State of the Union | Two Worlds: Past and Present
In the following essay, Nannes compares State of the Union to an 1890 political play—The Senator— to explore differences in the two worlds.
Two men streaked across the political heavens fifty years apart, and in so doing inspired plays expressing the ethos of their times. One was Senator Preston B. Plumb of Kansas. The other was Wendell Willkie.
Both were political mavericks who flouted party lines on important occasions. Senator Plumb, a Republican, supported Horace Greeley in the presidential campaign of 1872. Willkie had been a committeeman at the Democratic convention of 1924 before becoming a Republican during the New Deal era. Each man had personal charm, color, and crowd appeal. Senator Plumb satisfied the...
[The entire page is 4612 words long]
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