Without looking it up, I was unable to name the Democratic candidate for president in 1920.  The name is James M. Cox, a successful two-term governor of Ohio and Democratic Party leader – in his day, a politician as widely known as Hillary Clinton is today. Unfortunately for Cox, he was running in the shadow of Woodrow Wilson.  During eight years of heavy-handed progressivism, Wilson expanded the powers of government by instituting a federal income tax, reinstating the military draft, and creating a host of regulatory agencies (including the IRS and the Federal Trade Commission).  By the time it was over, Americans had had enough.  They were eager for a return to normalcy. Harding sensed that and adopted “normalcy” as the catchphrase of his campaign.  He went on to win in a landslide (404 to 127 in the electoral college) and to serve as one of the nation’s most popular presidents.  When Harding died suddenly in 1923, Calvin...(Read Full Article)