The Presidency: 1968-2020

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Solve America's problems with a Ray-Gun.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

MLK is GOP and would endorse Reagan.

[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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[OSR stands with Israel]

November 5th: Election Day ’68

Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA)/Governor Nelson Rockefeller (R-NY): 272 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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I think Reagan would do better in the south then Nixon actully did

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I agree with Windows '89. And how would Wallace get more states with less of the popular vote? Aside from that, awesome work.

[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.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Love the cabinet! I hope I can trust that with Friedman and Moynihan close to the White House that we're in for some creative and original policy-making over the next few years! Dito for Rocky, Nixon, and Kissinger on foreign policy.

[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."

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

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.

[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….

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I had a feeling that Reagan would sign into law the EPA, given some of his environmentalist actions while CA Governor in his first term.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I had a feeling that Reagan would sign into law the EPA, given some of his environmentalist actions while CA Governor in his first term.

That will be covered as the timeline progresses. Ike Livermore in particular will an interesting role in the Reagan White House.