252 a short history of the united states
called for the nationalization of certain basic industries and a commit-
ment of friendship toward the Soviet Union.
With the Democratic Party now split into three segments, it was
widely believed that Truman would be defeated by any candidate the
Republicans put forward. Meeting in Philadelphia, the GOP hoped to
convince General Eisenhower to accept a nomination; others wanted
the conservative Senator Robert Taft of Ohio; but on the third ballot
the delegates again chose Thomas Dewey, the glamorous former dis-
trict attorney of New York who had won a conviction against one of the
most se nior Mafia chieftains. The ticket included Governor Earl War-
ren of California for Vice President.
Truman was so disliked by the electorate, and his party was so frag-
mented, that Dewey did not feel compelled to mount an aggressive
campaign. In fact his approach was so leisurely that he gave the ap-
pearance of someone who felt the presidency was his without having to
lift a finger to reach for it. A bad mistake. Truman, on the other hand,
knew he was fighting for his political life and went on a whistle- stop
rail tour in which he gave 351 hard-hitting speeches to an estimated 12
million people. “Give ’em hell, Harry,” some crowds called to him.
“Pour it on.” And Truman did exactly that. He lambasted the “do-
nothing Congress,” as he termed the Eightieth Congress, a Republican-
dominated legislature. He listed its failings, including its rejection of
his program for aid to farmers, and its passage of the Taft-Hartley
Act over his veto. Furthermore, Truman called Congress back into a
special session on July 26 and demanded that both houses at least
fulfill the civil rights promises that the two major parties had adopted
at their respective conventions. But Congress failed to do anything
noteworthy. Its members convinced the public that they were indeed
a “do-nothing Congress.”
To the astonishment of the entire nation, Harry S. Truman tri-
umphed over his opposition, winning 303 electoral votes to 189 for
Dewey and 39 for Thurmond. In the pop ular vote the President re-
ceived 24 , 105 , 812 to Dewey’s 21 , 970 , 065 ; Thurmond’s 1 , 169 , 063 ; and
Wallace’s 1 , 157 , 172. In addition, Truman’s Democratic Party won back
both houses of Congress, taking a majority of 93 seats in the House
and 12 in the Senate.
The reasons for this remarkable reversal of conventional opinion