Vice President Hubert Humphrey: 1968 Democratic National Convention Acceptance Speech

Source:CSPAN- Vice President Humbert H. Humphrey (Democrat, Minnesota) accepting the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination, in Chicago, Illinois.

Source:FreeState MD

“Here is Vice President Humphrey’s acceptance speech from that turbulent and wild convention in August 1968.

He was very much the establishment candidate in ’68, and was the favorite through the race after President Johnson quit. He might not have been the most popular choice in ’68 but he did come close to winning, which might have been the closest anyone could have come that year, but it depends on which history expert you ask. Humphrey does seem like a nice guy however.” 

From EFAN 2011

Hubert Humphrey, didn’t lose the 1968 presidential election because he was a bad candidate or ran a bad campaign or wasn’t qualified to be President of the United States. The opposites are true and even though as it turns out 1968 was his best shot at being elected President of the United States, something he had been thinking about at least since 1957 after Dwight Eisenhower was reelected President in a landslide. Vice President Humphrey was caught in a perfect political storm for both the Democratic Party because of how much damaged it did to the party that lasted at least until 1976 and came back again in 1980 the same political divisions that reemerged again in the late 1970s.

But it was also a perfect political storm for the Republican Party because it not only brought them back to power with Richard Nixon, but made them a real competitive conservative national party again. Where the Republican Party represented the center-right in the country. And the Democratic Party now representing the center-left in the country.

1964 and 1968, even though only one of those elections resulted in short-term success and if you count 1966 and that would be two elections for the Republican Party which they won made them a conservative, national, competitive, party, that would fight communism and other authoritarianism. That would promote economic freedom and business and be a fiscally conservative party. These were the positive aspects of the GOP merging with the South.

What these elections did to the Democratic Party, was create chaos for them. Because it meant they could no longer count on the South for votes and to win elections with them. Plus, they had this emerging young more social-democratic, anti-military New-Left, coming into the party. That pushed the Democratic Party to the Far-Left on many national issues through the 1970s and even into the 1980s. Which they didn’t recover from until 1992 when the Democrats nominated Bill Clinton for president and of course he wins that election and Democrats keep control of Congress as well. But what 1968 along with 66 and even 64 did, was realign both the Republican Party and Democratic Party.

Hubert Humphrey: '1948 Civil Rights Speech'

Source:American Speeches- Minneapolis, Minnesota Mayor Hubert H. Humphrey, at the 1948 Democratic National Convention.

"Hubert Humphrey gave this speech supporting civil rights, causing 35 delegates from Mississippi and Alabama to walk out of the 1948 Democratic National Convention. Humphrey urged the Democratic Party to "get out of the shadow of states' rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights".  When President Truman endorsed this civil rights plank, governor of South Carolina Strom Thurmond helped organize the walkout of delegates into a separate party. The party Thurmond formed was called the "Dixiecrats" and it's racist slogan was "Segregation Forever!". 

From American Speeches

To know that Hubert Humphrey was a great man, all you have to do is look at or watch his 1948 Democratic National Convention speech on civil rights and to know that he was also ahead of his time. 

Just look at or listen to Hubert Humphrey's civil rights speech and this was even before he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Humphrey wasn't in Congress at all when he gave this speech (House or Senate) but a 1948 U.S. Senate candidate. 

And also to know how far ahead of his time he was, the civil rights movement didn't exist at all in the late 1940s at least as a national movement. But to a large extent at least on civil rights, Humphrey wasn't governed by what was popular at the time when he was the Deputy Leader of the U.S. Senate in 1964 and pushing the civil rights laws then. 

Civil rights was still not very popular in this country and Senator Humphrey in 1964 probably already knew and Lyndon Johnson certainly knew that passing civil rights laws was going to hurt the Democratic Party in the South and thats exactly what happened.

Leadership is not about what's doing what is popular at the time but what's the right thing to do at the time. And thats exactly what Hubert Humphrey did with this civil rights speech in 1948. And what he did in his entire career in Congress in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and civil rights is just an example of that.

Universal Newsreels: 'Presidential Fever- Sweeps The Nation: 4/10/1960'

Source:British Pathe- President Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican, Kansas)

Source:The Daily Journal

"Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Washington DC, USA. Cut story with American commentary.

Milwaukee. MS.CU. Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy (later President Kennedy). MS.CU.Senator Hubert Humphrey seated at desk. LS.Street in Milwaukee. MS.  Posters on wall, one of Kennedy and one of Humphrey. CU Big sign which says "Humphrey for President Headquarters". MS. Signpost "Vote Here". Various shot people voting. MS.People awaiting results. High angle GV. over packed hall.

Washington DC. MS.President Dwight Eisenhower and Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower on platform acknowledging audience. MS President shakes hands with man before sitting down. MS. President Eisenhower eating leg of chicken from box, with Mrs. Eisenhower next to him. CU Republican Vice President Richard Nixon (later President Nixon) eating cold chicken, pan to his wife Mrs. Pat Nixon next to him. MS.Nixon and Eisenhower together on stage, Eisenhower moves over to microphone. LS.Microphones, Eisenhower in front of them. CU.Eisenhower in front of microphone."

From British Pathe

The 1960 West Virginia Democratic primary was a battle of dirty tricks. With the Humphrey campaign trying to make JFK’s Irish-Catholic faith and issue in an overwhelmingly Anglo-Saxon Protestant state like West Virginia. Which is the South Carolina of the Mid-Atlantic.

The Kennedy campaign with Jack’s father Joe literally buying votes and West Virginia political leaders. Both campaigns running ads against the other that were simply false. When the West Virginia primary should have literally been a battle place of ideas. With HHH offering his social democratic, big government vision. And JFK offering his liberal limited government vision for the country. That would use government to empower people and not just take care of them.

This is one of the most interesting presidential campaigns ever I believe. Jack Kennedy vs Dick Nixon in 1960 was also a great campaign. But the campaign between Senator Jack Kennedy and Senator Hubert Humphrey (or Hubie, to be less formal) I believe at least in some ways was even better. Because it represented a battle of Democratic factions. The New Deal/soon to be Great Society progressive coalition faction of the Democratic Party. That had all sorts of big government social programs for people. Against an emerging liberal New Democratic coalition of JFK that wanted to use government to empower people in need to be able to take care of themselves.

What the Kennedy campaign tried to do here was to make it look like their candidate was the young candidate who represented the younger generation and that Senator Humphrey was old school and represented older people and the ways of the past. Even though they were both World War II Generation and were only six years apart in age. Senator Humphrey ran on his experience even though Senator Kennedy had actually served in Congress longer at this point than Humphrey. With his six years in the House before being elected to the Senate in 1952.

This campaign was really a campaign about ideas and the role of government in America instead. Humphrey wanted a bigger Federal Government to take care of more people. Kennedy wanted to use government to empower people in need to be able to take care of themselves instead. 

Maryland Democrats: ‘Hubert Humphrey 1968 Political TV ad’

Source:Maryland Democrats- man in the commercial apparently trying to figure out what Richard M. Nixon ever did for him. But I'm not a mindreader, so don't quote me on that.

Source:The Daily Journal

“Hubert Humphrey 1968 Political TV ad: What has Richard Nixon ever done for you? Nixon, Nixon, Nixon….. 

From Maryland Democrats

Hubert Humphrey running as the Washington insider in 1968: “What Have You Done For me Lately?” Which is a Janet Jackson song, but that could also be the title for this political commercial in 1968.

Hubert Humphrey, was a U.S. Senator during the first half of the 1960s and is a big reason why the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed. By 1968, Richard Nixon was out of political office completely for almost eight years. His last job in government was as Vice President of the United States under President Dwight Eisenhower. And he was an effective Vice President and had real responsibility under President Eisenhower as his counselor and adviser on all issues and chief political enforcer if not strategist, but by 1968 America even though it was moving right was still in the Progressive Era.

Dick Nixon, was out of office for most of the 1960s when a lot of popular progressive legislation was passed: Medicare, Medicaid, the Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the 1968 Fair Housing Law. Humphrey, either in the Senate, or as Vice President, had a role in all of this legislation that was passed in Congress that was signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

Unless you were Barry Goldwater, or another Conservative Republican with a safe seat like in the West in Congress, you needed to show voters that you at the very least wouldn’t try to repeal all of this legislation. Nixon at the very least wasn’t quick to support all of these bills even though he did.

So what the Humphrey Campaign was trying to do with this commercial, was to say that Humphrey and other Progressive Democrats were responsible for all the popular legislation from the New Deal and Great Society. While Dick Nixon was either on the sidelines or trying to defeat it.

I don’t know how effective this commercial was, but at the very least Humphrey has a very good case here: What Have You Done For Me Lately? Nixon didn’t have an answer to that. He was almost a Washington outsider at this point even though her served in Congress for six years and was Vice President for eight. But in the 1960s he made a lot of money in the private sector and campaign for other Republicans while he was out of office.