US Presidential Elections November 1938

One of the main reasons preventing the US Government of the day getting more involved earlier in the escalating issues in Europe and subsequent war, was the perceived lack of support in the US for involvement.

This in turn prevented the US Government of the day from getting as involved as they might have wished.

Given a POD of a Presidential Election in Nov 1938 instead of 1940 what could the then president / US Gov be able to do

Provide greater support / sell more stuff / start to rearm at a faster rate?

Provide greater Pressure on Italy?

Even declare war on Germany alongside Britain and France?
 
What would prompt breaking a tradition of a century and a half of quadriennial elections? :confused:

I've absolutely no idea - I am coming at it from the results of it, not what resulted in it.

A massive scandal implicating the then government (and opposition?) - perhaps in the 1920s

The effect of WW1 and the Spanish Flu results in the elections being suspended for 2 years

But I'm not as interested in exploring that only the impact of an earlier presidential elections having on decision making of the US Gov in the period 1939 - 1942.
 
If the Amendment for a single, 6-term president were passed with 1920 as the first of these elections and then repealed (like Prohibition) because of the Great Depression, FDR would be elected in 1932 and then could run for a 4-year term in 1938, with Harding/Coolidge in '20 and Coolidge not running in '26 so Hoover wins.

Part of the issue will be the military buildup in such a scenario. There will will need to be time to build it up to the point where America can be powerful enough - the lessons of WWI would still be there of how hard it was for America to get to a war footing.

You'd maybe get Selective Service a year early, as the problems in Europe continue, but you'd still have midterms in '40. I suspect America would wait till early '41 to declare war, much as Wilson waited till 1917, then when Germany starts U-boat attacks, the first sign of an attack in June (or whenever it is TTL) would bring bout a DoW.

(Wonder if it's still Gerner in '38 and Wallace in '42 or Wallace in '38 because Ganer figure he'll challenge FDR since it was for FDR the AAmendment was repealed - ironic because it's put in place for one Roosevelt and repealed for another. Either way, GOP wins HUGE in '46.)
 
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