Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio battles with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for the 1952 Republican presidential nomination.

Whistlestop: The Birth of the Modern Conservative Movement

Whistlestop: The Birth of the Modern Conservative Movement

Slate
Whistlestop
Bite-sized stories from presidential campaign history.
April 8 2015 9:28 AM

Eisenhower, Taft, and the Wizard of Ooze

Slate’s new podcast about campaign history recounts Part 2 of the acrimonious fight between Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for the 1952 Republican presidential nomination.

150223_POD_WhistlestopLogo

Listen to Episode 6 of Whistlestop:

Subscribe in iTunes ∙ RSS Feed ∙ Download ∙ Play in another tab

Whistlestop is Slate’s new bite-sized podcast about presidential campaign history. Hosted by our chief political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each weekly installment will revisit a memorable (or even a forgotten) moment from America’s quadrennial carnival.

Advertisement

This week’'s episode recounts Part 2 of the acrimonious fight between Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for the 1952 Republican presidential nomination. One of the highlights of the GOP convention was a speech by Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois, whose oratorical style earned him the nickname the Wizard of Ooze.

This week’s show is sponsored by The Great Courses and its series “The Great Presidents.” Get it at 80 percent off the original price by visiting Whistlestop’s page at TheGreatCourses.com.

Love Slate podcasts? Listen longer with Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, ad-free versions, exclusive podcasts and more. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/podcastplus.

Email: podcasts@slate.com

John Dickerson is a co-anchor of CBS This Morning, co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest, host of the Whistlestop podcast, and author of Whistlestop and On Her Trail.