AHC: President Ben Tillman

TinyTartar

Banned
It was brought up in another thread that Ben Tillman was the most vocal and vociferous of the bimetallist, populist Southern Democrats. He was also a massive racist, possibly the worst in US history.

How would you go about making it possible that Tillman rises to the Presidency? He had a minor shot in 1896, but his convention speech was too divisive and paled in comparison to Bryan's, which lost him any true chance at getting the nod.

Basically, the challenge here is to get Tillman to become President.

Also, what would a Tillman Presidency look like? Do you think he would have any sorts of labor reform planned, or agricultural reform? Do you think he would have been pro Imperialist, or more like his racist OTL anti imperialist self? Do you think he would have tarnished the US on a global stage with his incivility?
 
Ben Tillman... was also a massive racist, possibly the worst in US history...

Worse than Vardaman or Bilbo? Tillman did preside over the revision of South Carolina's constitution in the 1890s to disfranchise blacks completely. But he also supported the establishment of the state's first teacher's college for blacks.

As to him becoming President - no Southern Democrat could get elected in that era. Wilson was a Southerner, but he had relocated to New Jersey.
 
I can see him becoming Confederate President.

If the Confederacy loses a war to the US under whoever's president in 1867, he can run as part of a "Fire-eater Party" and become POTCS.
 
Top