The United States: 'Prophets of a New Order'

Updates may start becoming sparser for a short while. Classwork's picking up, but I'll still update as regularly as I can. Expect the next one tonight.

GeneralHannibal: Well, the last Congressional elections were in '34, and quite a bit has managed to change since then. It's quite possible some of those Democrats/Republicans could be closet Synidcalists or Nationals. They have reelections to consider. How many Southern Democrats, Midwest politicians, or Great Plains Republicans will survive in the altered political climate?

Faeelin: It does use Garner. I modded it because I thought Garner was a stupid choice. Curtis was a pretty stupid choice too, but the Republicans were going to lose hard no matter what. When dissent is in the thirties, IC at 0, and international standing virtually non-existent, Mr. "Traditionalist/Conservative" isn't the way to go.

Nathan Madien: I almost forgot, too. o

Sir Humphrey: Huzzah!

Quanto: Well, Reed and Long aren't going to sit around quietly while Roosevelt does whatever he wants, that's for sure. Quite a few people in Congess are going to be third party candidates.

Kurt_Steiner: It would. "Oh dear me, we didn't win this year. Better luck next time."

Milites: By and large, it is. It's more a problem regarding the electoral system, which is winner-take-all. The National strategy of refusing to put Reed on the ballot backfired in this case. The few Syndicalists there were in Florida decided "Hey, let's vote Roosevelt instead!" Keep in mind we're talking about, at most, 1-2% differences in electoral results, so Florida is hardly accurate to be called "Democratic."

Enewald: Roosevelt/Curtis/MacArthur?

DavidK: How is this situation in any way comparable to the OTL?

Reed essentially has de facto control over the cities, industrial towns, etc from New York to St. Louis, while Long has support in every corner of the country

Viden: That may be a rather accurate comparison, yes.

Arilou: Often true. MacArthur was serious about enacting martial law, after all.

December 1936: Choosing the President

The United States House of Representatives reconvened on December 1 1936 for a special session. Their task was to determine who would be inaugurated as the next President on January 20. As per the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution, only the top three candidates: Roosevelt, Long, and Reed would be in the running. It was the first time since 1824 that the House had been required to choose the president, when John Quincy Adams had been picked over front-runner Andrew Jackson in the infamous 'corrupt bargain.' Should history repeat itself as the House spectacle unfolded, many feared the result would be far less peaceful.

The Representatives who convened in Washington on December 1 were a vastly different batch than those who would imminently be taking their places the next year. The midterm congressional elections had occurred before either the Syndicalists or Nationals had formed into a cohesive political party, but the intervening two years had not been kind to their constituencies. Many, sensing the winds of political change blowing, had defected to the third-parties, and others' loyalty to the Republican and Democratic parties were suspect at best.

Of the three candidates, only Long and Roosevelt stood realistic chances of gaining the majority needed. Representatives voted not as individuals, but as parts of a state, each of which possessed a single vote. The combined total of Syndicalist states, generously including New York, New Jersey, Missouri and West Virginia, was only enough to give him 23% of the vote. Long could rely on a sizable percentage of Southern states, and perhaps the Great Plains and Rockies states. Enough states could perhaps be cobbled together to form coalitions, but many commentators predicted a deadlock may ensue, especially depending on how 'lame duck' Republicans voted.

Presiding over this potential powder-keg was Speaker of the House Henry Rainey. An Illinois Democrat, Rainey had lost his bid for reelection to his Syndicalist challenger. Faced with what was essentially the end of his political career, Rainey determined to ingratiate himself to Roosevelt. Exerting both influence and his power as Speaker, Rainey quickly brought the matter to a vote. After counting all the ballots by state, it was immediately obvious that Roosevelt had no cause for alarm. Neither Long nor Reed had managed to convert nearly enough Congressmen, and many Republicans remained loyal to the old party system. One of the most momentous decisions in American political history was decided by a landslide, and in a single ballot.

House of Representatives Vote (by State)

Franklin Roosevelt:..41
John Reed:............2
Huey Long:............5
TOTAL:...............48​

Although some could rightly criticize the lopsidedness of the vote and the rapidity with which it was conducted, there could be no accusations of a 'corrupt bargain.' Roosevelt had been the clear leader in the electoral and popular votes, and praised the decision as a victory for the 'forces of moderation'. Hoover and Curtis were pleased that their insistence that the 'will of the people be made prime' in the House’s decision-making process had been heeded. Long grudgingly accepted the results, taking solace in the fact that he had gained enough Congressional seats to remain a potent force in Washington, and that Reed had come out even worse. Indeed, the Syndicalist leader was rightly frustrated. His lead in electoral votes had been thwarted only by the thinnest of margins in New York, in the most notoriously corrupt voting districts. Reed grumbled darkly that perhaps 'extreme measures' would need to be enacted. Everyone hoped that it was just talk.