Truman, who picked Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky as his running mate, was undeterred by the defections from his party. For his convention acceptance speech, the president used only an outline written in short, punchy sentences. He electrified the audience when he said, 'Senator Barkley and I will win this election and make the Republicans like it–don't you forget it.' It was the first time during the convention that anyone had spoken of actually winning. Truman then praised the higher wages, higher farm income, and greater benefits for Americans he claimed as Democratic accomplishments, and went on to condemn the Republican Congress. He spoke with scorn of the recently adopted Republican platform, contrasting the programs it contained with congressional inaction on similar programs he had proposed.

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Truman roused the convention to a standing ovation when he announced his intention to call Congress back into special session to 'ask them to pass the laws to halt rising prices, to meet the housing crisis–which they say they are for in their platform.' When this special session did convene it accomplished little, as Truman expected, but it gave the president a campaign issue. The country's woes, he asserted, were the result of the 'do-nothing' Republican Congress.

This article was written by Michael D. Haydock and originally published in the December 2000 issue of American History Magazine. For more great articles, subscribe to American History magazine today!

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