American Dynasties: Camelot Rises 3.0

[DKrol]

The 1972 Democratic Nomination

Former Attorney General Robert Kennedy of New York
Senator George McGovern of South Dakota
Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine
Governor George Wallace of Alabama
Governor Terry Sanford of North Carolina

The 1972 Primaries were a slog-fest on the Democratic side. It saw Party Establishment battle against newcomers, the South versus the North, the Old versus the New, the Past versus the Future. Former Attorney General Robert Kennedy, brother of fallen president John Kennedy and Senate Majority Leader Ted Kennedy, was the firm front runner in every pre-election poll. However, his campaign was dealt a near fatal blow in New Hampshire. A poll taken the week before gave Kennedy a 13% lead over his closest competitor, Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine. However, Election Day saw Senator George McGovern of South Dakota (who was running a distant third in the poll) spring from behind and capture the victory. New Hampshire forced Kennedy to run an offensive, strategic campaign. Governor George Wallace, who performed better than the Democratic Ticket four years earlier, also threw a kink into Kennedy's Coronation. Wallace had renounced his segregationist policies and was running as a traditional Southern Democrat. He appeared set to knock Kennedy off of his perch as front runner when he was nearly assassinated at a rally in Maryland. He went on to win three more states but ended his bid to focus on his medical care. Going in to the Convention in Miami, Kennedy held a clear lead in delegate totals and by most counts would be the Democratic nominee for President.

The 1972 Republican Nomination

Vice President George Romney of Michigan
Former Vice President Richard Nixon of California
Governor Spiro Agnew of Maryland

The Republican Primary saw the Party Establishment fighting itself. Both Vice President Romney and former Vice President Nixon were considered part of the Inner Circle that ran the Party, with Governor Spiro Agnew running as the Moderate Alternative. Romney was considered the face of the New Party, while Nixon was the Party of Years Gone By (according to his opponents). Romney had embraced Civil Rights early on and was the face of the Bush Administration, which was very popular among Republicans. Nixon did not want to scare off Southern voters and only tepidly supported Civil Rights through his opposition to desegregation busing policies. A major blow was dealt to the Nixon campaign when California Governor Ronald Reagan endorsed Romney the same day that President Bush formally endorsed his Vice President. Although close in Delegates, Romney clearly held the most support and Nixon quietly ended his campaign after the South Dakota Caucus, which he lost.

[DKrol]

The '72 Conventions


Rev. Jesse Jackson leads Illinois Delegates

Former Attorney General Bobby Kennedy was nominated for President by a voice vote after Senator George McGovern released his delegates to vote for Kennedy. Caroline Kennedy, now 15 years old, won the hearts of the American people when she gave a tearful introduction for her uncle's acceptance speech. Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska was nominated for Vice President, a pick the Kennedy campaign felt would bring in rural voters who would otherwise be unhappy that a New York City liberal was leading the ticket.

Former Vice President Richard Nixon directs his delegates to vote for Vice President Romney

The 1972 Republican Convention, also held in Miami, was a real party. The Republicans had held on to the White House for 16 of the last 20 years, they'd recaptured the Senate after 15 years in the Minority, they'd effectively monopolized the Supreme Court, and they were unified behind a strong, competent candidate. To balance out the moderate Romney, California Governor Ronald Reagan was tapped for Vice President.

Polling, Post Convention
Former Attorney General Robert Kennedy (D-NY)/Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK) - 41%
Vice President George Romney (R-MI)/Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA) - 41%
Unsure - 18%

[DKrol]

The General Election

Bobby Kennedy ran as a young, liberal firebrand who had taken up the torch from his fallen brothe, the second Kennedy term that John never got. He campaigned on the issues of poverty and education - promising "New Deal style infrastructure projects" to alleviate the growing unemployment (5.9%, up .6% from a year prior) and an expansion of "Bush Grants", the President's college tuition program. Kennedy also promised to speed up President Bush's withdrawal plan from Vietnam and "bring our boys home - for good!"

George Romney ran as a third term of President Bush. He pledged to continue the President's plan for a "strategic and steady withdrawal" of troops from Vietnam. During speeches, Romney would discuss his time as Governor of Michigan ("I turned a $100,000,000 debt into one of the most successful and prosperous states in the Union") and his support for Civil Rights as Vice President ("I was there in Selma, I was there in Detroit, I was there in Birmingham"). The Romney campaign highlighted Governor Reagan, a fiery, charismatic speaker, in a series of campaigns ads.

The Debate

1972 was the first year to feature a debate during the election since 1960 the Kennedy v. Nixon debate that determined the race, although '72 was a bit different. The Romney Campaign agreed for Governor Reagan to appear on Face the Nation alongside Senator Gravel. However, Senator Gravel's plane - bringing him from Chicago to Washington, for the debate - faced technical difficulties and was unable to complete it's flight. Faced with a major decision, rather than cancel Reagan's appearance CBS phoned the Kennedy Campaign and asked for the big one - Bobby, who was in D.C. at the time. Reagan was told he was going to debate Kennedy only five minutes before air time and he had no choice but to go forward. The men had debated each other just before 5 years earlier, also on CBS.

Reagan and Kennedy were both passionate speakers, leading to a thrilling debate. As word spread that it would be Kennedy facing off with Reagan once again millions of Americans switched on the Sunday Morning program - an estimated 11 million people tuned in at its peak. The men went back and forth for an hour and a half, sparring on Civil Rights, Vietnam, the Space Program, and Social Security. Moderator Charles Collingwood later told his friends that, at points, he was afraid Kennedy and Reagan were about to come to blows with each other,  saying "they were that passionate about it." Polls generally showed Kennedy as the winner by a slim margin, however it's impact on the overall election proved to be negligible.

Polling, October 30*
Former Attorney General Robert Kennedy (D-NY)/Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK) - 48%
Vice President George Romney (R-MI)/Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA) - 45%
Unsure - 7%

* Polls were taken the day after the Face the Nation debate

[DKrol]

Thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns?

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

I'm still liking it. I'm glad that both candidates are from dynasties, otherwise it would be easy to guess the winner.

[DKrol]

Election Day 1972

√ Vice President George Romney (R-MI)/Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA) - 274
Former Attorney General Robert Kennedy (D-NY)/Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK) - 264

Vice President Romney was able to capture a third term for his party, becoming the first three term party control over the White House since the Republican Domination of the 1920s, excluding Franklin Roosevelt's four personal terms. His campaign was able to paint Romney as the more experienced candidate as well as the candidate with a vision for tomorrow. At 65 years old, Romney played the role of an elder statesman who knew how to make Washington work. Kennedy, at 47, was portrayed by the Romney Campaign as too young to be a serious, respected President - the campaign ran a series of ads showing a Kennedy-look-alike getting frustrated and ruining negotiations with the Soviets, running juxtaposed to video of Romney on his tour to China. The Southern States - Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana - were the true toss up states of the race. Former Governor Lester Maddox (D-GA) ran on a segregationist platform with an independent banner and kept both Romney and Kennedy below 50% in most of the Southern States.

Kennedy's running mate, the little known Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, become known as aggressive and abrasive - which raised questions of his ability to assume the Presidency in the event Kennedy died, which had become eerily common within his family. For the many Americans that watched Governor Reagan hold his own against Kennedy, Reagan seemed presidential. They were confident in his abilities to take command.

[DKrol]

The Romney I Administration

The Executive Branch
President: George W. Romney
Vice President: Ronald W. Reagan
Chief of Staff: Alexander Haig 1974-1975, Richard B. Cheney 1975-1977
Secretary of State: Henry A. Kissinger 1973-1976, George P. Shultz 1976-1977
Secretary of the Treasury: John B. Connally, Jr. 1973-1975, William E. Simon 1975-1976, Casper Weinberger 1976
Secretary of Defense: Donald H. Rumsfeld 1973-1975, Alexander Haig 1975-1977
Attorney General: Elliot Richardson 1973-1975, John N. Mitchell 1975-1977
Postmaster General: Winton M. Blount 1973
Secretary of the Interior: Rogers Morton 1973-1976, Thomas S. Kleppe 1976-1977
Secretary of Agriculture: Earl Buntz 1973-1977
Secretary of Commerce: Maurice H. Stans 1973-1974, Frederick B. Dent 1974-1975, Peter Peterson 1975-1976
Secretary of Labor: George P. Shultz 1973-1976, Peter J. Brennan 1976-1977
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Casper Weinberger 1973-1976
Commissioner of Transportation: John A. Volpe 1973-1975, Claude S. Brinegar 1975-1976
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Russell E. Train 1973-1977

1973

• The Department of the Post Office is reorganized into the United States Postal Service and loses cabinet rank
• In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court rules 5 (Associate Justices White, Burger, Bork, Blackmun, and Rehnquist) to 4 (Chief Justice Stewart with Associate Justices Douglas, Brennan, and Hufstedler) that the right to privacy of the due process clause does not extend to a woman's choice to have an abortion
• The U.S. Dollar is devalued by 10%
• President Romney makes an official state visit to China and Russia, meeting with both Chairman Mao and Premier Brezhnev
• Two thirds of all American troops have left Vietnam
• Vice President Reagan opens the World Trade Centers at a ceremony
• Pablo Picasso dies
• The Sears Tower is completed
• The Senate forms a special committee to look in to the American Space Program. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. (R-OH) is selected as Chairman
• Secretariat wins the Triple Crown, the first horse to do so since the 1940s
• President Romney begins a series of high level talks with Premier Breznhev at Camp David
• The manned Soviet Soyux 7K-LOK rocket successfully takes off from Kazakhstan and lands on the Moon. Vladimir Shatalov becomes the first human to set foot on the Moon
• France resumes the testing of nuclear bombs
• In a U.S.-backed coup, General Augusto Punochet takes power in Chile
• Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes
• Egyptian and Syrian forces attack Israeli positions in the Sinai and Golan Heights. President Romney  condemns the attacks on Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish holidays
• OPEC announces a series of embragos of nations they feel are too close to Israel, including the United States
• President Romney initiates Operation Nickle Grass, a strategic airlift of supplies and aid to the Israelis. He also signs in to law a series of economic measures - price, mortgage, and rent controls - to avoid an economic crisis from the OPEC embargo
• President Romney signs the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act in to law, as an attempt to offset the OPEC embargo and the American dependency on foreign oil
• Egypt and Israel sign a United States-brokered peace treaty. OPEC votes to lift the U.S. oil embargo the same day
• Longtime Greek dictator Georgios Papadopoulos is ousted in a coup by Brigadier General Dimitrios Ioannidis
• The Senate Special Committee on NASA recommends that the U.S. resume its manned space flight program

1974

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost nearly 45% of its value over the last 12 months
• The United States launches SkyLab, the first American space station
• Harold Wilson takes power as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• 319 Americans are killed in a tornado outbreak in the Midwest
• A coup in Portugal ends nearly 50 years of dictatorship as General Antonio de Spinola takes office as President. President Romney offers tentative support to the left-wing government
• India detonates its first nuclear weapon, becoming the sixth nation to do so
• Christine Chubbuck commits suicide during a live broadcast of the WXLT evening news, appalling families across the nation
• Turkey invades Cyprus, drawing ire from Greece
• Ethiopia erupts in Civil War. President Romney announces that his administration will "play no role" in the conflict
• Only 500 American troops remain in Vietnam
• It is announced that the United States economy has contracted by 2.1% while inflation has jumped by nearly 7% to 10.5%
• President Romney's approval rating dips to 37%, a low for his term
• Muhammad Ali defeats George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle
• The 1974 Midterms are held
• John Lennon surprises the world by performing with Elton John in Madison Square Garden
• Malta is declared an independent republic
• PepsiCo receives permission from the Romney Administration to begin sales in the U.S.S.R.

Supreme Court, by Seniority
Chief Justice Potter Stewart (Eisenhower as A.J., Bush as C.J.)
Associate Justice William O. Douglas (F. Roosevelt)
Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (Eisenhower)
Associate Justice Byron R. White (Kennedy)
Associate Justice Warren E. Burger (Bush)
Associate Justice Robert H. Bork (Bush)
Associate Justice Harry Blackmun (Bush)
Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist (Bush)
Associate Justice Shirley A.M. Hufstedler (Bush)


Any guess as to how the midterms turn out?

[DKrol]

1974 Congressional Elections

Senate
Democrats - 56 Seats (+9), Led by Sen. Ted Kennedy
Republicans - 43 Seats (-9), Led by Sen. Hugh Scott
Independent - 1 Seat (+/-0), Led by Sen. Harry F. Byrd, Jr.

House

Democrats, Led by Speaker Carl Albert - 277 (+47)


Republicans, Led by Minority Leader John Rhodes - 157 (-47)

Analysis

The Republicans received their first thorough defeat at the ballot box in many years. They lost their narrow majority in the Senate by nearly 10 seats and they were crushed to their smallest number since 1936 when the GOP House Conference numbered 88. The Senate saw the flip of many first-term incumbent Republicans (who had rode the Bush wave of six years prior to election) back to the Democrats. Many voters blamed the 10 years of Republican Domination in the White House for the current recession, energy crisis, and rising unemployment. Republican Governors fared only slightly better than their Congressional colleagues.

Supreme Court, by Seniority
Chief Justice Potter Stewart (Eisenhower as A.J., Bush as C.J.)
Associate Justice Hugo L. Black (F. Roosevelt)
Associate Justice William O. Douglas (F. Roosevelt)
Associate Justice John Marshall Harlan II (Eisenhower)
Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (Eisenhower)
Associate Justice Byron R. White (Kennedy)
Associate Justice Warren E. Burger (Bush)
Associate Justice Robert H. Bork (Bush)
Associate Justice Harry Blackmun (Bush)

[DKrol]

The Romney I Administration Part Deux

The Executive Branch
President: George W. Romney
Vice President: Ronald W. Reagan
Chief of Staff: Alexander Haig 1974-1975, Richard B. Cheney 1975
Secretary of State: Henry A. Kissinger 1973-1975
Secretary of the Treasury: John B. Connally, Jr. 1973-1975, William E. Simon 1975
Secretary of Defense: Donald H. Rumsfeld 1973-1975, Alexander Haig 1975
Attorney General: Elliot Richardson 1973-1975, John N. Mitchell 1975
Postmaster General: Winton M. Blount 1973
Secretary of the Interior: Rogers Morton 1973-1975
Secretary of Agriculture: Earl Buntz 1973-1975
Secretary of Commerce: Murice H. Stans 1973-1974, Frederick B. Dent 1974-1975, Peter Peterson 1975
Secretary of Labor: George P. Shultz 1973-1975
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Casper Weinberger 1973-1975
Commissioner of Transportation: John A. Volpe 1973-1975, Claude S. Brinegar 1975
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Russell E. Train 1973-1975

1975

• Associate Justice William Douglas suffers a stroke while on vacation. Although parlayed from the waist down, Douglas refuses to resign his seat (allowing 8 out of the 9 Justices on the Court be appointed by Republicans) and continues to serve on the Court
• OPEC raises crude oil prices by 10%, crippling an already strained American Market
• 130 of the final 500 American troops in Vietnam are killed overnight during a Viet Cong attack. President Romney declares the War a failure and orders the immediate withdrawal of all troops, advisers, or civilians from Vietnam
• The State Department's main office is attacked by the Weather Underground by-way-of a parcel bomb. The offices of several key administrative officers are destroyed and many millions of dollars of damage caused but no lives are lost
• Soyuz 17 becomes the third manned mission to fly to, land on, and return to Earth from the Moon
• To counteract the energy crisis, President Romney orders the start of daylight saving time nearly 3 months early
• President Romney's approval ratings reaches a low of 22%, tied with President Truman for the lowest approval rating of all time
• King Faisal of Saudi Arabia is assassinated by his nephew
• A Weather Underground bomb detonates outside the White House, killing three Secret Service agents and four civilians. President Romney is so shaken by the incident that he takes up residency at Camp David for the rest of his term
• The Communist Khmer Rouge, empowered by American defeat in Vietnam, pushes forward and capture Phnom Penh. Pol Pot takes offices a Prime Minister
• The Khmer Rouge seize an American trading vessel (the S.S. Madison), sailing in international waters, and hold its crew hostage
• Teamster Union President Jimmy Hoffa is declared missing by police
• A military operation to save the crew of the S.S. Madison fails when two helicopters crash into each other and explode. 13 Airmen are killed in the accident
• The Helsinki Accords are signed by European Leaders
• The Louisiana Supredome is opened
• Lynette Frome, a disciple of Charles Manson, attempts to assassinated President Romney as he walks from his car to the California State Capitol
• Sara Jane Moore fires six shots at President Romney as he walks from the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco to his car. One of the shots ricochets off the door of the car and lands itself in the President's chest. He is rushed to the closest hospital - Saint Francis Memorial Hospital - and enters several hours of extensive surgery. Under the 25th Amendment, Vice President Reagan and the Cabinet declare Romney incapacitated and Reagan takes office as Acting President. For security purposes, Reagan is kept in Air Force Two with three F-16 Fighter Jets for the next 13 hours
• Acting President Reagan addresses the nation - which was already reeling from the economic collapse - and urges calm and peace during "these difficult times"
• Three days after being shot, President Romney dies from complications from the surgery performed at Saint Francis Memorial. Acting President Reagan takes office as President on October 1st at 11:57PM EST

Supreme Court, by Seniority
Chief Justice Potter Stewart (Eisenhower as A.J., Bush as C.J.)
Associate Justice William O. Douglas (F. Roosevelt), Incapacitated
Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (Eisenhower)
Associate Justice Byron R. White (Kennedy)
Associate Justice Warren E. Burger (Bush)
Associate Justice Robert H. Bork (Bush)
Associate Justice Harry Blackmun (Bush)
Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist (Bush)
Associate Justice Shirley A.M. Hufstedler (Bush)

[DKrol]

The Reagan I Administration

The Executive Branch
President: Ronald W. Reagan
Vice President: Vacant 1975-1976, Robert J. Dole 1976
Chief of Staff:  Richard B. Cheney 1975-1977
Secretary of State: Henry A. Kissinger 1975-1976, George P. Shultz 1976-1977
Secretary of the Treasury: William E. Simon 1975-1976, Casper Weinberger 1976
Secretary of Defense: Alexander Haig 1975-1977
Attorney General: John N. Mitchell 1975-1977
Secretary of the Interior: Rogers Morton 1975-1976, Thomas S. Kleppe 1976-1977
Secretary of Agriculture: Earl Buntz 1975-1977
Secretary of Commerce: Peter Peterson 1975-1976
Secretary of Labor: George P. Shultz 1975-1976, Peter J. Brennan 1976-1977
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Casper Weinberger 1975-1976
Commissioner of Transportation: Claude S. Brinegar 1975-1976
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Russell E. Train 1975-1977

1975

• Kansas Senator Bob Dole is nominated for Vice President
• The Group of Six Industrialized Nations is founded
• President Reagan announces a series of extreme tax breaks to "heal our nation, which has been dealt a rough hand" as unemployment peaks at 10.5%
• President Reagan, in a prime time address to the nation, announces that the 24 member crew of the S.S. Madison have been killed by the Khmer Rouge. He also announces a series of "strategic military operations" as retribution
• The Kingdom of Laos falls to Communists, adding to President Eisenhower's Domino Theory
• New York City is approved for a $6.9 billion bailout over the next 3 years
• A Weather Underground bomb explodes in LaGuardia Airport, killing 15 people

1976

• President Reagan announces that he is seeking election to a full term as President
• Sara Jane Moore is sentenced to death for the assassination of President George Romney
• The U.S. vetoes a U.N. resolution calling for a Palestinian State
• Bob Dole is sworn in as Vice President
• The 1976 Winter Olympics are held in Austria
• Charles Manson is stabbed to death from within the California Prisoner he was incarcerated in. He was a month from his final appeal in the death penalty process
• Associate Justice William Douglas, left paralyzed from a 1974 stroke, passes away in his Washington, D.C.
• President Reagan appoints Brigham Young University President Dallin H. Oaks to the Supreme Court
• James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• Secretary Weinberger reintroduces the Jefferson $2 bill in to circulation
• A bomb explodes at the gates of the Soviet Embassy in China, killing 4 embassy staff. A Cold War ensues between the two Communist powers
• The United States' first manned spaceflights since 1969, Janus 2, successfully orbits the Earth and splashes down safely in the Indian Ocean
• The Federal Election Campaign Act is signed in to law, placing limits on campaign contributions, over President Reagan's veto
• Idaho's Teton Dam collapses, killing 11
• The G-6 becomes the G-7 with the addition of Canada to the group
• North and South Vietnam are united by Communist leader Le Duan in to one Communist nation, the same week that President Reagan orders expanded airstrikes along the Vietnam-Cambodia border to cripple the Khmer Rouge
• The United States' celebrates its 200th Anniversary
• Barbara Jordan becomes the first African American to keynote at a party convention
• The 1976 Summer Olympics are held in Montreal, Canada
• Dallin Oaks is sworn in as Associate Justice after a 59-41 vote in the Senate
• The Indonesian invasion of East Timor ends as East Timor is incorporated as a province on Indonesia
• A home-grown terrorist in New York City - called the "Son of Sam" - opens fire in a grocery store, killing two and injuring 12
• Lt. Viktor Belenko defects from the U.S.S.R. and is granted asylum in the U.S.
• Chairman Mao dies from a heart attack, being replaced by Hua Guofeng
• It is announced that Janus 5, to launch in the summer of 1977, will be a manned mission to the Moon
• A plane, hijacked by anti-Fidel rebels, crashes in to a Havana office building, killing many government bureaucrats
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics announces that unemployment is down to 7.9%, while inflation has also come down to 4.8%
• Copyright laws are extended for 20 years in the U.S.
• The 1976 elections are held
• The Viet Cong is disbanded, with its members becoming members of the Vietnamese People's Army
• Longtime Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) dies

Supreme Court, by Seniority
Chief Justice Potter Stewart (Eisenhower as A.J., Bush as C.J.)
Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (Eisenhower)
Associate Justice Byron R. White (Kennedy)
Associate Justice Warren E. Burger (Bush)
Associate Justice Robert H. Bork (Bush)
Associate Justice Harry Blackmun (Bush)
Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist (Bush)
Associate Justice Shirley A.M. Hufstedler (Bush)
Associate Justice Dallin H. Oaks (Reagan)

[DKrol]

The 1976 Democratic Nomination

Former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia
Governor George Wallace of Alabama
Congressman Morris Udall of Arizona
Governor Jerry Brown of California

Jimmy Carter, former Governor of Georgia, received very little attention when he first announced his bid for President. However, following several months of small town meetings in Iowa and New Hampshire, the media learned very quickly not to write the smiling Georgian off. He claimed surprise wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, where Congressman Mo Udall had been leading, and went on to dominate many contests. A peanut farmer, Carter appealed to struggling Americans looking for a friend. Udall and California Governor Jerry Brown, both from political dynasties, spent most of their time fighting each other for the heart of the liberal wing of the party and allowed Carter to win in places like Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. George Wallace, who had sought the nomination three times before, ran on a Populist ticket pitch. He and Carter appealed to a similar base, although many voters remembered Wallace's 1968 segregationist platform and were hesitant to give them their votes. In the end, Wallace only carried two states that weren't former members of the Confederacy (Missouri and Indiana) and Carter clinched the nomination going in to the Convention.

The 1976 Republican Nomination

President Ronald Reagan of California
Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York

Inspired by Senator Charles Mathias (R-MD), longtime New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller announced his challenge to President Ronald Reagan. In his announcement speech, Rockefeller said "President Reagan has no electoral backing for the office of President" and spoke about his fear of the "expanding right wing of the Republican Party" and the effect "a coronation" of President Reagan would have. After losing Iowa, many media organizations wrote off Rockefeller. When he defeated Reagan in New Hampshire, the fire spread. At the end of the day, Rockefeller carried 26 states to Reagan's 24 and forced the race to the Convention Floor.

[DKrol]

The '76 Conventions


Governor Carter waves to delegates as he prepares to speak to the Convention

Governor Carter was nominated by the Democrats by a voice vote, after Congressman Udall, with Governors Brown and Wallace, released their delegates. Going in to New York City, the Carter campaign had announced a shortlist of 3 candidates for Vice President: Senator Walter Mondale (MN), Congressman Mo Udall (AZ), and Senator John Glenn (OH). Thinking of an electoral advantage with respect to the Southwest, Carter tapped Udall for the post. Following the Republicans clobbering in 1974 and their hard primary in 1976, the Democrats felt good about their chances going in to November with their ticket.

President Reagan addresses the Convention

With Nelson Rockefeller's slim lead in delegates and Ronald Reagan's hold over the party's establishment, the Convention - held in Kansas City - appeared to be a deadlock. It was the first Republican Convention in many years (going back to at least 1948) that required more than one ballot. In fact, it took 23. On each one, the Reagan and Rockefeller delegates held firm and there weren't enough undeclared to swing the vote either way. Hours before the 23rd ballot was to be held, Republican Chairman and Senator George H.W. Bush of Texas put the name of Senator Bill Brock forward as a compromise candidate. A newcomer to politics from a family of politicians, Brock was eagerly accepted by the tried and weary delegates. Louisiana Congressman Dave Treen was selected as the running mate of a party in disarray.


Polling, Post Convention
Governor Jimmy Carter (D-GA)/Congressman Mo Udall (D-AZ) - 47%
Senator Bill Brock (R-TN)/Congressman Dave Treen (R-LA) - 39%
Unsure - 14%

[DKrol]

Thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns?

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

The Repiblicans are doomed in 1976. Dave Treen was said to be "so slow that it takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes." (Edwin Edwards)

[DKrol]

The Repiblicans are doomed in 1976. Dave Treen was said to be "so slow that it takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes." (Edwin Edwards)

It certainly doesn't look good, does it?

On a side note, it seems like you're the only one reading this

[badgate]

The Repiblicans are doomed in 1976. Dave Treen was said to be "so slow that it takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes." (Edwin Edwards)

It certainly doesn't look good, does it?

On a side note, it seems like you're the only one reading this

[OnlyAlb]

The Repiblicans are doomed in 1976. Dave Treen was said to be "so slow that it takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes." (Edwin Edwards)

It certainly doesn't look good, does it?

On a side note, it seems like you're the only one reading this

I'm reading this amazing timeline, but I'm to lazy to post lol.

[Higgs]

The Repiblicans are doomed in 1976. Dave Treen was said to be "so slow that it takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes." (Edwin Edwards)

It certainly doesn't look good, does it?

On a side note, it seems like you're the only one reading this

I'm reading this amazing timeline, but I'm to lazy to post lol.

Same, this is my fav timeline keep it up

[Sir Tiki]

The Repiblicans are doomed in 1976. Dave Treen was said to be "so slow that it takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes." (Edwin Edwards)

It certainly doesn't look good, does it?

On a side note, it seems like you're the only one reading this

I'm reading this amazing timeline, but I'm to lazy to post lol.

Same, this is my fav timeline keep it up

Just started reading it yesterday, and I'm enjoying it.

[DKrol]

The General Election

Governor Carter ran as a Washington outsider and a reformer. He spoke about the need to embrace "green" energy and move away from the dependence on foreign oil that led to the OPEC crisis. He also presented himself as untainted from the poor economic climate, saying that he was busing "helping the everyday Americans down in Georgia" rather than taking part in the "Republican logjam of government in Washington". It also helped that he was a Democrat, running against what would be a fourth term for Republicans in the White House.

Senator Brock promised a return to normalcy, pulling the line from Warren Harding's (successful) 1920 campaign, after the turmoil of the Vietnam War and the Romney Assassination. He promised to support "American values" without giving too much explanation as to what those values were. Brock had only tepid popularity at home and had trouble presenting to the nation his vision for the next four years of America.

The Debates

Governor Carter and Senator Brock debated twice. The first, held on the first Tuesday in October in Saint Louis, Missouri, was clearly a Carter victory. NBC's John Chancellor said "Governor Carter was widely regarded as cool, confident, and capable. Senator Brock stumbled several times - especially when asked on foreign policy issues." As a first term Senator from Tennessee, Brock had had little to do with foreign policy.

The second debate was on October 28th, held at Michigan State University, was also a Carter victory due to foreign policy. Senator Brock was asked by ABC's Harry Reasoner about the relationship between the U.S. and China and whether, as President, he would continue to carry on the high level negotiations with them. In his response, Senator Brock said "Yes, I would meet with Chairman Mao" and mentioned the now dead Mao Zedong several times. Governor Carter was quick to point out that Zedong was dead - and had been for more than a month - and challenged Brock to name his successor. Brock stammered and said "I don't know" after several minutes of awkward noises and silence.

There was also a vice presidential debate held, at Hofstra University in New York City. Congressman Udall called out Congressman Treen for being a "central figure of the continual cycle of corruption that holds firm control over the bayou". Treen refused to engage with Udall, only answering direct questions from the moderator - PBS' Jim Lehrer. One writer for the New York Times called Treen "So slow it takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes" in his column the morning after the debate.

Polling, October 29th
Governor Jimmy Carter (D-GA)/Congressman Mo Udall (D-AZ) - 56%
Senator Bill Brock (R-TN)/Congressman Dave Treen (R-LA) - 40%
Unsure - 4%

* Polls were taken the day after the final presidential debate


I'm glad so many of you are reading - and enjoying - this! It's been one of my favorite to write so far.

[DKrol]

Election Day 1976

√ Governor Jimmy Carter (D-GA)/Congressman Mo Udall (D-AZ) - 518
Senator Bill Brock (R-TN)/Congressman Dave Treen (R-LA) - 20

Governor Jimmy Carter trounced his Republican opponent. He received the most electoral votes since FDR's 1936 re-election bid and the largest margin since James Monroe's 1820 unopposed race. He was able to portray Bill Brock as fundamentally under-qualified and unprepared to become President. Voter fatigue with the Republican proved to outweigh any reservations over a little known Southern Governor. Jimmy Carter took office as the first Democratic President in more than a decade, since John Kennedy left office in 1965.

[DKrol]

1976 Congressional Elections

Senate
Democrats - 59 Seats (+3), Led by Sen. Ted Kennedy
Republicans - 40 Seats (-3), Led by Sen. Hugh Scott
Independent - 1 Seat (+/-0), Led by Sen. Harry F. Byrd, Jr.

House

Democrats, Led by Speaker Tip O'Neill - 288 (+11)


Republicans, Led by Minority Leader John Rhodes - 146 (-11)

Analysis

President Carter's coattails proved just big enough. He was able to add to the already large Democratic Majorities in both houses, while falling short of a wave. Although, when compared to the massive Democratic gains two years earlier, what else could have been wanted of Carter? The Democrats gained a trifecta in Washington for the first time since Camelot reigned.

Supreme Court, by Seniority
Chief Justice Potter Stewart (Eisenhower as A.J., Bush as C.J.)
Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (Eisenhower)
Associate Justice Byron R. White (Kennedy)
Associate Justice Warren E. Burger (Bush)
Associate Justice Robert H. Bork (Bush)
Associate Justice Harry Blackmun (Bush)
Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist (Bush)
Associate Justice Shirley A.M. Hufstedler (Bush)
Associate Justice Dallin H. Oaks (Reagan)

[DKrol]

The Carter I Administration

The Executive Branch
President: James E. Carter
Vice President: Morris K. Udall
Chief of Staff:  Jack H. Watson 1977-1980, Reubin O. Askew 1980-1981
Secretary of State: W. Michael Blumenthal 1977-1979, Edmund Muskie 1979-1981
Secretary of the Treasury: G. William Miller 1977-1979, W. Michael Blumenthal 1979-1981
Secretary of Defense: Zbigniew Brzezinski 1977-1981
Attorney General: Peter F. Flaherty 1977-1980, Benjamin R. Civiletti 1980-1981
Secretary of the Interior: Cecil D. Andrus 1977-1981
Secretary of Agriculture: Paul D. Wellstone 1977-1981
Secretary of Commerce: Juanita M. Kreps 1977-1979, Robert S. Strauss 1979-1981
Secretary of Labor: F. Ray Marshall 1977-1981
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Joseph A. Califano, Jr. 1977 *
Commissioner of Transportation: Brockman Adams 1977-1981
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Douglas M. Costle 1977-1978 **
Secretary of Urban Affairs: Mario M. Cuomo 1978-1981
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Joseph A. Califano, Jr. 1977-1981
Secretary of Education:  Ernest L. Boyer 1977-1979, John W. Gardner 1979-1981
Secretary of Energy: James R. Schlesinger 1977-1981

* - The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was divided in to the Departments of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education
** - The EPA lost cabinet rank

1977

• An Armenian Separatist group detonates three bombs in a crowded Moscow square, during a speech from Premier Brezhnev. 34 are killed in the blasts
• Former President Prescott Bush passes away while visiting his son, George, in Houston. The former President suffers a stroke while at dinner and is declared dead some hours later
• Iva Toguri D'Aquino is pardoned by President Carter
• The Soviets launch Soyuz 24 becomes the final Soviet-led mission to the Moon as Premier Brezhnev declares the goal of the Soyuz program accomplished
• Members of the Nation of Islam take over an office building in Washington, D.C. and hold 200 employees hostage. The crisis ends 2 days later when three of the dozen assailants are shot by snipers
• Grundy, Virginia suffers a flood that causes $300 billion in damages
• Cambodia and Vietnam declare war on each other
• The American Education Act is signed in to law, splitting the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in to separate Health and Education Departments
• Miami-Dade County voters repeal the pro-gay ordinance recently passed by the County Commission
• Affirming its ruling in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court votes 5 (Chief Justice Stewart, joined by Justices Burger, Bork, Rehnquist, and Oaks) to 4 (Justices Brennan, White, Blackmun, and Hufstedler) that states cannot be required to use Medicaid funding for abortions in Maher v. Roe
• Beauty Queen Anita Bryant is met by massive protests when she arrives in San Francisco, following a series of anti-gay remarks
• The Department of Energy Act is signed in to law, as well as the Department of Urban Affairs Act, to aid low-income communities and cities in development
• Elvis Presley is found dead at his Tennessee home from a drug overdose
• Janus 5 successfully launches, lands on the Moon, and returns to Earth. Astronaut Eugene Cernan becomes the first American and seventh human to step on the Moon
• The B-1 Bomber program is canceled by President Carter in his push for a more peacefully nation
• President Carter signs the Panama Canal Treaty, promising to return the Panama Canal to Panama by the end of the century
• The Food Stamp Act of 1977 is signed in to law
• The Federal Government partially shutsdown due to budget impasses with a Conservative Coalition in Congress
• Thee members of Lynard Skynard die in a plane crash. Commentators dubb it as "the second day the music died" - a reference to Buddy Holly's similar death in the late 1950s
• The openly gay Harvey Milk is elected City Supervisor of San Francisco, drawing ire from religious groups
• Egyptian President Anwar Sedat travels to Israel and meets with Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin to sign peace accords
• Film pioneer Charlie Chaplin dies at his Swiss home

1978

• U.S.-back General Augusto Pinochet is supported by a Chilean referendum
• Roman Polanski skips bail and flees to France, avoiding prosecution in the United States for sex with a 13-year-old girl
• Serial killer Ted Bundy is captured by federal marshals in Florida
• In Stump v. Sparkman the Supreme Court votes 6 (Justices White, Burger, Bork, Blackmun, Rehnquist) to 2 (Chief Justice Stewart and Associate Justice Hufstedler) that an Indiana judge cannot be sued for ordering the sterilization of a youth girl, under the principle of judicial immunity. Associate Justice Brennan recused himself from the case
• On orders from President Carter, the neutron bomb project started by President Reagan is halter
• Singer Bob Marley brokers a peace deal between rival Jamaican politicians Edward Seaga and Michael Manley
• Afghani President Daoud Khan is assassinated, sparking the Afghani Civil War
• A bomb explodes in the Chicago City Hall, injuring a security guard. Although the Weather Underground is suspect, police determine that it was sent by a single attacker, rather than an organization
• The first legal casino opens in Atlantic City
• Argentina wins the 1978 World Cup
• In Regent of the University of California v. Bakke votes 6 (Chief Justice Stewart with Associate Justices Burger, Bork, Blackmun, Rehnquist, and Oaks) to 3 (Associate Justices Brennan, White, and Hufstedler) that Affirmative Action programs - begun under the Romney Administration - are unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment
• The world's first test tube baby is born in the U.K.
• Pope Paul VI is found dead in his Italian summer residence. Senator Majority Leader Ted Kennedy, a Catholic, is sent by President Carter to lead the American delegation to the funeral
• Cardinal Albino Luciani of Italy is elected as the 263rd Pope and takes the name John Paul I
• Egyptian and Israeli leaders meet at Camp David for continuing high level talks. This leads to the signing of the Camp David Accords, pledging lasting and complete peace between the Arab and Jewish states
• After 33 days, Pope John Paul II dies. Once more, Senator Kennedy leads the American delegation
• Homebrewed beer is legalized by President Carter
• Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland is elected as the 264th Pope, taking the name John Paul II
• The British Embassy in Tehran is attacked by rioters
• The 1978 Midterms are held
• Religious leader Jim Jones leads 900 others in committing mass suicide. Congressman Leo Ryan is assassinated by the group only hours before
• Under Democratic Mayor Dennis Kucinich, the city of Cleveland becomes the first U.S. city to default since the Great Depression
• Deng Xiaoping is formally installed as the new Paramount Leader of China by the 11th National Congress
• The Cambodia-Vietnam War enters a new phase, as Vietnam begins massive operations against the Khmer Rouge

Supreme Court, by Seniority
Chief Justice Potter Stewart (Eisenhower as A.J., Bush as C.J.)
Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (Eisenhower)
Associate Justice Byron R. White (Kennedy)
Associate Justice Warren E. Burger (Bush)
Associate Justice Robert H. Bork (Bush)
Associate Justice Harry Blackmun (Bush)
Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist (Bush)
Associate Justice Shirley A.M. Hufstedler (Bush)
Associate Justice Dallin H. Oaks (Reagan)

[tmthforu94]

Love it!

[DKrol]

1978 Congressional Elections

Senate
Democrats - 56 Seats (-3), Led by Sen. Ted Kennedy
Republicans - 43 Seats (+3), Led by Sen. Howard Baker
Independent - 1 Seat (+/-0), Led by Sen. Harry F. Byrd, Jr.

House

Democrats, Led by Speaker Tip O'Neill - 259 (-29)


Republicans, Led by Minority Leader John Rhodes - 175 (+29)

Analysis

These midterms became similar to the 1970 midterms - they didn't really reflect on the President or, if they did, there was not definitive message sent. Although losing almost 30 seats in the House, the Democratic Majority was still comfortably large. They also lost a handful of seats in the Senate, under the leadership of newly minted Minority Leader Howard Baker.

Supreme Court, by Seniority
Chief Justice Potter Stewart (Eisenhower as A.J., Bush as C.J.)
Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (Eisenhower)
Associate Justice Byron R. White (Kennedy)
Associate Justice Warren E. Burger (Bush)
Associate Justice Robert H. Bork (Bush)
Associate Justice Harry Blackmun (Bush)
Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist (Bush)
Associate Justice Shirley A.M. Hufstedler (Bush)
Associate Justice Dallin H. Oaks (Reagan)