But for all their differences, the Democrats had a certain glue. They won, and in victory there was patronage and power, a combination that transcended ideology. For the Republicans there was only the taste of ashes. They had been out of office since 1932. The shadow of the Depression still hung over them, and the Democrats were still running against Herbert Hoover, portraying the Republicans as the party of cold uncaring bankers. - David Halberstam The Fifties

You can see certain similarities to today. Back 70-years ago the Democratic Party was divided into Northern liberals and Southern Jim Crow wings, yet they still voted en-bloc. The previous unsuccessful Republican candidate was viewed as a traitor to his own party for being too nice and accommodating to the Democrats (back then it was Thomas Dewey while today its Mitt Romney). And the previous Republican President was viewed as the boogey man threatening the very fabric of our Republic (back then it was Hoover while today it's Trump). 

A political outsider was needed back then to put the country back on the right course and the nation was lucky that Dwight Eisenhower was available to serve that role. Who might be our outsider today?