Chapter 628
Wilson's Trouble
Chapter 628 Wilson's Trouble
"It is absurd to let a paralyzed person rule the country. We even need to go through Mrs. Wilson to know the president's health condition. Isn't this a tragedy for America?"
As 1921 approached, the domestic situation in the United States became increasingly chaotic. Having emerged from the flu crisis, the opposition Republican Party gradually began to show its strength against President Wilson.
In fact, judging from President Wilson's own achievements, he was not a bad president. During his term, he did accomplish some practical things and genuinely worked with the aim of making America great again.
The problem is that President Wilson's health is simply too poor. Coupled with the betrayal he suffered at the hands of the Allied Powers during World War II, his personal prestige has significantly declined, making it impossible for him to continue serving as President of the United States.
How bad was President Wilson's health? He suffered his first stroke when he was 39 years old.
Stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident, is divided into two types: ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. It is a disease caused by various factors that damage cerebral blood vessels, resulting in focal or overall brain tissue damage.
Stroke is characterized by high incidence, disability, recurrence and mortality rates. It remains a highly fatal disease even in later generations, let alone in today's world where medical conditions are relatively underdeveloped.
Even as President of the United States, Wilson suffered greatly from strokes. During his presidency, Wilson experienced unexplained weakness in his arms several times.
Doctors discovered an abnormality in his retinal arteries through a fundus examination, but could not find the direct cause of the abnormality.
In September 1919, Wilson developed severe headaches, double vision, and weakness in his left limbs, symptoms that left renowned American doctors unable to treat.
A month later, Wilson, only 62 years old, suffered a severe stroke, which directly caused him to be paralyzed on the left side and left him in a semi-disabled state.
From September 1919 to the present, Wilson has been unable to escape his semi-disabled state, and most of his political affairs have been handled by his wife, Edith Boring-Galt Wilson.
President Wilson only personally handled some state affairs when he was in relatively good health. But most of the time, however, President Wilson's health was quite poor.
This is actually why the domestic situation in the United States is still in a semi-paralyzed state, because the head of state of the United States simply does not have the energy to deal with political affairs.
Republicans and Democrats are arguing fiercely over who will be the next president, and even the vice president is on standby, waiting to take over the presidency after President Wilson's death.
Everyone is concerned about who will be the next president of the United States; nobody cares about the current president, Wilson, or what the future of the United States will look like.
This is actually due to the American political system. According to the U.S. Constitution, if the current president dies unexpectedly, a new president is not immediately elected. Instead, the current vice president assumes the presidency and continues to serve the remainder of the current president's term.
The vice president serving as acting president is also recognized in American history, and the first person to do so was John Taylor, the 10th president of the United States.
Nearly a century ago, John Taylor ran for president in 1840 as William Harrison's deputy and successfully served as the vice president of the United States.
President William Harrison's inauguration was held on March 4, 1841, a day that should have been a day of celebration for the entire United States. However, President William Harrison caught a cold on this day, which eventually developed into severe pneumonia.
Just one month after becoming President of the United States, William Harrison died on April 4, 1841. Then-Vice President John Taylor successfully took over the presidency, officially becoming the first head of state in American history to assume the presidency without being elected.
At the time, the United States did not have a detailed system in this regard. When John Taylor took over the presidency, Congress even asked him to perform the duties of an acting president rather than the official presidency.
John Taylor clearly rejected this request, since an acting president and a full president are completely different. The differences are not only in the name, but also in their official titles and specific powers.
The President of the United States is the true head of state, Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, and leader of the government, wielding immense power. While the Acting President also holds these titles, they clearly cannot command the U.S. military or sign executive orders concerning major events.
Through John Taylor's efforts, the U.S. Congress finally agreed to his request and formally established the system of succession of power in the event of the president's unexpected death, namely, that the vice president succeeds to the presidency and continues to serve the remaining presidential term.
Since John Taylor, the United States has seen several heads of state become president without going through an election, and this system has become the norm in the United States.
This is why, now that President Wilson is critically ill, both of America's major political parties and the vice president are vying for the presidency.
The former is vying for the presidency in the next administration, while the latter is vying for the presidency in the current administration; essentially, there is no major conflict of interest between the two.
On some levels, the two major U.S. political parties even reached a compromise with the incumbent vice president. They worked together to oust President Wilson, with the vice president enjoying the remainder of his presidency, while the two parties vied for the presidency in the next term.
Although President Wilson only had a few months left in his term, does a president who has only served a few months not count as a president?
For the incumbent vice president, who lacks personal prestige and is unable to compete for the next term as president of the United States, seizing the remaining term of President Wilson's term has become his only way to become president of the United States.
After all, a president who succeeds the vice president is also recognized and recorded in American history, which is the easiest way to become the president of the United States.
Although the US presidential election is very simple in later generations, it is actually very difficult to become the US president.
Up to the last president in history, the United States has had only 47 presidents, with only 45 people having served as president.
Furthermore, among these 45 people, only 23 have been re-elected, accounting for only about half of the total.
In this world, President Wilson is currently the 28th President of the United States. It's important to remember that the United States has a history of 145 years, yet it has only had 28 presidents, with only 27 people having served as President of the United States. This demonstrates just how difficult it is to become President of the United States.
Compared to the Republican Party, which was determined to oust President Wilson, the Democratic Party, to which President Wilson belonged, actually wanted to protect President Wilson's reputation.
After all, the reputation of the current president is also related to the reputation of the Democratic Party. If President Wilson's reputation is really a mess, the Democratic Party, which supported him to become President of the United States, is destined to be kicked while he is down by the Republican Party.
The Republican Party originally wanted President Wilson to complete his term, since he only had a few months left and there was no need for him to become one of the few U.S. presidents in history to step down before his term was over.
But fate had other plans. As the Republicans intensified their attacks on President Wilson, the Democrats were forced to confront a harsh reality: they had to choose between President Wilson and the next president of the United States.
If the Democrats insist on protecting President Wilson, they will have to show weakness to the Republicans in the next US presidential election.
However, if he were to focus all his efforts on winning the next presidential election, President Wilson would have to become the scapegoat in order to ensure that the Democratic presidential election would not be affected.
For the Democratic Party, this choice is extremely difficult. However, compared to President Wilson, whose term has only a few months left, the Democratic Party clearly values the prospect of a four-year presidential term more.
(End of this chapter)