battle would continue in other states.

In 1960 few states held presidential primaries.  Party leaders (bosses?) usually picked the candidates.  Some states held non-binding “beauty contest” primaries to test public opinion.

The documentary showed a different type of campaigning.  When people came to rallies they dressed up.  Some women wore gloves, hats, even pearls.  Kids were allowed out of school to see the rallies.  Rally audiences sang campaign songs.  Kennedy and Humphrey talked about policy issues and hardly mentioned each other.  When they did, they did it in a civil and reasonable way.  The candidates and their followers were polite.  

I shared some of the 1960 experience.  My political science teacher at Ursinus College, who was also the faculty advisor to the Young Democrats, chartered a bus for us to attend a Kennedy rally in a high school football field in Norristown, PA.  We stood in the rain for nearly an hour waiting for Kennedy to appear.  It was inspiring.