1960

[Χahar]

Nixon (D) for me.

[hcallega]

Kennedy most definately. One of my top three Presidents.

[Senator Ben]

Kennedy (D).

[Rob]

Kennedy (D), of course. A Nixon victory in 1960 would only have accelerated the "southern strategy"- why do you think he screamed at Lodge when he promised to appoint a "Negro" to the Cabinet?

[War on Want]

Kennedy, I accidentally voted for Nixon in the poll.

[Alexander Hamilton]

NIXON

[Senator Libertas]

Nixon.

Having LBJ a heartbeat away from the presidency would be a horrifying prospect even with Kennedy's youth.

Recognizing that in 1960 would be rather prophetic...

[Χahar]

Kennedy (D), of course. A Nixon victory in 1960 would only have accelerated the "southern strategy"- why do you think he screamed at Lodge when he promised to appoint a "Negro" to the Cabinet?

I don't think cutting off right-wing "Democrats" in the South was a bad thing.

Kennedy, on the other hand, very much campaigned in a right-wing manner. His main difference from Nixon was that he would escalate the Cold War from Eisenhower's levels. In addition, it would have left Lyndon Johnson a heartbeat away from the Presidency, as Libertas so eloquently put it.

[Boris]

In addition, it would have left Lyndon Johnson a heartbeat away from the Presidency

would you have cared c. 1960?

[Χahar]

In addition, it would have left Lyndon Johnson a heartbeat away from the Presidency

would you have cared c. 1960?

Probably not.

[I left.]

Nixon (D)

[CPT MikeyMike]

Undecided. 

Although had it been Lodge v. LBJ, it would have been Lodge hands down.

[You kip if you want to...]

Kennedy (D)

[GPORTER]

Kennedy (R)

[phk]

Nixon (D) for me.

Why?

[Jbrase]

Kennedy (R)

[CJK]

Unpledged. They both stink.

[Badger]

Kennedy (D) hands down.

I'll give Nixon his foreign policy props (SALT, reproachment with China), as well as his raspberries (expanding the war into Cambodia and Laos, having to be dragged kicking and screaming out of Vietnam, deposing Allende in Chile for IT&T and Anaconda Copper thus giving rise to the Pinochet junta). Given his practice in Vietnam, I find it odd that so many want to decry LBJ's policy (rightfully) somehow convince themselves Nixon would've been any better.

More importantly, with Watergate and Nixon's unprecedented degree of abuse of executive power being a matter of historical record, how can one look back at such an absolute bast$%d with any kind of nostalgia?

[Scam of God]

I voted as Kennedy (I/O) in this poll. Kennedy cut taxes. Nixon raised them.

[Rob]

I don't think cutting off right-wing "Democrats" in the South was a bad thing.

This was accomplished irl when the Kennedy Administration embraced civil rights legislation in 1963.

Kennedy, on the other hand, very much campaigned in a right-wing manner. His main difference from Nixon was that he would escalate the Cold War from Eisenhower's levels.

Kennedy ran to Nixon's "right" on foreign policy in the campaign, but this didn't mean anything. e.g., Kennedy attacked Eisenhower for not deposing Castro, but the Republican Administration was plotting his demise behind closed doors. There would have been no difference on Vietnam, either, except that Nixon may have escalated the war faster- the seeds of this policy were planted under Eisenhower (and Truman), after all.

[Ebowed]

John Kennedy.

[ShadowOfTheWave]

Definately Nixon. I would have been a hardcore Republican until 1980.

[President Mitt]

Nixon

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Nixon

Probably this ^^^

[Bo]

Nixon (D). He was much more experienced than Kennedy and had better judgment on many issues as well (with the exception of Watergate). Kennedy screwed up the Bay of Pigs, caused the Cuban Missile Crisis by placing American missiles in Turkey and frightening the Soviet Union, and threatening to place sanctions of Israel (an American ally) when it was building nuclear weapons since all of its neighbors wanted to destroy it. In constrast, Nixon established relations with China, advanced detente with the Soviet Union, founded the EPA, removed the U.S. of off the gold standard, and prevented a possible nuclear war or confrontation when he saved Israel from destruction in the Yom Kippur War (and thus prevented Israel from using its nukes on Egypt and Syria, thus possibly provoking the Soviet Union and haivng things get really out of hand).