CHAPTER 10
 CONCLUSION

 Many contingent and conflicting factors drive politicians in their quests to

acquire personal power and prestige. Although a number of concerns can lead

individuals to adopt critical policy positions and work for legislative goals, some of

which can seem at times to go against the tradition of their party and the interests of

their constituents, the drive to win election and maintain power remains paramount.

After World War II, Robert Taft and Thomas Dewey, two politicians who had very

similar core ideologies but opted to assume radically different political identities in

the press and on the campaign trail, divided the Republican Party. While their

differences manifested rhetorically, they were rooted in a fundamental interpretation

of the will and mindset of the American voter. The intensity surrounding their efforts

to control the GOP and occupy the White House led to an unprecedented zeal among

their followers and supporters. In the tense aftermath of the 1948 presidential election,

the factions increasingly identified themselves, and their opponents, with ideological

signifiers. As the 1952 election drew closer, this simplistic discursive trend took on a

functional value. Republicans opted to support Taft or Dewey depending on how they

saw both themselves and the American body politic.

 Initially, Dewey and Taft each adhered to a basic philosophy of government that

characterized the Republican Party of the early twentieth century. Both men believed

that control of governmental programs should be exercised at the local level. Dewey's

restructuring of the New York higher education system and Taft's plans to provide

federal funding for public education both reflect this core belief. They also agreed that