Paint it Red: The Rise of the American Left (1908-1932)

[Pyro]

Robert Woodward (Left) Shook Up the Race

  By August, it appeared as if the Progressives had the whole election wrapped up. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., was conducting massive rallies and speeches throughout the U.S., and his popularity was unprecedented. He and Sinclair were calling for a massive referendum on President Ford, rallying against the president's handling of the Bonus Army. Pundits predicated that each had a good chance to finish above Ford in the 1932 Popular Vote.

  Roosevelt, defining his campaign in the liberal trend of the Progressive Party, called for agricultural adjustment legislation and the coveted public jobs program. On the surface, it appeared as if the governor's demand for an expanded federal government clashed with the interests of those wealthiest Americans. On the contrary, much of the wealthy clique sided with TR, Jr., against any of his rivals.

  Though Roosevelt portrayed himself as a left-populist, he was in no measure a grassroots activist or a 'man of the people'. The New York governor was accepting donations from dozens of major firms and corporations, chiefly from those who hoped a more liberal government could boost market confidence and lessen unemployment. Including men like Gerald Swope of General Electric and Walter Teagle of New Jersey Standard Oil, this group of "Progressive Millionaires" (as called by Norman Thomas) believed in light financial regulation: specifically the separation of commercial and investment banking.

  Those like Swope and Teagle, unlike the hardline conservative House of Morgan, accepted the necessary, albeit temporary, increased role of government to straighten out the economy. Regardless, a great deal of the American public sided with Governor Roosevelt in this election cycle. He contained much of the energy and vitality of his father when delivering speeches, connected well with the working poor, and he commonly stood with former President Hiram Johnson when appearing along the West Coast. One pundit, James Tedesco of the Sacramento Tribune, estimated that Roosevelt would win a solid victory, or even a landslide, in 1932.
      

The Chicago Daily News

     

The Peoples' Poll for September 1932

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.		53%
Upton Sinclair		16%
Henry Ford		15%
Calvin Coolidge		15%
Others/None of These		01%

  Then, on September 12th, Mark Cagney of the New York Times conducted a lengthy interview with one Robert S. Woodward. Woodward had worked as a leading figure in (what is now) the Federal Bureau of Investigation since President McKinley and spoke openly of previous unknown atrocities committed by the FBI. To the anger of William McAdoo, Woodward revealed that under the last two Democratic presidents, torture was commonly utilized as a tactic to find and capture those distributing alcohol. More so, a high number of these cases resulted in long-term medical disabilities for those tortured with very little concrete answers to show for it.

  The single most striking piece of information Woodward had revealed was that former President Hiram Johnson had authorized a private security force, under the guidance of the FBI, to assassinate Eugene Debs at the 1920 Socialist Convention. Following the 1919 May Uprising, A. Mitchell Palmer had advised President Johnson to eliminate the Red Menace through all available means. Insurgency failed, the Sedition Bill failed, so all that was left was direct action.

  According to Woodward, Harold Franklin was purposely framed to take the fall and, as he too was considered an anarchistic threat, the police were instructed to single him out from the beginning. "We know now," Woodward stated, "that the mission ultimately failed. Joseph Cohen, one of the delegates, was struck by mistake, and Debs had only been paralyzed. The call for an expanded FBI rang immediately following these events. The timing was not coincidental."

  As later reports would indicate, the September 13th issue of the New York Times which contained this interview was essentially smuggled into print. Federal agents would find and lock-up Mr. Woodward, as well as hold the Times with serious charges, yet the issue reached the shelves and the public read the uncensored interview much to their shock.

  Trust and faith in the American system was abysmal in 1932 due to the Depression, Sacco and Vanzetti, the Scottsboro Boys, and, most recently, the Bonus Army. These catastrophes had been blamed on Democratic politicians, not the system as a whole. Now that there was definitive evidence that the last Progressive president ordered the assassination of an innocent American citizen, who was left to trust?

[Pyro]

James Varner, Former FBI Agent

  Governor Roosevelt, initially, suffered very little from this reveal. Hiram Johnson himself was nowhere to be found and the Progressive leadership brushed off the Woodward incident as a blatant falsehood. Majority Leader Borah went as far to call out the New York Times, condescendingly stating, "Shame on you." However, over the following days as Woodward was arrested, President Ford suspiciously made no campaign stops, and a greater number of guardsman overlooked the National Mall, the system looked guilty as could be.

  Instead of distancing himself from the party as his advisers recommended, Theodore Roosevelt wrapped himself tighter around the Progressive Party and President Johnson. In addition to calling Woodward a "malicious loon," he questioned the authenticity and patriotism of the New York Times in the days following September 13th. Roosevelt would go on to state that even if the story were legitimate, he would give former President Johnson the benefit of the doubt. "An enemy of the state is an enemy of the state. I trust in the FBI just as I trust in the Constitution." Regardless, the governor miraculously remained ahead in the polls and his financial contributors stayed on-board.

  Then, on September 20th, James Varner, who worked deeply in the FBI from 1917 to 1924, was found dead in his Chicago apartment. In fact, Varner had been the only other name brought up in the Woodward Interview as someone who helped orchestrate the attempted assassination. This flushed out any doubts which lingered in the public psyche whether or not Woodward was telling the truth and the Progressive Party was placed under intense scrutiny.

  The U.S. Senate organized a bipartisan committee to look into the scandal: one led by independent law professor Bernard Talmadge. This man began the official investigations into the matter on September 30th, and the Senate would begin calling individuals to testify on October 2nd. Governor Roosevelt continued to side with Johnson, proclaiming that the hearings were an "outrage" and a stain on progressive politics. The candidate's fierce defense of Johnson started to alienate voters, and much of the momentum he gained in the preceding months fluttered away: straight to the Sinclair and Coolidge campaigns.

The Des Moines Register: November 1932
Which candidate would you endorse for president?

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.: 30.9%
Upton Sinclair: 30.2%
Calvin Coolidge: 28.4%
Henry Ford: 10.5%

  Coolidge stayed far away from the scandal, standing his ground and gaining some late-support by Progressive moderates in early autumn. Calling for a return "to greatness" for the republic, Coolidge began to garner serious support in places like Richmond and Houston. Southern Democrats now outwardly endorsed Governor Coolidge, completely crippling the 'Solid South' Democratic Machine.

  The Socialist candidate surfed the tide generated by the Woodward Interview and ensuing scandal. Sinclair would say, "Should this be proven in the Senate as fact, it will only justify the criminality and heartlessness embedded in the capitalist system. How dare the governor defend such a monstrous act against an innocent civilian?" Just like that, Sinclair's poll numbers jumped five points.

  Now that he had their attention, the House Minority Leader would command the election's narrative for its final weeks. Not only did he concentrate on class economics and wag his winger at Ford for his handling of the crash, but called for a new program guaranteeing "full employment to all Americans." Those not already enamored with Sinclair's promises of worker-union protections and call for new worker-owned cooperatives now gave the candidate a second look.

  Sinclair's vice presidential nominee, Norman Thomas, also made quite the name for himself. Arguing repeatedly for the fulfillment of President Fitzgerald's Age of Understanding, Thomas won over support from dejected members of the Democratic Party, most significantly a handful of LDC members who endorsed the Sinclair/Thomas ticket in October. Charismatic and energetic, Thomas focused more on the religious element to socialism, urging all faith-bound Christians to listen to his message of economic and social justice.

  As a side note, on August 10th, the Farmer-Labor Party in a unanimous motion voted to coalesce with the Socialist Party. Similarly to how the Socialist-Labor Party did so years earlier, this move would boost membership where it was most coveted: in the South and West. Senators and Congressmen who were members of the FLP now endorsed Sinclair for President. Against the powerful Democratic machine and the well-funded Progressive juggernaut, this propelled the Socialists to equal financial standing for the first time in history.

[geekknight]

Great updates! One way or another, this will turn out to be a historic election. Let's hope we get some socialists in the White House!

[Pyro]

Great updates! One way or another, this will turn out to be a historic election. Let's hope we get some socialists in the White House!

Thanks! We'll certainly see how it plays out very soon =)

[Pyro]

Coolidge Meets with TR, Jr. Shortly Before the Election

  The race was on. The final polls demonstrated a tightened race between all four candidates due to working-class support fleeting from the Roosevelt Campaign. Though the Progressive worked hard to change the subject back to his own talking points, questions arising from the Woodward Interview regarding the integrity of the Johnson Administration dominated the front pages. The Talmadge Hearings decimated confidence in the entire Progressive Party: especially any and all politicians relating to Hiram Johnson.

  With the Democrats divided and the Progressives struggling to regain their integrity, the advantage shifted to the untainted Socialist and Nationalist parties. Coolidge and Sinclair seemed to be in distant places behind Roosevelt, but after the shift each gained more respectability as serious contenders. The Boston governor returned to his Massachusetts home after touring the Eastern coast while the House Minority Leader ended the day at a Chicago hotel after one final "Rally for Full Employment."
 
  With so much anticipation for the upcoming election, some American workers were allowed the day off to go and vote. Hoping to push a late-minute boost, President Ford issued an address the day before Election Day where he urged all employers allow their workers the time off to vote. Some complied, others did not. Still, more working class and minority voters reached the polls on November 8th than any other election on record.

  New England, as it was in 1928, looked to be bitterly divided. Maine, instead of folding to the Progressives as it had many times before, went straight into the Nationalist column. It, along with Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts chose Coolidge above the other candidates. This was excellent news for the former governor, as this was where his intended base lied. The four-way split in New Jersey gave its 16 Electoral Votes to Sinclair: a massive blow for Henry Ford. Democrats had a difficult time winning without New Jersey. Connecticut and New Jersey were narrowly won by Upton Sinclair, with Roosevelt and Coolidge locked in a close second and third.

  New York had been a swing state for decades, and it was expected to swing narrowly in favor of Roosevelt in 1932. With core support amongst the New York City construction and electrical workers, the Socialist put together a coalition which defeated Roosevelt in his own home state. Upton Sinclair won the Empire State with 50.2% of the vote, narrowly defeating its own Governor Roosevelt and President Ford.

  Then it happened once again. Another Progressive stronghold, Pennsylvania, was considered an easy win for Governor Roosevelt after he took his massive lead in the polls. However, once again, Congressman Sinclair swooped in and gathered together 63% of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh's working classes to vote for him. Roosevelt maintained 35% of the state's total, thanks to his retained support from women, but the Socialist candidate took the state with 44%. This set an early precedent for the election.

[Pyro]

Jobs Demonstration in California, November 8th 1932

  The crumbling Democratic Machine in the South broke open in a major way. President Ford had been the first Democrat to lose momentum in the South since Alton Parker in 1904: yet Ford lost much more than Missouri. Many of the Southern States came down to two-way ties between the president and Calvin Coolidge. Henry Ford held on to South Carolina with 55% and Mississippi with about 50%. However, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia all went right for the Nationalist.  

  Sinclair easily commanded West Virginia with over 60% of the vote (thanks to immense support by the UMWA), and he even managed to eek out wins in Delaware and Maryland. Thanks to enthusiastic support from Senator Huey Long (S-LA), Upton Sinclair also won the state of Louisiana with about 43%. Texas and Kentucky had strong showings from all four candidates, but each ended in wins for Governor Coolidge. Missouri, in a four-way split, walked into the Sinclair camp with 32% of the vote to Coolidge's 31%.

  The Industrial Midwest was once again fought fiercely between all four of the candidates, though this time, Henry Ford did not put up quite the same firewall as he had in 1928. Sinclair, with the unrestricted backing of the labor vote and the black vote, won Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin with comfortable margins. Many of these were states won by Ford and expected to go for Roosevelt in '32. Massive loses in Chicago, Springfield, and Fort Wayne paralyzed the Roosevelt Campaign and handed these cities to Sinclair. Remembering the Illinois voting error four years ago, men of color voted in record numbers to assure they be counted properly.

  Then, in yet another stunning upset, Upton Sinclair took both Minnesota and Iowa: two states guaranteed for the Progressives in every election. Winning each with very slim margins, there had been speculation by the press that the electors would divide up their numbers. They did not do this, however, and chose to go along with the voters' choice by 0.6% in Iowa and 0.4% in Minnesota: Rep. Sinclair.

  The Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado, in addition to Kansas and Utah all went with Governor Theodore Roosevelt. These states were the very foundation of the Progressive Party, and their Congressmen and governors worked tirelessly to dispel the connections between Roosevelt and former President Johnson. Senator Metcalfe (P-NE), for instance, should be recognized for his strenuous campaigning throughout his state, as well as Kansas and Colorado. Though this was perceived as a victory, this part of the country only denoted 41 Electoral Votes to the New York governor.

  Governor Coolidge then surprisingly won the states of Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona once wrestling them from the other contenders. The Western coastline was a shoe-in for the Socialist candidate, Upton Sinclair. Already possessing a strong presence in California and Washington, the candidate vicariously picked up Montana and Nevada (as he did in 1928) in addition to Idaho and Oregon.

  Just like that, the United States elected their first Socialist President: Upton Sinclair with 319 Electoral Votes. Defeating giants like Henry Ford, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and Calvin Coolidge, the 54-year old political activist won the U.S. presidency. Coolidge came in second place with 158 Electoral Votes, Roosevelt in third with 37, and President Ford in the rear with 17.

[Pyro]

The Election of 1932: Final Results

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The four-way split in New Jersey gave its 16 Electoral Votes to Coolidge: a massive blow for Henry Ford.

Just like that, the United States elected their first Socialist President: Eugene Debs with 319 Electoral Votes.

I think you mean Sinclair? Great update, though!

[Pyro]

I think you mean Sinclair? Great update, though!

Yes, fixed those, thanks!

[Pyro]

1932 Congressional Elections  

Senate
Progressive: 31 (-3)
Socialist: 24 (+8)
Democratic: 21 (-8)
Nationalist: 14 (+6)
Whig: 6 (-3)

House
Socialist: 149 (+72)
Nationalist: 111 (+67)
Progressive: 102 (-50)
Democratic: 59 (-89)
Whig: 14 (0)

 Senate Leadership

Majority Leader William E. Borah (P-ID)
Sen. Minority Leader Ashley G. Miller (S-NV)
Sen. Minority Leader Carter Glass (D-VA)
Sen. Minority Leader Lawrence C. Phipps (N-CO)
Sen. Minority Leader James E. Watson (W-IN)

 House of Representatives Leadership

Speaker John Reed (S-NY)
Minority Leader Bertrand Snell (N-NY)
Minority Leader Scott Leavitt (P-MT)
Minority Leader Henry Rainey (D-IL)
Minority Leader Smith Brookhart (W-IA)

  Following a similar example to that of the presidential race, the Congressional elections were three or four-way ties in every respect. The Socialists and Nationalists experienced a monumental leap in support, leading to each gaining dozens of House seats. The SP won a hefty 72 additional seats, putting their total at 149 (ahead of the Progressives). John Reed (S-NY), the second-in-command after Upton Sinclair in the House, was delegated as the new Speaker.

  The Progressives would not easily relinquish their standing and, although the party lost 50 House seats, they retained narrow control of the Senate. Majority Leader Borah (P-ID) managed to assist junior Senator Cherry (S-SD) pick up his seat in November, making it the single Progressive win in the Senate for 1932. The "Lion of Idaho" seemed to be losing his bite. Joined by the Farmer-Labor delegation, however, Minority Leader Ashley Miller (S-NV) would carry the momentum going into 1933.

  The top story with these elections, other than the stark rise of the radical Left and Right, was the total decimation of the Southern Democrats. Most Democratic candidates in places like Georgia and North Carolina either switched to the Nationalists or lost in dramatic upsets. Just as the Socialists were gaining ground in the West and Midwest, the Nationalists took a clear foothold in the South and New England.

   Other than Senator La Follette (S-WI), no candidate in 1932 won with greater than 55% of the vote. Almost every single race was within a 10% margin, especially in competitions like the New York Senate race: where James Maurer defeated incumbent Senator Wagner and a strong Progressive challenger to win the seat.

 

Senators Elected in 1932 (Class 3)
J. Theodore Johnson (N-AL): Nationalist Gain w/ 55%
Carl Hayden (N-AZ): Nationalist Gain w/ 45%
Thaddeus H. Caraway (D-AK): Democratic Hold w/ 50%
John K. Decker (S-CA): Socialist Gain w/ 55%
William E. Sweet (P-CO): Progressive Hold w/ 50%
Hiram Bingham III (W-CT): Whig Hold w/ 45%
Duncan U. Fletcher (D-FL): Democratic Hold w/ 45%
Richard Russell, Jr. (N-GA): Nationalist Hold w/ 55%
Howard Simmons (S-ID): Socialist Gain w/ 45%
Theodore T. Brennan (S-IL): Socialist Gain w/ 45%
Frederick Van Nuys (S-IN): Socialist Gain w/ 40%
David W. Stewart (P-IA): Progressive Hold w/ 45%
Charles Curtis (P-KS): Progressive Hold w/ 45%
M.H. Thatcher (N-KY): Nationalist Gain w/ 50%
Edwin Jackson, Jr. (S-LA): Socialist Gain w/ 40%
Henry Kiel (W-MO): Whig Gain w/ 45%
Ashley G. Miller (S-NV): Socialist Hold w/ 55%
Fred H. Brown (N-NH): Nationalist Gain w/ 55%
James H. Maurer (S-NY): Socialist Gain w/ 45%
Robert R. Reynolds (N-NC): Nationalist Gain w/ 40%
Gerald P. Nye (P-ND): Progressive Hold w/ 50%
Atlee Pomerene (D-OH): Democratic Hold w/ 45%
A. A. Bagwell (S-OK): Socialist Hold w/ 40%
Walter B. Gleason (S-OR): Socialist Gain w/ 50%
Lawrence H. Rupp (S-PA): Socialist Gain w/ 45%
Ellison D. Smith (D-SC): Democratic Hold w/ 55%
U.S.G. Cherry (P-SD): Progressive Gain w/ 40%
Reed Smoot (W-UT): Whig Hold w/ 45%
Porter H. Dale (N-VT): Nationalist Gain w/ 50%
C.L. France (S-WA): Socialist Hold w/ 55%
Robert M. La Follette, Jr. (S-WI): Socialist Hold w/ 65%

[Pyro]

For now, I'm going to put this timeline on hiatus. May come back to it at some point, but that's basically a wrap for the core of the PoD. I have a few other ideas I'd like to experiment with so will probably be doing something completely different in the next timeline.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

This is, without question, the single best timeline I have read on the forum and probably the best alternate history I have read, period. Excellent work - I look forward to your future projects!

[/]

For now, I'm going to put this timeline on hiatus. May come back to it at some point, but that's basically a wrap for the core of the PoD. I have a few other ideas I'd like to experiment with so will probably be doing something completely different in the next timeline.

Very sad to hear this.

I agree 100% with Truman, this is the best historical timeline I've ever read and I do hope that you will consider coming back to it some day if you'd like to.

[Captain Chaos]

Am eager to know what type of New Deal that President Sinclair has in store for the 1930s. Also, what affect will a Socialist U.S. President have on socialism in Europe.

[Intell]

This TL will be missed, it was the best TL that I had read.

[Pyro]

Thank you all for such kind words! I'm thrilled that you've enjoyed the timeline.
Rest assured, I'm working on new content so there is certainly more to come

[DKrol]

This TL will be missed, it was the best TL that I had read.

[NeverAgain]

This is, without question, the single best timeline I have read on the forum and probably the best alternate history I have read, period. Excellent work - I look forward to your future projects!

[Prince of Salem]

Curious thing to see the Nationalists winning both Dixie and New England.

Also, I'd like to join the congratulating crowd. An excellent work, Pyro

[Intell]

Bump, wondering if this great TL will come back.

[LLR]

Yeah, this TL was what inspired me to start writing. I love it very much.

[Pyro]

I finally got around to reading this in full, and I must say, the posters who claimed that this is the best timeline ever written on Atlas weren't exaggerating in the slightest. It hasn't been updated in over a year now and I understand if you don't want to continue the project, but I think I speak for the rest of us when I say that we're dying to know how a Sinclair presidency might've gone.

Thank you! For now, I'll just say we'll see what happens.

[TheOnlyOne234]

I just re-read this for at least the 5th time and it never amazes me the level of detail you put into this. I implore you to continue or maybe start another timeline

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I just re-read this for at least the 5th time and it never amazes me the level of detail you put into this. I implore you to continue or maybe start another timeline

Bumping old threads is frowned upon, but yeah, I agree 100% with you at the level of awesomeness put into this thread.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I just re-read this for at least the 5th time and it never amazes me the level of detail you put into this. I implore you to continue or maybe start another timeline

Sanchez is great at this stuff. He's got yet more timelines to post sometime in the future, buckle up!