The 1936 Election Explained

A super quick dive into the 1936 election where FDR took down Alf!

[cpegg]

Alf was not hated by FDR. In fact, he was offered a Cabinet position but declined as FDR was unwilling to fulfill Alf's condition: renounce a run for a third term. Alf would die at age 100 in 1987, 33 days after celebrating his one hundredth birthday with President and Mrs. Reagan. He remains the longest-lived individual to have run for the presidency.

[MRBth]

Another title: the 1936 electoral roast of Alf Landon, with FDR as the roast master.

[MrMultichris]

0:58 While that's true that in 1984 there were Alaska and Hawaii added it is 1936 that has the biggest electoral landslide in a contested Election.1936: 523-8 (515 vote difference 98.5% - 1.5%)1984: 525-13(512 vote difference 97.6% - 2.4%)

[ericveneto]

That flawed poll killed Literary Digest

[junkyarddog]

Wow - you are a smart guy. Way way ahead of the masses. Thanks very much. I learn more each time that I look at your video. Oh by the way, I am 68 years old black retired combat vet from the Vietnam time period. I can''t wait until you get to LBJ who supported the voting rights act of 1964 for one reason only. He push that through because he thought the democrat would have the black votes for the next 200 years. Looking forward to the election of LBJ.

[scottaznavourian]

If alf had run in the 80's when his tv show was popular he would have won

[ericveneto]

Landon was the longest lived major candidate, he made it to 100. He's Nancy Kassebaum's dad.

[glctv]

Wow, I'd never heard this FDR speech. Honestly, he sounds overly smug in the way he's mocking Langdon's promises. I guess it was a different time. It sounds like just a few years later he did good getting the war-time economy in gear, so good for him.

[BlakeOlson]

this stuff is GOLD. +Keith Hughes, you should do a podcast if you don't already.

[shirtless]

At the 1936 Democratic convention, the party abandoned its historic rule requiring a two-thirds vote for the presidential nomination. It made no difference until after Roosevelt died, but in 1948, the Northern Democrats were able to endorse civil rights, and the Southern Democrats (Dixiecrats) bolted the party.

[TimmyTheTinman]

Didn't know FDR was so good at sarcasm! An excellent campaigner and president!

[junkyarddog]

I find it ironic that you bring up the election of 1936. Only this morning, I was telling my wife that the inaugural of the president happen on January 20, 1937 instead of March 1937. In the past the presidents took office in March (four months after the election in Nov) instead of January. Could really imagine some lame duck like Buchanan who did nothing to keep the union together after Lincoln was elected president. Lincoln had a mess on his hand when he tool office in March 1861. Buchanan sat idle by while federals posts were seized by the confederate. He did not to preserve the union. Responses are appreciated. I would like to know what others are thinking.

[thewatchdog]

The word was if the election were held one more week later, FDR would have carried Canada!

[auDipquid]

That clip of FDR is gold. I love him. Easily one of the greatest Presidents our country has ever had.

[mrlarry]

FDR let this blowout victory get to his head. That court packing plan gave the GOP a second chance.

[VertPaleoMortician]

The British helped doctor those polls.

[BuddyNovinski]

The Literary Digest also took a phone poll. Guess who owned them at the time?

[edsova]

Keep in mind, the majority of blacks in 1932 supported the Republicans on Hoover. 1936 was when Democrats got to gain their block of most loyal supporters, black voters.

[jwchamberlain]

Former president Hoover wanted to run in 1936 & 1940. They say he was a very smart man, but how dumb would that of been?

[tommyl.dayandtherunaways]

FDR is one of the greatest presidents of all time and essentially founded the modern Democratic party. His biggest blunder was the Japanese internment camps during WWII, which has not aged well to say the least. Yet on the whole he had many great accomplishments and demonstrated true leadership in the face of the great depression and WWII.