Blowin' in the Wind: A Timeline from the 1960s Onward

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Part 1: Tricky Dick and the New Frontier

United States Presidential Election, 1960
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1960 presidential election was the was the 44th quadrennial presidential election of the United States, held on Tuesday, November 8, 1960.  The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenower, was not eligible for reelection after being elected the maximum two times allowed by the Twenty-Second Amendment.  In his place, the Republican Party nominated incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon, while the Democratic Party nominated US Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts.  This was the first presidential election in which voters from Alaska and Hawaii were able to participate, as both had become states in 1959.

The election was one of the closest in American history, with Nixon winning by 0.3% in the popular vote.  This may be explained by several factors.  Kennedy benefitted from the economic recession of 1957-58, which hurt the standing of the incumbent Republican Party, and he had the advantage of 17 million more registered Democrats than Republicans.  Kennedy was the first Catholic nominated by a major party for president since Al Smith in 1928, helping him to strengthen the Democrats' already firm grip on the Catholic vote.

Nixon visited all 50 states during the campaign, a move criticized by many pundits who believed it took the focus off crucial swing states.  The campaign featured the first ever series of presidential debates; four debates were held between Nixon and Kennedy, broadcast on both radio and television.  The debates proved to be a major turning point in the campaign, with neither candidate coming out a clear winner.  Initially, Nixon insisted on campaigning until just a few hours before the first debate, but his campaign team encouraged him to rehearse and practice. 
Shortly before, the election, when the noted black civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was put in jail, Nixon's campaign staff called his wife, Coretta Scott King, and secured King's release.  This move helped Nixon gain a number of new black votes, effectively neutralizing Kennedy's gains with Catholics.

Vice Pres. Richard Nixon (R-CA)/Fmr. Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA): 280 EVs, 49.8% PV
Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-MA)/Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX): 249 EVs, 49.5% PV
Unpledged Democratic Electors: 8 EVs, 0.3% PV

1960 Senate Elections

Democratic Party: 64 seats (-1)
Republican Party: 36 seats (+1)

1960 House Elections
Democratic Party: 262 seats (-21)
Republican Party: 175 seats (+22)

1960 Governor Elections
Democratic Party: 34 states (+2)
Republican Party: 16 states (-2)

Inauguration Day: January 20, 1961


In his inaugural address, President Nixon vowed to continue the progress that Eisenhower had made on civil rights and in the fight against communism, while working to tackle poverty and other domestic issues.  Because Democrats had maintained control of Congress in the elections, Nixon was faced with the task of being a bipartisan leader.  Texas Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, who had been the Democrats' nominee for Vice President, remained Senate Majority Leader, while fellow Texan Sam Rayburn remained Speaker of the House.  Meanwhile, Nixon could count on the Senate Republican Leader, Everett Dirksen of Illinois, as an ally to advance most of his legislative goals.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I'm hoping to have an update some time this weekend.

[Kingpoleon]

Lindsay-McCarthy 1964!

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Bay of Pigs

President Nixon faced his first major foreign policy challenge when he ordered the invasion of Cuba in April 1961.  An attempt to overthrow the communist government of Premier Fidel Castro proved more difficult than previously thought, but after several days, weakened and exhausted US forces withdrew.  The president faced criticism on all sides for this decision; doves and isolationists attacked him as a warmonger who was too quick to intervene in foreign affairs, while more hawkish anti-communists saw the failure of the invasion as a sign of weakness.

Gallup Poll: Nixon Job Approval
Approve: 35%
Disapprove: 24%
Undecided: 41%

[Mr. Smith]

So who faces Pat Brown for Governor in 1962 now?

[Kingpoleon]

So who faces Pat Brown for Governor in 1962 now?

Is that really so important you can't go over it in your head?

George Christopher, Pete McCloskey, Ronald Reagan, William Knowland, and Goodwin Knight are all possibilities.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

So who faces Pat Brown for Governor in 1962 now?

Be patient; I'm getting there.

[MATTROSE94]

Excellent timeline so far!

[Oldiesfreak1854]

The Freedom Rides

In the summer of 1961, a group of black and white civil rights activists, led by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), embarked on a series of rides on racially segregated buses in the South.  Known as the Freedom Rides, they were intended to test a Supreme Court ruling against racial segregation on interstate transportation.  The activists encountered much violence as they rode on buses throughout the South, being harassed by the Ku Klux Klan and local police.  President Nixon called in federal marshals to protect the Freedom Riders for the remainder of their journey, and used the opportunity to renew a campaign pledge and urge Congress to pass federal civil rights legislation.

Gallup Poll: Nixon Job Approval
Approve: 49%
Disapprove: 29%
Undecided: 22%

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I'm planning on an update soon, but it may take a while.  Check back over the next few days.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

The First Supreme Court Vacancy

In March 1962, Justice Charles Evans Whittaker retired from the Supreme Court.  Whittaker had only been on the Court for five years before suffering a nervous breakdown, and cited exhaustion from the workload as a reason for his retirement.  On April 3, 1962, President Nixon nominated District Court judge Frank Minis Johnson as Whittaker's replacement.  Judge Johnson, who served the Middle District of Alabama, was an Eisenhower appointee who had a history of bucking the Democratic segregationist establishment in his state, handing down vital decisions supporting black civil rights.  As such, his nomination was ardently opposed by segregationist Democrats in the Senate.  Later that month, Senator Strom Thurmond announced plans to filibuster Johnson's nomination, and was soon joined by fellow Senators Robert Byrd, William Fulbright, and John Stennis.  In spite of these efforts, however, Senate Republican leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois managed to compile enough votes from Republicans and liberal Democrats to invoke cloture.  Johnson was confirmed to the Supreme Court in early June, with every Republican Senator voting in favor and nearly the entire opposition from Southern Democrats.


Associate Justice Frank Minis Johnson
1962-?

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I hope to get an update on some time this weekend.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Any suggestions for this TL?

[Mike Thick]

Any suggestions for this TL?

Dunno. Pat Brown 1964 would be fun, but it's your TL.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

We Shall Overcome: Part 1

In January 1962, after urging from the president, the Civil Rights Act was finally introduced in Congress.  The act was one of the most broad-sweeping civil rights bills since Reconstruction, building on the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960.  President Nixon was aware that segregationist Democrats would fight their hardest to block the bill and most likely attempt a filibuster, and thus was counting on the support of Republicans and liberal Democrats to get the bill passed.

"The time has come for America to live up to its founding creed that all men are created equal.  We cannot afford to let our Southern states continue to ignore our Constitution and rule of law with an unjust system...It is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.  And we shall overcome...I want to be the president who helped the poor to find their own way and who protected the right of every citizen to vote in every election.  I want to be the president who helped to end hatred among his fellow men and who promoted love among the people of all races and all regions and all parties.  I want to be the president who helped to end war among the brothers of this earth."

-President Richard Nixon, in a joint session before Congress,

[swky_0rn]

Does Oswald  remain  a   obscure  figour in this t.l.
I am curious what happens to  Reagan. Goldwalter  and John kennedy in this t.l.

[MATTROSE94]

Does Oswald  remain  a   obscure  figour in this t.l.
I am curious what happens to  Reagan. Goldwalter  and John kennedy in this t.l.

Maybe JFK makes a comeback in 1968 and serves as President from 1969-1977 and Ronald Reagan gets elected in 1976 and serves from 1977-1985?

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Does Oswald  remain  a   obscure  figour in this t.l.
I am curious what happens to  Reagan. Goldwalter  and John kennedy in this t.l.

Maybe JFK makes a comeback in 1968 and serves as President from 1969-1977 and Ronald Reagan gets elected in 1976 and serves from 1977-1985?

Be patient.  You'll see...

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Now that I have more free time on my hands, I hope to be updating this more regularly.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

We Shall Overcome: Part 2

The Civil Rights Act of 1962 When the bill was introduced in Congress, segregationist Democrats fought as hard as they could to defeat it, just as the president had expected.  In the Senate, a group of these Southerners joined forces to filibuster the bill, including (but not limited to) William Fulbright of Arkansas, John Stennis of Mississippi, Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, Albert Gore Sr. of Tennessee, and Robert Byrd of West Virginia.  Perhaps the strongest force leading the filibuster was Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, the Democrats' standard bearer for Vice President in 1960.  Hoping to derail the bill in a manner similar to what he had done to the 1957 bill, Johnson gave the second-longest speech of the filibuster, clocking in at slightly 13 hours, only one hour short of the 14-hour filibuster given by Sen. Byrd.  After an impassioned speech and a strong effort by Senate GOP leader Everett Dirksen, Republicans and liberal Democrats were able to finally invoke cloture on the bill, which went on to pass both houses with significant majorities.  Although the vast majority of opposition came from segregationist Democrats, a handful of conservative Republicans also voted against the final bill.

President Nixon invited a number of civil rights leaders to the White House for the bill-signing ceremony, handing his pen to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after putting his signature on the bill.  A number of high-profile Southern Democrats vowed to use the issue to their advantage in the 1962 midterm elections, hoping to ride a wave of segregationist discontent.

[MATTROSE94]

Great timeline so far! It is interesting seeing LBJ sticking with his Dixiecrat roots on the issue of civil rights. BTW, was the Senate vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1962 75-25, with Ralph Yarborough and Estes Kefauver being the only Southern Democrats voting in favor and Norris Cotton, Bourke Hickenlooper, and Barry Goldwater being the only Republicans who voted against it? I would assume the House vote would have been around 300-138 in favor as well.

[Kingpoleon]

Any suggestions for this TL?

I'd like to see George Christopher or Clifford Case as Vice President after Lodge.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Great timeline so far! It is interesting seeing LBJ sticking with his Dixiecrat roots on the issue of civil rights. BTW, was the Senate vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1962 75-25, with Ralph Yarborough and Estes Kefauver being the only Southern Democrats voting in favor and Norris Cotton, Bourke Hickenlooper, and Barry Goldwater being the only Republicans who voted against it? I would assume the House vote would have been around 300-138 in favor as well.

I never thought about that.  I would guess that John Butler would be the fourth Republican vote against it.

[MATTROSE94]

Great timeline so far! It is interesting seeing LBJ sticking with his Dixiecrat roots on the issue of civil rights. BTW, was the Senate vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1962 75-25, with Ralph Yarborough and Estes Kefauver being the only Southern Democrats voting in favor and Norris Cotton, Bourke Hickenlooper, and Barry Goldwater being the only Republicans who voted against it? I would assume the House vote would have been around 300-138 in favor as well.

I never thought about that.  I would guess that John Butler would be the fourth Republican vote against it.

John Butler is definitely a possibility, though I think he did vote in favor of the 1957 and 1960 Civil Rights Acts.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

The Second Supreme Court Vacancy

On August 29, 1962, Justice Felix Frankfurter resigned from the Supreme Court after suffering a stroke.  Three days later, on August 31, President Nixon nominated former Attorney General Herbert Brownell to replace him.  Brownell, a cousin of suffragette Susan B. Anthony, had served in the Cabinet of President Eisenhower and had been considered for nomination previously, but was rejected due to concerns about segregationist Democrats fighting against his confirmation.  Predictably, these same Senate Democrats were prepared to defeat his nomination now.  Like the Civil Rights Act and Justice Johnson's nomination, however, Republicans and liberal Democrats joined together to pass Brownell's Senate confirmation by a wide margin on September 25, 1962.


Associate Justice Herbert Brownell, Jr.
1962-?

EDIT: I corrected the date of the confirmation from 1965 to 1962.