WesWorld

Washington Post, Wednesday, November 7th, 1928
Election results from across the country are still coming in and the identity of the next President of the United States is still unknown this morning after one of the closest Presidential elections in the nation’s history. Early results from the East show Roosevelt leading in New York and Pennsylvania, and sweeping the South. Coolidge seems strong in the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and upper New England. Western results are still coming in, but it seems solidly in Coolidge’s camp with the possible exceptions of Utah and Arizona which appear extremely close. The race is too close to call right now and some experts think it may be several days until final results are known. Voter turnout is moderate, around fifty seven percent, which is about eight percent higher than in 1924 when President Coolidge was elected to his first full term. There appears to be a strong showing for Socialists, especially in the industrial areas of the Northeast and Great Lakes. This may be a result of a strong “get-out-the-vote” effort by labor unions and also a sign of a possible backlash to the anti-labor policies of the Coolidge Administration, especially since the 1926 bombings which were at first blamed on leftist groups but were actually inspired by the extreme right in an effort to discredit the left. While third-party candidates are not expected to win Electoral votes in any of the various states, some Congressional seats could go to Socialists, which could give them the “swing-vote” in a tightly divided Congress.

New York Times, Thursday, November 8th, 1928



Franklin Delano Roosevelt of New York has been elected the thirty-first President of the United States in one of the closest and most unusual elections in United States history. Roosevelt appears to have lost the popular vote by well over one million votes, but has won the electoral vote count by a single ballot. Roosevelt garnered just under forty-four percent of the popular vote to Coolidge’s forty-eight percent, with nearly eight percent going to third-party candidates, primarily Socialist Norman Thomas. Roosevelt won twenty states overall to Coolidge’s twenty-eight, but Roosevelt’s wins occurred in populous states like New York and Pennsylvania, giving him more electoral votes while Coolidge won in many smaller states with fewer electoral votes. Many of Roosevelt’s wins, outside of the South, were by small margins, while Coolidge did very well in many of the states he won, resulting in the confusing result where Roosevelt wins the White House even though he lost in terms of actual popular opinion. Such a result has happened twice before in our nation’s history. In 1876, Republican Rutherford Hayes lost the popular vote to Democrat Samuel Tilden, but won the electoral vote and in 1888 Republican Benjamin Harrison defeated Democrat Grover Cleveland in the same manner. Already, some Republicans are rumored to be trying to persuade some electors to change their votes when the Electoral College officially casts its votes next month. It is not unprecedented for an elector to change his vote from the one he is supposed to cast, but it has never affected the end result. With only a single electoral vote deciding the difference, each vote is critical. The actual results of the Presidential election may not be known for another month.
Congressional elections across the country provided mixed results as well. Out of a total of four-hundred and thirty-five Representatives, Democrats hold a slim forty-eight percent (two-hundred and nine seats) majority over the Republicans forty-seven percent (two-hundred and four seats), with five percent (twenty-two seats) going to Socialists and Communists. In the Senate, Democrats have forty-seven seats, Republicans have forty-six, and Socialists have three.

Washington Post, Friday, November 9th, 1928
President Coolidge conceded defeat in the Presidential Election today in a speech to staff at the White House. He congratulated President-elect Roosevelt and Vice President-elect Vinson on their victory and in the process quelled fears of a political crisis in Washington after one of the closest and most unusual elections in memory. Despite winning the popular vote by a considerable margin, Coolidge was defeated in the Electoral College by one vote. “We are a nation of laws, and the Constitution clearly lays out the process by which we elect our leaders. I have lost fairly to Mr. Roosevelt and I do not wish there to be any doubt here or abroad about the strength of our nation and its political system. Some have suggested I contest the results of this election in hopes of a reversal. That would not be the honorable thing to do and I shall not countenance such suggestions. It has been an honor to serve as your President these past five years. Now, it is our duty to aid President-elect Roosevelt and his staff in the transition process so that our government may shift as seamlessly as possible to a new administration as it has so many times before. Again, I thank you for your service to me, and the nation, and may God Bless this Great Union of the United States of America.” Many of the White House staff were clearly moved to tears by the President’s speech and the President and Mrs. Coolidge spent the better part of two hours afterwards meeting with them individually to personally thank them for their service.

Washington Post, Saturday, November 10th, 1928
President-elect Roosevelt offered his heartfelt thanks to President Coolidge for his service to the nation and for conceding the election yesterday, despite efforts by some of his supporters to contest the results when the Electoral College meets next month. “President Coolidge is a man of great character and honor which none can question. Despite our political differences, he has my, and the nations’, respect and appreciation. Now we begin the transition from one administration to the next. Within the next few days and weeks, I shall announce my cabinet nominees in the hopes that Congress shall act swiftly on their confirmation.”

November 16th, 1928, Akron, Ohio
Work is nearly complete on the twin airships under construction for the Atlantian government. The Atlantes and Maeotis are the first rigid airships built by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Company based here in Akron. They will soon be followed by a pair of larger airships for the use of the United States Navy, the Akron and Macon. Initial construction of sub-assemblies for the Akron begins this month in machine shops adjacent to the massive Airdock. It is expected to be finished by late 1930. The official christening ceremony and handover of the twin Atlantian airships is scheduled for early February. They will then conduct several trial flights from Akron and the naval station at Lakehurst before heading across the Atlantic to their new home.
Goodyear officials are expected to announce the construction of a second Airdock at their Akron facility next month. The additional hanger will allow construction of the Navy airship Macon to hopefully begin in early 1930, with it expected to enter service in 1932. There are also reports that Goodyear is in negotiations with an unidentified party to build a facility in the Los Angeles area to build passenger airships for a possible trans-Pacific service. Some have speculated that Pan-American Airways founder Juan Tripp may be involved, but so far there has been no official comment from any party.
Meanwhile, work on two new Army airships has begun at Goodyear’s Wingfoot Lake facility south of Akron. The “RS-2” and “CS-1” will have sub-assemblies built here in Ohio before being shipped to Scott Army Airfield in Illinois next year for final assembly in the large hanger there.

December 12th, 1928, San Francisco, California
The new Chilean battleship Almirante Gideon has finished construction at the Mare Island Navy Yard and his been conduction trials in the waters around San Francisco in preparation for her official commissioning and handover to the Chilean Navy next month. The Gideon is the second largest warship ever built on the West Coast, exceeded in size only by the battleship California, also built at Mare Island. A transport carrying her commissioning crew is due to arrive in port within days and will spend the next few weeks familiarizing themselves with their new ship before the long voyage south to Chile.

Washington Post, December 17th, 1928
The Navy announced that its 1929 Naval Exercises will be an ambitious affair indeed. A large portion of the Pacific fleet will sail around South America, making several ports of call in Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil before joining elements of the Atlantic fleet in the Gulf of Mexico to engage in war games related to the defense of the Mexican Canal now beginning construction. The decision to sail around South America instead of through the Panama Canal is seen by some as a message to non-American powers to reconsider any plans to interfere in the continent’s affairs. It is believed that both the carriers Ranger and Constellation, along with both Battlecruisers and most of the Battle Fleet will make the voyage, returning to the Pacific through the Panama Canal after the exercises which are planned for the summer, hopefully before the height of hurricane season in the Gulf.

The same but different.

Should the Chilean Vessel sail with the American Fleet until it gets to home waters? Or will the Americans outrun her the whole way south? ...Or will they leave sooner then that?

Quoted

Originally posted by CanisD
Theodore Delano Roosevelt of New York has been elected the thirty-first President of the United States

Someone's been screwing with the Guardian of Forever again.

TIME WARRRRRRRRRRP

Well since earlier reports say Franklin, I'd say it was an oddly placed "typo". Though I rather like TR over FDR.

It is a typo, my bad... I still need to work out the period after the Iberian War through WW1. With no San Juan Hill to charge up, I'll need to do something a little different with TR. Maybe he goes to the Philippines instead to aid in its liberation. He would only be 71 in 1929, so its possible that he could still be alive if he avoids the heart attack that killed him in OTL.

Well without his son getting killed during the Great War, you also have something to play with there. Some think his son's death lead to the heart attack. But also some think his some was being...positioned to be president one day. The primary reason Franklin was a Democrat is because he thought he didn't have a chance to get on any political tickets if Teddy's son was a Republican.

TR Jr. would be in his early 40's by now, perhaps he shall have a budding political career...maybe the election in 1932 will see the War of the Roosevelts!

IC: Japan congratulates Mr. Roosevelt with his victory, though to us it is one under strange cicumstances...

OOC: I never understand why the Americans adopted a system like this. A victory like this clearly shows how twisted it is. The majority of citizens do not want Roosevelt, but he does become president. Why can't the simple way be uses (the one with the most votes is the winner)?

Simple....it wasn't the choice of the people that was meant to count. The Founding Fathers trusted "the will of the people" and human nature less then we do today. (and maybe they where right) Hense the President is elected by the Electoral College. The Senate was also elected in a matter like this originally. Politics was for the learned elite, not the masses. The primary objection to English rule was that the colonials had no say in Imperial affairs, and taxes were taken of American citizens, but didn't stay in the colonial governments. Its was more of a "either let us into Parlament, or we will go on without you" type deal then a freedom for all movement....at least originally. Things change.

To stir things up a bit more;

As Canis mentioned in his news article, while in theory the popular vote determines the electoral college, in reality the members of the electoral college can vote any way they wish, and are not prevented from voting in a way other then they're 'supposed' to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Electo…thless_electors