![]() What I am going to say to you tonight does not relate to the primaries of any particular political party, but to matters of principle in all parties-Democratic, Republican, Farmer-Labor, Progressive, Socialist or any other. The direct primary was invented to make the nominating process a more democratic one - to give the party voters themselves a chance to pick their party candidates. And now following out this line of thought, I want to say a few words about the coming political primaries.įifty years ago party nominations were generally made in conventions-a system typified in the public imagination by a little group in a smoke-filled room who made out the party slates. Roosevelt, “Fireside Chat (on Primaries),” June 24, 1938. And Roosevelt’s efforts to lead the nation through the primary process was not successful. In all, Roosevelt’s experience with the primaries set the stage for the parties’ later struggles with managing primaries and building cohesiveness. This was particularly true in states with “open” primaries that allowed voters to cast a ballot in any primary regardless of their previous affiliation. The spread of this campaign innovation put an emphasis on candidates and campaigns rather than on big issues like party principles or platforms. This was an unintended consequence of Roosevelt’s use of the direct primary to enforce party discipline. Ironically, the New Deal movement toward more programmatic party politics made party politics less important. Although the chats were extremely popular, Roosevelt resisted calls to deliver more such chats for fear that too many would dilute their impact on the American public. These chats redefined the relationship between the office and the electorate: his warm manner made people feel closer to the president and reassured by his plans to combat the various crises facing the nation. ![]() He used these addresses to explain his policies, respond to criticism, silence rumor mongering, and bond with the American people. One such innovation was the use of “fireside chats,” a series of thirty evening radio addresses between 19. To that end, Roosevelt sought out innovative ways of shaping American public opinion in order to generate broad public support for his programs. Roosevelt believed that the success of his administration depended upon his ability to maintain a favorable dialogue with the American people. ![]()
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