Pick your poison:


  • Total voters
    329
  • Poll closed .
Waiting to see what happens when the ssk and wehrmacht start blaming each other in germania. I also see guest workers in the reich as conduits for sabotage and information.

Third, it would be a shame if the Russian partisans created friendly fire incidents between the ssk and wehrmacht.
Friendly fire incidents are less likely, their dispute depends on the relationship between Heydrich and Germania and it has roots on the SSK viewing itself as being above the Wehrmacht military codes as they fight for the Party over the State. The kind of friendly fire you will see is the dispute of higher ups as different strategies are made to bring the Russians down, but on the ground? More like an uncooperative attitude. The Wehrmacht of 1958 is not the one of 1938.
 
what happened to Hitler's descendants? Still living in luxury in Austria?
As far as his direct line goes, Klara is still a young girl, raised in a very sheltered tutelage and under constant watch by the SSK with her mother Eva. There are many figures who visit them for a publicity stunt. They live in Linz with Eva being responsible for Hitler's mausoleum.
 
The German retreat and reports from partisans of the approaching Wotan gun warned the defenders of Perm, as a result, not more than a thousand were killed when the city was struck
I’m sorry but what? More than “just a thousand” people are going to die to a thirty kiloton nuclear explosion, whether there are bunkers or not. That’s just plain unrealistic.
 
I’m sorry but what? More than “just a thousand” people are going to die to a thirty kiloton nuclear explosion, whether there are bunkers or not. That’s just plain unrealistic.
It is very much likely when your enemy is so obviously bringing in a nuclear artillery after ample reports and the population of the city has already evacuated over the fact Perm is an active war zone. The ones remaining in the city were just military personnel who already were prepared to take shelter in the nuclear bunkers that were being built over the previous decade. It isn't like bombing Downtown Germania, the civilians were already long gone from Perm.
 
I mean this does not make much sense as even the bunkers would have a hard time holding to a nuclear explosion especially since the Russians would not actually have the full knowledge on how a nuclear explosion would affect the area and how to prepare for it. Like even if they did evacuate the civilians the military forces would most likely be toast.
 
I mean this does not make much sense as even the bunkers would have a hard time holding to a nuclear explosion especially since the Russians would not actually have the full knowledge on how a nuclear explosion would affect the area and how to prepare for it. Like even if they did evacuate the civilians the military forces would most likely be toast.
The difference is that this is the 1950s, the age where all kinds of nuclear tests were conducted. All while the US is also heavily engaged in supporting the Russian military and defense. Technical (and practical) knowledge is no problem with the US around.
 
XXIX - LONGMERICA
THE IRON EAGLE
LONGMERICA



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The challenge that Huey Pierce Long Jr. had before him in 1953 was the greatest any American President has had to deal with when it comes to Congress. From defections and elections, the "Kingfish" Party, as the Populist Party was known, had acquired around a third of the seats, a considerable number and in fact a plurality, but it was still far from breaking the hold the Democrats and Republicans had on the country. Indeed, even with support from members of the two other parties, Long failed to elect his Vice-President in the continuous election and just barely won his own reelection over McCarthy. And if he thought Roosevelt was an irritating partner, having a personality like George Patton by his side was even more so, the man was not a politician and the only reason he got so far was because McCarthy wanted to monopolize the votes of the millions of Veterans and their families by employing a charismatic commander who fought in the Pacific all the way to the Volga. Cabinet meetings were such a nightmare to handle that the President preferred to meet his advisors separately, Chester Nimitz himself had some rather strong opinions on the Vice-President, however he kept those private unless asked of him and was rather content that at least Patton could pressure Long into giving more funds to the Naval modernization program, which included the conversion of vessels into Nuclear Submarines, if only because Patton's constant rants could be so irritating that you would give him what he wished just to not empty your bank accounts in medicine for your headaches.

Of course the main problem was the Senate, the Populists were a minority even more than they were in the House, which meant constant compromising with either the party he betrayed or the party which was being increasingly associated with opposing him. Richard Russell Jr. one of the strongest leaders of the Southern Democrats, fought a war on the deep south against the rising populists which was only made worse as the NAACP started to make moves to use this political divide to push for changes, and differently from 1948 under Thurmond, many saw the White House as a potential ally. Huey was one of the least segregationist southern politicians, which was not exactly a great achievement, simply because he did not touch on racial rhetoric and instead diverted towards supporting a more wealth-based rhetoric which was helping black and white voters alike. With the powerful Klan crushed by the FBI as it was caught by the Grey Scare, the terror which kept many communities oppressed had vanished within weeks. Now there was still a lot of opposition to a Civil Rights movement, especially as the Democratic Party was even more entrenched in Segregationist rhetoric as progressive southerners defected to the Kingfish. Long himself did not wish to stroke the fires of these movements, he wanted to keep the focus on a war against the "American Elitist Establishment" which so benefited him, although there were those in his Cabinet who believed that breaking the disenfranchisement of Black Voters and having the credit for it could swing the deep south solidly towards Long and break the Democrats. For now he would take the middle way, as shown in his speeches as he so many times avoided engaging in any mention over segregation, instead he spoke of the plight to the Americans in general and even criticized the posturing of the NAACP once in 1954:


"Even if I were to abolish tomorrow the segregation of seats in buses, that would not make a difference if you cannot pay for a bus ticket."
His program for the next four years, and if it was up to him it would be far more than only four years, was to push for further progressive reforms such as the creation of the "American Medical Program", which involved a push for sanitation of poor communities, vaccination campaigns, and the creation of a National Healthcare System, a proposal once raised in Britain by Clement Atlee which had narrowly failed in 1944 due to concerns over the spending, which would likely require great cuts in the military spending as many critics said. Long met with the former British Prime Minister and the two spoke of this proposal, with the President returning and introducing it as a proposal for his 1952 election program. Naturally the Republicans, especially fiscal conservatives linked to McCarthy, were adamant in not further expanding the hold of the Federal Government over economical sectors such as private healthcare, although many were more afraid that Long would too corrupt such agency. During his first term, Huey Long had spread his influence all over the country, from Federal to local agencies, one thing that the public did not yet see was just how truly insidious that administration was, especially at the use of Federal funds. Naturally the FBI, which was now firmly in the control of the President, did it's part to keep that silence and make sure the powers of the executive were felt at even small organizations. One of Long's first actions was to use the Grey Scare, ironically the fires that McCarthy raised only gave more power to the one the former Senator feared most. Employees were called out for Fascist sympathies, German organizations were closed down, even a crackdown was launched against Italian mobsters across the Northeast US, all just to create vacuums that the President began to fill with those he deemed allies. A lot of political influence was being gained by this witch-hunting campaign as the Federal Government went beyond just cracking down on the Klan, but all was fair game when it came to protecting the nation from Un-American activities.

But the first of the issues the President had to deal with was his own stance on foreign affairs, especially as he wanted to keep his mental sanity when being at the same government of Burton K. Wheeler and George Patton. The former saw the election as a vindication, to show that the definitive war hawk politician had lost against Long in the popular vote and in the House. But the latter saw that the Roosevelt voters were also opposed to isolationism and that polls showed a significant divergence in the American people as the years passed since the end of Operation Sunset and Hitler almost brought the world to war, the Suez War being seen as just the latest incident and many believe that had Long been more decisive on Egypt, China and Brazil, he could have easily won the election (It was more likely for hardline Isolationists to not vote at all) in the College. While the matter of the Electoral College would be brought up later, Long saw the coming midterms of 1954 as the great trial for his experiment, to expand the base of supporters he had on State legislatures, State governments and in Congress. The Democrats were abandoning their isolationism, Northern Democrats being increasingly drawn towards the Republican Party and the Southern Democrats trying to keep them in the same team by doubling down on the militant rhetoric of James Roosevelt. Even former isolationists, such as California Congressman Jerry Voorhis, had abandoned much of their previous isolationism, yet the party's drift towards supporting McCarthysm still made the Congressman join the Populist Party during the split. Although he would be defeated by the Republican Richard Nixon, Voorhis' combat against Oil companies and support for Longist programs gained him an office in the Secretary of Commerce under Estes Kefauver. Long was, above all, a Populist who could change his rhetoric with the national mood, and so Wheeler resigned in May 1953, citing health problems, retiring to his home state of Montana, writing his Autobiography published in 1955 where he overall paints a positive view of Huey Long, defending himself from accusations of "cowardice" and defending his isolationist ideas, some say it was his proposal for the US to leave the United Nations which led to the ultimate demise of the former President and Secretary who acted much like a mentor figure to Long since his early days in the Senate.

The change in the American foreign policy came with the new Secretary of State Dean Rusk, former assistant in the War Department and recommended by none other than George S. Patton. Rusk had once served under Admiral Halsey, who recommended Rusk to Patton as the President was seeking someone to breathe in a fresh air on the Secretary which was filled with Wheeler's isolationists, many of them veterans of the 30s who were quickly aging. Besides, Rusk was very experienced in the matters of Asia as he served as an advisor during the occupation of Japan, which was crucial as the post-war order in the Continent was falling apart. The victory of the Communists in China, which included the loss of Taiwan due to Long's inactivity, had emboldened the Communists in Korea which was quickly becoming the next flashpoint in East Asia. Successive governments in the Peninsula had failed to establish themselves, the longest lasting around 16 months, with the amassing Chinese army at the north, the assassination of President Lyuh Woon-hyung, one of the founders of the Republic, would serve as the spark for the Korean Civil War as Colonel Paik Sun-yup launched a coup in March 1953 in an attempt to restore order by crushing the Communist insurgents over the country. The severe repression and alienation of the moderate elements only deteriorated the chaotic situation in Korea as open conflicts escalated between well-armed Communist insurgents, which included even former Soviet commanders, and the Korean People's Army. By the time Rusk came to the White House to meet with Long, who did not ask him much about Europe, in fact Long desired to show strength first in Asia as a message to Rudolf Hess and to appease interventionists at home. Rusk was asked about what he would suggest be done in Korea, at first the President was recommended to send advisors to the country to surround the new President Sun-yup or, if not possible to guide his actions, to seek "another guy" to be a better compromise. After that meeting, Dean Rusk would become Secretary of State to guide the new direction the United States was heading to, putting an end to decades of debates over isolationism and interventionism, for now at least.

Foreign matters aside, Long's main priority was always the United States above all, even if he did scale up involvement in Russia and Asia, as well as an increase in the Military Spending, his main priority as of now was to secure the approval of the American Medical Program, for that he had gained a crucial ally in his main uphill battle: The Senate. While a very reasonable number of Congressmen had progressive leanings, as well as association with "Longist" ideas, the Senate was still dominated by Democrats and Republicans, with many Democrats still feeling betrayed and the Republicans being associated with McCarthyism, it seemed impossible that the Program's proposals would pass, not without being butchered at the very least, until came the addition of a young Senator named Lyndon Baynes Johnson, known as LBJ. The Texan, an admirer of Huey Long, had raised up in the local politics thanks to local connections and his style. Johnson was what many could call "a bully", similar in many ways to Theodore Roosevelt, he knew how to get his way despite very strong opposition, being able to intimidate and manipulate his opponents and strongarm bills quite masterfully into approval. Despite his alliance with Richard Russell, he was one of the first to join Long even before the creation of the Populist Party, quickly gaining the reputation as the "Shark of the Kingfish Party", as many were associating the Populists with Fishes at this point. As the leader of the Populist Minority in the Senate, Johnson fought for the bill, claiming it as the "Greatest American weapon against Death" in one of his speeches, which quickly made the proposal be called the "Immortality Bill" in an ironic way. Many of the remaining Northern Democrats decided to give support for the Bill, as it aligned with their own ideas of expansion of social welfare, and even a few Republicans, it was barely enough to pass the House, but by the end of the year, Long received a phone call that the bill was approved in the Senate even before the voting began. It passed, creating the "American Healthcare System" (AHS or Americare), an idea which likely would have never been approved if not by the progressive spirit of the Long Era, which saw an unprecedented expansion of the Federal Government and it's powers.

By the end of the year, Long's popularity was reaching new heights, appeasing the Interventionists by showing the developments in the Pacific and Siberia, supporting the American poor and middle classes through the AHS, the boom in the infrastructure works caused by the expanding road systems and electrification of rural areas in the Midwest, as well as new sanitation programs in the Deep South, especially at poor communities along the Mississippi river. Joseph McCarthy, on the other hand, was a broken man after his defeat, retiring from politics and falling further and further into alcoholism in his home while hundreds wanted to sue him for the damage caused by his accusations of Fascism and Communism. The American right had seen successive failures since the World War, but one of it's few remaining triumphs was to successfully keep Prohibition alive, even if the provisions of the Volstead act were not as enforced, the age of rationing was over and while the Grey Scare was successfully associating Beer as a German drink, the same could not be said of Whiskey as many Americans considered it the quintessential American drink. Alcohol consumption had lowered since the 1920s in a permanent fashion and, with the destruction of the Klan, there were not many moralist groups left to keep the ban around. A proposal was introduced by the Republican Party to repeal the 18th amendment and make the Prohibition of Alcohol a State issue, that suddenly propelled Prohibition to a level of debate not seen since the Hoover and Wheeler Administrations where the amendment was once almost repealed. National polls showed that, while many Americans had grown to disgust the very consumption of alcohol, the majority did support the end of a National Prohibition, which was also seen as a way to combat the crime rates in large cities. In October 1953, the 18th amendment was repelled by the 21st amendment, ending over 30 years of alcohol prohibition which left a large impact on American society. In some ways, the Temperance movement won as several states continued dry laws and the consumption of alcohol by the average American had dropped to less than a fourth of the Pre-1920 levels, except for an expected spike in 1954-55, the newer generations had grown accostumed to prohibition, the movies and propaganda for years associated drunkenness to Germans and Italians, the former with beer and the later with wine, which was greatly helped by the fact one of the leading figures of the Reich, Robert Ley, was an uncontrollable alcoholic. The discovery of several health effects from alcoholism such as the association with liver cancer would also keep a certain level of awareness to the subsequent Americans. As a substitute, many resorted to Coffee, which had intriguing effects on the American diplomacy with the Integral State of Brazil.

1954 arrived with changes in the Judicial makeup of the Supreme Court, a potential tip in the Balance. Of the current Justices, 4 were appointed by Wheeler, 2 by Thurmond and 2 by Long, the one left of the Hoover Administration, Owen Roberts, died early that same year due to an illness, which allowed Long to pick someone to tip the scales. The Court was made up of Four "Progressives" (Three appointed by Wheeler and one by Long) and Four "Reactionaries" (One by Wheeler, Two by Thurmond and one by Long), so far, Owen had managed to keep the balance in favor of Huey, which allowed him to pass several of his progressive reforms despite numerous cases where Congressmen raised the matter to the Court on 10th amendment violations. Long, with the help of Johnson and his own tricks, was able to approve a Progressive, although it would be more accurate to call him a "Longist". In fact, all the three Justices appointed by Long so far were "Longists", they never voted against matters where there was the personal interest of the President involved, such as his programs. A consistent defense of the Federal Government's prerogatives was common amongst these men, and Long planned to continue to appoint those as he made his own safeguard in the Judiciary, after all he couldn't afford that years of hard work for his reforms be thrown down the drain for sake of "States' Rights". However, it wasn't just Southerners who were worried about the Executive Power's growing influence on the Court and it's activism, there were those who feared the overreaching of the Executive Power such as Senator Barry Morris Goldwater from Arizona. The defeat of both MacArthur and McCarthy has made the American right see the need to reinvent themselves with a new personality, but as of now, it could be defined by it's uncompromising opposition to Huey Long, who many saw as a Dictator in the Making, a Caesar who used populism to harvest the support of the masses and destroy the foundations of the Republic. Long did not see himself that way, neither did his supporters who by now were a majority of the American population as shown later that year.

The 1954 Midterms was a time of change in the United States, the long established party machines of the Democrats and Republicans now had to deal with an ever stronger power on the top, which unlike any other, desired to shatter both of them. Governors and Senators in the Midwest, seeing the winds shifting, quietly began changing allegiances as the first polls were coming up, many expecting a great "Fishing" for the Kingfish, from Texas to Ohio and Idaho, the center of the US was solidly switching towards Long and the President was far from idle. He wished to endear himself to the people, while avoiding major controversies, but also to suppress his enemies by using not just the FBI but the growing strength of the Presidential Office, understanding that he could not outspend the corporations he had alienated. First he would strike a blow through the "National Security Act of 1954", creating a new agency, the CIA. The Central Intelligence Agency, appointing William J. Donovan, head of the wartime OSS, as the head of this new permanent agency, made in order to "Protect the United States against foreign espionage and sabotage", namely to avoid incidents such as Pearl Harbor and the San Diego bombing by improving the American intelligence services. However, the CIA also immediately began questionable tactics as it's first named priority was to investigate potential RSHA agents within the American territory, which led to the arrest of several figures accused to be associated with the German Reich, something which was supported by the population at large, ironically by Long's opposition as they had associated themselves with Joseph McCarthy. It was also discovered that many of these figures, in contact with Fascist-aligned elements in American society, had indirect links to prominent politicians who just happened to be outspoken critics of the President. Of course, not all of them were arrested, but just being under investigation on a campaign year in a country filled with paranoia at the slightest mention of a German word was even worse than imprisonment.

Similarly, the subsequent "American Protection Act" came to officially prohibit organizations which received funding or engaged in commerce with foreign countries considered "Hostile" to the American people, a measure which was helped by the compulsory registration of such companies made by the Wheeler administration in 1941. It did not extend to just the Communist Party of the United States or the German-American Bund, but even charity organizations were closed down by these acts. German Companies such as Volkswagen, which were de facto banned due to the embargo, were now also de jure forbidden from stepping on American soil. Several companies had to either close their ties to China and the Pakt countries, or come under the watch of the FBI. One of these was the Ford Motors company, which was found to be still in association with several corporations in the Rhineland and Germania, for sake of Patriotism, the company was exposed of doing so, the subsequent crash in their shares would be a critical blow to a company which was one of the great lobbyists of Long's opposition that year. Even German movies were forbidden or heavily censored due to the propagandistic nature within them, such as the colossal "Titanic" made in 1947 which possessed Anti-Semitic and Anti-British elements included within, despite being considered by many a cinematic masterpiece of the time. These acts merely officialized several of the atitudes of the Grey Scare, while also introducing new elements which made the suppression harsher and officialized, with a certain bias towards figures which were considered Hostile, not by America but by the President.

The appeals to American Patriotism, the Growing economy, the booming living standards, the appeasement of Interventionists with a harsher line to enemy states and Long's personal "charisma" in the campaign trail which included the funding of his infamous "War Chest" would lead to nothing short than a wave of support towards him. Never before had one President benefitted so much from a Midterm election, even in the deep south there was an unexpected success with the election of the Progressive (for local standards) Judge George Wallace in Alabama. The profile of the candidates of the Populist Party was of generally young figures, war veterans, riding the wave of support for progressive legislation of the age and the popularity of the President. Many seats were won even in the Senate, while the House was swung in with several older figures retiring. The propaganda showing the novelty of the Populists was very effective to at time where many people had associated the changes coming from above to improvements towards their personal lives, from Education to Healthcare, Long now had enough support to push for more radical policies of his own benefit.

Long understood that the greatest advantage of local party machines was the extensive use of Gerrymandering of electoral districts in order to achieve a majority when there just wasn't one. After all, he was a politician from Louisiana, he knew plenty of how Gerrymandering was organized and how the 10th amendment gave the States the prerrogative to organize their own districts. However, he also saw that this was the reason why there were still many establishment politicians who could stay indefinitely in their seats when he was trying as hard as he could to break these machines, which could only go so far by using the limits of the current laws. Which is why in February 1955, the Populists in the House made a proposal to enforce that voting districts should follow the administrative boundaries of the States, which meant in practice that the entire system built over by regional machines would be turned overnight with enormous new districts following proportional representation in places such as New York City. Although there were proposals for a 22nd amendment to abolish the Electoral College, the President understood that would go in too far, besides the current system still benefitted the APP due to it's overwhelming advantage in rural areas thanks to the great investments the Federal Government made in these places. However, the proposal failed in the Congress as far too many politicians, including progressives, depended on the current system to keep their seats, that meant that the bill was doomed to fail, although it reached a close number in the House, the Populists still lacked much in party discipline when it came to voting.

Naturally that meant the next step to get his victory was to head over to the Supreme Court, Long's legal team went to work just as he appointed his fourth Justice, bringing it to a mostly friendly branch when it came to his proposals. Yet it was still reliant on Wheeler's appointees supporting Long, at least one of them had to, and upon screening the court, the President's cabinet reached the conclusion that attempting to bring the issue of Gerrymandering to the court would be a failure by 5-4, that is if he could count on all his appointees having an interpretation supportive of his own. The President still had options to ensure a friendly court, coming down to two in April 1955: Either expand the number of seats to 11, with Lincoln as precedence, or create a retirement age, which would allow him to remove two of Wheeler's appointees within a year. Both matters were fairly controversial and Huey had to choose wisely where to spend his political capital as the situation in Asia deteriorated, tensions rising in Japan and the War in Korea bringing in the fear the President held for decades that foreign entanglements could divert public attention from the problems he was facing at home. On a more positive news, living standards and GDP continued to reach new heights in the 50s, even with China and most of Europe closed down for trade, thanks to the development of small business after the harsh anti-trust actions and breaks in monopolies held by companies after the Pacific War, as well as the cheaper access to new technology such as Television. Long had the public support, so he believed that appealing to the public could win him his cause. But before he could bring in his own fight, the SCOTUS was caught in a much more complicated affair that has existed long before him.



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On the 14th of April of 1955, a decision would come out in a decisive case on the matter of Racial Segregation of Schools in America. The case "Heatherston v Board of Education", originated from an action moved by the NAACP in Arkansas, called the inherent inequality in Segregated Schools, demanding those to be considered unconstitutional on the basis of the 14th amendment. However, the Board in Arkansas defended that segregation did not produce an inherent inequality, arguing the principle of "separate but equal" was constitutionally allowed, so long as there was no legal discrimination, the States were free to make their own laws. Naturally, the two justices appointed by Thurmond agreed with the Board, the three other Justices appointed by Wheeler, initially mixed on the matter of judicial activism, decided to stand in favor of desegregation. The White House watched the proceedings very carefully through the Department of Justice. The President knew his word would carry a heavy weight on the decision as he appointed 4 of the justices, which meant that his current complacence on the Racial debate had to be decided. Right now he could weight in a precedent that would protect segregation for decades, no doubt southerners would be thankful. However, he knew his growing popularity in the North would take a hit if "his" justices voted to support a policy as despised as Segregation. Besides, if the court favored desegregation, it would allow the Federal Government to use the decision to enforce desegregation, while also making the Democrats be more easily convinced to support his Court-Packing plan by showing the Supreme court as activist entity which required "Fair and Neutral" Magistrates to direct it. Long's instruction was to "vote according to what you believe just". The case resulted in a landmark, barely achieved by a 5-4 vote, which forced desegregation on a Federal level to educational institutions by making segregation unconstitutional.

As expected by everyone even outside of America, the result of such divisive issue was to divide American society and make the matter of Civil Rights go from the edge to the center of public discourse, and yet Huey Long believed he could play both sides of this matter and gain the support of both. As the uproar consumed the southern-dominated Democratic Party, LBJ began to work his magic. While the discourse on Civil Rights was running up on the news, secret negotiations, intimidation, bribery and blackmail were ran by Long to push for what he desired. It was a very tight vote, and yet the Judicial Provisions Act of 1955 was passed with the Populists and Democrats, as well as a few Republicans, pushing to counter the Supreme Court as many southerners believed the President would counter activism in the branch while northerners believed he would be rid of the Justices holding back on the push against injustice. In the short term, indeed Long benefitted from doing his part in setting Civil Rights as an issue, with the Supreme Court expanded to 11 Justices and Long now holding 6 seats, a majority with which he could do as he wanted to protect his legislation and push against questionable acts he opposed, such as Gerrymandering. In a landmark case against Gerrymandering, the concern was raised that the practice disenfranchised local communities by separating them according to racial and economic profiles. The court, by a 7-4 vote, supported that the drawing of districts could be subject to Judicial Review if there was conclusive evidence that the districts were drawn with the intent of breaching the 14th Amendment, a similar logic to the Heatherston case where the court would intervene decisively to curtail a practice which treated citizens "unequally".

But while the President was expanding his powers, stroking fires of social discourse for his own benefit, and reforming the American Welfare system, his greatest trick by allowing the Civil Rights issue to arise was to prevent the unification of his opposition. Democrats and Republicans, after the 1954 election, had been increasingly fearful that the more dynamic Longist system, which could appeal from progressives to even certain types of conservatives under a charismatic figure, was the greatest threat American Democracy has ever faced. The continuous comparisons of Long to Caesar, Robespierre, Lenin and even Hitler were not completely unfair considering just how much he had empowered the executive office and had essentially gathered an army, in their view, of welfare recipients loyal to him. His recent "Homestead Act" as some called, made it all the more acessible the purchase of Real Estate propriety in small towns as a form to counter the Urban sprawl, which was helped by the Interstate road system, farmer subsidies, electrification and improved sanitation of the American rural areas. Long had the undying loyalty of farmers and laborers alike, despite his weakening of the Unions he did push for more favorable worker legislation and cracked down on large companies which were barely accountable by the Federal Government before him. Besides, the rumors were more and more certain that he would run for a Third term, being a moderate on the matter of Civil Rights while his opposition was being fractured by it. Northern Democrats began to defect from the party over it's southern dominance, however Populist governors such as George Wallace and Sid McMath were becoming the new trend in the south, inspired by Long's example, who helped the poor man and attempted to remain neutral on Civil Rights. Which is why the Democrats desired to stroke the flames of Racial Rhetoric in the South, using the Supreme Court as a tool of fearmongering to rally the southern whites against Long. In response, the Northern Democrats flocked to the Republicans, alienated by the new Segregationist push within the Party. The GOP was becoming the leading opposition towards Long, but they also had their own divisions as the matter of Social Welfare clashed against the growing support towards Liberal economics, first attempted by McCarthy and now pushed by men such as Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona. The Republicans were turning quite harshly against segregation, attempting to win over Northerners over Long's moderate atitudes. In this matter, the President had unleashed a monster which could tear, among other things, his own party apart.

But it was still 1956, the final year before the elections and the situation in Europe would soon give a boost to the White House. The brutal Crackdown made by the Reich against dissenting Protestants and the Catholic Church would lead to a reaction of outrage all across the Christian World. Already hostile, the Brazilian Integralists would completely cut ties with the Reich, in fact it would be Salgado who approached the United States that same year, meeting with Secretary Dean Rusk and Vice-President Patton in a summit between the so-called "Leader of the Latin Axis" and the US representative. Both sides agreed to ease the hostilities with one another and issued a joint condemnation "In the name of the Christian World" against Germania. It was the first time a leader of what some called a "Fascist Regime" had agreed to talks with America. While the opposition used the occasion to call Long an "appeaser" and "Collaborator", for most of the Americans it was seen as a positive for the US to begin making inroads to repair their relationship with other states in the Continent and reduce the threat posed by German missiles in the Caribbean, and with alcohol being more of a Taboo, the opening up of commerce with Brazil led to a boom in the consumption of cheap coffee to the American people as the South American giant was launching it's ambitious agricultural program. The reaction within America was to start associating Nazism with Paganism, although that was an element which was essentially suppressed within the Reich after Heydrich took over the SS from Himmler, there was no lack of movies which depicted the Germans as worshippers of Nordic and Germanic gods of old, while Americans were dutiful and faithful Christians. Long, who for a long time had incorporated Christian principles and references in his speeches, benefitted from this increased religious spin to the Cold War as the Election year came.

The Republicans were divided on the nomination process, McCarthy, drowned in alcohol and legal charges of slander, was not a wise choice to run. Patton had refused to run against Long, wishing to retire back after a frustrating term as Vice-President, although he achieved his goal of pushing the US towards a more active international role and continue to isolate the Reich. William Knowland, known for being a more "reasonable" right-wing leader who was pushing for an escalation in the Korean conflict to crack down on the growing Chinese influence in Asia, was the leading candidate during the nomination until the persecutions unleashed after the Victory day in Germany began to change the focus of Americans. He still continued virulently focusing on Communism and the threat of China to Korea and Japan which could reignite the Pacific War and also sabotage the efforts of the United States in supporting Russia. Knowland was also one of the leading figures of the Republicans in the Senate, which made him reconsider his Presidential bid seeing as his Asian-focused proposals and opposition to some of the more popular programs enacted by Long were pulling him down in some polls. Another Californian, Richard Nixon, was a rising name in Congress over his virulent anti-fascist stance, but he was still considered too junior as he was only able to win a seat in the 1952 elections, Nixon was also considered by some as too Conservative on the Civil Rights matter, others claiming he was too liberal in it too. There was the need for a more "reasonable" candidate after the failed bid of Douglas "Glass Germania in Nuclear Fire" MacArthur and Joseph "Everyone is Hitler except for me" McCarthy.

But before the Republicans and Democrats could convene, on the 19th of May of 1956, during a visit to Chicago, Illinois, President Huey Long, at the height of his power, would be the target of a conspiracy. While leaving the city hall, a man would pull out a pistol and fire three shots at his direction before the President's security fired back at the man, two of them missed, but one had hit the most powerful man in the Free World on his chest. He would be rushed to the hospital and stuck between Life and Death.
 
Note: I did plan on going deeper this chapter and have it be in a greater length, considering how understandably popular the US is as one of the two main players of the show. However, I have been going through some changes and life will be a little more complicated now.


Overall, it is time to think: Will Long survive an assassination for a second time? Or will this one finally kill the Kingfish? Can the Populists survive the death of their leader?
 
Nice chapter, nice work that Huey Long is doing. I hope the Populist Party can survive and thrive if Long lives or dies. If he dies and the culprit is an ideological enemy of the Populists, the party will see a major boost in power and prestige. When it comes to the race issue, I hope the Populists become strong supporters of Civil Rights, maybe the Populists can run ads about how both the Republicans and Democrats want to keep blacks down? Good that Brazil is coming to the Americans side with Germany going fully anti-christian. South America will hopefully be a much more stabler and prosperous place TTL with a strong country like Brazil to be at it's head. Keep up the good work.
 
Nice chapter, nice work that Huey Long is doing. I hope the Populist Party can survive and thrive if Long lives or dies. If he dies and the culprit is an ideological enemy of the Populists, the party will see a major boost in power and prestige. When it comes to the race issue, I hope the Populists become strong supporters of Civil Rights, maybe the Populists can run ads about how both the Republicans and Democrats want to keep blacks down? Good that Brazil is coming to the Americans side with Germany going fully anti-christian. South America will hopefully be a much more stabler and prosperous place TTL with a strong country like Brazil to be at it's head. Keep up the good work.
The thing about the Populists is that they are, above all, Longists, they go along with Huey and his proposals of a strong Executive, accessible welfare, combat on big business and... that's really it. There are southerners in the Progressive party who do not want to support Civil Rights, Long didn't even get a "Little Rock" incident yet to show how committed he actually would be towards Desegregation. Sure, there are many progressives but the focus has always been on wealth rather than race and there is not a short supply of those who would be very generous towards the Blacks when it comes to welfare and still oppose integration.

If Huey dies there isn't a very clear successor in such a young party. It could be Russel Long, it could be LBJ, but it would be a power vacuum right before an election when they stand at their best chance of getting national sympathy (aka the LBJ 1964 effect). This is a Party which never held a true convention for the Presidency yet, the first it was just Long making the Party and being unanimously supported as candidate. That's not even counting what happens if all the corruption ends up discovered, that is a sure way to make the Populists be stillborn.

And it would be hard to run ads that the Republicans want to run down the Blacks when they are the main supporters of Civil Rights as the Democrats were reduced to essentially Dixiecrats. What I could see is fear mongering on the economical aspect, the classic "they will take out your welfare and give the money to the rich".

As for Brazil, between 52 and 56 they were considered a "hostile" nation, but not a hostile nation. The Integralists are nationalists and fundamentalist Catholics who despise the US, but they hate even more the Nazis (don't even need to mention the Chinese), Salgado also personally has taken a dislike for Mussolini due to his Atheism and have better links to Portugal. Ironically, it is Ideological and religious radicalism which prevented half of South America from going straight into the Linz Pakt.
 
If Huey dies there isn't a very clear successor in such a young party. It could be Russel Long, it could be LBJ, but it would be a power vacuum right before an election when they stand at their best chance of getting national sympathy (aka the LBJ 1964 effect). This is a Party which never held a true convention for the Presidency yet, the first it was just Long making the Party and being unanimously supported as candidate. That's not even counting what happens if all the corruption ends up discovered, that is a sure way to make the Populists be stillborn.
Southern Segrigationists will mostly coalesce around the Democrats and thus their influence in the Populist Party will be reduced. LBJ might not be leader, but George Wallace certainly won't.
 

Gabingston

Kicked
Southern Segrigationists will mostly coalesce around the Democrats and thus their influence in the Populist Party will be reduced. LBJ might not be leader, but George Wallace certainly won't.
I wonder who African-Americans vote for ITTL since the Democrats are the segregationist party and the GOP has already lost the faith of Black voters. @Kaiser of Brazil, do you have any thoughts?
 
That was an incredibly nice chapter on what is happening in the US after Long wins in 1952. Hope he survives his assassination attempt, and i'm still crossing my fingers for a chapter on China and Korea, especially given it seems like a civil war has started in the latter country.
 
I wonder who African-Americans vote for ITTL since the Democrats are the segregationist party and the GOP has already lost the faith of Black voters. @Kaiser of Brazil, do you have any thoughts?
The GOP are seen as more elitist, which doesn't automatically translate to anti-black but it's easy for their anti-welfare attitude to be spun as Anti-black by the Populists. Overall the vote is roughly split with more southern blacks supportive of Long as his policies supported their communities by fighting the widespread poverty. But blacks in the East Coast and the North, less affected by segregation and richer on the average will be leaning more to the Republican Party. Huey has the black vote for now after he helped them through direct federal intervention on literacy, electrification, infrastructure and Healthcare, but it all depends of if he will survive the attempt and how he will react once southern schools refuse to desegregate.
 
Southern Segrigationists will mostly coalesce around the Democrats and thus their influence in the Populist Party will be reduced. LBJ might not be leader, but George Wallace certainly won't.
Wallace was not elected in Alabama by Race-baiting like he did after his failed 58 campaign. In an America more friendly towards his style of politician (especially in the south) and by running in 54 where Race was not as big of a factor as it was in the aftermath of the Brown Case in our world, he was able to ride in a wave of Populist governors in the Midwest and South US. Sure, he would still likely go full in the Race rhetoric if it benefits him but so would Long if it benefitted him. The Populists, as the name says, are not the most consistent of parties, they prefer to have a charismatic figure in charge and go along to win their elections.
 
The GOP are seen as more elitist, which doesn't automatically translate to anti-black but it's easy for their anti-welfare attitude to be spun as Anti-black by the Populists. Overall the vote is roughly split with more southern blacks supportive of Long as his policies supported their communities by fighting the widespread poverty. But blacks in the East Coast and the North, less affected by segregation and richer on the average will be leaning more to the Republican Party. Huey has the black vote for now after he helped them through direct federal intervention on literacy, electrification, infrastructure and Healthcare, but it all depends of if he will survive the attempt and how he will react once southern schools refuse to desegregate.
Wholesome multiracial populist Southern coalition vs Iron Front McCarthyism then?
 
Wholesome multiracial populist Southern coalition vs Iron Front McCarthyism then?
The GOP isn't full on McCarthyist yet, they still lost their last two elections with this combative stance and Joe himself has turned into a sad drunk, even if rebounded there would still have to be many changes for him to be the leading voice of the Party again. They are in a little of an identity crisis as Long holds the political initiative, which means that by declaring themselves the opposition they are just the opposite of whatever Long was doing, which is one of the reasons an attempted coalition did not work because while the Democrats are more radically opposed to the man who betrayed and manipulated them, the Republicans wouldn't risk going against Civil Rights when they have nothing to gain for it.

It's still 1956, Race is still not that big of an issue on an electoral level. The Democrats are attempting to set the south on fire by standing against Desegregation in order to win the south with some good old race-baiting, because that's really the only way they can still compete with Long in the south. Huey has spent the last 8 years winning over the poor, black and white alike, bringing more investments and benefits to the south than they ever had, while also crushing organizations which opposed him such as the KKK and fighting gerrymandering thanks for the all-clear from his Longist SCOTUS (of course, the legal team works to bring up cases of districts biased against the Populists only, districts which benefit the populists are thrown into the backlog of cases to collect dust most of the time). The man IS a very skilled politician who broke up the main lobbyists and organizations of the Democratic Party which was the dominant force in the US for almost two decades.
 
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