We talk with three men (Mike Whorton, Bill Lord, and Sam Dickson) who worked on George Wallace’s campaigns as they share their recollections and remembrances from that pivotal era in American history. This is one of the most memorable hours we have produced. Don’t miss it.
[00:00:01] You're listening to the Liberty News Radio Network, and this is The Political Cesspool. The Political Cesspool, known across the South and worldwide as the South's foremost populist conservative radio program. And here to guide you through the murky waters of The Political Cesspool is your host, James Edwards.
[00:00:28] I am at a website near and near to my heart right now, southernculturalcenter.com. For the last five years, my son and I have trekked down to Wetumpka, Alabama, for the national conferences of the Southern Cultural Center, led by President and Chairman Mike Wharton.
[00:00:51] And we were most recently there just last month in early October for just another great time and experience and a great show as well, as we always broadcast live from their events. And Mike Wharton is there again tonight. Right now, they're at the center of property. They're at the building. They are having fellowship and an event as we speak.
[00:01:14] But he has stepped away for just one segment tonight, about 10 minutes, to share with us, as we are talking about and remembering George Wallace, his own recollections of that pivotal time in American history, particularly in southern history, and what it was like. Mike, first of all, thank you so much for coming on short notice tonight. And just tell us your story.
[00:01:41] Hey, I'm going to tell you, as just a lad working on George Wallace, my whole family's 58 campaign, which Governor Wallace didn't win that. He lost that to Governor John Patterson. It was Albert Patterson, the clean-up Phoenix City judge that Attorney General for the state of Alabama was assassinated in Phoenix City, Columbus, Georgia. And he lost that campaign, but he'd come back strong in 62.
[00:02:10] But my whole family worked on that. And my first involvement with politics, my dad had a coon dog he called Polly, a man giving to him to support a local judge. But George Wallace went by the fighting judge in those days, but he called his dog Polly. He said that's the only thing he ever got from politics.
[00:02:30] But George Wallace, the fighting judge, and that's before he was elected as governor in his future campaigns he run as Governor Wallace, re-elect Governor Wallace, elect Governor Lurleen Wallace. Well, when Governor Wallace pulled into Wetumpka here one day, and he had a band from Red Level, Alabama, and Ron Taylor. I know there's people out there listening that's familiar with Ron. He was a legend. He was a rebel from Red Level, and he'd even wrote a ballad about Governor Wallace.
[00:03:00] And he'd get up on that flatbed truck, and they'd bring George Jr. in at some point in time. And they had a big fish fry at one of these events, and it stopped. And I thought about today's mudslinging and what you see on ads and the way that they campaign now as opposed to what election, when you really got to know people and to press the flesh and shake hands, Governor Wallace never forgot a person. And I met him through my 4-H club work and my family's involvement in his campaign.
[00:03:30] We supported him and Governor Lurleen. When Lurleen passed away, we stood in line at the Capitol to go into Rotunda there and the Capitol to pay our respects until about 2 in the morning. But we loved them, and Alabama loved them. And, in fact, the whole country was loving on them is what probably more than that in my mind is what got him shot. But they wanted to remove him.
[00:03:55] And if you look at populist candidates, the longs of Louisiana and stuff, and they're just anybody with libertarian leanings or independent thinking, Governor Wallace was one of them. He was just a great man, James. But this is a stirring – this, Mike, I got to tell you, brother – and by the way, southernculturalcenter.com, I'm a member.
[00:04:22] My son loves – I mean, he asks every year, are we going to go back down there to Alabama? And it's just such a sweet fellowship down there with you, Mike, and these conferences. But I just – I can't help but tell you, your testimony tonight, I mean, that is just – I just wish I could have been there back then. I mean, I was born in the 80s, so I missed that by a sight. But I wish I could have been there. I mean, you talk about – and we were talking about this movie in the first hour.
[00:04:52] You've seen this movie. I was talking to you about it earlier tonight before the show. And, you know, it's depicted in the movie that Wallace would roll up and they would have these fish fries and these barbecues and they would do these – he would do these stump speeches off the trailer of a truck and then they would roll. It just had to be something to have experienced all that in real life.
[00:05:14] Rather, you know, I can only read about it and see archival footage and hear about it from men like you who were actually there. And I can't help but tell you, I felt a little bit of covetousness and jealousy. It had to be a time to be alive back then when we were all in the fight. It was. We got in on the tail end of it. Not with Governor Wallace. We were there in the middle of that. But the tail end of, James, of that last hoorah.
[00:05:41] Now, so far, I'll say the last two, Raj, you know, we're not just about preserving the past, which we're about that here at the Center, but we got a plan for the future. And those days will come back, but they're even going to be better. And the more we rely upon the good book and went out to refer to the good book, you know, I'm talking about the holy word. And we'll get back. And Governor Wallace was a good Christian man. He had Christian values. And he had the values of our people.
[00:06:11] And he loved the people. And he was just, and I don't know what to say. He wasn't your typical politician. He didn't end up filthy rich like the ones of today's time. I guess there wasn't an APAC then, but if it was, he wouldn't have been taking money from them. I can guarantee you that. He understood the problem. If you ever watched him on any of his 60-minute interviews or the meet-the-press or anything else, he knew the problem.
[00:06:39] He wouldn't have been taking any APAC money, I can guarantee you. But he was for the little man. He was for the little man. That part was true all the way through, throughout his evolution. And the champion, you know, he rose to be the South's greatest champion of all the great Southern governors we had in the 1950s and 60s. He stood out. Always did have some good ones. But he was the one. He was an authentic populist. He was.
[00:07:07] Keith Alexander, Mike, just wanted to chime in on that. I think he was a very authentic populist, not just for Southerners but for the working class, white working class of all America. Well, before Mike considers me to be a fitber. It was the white working class that he worked for. Rural people in particular, he tried to help them. He knew they were the backbone, and he wanted to preserve it. And he did a lot to get us as far as we have.
[00:07:34] And we're going to try to get us the rest of the way across the finish line. Well, so much about what he ran for, the law and order, the economic populism, the white rural farmer, the working class. I mean, this has been – you know, he – I mean, the political realignments that occurred as a result of Wallace,
[00:08:01] Wallace, specifically Wallace, not just in the South but nationwide. I mean, we still feel the reverberations of Wallace even through Trump, even through Trump. I mean, certainly Nixon with the Southern strategy and all of that. I mean, some of them did it opportunistically. But even through Trump still today, I mean, this all goes back to Wallace. But I just had to say very quickly before Brother Mike considers me to be a fitber, I called Mike about an hour before the show tonight.
[00:08:28] I said, Mike, you know, Keith is still on the mend a little bit. He's had some health issues this month, and he's not going to be here tonight. Well, Keith surprised even me, Mike, by showing up during the second hour of tonight's live show. So here he is now with us. But you can't keep a good man down. I've had some something out here killing Eli's out here on the back porch at the center, and they'll be signing off with Dixie in there on the inside shortly. We're going to get back in there for that.
[00:08:53] But these boys, I heard a rumor somewhere that they might be headed up to Arkansas way next month. But they're out here on the porch listening to the program. They follow the cesspool and James Edwards and good men. And so they're here sharing this time with me out here on the back porch. Well, we love them. We're so glad they're listening, and we love this community and this collective. We have built together, Mike, and you're such a big part of it.
[00:09:22] And I appreciate you again as we're talking about remembering Governor Wallace tonight, you sharing some personal recollections and memories. And, folks, I just want to remind you to go to southernculturalcenter.com. You can find there at southernculturalcenter.com their goals, their core beliefs, future events, and how you can join as a member and all of the things there at southernculturalcenter.com. It has been such a privilege over the course of the last half decade, Mike, to work with you more intimately.
[00:09:53] And, again, you know how much Henry, my son, my only son, my heir, have two daughters. I love them just the same. But, you know, a boy is different and how much he loves coming down there. And I'm so glad that they're out there on the porch with you tonight and they're all listening. I know you're at an event, and so we're going to let you get back to it. But I appreciate you coming out tonight. Talk to us a little bit about what you remember about the 1960s. God save yourself, James. Amen.
[00:10:20] And, Mike, let me say I'm going to come down there someday if I can ever talk James into cart me down there. Hey, next year, the sixth anniversary, we'll be there together. I don't know how we're going to top this one this year, but we're going to do our best. Amen. Amen and amen. You get back. Yeah, absolutely. It was the fifth national conference this year. Next year will be the sixth annual national conference at the Southern Cultural Center. SouthernCulturalCenter.com.
[00:10:48] To everybody listening down there in Wetumpka tonight, we love you. We love being down there with you. It's always hot when we're down there, but we love that too. SouthernCulturalCenter.com. Mike Wharton, ladies and gentlemen, a hero of the South, talking about George Wallace. Hey, friends, it's James. James, did you know that every issue of the American Free Press now features my own published Q&A interviews with one of your favorite guests from the radio program? That's right. The American Free Press has officially partnered with TPC to expand our audience into the realm of print media.
[00:11:16] I encourage you to read it for yourself by subscribing today at AmericanFreePress.net. Did you know that regular TPC contributors like Nick Griffin and Jose Nino also have their own exclusive, insightful, and hard-hitting columns published in every issue of the American Free Press? I love this paper and read it as soon as it lands in my mailbox. Whether you prefer to receive the print edition or a digital subscription, the choice is yours when you subscribe at AmericanFreePress.net. We are advancing, but we need to be wise and well-informed.
[00:11:44] Enhance your intellectual ammunition today by subscribing to America's last real newspaper. If you enjoy listening to this broadcast, you'll love reading the American Free Press. Subscribe today by calling 1-888-699-NEWS or by visiting AmericanFreePress.net. Cybercrime is exploding. Take Sarah from Sweet Delights, whose world crumbled after having to close with not being able to bounce back.
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[00:12:52] Well, it is my esteemed honor. I mean, truly a privilege right now to bring to the show, maybe for the first time.
[00:13:19] I mean, it seems unfathomable to even consider that. But Bill Lord has been a friend of mine going back to my nascent becoming in this cause of ours, going back to my very early adulthood. Bill Lord has set an example for so many Southerners.
[00:13:41] Anybody who was a member of the Council of Conservative Citizens or attended their conferences in the late 90s through the early and mid-2000s would have known Bill Lord. But, Keith, you were just mentioning, and we've got to get him on here very quickly, but you were just mentioning one role, one of the many roles that Bill has played in service to this cause and to the Southern people.
[00:14:09] You were remembering in the commercial break just a moment ago. Yeah, I was talking about he founded, with the help of some others, 12 what they called segregation academies in the Delta. Well, they called it that then. Now they just call them private schools or Christian schools. But what he did was he provided an alternative to the newly integrated public schools, which turned out to be a disaster.
[00:14:36] Public education, particularly in the Delta, has gone to hell in a handbasket. But because of the efforts of Bill Lord and men like him, there was an alternative, and God bless him for providing people with that alternative. I'm sure many generations of people, white people in the Delta, would like to thank him, and I'll do it for them. Well, and we will do it here together. And, Bill, it's so great to have you on these airwaves tonight.
[00:15:04] After all these years, my friend, all the precious and priceless memories of the Council gatherings, great to have you on tonight. How are you tonight, Bill? I'm doing just fine, James. It's good to hear from you. I haven't seen you since we went to the Conservative Conference last year. Hope you make it this year. Well, I will certainly do my best. And I know that we saw each other in a very pivotal meeting back in January of 25,
[00:15:34] which directly led to our Will to Power Conference in South Carolina in the late spring of last year. And I want to thank you for your role in that, Bill. And thank you for everything. I mean, so many memories over these years going back. Those Council gatherings were some of the most fond memories I've ever had in my life, not just of this cause, but in my life. And you were always there.
[00:16:00] And you were such a big part of it, along with, of course, Gordon and Linda and Tom Dover. I do my best. Well, you sure did. You sure did. And you've left a legacy and you've left such fond memories, as I said, along with the bombs and Tom Dover and everybody else who were principals of that. But but but tonight we're talking about George Wallace. We're remembering George Wallace. And you really were very intimately involved in those campaigns and with the family itself.
[00:16:29] What do you remember? What personal recollections and remembrances would you like to share with us tonight? You've got about 10 minutes. You take it any way you want. OK, I think what I'll do, James, is kind of give you a background. There's a lot of inner workings during the campaign. You know, when I talked to you earlier, we talked about that. I was you remember Ray Martin, of course. Of course. Yes. Ray Martin and I were head of transportation for these dignitaries.
[00:16:59] We used a lot of them. A lot of people don't realize what goes on in these campaigns. During Wallace's campaign, what it amounted to, you know, most of his, he held these big rallies and these coliseums and auditoriums and everything and all. But a lot of people don't know that before that rally, it took a lot of work. And Ray and I were head of entertainment for it.
[00:17:26] And I'm going to give you a few names of some of the people that was in the Wallace campaign that were entertainers from the Grand Ole Opry and around. And it was by surprise some of you listeners that some of them that were there. But we were here at Transportation. And I think that's what our job was to get these people.
[00:17:47] Before the rally started, say a month before the governor came to town, he'd get local people to set up a telephone bank. And we had a $500, I think it was a $500 meal with the governor. And people could come to it. It'd be at a hotel. We'd have the meeting. And these entertainers would come entertain some.
[00:18:13] And then our job was taken from there over to the rally that they would entertain until the governor got over there. And that was a big, big part of the campaign. And most of Wallace's money, Governor Wallace's money was raised through these $500, maybe it was $500 meals. But these local people would come, man, they would call local people there.
[00:18:43] We had a list of all the Wallace supporters from around there. And they would contact them and get them to come to that. And our job, mine and Ray's job, was to get them to entertain us from the airport to this rally. And they would do a couple of songs before the governor spoke to them.
[00:19:05] And then we would take them from there over to the Coliseum or wherever they'd meet them, the rally. And I'll tell you who some of them were. I remember the governor of Jimmy Davis from Louisiana. He wrote that year about sunshine and all. Governor Davis was one. Billy Grammer from the Grand Ole Opry. Hank Snow. Jerry Lee Lewis.
[00:19:36] Tom Perkins. Loretta Lynn. Tammy Wynette. A couple of fellows. A lot of John Wayne. So these were all Wallace supporters, you're saying? Right. Oh, yes. They weren't paid to do this. They did this on their own. How about that? Well, you know, George.
[00:20:02] I was going to say, George Wallace's son told us that he had a Wallace for President sign up on the front lawn of Graceland. Yeah, that's right. George Wallace, Jr., when he came on this show, said that Elvis had called his dad and said that he had a Wallace for President yard sign on the lawn of Graceland. So, remember, do you remember, I don't know whether a lot of your people were on the lawn of Graceland. They were two of them that were there. Walter, as a matter of fact, is from Alabama.
[00:20:32] And it was there. And most of the people that were at these, they were politicians from Alabama, senators and elected officials, all elected officials. They were the ones that helped out, too. We had a lot of them. It was mostly volunteers. And like I said, they have raised this money.
[00:20:54] One of these people I mentioned, Hank Snow, Billy Grammer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, you know, blue suede shoes, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette. Remember them? I don't know. What about Dolly Parton? Was she in on it? No, no. No, no. I wasn't in one part of it. She wasn't in. I don't think she was. She probably was the youngster then. No, I don't know. No, I don't know. I mean, she was with Porter Wagner. Well, I mean, that's something for both of you.
[00:21:24] You had pretty much the entire million-dollar quartet on Wallace's side. Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley. I guess Johnny Cash didn't show up. No, no. Johnny wasn't. He wasn't one of them. But those were people that were concerned about their country and everything. And like I said, they didn't charge anything. The only thing we had to do was pick them up and care of them. Well, what was that? Hey, Bill, I've got to ask you. What was that like, picking up people like that and dropping them around to rallies? It was just like us. They'd get them in the car.
[00:21:52] They'd be just as common as us and everything and talk. We talked all the way to the airport. I remember one of the instances, real funny, I met Tammy Wynette there. She loved George Wallace. And I picked up Tammy at the airport, took her over to the hotel, and she did a couple of songs, you know, for them there at the $500 meal. And then I was carrying over to the, I thought we were going to the Rhymen Auditorium.
[00:22:19] We were going to the City Auditorium in Nashville. I said, I don't know where that is, Tammy. She said, she's from Mississippi, too. She said, oh, honey, we'll find it. And we started out, and we got lost. And she said, we saw a policeman over there on the corner in his squad car. She said, y'all know the cop has him. I told her, look. I said, I'm trying to find the city auditorium. He said, you headed toward Chattanooga. I said, well, hell, heck.
[00:22:50] And I said, listen, I've got Tammy Wynette in your car. I said, yeah. He said, let me get my picture with her. I'll take you there. And he turned his blue light on and called one of his buddies up. I had two of them. I had a police escort there, and I got her there. And the guy he called had the camera, and I got the police picture with her.
[00:23:13] And I said, I don't know some of the people that were instrumental in it. But a lot of people didn't know those were working. Like I said, it was mostly volunteer elected officials from Alabama that helped Wallace. And the rallies, and then after the rallies, we had to carry them back to the airport, you know, and they'd fly back home.
[00:23:37] And Wallace, Mississippi, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Arkansas. And I know one time we had a meeting in North Carolina, big tobacco barn. You know, they'd drive that stuff. I have it hanging up. And that was a huge, huge barn. I bet you there was 10,000 people there.
[00:24:04] They were there to hear Hank Snow and Tammy Wynette and the governor. And we had that big rally there and everything and all. And with all that tobacco that was hanging from the roof all over the time, they won't forget that. Like I said, we had 10,000 people there. My God, this is real history right now. I got to tell you, I've been doing this. We've got to have Bill on more often.
[00:24:33] My God, I've been doing this for my entire adult life. This is something I'll remember. Bill, sit tight. Hang on. I want to talk to you during the break. Just don't go anywhere yet. Just sit tight. We're going to audible this on the fly. We'll be right back, everybody. This is real time right now. How would you like to help this program reach more people and earn silver at the same time? Call or text 801-669-2211 for complete details. News this hour from Town Hall.
[00:25:03] I'm Mary Rose. A new study shows the expansion of Medicaid is being linked to better outcomes for older adult cancer patients living in low-income areas. The expansion started under the Affordable Care Act more than a decade ago. Researchers at the American Cancer Society are finding the expansion has resulted in earlier cancer diagnoses.
[00:25:25] They analyzed national cancer database information for nearly 1.5 million people, age 65 and older, in low-income communities who were diagnosed with cancer between 2010 and 2021. I'm Tammy Trujillo. A new move against Iran's financial network is being welcomed as a step toward holding the terror financing regime accountable. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has the details.
[00:25:49] The United Arab Emirates says it has sanctioned local branches of Iran's bank, Melly, accusing them of violating laws against money laundering, terrorism financing, and weapons proliferation. The order blocks financial transactions between the branches and Iran, including trade finance and fund transfers. Critics say the UAE should go further and stop Iran from rerouting money through third countries. Bernie Bennett reporting. A final vote is expected in the Senate Monday on a bill dealing with college sports.
[00:26:15] This marks the furthest college sports legislation has advanced in Congress. The Protect College Sports Act needs at least 51 votes to officially advance through the Senate and would be a win for the NCAA and its conferences. The bipartisan bill would give the NCAA the power to establish new rules on athlete eligibility, transfers and player compensation, and put restraints on conference realignment and future Super League.
[00:26:45] Alabama and TikTok reached a multimillion-dollar settlement. Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Friday that Alabama will receive at least $116 million. More at townhall.com. When it comes to supplements, two things matter most. That it works and you can trust it. Larry Elder here. Rather than just tell you about Relief Factor, we'll let our customers do it. We hear from people every day whose lives have changed. We'd like you to hear their stories.
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[00:30:06] I've got to tell you, I was telling Bill Lord, who I have known since basically I was old enough to drink. That's two or three years, Bill. Since my early adulthood, I've known Bill. He's just one of those guys who's been there forever. And some of my fondest memories as an activist and as a partisan in this cause,
[00:30:32] the council and Gordon Baum and Tom Dover and Sam Dixon, who we'll hear from next, and so many of these other lions, these lions. And I've got to tell you, Bill, you know, I was telling you in the break, I said I've been doing this on the radio professionally since 2004. I am absolutely, I've got to tell you, and this is no bull, this is no fluff, this is no smoke. I am absolutely spellbound by your stories tonight.
[00:31:02] This is the kind of history, folks, that you will only and ever hear here on this radio program. And I am just blessed by God to have had the associations and the friendships that I've had in life by God giving me people in my life like Bill Lord, who, you know, I can learn from and hear from and share with you tonight. I mean, this is something. I mean, if George Wallace was good enough for Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis
[00:31:30] and Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette and Carl Perkins, he might even be good enough for the delicate sensibilities of Southerners in the common age, 2026. But, Bill, I wanted to keep you for one more segment. Sam will be our closer tonight. Keith and I were going to close, but we'll let Sam close, and he'll do a great job in that. But I wanted to keep you for one more segment and stretch this thing. Sam's one in a million.
[00:31:59] Let me ask you about this, if I could, Bill. Tell us about those 12 schools like Carroll Academy and Pillow Academy and all of that and what the background was on that and how they came to be. Well, we're going to get off of Wallace and on that, okay. Well, just to give a quick thing on that, I do want to get back on Wallace, but, I mean, I guess it's all interrelated in a way. But give us one minute on starting these private Christian schools, and then we'll go back.
[00:32:26] We saw it for a place where we could have some of our social, you know, other things, you know, what public education has gotten into. We want a place where the kids would get not indoctrinated by liberals, but would get to conservative cause. And we started a number of private schools.
[00:32:53] I know in Tennessee, I have, you know, Fayette Academy. We're in Fayette County. And in Tennessee, Dr. Medford Evans, we've been, and 90% of them are still in operation, going strong. And a few of them closed, but most of them are still operating.
[00:33:23] And we've got football, basketball conferences and everything. And the kids are getting a good education. And through that council, we're able to help some of these families, you know, the house burns down, they lose their job, or if something happens, we're able to help the kids, you know, go to school, pay a couple of months tuition for them to help them stay in school.
[00:33:52] So, well, you know, I'm glad Keith asked you that question because through that, as much as anything, perhaps more than anything else, you have left a legacy that has saved and bettered the lives of generations of Southerners. And that is something that absolutely, you know, Fayette Academy, you just mentioned Fayette Academy, Bill. I live within walking distance of that school.
[00:34:21] It is still in existence today. It is a prominent, now called private Christian school here in Memphis. But it's interesting that, or right outside of Memphis, but it's interesting that all these private Christian schools cropped up right around the time of busing. But anyway. I remember when we started, we had a meeting at a movie theater, I think on stage. And we signed up people there. That was the initial meeting.
[00:34:48] And there was a druggist there that was head of it and a position. Local efforts for the local people, you know, that really is a success. And Marshall Academy up there pretty close to you. That's another one. Throughout the South, yeah. Uh-huh. Marshall County, Mississippi, you're talking about. Yeah. Right. Uh-huh, right. It's called Marshall Academy. Calhoun Academy is going real strong.
[00:35:17] And a number of them. They still exist. Well, this is the thing. I mean, they still exist today. The seeds that were planted in the 60s and 70s still bearing fruit today for the betterment of, frankly, white Southerners still to this day. And, Bill, I mean, I'm telling you this, brother. Next time we talk, let's do a full hour just on your history, all of this, all of this.
[00:35:45] But wrapping it up with Wallace tonight and circling back to that, I'm glad Keith brought up the private schools and the private academies that you helped plant. Right. Still in existence today. But with a couple of minutes remaining before we take our last break of the night, let's go back to Wallace. You were talking about all the dignitaries, the celebrities that you were responsible on behalf of Governor Wallace for, you know, safeguarding and transporting and, you know, taking care of.
[00:36:14] As a matter of fact, Billy Graham was performing when that nut tried to assassinate Governor Wallace. Billy was on stage singing. Yeah, yeah. No, there wasn't a band yet. I wasn't at that meeting. I was at another one. But Ray Martin was there. And, by the way, Ray Martin died last year. He was on the board of our Conservatives, Citizens Foundation, everything.
[00:36:43] A great patriot in Alabama. And Ray was with him over there. And he was one of the first ones to get to that guy that shot, that shotgun Wallace. So I think they beat the tar out of it. How about that? Oh, my God. My God. I mean, I remember, Bill, when we picked up Ray on our way to that Council of Conservative Citizens annual meeting over in North Carolina. Remember that? This is absolutely – I remember – yes. Yeah, I missed that one. But I remember that meeting because I missed it.
[00:37:12] It was so rare, which is why I remember it, because I wasn't there. But, I mean, Bill, this is real history now. And this is history that no listener will get anywhere else. But from here through guests like you – but I've got to ask, with two minutes remaining, we've talked about all the celebrities. You had to have met Wallace. I've even heard tell that you babysat some of the Wallace kids. What were your interactions with the Wallace family and the governor himself? Oh, yeah. I knew his wife and, of course, his son.
[00:37:42] You know, he spoke to several rallies. I know he spoke to two over in Arkansas. I attended those. And that's where we had the governor. Jimmy Davis was over there. He was there along with Carl Perkins and Hank Snow. They performed over there for him. And his son's a fine person.
[00:38:08] Him and Jerry Lee were pretty good buddies, too, I think, you know. And I'll tell you another, Hank Weaver, Jr., yeah, he was with us, too. I left out several. I can't even remember all of them. But Hank, Jr., him and little George, they were something else now. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. They were going to hook these people in the woods for Wallace.
[00:38:35] I got to tell you how proud I am, folks, tonight, to be able to be hosting on September the 26th, 2026, an AM terrestrial talk radio program where you're going to hear testimony like this. I mean, this is the real deal. You're not getting this anywhere else. And thank God. Thank you, God, for making my path. Letting us make a record of it, a historical record of it. Well, we're going to do it again with you, Bill. We've got to go a full hour. We've got to go a full hour.
[00:39:04] You could do three hours. You could do ten hours. It's good talking to you. And I'll see you before too long, okay? Yes, sir. We're counting on it. And thank you for all you've done. Hang in there, buddy. Yeah. We can't spare you. That's for sure. I'm going to be able to do it with you all. There's a treat. It's always, if I was in any help in getting you on the conservative side, James, is real worth my effort. You're doing a good job. Thank you, buddy.
[00:39:29] I remember you introducing me on quite a bit of those very early public talks I gave to the council in the early 2000s when I was cutting my teeth. You were there, Bill, and I'll never forget it. And I love you, brother. Yeah, thank you. Thank you for everything. Yes, sir. Thank you. Yes, sir. Thank you for calling. All right. We'll talk to you again soon. Well, I mean, they're not going to make them like Bill Lord again, Keith.
[00:39:53] He stood up when standing up, you know, was not popular, at least in some quarters, and he didn't care. He was going to do what he thought was right, and God bless him for doing it. I think he saved the lives of so many young people by founding those schools. My hat's off to him. I remember they used to have what they called the Blackhawk rally every year to try to raise money for them. It was great.
[00:40:23] Well, I'm glad. You know, I was born too late. We're going to take this last break, and we're going to get Sam Dixon on to close the show tonight. But I was born too late to be a part of these historic struggles with, you know, Governor Wallace. But my God, how thankful I am to cross paths with people who were there. Mike Wharton, you heard in the first segment of this hour, Bill Lord, going to close with Sam Dixon. He was there too.
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[00:43:13] I will tell you this, folks, and I will tell you this in all sincerity.
[00:43:42] After all these years doing this show, all these people we've talked to all the nights, all the hours, all the years, I'll remember this night. And this night came together sort of haphazardly. This third hour tonight, which is one of the most memorable nights of my career, came together about an hour before the show began. I didn't even expect Keith to be here tonight. We had planned to do one hour over the phone for the second hour reviewing this movie about George Wallace,
[00:44:12] and then I extended that into, you know, who could I remember that was around for those campaigns? And then to hear Mike Wharton's testimony in the first segment and then Bill Lord in the second and third. I mean, Bill Lord talking about Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley and Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn and Carl Perkins and all these people who showed up to support George Wallace. You don't get that history anywhere else put here. And what about Elvis having a Wallace for president sign in the front lawn of Graceland?
[00:44:42] That's a story you would only have heard here. And you heard that story here from George Wallace's son himself, Jr., George Wallace, Jr., back, you know, 2012, 2013, whenever it was when he was on the show. But tonight wanted to have – I called three people with less than an hour to go before the show tonight. And I said, you know, that was before I knew you were going to be here tonight, Keith.
[00:45:09] But I said, Keith's not going to be here tonight, and I'm scrambling to fill the time. Can you come on? We're just going to remember George Wallace. We're promoting this movie about Wallace. And I called Mike Wharton. I called Bill Lord. I called Sam Dixon. Now, Sam Dixon, of course, one of our most regulars and, you know, just a staple and a foundational pillar of this program. But Sam Dixon was there slightly younger than our previous two guests.
[00:45:38] But one of my youngest friends, Sam Dixon, is with us now to share his remembrances and recollections from those pivotal days in not just the history of the South, but in American history, Sam, the 1960s through the lens of the Wallace campaigns. What do you know? Well, that was 58 years ago in 1968 that I first supported George Wallace.
[00:46:03] I was president of the Young Republican Club at the University of Georgia, so I couldn't do it very openly, but I covertly supported him because I knew that Richard Nixon, contrary to what a lot of people believe, was not a conservative, but was basically a Rockefeller Republican, as he proved to be after he won that election. And then I also supported him in 19...
[00:46:28] Then later on, he ran, I think, in 1976, he ran again in 72. But in 76, I was supposed to be the chairman of the whole state. Now, that's quite a story. We don't have time in 15 minutes to tell the story of the intervention of the FBI in the Wallace campaign, pertaining to me. But anyway, after that fell apart, there was an outcry from people in Georgia
[00:46:58] that there was an attempt to substitute somebody else as chairman, and it was then divided, and I was in charge of five congressional districts, and the other person was in charge of five remaining congressional districts. But anyway, I followed George Wallace in his career, and I think we should also remember all the people in the other states that supported him.
[00:47:25] It was a lot easier for us in deep south states like Alabama and Georgia and even Tennessee, which is not quite a border state almost, but still. We took a lot of blows for supporting George Wallace. It wasn't easy, but he did carry southern states. And we have to remember the people in the north and the west. Those people really were gutsy.
[00:47:53] It took guts to be a Wallace supporter in places like New York. And I remember watching a rally for Wallace in New York City, and the people in the north that supported him were primarily drawn, I think, from ethnic groups, from what we derisively, wrongfully used to call hyphenated Americans, Polish Americans and Lithuanian Americans and Italian Americans and so on.
[00:48:21] But they had this rally in New York City, and they had a huge banner that stretched, I don't know, 50 or 60 feet. And it was like six feet high, and it read, death to Marxism. That was very nice to see. I think most of the southerners were not as well informed as people in the north of all these issues. But the little percentage of people up there that took up those petitions
[00:48:50] and publicly stuck their noses out to get them hit by the prevailing of sentiments up there were really gutsy people, and we should never forget them and their role. And the whole thing came under considerable attack from the FBI, the political police of the system. As you want to imagine, it came out in the COINTELPRO hearings in the wake of Watergate that, of course, the FBI was primarily interested in right-wing, conservative,
[00:49:19] quote, racist, end-quote, dissident groups. That was the big threat, they perceived, and it was bigger to them than communism or leftists. But it came out that they had made lists of all the people that had signed petitions to qualify Wall Street to a ballot, a list of security suspects.
[00:49:40] So that really shows what kind of a really creepy country this was already back in 1968. But there are a lot of memories I have of that campaign. You and I discussed them. I'm now 80, I'm almost 80. Back then I was, oh, what was I, I guess I was 21 and 25 and 29.
[00:50:10] It's hard to believe I was ever that young when I was supporting Wallace. But anyway, he was really, third parties were notoriously difficult, had very poor showings. When the communist Henry Wallace ran for president in 1948, I think he got like 400,000 votes. And the Peace Party in 1944 was only able to get on the ballot in about 11 states and got about 1% of the vote.
[00:50:40] It's very difficult for third parties in America. And there's a tremendous breakthrough for Wallace to qualify for the ballot. And he did it because he was the candidate, as I think Keith said earlier, of working class Americans who were being screwed over and are being screwed over by the system. And he was a very gutsy guy. He was, he's often depicted as an ignorant rabble rouser. He was not.
[00:51:09] He was a lawyer and a judge before he became governor. He knew how to communicate with people, but he was actually quite a, quite an intelligent and well-educated person. I think back, I remember his second wife, Cornelia, threw herself between him and his would-be assassin, which speaks very well of her. She, she risked her life to try to save her husband.
[00:51:35] But I think very few people would do that, male or female, to throw themselves in the path, potential path of a bullet to save a spouse. But anyway, there are a lot of, a lot of memories there. I'm trying to think. There were several that you and I discussed a couple hours ago, and I can't think of what they are now. Well, the good news is we can always revisit this because only a minute remains. But I appreciate what you've shared tonight.
[00:52:05] I mean, I don't think it could have been more pitch perfect in terms of a summation of what we've been talking about the last two hours. And certainly this is something that will be a well we can draw from later on. Well, I'll give you, I'll give you one, one quick, one quick anecdote. I watched him one time on a news broadcast. It was either Face the Nation or Meet the Press. And the media back then was just as rotten as it is today. They were after him.
[00:52:33] Racism, racism, racism, Southerners, racists, you know. And Wallace had researched them before the broadcast. And he said, well, let's turn things around. Let's let the politician ask the journalist a question. He said, all of you live in, all you raise your hands if you live in the District of Columbia. And their hands went up. And they put them down. And he said, all right, how many of you have your children in the public schools? And it just said, no hands went up.
[00:53:02] And he said, you know, I come from Balfour County, Alabama. And I don't know anyone who's so bigoted in Balfour County that they're moving out because they're blacks. I think he actually asked how many of you live in D.C. And none of them live there. They all moved out. And so the children were in prep schools outside of D.C. And he said, I don't know anybody in Balfour County. Alabama is so bigoted that he's moved out of the county because they're blacks.
[00:53:32] Keith, I've got to give you the final word on this. This hour, I've got to say, and again, not putting the shine on to Sam or Bill Lord or Mike Wharton, but this is going to be one of those hours we revisit, you know, God willing, if we make it that long years from now. What are the most memorable hours I've ever done? These three guys have made it happen. What do you think?
[00:53:54] Well, what they have told us basically is there was a big price to be paid for supporting common sense on racial issues back in the 50s and 60s. George Wallace stood up and was counted. So was Sam Dixon. So was Mike. So was Bill Lord. People like that deserve our everlasting appreciation for standing up and being counted.
[00:54:21] And their position was really the right position. And I think that is being shown more and more as time passes. So there's no doubt about it. I want to also thank Lou Moore tonight who was on with us during the first hour. And, yes, I mean, I mean, again, the people on this hour tonight have set an example for me to follow. I'll always be grateful for it. We'll talk to you again next week, everybody. Thank you all. Good night. God bless. Good night.