Checkers

Facing accusations of corruption, Nixon seeks to regain the trust of the American public. He denies the accusations, but rather than trying to prove his innocence through factual evidence, he relies primarily on two complementary rhetorical tactics. First, he presents himself as someone his audience can identify with: a hardworking, middle-class American who exemplifies the values of Integrity and Modesty. Second, he frames his political opponents as members of a privileged elite, in contrast with himself and the rank-and-file voters he hopes to persuade, and he strongly implies that the real corruption lies with them. This technique relies on relating to the masses and placing oneself at the same level as the common person. Nixon aims to come across as genuine and likeable, and the outpouring of public support he received after the speech suggests that he largely succeeded.

Nixon begins by reframing his allegedly dishonest actions as motivated by unusual honesty. Emphasizing The Distinction Between Campaign Expenses and Governing Expenses, he claims to have accepted the donations in question because he did not feel that campaign expenses should be paid for by taxpayers, and—unlike his wealthy opponents—he could not fund his campaign with his own money. Near the close of the speech, he reiterates this point by paraphrasing Democratic National Committee Chair Stephen Mitchell, who he claims has said “that if a man couldn’t afford to be in the United States Senate, he shouldn’t run for senate” (Paragraph 61). Nixon frames his political career as a rebuke to Mitchell’s aristocratic vision of public service: Campaign donations—even if they come from wealthy backers—are necessary because they allow people of ordinary means to run for office.

In sharing his finances and debts, Nixon encourages voters to see him as someone like themselves. He has worked hard and made money, but he has still owed money and aspired to afford more for his family. Since this speech was televised, Nixon had the benefit of not only sounding humble but also appearing so. The room in which he recorded was a simple setting with plain furniture, and at times his family is visible on screen. He was not set up in a lavish building or surrounded by pomp and pageantry. He simply sat and shared his personal history and beliefs in a way that won over the support of many Americans that day. Notably, this section includes his refusal to give up his gifted puppy, Checkers—the source of the speech’s common nickname. When delivering this anecdote, Nixon places strong stresses on his words, pausing in between words to enhance the impact of his statements. This section of the speech serves both to humanize Nixon, casting him as a loving father, and to make the accusations against him seem frivolous. Up to this point, he has addressed the audience by asking their permission to share his story or their patience in letting him explain all the specifics of his financial means. At this point, however, he puts aside any need for guilt over receiving such a kind gesture of support. This stick-to-your-guns attitude ultimately helped to secure Nixon’s ability to remain in the running for vice president.

In addition to demonstrating his own honesty, Nixon aims to remind voters of one of the Eisenhower campaign’s key themes: Communism and Corruption in the Democratic Party. He does this largely through implication rather than direct statement, and he begins making this case at the very beginning of his speech:

Now, the usual political thing to do when charges are made against you is to either ignore them or to deny them without giving details. I believe we have had enough of that in the United States, particularly with the present administration in Washington, D.C. (Paragraph 2).

Without naming the “present administration,” he lays the groundwork for the argument he will make later in the speech, depicting his opponents—Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates Adlai Stevenson II and John Stockman—as the hand-picked successors of the corrupt Harry Truman administration. Toward the close of the speech, having established his own identity as a member of the “common people” beloved by Abraham Lincoln (Paragraph 62), Nixon makes this claim more explicitly: “Take the problem of corruption. You have read about the mess in Washington. Mr. Stevenson can’t clean it up because he was picked by the man, Truman, under whose administration the mess was made” (Paragraph 74). The Truman administration’s purported corruption, then, is not limited to the administration itself but belongs to the party as a whole. Moments later, Nixon ties this accusation of corruption to another claim—that the Democratic Party is tolerant of, if not actively in league with, communism: “I say that a man who, like Mr. Stevenson, has pooh-poohed and ridiculed the Communist threat in the United States […] isn’t qualified to be President of the United States” (Paragraph 76).

Nixon’s body language and tone are calm in preparation for his final section and closing statements. He mentions his aversion to quitting but emphasizes his even greater aversion to disappointing his people. Thus, he performs humility, requesting that the people should decide his fate and write in their support to the Republican National Committee if they feel he deserves the chance to be their vice president. He shares his overarching priority that he “would do nothing that would harm the possibilities of Dwight Eisenhower to become President of the United States” (Paragraph 39). He returns to his theme of integrity and political corruption one last time, promising to continue his fight to clean up Washington and encouraging his audience to vote for Eisenhower—regardless of what they decide should happen to him. In so doing, Nixon shifts the power to decide his fate from Eisenhower and the Republican Party to the voting public, hoping that a strong enough outpouring of support will force Eisenhower’s hand.