1952 Election (The Hearse at Monticello)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

After three days of frantic maneuvering, former Governor John W. Bricker was nominated by the American Party to be their candidate for president in 1952, bringing one of the most suspenceful conventions in recent memory to a close. Many within the establishment were relieved by the choice, not only because Bricker represented a strong affirmation of the party's conservative roots, but also because the nomination of the controversial Joe McCarthy, the self-appointed leader of the "Anti-Communits Crusade" in Congress, had been averted. In reality, McCarthy had played a larger role in Bricker's nomination than anyone was willing to acknowledge, stepping aside only after the Ohioan had agreed to select McCarthy's right-hand man, Congressman Richard Nixon of California, as his running mate.

As expected, President Eleanor Roosevelt was renominated without much trouble by the Populists and now faces the concerted opposition of the American Party as she takes to the campaign trail. While the two candidates have clashed over domestic policy, with Bricker calling for the repeal of Roosevelt's National Health Service Act and and passage of a "Right-to-Work" Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the primary theme of the campaign has been foreign policy, and more specifically the war against Communism. While Bricker has accused Roosevelt of "loosing China" to the Red Menace and argued that stronger action is needed to stem the Communist tide at home, Roosevelt has argued that close cooperation with the League of Nations is the surest way to keep the peace and protect American interests abroad. Vice President Truman, meanwhile, had unsparingly laid into the opposition, whose accusations he dismisses as "plain hokum".

The choice is yours. Try not to destroy the country.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

After three days of frantic maneuvering, former Governor John W. Bricker was nominated by the American Party to be their candidate for president in 1952, bringing one of the most suspenceful conventions in recent memory to a close. Many within the establishment were relieved by the choice, not only because Bricker represented a strong affirmation of the party's conservative roots, but also because the nomination of the controversial Joe McCarthy, the self-appointed leader of the "Anti-Communits Crusade" in Congress, had been averted. In reality, McCarthy had played a larger role in Bricker's nomination than anyone was willing to acknowledge, stepping aside only after the Ohioan had agreed to select McCarthy's right-hand man, Congressman Richard Nixon of California, as his running mate.

As expected, President Eleanor Roosevelt was renominated without much trouble by the Populists and now faces the concerted opposition of the American Party as she takes to the campaign trail. While the two candidates have clashed over domestic policy, with Bricker calling for the repeal of Roosevelt's National Health Service Act and and passage of a "Right-to-Work" Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the primary theme of the campaign has been foreign policy, and more specifically the war against Communism. While Bricker has accused Roosevelt of "loosing China" to the Red Menace and argued that stronger action is needed to stem the Communist tide at home, Roosevelt has argued that close cooperation with the League of Nations is the surest way to keep the peace and protect American interests abroad. Vice President Truman, meanwhile, had unsparingly laid into the opposition, whose accusations he dismisses as "plain hokum".

The choice is yours. Try not to destroy the country.

Bricker/Nixon, I'll destroy the country if I feel like it

[Anti-Bothsidesism]

Bricker/Nixon, I'll destroy the country if I feel like it

Then I may as well keep it entertaining.

[Lumine]

Bricker/Nixon, to fight the Red Menace!

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

Roosevelt. C'mon, guys.

[Mr. Smith]

Truman's freaking awesome, so let's keep him on as veep

[SATW]

Bricker/Nixon

[Antonio the Sixth]

Roosevelt (sane)

[Zioneer]

I'm cool with universal healthcare, so Roosevelt.

[TDAS04]

Roosevelt/Truman

[Zioneer]

Are we really going to elect some random no-name from Ohio and Richard Nixon just for the sake of change in this timeline?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yeah, this is dumb.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Bricker/Nixon

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Guys, the last two-term Populist was Sinclair. Change would be voting for ROOSEVELT.

[Boston Bread]

Roosevelt is almost there, don't let me down Atlas!

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Are we really going to elect some random no-name from Ohio and Richard Nixon just for the sake of change in this timeline?

Why do you call him a "no-name"?

[Zioneer]

Are we really going to elect some random no-name from Ohio and Richard Nixon just for the sake of change in this timeline?

Why do you call him a "no-name"?

He's not very notable, and doesn't seem to have done anything interesting in real-life. And we're just repeating the Nixon as VP thing if we elect this ticket.

[Mr. Smith]

Eh, now we have a chance at Hubert Humphrey or J. William Fullbright or Estes Kefauver (btw, HE should've been the counter, not Gore) to oppose Bricker in '56, and let's face it all three of them are probably gonna be just as progressive and easily more fascinating than AER

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Are we really going to elect some random no-name from Ohio and Richard Nixon just for the sake of change in this timeline?

That was the general idea, yes.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Are we really going to elect some random no-name from Ohio and Richard Nixon just for the sake of change in this timeline?

Why do you call him a "no-name"?

He's not very notable, and doesn't seem to have done anything interesting in real-life. And we're just repeating the Nixon as VP thing if we elect this ticket.

Prior to his defeat in the 1958 Ohio Senate Election, he was seen as a conservative stalwart and might have been at the forefront of 1960's conservatism instead of Goldwater. With Bricker down, that's when the right really turned to GoldyBarr.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

1952 Presidential Election

Fmr. Governor John W. Bricker (American-Ohio)/ Congressman Richard Nixon (American-California): 300 Electoral Votes; 53.3% popular votes
President Eleanor Roosevelt (People's-New York)/ Vice President Harry S Truman (People's-Missouri): 231 Electoral Votes; 46.7% popular votes

Despite her success in enacting the majority of her legislative agenda, allegations of Communist sympathies, the fall of China, and the ongoing stalemate in Korea would cause President Roosevelt to go down to defeat in 1952, the second time the New York Populist had lost a bid for reelection. Roosevelt's vanquisher, former Ohio Governor John Bricker, would thus return the American Party to power only four years after the collapse of Robert Taft's presidential bid. Bricker's tenuous victory would prove insufficient to overcome the Populists' advantage at the Congressional level, however, resulting in the first split government since 1934.

[Mr. Smith]

Dag nabbit!

[Boston Bread]

ಠ_ಠ

[Zioneer]

Well, a split government is okay in this case. Better than Republican/American Party control of everything.