Life — June 28, 1928 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis: "The Democratic Convention Leaves Our Candidate Cold" This Will Rogers column satirizes the 1928 Democratic National Convention. Rogers criticizes the party's infighting, particularly Southern delegates' concerns about slavery and race relations. He mocks Mencken (the journalist H.L. Mencken, referenced as someone attempting to influence the party platform) for his literary pretensions while claiming ignorance about political reality. Rogers appears skeptical of the party's nominee selection process, noting numerous candidates and platforms under discussion. He's particularly critical of the South's demands regarding racial issues, suggesting their political demands are unreasonable. The cartoon below ("Mencken Proffers The Brows") likely mocks Mencken's intellectual posturing during convention debates. Rogers employs his characteristic folksy criticism of political hypocrisy and backroom dealings.