Political vistors enrich the College's history
Diane Koch
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: Life!
The recent visits to campus by former President Bill Clinton on March 19 and Senator Barack Obama on March 31, were exciting events for Muhlenberg College. Caught up in the lively race for the Democratic nomination for president, Clinton (campaigning for his wife Hillary), and Obama briefly put Muhlenberg at the center of the political campaign map.
This is not the first time that the College has been in the position of hosting national politcal figures. There are numerous articles, programs, and announcements in the library detailing various political visitors to the campus over the years. However, the recent excitement over the political visits also highlight some of the other visits to campus by prominent politicians.
The Clinton and Obama visits most brought to mind the campaign stop by Richard M. Nixon in October 1960. Nixon was nearing the end of his second term as Vice-President to Dwight D. Eisenhower, and was the Republican nominee for president in a close race against John F. Kennedy.
Nixon's visit to campus on Oct. 22, 1960 was just over two weeks before Election Day. Appearing with his wife, Pat, Nixon addressed a crowd of over 5,500 in Memorial Hall, with an additional ten thousand people seated in the stadium, where the speech was broadcast over loud speakers. Several of the issues Nixon raised in his speech are issues in the current political campaign as well: financial aid for college students, medical care for the elderly, the minimum wage, and unsettling issues abroad - namely, dealing with Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro, Cuba, and China.
According to the Muhlenberg Weekly accounts of Nixon's visit and speech, Nixon questioned Kennedy's judgment as Commander-in-chief, and urged voters "don't vote your party line. Consider the candidates, their experience, their background." In terms eerily similar to the current primary campaign, Nixon reduced the campaign to "experience vs. personality." (Ironically, with a view of Nixon's subsequent political career, the Weekly reported that Nixon was called "untrustworthy and sneaky" by his critics.)
This is not the first time that the College has been in the position of hosting national politcal figures. There are numerous articles, programs, and announcements in the library detailing various political visitors to the campus over the years. However, the recent excitement over the political visits also highlight some of the other visits to campus by prominent politicians.
The Clinton and Obama visits most brought to mind the campaign stop by Richard M. Nixon in October 1960. Nixon was nearing the end of his second term as Vice-President to Dwight D. Eisenhower, and was the Republican nominee for president in a close race against John F. Kennedy.
Nixon's visit to campus on Oct. 22, 1960 was just over two weeks before Election Day. Appearing with his wife, Pat, Nixon addressed a crowd of over 5,500 in Memorial Hall, with an additional ten thousand people seated in the stadium, where the speech was broadcast over loud speakers. Several of the issues Nixon raised in his speech are issues in the current political campaign as well: financial aid for college students, medical care for the elderly, the minimum wage, and unsettling issues abroad - namely, dealing with Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro, Cuba, and China.
According to the Muhlenberg Weekly accounts of Nixon's visit and speech, Nixon questioned Kennedy's judgment as Commander-in-chief, and urged voters "don't vote your party line. Consider the candidates, their experience, their background." In terms eerily similar to the current primary campaign, Nixon reduced the campaign to "experience vs. personality." (Ironically, with a view of Nixon's subsequent political career, the Weekly reported that Nixon was called "untrustworthy and sneaky" by his critics.)