Garner was quite popular among the Democratic base. After all, he was long considered a frontrunner for the 1940 nomination, even as his break with FDR was known.
He'd certainly be the 1936 nominee under such circumstances. As of his government, he'd probably act similarly to FDR in the first year or two (since they were initially in agreement). However, not on such scale. For him, that would be more an emergency measures than any deep reforms.
Yes this.
You have to remember that FDR was actually campaigning as a critic of Hoover's enormous deficits in 1932. His 1932 campaign was actually to THE RIGHT of Al Smith's 1928 campaign, who ran on a platform very similar to the New Deal BEFORE the Depression (Smith's right wing turn would come a bit later, in the mid 1930s). Many people say that FDR took ideas from Hoover, it'd be more fair to say that he took them from Smith. Many considered FDR's tenure as Governor to be Smith's spiritual fifth and sixth terms. While FDR was already a pretty liberal politician by that time (he was probably one of only a very few Anti-Tammany Hall reformers who had good intentions and wasn't motivated by anti-Irish bigotry), dealing with the Great Depression pushed him way to the left into what would've been (at the time) considered borderline socialist territory. And mind, he was President and Garner was Vice President.
Very true.
During the campaign, FDR actually used a lot of a small-government rhetoric (
Government - Federal and State and local - costs too much or
eliminate unnecessary functions of Government), while Garner accused Hoover of "leading the country down the path of socialism".
Hoover is reputed to have said, as he was just to leave office, that Roosevelt "will continue my work", though Mechaman is right to point out Smith administration inspired the Democrats more than weak actions by Hoover.
As of Smith turn, his personal resentments toward Roosevelt after the 1932 nomination battle certainly played a part in his later turn to the right.
