Where Were You (1960)

people like you turn let every be heard meing to the word [Music] democracy oh say can't you see that your vote keep you free so turn out everybody out oh the citizens of the USA are an independent lot they turn out on Election Day and have the final say whether anyone likes it or not so let the world see how men act when they're free turn out vote everybody [Music] [Applause] [Music] out on this election day I Joseph Welch a citizen of the United States did go to the polls and C my vote against John does but this was just the final step the last of a long series of important events that may have escaped your notice I wish you'd been there while all this was going on my friend by the way where were [Music] you in the fourth district it's a close race between does and Smith the latest count Smith with 1,854 does 1, 965 in District does le this is such a bore can't we have something else 242 to [Music] we interrupt this program for a special News Bulletin in the race between Smith and does all but a few precincts are in and does continues to maintain his [Applause] lead here is an important announcement Mr Smith has just conceded the election we will take you now to party headquarters where a Do's Victory celebration should be underway [Music] [Applause] citizens and party workers I thank [Applause] you and I solemnly promise to the voters who elected me that that I will consider my office a sacred [Applause] [Music] trust I beg your pardon sir what is your opinion of the election of John does does did he really win the election I didn't think he even had a chance and you sir what difference does it make I'm just on the outside looking in I didn't even bother to vote why should I there was hardly any choice I think it's dirty politics that's what it is personally I think Anderson is the best man for the job but he wasn't even on the ticket strange and interesting if so many citizens didn't want Mr does how did he come to be elected let's look back and see how it happened John Do's career as a candidate began here at party headquarters 8 months before his election on a cold windy night in March the leaders of his party gathered for a caucus well in conclusion it looks as if the best party slogan we've come up with is the best man for better government right everybody go along with that now let's get down to picking a candidate and I just want to remind you of one thing the whole idea of an election is to win it let's keep that in mind when we decide who to run well I've been thinking about Phil Adams now we all know Phil the caucus is sometimes called America's most extraordinary and most neglected political institution here is where the party leaders pick their candidates and plan their campaign strategy in some states the caucus is closely regulated by law in other states it is not so well regulated especially at the precinct level in some places the very terms caucus and Precinct are not even used but the process is essentially the same most citizens are not even aware that these caucuses are being held and yet politically they are of the greatest importance [Music] there seems to be some kind of objection to every man we've talked about so far what we need is a new face let's take another look at this fellow does he's not too well known yet of course but he does make a good impression and he's the only one nobody's really opposed to nobody's mad at him I don't know he sure wants it what do we really know about him we need someone who will work with the party don't worry about it I'll have a talk with him what will I tell Phil Adams he's not going to like this well we can't help that and it's for the good of the party tell Phil there'll be some other spot form after the election but now let's finish this thing uppr right I'd like a formal nomination from the floor well okay if you sure it'll work out right sure I'm sure I hereby nominate that Distinguished Citizen loyal party member your friend and mine John Z does second all those in favor raise their right hand you may be interested to know that under the laws of the state in which this caucus was held any member of a political party is entitled to attend the caucus of his party item two before it was held the time and place of this caucus was duly printed in the newspaper true it was a small item and it is quite possible that if some Uninvited member of the party had decided to attend the caucus he might not have received a very warm welcome nevertheless the fact remains that many could have attended but only those interested did so we can only assume that the other s did not care enough about their government to find out what the laws and procedures were regarding this important political event they were not even interested enough to know their own rights much less assert them they forfeited a valuable privilege so we may say that the first step in Mr Do's political career was made possible by the political ignorance of the voters and if there are any who do not care to pleas ignorance I can only say to them then where were you [Music] meeting will come to order I want to begin by thanking all you folks for coming here and volunteering to work for our candidate the primaries are coming up and I don't have to tell you that a primary isn't one by accident if we we want John does in the fall we'd better pitch in now and win this primary for a majority party control of the primary in any community means control of the political situation in that Community I want to impress on you that every single vote we can get is important here's why out of every 100 possible voters in a Precinct only about 50% will turn out for the general election next fall about 25 of these voters will back the majority party 15 will back the minority party and the remaining 10 will scatter their votes as unenrolled voters in either party so we have a situation where what we call the will of the people is actually the will of only 25% of the people and in many primaries only about one quarter of that 25% will turn out to vote this comes to six or seven people so for your candidate to win the primary in a majority party all he has to do is get a majority of of this six or seven people out of a [Music] 100 the outcome of the primary actually hangs on how four people out of seven in every hundred can be persuaded to vote now here's how we'll organize the [Music] [Applause] [Music] work Eddie darling would you please close the window yes I'll be so glad when these elections are over this is a Nuance you say that again these politicians create more of a rumpus than a dog pipe gee it's sort of like a circus isn't it Dad that's exactly what politics is Eddie a circus gee must be sort of fun say why don't you run for office that should make a swell Congressman or Governor or something I thank you very much Eddie but I'm too busy anyway I'm not the type yeah people like your father father don't want to get mixed up in politics dear [Music] oh say Dad wasn't Lincoln a politician well he was really more of a uh a Statesman what's the difference between a politician and a Statesman well that would take a a lot of explaining oh Jane at what time are we supposed to be over at the davises 8:30 dear oh well look Eddie uh we'll get to it this weekend it's getting pretty late now say uh you better clean up your homework huh okay sure coming Jane while the do nothings were avoiding Politics the precinct workers of do's party were as busy as dance among the Grassroots where the vots lay hidden hello Mr Allen yes that's David Allen is that right yes I'm making a survey of all the voters in this district and I wondered if you'd mind telling me what party you belong to well I don't generally vote a straight ticket for any party I see you vote for the man that you think is the best man is that yes that's right exactly well good maybe you vote for John does does who is he now that you ask me you see if you don't register you won't be able to vote in the primaries Mrs Brown well where do I register and when all the information is right here on this card why don't you keep it Mark the date down on your cend good afternoon Mr Brooks I wonder if you got some literature in the mail about our candidate Mr does yes I did and I threw it in the basket good day sir politics is people it is the newly married couple down the street stre and the Widow who lives alone around the corner and the handicapped person in a wheelchair it is the older citizen who has voted his way through 60 elections and the young man who has just come a voting age it is people who have lived in your neighborhood for 20 years and newcomers who don't know anybody yet but the trades people they buy from it is angry people and disappointed people and cheerful people and timid people and courageous people all mixed in together all sharing a wonderful thing called Freedom politics is the sound made by the voices of the people coming from a 100 million throats talking it over trying to make up their minds getting ready to decide who their leader shall be and the problem facing the political worker is always the same how can I persuade these people among those who had to be persuaded to votee for does were the women in his community the women's vote was very important according to census bureau's statistics on the 1960 presidential election women eligible to vote now outnumber the men by more than 3,200,000 Do's campaign managers made a special effort to capture these voters Mr does had to pass close inspection at many a coffee clotch and my little Frankie who just idolizes Mr dopes here well he woke up this morning and what do you think the first thing he said to me was he said mommy can I run for mayor well I always say there's nothing like children around the house to keep our ideas young oh true Mr does yeah and speaking about children I'm afraid I really must be going I'm terribly sorry for this Interruption ladies may I speak to you a moment Mr does yes oh you ladies will excuse me you know how it is I'm really sorry I had to do this to you Mr dopes that's all right my boy I just want to remind you you have to be over at Mrs pentlands at 3:30 Mrs pentlands they told me I was doing to miss Natalie rosson at 3:30 but you can't there are 20 women waiting for you over at Mrs pentlands what am I going to do uh all the little problems that go on behind the scenes in the political campaign but somehow this is what binds political workers together gives them somewhat the same feeling that veterans have when they've been through a war together even the mistakes become something to reminisce about and laugh over later on I think this is true whenever people work together or fight together for a common cause and it makes the political worker feel somehow special even when he is doing something as dull as ringing doorbells or Stu envelope I think the critical Outsider who holds himself aloof from it all misses a rewarding experience by not participating in [Music] politics it has been said that the power to nominate is as important as the power to elect the purpose of the primaries is to give citizens a voice in the nomination of candidates in 60% of all the congressional districts in the United States 60% to win the primary of the dominant party as identical with winning the election and yet the voters in Mr Do's Community let his name get on the ballot unopposed although they could have seized the opportunity afforded them by law in political party procedures and put others in the primary race Why did no one come forward and contest Mr Do's claim to the nomination Why did no group organize and propose a candidate of its own the answer was a yawn the terrible yawn of apathy as predicted on the day of the primaries only a handful of people turned out to vote the Machinery of government was running but a minority of the citizens was in control in addition to apathy there was ignorance even at this late date very good I believe the boot is for you can go in your name please Edgar Jones Jones Edgar j o n e s page 162 Alan Bruce Ed Edgar Edgar m I don't find your name here Mr Jones why don't you did you register well of course I registered four years ago the last time I voted I'm sorry sir that registration no longer holds Good you registered he deserves a knee for effort but he really didn't care enough about his vote to protect it different states have different laws about their political Machinery it pays to know what those laws are in your own state [Music] as you can see Mr does wins hands down by default whether you think he's the right man for the job or not he is now the party's official candidate his name will appear on the ballot in the general election you don't like it that's a shame while there was still time to do something about it where were you I just want to say first of all that you people did a fine job on the primaries a great [Music] [Applause] job now we've got an election coming up and we're going to win that election [Music] [Applause] we're going to put the pressure on and keep it on but it's going to take hard work and plenty of it now is there anybody here who feels that he hasn't got the time anybody here who doesn't think he'll be able to do the work all right I am counting on you people the party is counting on you now here's what I want the Committees to [Music] do and so once again the political Machinery begins to move shifting swiftly into high gear will does win the election Do's party is taking no champ [Music] [Music] now my worthy opponent keeps talking about my lack of experience in politics let's examine some of his experience who sold out on the housing issue who voted no on the new school if that's the kind of experience a politician needs I'm glad glad I don't have any this Applause has been technically [Music] augmented it is election morning and for the political worker this is the big day he prepares himself for it like a farmer going forth to harvest or a cowboy driving his herd of cattle The Last Mile to the rail head his job is to get those voters to the poll Name by name he goes down his list rounding everyone up helping them to get to the polls in every way he can even with all this pressure the turnout is only [Music] average however the voter who has had no voice in nominating a candidate either at the caucus or at the primary is only 50% effective by this time if he doesn't like does his only alternative is to vote a split ticket but here he may find himself confronted by some other candidate whom he likes no better than does and knows even less about well what's it to be make up your mind Mr voter now in the privacy of the curtain Booth he may momentarily regret his apathy and negligence but time has run out on him well he thinks what's the difference how I vote after all one vote who cared it'll be lost in the shuffle nobody need ever know how I voted the ballot is secret isn't it does or Smith he tosses a coin mentally he votes for does and so the mystery of how Mr does came to be elected turns out to be no mystery at all in a democracy government is truly representative of all the people only if all the people participate in government this means participation in the party of your choice because government is the product of politics this is democracy this is the meaning of [Music] freedom turn out and get the best man in don't let the wrong man win it's up to you speak out it's time to raise your voice it's time to make your choice be sure you do this nation is for all the people and not a privilege you this government is of the people and by the people like you turn out let every voice be heard give meaning to the word democracy oh stay can you see that your vote keeps you free so turn up everybody out [Music]