The Presidency: 1968-2020

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This timeline covers 1968 through 2020, and will mostly be in the “text book” format. I want to thank SPC for inspiring the format of this timeline, as the date-by-date format that I was intending to use has been taking forever to finish. While I am more inclined to that format, I don’t think I can create a coherent, fifty year long narrative that can be consistant. Such a format is better for other timelines that I have been thinking about, covering ten to twenty years instead of half a century. This will have far less contradictions and will be quicker to update. Once the timeline reaches a point close to the present (I’m guessing 2000), I shall switch to the timeline/date by date format, which will make it easier to cover more recent events.

I’d like to credit Oakvale (for his AH.com timeline), JJ (for the US vs. Richard Nixon), SPC, Cathcon and Dallasfan, and other members for inspiring various elements of this timeline. Some elements were written in (in particular, those pertaining to 2005-2013) before other timelines that contain very similar plot twists were written, but I none the less apologize if anyone feels I have plagiarized their works or concepts in any way.

I will strive to update this a few times a week, and I appreciate all feedback. And so after a few months of on and off again writing, I present this mediocre timeline .

Springtime for Lyndon: April-May, 1968.

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Lyndon Johnson’s surprise withdrawal announcement on March 30th, 1968 blew open the Presidential race on the Democratic side of the aisle. Immediately, speculation on whether or not Vice President Humphrey would enter the race. With Senators Eugene McCarthy (D-MN) and Robert Kennedy (D-NY) already in the race, it didn’t take long for Humphrey to announce his decision. On April 27th, Vice President Humphrey entered the fray, confident that come August his nomination would prove to be more of a coronation than a convention.

The speculation on the Democratic race was drowned out by the chaos and bloodshed of April ’68. On April 4th, Martin Luther King escaped assassination for the second time when an unidentified sniper opened fire on him as he stood on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee. The first shot missed his face by inches, ricocheting off the wall and striking a young minister by the name of Jesse Jackson in the shoulder. As the others fell to the floor in panic, King bolted back to his hotel room, slamming the door behind him just as a second shot was fired in his direction. The assailant, firing from a flop house across the street, fled into the night. Jackson survived the injury, and was even more invigorated by the experience.

That evening, a shocked but composed King addressed his supporters once again at the Mason Temple in Memphis. His speech, a call for non-violence, vigilance, and continued dedication in the face of danger, would go on to be one of the most memorable speeches of his career.

“We shall cross the Red Sea, because God will open it for us, and we shall arrive in the land of milk and honey, and we shall call that land, that sweet, precious, prized, and promised land America! On its soaring, majestic mountaintops, we shall stake our claim to human liberty and dignity and permanently plant the flag of justice, so that it can forever fly high!”

Despite King’s speech pacifying tensions in Memphis, the more radically inclined elements of his movement were infuriated by the attack. While minor riots in Detroit, Washington DC, and Philadelphia were reported, the events that followed in Oakland, California would dominate national headlines. On the night of April 5th, a band of Black Panthers lead by Elbridge Cleaver ambushed a police squad. During the resulting firefight, one officer was killed and another was injured. The Black Panther Party’s national secretary, Bobby Hutton was shot in the leg and promptly injured during the incident according to several witnesses. In the minutes following the chaotic shootout, in which Cleaver and the remainder of his group fled, Hutton somehow managed to sustain a bullet wound to the head. Rumors of his arrest and execution style killing spread across the city, and by nightfall, large groups of protestors had congregated on the streets.

Protests on April 6th were largely peaceful, but attempts to disperse the protestors grew violent as the evening set in. Rioting broke out overnight, and by the morning of April 7th, much of the cities blighted neighborhoods were in flames. Smaller scale rioting in Cleveland, Detroit, Las Angeles, and Newark were also reported. After Oakland police encountered sniper fire, California’s governor Ronald Reagan announced the National Guard would be placed on Oakland’s streets. By April 8th, rioting had largely died down. A peaceful protest headlined by Martin Luther King (who left Memphis to speak in Oakland) was held on the 9th. During his speech, King excoriated Reagan’s response to the riots, angering the governor, who labeled King as an “outside agitator” and “troublemaker.” King returned to Memphis, and with his aides, began preparations for their next stop: Washington DC.

Events in Oakland would overshadow much of the political developments on the Republican side of the aisle. While law and order minded conservatives turned towards Ronald Reagan, it would be a longtime Senator who would be the first to capitalize on events in Oakland. On April 15th, Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC) entered the Republican race, quickly securing the support of the support of most southern Republican delegations. Two weeks later, New York’s Governor Nelson Rockefeller would officially declare his candidacy after successfully mitigating a student occupation at Columbia University.

The domestic turmoil and violence of April ’68 largely overshadowed most foreign events. On April 11th, as Oakland was still smoldering, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which banned discriminatory real estate practices. In the United Kingdom, British Conservative MP Enoch Powell was sacked from the shadow cabinet for his controversial “Rivers of Blood” speech regarding the influx of immigrants to the United Kingdom. To the north, Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal Party won a majority of seats in the 1968 Canadian general election.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Comments, concerns, questions?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Great!

Thanks!

Off to a very promising start - please more!

I appreciate the kind words! The next update is just being formatted for Atlas, will be up by tomorrow.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

A Warm and Dry Summer: May-August, 1968.

On May 1st, Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) rolled into Washington DC with 20,000 supporters and established an encampment on the National Mall which they called “Freedom City.” Their numbers would swell over the following weeks as they protested poverty in the United States. King addressed the crowd at the foot of the Washington Monument on May 10th, calling for the implantation of an “economic bill of rights” by Congress. On June 1st, Senator Robert Kennedy visited the encampment and delivered a speech, promising to make poverty and hunger an issue in the election. Despite fears of violence, the protests went off without a hitch, and by mid June, most of the protestors returned home.

On June 6th, primaries were held in California, New Jersey, and South Dakota. On the Republican side, Governor Reagan easily carried California as a favorite son candidate, while former Vice President Richard Nixon won easily in South Dakota. The California Democratic Primary was won narrowly by Senator Robert Kennedy, as was the South Dakota primary. Senator Eugene McCarthy was the victor in New Jersey.

Primary night nearly turned bloody for Senator Kennedy when a young Palestinian-American by the name of Sirhan Sirhan attempted to shoot him after he delivered his victory speech. Exiting through the Ambassador Hotel’s kitchen, Sirhan raised a pistol towards Kennedy, but was punched in the face by former football player and bodyguard Rosie Grier, causing the gun to fire into the ceiling as Sirhan pulled the trigger whilst falling backwards. The sound of the gunshot caused a panic in the ballroom, and Kennedy was forced to return to the crowd to calm down the situation. Sirhan was later placed an insanity plea, and was for the time being confined to a mental institution. It was a close call for Senator Kennedy, and it inspired him to make gun control a theme of his campaign. Among his proposals were the banning of the sale of handguns in areas with high crime rates, a ban on the purchase or ownership of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, and a ban on interstate sales of firearms.

Five days later, Kennedy and Nixon won overwhelming victories in the Illinois primaries. At this point, Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley began quiet negotiations with both the Humphrey and Kennedy campaigns in order to play kingmaker ahead of the Democratic Convention, which was slated to be held in Chicago.

Overseas, the world was largely quiet, with events in Iraq being the most important political occurrence. Iraqi President Abdul Rahman Arif was replaced by Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr in the wake of a military coup. His appointment of Saddam Hussein as Prime Minister would be the beginning of a brutal era of unrivaled oppression in Iraq. In other news, the world’s attention had been turned towards the USS Scorpion, a nuclear powered submarine that disappeared off the Azores on May 22nd, taking all 99 crewmembers down with her. The Navy declared the submarine “lost”, and an investigation into the sinking was launched. Famed activist Helen Keller died at the age of 87 on the morning of June 1st. Two days later, the art world was shocked on June 3rd when Andy Warhol was shot and killed in his studio by Valerie Solanasa, a radical feminist. Solanasa had suffered from schizophrenia, and was later sentenced to life in prison for the murder. The Beatles made news when they established “Apple Records” in May.

Mayor Richard Daley (right), Chicago's influential mayor and the "decider" of the 1968 Democratic nomination.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

How does Warhol's death affect the career of Jean Michel Basquiat?

That is a POD I didn't really think over much; I'd imagine that the ensuing turmoil of the 1970s that I have written out will give him cause to address the problems he did in OTL. Good question man, the Warhol death was a spur of the moment change that I wrote in with little thought to the greater consequences of the story. Luckily (unlucky for Warhol), the events of the timeline will none the less fuel the artistic and music scene much like the 1960s did.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Three Elephants Mingle in Miami: The 1968 Republican National Convention.

On the morning of August 5th, Richard Nixon arrived in Miami with victory in his grasps. For the second time in his life, a Republican Convention was set to nominate him for the Presidency. While it was not known how many delegates Strom Thurmond had in his pocket, fears that he would deadlock the convention were dismissed both by the Nixon campaign and the press. Yet, as the Republican Convention opened that night, a major monkey-wrench was thrown into his plans. That evening on the floor of the convention, Governor Ronald Reagan announced that he was not just a favorite son, but a full blown candidate for the Republican nomination. Immediately, Reagan’s handlers began seeking out meetings with Thurmond’s campaign. Face to face negotiations between Reagan and Thurmond that evening resulted in an agreement in which Thurmond would back Reagan in exchange for Reagan picking up one of Thurmond’s pet projects-missile defense.

Likewise, Reagan also met privately with Nelson Rockefeller, exploiting his distaste of Richard Nixon to keep him in the race as a means of splitting the moderate wing of the party’s delegates. While Rockefeller had been a vocal opponent of Goldwater’s nomination in 1964, his personal distaste for Richard Nixon and his underestimation of Reagan’s strength played right into the Reagan camps hands.

On the morning of August 6th, Nixon went before the cameras and announced his belief that he would win on the first ballot, scheduled for later in the afternoon. Balloting for the nomination began shortly after 1:00 PM. To Nixon’s horror, the first ballot was inconclusive.

1968 Republican National Convention-1,333 Delegates, 667 needed for majority.
First Ballot
Richard Nixon-38.11%-508 delegates.
Nelson Rockefeller-20.78%-277 delegates.
Strom Thurmond-15.45%-206 delegates.
Ronald Reagan-13.65%-182 delegates.
James Rhoades-4.13%-55 delegates.
George Romney-3.75%-50 delegates.
Frank Carlson-1.50%-20 delegates.
Winthrop Rockefeller-1.35%-18 delegates.
Hiram Fong-1.05%-14 delegates.
Harold Stassen-0.15%-2 delegates.
John Lindsey-0.08%-1 delegate.

Reagan and Thurmond immediately retired to a private meeting after the first ballot. Thurmond’s fears that Reagan had failed to place strongly in the balloting was eased when Reagan was able to convince Thurmond that Rockefeller will stay in the race due to his dislike of Nixon as well as the appearance that Thurmond and Reagan will split each other’s conservative block heading into the second ballot. Thurmond agreed to endorse Reagan moments before the second ballot in order to solidify his position as the chief conservative in the race.

Second Ballot
Richard Nixon-35.55%-474 delegates.
Ronald Reagan-29.11%-388 delegates.
Nelson Rockefeller-27.61%-368 delegates.
George Romney-7.73%-103 delegates.

Third Ballot
Ronald Reagan-34.13%-455 delegates.
Nelson Rockefeller-30.16%-402 delegates.
Richard Nixon-25.36%-338 delegates.
George Romney-10.35%-138 delegates.

Despite a large amount of floor gridlock, one thing was for certain: Richard Nixon’s campaign was finished. With his delegates flooding towards Rockefeller or Romney, he had only one quick means of exiting gracefully while also locking up the convention. Delivering a coup ‘de grace to his bitter rival, Nelson Rockefeller, he took to the podium and endorsed Reagan.

Fourth Ballot
Ronald Reagan-59.49%--793 delegates.
Nelson Rockefeller-35.18%-469 delegates.
George Romney-5.33%-71 delegates.

Governor Reagan nominated Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York to be his running mate in order to prevent a rehash of the chaos that dominated the 1964 RNC. Rockefeller accepted the request from Reagan in the name of party unity (and ambition), and was nominated with near unanimous support, besides a few scattered ballots for various other candidates including Governor Spiro Agnew (R-MD), Senator Hiram Fong (R-HI), Mayor John Lindsay (R-NY), and Senator John Tower (R-TX). Governor Reagan gives his acceptance speech at 8:00 PM in the evening, with all three network television stations broadcasting it live.

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On the morning of August 8th, the Republican National Convention concluded. Despite a hotly contested nomination battle, the party was more united than ever. Governor Daniel Evans of Washington delivered the keynote despite an embarrassing incident that occurred earlier that morning. Ted Bundy, a delegate from Washington who was a Rockefeller supporter as well as an aide to Arthur Fletcher (the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor of Washington) was arrested on suspicion of strangling his girlfriend Stephanie Brooks the day earlier after a fight in their Miami hotel room. His status as a visiting delegate brings brief media attention, and he is eventually convicted and sentenced to death in early 1970. The incident is an embarrassment to the Washington Republican Party and Governor Evans. This minor controversy aside, the convention was largely quiet. Reagan’s rapid rise to the nomination, Nelson Rockefeller’s ambition, and Richard Nixon’s desire to exert power-publically or privately-would create what some pundits called “the holy trinity” that would stabilize the Republican Party.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Dagnabbit. I was hoping to begin production on "Reaganland" when I had time (sometime after I retire). In any case, awesome! I'm intrigued to see who Reagan's team chooses for Vice President.

Don't worry; my plans for Reagan are going to be far different then from what you might expect . Keep up the work on the Reaganland timeline, I'd love to read it. I included the Vice Presidential selection in the update, but it is buried in the paragraph. Reagan tapped Rockefeller to unite the party and ease attacks on his relative inexperience.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

By the way, over the last couple of months I have written this up until 1975. So I will try and soace updates to two/three times a week to give me time to get ahead. I hope that isn't too slow for anyone .

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The A-B-C-Ds-Albania, Biafra, Commies, and Debates: September 1968.

With the Democratic convention concluding in chaos and violence, the Kennedy/McKeithen campaign got a weak start out of the gate. The Reagan/Rockefeller ticket led in the polls, though Kennedy’s charisma was a strong match for Reagan’s. This would come to a head in the one and only debate of the election season. Negotiations between the Kennedy and Reagan campaign would continue through the month. Kennedy’s campaign-especially his brother-in-law Sargent Shriver-had wanted a debate, remembering John Kennedy’s success against Richard Nixon eight years earlier. Kennedy himself was less open to the debate; unknown to the public, he privately feared defeat at the hands of Reagan, stemming from a CBS debate on the Vietnam War held in 1967 by the two in which Kennedy was soundly walloped.

Ironically, while Reagan was excited for a debate, his staff was less interested in the proposal. Many of his staffers-most notably Patrick Buchanan -were former Nixon staffers hired quickly after Reagan’s small outfit won the nomination. Another entry into “Reaganland” at this time was former Rockefeller advisor Henry Kissinger, who became the campaigns top foreign policy expert. Remembering back to the 1960 debates, they feared if Kennedy would perform strongly, or worse, if Reagan would make a gaffe. Despite these fears, Reagan and his campaign manager Cliff White were in favor of the debate, and after much convincing, Kennedy agreed to one as well. It was to be sponsored by the League of Women Voters, and televised on NBC on October 15th. Both agreed to allow George Wallace to participate, hoping that he would hurt the other electorally.

The Wallace campaign was not the only third party campaign to shake things up. Peace and Freedom Vice Presidential candidate Jerry Rubin found himself in the news after interrupting and attempting to hijack a feminist rally. A small group dubbing itself “Radical Women of New York” led by a 28 year old feminist named Robin Morgan was attempting to peacefully protest the 1969 Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The protests attracted significant media attention when Rubin showed up in support of the demonstrators with a band of “Yippies”, alienating Morgan and some of the other feminist demonstrators. A shouting match ensues when Morgan tires of Rubin’s antics (including his heckling of other feminist speakers that were profane and sexually explicit), and police force Rubin and his “Yippie” delegation to leave.

As the campaign continued, Nigeria’s civil war became a surprise issue. On September 1st, Biafran rebels had miraculously routed a Nigerian offensive, forcing them out of Biafran territory to regroup. Nigeria, supported by a coalition of nations as diverse as the United Kingdom and the USSR, was branded “a socialist hellhole” by Reagan during a campaign speech to voters in South Carolina, and he vowed to aid the Biafran cause. His comments irritated British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, and caused a rift between the United States and the United Kingdom as a result.

The United Kingdom and the United State’s minor row over Reagan’s Biafra comments dominated the headlines as the press characteristically ignored a much more important story. In the wake of the Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia, Albania withdrew from the Warsaw Pact and endorsed Maoism over the Soviet doctrine of Marxist-Leninism. The Hoxha regime cut all of its’ remaining ties with the Eastern bloc, and begins building stronger economic ties with the Peoples Republic of China as a result. Hoxha’s regime rapidly became the most isolated and mysterious in the world as a result.

The Prague Spring.

National Polling (Gallup)

(R) Reagan: 40%
(D) Kennedy: 37%
(AIP) Wallace: 15%
Undecided: 7%
Other: 1%

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Love it so far, especially McKeithen (who I can't help but think of another more dystopic timeline!). Interesting to see how Wallace will affect the election.

I was inspired by that awesome timeline (my favorite Alt. History of all time), but I assure you that it will be far, far different in many ways.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Update coming tonight.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

October Surprises: October-Early November, 1968 (Part I)

The world’s attention was focused on Mexico in early October ahead of the 1968 Olympics. On October 2nd, the Mexican army had opened fire on student protestors in Mexico City, killing upwards as many as 300 people-a death toll was never established. The massacre faded from memory as the Olympics began, as did the Presidential election. For Johnson and Reagan, this was the time to act on their own plans to shape the election.

While the 1968 convention alienated several core constituencies of Kennedy’s base (mainly African Americans and young voters), he was able to rebuild his coalition over September ahead of the upcoming debates. With the south totally lost for Kennedy, he pushed to the left on several issues, reigniting not only the base but impressing the labor machine that had backed Humphrey originally. Insulted by Kennedy’s attempts to distance himself from the Johnson administration and fueled by his already deep hatred for Kennedy, the President was all too eager to throw obstacles into Kennedy’s way. Desperate to prevent Kennedy from getting any credit for concluding the war in Vietnam, Johnson threw his full weight behind peace talks, hoping for a “Halloween Peace.”

The Reagan campaign was all too aware of the President’s intention of ending the war before the election. Former Eisenhower aide Bryce Harlow contacted Reagan advisor Henry Kissinger and informed him of a planned bombing halt as part of peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam. Kissinger immediately contacted Richard Nixon, who was a strong contender to be Secretary of State under a hypothetical Reagan presidency, and reportedly asked him to contact the South Vietnamese government. On October 4th, Richard Nixon and Bryce Harlow met in New York with socialite Anna Chenault, who in turn contacted South Vietnamese Ambassador Bui Diem, and advised him that a potential Reagan administration could get a stronger peace deal for South Vietnam; Diem relayed the message to President Thieu. Unbeknownst to Nixon, Chenault, Diem, or Thieu, all four of them were being illegally wiretapped by the FBI.

On October 14th, South Vietnam accused the North Vietnamese government of preparing a campaign of sabotage and terrorism that was allegedly planned for the weeks following the signing of a peace accord between the two nations; South Vietnam suspended participation in the peace talks until the North Vietnamese government could “establish trust.”

President Johnson was reportedly furious at Nixon for the actions, and privately condemned him as a traitor. Yet, if he blew the lid on the operation, he himself would have been in hot water over the warrantless wiretapping and perceived political espionage. Furthermore, there was no evidence that linked Reagan himself to the operation, though FBI agents trailing Nancy Reagan had reported that Anna Chenault and Mrs. Reagan dined together in New York City on October 11th.

On October 15th, Kennedy, Reagan, and Wallace went head to head for the only debate of the cycle. The debate was hosted by the League of Women Voters, televised by NBC, and moderated by the host of “Meet the Press”, Lawrence Spivak.   

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Part II

Highlights of the 1968 Presidential Debate

Spivak: Governor Reagan, throughout the campaign you have emphasized a strong stance on law and order, yet have also been a strident defender of states’ rights. If President, and a series of massive riots were too breakout throughout the nation, would you federalize the national guard in the event that a state’s governor refused to do so.

Reagan: Absolutely, Mr. Spivak. Americans have a right to live in peace. They have a right to live without the fear or violence destroying their property and their lives. If a governor of any state for any reason refused to take appropriate action in combating anarchy, I will!

Spivak: Senator Kennedy, how you address the urban unrest?

Kennedy: We have to address why people are killing each other in our own streets. We need to address the concerns of our young citizens. Everything has become impersonal; a feeling of alienation floats over our young. They feel as they are questioned but not allowed to answer. They feel that they are not allowed to solve the daily dilemmas they face. They feel that don’t have a voice, and as a result, the young people, African Americans, workers, they..they are alienated. We need to address this. The war has an effect. Poverty has an effect. Now, the Peace Corp has made a difference. It has given young people a chance to channel their passion, their talent, their intelligence, and their good will in order to help people around the world. They came of age when my brother President Kennedy was speaking of peace; of international unity. And now, now they see the war, and they see how much has changed, and they feel helpless. Shouldn’t this alienation be addressed and not repressed?

Spivak: But how specifically would you address a major riot, if one were to break out?

Kennedy: I’d trust that each state is well prepared for such an event after the riots of a few years ago. I don’t foresee a federal response ever being needed, and the federal government as of now is more than prepared with both the legal mechanisms to justify a response as well as the fifty National Guards, which are more than prepared.

Spivak: Governor Wallace, do you believe law and order is falling around the country, and how would you respond to it?

Wallace: This aint the time for listening or learning, Senator Kennedy. It’s a time for leadership. We need law and we need order. I think we ought to take these young people out to the woodshed and give them a reason why they ought to be not throwing these tantrums. Democracy fails without order, and if these students and activists and rioters want change, they ought to go to the ballot box and not the streets.
……
Spivak: The war in Vietnam appears to be winding down as peace talks in Paris continue. As President, how would you handle the peace talks and see about a closing of the war. Senator Kennedy?

Kennedy: Peace is at hand in Vietnam, and it is an honorable peace. In the event that peace is reached, I’d withdraw American soldiers in an orderly fashion, while retaining some bases as a bulwark against the North Vietnamese supported rebels who continue to bedevil the government of South Vietnam.

Spivak: Governor Reagan?

Reagan: Peace without victory is not peace with honor. The United States has been since our inception as a sovereign nation been a bulwark for freedom around the globe. We cannot give up on our allies in South Vietnam. We are war with the most dangerous enemy since Fascism and Nazism rolled across Europe. Now is the time for decisive action, and as President, I would not agree to any peace treaty that does not contain a North Vietnamese recognition of South Vietnam’s sovereignty and independence. If we abandon freedom in Vietnam, future generations will look back, and will Vietnam as just one more retreat in the war for global liberty?

Spivak: And Governor Wallace?

Wallace: I believe in peace with honor as well, and I see no honor in defeat. In the event that peace talks in Paris collapse, I will ask the Joint Chiefs of Staff to devise a contingency operation in which the United States can achieve complete and rapid victory with the use of conventional weapons over the insurgents who continue to threaten the freedom of the Vietnamese people.
……

Spivak: Governor Reagan, Senator Kennedy has repeatedly criticized your positions on programs such as Medicaid and Social Security. As President, would you continue those social programs and other welfare programs that assist needy Americans?

Reagan: Well Lawrence, we have these programs for a reason. Poverty is something that needs to be fought, but the market holds the solutions to these crises that almost always exceeds the government’s solutions. A young man, twenty years old, working an average salary…his Social Security contribution would, in the open market, buy him an insurance policy that would guarantee twice as much as what the government can. And you know what? He could live it up until he's thirty or thirty five and then take out a policy that would pay more than Social Security.

Why should we force citizens into Security Security-a program that only has as much as is put in, when they could benefit outside of it? Can’t we introduce voluntary features that would permit a citizen who can do better on his own? Should we not allow a widow with children to work, and not lose the benefits supposedly paid for by her deceased husband? Shouldn't you and I be allowed to declare who our beneficiaries will be under this program, which we cannot do? I think we're for telling our senior citizens that no one in this country should be denied medical care because of a lack of funds. But I think we're also against forcing all citizens, regardless of need, into a compulsory government program.

Spivak: Senator Kennedy?

Kennedy: Impoverished Americans are not seeking a handout; they seek a hand up, and I agree with Governor Reagan that welfare has proved ineffective and demeaning. The only answer is to create jobs. I'd do it through tax incentives to the private sector, using the government as a last resort. I think business can handle most of it if we make it economically attractive.

We can create urban free enterprise zones, where young entrepreneurs can pursue the American Dream. We can create equality without government, and we can bring about economic equality not win an iron hand but with a helping hand. We can-

Reagan: There you go again, Senator Kennedy. Why should we have “special free enterprise zones?” Why should this nation, from sea to shining sea, not be one single free enterprise zone?
……
Spivak: Governor Reagan, Senator Kennedy’s age has been brought up on the campaign trail by some in the media. Do you feel that he is experienced enough to be President?

Reagan: Age is just a number, and I will not use Senator Kennedy’s youth and inexperience against him in this race.
……
Spivak:..and thank you Governor Wallace for your closing statement. Senator Kennedy?

Kennedy: Lawrence, America stands divided today. Rich and poor. Hawks and doves. Blacks and whites. We don’t need bomb-droppers overseas and we don’t need bomb throwers at home. We need a candidate who will bring us together. If you look at America and see the discord and lack of domestic harmony with disgust, I ask for your vote. I will bring us together. 

Spivak: And finally, Governor Reagan?

Reagan: My fellow Americans, look at our country today. Look at the flames illuminating the city. Look at the presence of soldiers in our streets. Look at the crowds of anti-American radicals in our own streets burning our flags. Look at your government. Look at your taxes. Are you better off then you were four years ago? Are your streets safer? Are you freer? Are the people of the world freer? Think about the last four years, and then, consider thinking about me.
……

The debate, while certainly not a massacre for Senator Kennedy, was a triumph for Reagan, whose humor and rhetoric shined over Kennedy, who seemed somewhat distant and tired (he had only returned from Greece the day before). Wallace’s performance was strong, though he received only a third of the questions Reagan and Kennedy did, and would complain bitterly about bias throughout the remainder of the debate. As Election Day approached, Reagan and Kennedy found themselves completely tied. Only on November 1st, just five days before the election, did Martin Luther King finally endorse Senator Kennedy.

In international news, the Olympics dominated the headlines totally. A military coup resulting in leftist military officers led by Juan Velasco Alvarado on October 3rd received little attention, as did civil unrest in Derry, Northern Ireland between Catholic rioters and British security forces. Only Jackie Kennedy’s wedding to Aristotle Onassis on the Greek island of Skorpios-an event in which Senators Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy took time off the campaign trail to attend-seemed to overshadow the Mexico City Olympics.

National Polling (Gallup)
(R) Reagan: 44%
(D) Kennedy: 44%
(AIP) Wallace: 9%
Undecided: 3%
Other: 1%

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

November 5th: Election Day ’68

Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA)/Governor Nelson Rockefeller (R-NY): 310 Electoral Votes, 44.38% of the popular vote.
Senator Robert Kennedy (D-LA)/Governor John McKeithen (D-LA): 189 Electoral Votes, 43.76% of the popular vote.
Former Governor George Wallace (AIP-AL)/Governor Lester Maddox (AIP-GA): 77 Electoral Votes, 9.75% of the popular vote.
Mr. Gore Vidal (PF-NY)/Mr. Jerry Rubin (PF-CA): 1.28% of the popular vote.
Mr. Eric Hass (SL-NY)/Mr. Henning Blomen (SL-MA): 0.46% of the popular vote.
Other (Socialist Workers, Prohibition, Communist): 0.37% of the popular vote.
   

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[Atlas Has Shrugged]

In hindsight, I'll change the map. It was made months ago. As for Wallace's general performance, Reagan ran to the right of Nixon in OTL. Rural voters saw Wallace's populist positions/race rhetoric as a more appealing combination.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Update coming tonight or tomorrow and the map has been changed.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Party Key
R-Republican Party
D-Democratic Party
I-Independent
AIP-American Independence
C-Conservative
AIP-American Independence Party
PF-Peace & Freedom Party
PHB-Prohibition
UC-United Citizens
CPUSA-Communist Party
S-Socialist Party
SL-Socialist Labor
SWP-Socialist Workers Party
NR-New Reform

1968 Senate Elections
1968 Alabama Senate Election
(D) James Allen: 72.39%
(R) Perry Hooper: 19.37%
(I) Robert Schwenn: 8.24%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Alaska Senate Election
(D) Mike Gravel: 42.37%
(R) Elmer Rasmuson: 38.28%
(I) Ernest Gruening: 19.35%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Arizona Senate Election
(R) Barry Goldwater: 60.23%
(D) Roy Elson: 39.77%
(Republican gain)
   
1968 Arkansas Senate Election
(D) William Fulbright: 56.28%
(R) Charles Bernard: 43.72%
(Democratic hold)

1968 California Senate Election
(R) Max Rafferty: 49.11%
(D) Alan Cranston: 48.72%
(PF) Paul Jacobs: 2.17%
(Republican hold-recount requested)

1968 Colorado Senate Election
(R) Peter Dominick: 57.64%
(D) Stephen McNichols: 42.36%
(Republican hold)

1968 Connecticut Senate Election
(D) Abraham Ribicoff: 52.39%
(R) Edwin May: 47.61%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Florida Senate Election
(R) Edward Gurney: 55.29%
(D) LeRoy Collins: 44.71%
(Republican gain)

1968 Georgia Senate Election
(D) Herman Talmadge: 72.56%
(R) E. Earl Patton: 27.44%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Hawaii Senate Election
(D) Daniel Inouye: 84.96%
(R) Wayne Thiessen: 15.04%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Idaho Senate Election
(D) Frank Church: 61.77%
(R) George Hansen: 38.23%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Illinois Senate Election
(R) Everett Dirksen: 52.95%
(D) William Clark: 47.05%
(Republican hold)

1968 Indiana Senate Election
(R) William Ruckelshaus: 50.28%
(D) Birch Bayh: 49.72%
(Republican gain-recount requested)

1968 Iowa Senate Election
(D) Harold Hughes: 51.28%
(R) David Stanley: 48.72%
(Democratic gain)

1968 Kansas Senate Election
(R) Robert Dole: 63.29%
(D) William Robinson: 36.71%
(Republican hold)

1968 Kentucky Senate Election
(R) Marlow Cook: 53.36%
(D) Katherine Peden: 46.64%
(Republican hold)

1968 Louisiana Senate Election
(D) Russell Long: 100.00%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Maryland Senate Election
(R) Charles Mathias: 43.27%
(D) Daniel Brewster: 41.40%
(AIP) George Mahoney: 15.33%
(Republican gain)

1968 Missouri Senate Election
(D) Thomas Eagleton: 50.08%
(R) Thomas Curtis: 49.92%
(Democratic hold-recount requested)

1968 Nevada Senate Election
(D) Alan Bible: 53.86%
(R) Ed Fike: 46.14%
(Democratic hold)

1968 New Hampshire Senate Election
(R) Norris Cotton: 60.24%
(D) John King: 39.74%
(Republican hold)

1968 New York Senate Election
(R) Jacob Javits: 41.38%
(D) Paul O’Dwyer: 36.84%
(C) James Buckley: 21.78%
(Republican hold)

1968 North Carolina Senate Election
(D) Sam Erwin: 58.11%
(R) Robert Somers: 41.89%
(Democratic hold)

1968 North Dakota Senate Election
(R) Milton Young: 62.36%
(D) Herschel Lashkowitz: 37.64%
(Republican hold)

1968 Ohio Senate Election
(R) William Saxbe: 51.25%
(D) John Gilligan: 48.75%
(Republican gain)

1968 Oklahoma Senate Election
(D) Mike Monroney: 50.87%
(R) Henry Bellon: 49.13%
(Democratic hold-recount requested)

1968 Oregon Senate Election
(D) Wayne Morse: 50.13%
(R) Bob Packwood: 49.87%
(Democratic hold-recount requested)

1968 Pennsylvania Senate Election
(R) Richard Schweiker: 52.14%
(D) Joseph Clark: 47.86%
(Republican gain)

1968 South Carolina Senate Election
(D) Ernest Hollings: 62.36%
(R) Marshall Parker: 37.64%
(Democratic hold)

1968 South Dakota Senate Election
(D) George McGovern: 55.27%
(R) Archie Gubbrud: 44.73%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Utah Senate Election
(R) Wallace Bennett: 55.74%
(D) Milton Wellenmann: 44.26%
(Republican hold)

1968 Vermont Senate Election
(R) George Aiken: 100.00%
(Republican hold)

1968 Washington Senate Election
(D) Warren Magnuson: 62.11%
(R) Jack Metcalf: 37.89%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Wisconsin Senate Election
(D) Gaylord Nelson: 59.20%
(R) Jerris Leonard: 40.80%
(Democratic hold)

1968 Senate Elections
Democrats: 56 (-6)
Republicans: 44 (+6)

Senate Map

Senate Majority Leader-elect: Mike Mansfield (D-MT)
Incumbent Senate Majority Leader: Mike Mansfield (D-MT)

Senate Minority Leader-elect: Everett Dirksen (R-IL)
Incumbent Senate Minority Leader: Everett Dirksen (R-IL)

1968 House of Representatives Elections
Democrats: 240 seats (-8)
Republicans: 195 seats (+8)

Speaker-elect of the House: John McCormack (D-MA)
Incumbent Speaker of the House: John McCormack (D-MA)

House Minority Leader: Gerald Ford (R-MI)
House Minority Whip: Leslie Arends (R-IL)

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

A Time for Transition: November-December, 1968.

President-elect Ronald Reagan.
On the morning of November 6th, President-elect Reagan woke up in his suite at the Ambassador Hotel after celebrating his victory during the wee hours of the morning after a long and tediously close election night. Now came the time to prepare for the transition. A meeting with key campaign staff and allies was held on the 7th. During the meeting, it was Nancy Reagan who was the dominant force. Cliff White, Reagan’s campaign manager was tapped to be White House Chief of Staff. Loyal aide Mike Deaver was selected to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff (and Nancy Reagan’s de facto henchman), while Ed Meese was selected as White House Counsel. Patrick Buchanan was chosen as Press Secretary, and George Schultz was selected to head up the Office of Management and Budget. Finally, Henry Kissinger was offered a senior cabinet post. Kissinger declined, stating that he would prefer the position of National Security Advisor, which he was given. White was delegated the duties of creating a solidly conservative cabinet that was also congressionally acceptable. The list would be completed and announced in December.

Senator Kennedy, while troubled by the defeat, quickly had his eyes on the future. Weeks after the election, his wife Ethel gave birth to a daughter, Rory Kennedy. With a 1970 reelection campaign in the not so distant future and a chance of redemption in 1972, Kennedy’s spirits remained high and his ambition undaunted.

In Vietnam, the war resumed as the Johnson administration failed to restore peace talks. On November 11th, “Operation Commando Hunt” was launched. The campaign of mass bombing of Viet Cong positions along the Ho Chi Minh trail succeeded in its goal of hindering Viet Cong efforts, but did not damage their morale-in fact, it only served to embolden them. With high civilian casualties in Cambodia and Laos, as well as continued American deaths, the approval ratings for both the war and the Johnson administration continued to slide as Americans awaited Ronald Reagan’s inauguration.

Several notable deaths occurred during the span of these two months. Norman Thomas, the nominee of the Socialist Party for President in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, and 1948, and a well known anti-war activist and Presbyterian minister died at the age of 84 on December 19th. Supporters joked about his passing being timely ahead of the inauguration of perhaps the most outwardly conservative president in American history. Only eight days earlier, Senator Bob Bartlett (D-AK) died on the operating table during heart surgery. Alaska’s governor appointed State Senator Ted Stevens, a Republican, to the seat. Ironically, Stevens had originally intended to run for Senate in 1968 but lost the Republican primary. With his appointment to the seat, he now had a seniority advantage over his would be opponent, Mike Gravel, who had been elected in November. Legendary author John Steinbeck also passed away; Steinbeck, known for his leftwing views, inspired Johnny Carson to joke that “Ronald Reagan literally scared three people to death.”

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The Reagan Cabinet: Part I.


Secretary of State: Richard Nixon (R-CA)

Richard Nixon was the man who many believed should have been President in 1960 and 1968. Yet, in each case, victory seemed to slip from his grasp just as he grasped it in the palms of his hands. With his presidential ambitions seemingly dashed after the Republican convention, Nixon was eager to take up the mantle as Secretary of State (and a chance to return to national relevance). With his international connections that he made while Vice President, he was the obvious choice. His political position as the “ideological center” (in Reagan’s words) of the Republican Party, successfully uniting both the Reagan and Rockefeller factions together, furthers his influence as a senior leader in the Reagan cabinet. His experience, political pull, and national visibility will help add needed experience to the Reagan administration.

Confirmation
Nixon was confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a vote of 13-3, with Senators Frank Church (D-ID), Ed Muskie (D-ME), and Claiborne Pell (D-RI) opposing his nomination, citing rumors of improper involvement in the Vietnamese peace talks. Despite blowing the lid on what could be a major scandal, the Johnson administration refused to verify the claims, stating that there was “no evidence” of the alleged Chenault affair. The decision was largely based on a fear of public backlash (and future legal troubles) over their own extensive wiretapping program.

Political History
Republican nominee for Governor of California, 1962.
Republican nominee for President, 1960.
Vice President of the United States of America (1953-1961)
United States Senator from California (1951-1953)
Congressman from California’s 12th District (1947-1951)

Secretary of the Treasury: Milton Friedman (R-IL)


Milton Friedman was speculated heavily for the position of Treasury Secretary, and it was no surprise that he was selected for the position. A fiercely conservative advocate for school choice, the ending of the draft, deregulation, and his status as the godfather of the Chicago School of economic thought, it is widely expected that he will play the dominant role in the incoming Reagan administrations implementation of an economic agenda. His inclusion of the cabinet is a signal that Reagan is serious about his campaign pledges to totally restructure America’s social welfare system.

Confirmation
The Senate Finance Committee confirmed Milton Friedman’s nomination 10-8 on January 9th, with Senators Clinton Anderson (D-NM), Albert Gore (D-TN), Eugene McCarthy (D-MN), Vance Hartke (D-IN), Abraham Ribicoff (D-CT), and Fred Harris (D-OK) voting against the nomination. After a heated debate in the Senate, his nomination was confirmed by a full vote of 56-44 on January 11th.

Secretary of Defense: Walt Rostow (D-TX)

Reagan had initially wanted Barry Goldwater to take the position of Secretary of Defense. Due to Goldwater’s recent return to the Senate and his outspoken views, the confirmation battle would be contentious, and Goldwater wisely declined the offer. Reagan than offered the position to Walt Rostow. Despite his service in the Johnson administration, Walt Rostow’s inclusion in the cabinet was not only an olive branch to Democrats but also an attempt to include continuity into Vietnam policy. Rostow’s strong belief in the free market and using the market to help developing nations will help further the Reagan administrations aggressively anti-communist and pro-market agenda. His confirmation will be among the easier. Finally, his inclusion in the cabinet will pacify any urge to blow the lid on both LBJ’s wiretapping and the Reagan campaign’s involvement in the disintegration of the peace talks.

Political History
National Security Advisor: 1966-1969.
State Department Policy Planning Council: 1961-1966.
Deputy National Security Advisor: 1961-1961.

Confirmation
The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously confirmed Rostow on January 8th, 1969. The full Senate vote was not any difference, with a 100-0 vote in favor of his confirmation. The Rostow nomination was among the easiest nominations, and was surprisingly easy for such an important position.

Attorney General: James Buckley (R-NY)

James Buckley, along with his brother William F. Buckley, is the leading intellectual leader of the American right-wing. After years of practicing private law, he entered politics as the Conservative Party of New York’s nominee for Senate in 1968. While he failed to unseat Jacob Javits, he managed to win a healthy portion of the vote and lead Reagan’s efforts in RFK’s home state. As Attorney General, Buckley will have the power to roll back years of New Deal and Great Society regulations that are reviled by the right.

Political History
Conservative Party of New York’s nominee for United States’ Senate, 1968.

Confirmation
James Buckley’s nomination was among the most contentious battles. His hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee were heated, with brutal exchanges between the Democratic members of the committee (particularly Ted Kennedy) proved that Buckley could give it as well as take it. The Committee ultimately voted 15-3, with Senators Thomas Dodd (D-CT), Phillip Hart (D-MI), and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) being the main opposition to his nomination. After an extended debate on the Senate floor, his nomination was voted on. The final result was 58-42, with several southern Democrats crossing the aisle to support his nomination.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The Reagan Cabinet, Part II.
Secretary of the Interior: Arthur Fletcher (R-WA)


Arthur Fletcher, an African American originally from Arizona, was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Washington in 1968. His campaign was hindered by the revelation that his driver and bodyguard, Ted Bundy, had murdered his then girlfriend in a fight and was suspected in several other murders of sorority girls in Washington State. After losing the race, his fortunes changed when President-elect Reagan named him to be Secretary of the Interior. The first African American ever named to the cabinet, his nomination is lauded by several leading figures in the Civil Rights movement-people usually opposed to Reagan on all counts.

Political History
Republican Party of Washington’s nominee for Lt. Governor in 1968.

Confirmation
Confirmed unanimously by the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Fletcher’s nomination breezed through the Senate with a 90-10 vote for his nomination. Opposition came mainly from southern Democrats, who excused their votes on the Bundy incident following accusations of racism from incoming White House Chief of Staff Cliff White. 

Secretary of Agriculture: Earl Butz (R-IN)


Brash, outspoken, and a self described “agrarian visionary”, Earl Butz was perhaps one of the most colorful characters named to the Reagan cabinet. Desperately seeking to finally smash the New Deal, Butz vowed to end payments to farmers to not grow grain, planned to limit farm subsidies, and ending prosecutions for overpayment. Butz is one of the most ideologically driven figures in the new administration, and the underwhelming nature of the Department of Agriculture will be no setback for him.

Political History
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture: 1954-1957
Dean of Agriculture at Perdue University: 1957-1968
Candidate for Governor of Indiana, Republican Primary: 1968

Confirmation
Earl Butz’s nomination was one of the most contentious and divisive battles of the incoming administration. Opposition was bipartisan, with Senators Gordon Allot (R-CO), Alan Bible (D-NV), Carl Curtis (R-NE), Bob Dole (R-KS), Harold Hughes (D-IA), Mike Mansfield (D-MT), George McGovern (D-SD), Jack Miller (R-IA), Karl Mundt (R-SD), and Clifford Hansen (R-WY) all signing a letter to President-elect Reagan urging the withdrawal of Earl Butz’s nomination as Secretary of Agriculture; incoming White House Press Secretary (and transition spokesperson) Pat Buchanan stated that the President-elect “firmly supports Mr. Butz’s nomination” on January 14th. On January 16th, the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee confirmed him 7-6. On January 21st, the Senate voted 50-50 on his nomination, putting a dilemma on Vice President Rockefeller on the second day of the Reagan administration. Putting aside his personal disgust at Butz, who during confirmation hearings vowed that American farmers would have to “get big or get out”, Rockefeller cast the deciding vote in favor of his nomination.

Secretary of Commerce: Bill Brock (R-TN)

A four term Congressman, Bill Brock has been viewed as one of the rising stars in the Tennessee Republican Party. There is speculation that he will challenge Senator Albert Gore in the 1970 Senate election, and a year’s worth of experience in the cabinet might make or break such ambitions. At 39, he is among the youngest appointees to the Reagan administration.

Political History
Congressman from Tennessee’s Third District, 1963-1969.

Confirmation
The Senate Committee on Commerce began hearings on January 23rd and ended them on January 25th, sufficiently satisfied with Brock’s responses to their questions. Republicans on the committee certainly were keen on getting as many members of the Reagan administration confirmed as quickly as possible while the Democrats were more interested in neutralizing him as a threat for the 1970 midterm elections. He was confirmed 80-20 on January 27th.

Secretary of Labor: Lemuel Boulware (R-NY)

Lemuel Boulware’s association with Ronald Reagan dates back to his days as spokesperson for General Electric. Boulware had been Vice President of Labor and Community Relations from 1956 until 1961 at GE, where he infamously devised the “take it or leave it” (or “Boulwarism”) strategy of negotiating with organized labor after the 1946 strike. His stance on labor and his influence on Reagan’s ideological development will give him an indispensable role in the implementation of Reagan’s agenda. At 74, he is among the oldest members of the cabinet.

Political History
Vice President of Carrier Corporation: 1935-1940.
Vice President of Celotex Corporation: 1940-1942.
General Electric Vice President of Labor and Community Relations: 1956-1961.

Confirmation
Outright opposed by the AFL-CIO from the start, the fate of the Department of Labor’s potential future head laid in the hands of the Senate. Hearings for the nomination were contentious, with the nomination being decided by a 9-8 vote on January 30th after days of hearings. The Senate battle was almost as contentious as the Butz nomination, with his record at GE and his heavy handed tactics in regards to strikes being called into question. The Senate confirmed him 53-47, avoiding a deciding vote by Rockefeller, who already lost some credibility among moderates (and his image of independence) by voting for Butz’s nomination.

Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Caspar Weinberger (R-CA)

Being a leading California Republican and ally of Reagan, Caspar Weinberger’s nomination was a matter of when and what position. As Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Weinberger is expected to use his widely respected bureaucratic administrating talents to cut through waste and help implement the Reagan agenda.

Political History
California State Assembly: 1952-1958.
Republican nominee for Attorney General of California, 1958.
Chairman of the California Republican Party: 1962-1966.
Chairman of the Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy: 1967-1968.
California State Director of Finance: 1968.

Confirmation
Caspar Weinberger was confirmed 11-6 by the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, and 67-33 by the Senate the following morning on February 5th. His confirmation being relatively quick and painless, it none the less attracted a higher than expected amount of nay votes being cast due to allegations of “cronyism.”

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY)

“A Democrat! A Democrat in the Reagan cabinet!” screamed the press when the announcement was made. The selection was slightly odd for such a staunchly conservative president, but Moynihan’s party label hardly mattered in terms of substance. A firm believer that welfare had created a sense of dependency, Moynihan none the less worked on the RFK campaign as an informal advisor and was believed to have coined the phrase “hand up, not hand out.” His selection comes as a gesture of bipartisanship from the otherwise staunchly Republican administration. To combat charges of inexperience on Reagan’s part, it was decided that as many economists and policy wonks were needed as possible, and despite his support for Kennedy, Moynihan was both to the boot. A supporter of a guaranteed basic minimum income, he will likely have a good working relationship with Friedman, who proposed the negative income tax.

Confirmation
The Kennedy brothers were weary of Moynihan’s nomination. While it would have appeared petty to oppose his nomination due to their past working relationships, a vote of confidence in his more conservative ideas in regards to urban policy and welfare might damage the brother’s standing in the eyes of liberals. After an easy confirmation by the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency, the crisis was calmed when Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield introduced a motion of unanimous consent. The nomination was passed without a voice vote, leaving Senator Kennedy free to further oppose future Reagan appointments.

Political History
Staff assistant to Averell Harriman: 1954-1958.
Delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention.
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy: 1961-1965.
Candidate for New York City Council President, 1965 Democratic primary.
Director of the Harvard-MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies: 1965-1969.

Secretary of Transportation: Ray Barnhart (R-TX)


Despite an apparent lack of political involvement outside of managing Reagan and Goldwater’s two campaign in Texas and an attempt to reform the city of Pasadena’s government, Barnhart’s business experience made him Reagan’s first choice for Secretary of Transportation: a position that was widely speculated to have been reserved for either Governor Spiro Agnew (R-MD) or Governor John Volpe (R-MA). Having been in the construction industry and particularly knowledgeable of underground utilities, it is likely that he will be an efficient, if not quiet, cabinet secretary.

Confirmation
After a unanimous confirmation by the Senate Commerce Committee, Barnhart was confirmed by a Senate vote of 98-2 (one of the votes coming from his own Senator, Ralph Yarborough). The confirmation of Barnhart concluded the confirmation process for the cabinet, though numerous other sub-cabinet figures would also be appointed and face equally contentious debates.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Figures of the Reagan Administration

White House Chief of Staff: Cliff White (R-NY)


Clifton White was the ringleader of Suite 3503, a clandestine political operation that was the genesis of the 1964 Goldwater campaign, and later, was involved in the last minute efforts to bring Reagan into the 1968 Republican primaries. Now brought on as White House Chief of Staff, White’s organization skills are widely admired.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff: Mike Deaver (R-CA)

Unlike White, Deaver is a Reagan insider. Before Reagan’s campaign for Governor, he was working as the Director of the Santa Clara County GOP and an advanceman and field director for several candidates for the state assembly. After Reagan’s victory, he was brought onto the Governor’s staff and quickly formed a friendship-described by some almost as a mother/son relationship-with Nancy Reagan. While Cliff White will hold control of the overall structure, it is Mike Deaver who is going to be the true gate-keeper to the President.

White House Press Secretary: Pat Buchanan (R-DC)

Pat Buchanan is in many respects an outsider in the Reagan White House, having been a member of Nixon’s entourage from the start of his campaign. After the convention, he was signed onto the Reagan campaign with Nixon’s blessing, and quickly became the leading spokesmen and a key advisor. As Press Spokesmen and a key speechwriter, Buchanan will be up against a less than friendly press.

National Security Advisor: Henry Kissinger (R-NY)

Like Buchanan, Kissinger’s arrival in the Reagan White House is credited to Vice President Rockefeller. Kissinger had previously been Rockefeller’s chief foreign policy advisor, and had also advised George Romney during his aborted presidential run earlier in the year. A promoter of “Realpolitik”, Kissinger is an intellectual with vast knowledge about world affairs in a White House that desperately needs as many seasoned hands as possible.

White House Counsel: Edwin Meese (R-CA)

Edwin Meese was initially reluctant to join the Reagan’s administration as Governor, and was even more reluctant to follow him to Washington. After being convinced by Mike Deaver that his expertise was needed, he finally agreed to join the White House Staff as counsel. Word of his reputation preceded him to Washington, where many Democrats in the Senate expressed begrudging admiration for him, just as Democrats in the California legislature have been known to do. Meese is expected to be part of Reagan’s inner circle.

Ambassador to the United Nations: George Bush (R-TX)


Political History
Chairman of the Harris County GOP: 1964.
Republican Party of Texas’s nominee for Senate, 1964.
Congressman from Texas’s 7th District, 1967-1969.

Ambassador to NATO: Donald Rumsfeld (R-IL)

A three term Congressman from Illinois, Donald Rumsfeld’s selection as NATO Ambassador is a relatively low key appointment. A staunch anti-communist and recent convert to the growingly influential Chicago School of Economics, he is likely to be a close ally of Walt Rostov. The real question is if he is experienced enough to handle such a diplomatic role-if he succeeds in galvanizing fellow NATO allies, a promotion in the diplomatic world can only be expected.

Political History
Campaign Manager for Congressman David Dennison’s (R-OH) 1956 campaign.
Administrative Assistant to Congressman David Dennison (R-OH): 1957-1959.
Staff Assistant to Congressman Robert Griffin (R-MI): 1959-1961.
Investment Banker at A.G. Becker & Co: 1961-1963.
Congressman from Illinois’s 13th Congressional District: 1963-1969.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Inauguration Day ’69.

"Mr. Chief Justice, President Johnson, Vice President Humphrey, Vice President Rockefeller, Speaker Udall, Senator Dirksen, and my fellow Americans: Today we gather to bear witness the power of American democracy, and the peaceful transfer of power that routinely takes place, as it has for almost two centuries. Few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every four year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.

President Johnson; I want our fellow citizens to know how much you did to carry on this tradition. By your gracious cooperation in the transition process, you have shown a watching world that we are a united people pledged to maintaining a political system which guarantees individual liberty to a greater degree than any other, and I thank you and your people for all your help in maintaining the continuity which is the bulwark of our Republic.

Each moment in history is a fleeting time, precious and unique. But some stand out as moments of beginning, in which courses are set that shape decades or centuries. This can be such a moment.

Forces now are converging that make possible, for the first time, the hope that many of man's deepest aspirations can at last be realized. The spiraling pace of change allows us to contemplate, within our own lifetime, advances that once would have taken centuries. In throwing wide the horizons of space, we have discovered new horizons on earth.

As America sails steadily towards her bicentennial, we remember the calls of freedom made by those brave Patriots nearly two centuries ago. As we celebrate freedom at home, the threat of totalitarianism still looms over us, and an evil empire seeks to enslave all free people, here and abroad. We must fight this looming menace by answering the beckoning call of freedom around the globe. We cannot continue to hold the freedoms bestowed to us by God if we deny our fellow humans the same defense. We will not cower before evil; we will fight it, as we always had.

Just beyond the Potomac River, upon row of simple white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David. They add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom, and the freedom of others around the world for nearly two centuries.

Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, The Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno, and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam.

I know of the story of one young man, Martin Treptow, who left his job in a small town barbershop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire.

We're told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, "My Pledge," he had written these words: "America must win this war. Therefore I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone."

We are caught in war, wanting peace. We are torn by division, wanting unity. We see around us empty lives, wanting fulfillment. We see tasks that need doing, waiting for hands to do them.

Yet the crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds, to believe that together with God's help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.

And after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans. God Bless You and Thank You."

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Sean Wilentz in his "The Era of Reagan" referred to Rumsfeld as being initially dovish, and Rumsfeld's autobiography (a less than reliable source, I'll grant) referred to skepticism about the Vietnam War during Johnson's second term. Wilentz seemed to believe that it was Cheney who steered Rummy towards a more hawkish stance.

I've heard that before, but I felt that Rumsfeld needed a role. He was a supporter of the war, and a silent skeptic at that. I think Reagan putting him in the role of NATO Ambassador is a move to both test  the young congressman's skills and to throw a bone to Congress, as Reagan's cabinet contains very few actual politicians besides Nixon, Brock, and Bush.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

First 100 Days: January 20th, 1969-April 29th, 1969: Part I.

On the morning of January 21st, Reagan entered the Oval Office as President for his first full day on the job. With cameras and reporters huddling into the office, Reagan very publically conducted his first day of business. Three executive orders were enacted from the start. The first established the Economic Efficiency Council, which businessman Jon Huntsman Sr. of Utah and Deputy Secretary of State Elliot Richardson are named as co-chairs. The Council was designed to investigate the possibility of compounding various cabinet posts and government agencies. The second removed the Office of the Postmaster General from the cabinet and relegated it to a sub department of the Department of Commerce. The final executive order launched the process to evict the remaining residents of Freedom City.

Freedom City turned out to be a disappointment for the SCLC; despite high numbers of original supporters, the cold weather forced most protestors to return home. A large segment of the more radicalized members of the movement-in particular, Black Panthers-were all that remained, and the once orderly encampment had become a shanty town. Only five thousand campers remained, and all but 500 people were peacefully dispersed without need of arrest. The rapid move to shutdown the Freedom City protests was criticized by many liberals. The problem persisted, with some protestors returning to hold out until the 28th, when the National Guard moved in to finally stamp out the protests. This fairly minute move would set the tone for the Reagan administration.

The focus turned quickly to the Supreme Court vacancy created by Earl Warren’s retirement. After Johnson’s last minute attempt to fill the vacancy, the decision came to Reagan. Attorney General Buckley was tasked on January 23rd to find a suitable candidate. While a shortlist consisting of several conservative judges and attorneys was drafted, it was totally rejected by the President: he wanted a woman. At Nancy’s insistence, the decision was made to appoint a noncontroversial woman to the seat, preferably a moderate to avoid a heated battle early on in the show. On March 3rd, President Reagan made a historic announcement when he unveiled Senator Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME) as his selection for the seat.

Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, a popular moderate and respected Senator.

Hearings for Smith’s nomination began on March 1st, ending five days later with a unanimous vote in favor of her by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Senate voted 93-6 (Smith humbly abstained from the vote), with only some opposition from conservative Republicans on March 21st. After resigning her seat to join the court, Governor Kenneth Curtis appointed her longtime aide and close friend William Lewis to the seat until the regularly scheduled election in 1972.

The day after Smith was confirmed, the New York Times reported that Justice Abe Fortas took a large bribe in order to secure a pardon for Wall Street financier Louis Wolfson, who was then under investigation for securities fraud. On April 1st, Fortas resigned from the bench, once again allowing for President Reagan to make an appointment to the bench.  On April 15th, President Reagan announced he had selected Alexander Bickel, a Romanian born professor of law at Yale, and one of the most respected constitutional law scholars in the nation to fill Abe Fortas’s seat on the Supreme Court. Hearings for Bickel’s nomination began on April 20th, and he was eventually confirmed after a largely uncontroversial Senate battle on May 2nd, by a vote of 64-36.

Reagan’s battles for the first two Supreme Court nominations were far less heated than the battles raging in Vietnam. The policy of Vietnamization started by Lyndon Johnson was continued for the time being, with all military operations being contained in South Vietnam. Operation Dewey Canyon was launched on his second day in office, the Operation being organized with the goal of forcing the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) out of A Shau Valley. To the surprise of many, he also signed an executive order that suspended the use of the draft. In a brief speech before news cameras after signing the order, Reagan described the draft as “detrimental to a free society and a professional military” but condemned draft dodgers as “bums.” While it’s use was suspended, it was not gone for good, and many feared that it would soon again be reinstated if the war was taken to North Vietnam-something Reagan promised to do on the campaign trail.

While the ground war was contained in South Vietnam, the air war reignited in North Vietnam. After the Viet Cong launched “Tet II” against the South Vietnamese government, resulting in a week of fighting that left over a thousand American soldiers dead. President Reagan responded with ordering “Operation Rolling Thunder II.” Rolling Thunder II would continue for six months, with daily bombing raids against North Vietnamese military, civil, and industrial installations continuing almost daily with scores of civilian casualties.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

First 100 Days: January 20th, 1969-April 29th, 1969: Part II.

The President meets the Queen.

In February, the President embarked on his first major foreign tour. While Secretary of State Nixon-a man with connections across the globe-had been traveling nonstop to calm the fears of allied governments that stemmed from Reagan’s inexperience with foreign affairs, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger was planning the tour. President Reagan launched his European tour, with his first stop being in Belgium for the 23rd meeting of the North Atlantic Council, the governing body of NATO, on February 23rd. On the very same day, NATO Ambassador Donald Rumsfeld reported for duty in Brussels, Belgium. The following day, President Reagan’s European junket continued in Britain, where the President met with Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The two found little in common, and the meeting was cold and uneventful. Wilson was later reported to have declared “God help us, the man is an idiot!” President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan were also honored with a state dinner at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The reception was much warmer, with the President and the Queen bonding over their shared love of horses. Spending two days in Germany on the 25th and 26th, President Reagan met with Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger and addressed the German Bundestag. He marked his second day in West Germany by visiting the site of the former Dachau concentration camp, and later traveled to West Berlin, where he visited US troops and the Berlin Wall. The West German media criticized him for declining to make a speech similar to JFK’s speech at the site of the wall. The European tour concluded with state visits to France, Italy, and Vatican City, where he met with French President DeGaulle and Pope Pius VI over the course of the remaining days.

Diplomatic power in the Reagan White House was quickly centralized around the executive branch; while Nixon was sent to his first official trip overseas to Saigon, South Vietnam, Kissinger quickly took over as Reagan’s chief foreign policy advisor. At a reception hosted for Nixon by South Vietnamese President Thieu, Nixon announced the Reagan administrations “continued commitment to creating a lasting peace in Vietnam” but also vowed to “never falter in our efforts to preserve the freedom and territorial integrity of the Republic of Vietnam.” On this same day, President Reagan and National Security Advisor Kissinger devised the “Raving Rooky Doctrine”,  in which Reagan agreed to make calculated mistakes and seemingly irrational moves in foreign policy with the hopes of convincing the Soviets, in Kissinger’s words, that Reagan was “a trigger happy, untested wild card.”

The war in Vietnam soon expanded over its borders. On March 18th, President Reagan, at the advice of Secretary Nixon, National Security Advisor Kissinger, and Secretary of Defense Rostow, signed an order launching Operation Menu. Within hours, the Strategic Air Command division of the US Air Force launched a series of bombing raids on Viet Cong outposts in neutral Cambodia and Laos; the missions were kept secret by an elaborate paper trail, for the time being.

Indochina was not the only hot spot in Asia; on April 15th, an American EC-121 Navy reconnaissance plane was shot down by North Korean MiG fighter jets 90 miles off the coast of North Korea over the Sea of Japan. That afternoon, President Reagan and Secretary of Defense Walt Rostow appeared before the press at the White House, where they both issued statements strongly condemning the North Korean “provocation.” President Reagan convenes an emergency meeting of his National Security Team the following morning; Secretary of State Nixon and National Security Advisor Kissinger both advised a limited nuclear retaliation in punishment, though both also stated their fears that this could ignite further North Korean responses. Defense Secretary Rostow urged restraint. A compromise was reached, in which the Department of Defense ordered armed escorts to accompany all aerial operations in Korea, and ordered plans be drawn up for individual retaliatory strikes against any further North Korean aggression.

The domestic political scene was also quiet during the Reagan administrations “honeymoon phase.” The media fixated on the sense of glamour that Nancy Reagan had brought to the White House, bringing memories of Jackie Kennedy back to the forefront. On January 28th, an oil platform off the coast of Santa Barbara, California exploded. Over the next nine days, 80,000 barrels worth of oil would steadily be spilled into the Pacific, creating a massive environmental disaster.

President Reagan visited the site of the Santa Barbara oil spill, touring the damaged beaches by helicopter and visiting with local business leaders adversely affected by the still.  At a press conference with Governor Robert Finch, he announced that the federal government will take action on the issue.

“What has happened here in Santa Barbara is seared into the conscience of America. Reckless enterprise is not free enterprise; my administration will, to the maximum extent of the law, seek compensation for those affected by this.”

Senator Henry Jackson (D-WA) introduced the Environmental Quality Act of 1969. The proposed bill created a Department of Environmental Protection and provided for the implementation of several new environmental regulations. Later in March, the Senate Committee on Public Works began hearings on the proposed Environmental Quality Act of 1969. Committee Chairman Jennings Randolph (D-WV) pushed for an amendment to the bill that would empower the proposed Department of Environmental Protection to regulate energy production and fund research on Synthetic Liquid Fuels, derived from coal. While his attempts failed in the short term, his interest on what he termed “coal oil” would grow among the public in the following years. It passed the Senate by a vote of 52-48 on April 6th, and was placed before the House of Representatives where it would be debated on for months.

Despite the diplomatic and political battles of the first months, the nation paused on March 28th, when the news broke that former President Dwight Eisenhower had passed away at 78 from congestive heart failure at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. His body was taken to lie in state in the capital until his funeral, held on March 31st. President Eisenhower’s state funeral was conducted at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, and attended by President Reagan, and former Presidents Johnson and Truman as well as numerous foreign dignitaries including French President DeGaulle. Secretary of State Nixon delivered a moving eulogy. Afterwards, his body was put on a funeral train and taken to Abilene, Kansas, where he was buried on April 2nd.

President Reagan’s honeymoon soon ended as tempers and temperatures flared, leading to anticipation for yet another long, hot summer for 1969….