The "Checkers speech" was a speech given by Richard Nixon on September 23, 1952, when he was the Republican candidate for the Vice Presidency. It was one of the first political uses of television to appeal directly to the populace. Nixon, having been accused of accepting $18,000 in illegal campaign contributions, gave a live address to the nation in which he revealed the results of an independent audit that was conducted on his finances, exonerating him of any malfeasance. The money, he asserted, did not go to him for personal use, nor did it count as income, but rather as reimbursement for expenses. He followed with a complete financial history of his personal assets, finances, and debts, including his mortgages, life-insurance, and loans, all of which had the effect of painting him as living a rather austere lifestyle. He denied that his wife had a mink coat, instead she wore a "respectable Republican cloth coat". The one contribution he admitted receiving was from a Texas supporter who gave his family a cocker spaniel, which his daughter named "Checkers". Nixon admitted that this gift could be made into an issue by some, but maintained that he didn't care, stating "the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it."
Nixon then challenged Adlai Stevenson to give a similar, public account of his finances, and attacked corruption in the Truman administration, as well as its failed foreign policy that led to the Korean War. He ended with an appeal to the public to wire and write to the Republican National Committee to give their advice on whether he should remain the Vice-Presidential nominee.
The speech was a resounding success. Nixon, who many expected to be dropped from the ticket, gained widespread sympathy and remained Eisenhower's running mate. The speech later became the subject of ridicule, being seen as a cheap ploy using a dog and irrelevant personal financial information to appeal to the emotions of the viewers.
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