The Car Crash that Changed History

[bloombergforpresident]

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-Quote from the New York Times Obituary Page, September 17, 1926

Roosevelt's funeral was one attended by hundreds. His wife Eleanor, found out soon that her mother-in-law, Sara tried to cheat Eleanor out of thousands of dollars. To protect her name she married John Rockefeller, Jr. after he had a messy divorce with his wife. She would be known as Eleanor Rockefeller for the rest of her illustrious life.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Will this continue?

[bloombergforpresident]

Six Years Later

Democratic National Convention- Chicago, IL

...And on the 13th ballot, Alfred Smith has been nominated to serve as the Democratic Party's nominee in the 1932 Presidential Election....

In the 1932 elections, President Hoover was unpopular. The depression had set in, unemployment was extremely high, and the stock market was in shambles. The Democrats saw a great opportunity to retake the White House, and their were many candidates at the convention. Al Smith and John Nance Garner were running even until the thirteenth ballot, when Democratic Party leader Joseph P. Kennedy threw his support to Smith in exchange for a major post in his administration. Smith accepted the offer and won the nomination. Alben Barkley, a southern populist was nominated for Vice President.



Joseph P. Kennedy, the "power broker of 1932"

In his acceptance speech, Smith claimed the Republican Administration was the "worst in history" and they needed "lobotomies" if they were going to get America's support. Smith's fiery speech led to a fiery campaign of speeches that denounced the Republican Administration. With the economy in the trashcan, Smith won a huge landslide of epic proportions.

Alfred Smith(D-NY)/Alben Barkley(D-KY) 56% 456 EV
Herbert Hoover(R-KS)/Charles Curtis(R-KS) 40% 75 EV

Smith brought together a coalition that was crucial to his victory. He unseated the President by double-digits. His victory in the Presidential election also lead to massive Democratic gains in the House and Senate.

Democratic Hold- Dark Red
Democratic Pickup- Light Red
Republican Hold- Dark Blue
Republican Pickup- Light Blue

Democrats- 59 (+12)
Republican-36 (-12)

House Elections

Democrats 313 (+97)
Republicans 117 (-101)
Farmer-Labor (+4)

And on March 4, 1933, Al Smith would become the 32nd President of the United States

[feeblepizza]

Hopefully Smith won't turn out to be a power hungry socialist like FDR was. In any case, keep it going

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Hopefully Smith won't turn out to be a power hungry socialist like FDR was. In any case, keep it going

[Niemeyerite]

FDR a socialist? LoL

[bloombergforpresident]

Presidency of Alfred E. Smith, Part I

When President-Elect Smith choose his cabinet he focused on a few key people to lead his administration. In State, Smith made a surprise when he brought back Frank Kellogg, Nobel Peace Prize Winner. At treasury, he choose Joseph P. Kennedy, a Irish Catholic ally and experienced investor. In his first days as  President he announced a "bank holiday". The economy was so desperate that President Smith offered incentives for those who invested money in the stock market. This helped the markets, but they did not fully recover. Smith also signed the Social Security Act of 1934. Smith also signed bills that pumped money into corporations that were falling apart. These "bailouts" brought many companies back from the brink and they rewarded Smith with their support in the next election. While spending on the economy went through the roof, defense spending was cut. There was still a huge deficit, though. By the year 1934, unemployment was falling and the economy was starting to recover so the Democrats made gains in both houses.

Democratic Hold- Dark Red
Democratic Pickup- Light Red
Republican Hold- Dark Blue
Republican Pickup- Light Blue
Farmer-Labor Hold-Dark Yellow
Progressive Hold- Dark Green

Democrats- 69 (+9)
Republicans- 36 (-10)

In the year 1935, President Smith visits around the country calling the recovery the "spirit of hope". However he would be challenged in the 1936 Elections. In 1935, the Wagner Act is passed. This pro-labor bill sured up Smith's relations with labor. In the Presidential Election of 1936, Smith and Barkley are easily renominated. Republicans nominated the quite "boring" ticket of Alf Landon and Frank Knox. To spice up the race, Huey Long, who barely survived an assassination attempt in 1935 ran under the Share Our Wealth banner. Smith talked about the accomplishments of his administration. Long claimed Smith was to friendly to big business and the rich. The results, however proved to be a landslide for Smith.

Al Smith(D-NY)/Alben Barkley(D-KY) 55% 472 EV
Alf Landon(R-KS)/Frank Knox(R-IL) 32% 12 EV
Huey Long (I-LA)/Charles Coughlin (I-MI) 17% 47 EV

[bloombergforpresident]

Presidency of Alfred E. Smith, Part II


In the 1936 Senate Elections, Democrats continued to press gains in Congress with pickups in the House and Senate.

Senate

Democrats 71 (+2)
Republicans 26 (-)

House

Democrats 330 (+8)
Republicans 95 (-8)

As Smith was sworn in for a second time, the economy was recovering slowly but surely and attention was also focused on the world's problems. For years spending had been cut in defense and the US Military was weak. Smith was hesitant to create more spending because if he did, he would lose an ally that helped him get reelected- the wealthy. The wealthy who's corporations were "bailed out" by the US Government were now closer to the Democrats than ever before. Smith's greatest legislative achievement, however, was the Civil Rights Act of 1937. This sweeping legislation outlawed lynching and also abolished the poll tax and grandfather clause. It did not go as far as to outlawing segregation but it was a major civil rights reform step. Southern Democrats were outraged by Smith's actions and the bill, so they left the Democrats and found their own party, The States Rights Party. Realizing they did not have much electoral power, they began caucusing with the Republicans. Because of this, many Republicans from the North switched parties, including John Rockefeller, Jr., Thomas Dewey, and Wendell Wilkie joined the Democrats. Meanwhile, progressives who were mad at the Democrats formed the Union Party, headed by Huey Long to advance socialistic ideas. Because of all these party switches, the 1938 midterms were a frenzy.

1938 Results

Senate

60 Democrats (-11)
34 Republicans (+8)
4 Union (+4)

House
 
258 Democrats (-76)
160 Republicans (+65)
9 Union (+9)

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was elected from New York to represent a seat in the Senate.

As Smith's term winded down, the potential war in Europe was winding up. Smith sent Secretary of State Joseph P. Kennedy, who became Secretary in 1937, to negotiate a peace deal between Hitler and the Allies. Kennedy failed to make peace because Hitler broke all the treaties he signed. Kennedy resigned from State in 1939 and decided to run for President. The 1940 Democratic Nomination was between Kennedy and Alben Barkley, the Vice President. After 4 ballots, Barkley won because of behind-the-scenes changes by President Smith. Barkley choose Thomas Dewey, a newfound Democrat to run as his Vice President. The ticket was seen as very strong with a southern-northern mix. For the Republicans, they nominated newfound Republican, Richard Russell and paired him with arch-conservative Robert Taft. The Union Party fell apart before its convention, and did not nominate a candidate. The election was a close one, as the bases of both parties had shifted.

Alben Barkley(D-KY)/Thomas Dewey(D-NY) 51% 285 EV
Richard Russell(R-GA)/Bob Taft(R-OH) 48% 246 EV

Republican had found a new base in the South. They had become Southern Populists with a right lean on social issues and left on economic ones. The Democrats, however were just the opposite.

[Penelope]

Hopefully Smith won't turn out to be a power hungry socialist like FDR was.

You said it, Bender.

Otherwise, great TL so far, I hope to see it continue!

[bloombergforpresident]

The Presidency of Alben Barkley

Alben Barkley was sworn in in a midst of an economic recovery. After years of depression, unemployment had decreased. The world's attention was now on Europe, where the Allies were fighting the Nazis and losing badly. Barkley, a internationalist, choose to aid the allies calling nazism a "disgraceful, hate-filled method of thinking. In early 1941 the Senate in a tie vote that was broken by the Vice President approved the Allied Aid Act. This was called by Barkley "the care package Europe needs". Meanwhile, the US and Japan, trying to avoid war signed the Treaty of Tokyo in June 1941 which made a non-aggression pact between the two nation but gave much US territory to Japan. Barkley's approval ratings fell because of the view that the US was getting into a war and ceding land. Meanwhile, the Brits continued to be hammered by Nazi planes and rumor was that Germany would soon land invade Great Britain. After secret talks with Churchill in Spain, Barkley gave an address to propose a Declaration of War between the US and the Axis Powers (Germany and Italy). The vote was close, but a draft was reinstated and thousands of troops went to England to fight. Hitler, however, would not be deterred. On December 7, 1941, he launched Operation Sea Lion from France. He cut through defenses on the English Channel but was stopped outside of London. Meanwhile, the US markets were not good and people were being asked to supply rations. Isolationists thought that the US was going to far. While there was no ground made on either side during 1942, the election proved to be a wash for Democrats. They lost majorities in both Houses. Barkley's approval rating hovered around 35% and patriotism was at an all-time low. In 1943, the Nazi's invaded London and a massive battle was undertook for the city. In December 1943, London was taken by the Nazis. Barkley faced major opposition from the Republicans. Bob Taft was nominated and he picked Dwight Green, Governor of Illinois as his running mate. With the war in England a stalemate, Barkley was unpopular and lost reelection by a fair margin.

Robert A. Taft(R-OH)/Dwight Green(R-IL) 53% 300 EV
Alben Barkley(D-KY)/Thomas Dewey(D-NY) 46% 231 EV

For the first time in 12 years, a Republican was in the white house. Taft said after his election that he wanted to be the "people's president". Would he or would we be a phony?

[bloombergforpresident]

The Presidency of Robert Taft

                                                     When Taft was sworn in, he had two major problems. The first one was the War in Europe. President Taft wanted to pull out as soon as possible so he held talks with Churchill. Winston insisted that he keeps the US in the war. Taft is faced with a dilemma-would he face a Nazi Europe or an extended war. Taft got lucky, however, when he was informed that there was a "secret weapon" that could destroy the Nazis in their tracks. After meeting with scientists and leaders, he elects to use the bomb. He drops three of them over Berlin, Nazi Troops in France, and Munich. These make major hits to the reich, but they refuse to surrender. After a massive counter-attack on the English channel, Hitler realizing defeat is near grows insecure and lonely. However he does father a child with Eva Braun. The Allies keep pressing forward and Eva and her unborn baby are evacuated to Spain in July 1945. In September 1945, Hitler is defeated and he commits suicide. Taft's approval shoots through the roof. Meanwhile, Eva Brown (her new last name) has her first child, Paul Brown after emigrating to the US in early 1946.                           Meanwhile, Japan's heyday has passed and they are sliding into depression.
Meanwhile in Congress the Hartley Act, an act very unpopular with unions, passes and is signed by Taft. In 1946, the war is ended but the economy is lackluster. Taft takes a hands off approach to the economy and focuses on cutting spending and reducing the deficit. The economy is still holing up, or at least good enough to keep Taft popular. On March 14, 1947 Former President Al Smith dies. Former Presidents Hoover and Barkley as well as President Taft eulogize him. Meanwhile, the 1948 election is in full wing by that fall. Thomas Dewey is the Democratic frontrunner but many Democrats are quick to assume they will lose and focus on the House and Senate. At the Democratic convention, they nominate Dewey for President and Claude Pepper for Vice President. The Republicans keep their ticket the same. The election is mainly about Taft's first term. Taft leads in most polls and wins an easy victory.

Robert Taft(R-OH)/Dwight Green(R-IL) 52% 314 EV
Thomas Dewey(D-NY)/Claude Pepper(D-FL) 44% 217 EV
                                 

[feeblepizza]

Yay for President Mr. Republican!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Great timeline, though a Nazi invasion of England is very hard to achieve. Paul Brown scares me to no end.....

[bloombergforpresident]

Great timeline, though a Nazi invasion of England is very hard to achieve. Paul Brown scares me to no end.....

He will continue to be important as the TL goes on

[bloombergforpresident]

The Presidency of Bob Taft, Part II

When Taft was sworn in for a second time, he was very popular but that would not last long. On June 11, 1949, the stock market takes huge hits and unemployment goes up over the summer. The economy is sour and in recession. Things aren't getting any better on the foreign front, either. The Soviet Union had developed an atomic weapon and a new war was brewing in Korea. Sec. of Defense Dwight Eisenhower may have put it best when he said "were in a hellhole of a situation". The poor economy led to huge Democratic gains in the 1950 elections. They took over both houses of Congress with huge majorities. When Taft vetoes the repeal of the Hartley Act, Congress overrides it. With virtually no power in Congress, Taft wanted to end the War in Korea quickly so he dropped two atomic bombs on the opposing forces. Unlike the first time, the US was not at War but dropped the bombs anyway. The bombs also killed many civilians. This incident made Taft extremely unpopular and Secretary Eisenhower resigned out of protest. The Korean War had ended, but the bombs left a bad mark on Taft's administration. The Democratic race is between statesman Averell Harriman and Senator John D. Rockefeller, Jr. After 10 rounds of balloting, Harriman wins a narrow victory. The party nominates Earl Warren, Democratic Governor of California (he switched in the 1940s) for Vice President. The gloomy Republican Convention nominated John Bricker for President and Estes Kefauver for Vice President. The campaign is mostly quiet but surprisingly close. Former Secretary of Agriculture and Senator Henry Wallace enters the race citing few differences between the two tickets. He does well under the Progressive Party banner.

Averell Harriman(D-NY)/Earl Warren(D-CA) 45% 270 EV
John Bricker(R-OH)/Estes Kefauver(R-TN)  41% 261 EV
Henry Wallace(P-IA)/Robert LaFollette(P-WI) 14% 0 EV

Even though they finished third, the Wallace 1952 campaign was called "The rise of the progressives". In Massachusetts, Joseph P. Kennedy, who narrowly survived a plane crash in 1943 defeated incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge in the Senate race. Meanwhile, Paul Brown, who turned 6 in 1952 is attending Milton School in Massachusetts living off a "trust fund".

[bloombergforpresident]

The Presidency of Averell Harriman

When Harriman was sworn in, the economy was not doing well, with unemployment at 9%. Around the world, Communism was making advances in Asia. To help the economy, Harriman cut taxes and increased spending trying to get the economy moving again. This helped and in the early 1950's an economic boom ensued and the economy started to get better. Meanwhile, the situation in the world was fragile. So in 1954, President Harriman visited Switzerland to attend a summit to meet new Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Harriman and the Soviet Premier talked of a treaty, but one was never signed. They did, however, create a working relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States. In early 1954, Robert Taft died. Former Presidents Hoover and Barkley as well as President Harriman attended his funeral. In 1955, Brown vs. Board of Education made their decision in relation to segregation. President Harriman enforced the decision by sending in the National Guard. As the 1956 election approached, President Harriman was very popular. The Republican Party nominated Strom Thurmond, who was nominated only because of the lack of candidates. He picked fellow southerner John J. Sparkman to serve with him on the ticket. The Progressives nominated Henry Wallace again. The election was an easy victory on Harriman's part, because of his popularity with almost all major groups. He swept almost everything except the South.

Averell Harriman(D-NY)/Earl Warren(D-CA) 57% 393 EV
Strom Thurmond(R-SC)/John Sparkman(R-AL) 28% 117 EV
Henry Wallace(P-IA)/Wayne Morse(P-OR) 14% 21 EV
 
The 1956 election marked a turning point. Republicans finished third in most states except the South and the Progressives were gaining traction. The Progressives were now the part of the left. The Democrats the party of the center and the Republicans the party of the right.

[bloombergforpresident]

The Presidency of Averell Harriman

As Harriman was sworn in for a second time, America was doing well. In 1957 former President Alben Barkley died. Former President Hoover and President Harriman both attended and gave inspirational eulogies for the former President. President Harriman's second term was largely uneventful with NASA being founded. The Highway Act of 1958 gave funds to build a new highway system that was completed in 1965. The 1960 election was also heating up. The Democratic field was crowded with Sen. Joseph Kennedy, Jr., Vice President Earl Warren, Missouri Senator Stuart Symington, Hubert Humphrey and others. The convention took a long time but eventually Senator Symington was nominated as a compromise choice between Kennedy and Warren. He picked Senator Kennedy as his Vice-Presidential pick. The Republican ticket was composed of Orval Fabus for President and Barry Goldwater for Vice President. Eugene McCarthy was nominated on the progressive ticket.

Stuart Symington(D-MO)/Joseph Kennedy, Jr.(D-MA)   50% 276 EV
Orval Fabus(R-AR)/Barry Goldwater(R-AZ)  34% 216 EV
Eugene McCarthy(P-MN)/Pat Brown(P-CA) 16% 45 EV

[bloombergforpresident]

Updates on many figures:

Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.-As you know, Vice President 1961- , US Senator 1953-1960, US Rep. 1947-1953. Married Jackie Kennedy in 1955 and has two children, Joseph III (born 1959), Kathleen (born 1961). He will go on to have two more- Rose (born 1964) and Howard (born 1968).

John F. Kennedy- Married Frances A. Cannon in 1957 after her divorce. Currently a professor at Harvard and campaign manager. Had Caroline and John at the same times.

Bobby is currently the Boston District Attorney and Teddy is planning a run for Senate in 1964.

Richard Nixon-Still a congressman, made an unsuccessful run Governor in 1958.

Any questions?

[rob in cal]

I like the timeline, but one question would be if Taft is president during World War Two, would he have supported the Unconditional Surrender policy that FDR and Churchill supported. Without it,  I think a strong case could be made that disaffected German generals would have moved to overthrow Hitler at some point, with the incentive of ending the war on half way decent terms.  Also, how would Taft have dealt with the Soviets over eastern Europe, and would he have supported giving Eastern Germany to Poland as happened in real life?

[bloombergforpresident]

Taft didn't like the Soviets by any means but anything Soviet was largely overshadowed by Korea. If that answers your ?

[Niemeyerite]

will teddy be a progressive (!!!!!) or a democrat??? will progressives elect a president soon? I hope so.

[bloombergforpresident]

will teddy be a progressive (!!!!!) or a democrat??? will progressives elect a president soon? I hope so.

The progressive party will continue to be an important factor in politics. That's all I'm gonna say

[bloombergforpresident]

Presidency of Stuart Symington

As the economic boom of the 1950's slowed down, so did the economy. Unemployment and inflation rose, but the economy remained stable enough to not cause any major problems. The nation's attention was now on the Civil Rights Act of 1962. This banned segregation in all public places and ended an era of Jim Crow Laws. Democrats, Progressives, and some Republicans supported the law but the Southern Conservatives as well as Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater. The bill was passed and signed into law in August 1962 after a long filibuster. A new crisis emerged in October of 1962 in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Symington and Sec. of State Aldai Stevenson negotiated a peace deal, which took out missiles in Turkey and other spots in order for Soviet Missiles to be withdrawn from Cuba. The story leaked, and many attacked the President for "letting the Communists get want they want". This was unpopular with many and the Democrats took major hits in the 1962 Midterms. The economy was stable but not doing great. One bright spot was a man orbiting earth in 1963. In 1964, Pres. Hoover died. Former President Harriman and President Symington attended his funeral. In the 1964 elections, Pres. Symington received major challenges from bot sides. Progressives nominated Sen. Eugene McCarthy again and he choose Pat Brown who had lost his reelection in 1962 to run with him. Republicans picked Barry Goldwater and John Byrnes to lead the Republican ticket. The campaign was a three-way split- Liberals vs. Moderates vs. Conservatives. In the end the Conservative prevailed.

Barry Goldwater(R-AZ)/John Byrnes(R-WI) 39% 267 EV
Stuart Symington(D-MO)/Joseph Kennedy, Jr.(D-MA) 38% 188 EV
Eugene McCarthy(P-MN)/Pat Brown(P-CA)  23% 83 EV

The election was thrown to the House who choose Barry Goldwater to be President. In the Senate Elections, one bright spot for Democrats was Teddy Kennedy winning in Massachusetts. In 1967, an amendment would be made that stated that the winner of the PResidential Election would be the one who got a plurality of electoral votes. Meanwhile, Paul Brown was starting his Freshman year at Yale in the fall of 1964. Brown was a swing voter at the time but he supported Goldwater in 1964. He has no idea who his father was but despises Hitler.

[bloombergforpresident]

The Presidency of Barry Goldwater

When Goldwater was sworn in, he promised a term of "getting government out of our lives". Goldwater immediately reversed spending, making huge cuts on social programs like Social Security. This newfound revenue was used to cut taxes by 20% and build up military. The US nuclear program, which had stopped in joint union with the Soviet Union in 1958, was started up again. This outraged the Soviet Union and they too started a massive arms buildup. Goldwater also started to send troops into Vietnam famously rallying the departing troops in 1967 by saying "kick those commie son-of-a-bit** a**es straight back to Russia!" In 1967 he ordered massive bombings of North Vietnam and other major targets. This pushed the Vietcong and North Vietnamese back temporarily but it did not completely stop them. They focused on regrouping in 1968. By the time of the 1968 election, the economy was doing better but it still was not perfect. The Democrats put up Former Vice-President Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. and he asked Nelson Rockefeller as his Vice-Presidential candidate. Progressives put up Eugene McCarthy once again and Gaylord Nelson for VP. The election was close and a two-way race by the end but Goldwater narrowly prevailed.

Barry Goldwater(R-AZ)/John Byrnes(R-WI) 39.3% 261 EV
Joseph Kennedy(D-MA)/Nelson Rockefeller(D-NY) 39.1% 255 EV
Eugene McCarthy(P-MN)/Gaylord Nelson(P-WI) 21.4% 22 EV

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

"kick those commie son-of-a-bit** a**es straight back to Russia!"