George Wallace’s chaotic, prophetic campaign

When candidate took the stage, the show began

When George Wallace took the stage, the show began.

Jabbing with his fist, rocking back and forth on his legs, the former Alabama governor – a bantamweight figure standing a bit under 5 feet, 7 inches – would denounce Democrats, Republicans, the U.S. Supreme Court, anti-Vietnam War protestors, Communists and any person who didn’t fit his vision for the country, speaking with a banner saying “Stand Up For America,” the slogan of his 1968 White House campaign.

His supporters – who could stuff thousands and tens of thousands of dollars in loose change into buckets passed at the rallies – would cheer and give him standing ovations.

“A lot of folks just worshipped him, the poor white people in the country,” said Tom Turnipseed, Wallace’s campaign co-chairman, in a recent interview.

But his opponents, who had not forgotten that the candidate proclaimed “segregation forever” on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol, were there, too. They yelled “Sieg heil” or “What about Selma?” at the candidate, who would yell back, sometimes losing his place in his speech. They brought signs that said “God Bless George Hitler The Smiling Bigot” and “Why don’t you die?” and “Not even Jesus could forgive what you did.”

Fights erupted. Wallace was the target of fruit, candy, pennies and in at least one instance, a small whiskey bottle. Peggy Wallace Kennedy, who traveled with her father’s campaign in the summer of 1968, stood on the stage at one rally when the projectiles started flying.

“They had to get us off the stage,” she said in a recent interview. “They pretty much carried us to the car. Just took us from the crowd to get us to the cars.”