It Can't Happen Here

During the first week of his campaign, Windrip releases his campaign manifesto, “The Fifteen Points of Victory for the Forgotten Men.” The chapter lays out all fifteen points, which are demagogic and frequently contradictory. The demands are driven by anti-communist, anti-Semitist, racist, and misogynistic thought. The manifesto also clarifies that none of the fifteen points are obligatory to follow save for the final point, which would make executive power absolute and remove the power of Congress and the Supreme Court.

Jessup reads the manifesto to Emma, who calls it inconsistent and wonders if Windrip actually understands it. Jessup attempts to clarify what it means and argues that if big business doesn’t support Windrip, they’ll be punished with government control, and, similarly, that labor unions will be directly taken over by the state. Furthermore, preachers, journalists, and academics will be forced to serve as propagandists for the regime, and big business will receive handouts. Jobs and businesses held by African-Americans and Jews will be taken and given to poor whites, and women will be forced out of their jobs and lose their rights. Finally, the all-important final point will allow a small cabal around Windrip to seize total power.

Jessup is cynical about the prospects for resistance, telling Emma that while liberals might worry at first, they’ll be swept up in the web of propaganda–that even if Windrip has a few faults, he’s on the side of the people.