At the suggestion of Dr. McDaniel, I viewed the documentary called “Primary” which details the 1960 Wisconsin presedential primary. In it, the video compared two presedential hopefuls: Hubert Humphrey and John Kennedy. It is important to note that the Midwest was Humphrey’s “territory” as he relied on the farmer’s votes and other rural areas. The interactions with the common citizens and their campaign styles were notably different. Humphrey was shown to visit streets and campaign on the sidewalk by encouraging passer-bys to vote for him and give his speeches to anyone who would listen. One of his stops was at a local gathering of farmers where he tried to garner their support by implying that he was the only one willing to fight for them and that the rest of the country didn’t care for the farmers. Kennedy, on the other hand, had another impact socially. When his campaign stopped in an area, children would come and swarm him for his autograph; he didn’t have to ask for someone’s attention, he was famous enough to have them give it to him. In one of his speeches, he focused on the global issues at hand, citing the need for aid behind the iron curtain and the responsibility the US had to preserving the freedom in the world. A wordly subject very different from the regional concern Humphrey was concerned over. Hubert and John had different targets for voters. Hubert relied on the local farmers while John had the urban population to back him. One citizen mentioned that Kennedy was well in the “higher-class”. The night of the voting in Wisconsin initally showed Hubert Humphrey leading Kennedy from a ratio of 2:1 in votes. However, that was due to the fact that the rural districts were completed earlier. As time went on, it became apparent Kennedy would win by about the same ratio due to the urban and city districts. What can we learn from this? Kennedy was apparently already well-known before he was President. So does that mean that fame leads to position which leads to more opportunity of fame? It could be. Washington was the general of the continental army before becoming president. Davy Crockett was well known for tall tales as a Congressman before his death at the Alamo. So where does the circle begin?

Works Cited
Drew, Robert, Dir. Primary. Dir. Robert Drew. Perf. Kennedy, John. 2003. DVD.

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