The Manion Plan

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Okay, I recently picked up "Barry Goldwater, Before the Storm, the shattering of the American consensus". In it, Perlstein talks about a guy who, I think, is named Clarence Manion, and apparently was a Dean of Notre Dame (or at least that's what it implies) who headed several attempts during the fifties to oppose Eisenhower Republicans and Liberal Democrats. In 1958, 1959, Manion had developed the plan that, come 1960, a Conservative in each party would be drafted for the Presidency. A Northern Conservative Republican to run in the Republican Primaries and a Southern Conservative Democrat to run in the Democratic primaries. The idea was that they would both run, building their own or capitalizing on other movements within their respective parties. After inevitable being denied the nominations by the establishments at the convention, one of the two Conservative candidates woudl launch their own third-party bid for the Presidency, combining Southern and Northern Conservatives. The independent bid would push the election to the House of Representatives where, theoretically, the Conservative ticket would bargain with either party to gain concessions, and thus shift the winner of the election to the Right.

Apparently, Manion and his friends were preparing to draft Orval Faubus, the Arkansas Governor, as the Democratic candidate. While he had been a liberal, after facing a primary challenge from the Right, Faubus became a symbol of States' Rights. On the Republican side, eiyes were on Barry Goldwater who had been a rising star and had become a symbol against organized labor, during his fight with Walter Reuther. They still weren't sure about him. He even declined interest in the Presidency, though wouldn't stop the "draft Goldwater" movement from popping up. In a rally in South Carolina, Manion and co. apparently discovered that they wouldn't need a Southern candidate. Goldwater was the Southern candidate. This would lead to the publishing of "Conscience of a Conservative" and the draft Goldwater movement in 1960.

Now, let's say that the plan goes into affect. For the Republicans, we can either have Goldwater, or let's say, an alternate universe where John W Bricker survives re-election in 1958. Either works for me, and Bricker seems the natural haeir to the Taft Conservatives which were who Manion was going after. Anyway, in the Democratic column there's Orval Faubus. Goldwater/Bricker and Faubus both run for their parties' nominations and fail. In the general, they join forces. In theory, let's say we have Nixon/Rockefeller (or Lodge, whatever) as the Republican tickets. Democrats nominate either the Catholic Kennedy, which alone could drive away the South, or someone to the left of him, let's say maybe Humphrey or Stevenson. And from the Right there's the Conservative ticket. Organize it any way you want, but basically it's moderate to liberal Republican vs. liberal Democrat vs. Conservative independent.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Link to chapter dealing with Clarence Manion

My idea:
In the 1960 Democratic primaries, the liberal Hubert Humphrey is able to beat the odds and win a plurality of the primaries, proving himself more electable than the others, such as the Catholic Kennedy, the Dixiecrat Faubus, and the various favorite sons who don't really have a chance anyway.

Green-Humphrey
Red-Faubus
Blue-Kennedy
Pink-Brown
Light Blue-DiSalle
Maroon-Smathers

At the convention, it's a five way race between Johnson, Stevenson, Kennedy, Faubus, and Humphrey. By the second ballot, Stevenson had been crowded out, with his delegates fleeing to fellow Northerners Kennedy and Humphrey. However, Humphrey had gained control of the Illinois delegation. By the third ballot, Faubus announces that he and his supporters shall be leaving the convention. Any remaining Southern delegations flee to Johnson. Kennedy campaign manager Bobby Kennedy and Johnson agree to meet. However, Johnson and Bobby are quickly put-off by each other, and no deal comes into being. Johnson, realizing how faint his chances are, agrees to meet with Humphrey. Finally, a deal is made where Johnson will be given the second spot of the ticket. Humphrey agrees and finds it beneficial as it helps him in the South, with the establishment, and all around.

The Democratic Ticket: Senator Hubert H Humphrey (D-MN)/Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B Johnson (D-TX)

There's not a lot of data out there for the Republican primaries, so the states shown below are based on a timeline I read that went into detail about the primaries. Not sure where that writer got the data, but these are the primaries that were mentioned.

On the Republican side, Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona consents to the draft movements and signs onto Manion's plan, but states to him plainly that he was aiming to win the nomination first and foremost. In the primaries, Nixon wins the vast majority. However, Goldwater is able to eak out victories in three states, Nebraska, Indiana, and Ohio.

Blue-Nixon
Red-Goldwater

Goldwater would also find himself crowded out at the convention as the Republican party bosses were fully embracing Nixon. Nixon would announce his choosing of Senator Prescott Bush of Connecticut to bite into New England. In one last speech before the convention, Goldwater would declare "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. That is why I am announcing my leaving of the Republican party tonight, because its bosses have bowed to the idiol called moderation, and because they inappropriately view ideology as a vice." With that, Goldwater and his handful of delegates storm out of the convention.

The Republican Ticket: Vice-President Richard M Nixon (R-CA)/Senator Prescott Bush (R-CT)

As for the Conservatives, a final ticket of Goldwater for President and Faubus for Vice-President would be settled on. The ticket would receive support from Conservatives in both parties as they broke from the ranks of Democrats and Republicans. Notable among the endorsements were those of Senator John W Bricker (R-OH), Senator Strom Thurmond (D-SC), Senator Roman Hruska (R-NE), former Senator William F Knowland (R-CA), Congressman William Miller (R-NY), George Smathers (D-FL), Senator H Styles Bridges (R-NH), General Douglas MacArthur (R-AR), former Governor Happy Chandler (D-KY), and Senator Harry Byrd (D-VA).

In a series of Presidential debates between Humphrey and Nixon (Goldwater was not included as Nixon refused to debate Humphrey shoudl Goldwater be allowed in the debates), Nixon came out as the stronger all around candidate. On election night, it would still remain a toss-up as anything in the world could happen.

Senator Hubert H Humphre (D-MN)/Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B Johnson (D-TX) 222 electoral votes
Senator Barry Goldwater (I-AZ)/Governor Orval Faubus (I-AR) 165 electoral votes
Vice-President Richard M Nixon (R-CA)/Senator Prescott Bush (R-CT) 150 electoral votes

to be continued...
Your scenarios and ideas are welcome as well, this isn't a timeline.