With two months to go until the American presidential election, this week we meet five historic “losers” of the elections, in the company of Françoise Coste, professor of American civilization at the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès. In this second episode of our series, La Loupe examines the lasting ideological influence of Barry Goldwater, the unsuccessful Republican candidate in the 1964 presidential election.
FIND ALL THE EPISODES OF LA LOUPE
Listen to this episode and subscribe to La Loupe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict And Amazon Music.
The team: Charlotte Baris (presentation), Mathias Penguilly (writing), Léa Bertrand (editing), and Jules Krot (direction).
Credits: C-SPAN, Daisy, e-Footage, Facebook, HuffPost, KQED, White House, NBC News, Paramount, The ParisianPBS NewHour
Music and design: Emmanuel Herschon/Studio Torrent
Logo: Anne-Laure Chapelain/Benjamin Chazal
How to listen to a podcast? follow the leader.
Charlotte Baris: The 1964 American presidential campaign is in full swing when the following scene takes place. It is September, night has fallen. In a suburban housing estate in the western United States, a family gathers in front of their television. Between two commercials for household products, a little girl appears on the screen in black and white. One by one, she removes the petals from a daisy she has just picked.
The parents smile as they look nostalgically at their almost teenage daughters. In the skylight, the child counts to 9, then suddenly freezes as another countdown sounds. This countdown is much less touching. The camera freezes, then zooms in on the child’s pupil, which darkens. When it reaches zero, an atomic bomb explodes. “Here’s what’s at stake: Build a world where all of God’s children can live… or plunge into darkness.” These words are spoken by Democratic candidate Lyndon Johnson in reference to the positions considered extremely warmongering by his opponent: a Republican named Barry Goldwater.
When the other ads start again, much less serious, the parents look at each other horrified. For some time, the father, who manages an industrial SME, was leaning a little more towards the Republican camp. But this ad has sown doubt and fear: what if he puts his family in danger by supporting Goldwater? A few weeks later, his wife and he will go to the polls and they will not hesitate to rally to the Democratic camp, like most of their fellow Americans.
To go further:
PODCAST. What are swing states? L’Express explains everything
US Presidential Election: Republicans Who Support Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris and the Landslide Scenario: “She Could Win All the Swing States”