The Triumph of Herbert Hoover, 1928

In 1928, Coolidge declined to run again for the presidency, leaving the door wide open for Herbert Hoover, his Secretary of Commerce, to take the Republican nomination. The Democrats were still fairly divided, and ended up nominating Alfred E. Smith, a four-time NY governor known for his wisecracking and generally interesting personality. Known by many as "Al(cohol) Smith", Smith was known for his "wetness" during the era of Prohibition. He was a native New Yorker, and often lacked touch with common Americans who, while newly urban, were not used to someone quite as urban as he. Finally, Smith was a Roman Catholic, a no-no for anyone ever seeking to do anything in American politics (the Kennedys a notable exception).



Although Smith, "the Happy Warrior", was rather enthusiastic about his campaign, it was ultimately doomed, as the dry, Fundamentalist, Protestant Democrats were not equally enthused.

Technology showed its wide-reaching effects as the radio featured prominently in the campaigning, an American first. Unfortunately for Smith and the Democrats, this golden opportunity backfired. In person, Smith was a rather charming fellow, but he could not portray himself as brilliantly through sound waves. Hoover, on the other hand, while a rather unassuming man, was able to use the radio to sound grassrootish and statesmanlike, a down-to-earth character that the populace could relate to:



Hoover, the Iowa small-town guy, was a classic example of living out the American dream. He was a poor orphan boy, yet still managed to make it through Stanford University. Throughout his life, he ended up taking in the older 19th century values of industry, thrift, and self-reliance, and his engineering/business background also afforded him a sense of efficiency that rubbed off from the 20th century progressive era.



If you have ever seen Green Acres, remember Oliver Douglas? He and Hoover are like blood brothers, sharing the values of hard work and determination, and faith in the individual spirit. Hoover possessed even greater faith in American free enterprise when he saw the European models based more on socialism. However, Hoover was not a perfect fit for the presidency. He was rather shy and standoffish in public, and, having never held public office before, he did not take criticism well. Hoover's ultimate strength lay in his integrity, his humanitarianism, his passion for assembling facts, his efficiency, his administrative ability, and his talent for inspiring loyalty.



Unfortunately, what character lacked in character flaws, his campaigners more than made up for. Attacking the Democratic Smith, they claimed that "A Vote for Al Smith is a Vote for the Pope", and that the White House would essentially become a branch of the Vatican, though fraught with "Rum, Romanism, and Ruin". Hoover, much to his credit, attempted to squelch such underhanded mudslinging, but with little success.



However, Hoover didn't really need all that much help winning the election. Democrats were rather disgusted with the combination of Smith's wet, urban, and Catholic stances, and even the always-Democratic South steered away from voting for Smith. In the end, Hoover won an easy landslide victory, with 444 electoral votes to Smith's 87 (winning mostly southern states). Hoover became the first Republican to win a seceded state (with the exception of Tennessee for Harding in 1920), carrying five former Confederate states and all of the Border States: