Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: I actually think Uncle Joe's promise of a return to normalcy has a good chance of carrying the day. [View all]andym
(5,443 posts)Cox was one of the most qualified candidates to not win a Presidential election: a 2 time governor of Ohio and a former US House member- he was governor at the time of the election. According to Wikipedia, Cox was a "capable and well-liked progressive reformer" who had FDR as a running mate. Cox "conducted an activist campaign visiting 36 states and delivering 394 speeches mainly focusing on domestic issues." He wanted to "to fight unemployment and inflation, he suggested simultaneously lower income and business profits taxes. He promised to introduce national collective bargaining legislation and pledged his support to the Volstead Act. Cox spoke in support of Americanization to increase loyalty to the United States among (the) immigrant population," and he lost badly (34% of the vote) to Harding's (60% of the vote) return to normalcy campaign, the first to use modern advertising techniques via advertising guru Albert Lasker.
And how bad was Harding? In an Atlantic article, it states that Harding admitted repeatedly to reporters that he was in over his head. A man of limited talents, Harding once said of himself. He too was an Ohioian and won the state in that election against the governor.
But Harding captured the public's desire at the time: a return to normalcy was the winning message.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden