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Senator Robert Kennedy's Epic Whistle Stop Tour Across Nebraska [1]

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Date: 2023-04-27  

Kennedy’s whistle stop tour was born out of a meeting in a Lincoln living room in March 1968 with Kennedy campaign manager Phil Sorenson and Mary Ann Strasheim (née Hanson) of North Platte. At the time Strasheim was chair of the Lincoln County Democratic Party in North Platte. When Sorenson asked Strasheim if there was some big event or a rodeo where Kennedy could meet a lot of people Strasheim asked, “What if we could do a whistle stop train that would go all the way across the state?” Sorenson agreed: “Mary Ann, you may have elected the next president of the United States.”

The Kennedy campaign used its connections to Averell Harriman to obtain the use of a Union Pacific Railroad luxury private car with an open rear platform. Harriman’s family had founded the railroad, and Harriman had served as governor of New York and in various posts in the Roosevelt, Truman, and Johnson administrations.

The whistle stop tour commenced on a cold morning in Cheyenne, Wyoming on April 27. Kennedy was accompanied by his wife Ethel, three of his children, and over one hundred reporters from around the world.

Two thousand people and two high school bands welcomed Kennedy at his first stop in Kimball. Kennedy’s message in Kimball was similar to the speeches he had delivered during his previous campaign swings through Nebraska. Once again, he advocated for tax incentives for businesses to locate in small towns, more local control, negotiations to end the Vietnam War, and a bigger combat role for the South Vietnamese Army.

Kennedy displayed his typical wit and charm. After spotting some Nixon buttons in the crowd Kennedy joked: “I think they will cross that out and write Kennedy over it.” The crowd laughed when Kennedy made fun of his lack of experience in agriculture saying, “you may not know it, but I come from a farm state. New York is first in sour cherries.” The crowd in Kimball liked what they saw and heard. One Republican woman remarked: “I’m surprised he would stop at a small town like this and give us his consideration.”

The Kennedy campaign then stopped in Sidney for fifteen minutes. Once again Kennedy was greeted by a youthful and enthusiastic crowd of anywhere from seven hundred and fifty to two thousand people. The local paper reported that “the magic and magnetism of the Kennedy has lost none of its drawing power.” Kennedy made his standard remarks and joked with the crowd.

It was here that Kennedy first touted his experience as Attorney General in the Kennedy-Johnson administrations. Kennedy maintained this made him uniquely qualified to deal with the riots and lawlessness that plagued large cities. He also emphasized that he was the only candidate who was campaigning extensively in the small towns, joking that: “When I asked Ethel whether I should run for the Presidency, she said, ‘Yes, so we can return to Sidney.’”

Kennedy’s seven car train stopped next in Ogallala. This event was typical of his stops in that local politicians and party officials took turns riding with Kennedy and his entourage. In Ogallala he was joined by Hans Jensen of Aurora, James Green of Omaha, and Don McGinley of Ogallala. McGinley was a former U.S. House member from western Nebraska and the future lieutenant governor under Bob Kerrey between 1983–87. While delivering his standard message about the farm economy and Vietnam, Kennedy made his usual joke about how his large family was good for Nebraska farmers saying: “We’re the greatest supporter of Sandhills beef of any candidate.”

Kennedy’s next appearance in North Platte, Nebraska demonstrated the sheer excitement his presence generated in a small Republican town. As the train approached North Platte reporters onboard heard a local radio broadcaster announce their arrival: “We can see the light of the engine approaching. It is passing the Poplar Street crossing. It’s going under the viaduct. I think the crowd is going to knock me off my ladder!” The train slowly rolled through the waving swarms.30 Kennedy’s youthful North Platte volunteers were tasked with generating a large, loud crowd but as one of them said, “of course, we didn’t have to worry about that. It was packed.”

As elsewhere an enthusiastic crowd and a local high school band greeted Kennedy in North Platte where he spoke for about ten to fifteen minutes. He addressed the Vietnam War, the farm economy, crime, and racial reconciliation, but his remarks were always laced with well received jokes and humor. Because North Platte was Buffalo Bill Cody’s hometown Kennedy quipped that he was “not hunting buffaloes, we’re hunting elephants.” Kennedy always finished his speeches with the same George Bernard Shaw peroration: “Some people see things as they are and ask why? I see things that have never been and ask why not?”

Things took a more serious turn en route to Lexington when Kennedy received word that Vice President Hubert Humphrey was making his expected run for president official. A Humphrey candidacy was problematic for Kennedy since approximately 75 percent of delegates to the Democratic National Convention were selected by party leaders. As the incumbent Vice President and as a former longtime, distinguished U.S. Senator, Humphrey enjoyed great support from those leaders.

Nebraska’s Democratic leaders welcomed Humphrey’s entry. Former Governor Frank Morrison characterized Humphrey as a “great American, and a highly qualified candidate for the presidency.” Morrison — like most Nebraska Democratic party leaders — had been a Johnson delegate and urged all Johnson delegates to remain uncommitted. In reality Humphrey was not going to be much of a player in Nebraska since he would not be on the May 14 ballot. However, Humphrey’s supporters planned to mount a write in campaign.

Kennedy responded to Humphrey’s announcement at his Lexington stop by referencing Humphrey’s so-called “Politics of Joy” speech, stating: “If you want to be filled with Pablum and tranquillizers, then you should vote for some other candidate…If you see a small black child starving to death in the Mississippi Delta, as I have, it is not the politics of joy.” In response to a voter question in Lexington, Kennedy said that Humphrey’s candidacy would make things more complicated for him.

From there the Kennedy whistle stop tour moved on to small towns that had never been visited by a presidential candidate: Kearney, Grand Island, Columbus, Schuyler, and Fremont. Large and enthusiastic crowds greeted Kennedy everywhere he appeared — even encountering an “atmosphere of pandemonium” in Fremont. He repeated the message he had already delivered at previous Nebraska campaign stops, but the message was new for the average voter. More importantly Nebraskans were able to size up Kennedy as a person — and they liked him. Kennedy and Ethel liked them back and visibly enjoyed interacting with the enthusiastic and friendly crowds. Peter Edelman remembers Kennedy seemed more like himself on this tour — he was quieter and more playful than he usually allowed himself to be in front of an audience.

After observing him interact with the whistle stop crowds, Ward Just of the Washington Post declared that Kennedy possessed “the most spontaneously witty political style of any political candidate in this century.” Comedian Alan King believed Kennedy went over so well in Nebraska and Indiana because his down to earth, self-deprecating humor made him kind of a “Midwesterner New Englander.” Culturally speaking Nebraskans pride themselves on their friendliness and uncomplaining nature. Though often non-confrontational to a fault, Nebraskans have a fierce independent streak and strive to maintain autonomy and egalitarianism by shunning outward expressions egotism in themselves and others. Bragging, complaining, and sloth are cardinal sins. By making self-deprecating jokes Kennedy was speaking Nebraskan.

Kennedy’s ability to connect with voters in rural Nebraska impressed his aides. Speechwriter Jeff Greenfield considered the whistle stop tour to be the “most successful day of the campaign, when everything came together,” and Kennedy came to believe he could win the Democratic presidential nomination. Greenfield marveled at Kennedy’s ability to relate to people “who had nothing in common with him at all,” and aide Peter Edelman believed that rural people brought out the best in Kennedy.

Kennedy’s twelve hour, five-hundred-mile tour of Nebraska ended in Omaha, the state’s most populous city. Kennedy supporters packed Omaha’s ornate, art deco style train station when he arrived. The excited crowd was deafening, their cheers and applause reverberating endlessly off the tall stone walls and ceilings. From there, Kennedy traveled to the nearby Civic Auditorium to address a fired-up crowd of ten thousand supporters: “I came virtually all the way across Nebraska today. And I learned one thing,” Kennedy paused, “it’s a long way across Nebraska by train.” The crowd roared its approval. Kennedy then delivered his usual remarks on the farm economy, the welfare system, and the Vietnam War. He also discussed a new proposal in his well-received Civic Auditorium speech, calling for a tax increase and closing tax loopholes that allowed the wealthy to avoid paying taxes altogether.

The most notable part of this event was how Kennedy deftly handled a lone heckler. A man waving a Humphrey sign yelled that Kennedy lacked the leadership to be president. Kennedy retorted: “I have just learned that this election in Nebraska is not going to be unanimous.” Despite boos from the crowd, Kennedy allowed the heckler to ask the first question during the question-and-answer session that followed his address. It was then when this remarkable exchange followed:

“Everybody has the right to speak and a right to heckle and a right to disagree, if we don’t have that in this country, we don’t have anything,” Kennedy said in response to the boos. The heckler then asked Kennedy why he did not support the American troops in Vietnam. Kennedy replied: “I support them so much that I would like to see the South Vietnamese do the fighting.”

The heckler then asked: “What would you do about the kids who don’t want to fight for the U.S. in Vietnam?” Kennedy retorted: “There’s still room for you.” The crowd cheered while Kennedy’s interlocutor left the building.

Kennedy’s huge Omaha rally ended his successful Nebraska whistle stop tour. It was estimated that anywhere between twenty-five thousand and fifty thousand people saw Kennedy, who had already campaigned in nine out of the twelve towns with a population exceeding ten thousand. Kennedy aide Fred Dutton told the Nebraska media that he expected that Kennedy would return to Nebraska for a final all-out blitz before the May 14 primary.

Both campaigns were organizing and working the state hard. Humphrey’s belated entry into the race was a wild card since Nebraska Democrats were perceived as more conservative and hawkish than their counterparts in other states. Both Kennedy and McCarthy planned last minute campaign swings to win the crucial primary on May 14.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/27/2166192/-Senator-Robert-Kennedy-s-Epic-Whistle-Stop-Tour-Across-Nebrask

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