1920: Progressivism Triumphant, the Fifth Party System and Beyond A Wikibox TL

[Ohheckitsian]

1920: Progressivism Triumphant, the Fifth Party System and Beyond, A Wikibox TL
by ohheckitisian

"The President is not only the leader of a party, he is the President of the whole people. He must interpret the conscience of America. He must guide his conduct by the idealism of our people". -Herbert Hoover

What is this?
A TL idea I've been toying with after reading 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents. I've browsed here for a while, and toyed with the idea of making a TL some, but this is the first idea to really jump out at me.

When will it be updated?
Sometime soon. After that, whenever I stop being lazy and actually end up working on it.

Edit 7/26/2020: Several early posts are in the process of being retconned/have been retconned. Please use the threadmarks for the proper timeline.​

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

Hoover in 1920, maybe? Watched

 

[Ohheckitsian]

Progressives were frustrated when Warren Harding took the nomination on the tenth ballot of the RNC. But when Coolidge was nominated for vice president, they were angry. In a move that mirrored the 1912 Republican convention, several hundred Progressives stormed out of the convention, and declared that they would host their own convention, reviving the Progressive Party. Hiram Johnson, Robert La Follette, and several other national figures left the Republican Party and rejoined the Progressives. However, with no Theodore Roosevelt-esque figure to rally around, the Progressives nominated a dark horse of their own.

Hoover took the nomination after four ballots, and was acceptable to most progressives, except for those who felt he was too pro-league. Johnson, and other irreconcilables, remained in the Progressive Party, but decided to run their own Presidential ticket, the National Progressives with a strong anti-League of Nations stance. Along with this, they lambasted the Progressive ticket for lacking experience, and being no better than the Wilson White House.

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

Progressives were frustrated when Warren Harding took the nomination on the tenth ballot of the RNC. But when Coolidge was nominated for vice president, they were angry. In a move that mirrored the 1912 Republican convention, several hundred Progressives stormed out of the convention, and declared that they would host their own convention, reviving the Progressive Party. Hiram Johnson, Robert La Follette, and several other national figures left the Republican Party and rejoined the Progressives. However, with no Theodore Roosevelt-esque figure to rally around, the Progressives nominated a dark horse of their own.
View attachment 505769
Hoover took the nomination after four ballots, and was acceptable to most progressives, except for those who felt he was too pro-league. Johnson, and other irreconcilables, remained in the Progressive Party, but decided to run their own Presidential ticket, the National Progressives with a strong anti-League of Nations stance. Along with this, they lambasted the Progressive ticket for lacking experience, and being no better than the Wilson White House.
View attachment 505773

2 Progressive tickets and a 4 way 1920? Oh boy

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

This map is my personal prediction for this scenario

James M. Cox (Democratic) 284 electoral votes
Herbert Hoover (Progressive) 116 electoral votes
Hiram Johnson (National Progressive) 87 electoral votes
Warren G. Harding (Republican) 44 electoral votes

Cox wins with only about 1/3rd of the total popular vote, but vote splitting is so severe that he still wins.

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

wait, LaFollette isnt Johnson's running mate

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

This is better

James M. Cox (Democratic) 231 Electoral Votes, 33%
Herbert Hoover (Progressive) 217 Electoral Votes, 29%
Warren G. Harding (Republican) 44 Electoral Votes, 16%
Hiram Johnson (National Progressive) 39 Electoral Votes, 20%

 

[Darth_Kiryan]

Herbert Hoover and FDR on the same ticket?

Now I know that something is screwed in the ATL. like, WOW!

 

[Ohheckitsian]

While the Republicans were dividing themselves, Democrats were.... dividing themselves. The convention had started well, but as the ballots dragged on and on, Democrats on all sides grew increasingly frustrated. As the convention reached the 25th ballot, William Jennings Bryan had entered his name into contention, frustrated with the the frontrunner, James Cox, who he deemed a reactionary. Bryan led on the next two ballots, but gradually lost steam until Cox picked up the nomination nonetheless.

Despite Cox seemingly handing out an olive branch to the Bryanites with the nomination of McAdoo, Bryan and his supporters were angered, and though they remained till the end of the convention, Bryan geared up for his fourth Presidential Run.

The Prohibition Convention was held in Bryan's home state of Nebraska, and resulted in the nomination of the Prohibition dream ticket, with The Great Commoner at the top of the ticket and evangelist Billy Sunday in the Vice Presidential spot.

The 1920 Presidential Election went from a definite Republican blowout to a near 6-way tossup in the span of a mere two months. Along with the Republicans, Democrats, Progressives, National Progressives, and Prohibition parties, the Socialist party was ready to join the fray aswell. Pressure on Wilson from both Hoover and Bryan resulted in the pardoning of many radicals, notably journalist John Reed of Pennsylvania on July 24th. Reed returned to the United States in early August and broke with the Comintern, along with the Communist Party, after poor treatment from Communist officials during his time in Russia. This prompted mass defections from the Communist Party of America back to the Socialist Party, which left the Communists without a leg to stand on, while reinvigorating the Socialist ticket at the same time.

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

While the Republicans were dividing themselves, Democrats were.... dividing themselves. The convention had started well, but as the ballots dragged on and on, Democrats on all sides grew increasingly frustrated. As the convention reached the 25th ballot, William Jennings Bryan had entered his name into contention, frustrated with the the frontrunner, James Cox, who he deemed a reactionary. Bryan led on the next two ballots, but gradually lost steam until Cox picked up the nomination nonetheless.
View attachment 505880
Despite Cox seemingly handing out an olive branch to the Bryanites with the nomination of McAdoo, Bryan and his supporters were angered nonetheless, and though they remained till the end of the convention, Bryan geared up for his fourth Presidential Run.
View attachment 505867
The Prohibition Convention was held in Bryan's home state of Nebraska, and resulted in the nomination of the Prohibition dream ticket, with The Great Commoner at the top of the ticket and evangelist Billy Sunday in the Vice Presidential spot.

The 1920 Presidential Election went from a definite Republican blowout to a near 6-way tossup in the span of a mere two months. Along with the Republicans, Democrats, Progressives, National Progressives, and Prohibition parties, the Socialist party was ready to join the fray aswell. Pressure on Wilson from both Hoover and Bryan resulted in the pardoning of many radicals, notably journalist John Reed of Pennsylvania on July 24th. Reed returned to the United States in early August and broke with the Comintern, along with the Communist Party, after poor treatment from Communist officials during his time in Russia. This prompted mass defections from the Communist Party of America back to the Socialist Party, which left the Communists without a leg to stand on, while reinvigorating the Socialist ticket at the same time.
View attachment 505878

[flatlines]

 

[Ohheckitsian]

[flatlines]

Do you have a new prediction

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

Do you have a new prediction

Herbert Hoover (Progressive) 234 electoral votes
William Jennings Bryan (Prohibition) 109 electoral votes
James M. Cox (Democratic) 79 electoral votes
Warren G. Harding (Republican) 42 electoral votes
Hiram Johnson (National Progressive) 36 electoral votes
John "Jack" Reed (Socialist) 31 electoral votes

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

1921 contingent election prediction

Herbert Hoover (Progressive) 28 states
William Jennings Bryan (Prohibition) 13 states
James M. Cox (Democratic) 7 states

 

[Broader Liberty]

Ooh, FDR leaving the Democratic Party (especially considering he was still serving in a Democratic administration) is a big one.

 

[Ohheckitsian]

Throughout the campaign, it was apparent that the two party system as it had existed would be forever beyond repair. Cox seemed to unravel throughout the campaign, and Democrats across the country were destined to play damage control, in order to minimize losses from the Prohibition party. Harding, who had wanted to run a front porch campaign similar to McKinley's, was forced to make frequent speaking tours, which had damaged his already fragile health. Hoover, on the other hand, was doing surprisingly well, due to the National Progressive ticket slowly losing steam over the course of the campaign, with many Progressive newspapers deeming Johnson a sore loser who just wanted to get in the way of real progress. Bryan was doing shockingly well, and some even thought the Great Commoner would be able to finally win the White House. A poll in early September by the Literary Digest had Hoover in first with 25%, Bryan in second with 23%, both Cox and Harding with 18%, Johnson with 11%, and Debs with only 3%. But as the saying went, "So goes Maine, so goes the nation".

Carl Milliken, who had defected to the Progressives in early July, easily defeated both the Republican and Democratic nominees. This would be a sign of things to come in November, as the race began heating up.

The 1920 election resulted in a complete mess. Hoover had just barely won in a handful of key states, beating out Bryan by a mere 103 votes in Kansas. This put him over the line and into the White House. Though Cox placed third, the fact that Bryan had managed to crack Democratic strongholds such as Florida, Georgia, and Virginia proved that things were not looking good for the Democratic parties future. Johnson ended up completely deflating towards the end, just barely getting over the line in California and Idaho, and falling behind even the Socialists in the popular vote. Harding put up absolutely pitiful totals, only winning Republican strongholds in the Northeast, along with New Jersey and Utah, which were won by razor-thin margins, like most states in the election. The election results were quite literally heartbreaking to Harding.

Harding's health had already been quite poor prior to his presidential run, and the constant campaigning had damaged him even more. Harding complained of chest pains in mid-October, but refused to be seen by a doctor, believing it would damage his chances at the Presidency. At around 10:29 PM EST on Election night, Harding had a sudden heart attack while reading a telegram detailing election results, and was immediately rushed to the hospital. He was pronounced dead exactly one hour later, at 11:29 PM. This caused Harding ally and Senator-elect Frank B. Willis to take his Senate seat early.

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

Throughout the campaign, it was apparent that the two party system as it had existed would be forever beyond repair. Cox seemed to unravel throughout the campaign, and Democrats across the country were destined to play damage control, in order to minimize losses from the Prohibition party. Harding, who had wanted to run a front porch campaign similar to McKinley's, was forced to make frequent speaking tours, which had damaged his already fragile health. Hoover, on the other hand, was doing surprisingly well, due to the National Progressive ticket slowly losing steam over the course of the campaign, with many Progressive newspapers deeming Johnson a sore loser who just wanted to get in the way of real progress. Bryan was doing shockingly well, and some even thought the Great Commoner would be able to finally win the White House. A poll in early September by the Literary Digest had Hoover in first with 25%, Bryan in second with 23%, both Cox and Harding with 18%, Johnson with 11%, and Debs with only 3%. But as the saying went, "So goes Maine, so goes the nation".
View attachment 505919
Carl Milliken, who had defected to the Progressives in early July, easily defeated both the Republican and Democratic nominees. This would be a sign of things to come in November, as the race began heating up.
View attachment 505920
The 1920 election resulted in a complete mess. Hoover had just barely won in a handful of key states, beating out Bryan by a mere 103 votes in Kansas. This put him over the line and into the White House. Though Cox placed third, the fact that Bryan had managed to crack Democratic strongholds such as Florida, Georgia, and Virginia proved that things were not looking good for the Democratic parties future. Johnson ended up completely deflating towards the end, just barely getting over the line in California and Idaho, and falling behind even the Socialists in the popular vote. Harding put up absolutely pitiful totals, only winning Republican strongholds in the Northeast, along with New Jersey and Utah, which were won by razor-thin margins, like most states in the election. The election results were quite literally heartbreaking to Harding.
View attachment 505921
Harding's health had already been quite poor prior to his presidential run, and the constant campaigning had damaged him even more. Harding complained of chest pains in mid-October, but refused to be seen by a doctor, believing it would damage his chances at the Presidency. At around 10:29 PM EST on Election night, Harding had a sudden heart attack while reading a telegram detailing election results, and was immediately rushed to the hospital. He was pronounced dead exactly one hour later, at 11:29 PM. This caused Harding ally and Senator-elect Frank B. Willis to take his Senate seat early.

Yes! I called it. President Hoover in 1920, as well as that exact order of rankings.

 

[Ohheckitsian]

While some experts believed that the Presidential Race would be the only success of the now-triumphant third parties, they were proven dead wrong. Progressives ran an unprecedented number of candidates in down ballot elections, and unlike 1912, many were successful, largely thanks to the internal conflicts of both the Republicans and Democrats.

Such was the case in Wisconsin, where Fola La Follette, actress, labor activist, suffragette, and daughter of Fighting Bob, went up against strong Republican and Democratic nominees. This race showed the already well-known fact that Democrats had completely collapsed outside of the South, as general Robert McCoy's campaign completely flopped, leaving the race between Republican nominee Wisconsin Attorney General John J. Blaine and La Follette, the Progressive nominee. La Follette was helped by sky-high turnout from women, who overwhelmingly supported her.

In the end, Blaine didn't even come close, barely placing within 10 percent of La Follette. La Follette would become the first woman elected governor of Wisconsin, and in the country as a whole, much to the joy of the suffragettes who supported her, and to her father, who campaigned for her heavily. Progressives were not the only party to have successes with political dynasties this election however.

Younger brother of Prohibition nominee William Jennings Bryan, Charles Bryan sought elected office of his own, and won, in a great victory for the Prohibition Party. Incumbent governor Samuel McKelvie was not only defeated by Bryan, but also Arthur Wray, a complete unknown who was nominated by the Progressives only due to the lack of no better candidates. Notable was the fact that Democrats did not even nominate a candidate for the governorship, as local Democrats, many of whom were loyal Bryanites, opted not to run and instead endorsed Charles Bryan. This even included former Democratic Governor John Morehead, who despite winning the Democratic nomination, dropped out of the race after Bryan entered, and then proceeded to jump ship to the Prohibition Party and endorse Bryan.

Overall, the 1920 Governors election were a drastic defeat for both the Democrats and Republicans, with the Progressives overtaking both. Socialists gained their first governor, with dentist and lawyer Edwin "Doc" Brown edging out a win in a 5 way race in the state of Washington.

 

[Hydrons (Retired Account)]

Overall, the 1920 Governors election were a drastic defeat for both the Democrats and Republicans, with the Progressives overtaking both. Socialists gained their first governor, with dentist and lawyer Edwin "Doc" Brown edging out a win in a 5 way race in the state of Washington.

Can we get a wikibox for Washington?

 

[Ohheckitsian]

Socialists gained their first governor, with dentist and lawyer Edwin "Doc" Brown edging out a win in a 5 way race in the state of Washington.

The Washington Governor's race was not an overwhelming win for the rising Socialist party, but it would suffice, and along with several other successes in 1920, would signify it becoming a force to be reckoned with.

As of March 4th, 1921, the 48 Governors were as follows:
Thomas Kilby of Alabama
Thomas Edward Campell of Arizona
Thomas C. McRae of Arkansas
William Stephens of California
Oliver Henry Shoup of Colorado
Everett J. Lake of Connecticut
John G. Townsend of Delaware
Cary A. Hardee of Florida
Hugh Dorsey of Georgia
H.F. Samuel of Idaho
Ira Clifton Copley of Illinois
Warren T. McCray of Indiana
Smith W. Brookhart of Iowa
Daniel Read Anthony Jr. of Kansas
Edwin P. Morrow of Kentucky
John M. Parker of Louisiana
Carl Milliken of Maine
Albert Ritchie of Maryland
Channing Cox of Massachusetts
William Josiah MacDonald of Michigan
Henrik Shipstead of Minnesota
Lee M. Russel of Mississippi
Arthur Hyde of Missouri
Burton K. Wheeler of Montana
Charles Bryan of Nebraska
Emmet D. Boyle of Nevada
John H. Bartlett of New Hampshire
Edward I. Edwards of New Jersey
Octaviano Larrazolo of New Mexico
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. of New York
Cameron A. Morrison of North Carolina
Lynn Frazier of North Dakota
A Victor Donahey of Ohio
James B.A. Robertson of Oklahoma
Ben W. Olcott of Oregon
William Cameron Sproul of Pennsylvania
Emery J. San Souci of Rhode Island
Robert Archer Cooper of South Carolina
Peter Norbeck of South Dakota
Albert H. Roberts of Tennessee
Pat Morris Neff of Texas
Simon Bamberger of Utah
James Hartness of Vermont
Westmoreland Davis of Virginia
Edwin J. Brown of Washington
Ephraim F. Morgan of West Virginia
Fola La Follette of Wisconsin
Robert D. Carey of Wyoming

 

[Ohheckitsian]

I’m currently working on an update, should be out either today or tomorrow.