1964 Primaries (The Hearse at Monticello)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

President Kefauver's hopes of enacting large-scale anti-poverty programs were dashed when, in the Summer of 1962, Communist forces led by Ho Chi Minh gained total control of Vietnam in spite of U.S.-led efforts to prop up the capitalist government in the Southern half of the country. The defeat, and the ensuing disastrous American withdraw from Vietnam, was blamed on the president by the indignant American Party, which swept to victory in the 1962 Midterms on the promise of "paving the way to victory" in the Cold War. With the executive and legislative branches at odds, very little has been accomplished on the domestic front, with the president's foreign policy suffering from repeated attacks by the American Party leadership in Congress.

Suffering from ill health, Kefauver has declined to run for reelection in 1964. This has opened the door for a number of ambitious Populists to take the national stage: these include Vice President Lyndon Johnson, who has joined activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in calling for aggressive anti-poverty measures; former Secretary of State Hubert Humphrey, who in addition to Johnson's anti-poverty measures supports federal "affirmative action" legislation; Governor George Wallace, who boasts impressive support from organized labor for a Southern candidate and who advocates for aggressive action to oppose the Communist regimes in Cuba and Southeast Asia; and Governor Matthew Welsh, who led efforts to establish free community colleges in his home state of Indiana. Of these, Humphrey is seen as the most vulnerable for his connections to Kefauver's foreign policy, while some have speculated that Wallace could craft the strongest coalition, provided he does not alienate liberals with his aggressive foreign policy.

The American Party, meanwhile, is united in terms of foreign policy. All four major candidates have called for action to stop the spread of Communism by whatever means necessary. The field is more divided in terms of domestic policy, with conservatives backing Senators Barry Goldwater and Hiram Fong and liberals lining up behind Governors William Scranton and Margaret Chase Smith. Both Scranton and Smith have called for greater environmental regulations to stem the harmful effects of pesticides such as DDT, a proposal that President Kefauver has opposed for fear of alienating his rural constituents.

Have at it!

[Antonio the Sixth]

HHH!

[PJ]

1. What is Johnson's stance on communism in the TL?

2. Are any People's Party candidates calling for more environmental regulations?

[Mr. Smith]

Scranton (PA)/Knight (CA)

May be persuaded to Humphrey if he actually addresses environmental issues, something the Populists have been cowards on so far.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Goldwater/Smith!

[Dereich]

ANYBODY but Goldwater

[Goldwater]

Goldwater/Smith!

[Classic Conservative]

Goldwater/Smith!

[SATW]

Goldwater/Smith!

[Clark Kent]

Goldwater/Smith!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

1. What is Johnson's stance on communism in the TL?

Much as it was in OTL, actually. With the fall of Vietnam, the Populists are perceived as "soft on Communism", so any Populist president is going to feel pressure to take a more hardline stance against the Soviet Union in the future.

2. Are any People's Party candidates calling for more environmental regulations?

Welsh, Humphrey, and possibly Johnson could probably be persuaded to support new regulations if such a bill passed Congress. That said, the People's Party is largely reliant on the farmers in the South and West who form their electoral base, so it will be hard to get a Populist to support expansive reform. To be honest, if environmentalism is your main issue, Scranton is probably your best bet.

[PJ]

1. What is Johnson's stance on communism in the TL?

Much as it was in OTL, actually. With the fall of Vietnam, the Populists are perceived as "soft on Communism", so any Populist president is going to feel pressure to take a more hardline stance against the Soviet Union in the future.

2. Are any People's Party candidates calling for more environmental regulations?

Welsh, Humphrey, and possibly Johnson could probably be persuaded to support new regulations if such a bill passed Congress. That said, the People's Party is largely reliant on the farmers in the South and West who form their electoral base, so it will be hard to get a Populist to support expansive reform. To be honest, if environmentalism is your main issue, Scranton is probably your best bet.

Nah I'm not really a single issue voter, I just want to make sure that my vote won't be explicitly preventing further environmental regulations, and the People's Party seems better than the Americans in virtually every other aspect. I'll go with Humphrey, but I'd probably prefer someone more soft on communism tbh. Thanks for answering my questions.

[Zioneer]

Voting Hiram Fong because it'd be interesting to see a serious Asian-American candidate in 1964. Too bad Goldwater will drown him out though.

[Boston Bread]

Humphrey/Welsh

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

LBJ/Welsh

[Zioneer]

Cmon, lets vote for Fong! (rhyme intended)

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yay, LBJ and Goldwater are the nominees in 1964. How original...

[Zioneer]

Yay, LBJ and Goldwater are the nominees in 1964. How original...

I was hoping for either Smith or Fong for the American Party; at least that's far different than what happened in real life.

Though someone could still vote for Humphrey unless the poll is already closed.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Yay, LBJ and Goldwater are the nominees in 1964. How original...

I was hoping for either Smith or Fong for the American Party; at least that's far different than what happened in real life.

Though someone could still vote for Humphrey unless the poll is already closed.

I set the poll to run for two days, so it's closed now. Seeing as the poll is tied, though, circumstances might call for some >ahem< editorial intervention.