maverick
Banned
True Grit
WAYNE MAINTAINS A 25 POINTS ADVANTAGE OVER WALLACE
President John Wayne leads Democratic Nominee George Wallace by a commanding 25 points according to a Gallup Poll conducted in the last three days, a lead that is somewhat reproduced in the relation of forces between Wallace and Independent Democratic Candidate Eugene McCarthy.
McCarthy, who took the anti-war and liberal delegates in a walkout at the Democratic National Convention in June, has also demonstrated a great ability to garner the Black vote, thanks to his running mate, New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. Whereas Wallace’s strength relies upon middle class whites and blue collar workers, McCarthy’s tries to consolidate his base through the nation’s youth, college students and African American voters.
[Taken from…The Washington Post, September of 1972]
****************************************************
We couldn’t believe our luck after the Democratic Convention; Wallace and McCarthy had effectively destroyed any chances their party might have had in 1972, of course considering what they were running against that year. They ran in mutually exclusive areas, neatly and quiet appropriately divided by the Maxon-Dixon Line, with a few exceptions of course. Wallace spent considerable time in Michigan and Ohio, not to mention the Western States, which were of course considered as a good battleground for the Wallace Campaign. Of course, little could compensate the fact that they were dead north of Maryland and that New York and New England wouldn’t go to Wallace unless hell froze over first.
The Democrats should have been more thankful to Him in any case. Their party would have had no chances in any case, not even if they had run Kennedy, not after Nixon died and the JFK Syndrome settled in at the polls.
[Taken from…The Making of A President, testimony of Republican Strategist John Sears]
********************************************************
George Wallace was a fascinating man in any way you look at him. Having entered Alabama politics as a progressive and even a liberal, at least what you can call a Liberal by 1950s Alabama politics, his career took an interesting turn in the 1958 Democratic Primaries for the Governorship, at the time the only real election, the general election being only a formality given the chances of the Republicans in the 1950s South.
The Conservative Attorney General John Patterson ran with the support of the Ku Klux Klan, an organization Wallace had spoken against, while Wallace was endorsed by the NAACP. After the election, aide Seymore Trammell recalled Wallace saying, "Seymore, you know why I lost that governor's race?... I was outniggered by John Patterson. And I'll tell you here and now, I will never be outniggered again
From then on, Wallace would cynically use Race to further his career, from his successful election to The Governorship in 1962, his stand against Federal Desegregation of Alabaman Schools and Universities, his controversial and incredibly racist reelection campaign for a second term in 1970 and his Presidential Campaign of 1968, at which point he had begun to abandon his incredibly open support for segregation given the need to appeal to a national audience. ‘Law and Order’ and ‘States’ rights’ had become his new banners. The last remnants of his old Pro-Segregation stances remained in his opposition to Desegregation busing and his reputation, that still remained from his stand against President Kennedy and Desegregation in 1963.
Yet the 1972 presented the unusual situation of having Wallace run against a man that was arguably the most popular man in America, a combination of his pre-political status, Presidential Status and post-Nixon Sympathy, who was also his political equal on stances of Law and Order, States’ Rights and even more shockingly, Race relations.
Even as Wayne’s open racism would be paid more attention only after the election, during which Vietnam and other issues took primacy, and especially during the 1976 election, it was interesting to note that in many occasions Wayne had espoused more than controversial views on race and race relations, going as far as to say on one occasion in 1973 that... I don't feel guilty about the fact that five or ten generations ago these people were slaves. Now I'm not condoning slavery. It's just a fact of life, like the kid who gets infantile paralysis and can't play football like the rest of us, amongst many other statements. Thankfully, running against George Wallace nullified the race issue from the debate.
Come October, The Wallace Campaign began their mayor offensive against President Wayne nevertheless, using the greatest weapon at their disposal: John Wayne’s Service record during World War Two…
[Taken from…Chaos: The Presidential Election of 1972]
***********************************************
The official response, which would be the official version about the affair in most Biographies of President Wayne, came from both the White House and the Republican Campaign the day following the first ads and speeches that attacked President Wayne’s lack of military service during the war. George Wallace, a known hawk in foreign policy affairs, was also a World War Two veteran, as was his running mate Sam Yorty, having served in the Air Force and Navy respectively. The attacks, that began with a Wallace speech at Columbus, Ohio on September 30th and were expanded into several attacks and ads through early October.
The offensive hadn’t taken the Wayne Campaign by surprise, but the President was quiet visibly shocked as his patriotism was questioned and his character put under attack. America's entry into World War II had resulted in a deluge of support for the war effort from all sectors of society, and Hollywood was no exception. Many established stars rushed to sign up for military service. Most notably, James Stewart, who had already enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, surmounted great obstacles in order to do so.
Officially, John Wayne was excepted from Service Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status, classified as 3-A (family deferment), yet the more public response oriented the affair in the general direction of Hollywood and Republic Studios, specifically the head of Republic, Herbert Yates, who was adamant in his resistance to let Wayne go to the war, given the loss of so many stars and the death of Gene Autry overseas.
Correspondence between Wayne and Herbert Yates indicates that Yates threatened Wayne with a lawsuit if he walked away from his contract, though the likelihood of a studio suing its biggest star for going to war was minute. Whether or not the threat was real, Wayne did not test it. Selective Service Records indicate he did not attempt to prevent his reclassification as 1-A (draft eligible), but apparently Republic Pictures intervened directly, requesting his further deferment. In May, 1944, Wayne was reclassified as 1-A (draft eligible), but the studio obtained another 2-A deferment (for "support of national health, safety, or interest"). He remained 2-A until the war's end. Thus, John Wayne did not illegally "dodge" the draft, but he never took direct positive action toward enlistment, as many would counter to the Official arguement.
The Controversy nevertheless remained for much of the campaign, as even Independent Candidate Gene McCarthy joined in Wallace in criticizing Wayne for his hypocritical policies and stands, accusing him of being a chicken hawk and a draft dodger.
The Controversy had influenced the direction of Wayne's life after the war. By many accounts, Wayne's failure to serve in the military during World War II was the most painful experience of his life. There were some other stars who, for various reasons, did not enlist. But Wayne, by virtue of becoming a celluloid war hero in several patriotic war films, as well as an outspoken supporter of conservative political causes and the Vietnam War, became the focus of particular disdain from both himself and certain portions of the public, particularly in later years. While some hold Wayne in contempt for the paradox between his early actions and his later attitudes, his widow suggests that Wayne's rampant patriotism in later decades sprang not from hypocrisy but from guilt. Pilar Wayne wrote, "He would become a 'superpatriot' for the rest of his life trying to atone for staying home."
The Final response and the virtual end of the Controversy that year would come from the President Himself, in an address to the Nation on October 17th of 1972…
[Taken from…The Making of A Presidency]
WAYNE MAINTAINS A 25 POINTS ADVANTAGE OVER WALLACE
President John Wayne leads Democratic Nominee George Wallace by a commanding 25 points according to a Gallup Poll conducted in the last three days, a lead that is somewhat reproduced in the relation of forces between Wallace and Independent Democratic Candidate Eugene McCarthy.
McCarthy, who took the anti-war and liberal delegates in a walkout at the Democratic National Convention in June, has also demonstrated a great ability to garner the Black vote, thanks to his running mate, New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. Whereas Wallace’s strength relies upon middle class whites and blue collar workers, McCarthy’s tries to consolidate his base through the nation’s youth, college students and African American voters.
[Taken from…The Washington Post, September of 1972]
****************************************************
We couldn’t believe our luck after the Democratic Convention; Wallace and McCarthy had effectively destroyed any chances their party might have had in 1972, of course considering what they were running against that year. They ran in mutually exclusive areas, neatly and quiet appropriately divided by the Maxon-Dixon Line, with a few exceptions of course. Wallace spent considerable time in Michigan and Ohio, not to mention the Western States, which were of course considered as a good battleground for the Wallace Campaign. Of course, little could compensate the fact that they were dead north of Maryland and that New York and New England wouldn’t go to Wallace unless hell froze over first.
The Democrats should have been more thankful to Him in any case. Their party would have had no chances in any case, not even if they had run Kennedy, not after Nixon died and the JFK Syndrome settled in at the polls.
[Taken from…The Making of A President, testimony of Republican Strategist John Sears]
********************************************************
George Wallace was a fascinating man in any way you look at him. Having entered Alabama politics as a progressive and even a liberal, at least what you can call a Liberal by 1950s Alabama politics, his career took an interesting turn in the 1958 Democratic Primaries for the Governorship, at the time the only real election, the general election being only a formality given the chances of the Republicans in the 1950s South.
The Conservative Attorney General John Patterson ran with the support of the Ku Klux Klan, an organization Wallace had spoken against, while Wallace was endorsed by the NAACP. After the election, aide Seymore Trammell recalled Wallace saying, "Seymore, you know why I lost that governor's race?... I was outniggered by John Patterson. And I'll tell you here and now, I will never be outniggered again
From then on, Wallace would cynically use Race to further his career, from his successful election to The Governorship in 1962, his stand against Federal Desegregation of Alabaman Schools and Universities, his controversial and incredibly racist reelection campaign for a second term in 1970 and his Presidential Campaign of 1968, at which point he had begun to abandon his incredibly open support for segregation given the need to appeal to a national audience. ‘Law and Order’ and ‘States’ rights’ had become his new banners. The last remnants of his old Pro-Segregation stances remained in his opposition to Desegregation busing and his reputation, that still remained from his stand against President Kennedy and Desegregation in 1963.
Yet the 1972 presented the unusual situation of having Wallace run against a man that was arguably the most popular man in America, a combination of his pre-political status, Presidential Status and post-Nixon Sympathy, who was also his political equal on stances of Law and Order, States’ Rights and even more shockingly, Race relations.
Even as Wayne’s open racism would be paid more attention only after the election, during which Vietnam and other issues took primacy, and especially during the 1976 election, it was interesting to note that in many occasions Wayne had espoused more than controversial views on race and race relations, going as far as to say on one occasion in 1973 that... I don't feel guilty about the fact that five or ten generations ago these people were slaves. Now I'm not condoning slavery. It's just a fact of life, like the kid who gets infantile paralysis and can't play football like the rest of us, amongst many other statements. Thankfully, running against George Wallace nullified the race issue from the debate.
Come October, The Wallace Campaign began their mayor offensive against President Wayne nevertheless, using the greatest weapon at their disposal: John Wayne’s Service record during World War Two…
[Taken from…Chaos: The Presidential Election of 1972]
***********************************************
The official response, which would be the official version about the affair in most Biographies of President Wayne, came from both the White House and the Republican Campaign the day following the first ads and speeches that attacked President Wayne’s lack of military service during the war. George Wallace, a known hawk in foreign policy affairs, was also a World War Two veteran, as was his running mate Sam Yorty, having served in the Air Force and Navy respectively. The attacks, that began with a Wallace speech at Columbus, Ohio on September 30th and were expanded into several attacks and ads through early October.
The offensive hadn’t taken the Wayne Campaign by surprise, but the President was quiet visibly shocked as his patriotism was questioned and his character put under attack. America's entry into World War II had resulted in a deluge of support for the war effort from all sectors of society, and Hollywood was no exception. Many established stars rushed to sign up for military service. Most notably, James Stewart, who had already enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, surmounted great obstacles in order to do so.
Officially, John Wayne was excepted from Service Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status, classified as 3-A (family deferment), yet the more public response oriented the affair in the general direction of Hollywood and Republic Studios, specifically the head of Republic, Herbert Yates, who was adamant in his resistance to let Wayne go to the war, given the loss of so many stars and the death of Gene Autry overseas.
Correspondence between Wayne and Herbert Yates indicates that Yates threatened Wayne with a lawsuit if he walked away from his contract, though the likelihood of a studio suing its biggest star for going to war was minute. Whether or not the threat was real, Wayne did not test it. Selective Service Records indicate he did not attempt to prevent his reclassification as 1-A (draft eligible), but apparently Republic Pictures intervened directly, requesting his further deferment. In May, 1944, Wayne was reclassified as 1-A (draft eligible), but the studio obtained another 2-A deferment (for "support of national health, safety, or interest"). He remained 2-A until the war's end. Thus, John Wayne did not illegally "dodge" the draft, but he never took direct positive action toward enlistment, as many would counter to the Official arguement.
The Controversy nevertheless remained for much of the campaign, as even Independent Candidate Gene McCarthy joined in Wallace in criticizing Wayne for his hypocritical policies and stands, accusing him of being a chicken hawk and a draft dodger.
The Controversy had influenced the direction of Wayne's life after the war. By many accounts, Wayne's failure to serve in the military during World War II was the most painful experience of his life. There were some other stars who, for various reasons, did not enlist. But Wayne, by virtue of becoming a celluloid war hero in several patriotic war films, as well as an outspoken supporter of conservative political causes and the Vietnam War, became the focus of particular disdain from both himself and certain portions of the public, particularly in later years. While some hold Wayne in contempt for the paradox between his early actions and his later attitudes, his widow suggests that Wayne's rampant patriotism in later decades sprang not from hypocrisy but from guilt. Pilar Wayne wrote, "He would become a 'superpatriot' for the rest of his life trying to atone for staying home."
The Final response and the virtual end of the Controversy that year would come from the President Himself, in an address to the Nation on October 17th of 1972…
[Taken from…The Making of A Presidency]
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