What a Story
Life is a stage.
I’m reading a book on storytelling, which focuses on the scientific evidence of how telling a story works. I’m enjoying it, especially the beginning, when it explains that we all know how each of our stories will end.
With death.
Pretty grim way to look at it. But those are the facts when it comes to each of our stories.
Your life is a story with many twists and turns, ups and downs. For example, I’m currently figuring out my work life and career. I don’t have the luxury of spending an enormous amount of time on it. I’m on the backside of my career and life, so figuring out the next path and doing it quickly needs to be an arc in my story.
But what stories can I tell about my life overall? There’s the winding story of how I met and married Anonymous. My hobby of writing has produced over three years of essays on Okay History. But I’m also working on writing more fiction and developing stories of characters I’m creating in my mind. I’m a creative person, and rather than develop an unhealthy habit of betting on sports, I just feed my ego with writing. Which, of course, you all help with twice a week. So, thank you for being a part of this story.
Presidential elections are full of engaging narratives. This brings us to the story of two guys who ran for president in the early 1950s. Their stories have the same plot—trying to get elected president—but different story arcs and outcomes. Spoiler alert—the same guy won twice.
But for the guy who lost, Adlai Stevenson, what a story he could tell - that he lost twice to one of the greatest presidents to have lived and lost convincingly.
Let's dive in.
33: The Presidential Election of 1952
Election Date: November 4, 1952
The Candidates:
You know you are a formidable and compelling candidate when both parties want you to run at the top of their ticket. World War II hero Dwight Eisenhower chose the Republican party, which hadn’t occupied the White House in about a million years when 1952 rolled around.
Stevenson can tell the story of how he was picked by President Harry Truman, who had pulled off a stunning upset just four years earlier. The Governor of Illinois had the pedigree of having his grandfather serve as Grover Cleveland’s vice president.
We had two nice people, which didn’t cause much drama, making the story less enjoyable.
Major Issue of the Day:
The United States just tested hydrogen bombs to add to our arsenal of atomic bombs. The Soviet Union had nuclear bombs.
Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy was dropping bombs all over Washington, DC, accusing everyone and anyone that they were communist agents.
The Korean War took place from 1950-53. It wasn’t as successful as the last war and would begin a streak of war failures that we didn’t end for a while.
The Winner:
Television.
The first presidential election dominated by this new media medium would prove that those who could harness its effectiveness had a tremendous advantage, and those who didn’t became Adlai Stevenson.
The States in the Electoral College:
48. Hawaii and Alaska had yet to enter the Union, and Washington, DC, wouldn’t get to vote for a few more years.
The Electoral College had 531 members, and the winner needed 266 votes.
The General whipped the Governor by winning 39 states and 55% of the vote. The story here was that it was ugly for Adlai.
The 2021 OKH Presidential Ranking:
Ike comes in at number five. The man was a pioneer of infrastructure, something the current Republicans associate with communism. I have learned some wild things about Eisenhower lately, like that he had someone dress him every morning. Can you believe that story?
Why Did I Rank it Here:
Adlai didn’t understand the power of television. He gave full speeches on camera and was cut off when he rambled on. I should rank this higher, but I can’t help but feel like Ike could have used a better opponent.
The next four years proved to be quite prosperous for the country. Adlai spent the next four years trying to work his way back to the top of the ticket and somehow pulled it off. It was a comeback story.
Let’s dive in.
32: The Presidential Election of 1956
Election Date: November 6, 1956
The Candidates:
Eisenhower suffered a heart attack during his first term, and if you remember, his Vice President was Richard Nixon. Don’t worry, everyone, the story was Ike hated Dick as well. Nixon managed to stay on the ticket back in 1952 and 56 due to a speech about his dog, which I wrote about three years ago.
Stevenson was back, having defeated a less-than-impressive field because no one wanted to get run over by the popular president.
Major Issue of the Day:
The biggest issue was that Eisenhower was able to cool the Cold War by having several countries sign a peace accord.
Elvis Presley would be introduced when his first hit, Heartbreak Hotel, was released. In case you were wondering, it’s down at the end of Lonely Street.
The Winner:
Nixon. He held onto the vice presidential gig, setting himself up to run in 1960.
The States in the Electoral College:
48. Everything about this election was the same as four years earlier.
The Electoral College had 531 members, and the winner needed 266 votes.
Ike picked up three states when Kentucky, West Virginia, and Louisiana realized they voted for Adlai in 1952. Ike increased his winning margin by taking 57% of the vote and 457 electoral votes. The story for Stevenson this time around—it got worse!
The 2021 OKH Presidential Ranking:
I haven’t read much on Eisenhower, which is wild considering how highly ranked he is.
Why Did I Rank it Here:
I might have needed to invert the rankings, but the story is better told in chronological order. What do you think?
It’s Memorial Day weekend. We celebrate our freedoms while remembering those who served us in the military and made the ultimate sacrifice. It’s also the unofficial beginning of summer. Anonymous will mark both occasions by taking off for the weekend, so it’s just me and Blue.
I’ll be taking Monday off, so no Maundy Newsletter. I will be working on a ton of other content – there is so much going on right now.
Thanks, friends. I hope you are enjoying the rankings. We are almost halfway there!
Okay,
Chris
"Heartbreak Hotel" was Elvis' first #1 hit on RCA. Before 1956, he had been recording for Sun in Memphis for a few years.
1956 was the first election I remember. My family were all Republicans who still hated FDR and thought Social Security was Communism. They thought Stevenson was the devil himself.