Posted on 03/07/2015 10:48:38 AM PST by ProgressingAmerica
In his book Public Opinion, Walter Lippmann wrote the following about what the CPI achieved: (page 47)
Probably this is the largest and the most intensive effort to carry quickly a fairly uniform set of ideas to all the people of a nation. The older proselyting worked more slowly, perhaps more surely, but never so inclusively. Now if it required such extreme measures to reach everybody in time of crisis, how open are the more normal channels to men's minds? The Administration was trying, and while the war continued it very largely succeeded, I believe, in creating something that might almost be called one public opinion all over America.
He who controls the flow of information controls the world. However, an entirely uniform set of ideas is not necessary in order to gain control or to gain an edge that cannot be overcome by others. All you need is a message that doesn't stop. But tracking the message, now that's the fun part.
It all starts on February 3, 1906. At the Lotos Club, George B. Harvey gave a speech in which he was the first to float the idea of Woodrow Wilson as a Presidential Candidate. This dinner was in honor of Woodrow Wilson. The text of Harvey's speech can be found here and here.
Looking into the details have been somewhat fun, since the people who did this were so braggadocios about it after the fact. Harvey's "first lieutenant" during the years of 1906 to 1912 when they engaged in this campaign to elect Woodrow Wilson was William Inglis. Inglis wrote this article detailing how they did it.
However, Inglis was not the only one to brag. Harper's Weekly itself ran a 39 page article detailing how one single report in their publication spawned 5 other reports, 8 other reports, sometimes a dozen other reports. In other words, Harper's readers were not the only ones treated to the "Elect Woodrow" campaign.
The article, titled "The Triumph of an Idea", does the kind of cataloging and tracking of a specific idea that any media-watching organization would be envious of. Harper's naturally had its own biased reason for tracking it - they wanted to put on display their victory. But in today's time, this kind of article is useful for more than just the relic that it is.
Once Harper's(George Harvey) was convinced that Wilson was the man for the job, covers like the one below were also common.
..good for you!
A fascinating topic. IMHO Wilson was the worst President in the history of the United States.
Wilson — Worse than Carter — a genuine disaster for history in general, and America in particular.
And so forth....
As bad as Zero is, he is not the founder of the Federal Reserve, nor has he dragged us into a World War that was none of our damned business. FDR is one about whom I have decidedly mixed views since I do believe that World War II was our business. Without his political skill I fear we would have stayed out until it was too late. On the other hand his economic polices were disastrous.
Andrew Johnson wasn’t much of a peach either
Maybe we should make lists of the ones we consider the worst and later compare notes. lol
Seems like there's a lot to work with here.
You may well be right. I have lived just long enough to grasp the futility of predicting the future. But yes, the man worries me... a lot.
Andrew Johnson was a mean drunk and a bigot. But happily he had a hostile Congress and there were limits to the damage he was able to do.
Subscribers can read them online. Google books also has some pages from Harper's Weekly with comments other papers made on Harvey's promoting Wilson for president.
NY Times subscribers can also read this article from 1912: WILSON ASHAMED, HE TELLS HARVEY; Tactlessly Hurt "a True Friend" and Consents to Apology Being Made Public.
Harvey made a fortune in street railways with Whitney and Ryan (J.P. Morgan was assumed to be involved as well). Harvey promoted Wilson as a conservative Democrat in opposition to Bryan's populist wing of the party. Later he broke bitterly with Wilson, who he felt had turned too sharply to the left.
Harvey went on to back Hughes and Harding in the next two elections. Wilson had a history of bitter breaks with friends and allies, so one can wonder just what it was that actually caused the breach. Wilson's famous tactlessness maybe?
“I think history may well see bammy as much worse than we are seeing now...”
It depends on what history brings. If it brings about the Brave New World that Zero is so frantically executive ordering, then it will be “Saint Zero.”
nor has he dragged us into a World War that was none of our damned business.
Give him time, he’s still got two years to go.
Good question. Wilson was a virulent racist.
TR helped too, by splitting the anti-Wilson vote.
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