RON'S PICKS.Five Days in Philadelphia: The Amazing "We Want Willkie!" Convention of 1940 and How It Freed FDR to Save the Western World, by Charles Peters, Public Affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. , 275 pages, June 2005, $26.00. Looks at Wendell Willkie's come-from-nowhere presidential candidacy and how he benefitted from a last-minute, media-driven public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most and delegate effort to top both New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was the Governor of New York (1943-1955) and the unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U.S. Presidency in 1944 and 1948. and Ohio Sen. Robert Taft to sweep the GOP presidential nomination. It was the rare case when a businessman who had never held elected office won a presidential nominaton of a major party and went on to run a strong general election race. The election in 1940 occurred only 13 months before the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. entered World War II, and the issue of American involvement in the foreign war was a major problem that the campaigners that year had to face. Peters, who founded and edited The Washington Monthly magazine, emphasizes the importance of Willkie's internationalist, anti-Nazi position and how it gave President Roosevelt cover to move toward assisting the Allies in their desperate fight to turn back Hitler's advancing armies. It is a riveting story of an extraordinary national convention (the likes of which we haven't seen since), an incumbent president's election to an unprecedented third term and how it all affected the dangerous world situation. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Why the Electoral College electoral college, in U.S. government, the body of electors that chooses the president and vice president. The Constitution, in Article 2, Section 1, provides: "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, is Bad for America, by George C. Edwards Background Edwards was elected as the State Senator for Maryland District 1 in 2006, which covers Garrett County and parts of Washington and Allegany counties. He defeated Thomas Conlon, both of whom ran for the seat vacated by John J. III, Yale University Press, 198 pages, July 2004, $26.00. Explores that unique relic of the framing of the U.S. Constitution, the Electoral College method of selecting U.S. presidents, and argues that it needs to be replaced by direct election of White House occupant. Edwards reviews how the Electoral College works mechanically and its historic origins. He examines a range of issues, from political equality to contingent elections, maintaining cohesion to protecting interests. He concludes by saying, "Understanding the flawed foundation of the Electoral College is the critical first step on the road to reforming the system of presidential selection. The culmination of this effort should be giving Americans the right to directly elect the presidents who serve them." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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