This is a collaborative, choose-your-own president TL, which needs you to participate.
Here is the original thread, Dewey has won, and this is to hammer out the specifics of his win as well as the effects of his win.
Our poll results:
Harry S. Truman (Democrat)
12 23.08% Thomas E. Dewey (Republican)
20 38.46% Strom Thurmond (Dixiecrat)
12 23.08% Henry Wallace (Progressive)
8 15.38%
Searching for a POD: Obviously we need a POD to justify the results of the election of 1948
My suggestion: Truman makes a bigger civil rights gaffe (something like Teddy's scandal; he invites a few black leaders to the White House and doesn't back down under southern protest.) Approaching the election, however, he switches to a more moderate position, only to later take his original stand.
With this basic POD, he manages to offend the northern liberals and progressives and the Dixiecrats, without gaining any support on either side. Liberals and progressive change their votes to Dewey (or Wallace, justifying his higher percentage in the polls) Southern Democrats come out more in favor of Thurmond.
Any thoughts or alternate ideas?
Nature of the win: Should we go with this map with the results as follow?
Dewey 255
Truman 223
Thurmond 53*
*Including 3 faithless electors. 1 from TN, NC and TX
Personally, I find such results to be the most plausible, but they have the main issue of not representing a majority (more Thurmond votes wouldn't help this issue either) and thus 1948 could be the first election in a while thrown to the House of Representatives.
If you want to post alternate results or discuss possible victories for Dewey (or Thurmond), do so.
The Dewey Presidency: What are the likely results of a Dewey presidency? He was a fairly liberal Republican (the sort able to secure their party's nomination- and their party's defeat) reconciled with the New Deal and (mostly) reconciled with the UN and NATO.
His platform was as follows:
-Reduction of the public debt
-Federal aid to states for slum clearance and low-cost housing
-Extension of Social Security benefits
-A federal anti-lynching law
-Federal civil rights legislation
-Abolition of the poll tax
-A crackdown on domestic Communism*
-International arms control "on basis of reliable disciplines against bad faith".
(* In the Republican primaries, he argued against a crackdown. "You can't shoot an idea with a gun")
Here is the actual platform.
However, here the election results matter: Thurmond wanted to throw it to the House and have Dixiecrat representatives extract concessions on the matter of Civil Rights. Most House Republicans would be with him on this (They were challenged to make their own platform, and the debates were decidely anti-Dewey). Dewey may well have his hands tied (for the first term at least) on matters of Civil Rights. I think the Republicans will invariably support Dewey nonetheless, but will also try to grab the South.
People to look out for, 1952:
Suggest more for this list, its basically just the people who ran IOTL in 1952.
Republicans
Dewey himself, obviously
Harold Stassen: Liberal ex-Governor from Minnesota. IOTL he hallenged Dewey in the primaries and threw his delegates to Eisenhower in 1952. May well pop up again if Dewey re-energizes the liberal side of the Republican party, or may cause a split if he doesn't.
Robert Taft: Conservative US Senator from Ohio. Much the same as Stassen for the conservative side.
Dwight D. Eisenhower: Moderate General of the Army. "Draft Ike, Dump Truman" Suggested for the Democratic candidacy in 1948, truly a Republican. Fairly moderate as far as candidates go, may be in a "Dump Dewey" movement or may pick up the Republican mantle from Dewey in '56.
Democrats
Estes Kefauver: Won the primaries in 1952 IOTL, only to lose the nomination. Labor Democrat, renowned for attacks on organized crime. From a Southern state, as well. Can't seem to find a stand on segregation.
W. Averell Harriman: Conservative Northern Democrat. Ambassador and Secretary of Commerce. Gained Truman's endorsement in 1952 and 1956. Had a number of business controversies however, and may face opposition from organized labor.
Adlai Stevenson: Liberal and intellectual candidate in 1952. One term governor of Illinois, nominated in OTL as a moderate under a "Draft Stevenson" movement. Doubtful that he comes out in 1952, but who knows?
Richard Russell, Jr.: Conservative Democratic Senator from Georgia, founder of the Conservative Coalition. Mostly rejected in OTL due to his stand on civil rights, being a segregationist and an open racist
Robert S. Kerr: ex-Governor and Senator from Oklahoma. Moderate and due to home state, may be a good compromise candidate to the Northern and Southern wings of the party. Standard Midwestern New Deal Democrat.
After this.....
After this discussion, there will be "primaries" on the Republican and Democratic candidates for the presidency and a "wrap-up" thread on Dewey's first (and maybe only) term. Also, a "Fresh Faces" thread on politicians who will be shaped by this alt-Election.
Just please post to this. We'll have a week before the posting of the follow up threads.