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?

[Senator Cris]

Great!

[Cranberry]

Off to a very promising start - please more!

[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.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

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

[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.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

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.

The only reason I asked the question (or have even heard of Basquiat) is because I recently watched a movie on him in my "Honors Diverse Voices in Fiction".

[rpryor03]

MLK for President!

[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.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

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.

[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.

[OnlyAlb]

Great Timeline.

I was hoping that Nixon was going to clinch the nomination, and win the Presidency, but I was mistaken.

I'm predicting a Humphrey win since without Nixon, it's a good chance the peace talks don't get interrupted.

[Cranberry]

This is extremely detailed and well written - I really like this!

I guess Reagan so early is the best Democrats can hope for - so I like that even more!

[GLPman]

Great timeline

[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 .

[Jerseyrules]

This is looking awesome; I'm a Nixon man myself but Reagan/Rocky sure is a sexy ticket

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I imagine that Rockefeller as Vice President under Reagan would be one of the most insubordinate since Jefferson's tenure with Adams. Given that he even gave Ford, perceived as moderate, crap, the more conservative and forceful Reagan and Rocky would be an entertaining pair.

[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%

[hurricanehink]

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.

[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%