Book Review: Whistle Stop

[bedsitter23]

Whistle Stop: How 31,000 Miles of Train Travel, 352 Speeches, and a Little Midwest Gumption Saved the Presidency of Harry Truman by Philip White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Why, yes, I do read a lot about Harry Truman.

White's hook here is he covers Truman's Whistle Stop campaign. It's solid reading for anyone who is involved in or interested in election politics.

As we know, Truman was in dire straits heading into 1948. He had lost the backing of FDR's family, he was watching Henry Wallace and Strom Thurmond defecting from the Democrats and taking supporters with them, and he was in a world where Stalin and the Communists were bullying Europe and Mao had taken over China. Also, the Republican nominee Thomas Dewey was very popular.

Truman decides to cross the country, first in an ostensibly "nonpartisan"Presidential Tour and then a campaign tour, the total taking in (as the book's title suggests) 31,000 miles and 352 speeches.

One of the reasons the tour was successful was the group behind his speeches. Like a modern day political" war room, except without the conveniences and stuck on an uncomfortable train, this group gave Truman the ammunition he needed.

Truman was not good at prepared speeches, but he was a dynamic speaker off the cuff. With a few bullet points, he was able to draw on this strength. His aides, for the first time in history, were crafting speeches which were tailored for the venue. Perhaps, it was local lore, perhaps, it was statistics that mattered to the particular population.

It is worth reading if you are interested in this stuff. Truman really reached people and worked hard to get voters, while Dewey stuck to standard script. Truman made strong calculated decisions, like attacking Congress instead of Dewey (but tying Dewey in as a Republican) and forcing their hand to make policy or do nothing.

Truman also bravely moves forward on civil rights, conceding that it was not worth the Dixiecrats' votes. It is truly something Truman believed in, though, and the country needed.

Truman spoke straight arguing the principles of liberalism, and he also would not let the Republicans "own" Patriotism. Modern day Democrat candidates would do well to read this book.

Truman also never gave up, despite the grueling schedule.

There's a lot here to digest. it is really an unique perspective of 1948, with a lot of personal interviews, letters, and insight. It is an academic book, but it is generally easy enough to read.



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