1964-?: Stop the World, I Want to Get Off

[Peter the Lefty]

Thanks for the party platforms, both Tory and Libertarian look good, would vote for one of them depending on what riding I was in. Certainly wouldn't vote ANM though.

Did you see the part about the civil rights acts in the Libertarian platform?

Anyways, you're quite welcome.  And this is becoming quite fun for me to write.

[Peter the Lefty]

9:00 pm
      "The polls have now closed in the Central Time Zone, and we expect to get returns from the region quite soon.  As it stands, we have made projections regarding the results of 278 ridings.  We can safely project that 86 will elect Liberal candidates.  63 will elect Labor-backed candidates.  The ANM will win 60, and the Conservatives will win 62.  The seven remaining ridings will elect Independent candidates.
      As we see returns come in from the Central Time Zone, we cannot make any predictions for you tonight until we start to see the returns.  However, we will tell you that, generally, the Liberals tend not to do as well here as in the Northeast.  Out here, battles are most often between the Conservatives and Labor.  The exception is Illinois, the home province of the late Prime Minister Adlai Stevenson.  Missouri also has a strong Liberal base, as does Texas.  But aside from that, we can expect to see a lot more Torries here, since they often sweep most rural areas in this region.  We will also tell you that a drop-off in support for the ANM is nearly certain, as Texas and Oklahoma are the Westernmost provinces in which they have MP's in the current House of Commons.

[Peter the Lefty]

Link to the Masterthread

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Thanks for the party platforms, both Tory and Libertarian look good, would vote for one of them depending on what riding I was in. Certainly wouldn't vote ANM though.

Did you see the part about the civil rights acts in the Libertarian platform?

Anyways, you're quite welcome.  And this is becoming quite fun for me to write.

While I'm more in line with the Tories on civil rights, I like a number of the other Libertarian policies, plus I'm a Goldwater fan. I'd vote Tory in the vast majority of ridings though.

Also, considering your use of  provinces and ridings, I take it Parliamentary America is based on the Canadian system?

[Peter the Lefty]

Thanks for the party platforms, both Tory and Libertarian look good, would vote for one of them depending on what riding I was in. Certainly wouldn't vote ANM though.

Did you see the part about the civil rights acts in the Libertarian platform?

Anyways, you're quite welcome.  And this is becoming quite fun for me to write.

While I'm more in line with the Tories on civil rights, I like a number of the other Libertarian policies, plus I'm a Goldwater fan. I'd vote Tory in the vast majority of ridings though.

Also, considering your use of  provinces and ridings, I take it Parliamentary America is based on the Canadian system?

Yep, pretty much to a tee.  The Senate is appointed in the same way and all.  In this TL, the only reason why they aren't the same country is because when they finally decided to give in to our demands for confederation, the Brits realized that having Quebec and the American Southeast in the same Confederation would be risky, knowing that Irish-American industrial workers in the Northeast, many of whom resented African-American and sympathized with Southern slaveowners (unaware of the hostility they would face were they to venture into the Southeast), could potentially join this alliance against the WASP establishment, creating a potentially deadly Catholic-Southern Alliance.  They (the British government) therefore decided to divide their North American colonies into two Commonwealths, each of which would contain a "volatile region," and keep it under control.  Ironically, the Southeast soon (once again) became a stronghold of ultra-British nationalist sentiment.  The only reason why they had grown to resent British rule was because of the phase-out of slavery (which preceded Confederation). 

[Peter the Lefty]

9:30
      "We have a total of 407 seats called so far.  As it stands, the Liberals have 137 seats.  The Conservatives have 105, Labor 84, and the ANM 70.  10 will be independents, and we can now project that there will be at least one Libertarian in the House of Commons.

[Peter the Lefty]

10:45
      "The Liberals still seem to be in a position of unbreakable leadership in this election, with 328 of the 783 seats called thus far.  The Conservatives are trailing with 196.  Labor isn't too far behind them, with 165 seats so far.  72 we have placed in the ANM's column.  The Libertarians will have four at least, making it certain that they will walk away with an overall gain tonight.  The remaining 18 ridings we have declared have voted for independent candidates.

[morgieb]

Would be interesting if Labor overtake the Tories, but the races remaining to be called probably lean Tory.

[Peter the Lefty]

12:36 am

Liberals to be the Largest Party in Parliament

     "We can confirm now that the Liberals will definitely be the largest party in the next parliament.  The reason why it is definite us because the number of ridings left to be called is fewer than the gap between the Liberals and the Conservatives, meaning that even if every one of the 210 ridings left to be called votes Conservative–a highly improbable occurrence–they will still be one seat short of the Liberals, because there is now a 211 seat gap between the top two parties.  
      962 ridings have projected winners so far tonight.  Of those, 439 have elected Liberal candidates, we project.  228 will elect Torries.  Labor will win 191, the AMN 82.  18 of these ridings will elect independent candidates, and four will elect Libertarians.  
      Barring any bizarre, ideologically puzzling moves on the part of Labor, it is all but certain that Lyndon Johnson will remain as Prime Minister.  What we cannot predict is whether the Liberals will be able to win a majority.  There are 210 ridings left to be called, but the vast majority of them are concentrated on the West Coast, which has been a great region for the Liberals so far.  So buckle in, because it's going to be a long night.

[Peter the Lefty]

2:04 am

Final Results!

Liberals–533 (+207)–36.1% (+5.8%)
Conservatives–289 (-52)–26.8% (-6.3%)
Labor–230 (+48)–22.7% (-2.3%)
American National Movement–97 (-33)–8.5% (+1.3%)
Independents–20 (-)–1.7% (-0.9%)
Libertarians–4 (+1)–3.0% (n/a)
Other Parties–0 (-) 1.2% (-0.6%)

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Good to see the Tories weren't completely annihilated! Keen to see how this Parliament turns out as well, keep up the good work!

[Peter the Lefty]

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

The ANM topped the poll in VA? There must be an awful lot of vote-splitting there...

[Peter the Lefty]

     "Thank you.  First, I'd like to thank my wife Byrd and my two daughters, Lynda and Luci, for the support which they have given me since I took over as Prime Minister, and throughout this campaign.  I'd also like to thank every Liberal candidate and MP in this election for contributing to our victory tonight.  The American people have endorsed our party's agenda for this country, and I would like to thank them tremendously.  They have endorsed our vision for equality and justice for all Americans.  They have endorsed equal opportunity for all of our people.  They have endorsed our country's progress in every field, and I thank them for that.
      I'd also like to dedicate this victory to the man who we all wish was standing here on this platform tonight.  Adlai E. Stevenson dedicated his life to the service of this nation, to improving the lives of her people, and to moving our great nation forward.  And it is with a heavy heart that I have inherited his mission.  I will continue to strive to achieve his goals, and I thank you for helping me to achieve this goal.  I will continue to work with the other parties in the House of Commons to achieve it, and I send my best wishes to Mr. Nixon, Mr. Humphrey, Mr. Russell, and Mr. Goldwater tonight.  
      These past four years were not a fully smooth ride, and the next four will not be either.  There will be setbacks and difficulties along the way.  But I assure you that we will not give up in our mission to create an America free of poverty, discrimination, and bigotry.  So thank you, may God bless, you, and may God bless America."

[Peter the Lefty]

The ANM topped the poll in VA? There must be an awful lot of vote-splitting there...

Yeah, the "genteel" Southern vote is split between the Libs and Torries, so the racist lunatics still win there.  And this was still Harry Byrd's state in RL. 

[Peter the Lefty]

      "I'd like to thank all of you here tonight.  I must, of course, begin by thanking my wife Pat, and our two daughters, Tricia and Julie, for the support which they have given me not only through this campaign, or since I won the leadership of this great party, but ever since I first entered politics.  I'd also like to thank every Conservative MP, candidate, volunteer, and campaign worker for all the work which they have done for us.  I'd also very much like to take a moment to thank the best deputy any leader of any party could hope to have, Nelson Rockefeller, for working with me every step of the way since we took over our current positions.  I'd also like to take a moment to thank one of the greatest Prime Ministers in American history, Thomas E. Dewey, for the generous support he has lent me during this campaign. 
      We lost many of our great compatriots tonight.  But we have not lost our resolve.  We are a great party, with great principles, and we will continue to uphold those principles.  And while I will work with the Prime Minister to improve this country whenever needed, I will continue to hold him accountable, and so will this great party!  So I congratulate the Prime Minister on his victory tonight, but I applaud the American people for refusing to give his government the power to push their agenda through unchecked.
      Tonight, we saw the best of our great democratic system in action.  Our people chose which party they wanted to lead the government, but they chose not to give it a blank cheque.  So we, as the Official Opposition, will return to Philadelphia with our heads high, because even though we took a hit tonight, it's not going to stop us from doing our job!  Thank you very much!"

[Peter the Lefty]

      "Thank you all very much!  Comrades, we stand atop a great mountain of monumental achievements that extend far beyond our gains tonight.  Four years ago, we made the decision as a party to join in Adlai Stevenson's effort to bring America into the new decade and to rejuvenate it.  And we are proud to say that we not only helped him to do so, but we brought great elements of our beliefs and our platform into the government's program.  We are proud to have had a huge role in passing both of the paramount pieces of civil rights legislation passed during these past four years.  We have helped to improve our schools, our roads, and bridges.  We have helped to extend the benefits of our social safety net to a civilized level.  And we have made medical care a right for all citizens of this nation, so that no poor family will ever again be forced to allow one of its members to die of a condition which private coverage could easily cure had they been born wealthy.  We have improved the wages if our workers, and we have jump-started the process of the integration of public schools in this country!
      I would like to thank my wife Muriel, my three sons, and the entire Labor team for their help in the great accomplishments of the last four years.  And while he's no longer with us, I 'd like to thank my predecessor, Estes Kefauver, for his work in building the Labor Party to a point where it could hope to influence the national agenda in the way we have since 1960.  But I will point out that while Labor has helped America make great progress, we will still, in the next parliament, continue to push in all ways we can for full and complete democratic socialism.  Thank you very much!"

[Peter the Lefty]

      "Thank you.  We stand tonight at a crossroads.  Our basic values have been ruthlessly assaulted by this leftist government.  This assault has been affirmed by the people of this country for now, and for that, I congratulate the Prime Minister.  However, I warn him that this is not a blank cheque.  Very soon, Americans North and South, East and West, will start to feel the effects of his assault.  Because while the Southeast has always been the region where strong, ordered, and honorable moral values are held most dear, these are not merely Southeastern values.  These values–racial order, crown, and cross–are American values.  And soon, the earthquake caused by this relentless assault will be felt by the White people of all of our nation.  And the assault will continue.  Upon civil rights for Negroes, I assure you, will follow so-called "civil rights" for thieves, prostitutes, homosexuals, rapists, and murderers.  And our nation will not accept this succession. 
      So while our great party has suffered a loss tonight thanks to a rigging of the voting system, we will march on forward.  For all of the other parties of this nation have abandoned the values for which we stand.  And soon, more and more Americans, from all regions, will begin to turn to us, knowing that we will restore the ideals that made America great for so long.  So I thank every ANM MP, candidate, activist, and member.  I'd also like to thank my predecessor, Strom Thurmond, for his work in building this great party, and for helping us in this campaign. 
      We have suffered a great many losses tonight, but I assure you that we are not about to throw in the towel.  Soon, the American people will respond to these changes with an uproar loud enough to uproot Parliament and every building on Chestnut Street.  And we will be there to answer their pleas.  Thank you very much."

[Peter the Lefty]

      "Thank you very much.  I am pleased to say that we emerge from this election stronger than we went into it.  I congratulate both of my fellow incumbent MP's for their re-election, and I also congratulate the newest member of our team, Dr. Paul!  He is an accomplished and bright young man, and I know he will contribute greatly to our frontbench in the House of Commons! 
      For a first election result for a party with no particular regionalist background, few resources, and many established parties to compete with, we have done quite well tonight.  The American people are warming to our ideas.  They support the free market, provincial rights, and Americanism.  And we will continue to grow in the future.  So while I congratulate my fellow party leaders tonight, I warn them that we're going to continue to grow our appeal.  I thank my wife Margaret, my sons Barry Jr., Michael, and Peggy, and every member of our team.  We will return to Philadelphia with that team having grown by a third, and our voice will continue to get louder.  Thank you very much!"

[Peter the Lefty]

      "The results are all in, and it is a hung parliament with the Liberals as the largest party.  Barring any sudden allegations of voter fraud, we can assume that this is the result tonight.  What is also virtually certain is that Lyndon Johnson will continue to serve as Prime Minister.  What we cannot say is what kind of government Mr. Johnson will lead.  No government is required to hold a majority of the MP's in the House.  What is required is that any government has the confidence of the house.  This means that confidence in the government must be formally confirmed by a majority of MP's.  This means that the Prime Minister could opt to ditch the coalition with Labor and go it alone governing only with his own party, with Labor giving him confidence and supply in the House.  If he chooses to go this route, he'll have to win Labor's backing on all crucial votes, such as budgets.  If Labor votes against them, then he must turn elsewhere for support so that the budget, or any other bill of crucial importance, passes the House.  If Mr. Johnson fails to get a budget or another crucial bill passed, that means that Parliament is to be dissolved, and new elections are to be held.
      We have not received any word from Liberal or Labor sources on which option either party appears to be leaning towards.  For the Liberals, leading a government alone would mean that they would be less beholden to carry forward any demands put forward by the Labor Party.  Yet he would still need their support to get any legislation passed–that is, unless he was able to persuade the Torries or the ANM to vote for it.  As it stands, with current parliamentary arithmetic, a bill supported only by the Liberals and Libertarians would not pass unless one of the other parties abstained.

[Peter the Lefty]

October 3, 1964

Governor Gives Johnson Mandate to form Government

      Governor General Eisenhower called the Prime Minister to Lincoln Hall, the Official Residence of the former, soon after the latter returned to Philadelphia.  The Governor General gave the Prime Minister a mandate to form another government.  The Prime Minister accepted, and returned to 16 Chestnut Street to meet with the man who was still officially his Deputy Prime Minister to discuss the formation of a new government. 

[Peter the Lefty]

      Lyndon Baines Johnson stands on the inside of Number 16.  He opens the front door to walk into the porch.  A car pulls up in the driveway and stops.  Hubert Humphrey gets out of the car, clearly exhausted but still smiling. 
      Cut to the Prime Minister's Office inside.  Johnson sits on a sofa next to Humphrey.
      Humphrey: I'm afraid that the consensus in my party is close to unanimous.  Since you're now the largest party, you guys forming a government alone wouldn't have such a sense of instability as it would have been if Adlai had formed a government alone four years ago.  I'm sorry we couldn't stick around longer.
      LBJ: No, no, Hubert, I understand.  As long as I can count on your full support.
      Humphrey: Well, it won't be unconditional.
      LBJ: Of course, but I mean that we'll negotiate the terms in the upcoming days and stick to it. 
      Humphrey: I see, of course.  And basically those conditions will entail...
      LBJ: More money for schools and roads and health care, desegregation and civil rights programs for the nig–ah, negroes, and a bunch of agencies that the both of us were proposing.  You vote for all these bills and all our budgets, and it'll be fine.
      Humphrey: Sure, yes yes. 
      LBJ: Space exploration and all of that bullish**t.
      Humphrey: Yep.
      LBJ: Expansion of your NAHS.  Some minimum wage hike maybe.
      Humphrey: Yep.
      LBJ: All right.  We'll discuss it tomorrow.  Tell your team to get some sleep so we can work out a better framework tomorrow.
      Humphrey: We will, and tell yours the same.
      LBJ: Just one other thing, Hubert.  I've got to have your absolute and, uh, unwavering support.  If my government looks unstable, then we look weak as a country to the rest of the world. 
      Humphrey: Well...
      LBJ: (gets in his face and gives him "the treatment") I'll uphold my end of the bargain, but you can't ever come any-damn-where close to threatening to bring down the government.  Now you're the most popular Labor leader since Hillquit, and you're guaranteed the leadership of your party for another eight years at leader if you really want it.  If I can secure your support, I've got a stable government for at least this parliament.  So I'm gonna ask you: can I count on your support?
      Humphrey: (scoots back)...I'll talk to my party about it.

[Peter the Lefty]

45 Minutes Later

     Joseph S. Clark, Jr. What the-...Hell no!
      Hubert Humphrey is sitting at a table with all of his fellow senior Labor figures (Joseph S. Clarke, Jr., John and Robert Kennedy, Ralph Yarborough, Wayne Morse, Claiborne Pell, Abraham Ribicoff, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., A. Phillip Randolph, Henry Jackson, Hellen Gallaghan Douglas, Phillip Hart, Patrick McNamara, William Fitts Ryan, Eugene McCarthy, and George McGovern, and The look of disbelief is nearly unanimous.
      Hubert H. Humphrey: Look, fellas, this is something Lyndon is asking.  I'm just the messenger.
      Abraham Ribicoff: But didn't you tell him how preposterous his request was.  Unconditional support?  What are we, a proxy party?
      Humphrey: I told him I'd talk to you guys.
      Ralph Yarborough: This is the problem here, Hubert.  You can't be intimidated by the guy.  He thinks he can control people, and he can to a degree.  Texas's Liberal Party is in his pocket.  And if you give him the impression that we're divided as to whether we should let him have our unconditional loyalty–which no party would ever give to another, if they're truly independent–he'll feel stronger.  He's not as nice as you think he is.  
      John F. Kennedy: (in his typical vernacular way of inserting "errrr" after every single goddamn phrase) He's right, Hubert.  Lyndon's been taking up Adlai's domestic agenda since he took over, but he's still the same LBJ that Texas has always had.
      Humphrey: I don't doubt it, but let me put it to you this way.  If he follows through–which was something he promised to do–with the agreement we hammer out tomorrow, we'll support him.
      Robert F. Kennedy: Yes, but that agreement won't include unforeseen crises.  Because what if something happens that causes him to respond in a way which we can't support?  Particularly in the way of defense.  He has hawkish tendencies that are just as bad as–well, as bad as I was seven years ago.  
      Eugene McCarthy: And just the words "unconditional support" imply that we're selling out our independence as a party for the next four years.
      Wayne Morse: F--k it, we sold out our independence when we voted for that goddamn Vietnam resolution.  
      Hubert Humphrey: No we didn't.  Now we'll talk to Lyndon and tell him we're going to make this clear to him.  But can we all at least agree to be reasonable?

[Peter the Lefty]

Notable First Time MP's Elected in 1964
Arlen Specter (Liberal)
John Glenn (Liberal)
Paul Simon (Liberal)
George H. W. Bush (Conservative)
Pierre S. du Pont IV (Conservative)
Frank Zeidler (Labor)
Julian Bond (Labor)
James L. Farmer, Jr. (Labor)
Andrew Young (Labor)
Bella Abzug (Labor)
George Wallace (ANM)
Ron Paul (Libertarian)

[Peter the Lefty]

October 4, 1964

Johnson Re-appointed PM, will Lead Minority Government; Labor to Return to Opposition

      The Prime Minister pulled up at Lincoln Hall to announce to a scrum of reporters that he had broken a deal with with the Labor Party which would include the two parties going their own separate ways again–officially.  He also announced that they had worked out a framework under which the Liberals would lead a minority government whose budgets and general agenda would be supported by Labor.  The Liberals would continue to expand funding for education, transportation, the NAHS, the space programs, and social welfare, while liberalizing requirements for eligibility for welfare payments.  They would also hike the minimum wage again to $1.35 during the course of the next parliament.  In addition, federally enforced desegregation would continue, and a number of new bureaucracies would be created for job training, racial equality of economic opportunity, and other anti-poverty efforts.  Gradual and bilateral nuclear disarmament would continue, while the American government would continue to send aid to the South Vietnamese government in the fight against their Communist enemies to the North.  Limited numbers of American troops would be sent to bolster the South Vietnamese government to a point where it could fight the war itself.  Yet according to this deal, the American government would vocally condemn human rights abuses by the Saigon government and push for democracy in South Vietnam.