WI: Eisenhower runs as a democrat

RousseauX

Donor
In otl Eisenhower ran as a Republican in 1952 largely because he thought the Truman administration was a mess and didn't want to deal with defending their past policies.

What if he was a bit more left leaning economically and decide on running as a democrat to defend the new deal? In OTL Eisenhower seems to have eventually turned against the new deal and most people don't know this but he was Ronald Reagan's principal political mentor. Maybe in atl he is a much more committed new dealer.

Given his personal popularity he probably still wins in 1952 and Democrats get their 6th term in the whitehouse with a democratic congress.

Does Eisenhower still nationalize the national guard at little rock? The Republicans are likely to be in power in the 1960s in this scenario given incumbency fatigue at 28 years of Democratic rule by 1960. How does this affect the counter-culture and the historical turn of the GOP towards conservatism?
 
If Ike was going to run as a Democrat, he would be much more likely to do so in 1948--when Democrats ranging from ADA liberals to big city bosses to southern segregationists were begging him to do so--than in 1952.

Eisenhower's only real problem with the GOP was his distrust of what he considered the isolationism of its Taft wing. On domestic issues he was not much out of line with most Republicans--after conferring with Taft he even noted that Taft was to the left of him on housing.
 
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Side question- could a different military man had run as a Democrat to thwart his ambitions?
I wouldn't necessarily call Eisenhower ambitious, but George Marshall would probably be your best bet for an alternative Democratic military president. A surviving Patton and, of course, Douglas MacArthur are also potential candidates, but I can't imagine them running as Democrats.
 

bguy

Donor
I wouldn't necessarily call Eisenhower ambitious, but George Marshall would probably be your best bet for an alternative Democratic military president. A surviving Patton and, of course, Douglas MacArthur are also potential candidates, but I can't imagine them running as Democrats.

Marshall was famously apolitical. He didn't even think it was appropriate for commissioned officers to vote for president. Moreover he got a very Shermanesque statement upon being made Secretary of State.

I am assuming that the office of Secretary of State, at least under present conditions, is nonpolitical and I am going to govern myself accordingly. I will never become involved in political matters, and therefore I cannot be considered a candidate for political office.

The popular conception that no matter what a man says he can be drafted as a candidate for some political office would be without any force with regard to me. I cannot be drafted for any political office.

As such the only way you might be able to get Marshall to run would be if Truman died sometime between January 21, 1947 (the day Marshall became Secretary of State) and July 18, 1947 (the day the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 was signed), at which point Marshall would become President. (The vice presidency being vacant following the ascent of Truman to the presidency and Secretary of State being next in the line of succession at that time in accordance with the Presidential Succession Act of 1886.) If Marshall is already president then he might feel honor bound to run for reelection but even then I could easily see him pledging to just finish out Truman's term and vowing not to run for reelection.
 
As such the only way you might be able to get Marshall to run would be if Truman died sometime between January 21, 1947 (the day Marshall became Secretary of State) and July 18, 1947 (the day the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 was signed), at which point Marshall would become President. (The vice presidency being vacant following the ascent of Truman to the presidency and Secretary of State being next in the line of succession at that time in accordance with the Presidential Succession Act of 1886.) If Marshall is already president then he might feel honor bound to run for reelection but even then I could easily see him pledging to just finish out Truman's term and vowing not to run for reelection.
The Stern Gang sent bombs to the Truman White House in summer of 1947.
 
. . . The Republicans are likely to be in power in the 1960s in this scenario given incumbency fatigue at 28 years of Democratic rule by 1960. . .
I agree that a return to the plain ol' boring two-party system is the most likely outcome, even after 28 years. But I think they'd be a number of other intriguing possibilities.

Not that these would necessarily work any better!
 
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