WI: President Billy Mitchell

Fenwick

Fenwick

Col. Mitchell was quite popular in his day, various newpaper articles, a book, and the public court martial made many in America side with him, over the image of a rigid and unchanging military.

He assumed his comments would get him a nice public forum to express his ideas, and the army would either ask him to leave, or he would have his ideas in some way accepted.

He made comments to his wife that if he could, and using her father's money he would run for president as a Democrate.

What if after the court martial in 1926, Mitchell resigns as OTL but he undergoes the political route?

What would his political life be like? Could he change anything? Could he become President?
 
Fenwick

Fenwick

Slowpoke said:
Well... Where did he stand on socio-economic polices ? That's ome of the "nastier" topics in elections.
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He thought America's top priority was to make sure it could defend itself, and be self reliant in case of a war with any Western power, or Japan. From what books I have read, Mitchell was in favor of the government helping out the average citizen: unions, helping labor disputes, think TR kind of working class kinda policies.
 

BrianP

Have him shove through plans for a much larger Army Air Corps; perhaps create the seperate Air Force branch. Aircraft carriers would be built earlier, too.
 
Tucker Dwynn

Tucker Dwynn

Fenwick said:
He thought America's top priority was to make sure it could defend itself, and be self reliant in case of a war with any Western power, or Japan. From what books I have read, Mitchell was in favor of the government helping out the average citizen: unions, helping labor disputes, think TR kind of working class kinda policies.
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Maybe in 1936...

FDR's plans havent gone as well as they could have. It gives Mitchell the wedge he needs and comes in on the R ticket, in the style of Teddy. There is a hard fought campaign, but in the end, people are tired of FDR's plans not being all they were promised. Mitchell starts getting the US ready for war earlier thatn FDR did in our timeline, and in doing so the US is better prepared for WW II.

Anyone want to expand what a timeline would look like if the US had a three year jump on war production? (1937 instead of 1939/40 in OTL)
 
Tucker Dwynn

Tucker Dwynn

If he is 'in the style' of Teddy R. Might he choose his nephew in 1932 for his VP?

Would his policies help lessen the impact of Crash in 1929, so it is just a managible recession rather than a depression.

Imagine an America with no Great Depression... Since we didnt get dragged down into Europes depression, would this increase America's desire to remain Isolationist?
 

Wendell

Tucker Dwynn said:
If he is 'in the style' of Teddy R. Might he choose his nephew in 1932 for his VP?

Would his policies help lessen the impact of Crash in 1929, so it is just a managible recession rather than a depression.

Imagine an America with no Great Depression... Since we didnt get dragged down into Europes depression, would this increase America's desire to remain Isolationist?
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Or, does Mitchell decide to fix the Depression by building up the Military?
 
Tucker Dwynn

Tucker Dwynn

Thats what I was thinking.

But what to do with it? The more arms you have the more likely you are to use them (Nukes being the exception to that rule, thank goodness).

Would we see the US going all Monroe doctrine over Central and South America?
 

Wendell

Tucker Dwynn said:
Thats what I was thinking.

But what to do with it? The more arms you have the more likely you are to use them (Nukes being the exception to that rule, thank goodness).

Would we see the US going all Monroe doctrine over Central and South America?
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Well, Panay could prompt war in 1937, but ealier than that would be hard to initiate without a crisis in Europe, or a Central American war.
 

Arizona Ranger

If Mitchell becomes POTUSA

- Lindbergh's warnings about German Air Power are taken seriously and Mitchell appoints Lindy as Chief of Air Defence...

- The Phillipines, Guam, Hawaii, and other Pacific Outposts are fortified with more Air Power to keep Japanese aggression in check

- Amelia Earhart is talked out of taking her fateful Round the World Flight in 1937 and acts as an instrument to encourage more Women to take up flying and join the USAAC as Fliers and Support Personnel...

- Chennault gets a blank check to assist Chiang Kai-Shek in building up his Air Force in 1930's China:cool:
 

Wendell

Arizona Ranger said:
If Mitchell becomes POTUSA

- Lindbergh's warnings about German Air Power are taken seriously and Mitchell appoints Lindy as Chief of Air Defence...

- The Phillipines, Guam, Hawaii, and other Pacific Outposts are fortified with more Air Power to keep Japanese aggression in check

- Amelia Earhart is talked out of taking her fateful Round the World Flight in 1937 and acts as an instrument to encourage more Women to take up flying and join the USAAC as Fliers and Support Personnel...

- Chennault gets a blank check to assist Chiang Kai-Shek in building up his Air Force in 1930's China:cool:
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What does this do to the Pacific War?
 

1940LaSalle

A couple of things here:

1. As long ago as 1897, the departments of the Navy and War had worked on formulating plans for a possible war against Japan, so that was no novelty.
2. Mitchell would have had to overcome a strong smug, insular mindset in the US at the time when the military was little more than a footnote (case in point: by 1932, the standing US army ranked 17th in size in the world, behind even that of Sweden).
3. I could see where Mitchell might have picked Al Smith for his running mate: it would be hard to overcome two popular figures, particularly when one is from the most populous state at the time--and doubly so for a colorless technocrat like Hoover. In turn, that might have set the stage for a Smith presidency beginning in 1937 (and would have really done violence to Joe Kennedy Sr.'s ambitions).
 

Tizoc

Tucker Dwynn said:
Would his policies help lessen the impact of Crash in 1929, so it is just a managible recession rather than a depression.

Imagine an America with no Great Depression... Since we didnt get dragged down into Europes depression, would this increase America's desire to remain Isolationist?
Click to expand...

Y'know, if there wasn't Great Depression in USA, then there will be no Great Depression in Europe - after all it was Great Depression in USA that has dragged Europe into Great Depression, not the other way around, as you seem to imply:confused:
 
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