Political Hay
Ned Lamont Is No Clare Boothe Luce
In 1942 the GOP opposed FDR — but not the war.
(Page 2 of 2)
What happened in 1942?
The Republicans won the election, gaining 44 new House seats and 10 in the Senate, not quite a majority, but erasing FDR’s control. Dewey won in New York and was instantly bannered as a presidential sure thing. GOP gubernatorial candidates won across the country.
What was FDR’s reaction? The news account of his post-election press conference reported FDR “laughs.” Why? Said the headline: “Assumes New Congress is for Winning, So Why Should Poll Make Any Difference?”
And the Nazis and the Japanese? The so-called Axis Powers? What was their response? The New York Times editorial page trumpeted “an admission from Berlin that it would be ‘harboring an illusion’ to expect the Republican victory to bring any change whatever in the policy of the United States.” Focusing on the silence of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, the paper concluded: “His silence is proof of the fact that we have made the unity of our purpose apparent to our enemies.”
We’re a long way from 1942.
About the Author
Jeffrey Lord is a former Reagan White House political director and author. He writes from Pennsylvania at jlpa1@aol.com.
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