1920 U.S. Presidential Election

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

The year is 1920...
...and America is recovering from a world war and an economic downturn. The legend of Teddy Roosevelt came crashing down with his death in 1919. Now, the nation, headed by the embattled President Norris faces the prospect of choosing a new leader. The Republicans, hoping to maintain a hold on their incredibly long time in power, have nominated war hero and Roosevelt friend Leonard Wood for President. The Democrats, hoping to appeal to progressives, urban voters, and the North, have nominated Senator Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana and Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York for President and Vice President respectively. The Democrats have chosen the line "Return to Normalcy" to describe their wish to return America to its pre-war state. Marhsall himself is touting his record as a pro-labor, pro-reform liberal in the state of Indiana. Meanwhile, the Socialists have nominated Eugene Debs--running from jail where President Roosevelt put him--once again for President.

The Republican platform includes the lowering of federal taxes from their wartime high, continued enforcement of progressive Republican trust laws, and a foreign policy including international disarmament. The Democrats as well are running on lowering wartime taxes including tariffs, a "Return to Normalcy" in American foreign policy, as well as limited American participation in the League of Nations. The Democrats also promise a revitalization of America and its economy in the post-war era and a new set of urban programs (largely the product of the Smith wing). Meanwhile Debs, running from jail, is nonetheless waging an aggressive campaign via surrogates and may pick up support from those tired of the talk of foreign policy.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

C'mon dawgs. Less than a day to go here.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

This thing is closing at about seven or eight thirty.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

...And after years of trying, the Socialists finally get the Oval Office, and this time with a majority. Woo freakin' hoo.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

What a truly awful country. I gotta say it. I'm glad I don't live here. And yet... I am its deity. The clockmaker who makes things run. This puts me in an interesting position.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

If you want to use this map...

You and I both know who controls the map making here.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

The 1920 United States Presidential Election
In probably the greatest left-wing victory seen in the country since the days of Thomas Jefferson's >70% popular vote victory in 1804, Eugene Debs, on a Socialist platform, was elected President of the United States of America with the first popular vote majority since Samuel Tilden in 1876. As far as anyone knew, a new day had coem in America.

Mr. Eugene V. Debs (Socialist-Indiana)/Mr. Seymour Stedman (Socialist-Illinois) 396 electoral votes, 52.5% of the popular vote
Senator Thomas R. Marshall (Democrat-Indiana)/Governor Alfred E. Smith (Democrat-New York)103 electoral votes, 26.2% of the popular vote
Major General Leonard Wood (Republican-New Hampshire)/Governor John Calvin Coolidge (Republican-Massachusetts) 32 electoral votes, 21.3% of the popular vote

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I love how that statement implies that Thomas Jefferson was a leftist.

As opposed to John Adams? Hell yeah. The largely recognized alignment of the time had been that the Federalists represented the land-owners, military, and moneyed interests, the "conservatives". Meanwhile, the Democratic-Republicans represented the lower classes, immigrants, and so on. Yes, the landed gentry did swing to the Democratic Republicans a few years later, but the alignment that was recognized at the time was that the Federalists were conservative and the Republicans the liberals.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

In 1800, a Connecticut woman who supported the Federalists (though voter would be a bit strong of a word) told a Republican friend of hers to hide her Bible in case Jefferson won (and following that, banned the Bible). "They'd never check your house for it! You're a Republican!" I hope that properly demonstrates how things were back then.