#populism #history #HueyLong #Paraguay
"If you visit Asunción, Paraguay, you may wish to walk the street—one block, really—named for former Sen. Huey Long of Louisiana. There’s even a plaque for The Kingfish.
It’s what remains of the nation’s once grander tribute from 90 years ago to the wildly corrupt (and wildly entertaining) Louisianan who, at the height of his power, drew some 7 million Americans into his Share Our Wealth Society with the promise 'every man a king.' His weekly radio broadcasts on NBC in 1934 were among the most popular in the nation and he was, at the time of his assassination the next year, a credible threat in the Democratic Party to President Franklin Roosevelt’s renomination in 1936.
What any demagogue—especially an aspiring populist authoritarian—needs most of all are the right enemies. And there, Long was uniquely blessed.
The famous villain of the Progressive era in which Long first rose to power was John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. Even after it was broken up by federal regulators in 1911, Standard Oil remained in the minds of many Americans synonymous with greed and monopolistic power. That was especially true in Louisiana, where the petroleum industry found bountiful reserves, an ideal place for its refineries, and frequently pliant local officials who were looking to bring jobs for their voters and, too often, line their own pockets.
After running for governor as a kindly reformer in 1924, Long reinvented himself for 1928 as the sworn enemy of big oil in general and Standard in particular. It worked. And when the company threatened to pull its operations out of the Pelican State because of Long’s draconian measures, he crowed, 'If they got to leave, they can go to Hell and stay there.'
Long would add other enemies to his demonology when he came to Washington as a senator in 1933, but his favorite villain would always be Standard.
That’s why when Long was looking for ways to make national news, he was immediately drawn to a simmering conflict in South America. The Chaco region, straddling the border between Bolivia and Paraguay, and the Paraguay River running through it had become a flashpoint because of, you guessed it, oil."
https://thedispatch.com/article/the-kingfish-does-paraguay/
Paria sans portefeuille
Dr. Dani Sanchez
📚🎧💙BargainSleuth Books +
Levka
