Word: dirksen
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...such a view is unwarranted. No one in recent weeks has discerned a deterioration of Dirksen's prestige; it has, in fact, never been higher. More to the point, it assumes that Dirksen is more consistently liberal than he actually...
Some suggest that Dirksen wanted to placate the conservative wing of the party. This they argue, gives him the image of a "reasonable" man and allows him to exert strenuous leadership in support of vital, liberal, bi-partisan measures like the Test Ban Treaty and the Civil Rights Bill...
Until his vote in favor of the foreign aid bill two years ago, Dirksen was regarded as being much farther right than he seems now, although he could at times be a maverick from the conservative cause. Since then he has cultivated the image of a statesmanlike, middle of the road Minority Leader, and backed it up with some key votes which brought him boundless praise. But Dirksen's support of Goldwater merely reaffirms the central fact of his political life when seen in the perspective of 30 years in Washington...
...Dirksen always waits until the last moment, tests the wind, builds suspense, and then throws his support to the seemingly popular side. If he is wrong (as in his opposition to the Marshall plan, federal housing, rural electrification, or even the test ban treaty) he doesn't stay wrong for very long...
...would strengthen his own position within the party by supporting him. Moreover, his political philosophy isn't always so radically different from Goldwater's. Besides, Goldwater will do the most for the Republican party in the fall elections. One could not of course expect Ev Dirksen to stop playing politics. But his hypocrisy in boosting Goldwater after earning plaudits over civil rights is monumental...