I don't think anyone IOTL is saying he was a Fascist. Unfortuneatly I don't think he really even knew what Corporativism is, just like everyone one else in America.
What is this forum's view on Huey Long?
- Thread starter Hero-King Marth
- Start date
ALL HAIL PRESIDENT LONG! LONG LIVE THE AMERICAN UNION STATE!
I see someone has been playing Kaiserreich
...I beg your pardon?
Eh, in my opinion at least Castro left a questionable legacy much like Long, both of whom did both good and bad things, though Castro did worse things than Long.
This is a discussion that's been had a lot recently, and I doubt I can say much interesting, but comparing Cuba under him to Cuba under Batista, I'd say there's a strong case he did more good than harm....I beg your pardon?
GiantMonkeyMan
Banned
When people talk about Long as a 'dictator' what specifically did he do to deserve the title?
He had a rather strong grip over the state Louisiana, more-so than any governor in the past or present. He was also incredibly ruthless to his enemies.
Anyways, I'm surprised that quite a few people like Long! I myself like Long but was afraid of saying so because most places I go view him as a evil dictator or even a Fascist. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one!
GiantMonkeyMan
Banned
Having a 'strong grip' doesn't mean having dictatorial power. And there are many degrees of 'ruthless'. I mean, some people earlier compared him to Fidel Castro but he didn't come to power in a revolution to overthrow a brutal, corrupt dictator and then become a dictator himself, he came to power in an election, presumably. You can say a lot of things about representative democracy here and how it's just a little bit shite but by the common understanding of 'dictator', it doesn't seem he fits at all. Of course, a lot of people, for some bizarre reason, claim Hugo Chavez was a dictator.
So basically, what I'm asking for is specifics and maybe citations from anyone who's read more into him about what exactly it is that he did or avoided doing that make some consider him a dictator.
There are dozens of Long supporters here and in other forums (like the paradox one and star destroyer), and just like you, they usually are too afraid to say in public that they support Huey
Anyway, I found something you may like, it is the first modern recording of "Every men a king", sadly it is just instrumental:
Edit: You will also like this:
As someone who doesn't kiss the feet of dead tyrants I'll explain. He may have been elected, but these elections were no more legitimate than the elections Kim Jong Un or Saddam Hussein did. In one infamous case, dozens of precincts in one election that Long favored one side were unanimous, and many more had identical vote totals. Even in Long's rigged system, the courts found hundreds of election officials guility of rigging that was even excessively beyond the pale in the Dixiecrat south, where in one example South Carolina was described as having similar political freedoms to East Germany. One precinct in his senatorial run had 913 votes, when there were 912 people total (children and disenfranchised blacks included) in the census conducted that year! (All for Long, naturally). When a congressman died and the state Govermnet (Long controlled) refused to hold an election, causing the residents to effectively revolt and riot as the Long controlled state party declined then to hold a primary and appointed a new representative (as there were no other candidates on the ballot) This was too much even for the federal Govermnet, so they annulled the election and forced a new one to take place, with a less perfered candidate being elected.
And that's literally only the elections. There is the monumentus corruption, use of martial law to crush dissent, and deploying the national guard to crush revolts and far, far more.
He suppressed and kicked his opposition out of Louisiana and literally kicked the Lieutenant Governor out of his post because he wasn't pliant.
As someone who has read "The Falcon Cannot Hear", Long seemed like a bad guy. But in opinion he really wasn't, he seems to me to be an anomaly of a politician, and an interesting character.
Mixed opinion. On the one hand, I'm not a fan of the use of dictator-esque tactics (I'd hesitate to call him an actual dictator). On principle, that is: even an actually benevolent dictator only comes to power by ignoring democracy, meaning that the people at the mercy of whoever becomes dictator when the benevolent one goes the way of all flesh.
On the other hand... He did do a great deal for the people of his state, especially those people who needed things done the most. And I'd far prefer him over some of the obnoxious thugs who were big names in Southern politics of the era.
On the other hand... He did do a great deal for the people of his state, especially those people who needed things done the most. And I'd far prefer him over some of the obnoxious thugs who were big names in Southern politics of the era.