Every Man a King: A History of the Long Presidency and Beyond

Long was really, really radical. Roosevelt was conservative compared to him. Easy to see how the right would try to state a coup. Because Long will literally come and confiscate the money or property of any wealthy person disloyal to him.

Julian's absolutely right here. Long was, OTL and TTL, very radical, and this was just my thinking.
 
Julian's absolutely right here. Long was, OTL and TTL, very radical, and this was just my thinking.

Oh, I have no doubt that Long was radical. I'm just saying that stylistically the timeline seemed to escalate quickly, and while I don't doubt your decision to have Long do what he did - I would have appreciated more explanation of how he got to that point. I suppose I'm being nit-picky, and you are of course able to write the story as you see fit, but as a reader of the timeline, I was just hoping for a little more in-text explanation so I could see Long's thought process, etc.

I also felt that the MacArthur coup had little lead up and seemed to come out of nowhere, but again, maybe I'm not as good at reading between the lines as others. It's my sense that you can make just about anything plausible if you make the story compelling and allow the reader to understand what is going on. It just seemed like one day everything was fine and the next there was no longer a Constitution.
 
Oh, I have no doubt that Long was radical. I'm just saying that stylistically the timeline seemed to escalate quickly, and while I don't doubt your decision to have Long do what he did - I would have appreciated more explanation of how he got to that point. I suppose I'm being nit-picky, and you are of course able to write the story as you see fit, but as a reader of the timeline, I was just hoping for a little more in-text explanation so I could see Long's thought process, etc.

I also felt that the MacArthur coup had little lead up and seemed to come out of nowhere, but again, maybe I'm not as good at reading between the lines as others. It's my sense that you can make just about anything plausible if you make the story compelling and allow the reader to understand what is going on. It just seemed like one day everything was fine and the next there was no longer a Constitution.

You have a definite point. In my next update, I'll discuss the internal workings of the coup and Long's decision, which didn't seem really seem dictatorial at the time; the order was meant as an emergency measure, but along, who had somewhat autocratic tendencies, uses it more liberally than he should have.
 
You have a definite point. In my next update, I'll discuss the internal workings of the coup and Long's decision, which didn't seem really seem dictatorial at the time; the order was meant as an emergency measure, but along, who had somewhat autocratic tendencies, uses it more liberally than he should have.

Excellent! Please don't see me as trying to write the timeline for you, but as I believe you have constructed a fascinating scenario, I am hoping to see it done in such a way that I may more easily follow the timeline. The added clarification will be much appreciated, and I look forward with anticipation for it.
 
Oh, a thing, I got a friend who draws alternative history uniforms, if you want to use one in your scenario you just have to ask me
Coughlin could convince the army to adopt some german regalia (like the Stahlhelm), since he was pretty much a german fanboy (he even copied Hitler's hair and gests) :D
 
Oh, a thing, I got a friend who draws alternative history uniforms, if you want to use one in your scenario you just have to ask me
Coughlin could convince the army to adopt some german regalia (like the Stahlhelm), since he was pretty much a german fanboy (he even copied Hitler's hair and gests) :D

I may very well take you up on that offer, perhaps with some of the uniforms of the Pacific War. I doubt they would be Germanic, though.
 
Well, thank you. I don't feel that way about my readership, but oh well.

What would you like to see me cover in the future? I was thinking movies, maybe.

I'd say general pop culture, like movies, comics, sports, radio, books, etc.

Is Sinclair Lewis' It can't Happen Here still published?
 
I'd say general pop culture, like movies, comics, sports, radio, books, etc.

Is Sinclair Lewis' It can't Happen Here still published?

It has been, with some of the names changed: the evil president, for instance, is named Horatio Langley, as a more direct parallel to Long, and he has some Southern mannerisms. When Upton Sinclair accused Long of acting like Langley during the 1936 election, Long replied, "Oh, that farce?"
 
Thanks. You may be right; I'll keep it in mind, and I'll try to stay away from Kaiserreich territory in the writing of it. (For those who don't know, Edward VIII leads a Canadian government in exile from the Sydies back in Britain, and Long's American Union State is one of the states that can win the Second ACW.)



Yes, those were my thoughts exactly. Very astute. ITTL, Hitler is regarded as a crazy person who thankfully died before he could do anything catastrophic. That doesn't mean that our TTL counterparts haven't written TLs where Hitler survives.

Japan, meanwhile, well, they won't be doing so hot.

yes it was funny, but the King could not treat the PM like the office junior and just order him to get him a flight to the US and if he tried it would not end well
 
yes it was funny, but the King could not treat the PM like the office junior and just order him to get him a flight to the US and if he tried it would not end well

Yes, true. It's sort of a reflection of what kind of a ruler Edward is. You know, a bad one.
 
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From Wrath of the Archangel: The Gabriel Plot of 1937, Stephen E. Ambrose, 1984, Philadelphia Press:

It is strange to consider the events which led up to the Gabriel Plot of 1937. Today, one might say that it was inevitable, that the ideals of Social Populism were totally incompatible with America's heritage as a near oligarchy. This is not to say that Long was any more democratic than the titans of industry who ran for and became president, but it is true to say that the feeling to "Share Our Wealth" was a novel one, that was not unfairly implemented...

The discerning reader will probably notice that Morgan, Hearst, and MacArthur did not effect their attempted coup until nearly two months into Long's first term, and he may wonder why this was...

Long certainly had fascist tendencies, rather more like Mussolini, Salgado, or Chiang Kai-Shek than a madman like Hitler. However, Long was not at all the corporatist slave that other fascists were, and, in this, I do not even think one should call him a fascist. Long was incredibly true to his code of honor, his ideals, and he must be commended for that. He was one of the few politicians, pre- or post-Rebirth, to actually stand by his campaign promises, which were certainly more than "getting elected," as Will Rogers once put it...

Put simply, the only reason for the wait was that J.P Morgan and Hearst were hoping in vain that Long would "see reason" and embrace the love and support of the corporations. They saw it possible that he would discard his populism, and create a corporate utopia. It may seem ridiculous today, but it is true.

From the text of Executive Order 8034, (sometimes called the Capacitation Act of 1937):

By virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me as President of the United States, I do hereby suspend certain constitutional rights for those guilty of conspiring against the rightfully-held office of President of the United States. This measure is put into force to protect the lawful citizens of the United States from those who would see the nation destroyed.

From hereon, I do suspend the 4th Amendment temporarily, the right against unreasonable search and seizure, as those who have conspired against this office have every power and capability to distance themselves from any and all possible accusations that they are, in truth, guilty of. I also suspend those amendments dealing with the judiciary, those being the 5th, the 6th, and the 7th. This is, again, to justly punish those who are known to be guilty, but, through the unjust virtue of their personal wealth, are able to acquit themselves. Under this measure, all witnesses are required to speak whatsoever they know about the questions asked, and trial by jury will be replaced, in matters of importance, with an impartial tribunal of 12 legal experts. In addition, legal assistance may be suspended from those known to be guilty.

I hereby authorize this measure.

320px-Huey_Long_Signature.svg.png

Huey P. Long​

The White House,
May 11th, 1937.​
 
Wouldn't you like to know? :D

No, but in all seriousness, you're not far off. That also gives me a great idea for an ASB TL set in and after that movie.

Related to that, I've considered the scenario where FDR suffers some form of brain trauma and has a drastic personality change where he becomes a (potentially benevolent) fascist tyrant. We have failed to make "No Longer Jack" the trope it deserves to be.

This won't end well. At all.

Well we survive until at least the 1960s.
 
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