MacArthur For President

One way to get him in the White House would be turning his Korean War firing into a fiasco for the administration. Richard Russell handled the firing well and managed to make people much more calmer about the whole thing and show MacArthur wasn't wronged. What if the perception becomes such that MacArthur is an amazing general sacked for trying too hard to win? That could be a convincing message to run for the Presidency under.
 

ben0628

Banned
One way to get him in the White House would be turning his Korean War firing into a fiasco for the administration. Richard Russell handled the firing well and managed to make people much more calmer about the whole thing and show MacArthur wasn't wronged. What if the perception becomes such that MacArthur is an amazing general sacked for trying too hard to win? That could be a convincing message to run for the Presidency under.

It could be but I am skeptical if it'd be enough to beat Eisenhower in the 1952 primaries. Besides at this point the American public wanted out of Korea and Eisenhower promised a peace and end to the conflict, which is exactly what they wanted. MacArthur wants nuclear war. Don't think that'd sit well with the public.
 
Well all due respect but none of that really explained anything. How does his ego effect policy? How does he deal with NATO and the UN? Formation of Israel? Former lend-lease nations like Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia? Whats his policy toward the New Deal? How doea he deal with segregation? What about Korea and the fight against communism? Wnat does a MacArthur presidency actually look like?



MacArthur? A bad general? no. Im sorry but that is a hilariously wrong statement

Presuming that he wins in 1952 (Eisenhower stays out):
1.) Ego wouldn't effect policy.
2.) In regards to NATO and the UN, he likely wouldn't have strayed from Eisenhower's policy.
3.) LIkely continues to support Israel as an anti-Soviet bulkward.
4.) In regards to New Deal, he likely continues it. The New Deal and other entitlement programs were popular and he would have to support it to get eleted. To quote Eisenhower

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and elimante labour laws, and farm programs you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group of course that blieves that you can do these things. Among them are a few other Texas oil millionaries and an occassional politican or business man from other area. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."

Source

5.) Segregation/Race Relations: Here's an interview from Thurgood Marshall on his dealings with MacArthur.

MacArthur supressed a black military uprising in the Phillipines in 1942. This may not be so much an example of racism as it is MacArthur putting down a violent mutiny during war.

Apparently he was inspired to military service after his mother told him as a young child that he needed to "grow to be a great man like Robert E. Lee." However, he did have a mix-raced girlfriend in the 1930s when he was in the Phillipines. Furthermore, he didn't hide the relationship and was relatively open about it. See this link for interview on these two topics.

IMO he seems like a "Law and Order" kind of guy who wouldn't necessarily push for civil rights legislation, but would enforce any pertinent Supreme Court decisions (i.e. Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education)

6.) Korea: He wouldn't use nuclear weapons against the ChiComs or the Norks unless the US was on the brink of defeat. All of this talk of him being a loose cannon with nuclear weapons is a bunch of nonesense.

He likely would have bombed bridges on the Yalu and ChiCom supply depots and military bases in Manchuria. He was committed to forcing the Communists to an armistice along the pre-war borders. he believed that failure to defend Korea and to take a strong stand against the Communists in Asia would invite an all out invasion of Europe.

Link for more information on MacArthur in Korea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_MacArthur#Korean_War

7.) Cold War writ large: He likely continues America's military buildup and expands deployments to Europe and Asia. he was very pro-NATO and anti-communist, but supported containment and not confrontation with the Soviets and thus likely doesn't depart from the Eisenhower adminstration except for in Suez Crisis and Vietnam.

In the former he likely backs the British-French coalition against Egypt in order to check a Soviet ally. This could lead to a general war with the Soviet should they intervene to assist Egypt. However, such a course of action is unlikely as Khruschev admits in his memoirs that he was "not seriously thinking of going to war"

In regards to Vietnam, MacArthur is more likely to stage a military intervention to help the French troops at Dien Bien Phu escape their envellopment. See Operation Vulture for more information

If im not mistaken, MacArthur's name was on a ballot in one of the early states in the gop primaries in 1948. He got less than 1 percent of the vote.

MacArthur didn't run for President as he wanted to ensure that the reconstruction of Japan was completed before he left.
 

DaHound22

Banned
Heres the thing. Im not disagreeing with you that he would be a terrible president. Really im not. Ulysses Grant proved that being a good general doesnt make one a good president. I just want to know why you think that. I mean honestly had MacArthur version of Korea played out we wouldve won swimmingly, barring nuclear war. Had he been president, this could play out as an early advantage in the Cold War for the US in my opinion.
 

DaHound22

Banned
Presuming that he wins in 1952 (Eisenhower stays out):
1.) Ego wouldn't effect policy.
2.) In regards to NATO and the UN, he likely wouldn't have strayed from Eisenhower's policy.
3.) LIkely continues to support Israel as an anti-Soviet bulkward.
4.) In regards to New Deal, he likely continues it. The New Deal and other entitlement programs were popular and he would have to support it to get eleted. To quote Eisenhower

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and elimante labour laws, and farm programs you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group of course that blieves that you can do these things. Among them are a few other Texas oil millionaries and an occassional politican or business man from other area. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."

Source

5.) Segregation/Race Relations: Here's an interview from Thurgood Marshall on his dealings with MacArthur.

MacArthur supressed a black military uprising in the Phillipines in 1942. This may not be so much an example of racism as it is MacArthur putting down a violent mutiny during war.

Apparently he was inspired to military service after his mother told him as a young child that he needed to "grow to be a great man like Robert E. Lee." However, he did have a mix-raced girlfriend in the 1930s when he was in the Phillipines. Furthermore, he didn't hide the relationship and was relatively open about it. See this link for interview on these two topics.

IMO he seems like a "Law and Order" kind of guy who wouldn't necessarily push for civil rights legislation, but would enforce any pertinent Supreme Court decisions (i.e. Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education)

6.) Korea: He wouldn't use nuclear weapons against the ChiComs or the Norks unless the US was on the brink of defeat. All of this talk of him being a loose cannon with nuclear weapons is a bunch of nonesense.

He likely would have bombed bridges on the Yalu and ChiCom supply depots and military bases in Manchuria. He was committed to forcing the Communists to an armistice along the pre-war borders. he believed that failure to defend Korea and to take a strong stand against the Communists in Asia would invite an all out invasion of Europe.

Link for more information on MacArthur in Korea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_MacArthur#Korean_War

7.) Cold War writ large: He likely continues America's military buildup and expands deployments to Europe and Asia. he was very pro-NATO and anti-communist, but supported containment and not confrontation with the Soviets and thus likely doesn't depart from the Eisenhower adminstration except for in Suez Crisis and Vietnam.

In the former he likely backs the British-French coalition against Egypt in order to check a Soviet ally. This could lead to a general war with the Soviet should they intervene to assist Egypt. However, such a course of action is unlikely as Khruschev admits in his memoirs that he was "not seriously thinking of going to war"

In regards to Vietnam, MacArthur is more likely to stage a military intervention to help the French troops at Dien Bien Phu escape their envellopment. See Operation Vulture for more information



MacArthur didn't run for President as he wanted to ensure that the reconstruction of Japan was completed before he left.

This is what i looking for^ actual policy discussion
 
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