Poster for a Federal Theater production of "It Can't Happen Here" in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1937. The play was adapted from Sinclair Lewis' dystopian political novel about the rise of a U.S. dictator.
This column is a two-fer. If you’re among those people who are still in the post-election stage of “applying for Canadian visa,” you can skip right down to the second entirely pleasant half. If, on the other hand, you’re ready to wade with me into the muck of politics, well, roll up your trousers.
Back in 1936, Sen. Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip ran for president as the self-proclaimed champion of the “forgotten man.” He promised to make America great again and guaranteed most Americans (white Christian ones, anyway) a minimum income of $5,000 a year. Oh, and he created his own Minute Men militia, much like the Nazi brownshirts and Mussolini’s blackshirts, and staged a massive rally at Madison Square Garden on the eve of the election.
Windrip offered a 15-point platform, all of which, he stressed, was optional depending on the will of the American people, except for item 15, which read:
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Congress shall, immediately upon our inauguration, initiate amendments to the Constitution providing (a), that the President shall have the authority to institute and execute all necessary measures for the conduct of the government during this critical epoch; (b), that Congress shall serve only in an advisory capacity, calling to the attention of the President and his aides and........© Times Union