Actually, I don't know if this edit has benefitted the article. It's probably the case that Hay was in the Blaine administration precisely because of his time as Lincoln's secretary. TR 16:20, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
Most likely, yes. But the old version erroneously identified him as the person who announced Lyons' arrival to Lincoln. That was Nicolay. Now having taken out the fact that he hadn't appeared as Lincoln's man, and leading off with the capacity in which he actually appeared, makes the article more relevant to the character. Turtle Fan 16:27, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
Fair enough. TR 16:28, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
TR, didn't he also serve in your administration as Secretary of Navy? Your OTL administration, that is. Turtle Fan 01:12, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- No. TR 01:36, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- I think he was Secretary of State. Jelay14 04:41, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- Maybe it was State. I think he served McKinley and Roosevelt but it might have been Roosevelt and Taft. The point is, he was a Cabinet secretary. His thumbnail blurb needs editing. If I still care tomorrow I'll look him up to find out exactly what he was and throw in a sentence. Turtle Fan 06:49, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- Think it was under McKinley-Roosevelt. I seem to recall him being in TNT's Rough Riders movie ten years ago. Jelay14 19:11, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- It was. TR 19:13, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
Beat me to it. Turtle Fan 06:55, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
Ah yes, that was a fun little movie. Turtle Fan 20:54, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
Republicans[]
Saying Lincoln's defection ended the GOP as an effective force in US politics really is overstating it, I think. They were down and out until the Great War but afterward they became something like the Liberal Democrats in the UK are today: They could spoil an election: In IatD, Flora talks as though Stassen's vigorous candidacy is the final nail in the coffin of LaFollette's campaign, denying him electors in states where Dewey is weak. Or they could tip the balance if neither of the two major parties had a clear mandate: In B&I, at least the first Socialist House majority was not a majority at all but a coalition. There's no way to tell when the Socialists won a true majority and cut the GOP loose; one assumes if the coalition lasted more than a few sessions we'd have seen Flora and her Socialist colleagues gradually getting chummier and chummier with their Republican counterparts, as MPs from the Liberal and National Parties do in Australia.
And throughout the second half of the series, the GOP periodically seemed to provide a platform for centrist politicians, those who were a bit too independent to fit into a major party with a firm platform and a large base willing to impose party discipline, or at least the American version thereof.
So while they were completely down and out during the Remembrance generation, and they never did manage to win a national election in their own right again, they did eventually reach a point where the "honest broker" role was within reach. That's an effective force, providing you don't define effectiveness with extreme ambition. Turtle Fan 20:11, November 1, 2011 (UTC)
- I removed the sentence altogether. It's of dubious value in an article about Hay, and is said over in the Republican Party article. TR 21:05, November 1, 2011 (UTC)