William Jennings Bryan retires in 1894, effects on the Democratic Party?

I'm reading A Godly Hero right now, and at the end of chapter 2 it recounts how his wife, Mary Baird Bryan, asked him to retire to law practice and quit politics. Now while Bryan wasn't the type to quit, in that moment declaring "...I was born to this life and I must continue to fight the battles of the people for what I think is just and right", he also was young and could afford to take time off. Lets assume he does so and never really parlays back into politics. What would happen to the Democratic Party and America over the next 20 years?

Again, while Bryan was important in the transformation of the Bourbon laissez-faire Democrats into his camp of silverites, suffragettes, and reformers, he wasn't the only man with soaring rhetoric or a following and it would have likely happened without him. But obviously things wouldn't be quite the same without the Great Commoner. What would the immediate changes (like Presidential nominees in 1896, 1900, and 1908) and long term changes (the New Deal and co.)?
 
Again, while Bryan was important in the transformation of the Bourbon laissez-faire Democrats into his camp of silverites, suffragettes, and reformers, he wasn't the only man with soaring rhetoric or a following and it would have likely happened without him.


Might have happened too late though.

Had the Dems still been a conservative party when TR reached the White House, a lot of liberals might have switched permanently to the Republicans (as, OTL, a lot of conservative Dems did after Bryan got control of the party) and this pattern, once established, might have proved impossible to undo. Later Progressive Dems might have found themselves unable to win control of their party, and drifted off to the Republicans.
 
Might have happened too late though.

Had the Dems still been a conservative party when TR reached the White House, a lot of liberals might have switched permanently to the Republicans (as, OTL, a lot of conservative Dems did after Bryan got control of the party) and this pattern, once established, might have proved impossible to undo. Later Progressive Dems might have found themselves unable to win control of their party, and drifted off to the Republicans.

Essentially reversing the perceived roles of the two parties as they are today? Interesting.

I'm going to do some more homework on this idea, and come back with my thoughts.
 
Might have happened too late though.

Had the Dems still been a conservative party when TR reached the White House, a lot of liberals might have switched permanently to the Republicans (as, OTL, a lot of conservative Dems did after Bryan got control of the party) and this pattern, once established, might have proved impossible to undo. Later Progressive Dems might have found themselves unable to win control of their party, and drifted off to the Republicans.

If you really want to reverse the parties, I think you are going to need to have a Republican President other than Roosevelt. TR was great when it came to reaching out to the public, but he was not nearly the party organizer which he could have been.

POD: Robert LaFollette, a staunch supporter of McKinley, wins the Republican nomination for governor, and the governorship, in 1898, two years earlier than OTL (and it was a close convention). After two years, McKinley makes known his wish that LaFollette be his VP candidate in the 1900 election. He wins, but takes the fateful trip to Buffalo.

We now have a liberal Republican President who is as good at Roosevelt in mobilizing public opinion, but who is far superior to Roosevelt in the nitty gritty of party organization. During his two terms in office (assuming he doesn't go for a third which, honestly, I wouldn't put past RML) he builds up a successful Progressive coalition within the Republican Party using patronage, public appearances and more political tricks. By 1912, the conservative Republicans have been largely marginalized within their own party, although they continue to be an influential voting bloc.

Despite defections of Senator Roosevelt and other pro-war Republicans, the Republicans stay out of WW1, getting involved in Mexico instead. As a result of the quagmire, the Democrats secure the Presidency in 1920 and become the face of the conservative Roaring 20s.

in 1932, Phil LaFollette, son of the former President, and also a governor of Wisconsin, secures the Presidency (becoming the youngest President in American history) and launches his "American Idea" which ends the Great Depression.
 
One thing that stuck with me from A Godly Hero was that before 1896 only 3rd party candidates really ran for office. The big two candidates would stay home and let their parties do the work, while men like James Weaver wanted to spread his party's ideals and plant them in people minds. Bryan braking that in 1896 and 1900, plus with Roosevelt in 1900, ended the tradition of unpersonable candidates. No longer could men like Cleveland simply have a good character and let everyone else do the work of campaigning, they had to be themselves more personable and be more involved.

Would that continue onward without Bryan, or would personality candidacy eventually form in some way later?
 
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