Aug. 28, 1964 - Senator Hubert H. Humphrey lauded President Johnson last night as a wise and courageous champion of all the people and called Senator Barry Goldwater an impetuous “temporary spokesman” for the Republican party.
In a speech accepting the Democratic nomination for Vice President, Mr. Humphrey invited non-Goldwater Republicans to adopt Mr. Johnson as their candidate.
Mr. Humphrey sounded two themes for his party’s national campaign.
One was a charge that Mr. Goldwater was not an authentic spokesman of the conservative tradition or of the Republican party.
The other was the contention that Mr. Johnson was the spokesman of all Democrats as well as of “responsible and forward-looking Republicans.”
“I believe in the two-party system,” the Vice-Presidential nominee said, “but there must be two responsible parties. It is imperative that [their leaders] move within the mainstream of American thought and philosophy.”
Then he went on:
“I say to those responsible and forward-looking Republicans who put our country above their party — and there are thousands of them — we welcome you to the banner of Lyndon B. Johnson. We welcome your support.”
Among other things, Mr. Humphrey’s speech introduced a derisive anti-Goldwater slogan for the campaign: “But not Senator Goldwater.”
In his talk, the Vice-Presidential nominee listed a string of measures from the nuclear test ban to the tax cut, noting in each case that they had passed with the votes of most Democrats and Republicans. Then he added:
“But not Senator Goldwater.”
The crowd in Convention Hall happily picked up the refrain and chanted in unison with Mr. Humphrey:
“But not Senator Goldwater.”
The Minnesotan’s acceptance speech had been scheduled for delivery after his nomination Wednesday night. But Mr. Johnson’s appearance that evening to inform the convention of his choice — and a drawn-out program of introductions and talks by Senators, Governors, and other ranking Democrats — caused Mr. Humphrey’s speech to be postponed until last night’s closing session of the Democratic National Convention.
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