1968 Timeline

[Assistant to the Regional Manager Cathcon]

Have Ashbrook and McCloskey dropped out?

[feeblepizza]

Have Ashbrook and McCloskey dropped out?

No, they just didn't file papers for Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Ohio. They'll be back in the next ones, though.

[feeblepizza]

Republican Primaries (cont.)

Tennessee
Baker - 76%
Reagan - 10%
Agnew - 10%
Ashbrook - 2%
McCloskey - 2%

North Carolina
Agnew - 32%
Reagan - 31%
Baker - 31%
McCloskey - 5%

Nebraska
Reagan - 31%
Baker - 29%
Agnew - 28%
McCloskey - 5%
Ashbrook - 3%

Maryland
Agnew - 66%
Reagan - 10%
Baker - 10%
McCloskey - 8%
Ashbrook - 6%

Michigan
Baker - 32%
Reagan - 31%
Agnew - 31%
McCloskey - 3%


Reagan
Baker
Agnew

In the first weeks of May, Agnew has established himself amongst conservatives as well "stop Reagan" moderates and liberals. Baker has become prominent amongst moderates, while Reagan is still the Goldwaterite conservative candidate. There are only five primaries left: Oregon, Rhode Island, California, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Reagan hopes to win in the West, while Baker and Agnew are focusing on Rhode Island.

Pleeeeease comment.

[feeblepizza]

Republican Primaries (cont.)

Oregon
Reagan - 31%
Agnew - 26%
Baker - 25%
McCloskey - 10%
Ashbrook - 6%

Rhode Island
Baker - 30%
Agnew - 28%
Reagan - 27%
McCloskey - 6%
Ashbrook - 3%

California
Reagan - 50%
Baker - 30%
Agnew - 10%
Ashbrook - 10%

New Mexico
Reagan - 34%
Baker - 27%
Agnew - 24%
Ashbrook - 10%

South Dakota
Reagan - 37%
Baker - 32%
Agnew - 31%


Reagan
Baker
Agnew

Next up are the party conventions.

[feeblepizza]

Democratic National Convention: The Democratic National Convention, held in Miami Beach, Florida from July 10 to July 13, was a somber affair. With Governor Wallace withdrawn from the race and President Kennedy incapacitated, delegates turned to Vice-President Fred Harris. Harris won the nomination unanimously and nominated Indiana Senator Birch Bayh for Vice-President. Bayh, one of the most liberal senators in the nation, was easily nominated by the delegates.

Birch Bayh, a prominent Midwestern liberal and now national figure.

Republican National Convention: The Republican National Convention, held in Miami Beach from August 21 to August 23, nominated Reagan. Moderate delegates were split between Baker and Spiro Agnew, the latter of who was supported by party moderates and liberals primarily because he was the only person with enough name recognition to stop Reagan. Giving an olive branch to moderates and liberals, Reagan nominated former Governor George Romney of Michigan as Vice-President. Romney was easily confirmed.

Governors Romney and Reagan having a serious discussion about their chances in the fall election.

After the conventions, polls show the Harris/Bayh ticket leading the Reagan/Romney ticket by an average of 13 points. Most, save for the GOP ticket which is campaigning obsessively, see the election as a certainty. However, only time will tell....

Please review

[Assistant to the Regional Manager Cathcon]

So RFK drops out because he was shot? Also, I love the Reagan/Romney ticket!

[feeblepizza]

So RFK drops out because he was shot?

Yes.

[feeblepizza]

There were two presidential debates in 1972, both in October. The first, centered around foreign policy, was considered a win for Harris. Both candidates agreed with President Kennedy's plan for withdrawal from and reconstruction of Vietnam, but Reagan stated that the U.S. should aid South Vietnam primarily (Kennedy's plan called for equal apportionment of aid between both Vietnams) and adopt a hard-line policy against the North Vietnamese and other communist governments. He came off as a hawk and was called "trigger happy" by anti-war liberals. The second debate, on the economy, was also considered a win for Harris. Reagan stated that unless spending cuts were enacted, the U.S. would be in trouble. Liberals criticized him for "crying wolf," as there were no indicators of economic failure at the time.

Other than the debates, the campaign was very mundane. Harris used his position as Vice-President to take credit for the successes of President Kennedy, while Reagan continued to warn against two major evils: communism and big spending. Because both were seen as unimportant in the wake of the end of the Vietnam War and the prosperous economy, Reagan failed to gain any traction. The closest he came to Harris in the polls was 7 points. On Election Night, Americans saw just how bad Republicans had it:

VP Fred Harris (D-OK)/Sen. Birch Bayh (D-IN) - 59.1%, 462
Gov. Ronald Reagan (R-CA)/Frmr. Gov. George Romney (R-MI) - 40.5%, 76

Governor Reagan addressing a distressed crowd of supporters.

Yesterday's election reminds us of another election in our past: 1964. Ronald Reagan, after suffering a crushing blow in which California and Michigan even decided their governors were unfit for the presidency, can reasonably be called the Barry Goldwater of 1972, as Richard Nixon was called the Thomas Dewey of 1968 after the last presidential election result. Reagan, however, seemed optimistic about the future of the Republican Party, which has faced two massive landslide losses in three elections: "This may not be our year, but we will prevail. Somehow, sometime, we will prevail," he told supporters outside of his California home.

The first term of President Fred R. Harris is coming soon...

[Assistant to the Regional Manager Cathcon]

NOOOOoooooo!!!!!

Anyway, I'm guessing this will lead a moderate to win in 1976 given four consecutive Conservative failures. In my search for possible candidates, what's the fate of George Bush ITTL? If he lost in his 1970 bid for the Senate, then his political career would be pretty much done because there wouldn't be a Republican administration to appoint him to anything. Maybe Rockefeller, Anderson, or Ford in 1976.

[feeblepizza]

NOOOOoooooo!!!!!

Anyway, I'm guessing this will lead a moderate to win in 1976 given four consecutive Conservative failures. In my search for possible candidates, what's the fate of George Bush ITTL? If he lost in his 1970 bid for the Senate, then his political career would be pretty much done because there wouldn't be a Republican administration to appoint him to anything. Maybe Rockefeller, Anderson, or Ford in 1976.

After losing the Senate race ITTL, Bush went back to oil and is quite the successful businessman in Texas. He's considering getting into state politics. I'm also considering having Nixon make a comeback, and possibly Romney. Anyway, on to the Harris presidency it is.

[pillage the village, trash the scene]

NOOOOoooooo!!!!!

[feeblepizza]

The First Term of President Fred R. Harris

(Sorry, I couldn't find any bigger pics of Harris .)

President Harris made several changes to the Cabinet upon taking office. He appointed former Vice-President and incumbent Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota as Secretary of State. He moved HEW Secretary Ted Kennedy to Justice and appointed former Governor Terry Sanford of North Carolina to head HEW. A completely new appointment was that of Jimmy Carter, governor of Georgia, as Agriculture Secretary.

The Harris presidency was smooth until October 6, 1973, when a coalition of Arabic states, led by Egypt and Syria, attacked Israel during Yom Kippur. The U.S. gave aid to Israel, while the Soviet Union gave aid to the Arabic coalition. Tensions were extremely high between the two superpowers, and many feared a confrontation between them. A ceasefire was finally reached on October 25. It resulted in severe damage in all of the countries where the wars were fought, as well as damage in U.S.-Soviet relations.

The worst effect on the U.S. came on October 19, when Saudi Arabia and other Arabic nations in OPEC declared oil embargos on the U.S. and other nations supporting Israel (such as the UK, Canada, and Japan). This caused a full-blown energy crisis. In the U.S., the price of oil quadrupled, while the price of gasoline rose by around $0.20. Inflation also went on the rise. The crisis lasted until the embargo was lifted in March of 1974, when State Secretary Hubert Humphrey was able to negotiate a full pullback of Israeli troops from Arabic territories.

President Harris' approval rating was in the 30s during the duration of the crisis, rose to the mid-40s when Secretary Humphrey was able to negotiate an end to the embargo, and dropped to the 30s (and in some cases high 20s) in June after prices and inflation continued to rise along with a steady decline in the value of the dollar.

During the summer and fall of 1974, President Harris ushered a bill through Congress to ramp up domestic energy production and legalize offshore drilling. The bill was signed in October of 1974, so the effects were not felt before the midterm elections, during which Republicans picked up Senate seats in IA, NV, SD, and VT; this made the Senate majority 55-43-1-1 (note that in 1973, a Republican senator was appointed to replace Bayh in 1973). In the gubernatorial elections, the major shocker was Richard Nixon's victory in California over Jerry Brown, holding the seat for the GOP.

Richard Nixon on Election Night 1974, finally experiencing the victory he sought in 1960, 1962, and 1968.

Starting in the spring of 1975, when the final U.S. troops in Vietnam were withdrawn from combat, President Harris' image began to improve. Inflation and energy prices were slowly decreasing, and the dollar was experiencing a moderate rebound. His approval rating was in he low 40s in the fall of 1975, when the presidential campaign went underway.

[Assistant to the Regional Manager Cathcon]

Well at least things turned out okay for Tricky Dick.

[feeblepizza]

Listing the primary results one by one like I've been doing is time consuming and probably a little bit boring, so I'll just post one map with all the primary results from each party with a basic description of how they went. So, here goes.
The candidates for the Republican nomination were varied. Howard Baker declared his intentions once again. George Romney and Nelson Rockefeller were also among those running. The biggest surprise candidate, however, was Governor and two-time nominee Richard Nixon of California. Nixon's candidacy was seen as a major hindrance to Romney and Rockefeller, both of whom Nixon had beaten for the 1968 nomination. Baker was able to win in Iowa, while Nixon upset Rockefeller in New Hampshire and Baker in Florida. Rockefeller dropped out after declaring a slim victory in the Pennsylvania primary, while Romney was able to slide by using his support in the Midwest and West. After a long and grueling race, Nixon was able to claim victory and become the nominee a third time.

A Nixon 1976 campaign button.

Former President Kennedy, although well, declined to run for President once again and President Harris decided to run for reelection. Harris’ lone challenger was George Wallace, who criticized Harris for the nation’s economic woes. Wallace won only Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina, but still managed to place a black mark on Democratic fortunes in the general election. His campaign served to reinvigorate economic frustrations with general election voters.

After both nominees had been chosen, polls showed that Harris led Nixon 47-44. The election was shaping up to be an interesting one....

[feeblepizza]

Bump. I'm trying to work out the Nixon vs. Harris race .

[Assistant to the Regional Manager Cathcon]

Nixon's like this era's William J Bryan, except Nixon's actually qualified.

Also, I'd like to see Nixon's runningmate. And who was running as the Conservative in the race, Nixon?

[feeblepizza]

Nixon's like this era's William J Bryan, except Nixon's actually qualified.

Also, I'd like to see Nixon's runningmate. And who was running as the Conservative in the race, Nixon?

Baker, seeing as how he's the most conservative person in that line up (ironic because he was the most moderate candidate with a shot in the previous primary season). Nixon, however, had support from prominent conservative like Reagan, Agnew, and John Connally (at this point still a Nixon Democrat).

[feeblepizza]

July 22-25, 1976: The Democratic National Convention was held in New York City. President Harris and Vice-President Bayh were easily re-nominated, facing only scattered resistance from Wallace delegates. Two keynote addresses were delivered: one by Senator John Glenn of Ohio and one by Congresswoman Barbara Jordan of Texas.

August 16-19, 1976: The Republican National Convention was held in Kansas City, Missouri. Nixon was nominated unanimously. He chose House Minority Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan as his running-mate (Dole was also nominated unanimously). A stirring keynote was delivered by 1972 nominee and conservative icon Ronald Reagan, who launched a fiery attack on President Harris' failure to induce an economic recovery.

Governor Nixon and Minority Leader Ford sharing an optimistic glimpse into the future.

As in 1968, Nixon refused to debate his opponent. Most were unsurprised by this, and so President Harris gained little traction while using it to attack Nixon. Nixon, however, gained traction by stressing the 7%+ unemployment rate, high inflation, and high energy prices (which had gone down since the President's energy initiatives had passed, but were still high). By the time Election Day came upon Americans, Nixon was leading Harris 48-43. The results were:

Gov. Richard Nixon (R-CA)/House Minority Leader Gerald Ford (R-MI) 53.1%, 392
Pres. Fred Harris (D-OK)/VP Birch Bayh (D-IN) 45.0%, 146

After the Republican National Convention in August of this year, an anonymous Nixon aid said, "Dick Nixon is like the William Jennings Bryan of the 60s and 70s, only qualified." Nixon may be qualified, but he sure isn't William Jennings Bryan, who lost the 1896, 1900, and 1908 elections while on the top of the Democratic ticket. Nixon, who tried in 1960 and 1968, has succeeded in 1976, partly because of bad economic conditions and, some theorize, destiny.

A triumphant Nixon among throngs of cheering supporters on the night of the election.

[Assistant to the Regional Manager Cathcon]

Heh. Can we see Nixon's cabinet?

[feeblepizza]

Heh. Can we see Nixon's cabinet?

I'm always unsure when putting people's cabinets together, especially this far into the past. I'll be working on it and I'll post a full cabinet list in the next update.

[Rockefeller]

Great TL, really enjoying it!  Nice to see that Nixon finally got his turn.

However, one of my biggest pet peeved in TLs is how you'll almost never see a Kennedy serve a full-term.  So, could ya puhleez throw Ted a bone in '80?

[feeblepizza]

Great TL, really enjoying it!  Nice to see that Nixon finally got his turn.

However, one of my biggest pet peeved in TLs is how you'll almost never see a Kennedy serve a full-term.  So, could ya puhleez throw Ted a bone in '80?

Ted is kind of at a disadvantage because he left the Senate in favor of a low level cabinet position (HEW Secretary) under Harris (I think). This would make him kind of like JFK was in 1960: with the funding and connections but without real experience to counter Nixon.

But...I might give him a chance. I have two roads I could go down for the Nixon presidency, but I have yet to choose which one.

[Assistant to the Regional Manager Cathcon]

I'd be willing to help with the cabinet, & as for Ted, he could get re- elected to the Senate in 1972, 76, & 78.

[feeblepizza]

I'd be willing to help with the cabinet, & as for Ted, he could get re- elected to the Senate in 1972, 76, & 78.

Help would be much appreciated. As for Ted, let's say that was was reelected in 1976.

[feeblepizza]

Bump. I'm still working on Nixon's cabinet.