Ike in '48!

[Historia Crux]

The Democratic Nomination:

With the low standing in polls for the incumbent President Harry Truman a "Dump Truman" campaign would start up to find a strong candidate. After talks General Dwight D. Eisenhower would declare his candidacy for the Democratic nomination. The issue of that Eisenhower hadn't held elected office and that he wasn't a "Read Democrat" in the sense and this would be used by Truman against Eisenhower but with many key endorsements and many party bosses backing Eisenhower, these blows would bounce off.

Harry Truman would be beaten in the New Hampshire primary and would be beaten in several other key primaries would lead to Truman dropping out of the race, soon after Eisenhower would have little resistance for the nomination.

At the convention in Philadelphia would have a civil rights plank added to the Democratic parties base, Hubert Humphrey would say that "the time has come for the Democratic Party to get out of the shadow of states' rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights!". The presumptive nominee Dwight Eisenhower would also support civil rights and this would anger many Southern Democrats and after many said that Eisenhower wasn't a real Democrat would be the last straw and numerous southern delegates would walk out of the convention, only a portion of delegates from the south would stay along with a large portion of the Texas delegation would stay. Eisenhower would choose former Senator Albert "Happy" Chandler as his vice president after he supported Eisenhower through the primaries and the nomination.

States Rights Democratic Nomination:

A rump convention would occur in Birmingham, Alabama and would easily nominate South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond for President and Mississippi Governor Fielding Wright for Vice President. Many southern "Dixiecrats" would attend the convention and would implace Richard Russell as acting Chairsmen.

Republican Nomination:
Governor Thomas Dewey of New York would be the major contender for the nomination for the Republican Party. Dewey who was the nominee in 1944 would fend off Robert Taft and a "Draft MacArthur" campaign only to run into a short snag because of Harold Stassen would win Wisconsin and Nebraska and would be called the frontrunner.

Dewey would begin the road to his nomination after his debate with Stassen in Oregon and investing much campaigning in Oregon would easily win the primary and send him off on a winning streak. Dewey would come to the Convention in Philadelphia would have Taft in second and Stassen in third. There was some talk of uniting behind one candidate to stop Dewey but it fell apart and Dewey won on the third ballot and would choose popular California Governor Earl Warren.

1948 Campaign:

The polls would show that Eisenhower led throughout the campaign time as Dewey would pull out some attacks on Eisenhower but would quickly be retaliated but Thurmond would tear into Eisenhower, calling him a "Not Democrat" and with the the larger base of the southerners would give a plus in the south. Eisenhower would call that he would lead America to peace and balance as Dewey would speak of platitudes in some of his speeches and would be attacked by Eisenhower for this. Eisenhower would paint Dewey as cold and out of touch with regular Americans and this would be used throughout the campaign and it would hurt Dewey but with a late push would keep some states in his corner.

Election night would have some suprises but with many Americans "In Love" with Dwight Eisenhower, they would be soon to elect him to the Presidency. The major moments would be with now President-Elect Eisenhower holding up the Chicago Tribune paper declaring in bold EISENHOWER DEFEATS DEWEY!, Eisenhower would say "The Tribune is right, America is right, now in January we'll get to work".

Democratic: Dwight Eisenhower/Happy Chandler: 469 EV 53% PV
Republican: Thomas Dewey/Earl Warren: 12 EV 41% PV
States Rights: Strom Thurmond/Fielding Wright: 50 EV 3% PV
Other (Progressive, Socialist, etc): 0 EV 3% PV

[Kaine for Senate '18]

1.  Chandler was MLB Commissioner in 1948, not a Senator.
2.  It's unlikely that with Eisenhower as the nominee, a Dixiecrat Party would still have formed.
3.  Finally, Ike would have probably won most everywhere, except perhaps Vermont and Maine.  Remember, he was extremely popular in 1948; more than he was in 1952, even.

[Historia Crux]

1.  Chandler was MLB Commissioner in 1948, not a Senator.
2.  It's unlikely that with Eisenhower as the nominee, a Dixiecrat Party would still have formed.
3.  Finally, Ike would have probably won most everywhere, except perhaps Vermont and Maine.  Remember, he was extremely popular in 1948; more than he was in 1952, even.

1. sorry I saw a "1939-194?" and I though it was as least until 1949 but that is changable.
2. I thought that Eisenhower supported Civil Rights and wouldn't that anger southerners.
3. I can change that easy, thanks.

[Historia Crux]

1948 Congressional Elections:

Senate:
Democrats: 55 (+8)
Republicans: 41 (-8)

House:
Democrats: 263 (+75)
Republicans: 171 (-75)
American Labor: 1 (-)


The First Term of Dwight Eisenhower

The Democrats would retake the Congress and take over the Senate and the House in hefty margins, this would be said as because of Eisenhower's coattails and many would believe this.

Southern Democrats that had supported the Thurmond/Wright ticket would whisper about abandoning the Democratic Party and switching allegiances to the States Rights Party but first they would see if Thurmond would try and build up the party.

The first major act would be the passing of the North Atlantic Treaty in the Congress, with support from President Eisenhower it would pass by large margins for its vote.

Justice Frank Murphy would die of a heart attack in Detroit. Michigan. President Eisenhower would nominate Francis Biddle to replace the now vacant seat, the Democratic Congress would easily approve of this.

Justive Wiley Rutledge would die of a stroke on September 10th. President Eisenhower would easily put through Calvert Magruder, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Chief Judge.

In late 1949 would have Strom Thurmond declare that he would rejoin the Democratic Party and hoped that the States Rights Party would do the same. This was a shock but Thurmond would say that there was hope for a rejuvenated "Dixiecrat" party and would wait for the 1952 Democratic Convention.

In Eisenhower's State of the Union Address in 1950 he would say that he would continue the policies of Roosevelt and any operating New Deal programs, this was called the "Fair Deal". Eisenhower would also call that America wouldn't back down to the growing threat from the Soviets and would continue to advance the armaments of the nation to be one step ahead of the Soviets development of there own Atom Bomb. Korea would be another issue and Eisenhower would say that he would solve Korea to the fullest extent of his power.

Korea would rear itself and the nation occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, North Korea would push over the border and invade South Korea. This would shock the Eisenhower Administration and quickly two plans would be brought up, either send military force or end the fighting with diplomacy and Eisenhower would use a more diplomatic approach. Working with State Secretary George Marshall and Defense Secretary James Roosevelt to draw up a treaty, this would come close to July 4th and this would end the fighting.

1950 Congressional Elections:

Senate:
Democrats: 56 (+1)
Republicans: 40 (-1)

House:
Democrats: 267 (+4)
Republicans: 167 (-4)
Independent: 1 (+1)

Withe Eisenhower's approval ratings in the 60's Democrats would continue to gain in the Senate and House, some notables would be Richard Nixon of California, Everett Dirkson of Illinois and reelected Senator Millard Tydings of Maryland.

President Eisenhower and the Democratic dominant Congress would push throu the Civil Rights Act of 1951. Though it would be a watered down civil rights bill it would at least give some leeway to the Black populace through out majorly in the southern states. Conservative Democrats filibustered the bill but it would pass with the help from liberal Republicans.

The first attacks from staunch conservatives would begin in mid 1951 as Senator Joseph McCarthy would continue to call for more strengthened anti communism laws to be passed and certain Americans be checked to certify there loyalty to the United States. The Democratic majority and President Eisenhower would refuse this as McCarthy would then send out a list of military men that are suspected communists, some that Eisenhower knew and some conservatives would contemplate the idea that Eisenhower himself was a communist.

The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg would have repercussions as it would boost support to McCarthy and would fuel the "Red Scare". The trial would be easily used to convict the two supposed Soviet spy's and would convict them to death. Some in Congress and on the Supreme Court would not be in favor of this but the Espionage Act of 1917 and several other laws would prove that the conviction was just on most parts but the trial would be dragged out for several years, this would continue to fuel McCarthyism.

In early February both President Dwight Eisenhower and Vice President Happy Chandler would declare that they would be running for reelection to the White House come the 1952 Election in November.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

The Senate only had 96 seats in 1950.

[Historia Crux]

The Democratic Nomination:

Incumbent President Dwight Eisenhower would come into the nomination with the nomination locked up for him and the only real opposition would come from Dixiecrat Richard Russell of Georgia who had a large portion of the southern delegates. On the first ballot Eisenhower won with a large landslide win and the Dixiecrat's would then continue a campaign to replace Vice President Chandler with a more favorable southerner like John Sparkman or William Fulbright on the ticket with Eisenhower.

This plan would fail and some would talk of reforming the States Rights Party but it's effective leader Strom Thurmond wouldn't decide upon this and most would stay in the Democratic Party as some extreme supporters would ally with the States Rights Party but for now it wasn't viable to win states in the 1952 election. Happy Chandler would be renominated over the Dixiecrat's for the Vice Presidency.

The Republican Nomination:

The Eastern Faction of the GOP would run NH Governor Sherman Adams and he would campaign in the major eastern states but this wouldn't give Adams the edge as the Eastern Faction was tarnished after two loses by there leader Thomas Dewey and this would be shown after Adams lost in New Hampshire, his home state to Robert Taft and after that Taft was on his way to the nomination.

The only victory came then Taft didn't file to get on the ballot in Massachusetts and Adams would win the primary but the major opponents would be Harold Stassen and Earl Warren but they would be brushed off by Taft.

The Convention in Chicago would be mixed as Taft had it locked up but there would be some flare ups between the Taft/Conservative Faction and the Eastern Factions of the GOP as Senator Everett Dirkson would point to Dewey and would say that he had led the GOP "down the road to defeat", this would come with boos and applause and even open brawling on the Convention floor but Taft would win the nomination and pick Richard Nixon of California to balance the ticket geographically and also to push the strong anti communism plank that would be added to the GOP.

1952 Campaign:

Eisenhower would hammer away at Taft and Nixon at being extremists, Tafts isolationism ideals would be quickly attacked that that Taft was completely anti commuism but wouldn't fight it around the globe, Democrats would paint Taft as a hypocrit of sorts and this would wound the Taft campaign but they were quick to respond.

Through out the campaign the Taft/Nixon ticket was dragging along behind Eisenhower by double digits and this would continue all the way to November. One memorable campaign would come when Senator Joseph McCarthy would be in his home state of Wisconsin and campaigning for Taft and would call President Eisenhower a Communist. This would have a sharp down in Taft's numbers as Democrats painted Taft as McCarthy was speaking the same thing Taft thought as well, that Eisenhower was a Communist. Other smaller scandals would hit VP candidate Richard Nixon, mainly the "Checkers Scandal" about Nixon possibly taking handouts but he would only list that he had taken a dog that his children named Checkers.

Taft would lead in only strong Republican areas like in New England and out West but his home state was a challenge, with a near 55% to 45% ratio it was a possible Democratic victory still Taft campaigned. Election night showed an easy sweep by Eisenhower of the south and large portions of the Midwest, the Pacific and the Northern states.

Democratic: Dwight Eisenhower/Happy Chandler: 434 EV 55% PV
Republican: Robert Taft/Richard Nixon: 97 EV 44% PV
Other (Progressive, Prohibition, etc): 0 EV 0.5% PV

[Psychic Octopus]

Hmmm Taft/Nixon....

I thought MacArthur would have gotten the 'nod in 1952

[Captain Chaos]

Looking forward to Ike's second term.