William Jennings Bryan wins...in 1908

He lost to Taft by a pretty decent score in the electoral college, but by only 8 points nationally. He lost a lot of ground when he flip-flopped by first coming out in favor of nationalizing the railroads, but then withdrawing his proposal when Teddy Roosevelt spoke out against him.

With a change of 46,000 votes nationwide, or a 0.3% total, he wins. How does a WJB administration in 1908 coming on the heels of a TR administration look like? Can Bryan govern effectively as President of a nation that voted eight points in favor of his opponent? Is TR likely to return in 1912?
 

maverick

Banned
This is really hard considering that the 1908 election was his worst defeat...

He could try with the nationalization program, but I doubt he'd have much support...

More Interestingly, how would his foreign policy be like? would Wilson be his Secretary of State? probably not...how about Baker?

No Dollar diplomacy? how about the crisis with Nicaragua over the proposed German canal in the country? Would an anti-Imperialist sponsor a coup in Nicaragua? Would the empire built by McKinley and Roosevelt be abandoned? Bryan might leave the Philippines even with the guerrillas there...

Then there's the trustbusting, for which Taft was famous, He could continue with that and combine it with nationalization and maybe some kind of other populist policies in support of farmers and workers, though it might be too late for the Gold vs Silver debate he was famous for in the 1890s...

Finally, I think that Theodore Roosevelt come backs and wins in 1912, enters WWI on the Entente side in 1915, the war is won in late 1916 with a peace deal brokered by TR and General Frederic Funston or Leonard Wood win in 1920...
 
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