Ibn Warraq
Banned
Having just seen the movie All the King's Men, and coming to the conclusion that Willie Stark was not nearly as interesting as the real-life Huey Long, I've been a bit inspired. Now untill he was assassinated Huey Long and Father Charles Coughlin were planning on mounting a 3rd party challenge under Long's "Share Our Wealth" program running to the left of FDR. They didn't expect to win, but hoped that this would bring about a Democratic loss and in 1940 Long would be able to win the Democratic nomination and then run for President. I should mention that Long wanted Burton Wheeler to be the sacrifial lamb, but following his assassination in 1935 Wheeler backs out. Now here's my POD: Long survives his assassination attempt and gains a tremendous amount of public sympathy(It's happened to other public figures who've been assassinated, why not Long), Wheeler backs out as in OTL, Long can't find any other suitable candidates, and after being reminded of his own mortality and seeing his spike in approval, decided to run himself with Coughlin as his VP gambling that even if he can't win, the Democrats will be too afraid to NOT give him the nomination in 1940. So what would have happened.
1. Would Long and Coughlin have been able to win enough Southern States and steal away enough rural voters and Catholic voters to allow Landon the edge he needed to win election?
2. Would Landon run a more aggressive campaign if he thought he could beat Roosevelt?
3. Would Roosevelt have tacked left while campaigning and if so, what effect would that have?
4. If Roosevelt loses, how would a Republican administration have handled both the depression and the emerging war in Europe?
5. Would the Lend-Lease act and the embargo on Japan have been passed? If not, what effect would that have.
6. How would this have effected the election of 1940 and the US's joining or not joining the allied cause during WWII?
1. Would Long and Coughlin have been able to win enough Southern States and steal away enough rural voters and Catholic voters to allow Landon the edge he needed to win election?
2. Would Landon run a more aggressive campaign if he thought he could beat Roosevelt?
3. Would Roosevelt have tacked left while campaigning and if so, what effect would that have?
4. If Roosevelt loses, how would a Republican administration have handled both the depression and the emerging war in Europe?
5. Would the Lend-Lease act and the embargo on Japan have been passed? If not, what effect would that have.
6. How would this have effected the election of 1940 and the US's joining or not joining the allied cause during WWII?