104 Years Ago Today...
A Look Back at the 1920 Presidential Election
With todayās relentless 24/7 election ānewsā coverage, Iāve been searching for a time when casting a vote in America felt quieter and perhaps more reasonable.
As I looked back to the 1920 presidential election, I realized that while it was indeed less noisyāwith only one radio station broadcasting the results liveāturning back time did not lead to finding a more rational period of history.
If anything, 1920 was on par with 2024 for its divisive nonsense.
The year 1920 brought its own share of social contradictions and challenges.
Prohibition had recently taken effect, with the 18th Amendment ratified in January 1919, leading to a booming black market for alcohol. Mob bosses grew richer, the poor grew poorer, and the era saw an early experiment in ātrickle-downā economics.
Several external factors helped shaped the outcome of the 1920 election.
The world was still reeling from the loss and devastation of World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic. Additionally, this election marked the first time women across the United States could vote, thanks to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
āIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.ā
Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities
This could also be the start of book called A Tale of Two Political Parties.
Another first for the 1920 presidential election was that its results were aired live on Pittsburghās KDKAāconsidered by many historians to be the first commercial radio stationāduring its premiere broadcast.
Long story short: Warren G. Harding, a Republican senator from Ohio, won the presidency in a landslide over James M. Cox, the Democratic governor of Ohio.
Like it or not, Ohio always seems to factor in presidential elections.
Also, itās interesting to note Coxās running mate was none other than Franklin D. Rooseveltāthe man who would eventually become Americaās longest-serving president. His four terms led to yet another constitutional amendment limiting presidential terms to two.
Hardingās campaign slogan, āA Return To Normalcy,ā resonated with conservative voters tired of global upheaval and craving stability. His message was direct, simple, and simple-minded, aimed at Americans yearning for calm, if not peace.
At the time, like today, the Republican and Democratic parties stood for starkly different visions for Americaās future.
Hardingās platform championed a retreat from global involvement and a return to āAmerica firstā isolationism. He campaigned on stability and a focus on domestic concerns. In contrast, Cox planned to continue in President Woodrow Wilsonās progressive footsteps, advocating for the League of Nations and pushing for more social reforms.
In the end, Hardingās āA Return To Normalcyā may have won the day but likely helped lead to the Great Depression. His message was a populist pitch from a politician who sought to turn back time without understanding that clocks donāt work that way.
While those who lived in Pittsburghāand could afford a radioāwere able to hear the election results live, the rest of the country had to wait to find out who won from their favorite daily newspaper.
Today, elections have become three-ring media circuses, full of analysts, celebrities, commentators, politicians, pollsters, and reality TV stars competing for our attention.
āNewsā has become āinfotainment,ā and thereās no ānormalcyā in sight.
Instead of clarity, weāre met with chaos, as both independent and mainstream media often stir up as much drama as they report. The priority now isnāt to keep us better informedājust more entertained. These days, for mainstream media, getting people to vote isnāt the priorityāgetting them to watch ads is.
If I had a time machine, even knowing how things turned out, I might still go back to that night in 1920, when KDKA brought election results into American homes for the first time.
Iād still disagree with the outcome, but I think the simplicity and calm of that broadcastājust knowing, without distractions, who would lead the country nextāmight make āA Return To Normalcyā an easier (bitter) pill to swallow. Might.
I donāt know about you, but I need something to hold onto to get through the rest of this election cycle.
The anxiety and struggle to keep calm and carry on is real. Mighty real.
Time to go make more montagesā¦thanks for reading!
Clint
ON THIS DAY = NOVEMBER 2
BIRTHDAYS
1734 = Daniel Boone = American hunter and explorer
1865 = Warren G. Harding = American journalist, politician, and 29th POTUS
1913 = Burt Lancaster = American actor
1927 = Steve Ditko = American author and illustrator
1942 = Stefanie Powers = American actor
1962 = k.d. lang = Canadian singer-songwriter
1966 = David Schwimmer = American actor
CELEBRATIONS
EVENTS
1867 = Harper's Bazaar publishes its issue (as Harperās Bazar).
1920 = In the United States, KDKA of Pittsburgh starts broadcasting as the first commercial radio station. The first broadcast is the result of the 1920 United States presidential election. Warren Harding is elected the 29th POTUS.
1936 = The BBC Television Service, the world's first regular, "high-definition" (then defined as at least 200 lines) service begins.
1959 = Quiz show scandals: Twenty-One game show contestant Charles Van Doren admits to a Congressional committee that he had been given questions and answers in advance.
1960 = Penguin Books is found not guilty of obscenity in the trial R v Penguin Books Ltd, the Lady Chatterley's Lover case.
1982 = Channel 4 starts broadcasting.
1990 = British Satellite Broadcasting and Sky Television plc merge to form BSkyB as a result of massive losses.
1993 = Voters in Cincinnati, Ohio and Lewiston, Maine repeal bans on discrimination based on sexual orientation.
2011 = The IRS announces that it intends to issue a formal agreement with the United States Tax Court decision in OāDonnabhain v. Commissioner, allowing people to deduct the costs for treating gender identity disorder.
PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY
āCan anything be more Un-American than the Un-American committee?ā
Burt Lancaster
NEW + FEATURED
MORE FROM COLLIDE PRESS
Ko-Fi + Linktree + Shop + Storefront + YouTube
The Depression wasn't the only thing Harding set us up for. Isolationism never works. People say,"I don't care. " The problem with that it that thing they don't care about does get up and go away.
'A stitch in time saves nine.' .... Isolationists are the type determined to stitch all ten and then blame someone else that they weren't warned earlier when in fact they usually were...... usually repeatedly.
And now the event outside our borders most likely to affect us is fading from the news and increasingly treated as a nuisance when mentioned. Funny, the countries bordering this event are buying up every piece of arms on the planet. Maybe after their 500 plus years of experience they know ksmething we don't.
It is highly unlikely that the current top-down way of running things will change substantially, no matter who "wins." Either person will be holding onto the mess that will be handed to them. I wish them (and us) good luck with that!