S8 Ep221: THE TOWNSEND PLAN, FATHER COUGHLIN, AND THE THIRD PARTY THREAT Colleague David Pietrusza. Dr. Francis Townsend's popular plan for old-age pensions pressured Roosevelt, who disliked "the dole," into creating Social Security. Concurrently, Father Charles Co

THE TOWNSEND PLAN, FATHER COUGHLIN, AND THE THIRD PARTY THREAT Colleague David Pietrusza. Dr. Francis Townsend's popular plan for old-age pensions pressured Roosevelt, who disliked "the dole," into creating Social Security. Concurrently, Father Charles Coughlin, the influential "Radio Priest," turned against Roosevelt after feeling used and ignored, specifically following a meeting at Hyde Park arranged by Joe Kennedy. Coughlin allied with Townsend and Huey Long's successor, Gerald L.K. Smith, to form a third party aimed at throwing the election to the House of Representatives. Despite their massive radio audiences, these political amateurs failed to get on the ballot in key states like New York and California. NUMBER 3