We're Gonna Keep It!
by Amanda C.
When one thinks of Richard Nixon, typically nothing comes to mind other than his notorious role in the Watergate scandal of the 1970's. But remarkably, Nixon is famous for giving one of the greatest speeches in American history, the Checker's Speech. This speech single-handedly saved Nixon's political career, and contributed to the landslide victory for President Eisenhower.
Nixon was first elected to Congress in 1946,where he quickly made a name for himself as a militant anti-Communist while serving on the House Un-American Activities Committee. Just 4 years later in 1950, Nixon was elected to the U.S. Senate and became an outspoken critic of President Truman's conduct of the Korean War, wasteful spending by the Democrats, and also calimed that there were Communists in the government.
But Nixon's rapid rise in the political community came to a sudden and quite possibly life altering halt after a headline appeared in the New York Post stating, "Secret Rich Men's Trust Fund Keeps Nixon in Style Far Beyond His Salary." The headline appeared just a few days after Eisenhower had chosen him as his running mate for the Presidency. Amongst all the outrage that surrounded Nixon's "secret fund," Eisenhower's advisors urged him to drop Nixon as his running mate before it was too late.
To off-set any animosity between himself and the people, Richard Nixon went before the American Public and gave the ever-famous Checker's Speech. On Septemer 23, 1952 Nixon was televised, with his wife by his side, explaining his reasons for having such a fund. After stating that the fund was purposely not kept a secret, Nixon continued to ask the American people to ponder the following:
"Do you think that when I or any other Senator makes a political speech, has it printed, should charge the printing of that speech and the mailing of that speech to the taxpayers? Do you think, for example, when I or any other Senator makes a trip to his home State to make a purely political speech that the cost of that trip should be charged to the taxpayers? Do you think when a Senator makes political broadcasts or political television broadcasts, radio or television, that the expense of those broadcasts should be charged to the taxpayers? Well I know what your answer is. It's the same answer that audiences give me whenever I discuss this particular problem: The answer is no. The taxpayers shouldn't be required to finance items which are not official business but which are primarily political business."
And thus was his reasoning for taking money from private supporters, to relieve the burden from the American people.
But the speech was not called the Checker's Speech for nothing. After being accused of taking nearly 18,000 dollars in gift money, Nixon proclaimed,
''One other thing I probably should tell you, because if I don't they'll probably be saying this about me, too," Nixon told his millions of listeners. ''We did get something, a gift, after the election" from a ''man down in Texas. . . . You know what it was? 'It was a little cocker spaniel dog, in a crate that he had sent all the way from Texas, black and white, spotted, and our little girl Tricia, the 6-year-old, named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog, and I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it."
Nixon continued on with his speech, making poinant remarks about his opponents financial positions and challenged them to openly provide the same type of public financial explanation.
With his speech, Nixon gained the support of millions nationwide. He was seen as an honest man, looking out for the financial interests of the American public by taking the private money. But most importantly, he was seen as a family man, looking out for the interests of his daughters who wanted nothing more than to have a puppy--a gift that he refused to take away from them. Nixon looked real--he stood headstrong, yet vulnerable, putting his weaknesses out for all to see, and in doing so he won the heart of the American public and thus, the election.
When one thinks of Richard Nixon, typically nothing comes to mind other than his notorious role in the Watergate scandal of the 1970's. But remarkably, Nixon is famous for giving one of the greatest speeches in American history, the Checker's Speech. This speech single-handedly saved Nixon's political career, and contributed to the landslide victory for President Eisenhower.
Nixon was first elected to Congress in 1946,where he quickly made a name for himself as a militant anti-Communist while serving on the House Un-American Activities Committee. Just 4 years later in 1950, Nixon was elected to the U.S. Senate and became an outspoken critic of President Truman's conduct of the Korean War, wasteful spending by the Democrats, and also calimed that there were Communists in the government.
But Nixon's rapid rise in the political community came to a sudden and quite possibly life altering halt after a headline appeared in the New York Post stating, "Secret Rich Men's Trust Fund Keeps Nixon in Style Far Beyond His Salary." The headline appeared just a few days after Eisenhower had chosen him as his running mate for the Presidency. Amongst all the outrage that surrounded Nixon's "secret fund," Eisenhower's advisors urged him to drop Nixon as his running mate before it was too late.
To off-set any animosity between himself and the people, Richard Nixon went before the American Public and gave the ever-famous Checker's Speech. On Septemer 23, 1952 Nixon was televised, with his wife by his side, explaining his reasons for having such a fund. After stating that the fund was purposely not kept a secret, Nixon continued to ask the American people to ponder the following:
"Do you think that when I or any other Senator makes a political speech, has it printed, should charge the printing of that speech and the mailing of that speech to the taxpayers? Do you think, for example, when I or any other Senator makes a trip to his home State to make a purely political speech that the cost of that trip should be charged to the taxpayers? Do you think when a Senator makes political broadcasts or political television broadcasts, radio or television, that the expense of those broadcasts should be charged to the taxpayers? Well I know what your answer is. It's the same answer that audiences give me whenever I discuss this particular problem: The answer is no. The taxpayers shouldn't be required to finance items which are not official business but which are primarily political business."
And thus was his reasoning for taking money from private supporters, to relieve the burden from the American people.
But the speech was not called the Checker's Speech for nothing. After being accused of taking nearly 18,000 dollars in gift money, Nixon proclaimed,
''One other thing I probably should tell you, because if I don't they'll probably be saying this about me, too," Nixon told his millions of listeners. ''We did get something, a gift, after the election" from a ''man down in Texas. . . . You know what it was? 'It was a little cocker spaniel dog, in a crate that he had sent all the way from Texas, black and white, spotted, and our little girl Tricia, the 6-year-old, named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog, and I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it."
Nixon continued on with his speech, making poinant remarks about his opponents financial positions and challenged them to openly provide the same type of public financial explanation.
With his speech, Nixon gained the support of millions nationwide. He was seen as an honest man, looking out for the financial interests of the American public by taking the private money. But most importantly, he was seen as a family man, looking out for the interests of his daughters who wanted nothing more than to have a puppy--a gift that he refused to take away from them. Nixon looked real--he stood headstrong, yet vulnerable, putting his weaknesses out for all to see, and in doing so he won the heart of the American public and thus, the election.
posted by Leslie Madsen-Brooks at 12/05/2006 09:06:00 PM
1 Comments:
I find this very interesting, especially because the only real thing that ever did come to mind was the watergate scandal. I think his checkers speech could quite possibly be a model for politicians of today, a half a century later, and in the future. Why don't the people running for office these days address issues such as he did?
Matt B.
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