Jimmy Takes the Dive

Jimmy Roosevelt had been hanging around the banks of California's muddy political swimming hole all spring, testing the water with his toe, bouncing tentatively on the springboard, and obviously preparing to jump in any minute. Early last month, on the anniversary of his father's death, he got a big push--30 Democratic California businessmen gave him a private dinner at Los Angeles' swank Chasen's Restaurant and pledged $50,000 to back him in politics.

He headed for the water on the run, soon had hired three pressagents and a five-room headquarters in Los Angeles' Spring Arcade Building. Last week in an off-the-record speech at the Greater Los Angeles Press Club (which he happily corroborated for the record, afterward), he announced that he was "seriously considering running for governor of California."

Luckey Strike. The announcement, which many a Californian took to mean that he was wild to be governor and hoped to use the office as a springboard for the presidency, was just what was needed to get California politics tuned to its standard note of discord. It re-opened a party quarrel which had begun when Jimmy tried to scuttle Truman for Eisenhower. It also emphasized the rift between Jimmy and E. George Luckey, who as a faithful Trumanite had replaced Jimmy as leader of the state's Democrats.

Luckey, a wealthy, Texas-born cattleman, had backed the Truman campaign in California almost singlehanded, had spent some $10,000 to run it. Since the campaign, he has been Harry Truman's fair-haired boy in California. Eyeing his Elks tooth, big Stetson and cowboy boots, the President had said: "Glad to see you wearing those [pointed] boots, George. They'll be good for kicking some of those fellows in the--."

Like Father. Jimmy's decision to seek the governorship presented Luckey with the first, big baffling problem which had come his way since he began basking in the reflected warmth from the White House. Last week Luckey hinted strongly that Truman was distressed by the idea of Jimmy Roosevelt running for the office. George Luckey was undoubtedly distressed, too: he had been acting as though he thought George Luckey represented the type of Truman Democrat the state needed. It seemed certain that fur would fly before Luckey gave in.

Roosevelt might be able to beat Luckey; he would have a harder time beating Governor Earl Warren, who, though a Republican,"in 1946 ran far out in front on both Republican and Democratic tickets, under California's cross-filing system. Some of Warren's friends said he was still uncertain whether to run for a third term as governor. If he did, Jimmy Roosevelt was obviously banking on an asset which none of Warren's previous opponents had ever boasted--a magic name. Lately Jimmy had been making Sunday-night radio talks, right after Walter Winchell, and had already gotten floods of letters from admirers who wrote things like: "You sound just like your father, God bless you."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.