Here's an idea I had, what if Australia's Billy Hughes was an American?
Early in his political career, the British-born Hughes was a Democrat sympathetic to the labor movement. Elected to the New York Assembly for 7 terms, he eventually got disenchanted with the state Democrats and made a move to the Socialists in the late 1890's. With their support he was elected on a fusion Socialist-Democratic ticket for New York's 25th district and caucused with them. As a congressman he made pains to oppose the McKinley, Beveridge, and Knox presidencies. A proud internationalist and anti-Imperialist, Hughes fought against both America's involvement in Cuba and the Philippines and was for an international congress of countries.
As in 1912, where the House had to pick the President for the first time since 1824, he convinced his Socialist allies to back the rump Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson over their nominee of Eugene Debs, arguing they could never get Debs past opposition obstruction and that delaying Wilson would open the way for Roosevelt's forces to coalesce and pick him. Wilson and his Democratic Party were undoubtedly the minority party across the United States. This was especially true as the Socialists were fighting with the feudalistic governments of the South, often literally, to reform the political system there to be more open to laborers.
In 1914 another plurality Congress was formed, this time with the Socialists in first, Republicans in second, Democrats in third, and the various Progressive Party's caucusing with other parties. Northern and some Western Democrats, seeing their party's death soon, fused with the Socialists into the Social Democrats. Conservative remnants jumped ship to the Republicans, while in the South electoral violence began to spike, as old hardliner Socialists refused to merge with their hated enemies. Some other Socialists refused to take the SocDem name and stood as Independent Socialists...
[might continue when I get home]
Early in his political career, the British-born Hughes was a Democrat sympathetic to the labor movement. Elected to the New York Assembly for 7 terms, he eventually got disenchanted with the state Democrats and made a move to the Socialists in the late 1890's. With their support he was elected on a fusion Socialist-Democratic ticket for New York's 25th district and caucused with them. As a congressman he made pains to oppose the McKinley, Beveridge, and Knox presidencies. A proud internationalist and anti-Imperialist, Hughes fought against both America's involvement in Cuba and the Philippines and was for an international congress of countries.
As in 1912, where the House had to pick the President for the first time since 1824, he convinced his Socialist allies to back the rump Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson over their nominee of Eugene Debs, arguing they could never get Debs past opposition obstruction and that delaying Wilson would open the way for Roosevelt's forces to coalesce and pick him. Wilson and his Democratic Party were undoubtedly the minority party across the United States. This was especially true as the Socialists were fighting with the feudalistic governments of the South, often literally, to reform the political system there to be more open to laborers.
In 1914 another plurality Congress was formed, this time with the Socialists in first, Republicans in second, Democrats in third, and the various Progressive Party's caucusing with other parties. Northern and some Western Democrats, seeing their party's death soon, fused with the Socialists into the Social Democrats. Conservative remnants jumped ship to the Republicans, while in the South electoral violence began to spike, as old hardliner Socialists refused to merge with their hated enemies. Some other Socialists refused to take the SocDem name and stood as Independent Socialists...
[might continue when I get home]
