Truman Wins in 1952, Ike Runs as a Democrat in '56

With a POD in 1952 it would be almost impossible to have Truman win barring a miracle, so I'm going to set the POD at no earlier than Truman's re-election in 1948. He has to win re-election in 1952, with Ike running as a Democrat to succeed him in 1956 (Ike doesn't have to win, though I imagine he's too popular not to).

How can this be brought about, and what would the effects be? I imagine the Korean war has to be butterflied or go a lot better for Truman to have decent approval ratings. Though assuming he runs against Taft in 1952, could Ike endorse him? Assuming then Eisenhower doesn't have a heart attack in 1955 due to not having the stress of the presidency, could he seek the Democratic nomination in 1956?
 
Maybe Truman accepts MacArthur's offer using nukes? I see no other way for the Korean War to end quickly.

As for Ike running as a Democrat in 1956, the only reason he thought of running as a Democrat IOTL was because he was scared of Taft. By 1956, Taft was dead. Maybe McCarthy runs for President in 1956?
 
Maybe Truman accepts MacArthur's offer using nukes? I see no other way for the Korean War to end quickly.

As for Ike running as a Democrat in 1956, the only reason he thought of running as a Democrat IOTL was because he was scared of Taft. By 1956, Taft was dead. Maybe McCarthy runs for President in 1956?

What about MacArthur seeking the republican nomination? Eisenhower disliked MacArthur immensely.
 
What about MacArthur seeking the republican nomination? Eisenhower disliked MacArthur immensely.

Never in a million years. Everyone hated his politics that would only be equalled with the rise of Goldwater and Reagan. He advocated for nuking Korea, and he turned the Bonus Army into a huge disaster.
 
Never in a million years. Everyone hated his politics that would only be equalled with the rise of Goldwater and Reagan. He advocated for nuking Korea, and he turned the Bonus Army into a huge disaster.

Perhaps MacArthur is picked for VP then for whoever runs on the GOP ticket in 1956, like Taft had promised to do in 1952?
 
We don't intervene in either Iran or Guatemala, especially since John Foster Dulles is not Secretary of State and Allen Dulles is not head of the CIA. Maybe even with the death of Stalin during Truman's third term, the U.S. and USSR end up (?) competing in the Third World in terms of genuine economic development. optimistic, but maybe could happen. Would be a great deal for the Third World!
*Stalin died March 5, 1953.

No idea how to avoid Korean War with POD of 1948.
 
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The scenario I once considered for Truman winning in 1952 is for Stalin to die earlier (say in late 1951) and for his successors to agree to end the Korean War soon after his death. Then, with a less tense world situation, Eisenhower might decide not to run in 1952. With the war over, Truman, though still probably unpopular, will not be nearly as unpopular as he was in 1952 in OTL, and might have a chance of beating Taft.

But I just don't see Ike running in 1956, especially as a Democrat.
 
How do you get Eisenhower to become a Democrat? You could have as an opportunist realize that with the booming economy, it is good to run on the President's party.
 
How do you get Eisenhower to become a Democrat? You could have as an opportunist realize that with the booming economy, it is good to run on the President's party.

I'm guessing Truman choosing him as his VP in 52 and Ike accepting due to a fear of Taft is out of the question?
 
Yes he did. He was approached by both parties.
His support in the Democratic Party though was rather shallow compared to his support in the Republican Party. Eisenhower during the '48 election never really gave a serious response to those who were trying to organize the delegations around him until the Convention was about to meet, whereas with the Republicans he had to make strenuous denials early, January of that year, on account of a grassroots movement that was putting him on the primary ballots. Four years later it was again among Republicans where he was strongest.
 
His support in the Democratic Party though was rather shallow compared to his support in the Republican Party. Eisenhower during the '48 election never really gave a serious response to those who were trying to organize the delegations around him until the Convention was about to meet, whereas with the Republicans he had to make strenuous denials early, January of that year, on account of a grassroots movement that was putting him on the primary ballots. Four years later it was again among Republicans where he was strongest.

But if he tried to run as a Democrat, he would win. Of course, you need a reason for him running as a Democrat first.
 
and let's say Ike doesn't seek re-election in '60 due to health reasons. But in part because he thereby avoids the lame duck effect, he has a very successful one-term presidency.

Alright, so how do the Republicans establish themselves as a centrist party?
 
But if he tried to run as a Democrat, he would win. Of course, you need a reason for him running as a Democrat first.
Problem is that he was never the front-runner in any poll conducted where he was included in a Democratic primary. In all likelihood he would have had a worse showing in the '52 Democratic primaries than he had in the '52 Republican primaries, though still competitive, and he would be relying on the Party Bosses to deliver the nomination to him. Considering that he was already iffy on the New Deal and both the Democratic base and political establishment sought to expand upon it, I'm not sure he would have been able to attain a majority the way Stevenson had.
 
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