Podcasts History This Day in Esoteric Political History Dogs as Deflection: Fala and Checkers (1944/1952)

Dogs as Deflection: Fala and Checkers (1944/1952)

Published: Sept. 22, 2022, 1:01 p.m.

It\u2019s September 22nd. Today, we visit two speeches that used anecdotes about dogs to deflect and charm. In 1944, FDR gave a speech about his dog Fala and the misuse of government funds \u2014 the jokes he cut about Fala, written with the help of Orson Welles, helped belittle his critics. Eight years later to the day, in a long speech about improper gifts and funds, VP candidate Richard Nixon told a story about receiving his pet dog Checkers.

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Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the two speeches, why they worked, and which dog was cuter.

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Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia