In the Stretch

Dopesters, pollsters, pundits, bigwigs, wardheelers--all shapes & sizes of political wiseacres--were now getting phenomenally nervous. By all counts this was one of the queerest, bitterest--and closest--of all the Presidential races in U.S. history. So dead certain were all the experts that the race would be neck-&-neck that a comfortable victory by either candidate would make political expertism indefinitely suspect. And the polls were indecisive--if they showed anything it was that Dewey had drawn nearly level since midsummer. (Only the gamblers saw it as 3-to-1 for Roosevelt, and not much money was being bet.)

Back to New York after a month of campaigning all over the U.S. came good grey Norman Thomas, Socialist Presidential candidate ever since 1928. Norman Thomas said two things: 1) "I am gloomy about both candidates," and 2) this was the hardest Presidential race to judge of any of the five he had run in.

If the race was close, it was also demonstrably one of the bitterest. But even more clearly it was one of the queerest. Item: the youngest candidate in history was running against one of the oldest. Item: for the first time, one of the candidates had already had three terms and wanted a fourth. Item: the P.A.C., the group making the biggest organized effort to elect the Democratic candidate, did not even belong to the Democratic Party. Item: the G.O.P. candidate not only didn't encourage foofaraw, bands, parades and demonstrations, but deliberately discouraged it. Item: one of the main campaign speeches was mainly remembered as being about the candidate's dog.

What were the issues of this queer campaign, as it went into its last feverish fortnight? They were:

Foreign Policy. The Democrats said the President saw the war coming, prepared the U.S. for it, and is just as expertly preparing the peace--and the Republicans didn't see it coming, balked at preparations for it, and don't really mean their present internationalism. The Republicans said if the President saw the war coming, why didn't he do something about it besides sign tighter neutrality bills passed by a Democratic Congress? The U.S. was very poorly armed. And the President is only making political improvisations about the coming peace. How can any peacemaking be effective when half the Democrats and all the Republicans in Congress distrust the President?

Communism or Hillmanism. Said the Democrats: neither Earl Browder nor Sidney Hillman is running for the Presidency; it takes all kinds of support to elect a President. Republicans: why do Reds and pinkos like the New Deal so much then?

Term IV. Democrats: the 16 years do not matter; this is a choice between the alternatives of Tom Dewey and Franklin Roosevelt. Republicans: long-continued power corrupts.

Domestic Policy. Democrats: humanitarianism is more important than a little bungling here & there; only Franklin Roosevelt can guarantee jobs to the returning war veterans. Republicans: the New Deal has messed up every field of government. How can the tired old men do better now, in tougher times? Government controls should be adequate but not oppressive, and enterprise free, or the veterans will have to go on federal doles.

Veracity. Democrats: Tom Dewey takes phrases out of context and then changes the subject. Republicans: Franklin Roosevelt has talked out of both sides of his mouth for twelve years.

Health. Democrats: the President feels fine. Republicans (politely): we hope so.

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