ambitions. Taft's alliance with established Republican organizations in states like

Texas and West Virginia tied him to the more staunchly conservative leaders who had

been active in party affairs since the days of Coolidge and Harding. Their ideology

did not arise as a response to the New Deal, but originated in the 1920s and had

changed very little since. Taft was one of their own and his congressional leadership

had proven him more of a conservative than Dewey. However, Taft retained Old

Guard support primarily because he chose not to challenge their place in the party

hierarchy.

 The alliance of reformers and upstarts with Dewey, likewise, was not

necessarily based on an embrace of New Deal liberalism. Most party officials sided

with Dewey to bring about a change in local leadership, although some like

McDowell and Briggs did think the Dewey program superior to Taft's platform. An

agreement with a successful national candidate could change the state and local

dynamics considerably. Patronage duties were generally handled by the RNC staff in

conjunction with the White House, but required local input. The leaders of the regular

organizations built their power on patronage appointments and, if that responsibility

was suddenly taken away, the foundation of their leadership departed as well. A split

from the regular organization could permanently destroy an individual's political

career, so politicians only broke if a national candidate had a legitimate chance at the

nomination. Dewey, blessed with a number of advantages, appealed to disgruntled

partisans nationwide and fostered local divisions as a critical part of his pre-

convention strategy. Breaks with local organizations over a national candidate's

policy or ideology in this self-interested environment were extremely rare, but

partisans tripped all over themselves to support the individual most likely to win.