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The Second Reconstruction-A Post-Civil War Kaiserreich USA Quest

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[X] Risk calling his bluff and allow him to run

[X] New York
[X] Pennsylvania
[X] Virginia

To hell with Byrd! Give Byrd the bird!
 
Personally guys, if your saying to hell with Byrd, could you at least not waste money on his home state. That's his home turf, he's popular enough there to win very comfortably and even if he wasn't he still has more than enough contacts to rig it
 
[X] Make a deal to moderate Olson's stance on Unions

[X] New York

[X] Texas

[X] Pennsylvania

The labor bill was always going to be difficult to pass through Congress, and of our options being offered this seems the least objectionable. After all, we can say what we like now; we can always make "concessions" to the SPA later.

For the campaign, this is simply the most logical strategy. New York and Pennsylvania are must-wins, while Texas has the biggest shot of keeping Long out of contention if things go to the House.
 
[X] Make a deal to moderate Olson's stance on Unions
[X] This seems like an attention seeking ploy by Byrd, just offer him a spot in cabinet


[X] New York

[X] Texas

[X] Pennsylvania
Revoting to show support :p.

Also can't be bothered to look for my last one
 
Scrapknight507 said:
[X] Make a deal to moderate Olson's stance on Unions

[X] New York

[X] Texas

[X] Pennsylvania

The labor bill was always going to be difficult to pass through Congress, and of our options being offered this seems the least objectionable. After all, we can say what we like now; we can always make "concessions" to the SPA later.

For the campaign, this is simply the most logical strategy. New York and Pennsylvania are must-wins, while Texas has the biggest shot of keeping Long out of contention if things go to the House.
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If that last sentence is based on my earlier post, that would only be the case if Byrd ran. In a threeway between Olson, Long, and Reed, Long will certainly carry the overwhelming bulk of the south, with the southern states we have the potential to win essentially being hangers on via inertia. The Constitution as it stands says that if there is a tie or nobody gets a majority of the Electoral College, the winner is chose by state delegation out of the top three candidates so if these are the only 3 major candidates its basically irrelevant. If Byrd were to run then we could say goodbye to hangers on states which may have been able to have been dragged along by the National Unity ticket but Byrd's hardline segregationist stance could reverse a significant amount of the progress Long has made in the South by striking at a fundamental faultline in Long's coalition, ie race, which could conceivably result in Byrd becoming No. 3 rather than Long. Either Long would have to give up on his nominal race neutral credentials entirely and fight a knock down drag out machine race against Byrd, or he'd be campaigning in the South as a non-segregationist against a segregationist. While Byrd probably wouldn't even be able to get on the ticket outside of the South, and Long having some support outside of it, it's still really hard for Long to shake the perception of being a sectional candidate and Byrd running forces Long to either become a totally sectional candidate to preserve his base or risk losing most of the progress he's made in flipping the South.

TL;DR Byrd running would meaningfully decrease the chances of Olson winning, but could also conceivably lock Long completely out of the Presidency.
 
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[x] Make a deal to allow segregation into the Fair Deal

No whitewashing Fedposting please
 
[X] Reiterate Olson's plan to rely on the cabinet, which has been promised to include Southerners

[x] New York
[x] Pennsylvania
[x] New Jersey
 
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  • Voting
    • And that is a wrap on voting for the 1936 Presidential Election! I'll have one more update going over the results of these votes and anymore lose ends then an election day update that will even include a map. Thank you for your patience and participation so far in this quest.

    Scheduled vote count started by Jeeshadow on Dec 11, 2021 at 3:46 AM, finished with 44 posts and 32 votes.
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    1936 Campaign
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    • "His Flag is Crimson Red"​



    Senator Byrd on the Campaign Trail    ​

    Roosevelt met with Senator Byrd with the goal of reiterating the existing compromise and reassuring Byrd that Olson was willing to compromise based on the promised cabinet government. But as Byrd would recount to the press, he asked why he should believe Olson would be willing to compromise in power when he was unwilling to do so already. Whatever Roosevelt's answer, it was clearly unsatisfactory. Byrd would then call a press conference and announce he was running for President himself with the proclamation, "Governor Olson may claim he is a defender of America, but we all know his flag's crimson red." The three way race was now a four way one.

    With Byrd now in the race, the remains of the Southern Democratic Party machine would swing their support behind him with vigor. They had never been particularly sold on Olson, only backing him due to Garner and a lack of other options yet with Byrd in the race, even Garner recognized Byrd had a better chance of beating Long in Texas than Olson did. Many figured that without the South, Olson simply wouldn't be able to make it to 266 and the election would go to the House. If Byrd could edge out Long for third, surely the House would choose him over the socialists. A poll by the Literary Digest would seem to confirm that their readers, and thus the American people, preferred Byrd over all the other choices.

    Yet a simple look at the electoral map showed the truth, while Olson's path to victory was far narrower without the South, it was certainly not impossible and would in fact come down to what it may have all along, the Midwest and Northeast.


    The Governor of Kansas was a crucial Olson surrogate    ​

    If Long had any hope of coming first in the electoral count, it lay with winning the plains states. He had spent a lot of effort and his platform certainly had support within those states. Long's selection of a South Dakotan as VP certainly made clear he understood the region's importance. Reed as well certainly had hoped he could replicate his success in the rest of the Midwest and hopefully win Iowa and even Olson's own home state. Byrd even went so far as to work to get his name on the ballot, despite the tight deadline, clearly hoping that he could carve out his own place as the only conservative on the ballot.

    Yet Olson had an advantage the other candidates lacked. The Plain States had long been a bastion of the Republican Party and Roosevelt was the only Republican on the Presidential ballot. While a progressive New York Republican may not have been the most ideal candidate for the region, the rest of the party was more than willing to take up the slack. National Republican politicians campaigned heavily in the region, with Vice President Curtis and Governor Alf Landon spending a huge amount of time in their home state of Kansas. Olson would make several stops in his home state of Minnesota to ensure it wouldn't fall into Reed's column, forming an awkward alliance with the state Republican who had served as his main opposition as Governor. Also, despite Olson's decision to steal from 'Share the Wealth' to undercut Long may have been doomed by Byrd in the South, it still held potential against Long in the Midwest. While the Democrats may have started to fracture, it was clear the Republican Party stood firm behind the coalition.


    Senator Wagner would once again play a vital role    ​

    The two largest states were not in the Midwest, instead they lay on the East Coast. New York and Pennsylvania were the big prizes of the day and Olson had to win them both if he had any hope of winning without the South, while Reed would only need to take one. If he could take those states, New Jersey, and his traditional strongholds it was possible he could even edge out Olson for the most EVs. Knowing this, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were the priorities of the Olson campaign. Olson and Reed would spend a lot of time both in Pennsylvania, meeting and wooing various labor leaders in order to win their endorsements, and hopefully members, to the cause.

    An even bigger battle would be fought for control of New York. Reed, Thomas, and Roosevelt claimed the state as their home and they would spend all the time they could in it. Both campaigns would hold huge rallies and make nonstop train tours of even the smallest towns. Desperate to ensure the coalition would hold in New York, Olson would spend a lot of time meeting with Democratic Party officials, including Governor Lehman and most controversially would join Senator Wagner in meeting with the bosses of Tammany Hall. His efforts would work, with Roosevelt delivering the Republicans while Wagner and Lehman kept the Democrats in line, which wasn't particularly hard considering Tammany Hall and Southern Democrats were often at odds. Even the former Governor Al Smith could campaign heavily for Olson. Yet New York was far from being a sure bet for Olson's column. Norman Thomas and the SPA control the New York City government and Thomas had almost beaten Lehman in the last statewide election. The SPA put all their organizing into the state, specifically New York City, heading into November in high hopes that they could carry the State. It seemed as though Reed's face was on every street corner…
     
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    • Jeeshadow said:
    But as Byrd would recount to the press, he asked why he should believe Olson would be willing to compromise in power when he was unwilling to do so already. Whatever Roosevelt's answer, it was clearly unsatisfactory.
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    Yeah, maintaining the full coalition would've required us being willing to compromise about something, and there was zero will for it. At least we still have the progressive democrats, although just winning over a few of the southern states would've given us breathing room we really could've used - not to mention the difficulties this'll cause us in the actual civil war.
    Jeeshadow said:
    New York and Pennsylvania were the big prizes of the day and Olson had to win them both if he had any hope of winning without the South, while Reed would only need to take one.
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    The issue here is that we need to win everywhere, while Reed only needs to win once in order to screw things up. For better or worse, we've staked everything on being able to beat the socialists on their home turf.
     
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    Taut_Templar said:
    Yeah, maintaining the full coalition would've required us being willing to compromise about something, and there was zero will for it. At least we still have the progressive democrats, although just winning over a few of the southern states would've given us breathing room we really could've used - not to mention the difficulties this'll cause us in the actual civil war.

    The issue here is that we need to win everywhere, while Reed only needs to win once in order to screw things up. For better or worse, we've staked everything on being able to beat the socialists on their home turf.
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    Compromise would have meant our victory, but that means reform would have to be less temporally. Absolutely unacceptable I guess.
     
    Ghostdevil said:
    Compromise would have meant our victory, but that means reform would have to be less temporally. Absolutely unacceptable I guess.
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    Well, who knows. The quest is called the Second Reconstruction for a reason - it's been made explicit from the start that things were going to go wrong. That being said, we didn't have all these updates and choices for no reason, so I do think whether Olson manages to legitimately win the election or if this turns into another electoral college mess will have a major impact on how the quest plays out.
     
    Taut_Templar said:
    Well, who knows. The quest is called the Second Reconstruction for a reason - it's been made explicit from the start that things were going to go wrong. That being said, we didn't have all these updates and choices for no reason, so I do think whether Olson manages to legitimately win the election or if this turns into another electoral college mess will have a major impact on how the quest plays out.
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    I meant election victory, the civil war is inevitable. Just might have been easier on us.
     
    Its not over until its over...hopefully tonight! Depending on a variety of factors including how long it takes me to get the Electoral College map into a form that satisfies me.
     
    Election Day 1936
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    • 'Today New York is as Red as it's Mayor'​



    A Voting Machine common to that era    ​

    1936 had been marked by almost constant political violence and the final stretch of the election was no exception. Long, Reed, and Olson would all see attempts on their lives, if of varying levels of severity, and Hoover would rarely leave the White House grounds at the recommendation of the Secret Service. With news of fights between the supporters of the various campaigns being almost daily news, many Governors would take preventative steps to try to ensure an orderly election day, including the deployment of detachments of National Guard. In the days leading up to the election the sight of soldiers on the street corners of major cities became common. This building tension seemed to be leading to an explosive crescendo.

    When November 3rd finally arrived, the entire nation seemed to be holding its breath. It also turned out to vote. All across the country voting lines stretched for blocks. The stakes seemed so high and everyone wanted to weigh in. Yet it didn't take long for fears to begin to come true. In the Deep South, Democratic aligned election officials that had managed to hold on during the rise of Long would soon find their polling places stormed by Minutemen who would then take control of the process to 'ensure a free count'. If they refused to leave, they were removed by force. Most AFP government officials stood by while this happened while those who tried to intervene, along with the Democrats who still had power, would often find that local police or National Guard were unwilling, or even aiding, the Minutemen. The story would be different in the states farther out of the South, such as Virginia or Texas, where Democrats still had strong support and it was there that the Minutemen would find their efforts shut down by organized party machines and the officials whose patronage they enjoyed. Meanwhile all over the South, AFP or Democratic aligned, would see violence against African Americans who tried to vote along with any open Reed or Olson supporters who dared to show up, often to fatal results. Yet the eyes of the nation were not on the Southas Byrd had ensured the election would no longer be settled there.

    While there was sporadic violence in the West and Midwest, the elections ran smoothly compared to the South or New York. The establishment parties still held power in the West and even in the Midwest where the SPA had made gains, they had mostly consolidated power and ensured elections ran smoothly within the states and cities they controlled. Pennsylvania would see violence in various areas of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as Police, party operatives, and business figures tried to drive down the Reed turnout but even this would seem smooth when contrasted to New York City.


    New York City, the crucial location of the events of November 3rd​

    It would be in America's largest city where the election would be decided and where the country's blood fate would be foreshadowed. Olson had to win New York and to do that he would need to turnout upstate New York in large numbers while trying to limit Reed's lead within the City as much as possible. While Tammany Hall had certainly been weakened by Thomas' victory as Mayor, it was not yet a spent force. Notability, while the NYPD claimed they answered to the Mayor, it was an open secret that they still took their real marching orders from Tammany and as Socialist and cops have never been friends, they were more than happy to continue that partnership for the election. While Red Guards and SPA party members showed up to ballot places all over the City on the morning of the election, they found themselves denied entry by NYPD officers and the National Guard units that had been ordered to assist the NYPD. While party members who cast their ballots reported that voting had gone smoothly, the rest of the election machinery remained hidden from the eyes of the public.

    Things would reach a head in Brooklyn when word reached the local Red Guard leadership that election officials had been seen taking ballot boxes out of the polling place hours before voting was due to close. A group of Red Guards would set off to the polling station to demand access and like in the morning the NYPD would say no. This time the Socialists wouldn't take no for an answer and soon a fight broke out. As more National Guardsmen arrived on the chaotic scene, a shot would ring out, and soon both sides opened fire on each other, catching bystanders in the crossfire. By the time the National Guard had restored order to the block, 7 were dead and almost 30 were wounded. While the most bloody incident of the day, it was far from the only one and by the time night set on New York City, 28 were dead and 117 were wounded across the city. The bloodshed of the day would lead a New York Times reporter to write that "today New York is as red as its Mayor."


    Across the nation, election results were broadcasted live by radio    ​

    Eventually the voting would end and results would start to come in. An early shock would come from the state of West Virginia where Long, Byrd, and Olson had all torn into each other, making a narrow opening for Reed to take the state. As the night continued, the Byrd campaign would see its hopes dashed as Long would sweep most of the South. Olson would have better news as the West and Plains States fell into his column, creating an early lead for him. Yet all eyes were on New York and Pennsylvania.

    Initially things went as expected with the towns and rural areas of upstate New York going strong for Olson but the results which started to come in from New York City itself, delayed by the violence of the day, which contained the big shock. Instead of trailing Reed, Olson actually had a small lead in the votes from within the City. When it became clear that Pennsylvania was also in Olson's column the message was clear. By the skin of his teeth, Olson had won the Electoral College and thus would become the Thirty-First President of the United States.


    Purple is Olson, Red is Reed, Blue is Byrd, and Blue-Grey is Long    ​
     
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