To Stand Alone: The U.S. without WW2

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Possible TL, coming soon.

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On July 18th, 1940, Vice President John N. Garner delivered his acceptance speech for the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States. He managed to obtain the nomination on the second ballot, defeating Secretary of State Cordell Hull. President Roosevelt declined to run for reelection citing health problems, having suffered a stroke in 1938. Neither of the men had  been able to obtain Roosevelt's endorsement, though he had spoken favorably of Secretary Hull.

"I pledge, to myself, the Democratic Party, and to the people, that our boys will not be having their guts spilled in Europe, under my administration. I pledge that I will work as hard as I can to return this country to the principles of fiscal responsibility. I will push to introduce a massive Public Works bill to put people back to work in the United States, along with a 1% tax with which to pay for it. I assure you, the Presidency is worth much more than a warm bucket of piss."

After his lauded speech, he chose James Farley of New York, architect of the New Deal coalition.

On the Republican side, Michigan Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg managed to beat businessman Wendell Willkie, and chose neighboring Senator Robert A. Taft as his runningmate. He gave a rather low-key speech, promising a return to the days of fiscal conservatism, no participation in World War II, and to let "business run business, rather than government run business."

One month after the parties' respective conventions, Wisconsin Senator Robert Lafollette Jr. announced his bid for the presidency, August 10th, 1940.
"I will be reviving the Progressive ideals that have been abandoned now by both parties. I am a Republican in the vein of my father, and though it is unfortunate that our President is not running once more, I am happy to rise to the occasion." He announced the selection of Henry A. Wallace as his running mate. He even managed to obtain the endorsement of Rose Long, wife of the deceased Huey Long.

The Election of 1940 was a landslide similar to that of 1912.

Arthur H. Vandenberg/Robert A. Taft, 301 EV, 42.8% PV
John N Garner/James Farley, 178 EV, 26.1% PV
Robert M Lafollette Jr/Henry A Wallace, 52 EV, 16.7% PV

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What is FDR's approval rating throughout 1940?

52%

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This is very entertaining. I strongly hope that you keep this up. I don't think that wallace would have accepted the nomination for VP, seeing as he was a part of FDR's administration. Good work, and I like where this is going.

There was a strong disconnect between the Progressive-minded Democrats (Roosevelt, Wallace, etc) and the nominee, Garner. (this also happened OTL, Garner challenged Roosevelt for the nomination in 1940, and their relationship during his 2nd term was awful.) ITTL, Roosevelt does not even endorse Garner, and speaks much more favorably about LaFollette. I appreciate the feedback, update should be coming in a couple of days.

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I'll help you out the best I can. I hope you do the same for me, are you knowledgable about WW2?

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1940 Senate Elections

(Dark color indicates a hold, Light is a pick-up.)

Vandenberg's plurality had some coattails; the Republicans managed to pick up 5 Senate seats, along with 20 House seats. One notable freshman was Nelson Rockefeller of New York.

The Presidency of Arthur Vandenberg

Vice President: Robert A. Taft

Secretary of State: Hiram Johnson

Secretary of War: William Francis James

Attorney General:Charles W. Tobey

On December 7th, 1941, the American military was attacked in its territory on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Both the House and Senate voted overwhelmingly to declare war on Japan the next day. A vote to declare war on Germany and Italy were both narrowly defeated in both chambers.

December 8th, 1941, on the same day as the declaration of war, Guam is invaded by Japanese troops. President Vandenberg promises "The Empire of Japan shall be brought to justice.. No, this will not be a pre-text for war in Europe, unless we are attacked." Enlistment in the U.S. army sharply increases throughout December and January.

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On December 13th, 1941, while the US was still reeling from the bombing in Pearl Harbor and the seizure of Guam, the Japanese storm Hawaii. Two days later, former President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in Hyde Park, New York, of another stroke.

January 30th, 1882 - December 15th, 1941

U.S. bombing begins over Hawaii several days later, and President Vandenberg meets with army officials for a recapture of Guam. He also charges General Douglas MacArthur, whom successfully defended the Philippines, as Chief of War plans.

On January 1st, 1942, President Vandenberg signs the previously defeated Lend-Lease bill, with revisions, under the conditions that it would only be used to aid Chinese forces.

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Thanks for all the positive feedback, guys! I will be posting an update tomorrow.

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Thanks for all the positive feedback, guys! I will be posting an update tomorrow.

We're waiting

And I'm waiting for Dallas's admirers to go read my TL "Vive Le Hughes"

I would like all of my admirer's to read "Vive Le Hughes" this timeline has my endorsement. I'm far too drunk for an update, so expect one in 12+ hours or so.