Would Gov. George Wallace Have Endorsed Donald Trump?

[Frodo]

Would he?

[Classic Conservative]

Probably not at least his later form of life.

[Illiniwek]

60s wallace? You betcha.

[‼realJohnEwards‼]

In the 60's? Yes, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he would vote for his alter-ego.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

68/72 (pre-shooting) Wallace? Sure.

Later Wallace, no.

[Southern Delegate matthew27]

yes...

[Fuzzy Bear]

No.

The Wallace of the 1960s wasn't that kind of team player.  He did NOT endorse Goldwater.  He did NOT endorse Nixon.  He did not endorse a Republican for President publicly until 1996, when he made a comment to a TIME reporter that he liked Bob Dole and thought Bill Clinton too liberal.

There was much discussion of a Reagan-Wallace ticket in 1976, with either Reagan and Wallace running as third party candidates, or Wallace being the GOP nominee.  Wallace never really bit on this; he NEVER tied his career or fortunes to anyone else but himself. 

[pppolitics]

Yes

[Maxwell]

If it furthered his political power, yes.

Wallace was an opportunist AND a racist.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Would he?

Nah, Wallace was too smart, classy and liberal to endorse Trump.

[ProudModerate2]

Is water wet ?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

If it furthered his political power, yes.

Wallace was an opportunist AND a racist.

What makes him so vile is that he WASN'T a racist, he just pretended to be (and in doing so, legitimized segregation's last stand) in order to gain power for himself. He'd be on board with the likely winner (Hillary) judging by his characteristics, but were he alive today and Trump managed to win, I could see him really quickly jumping ship to the GOP if it served his interests.

[ProudModerate2]

If it furthered his political power, yes.
Wallace was an opportunist AND a racist.

What makes him so vile is that he WASN'T a racist, he just pretended to be ..... in order to gain power for himself .......

Hmmm.
Sounds familiar with a current "vile" candidate .... you know the one with orange-hair.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

If it furthered his political power, yes.
Wallace was an opportunist AND a racist.

What makes him so vile is that he WASN'T a racist, he just pretended to be ..... in order to gain power for himself .......

Hmmm.
Sounds familiar with a current "vile" candidate .... you know the one with orange-hair.

Not true considering Trump isn't actively and openly appealing to people's racism but rather allowing them to project it onto him.

[President Johnson]

No. In his earlier years, yes. But not as an elder man.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

If it furthered his political power, yes.
Wallace was an opportunist AND a racist.

What makes him so vile is that he WASN'T a racist, he just pretended to be ..... in order to gain power for himself .......

Hmmm.
Sounds familiar with a current "vile" candidate .... you know the one with orange-hair.

Not true considering Trump isn't actively and openly appealing to people's racism but rather allowing them to project it onto him.

Which is actually worse...

[Podgy the Bear]

Coming from a different era, most Southerners of Wallace's type looked at the Republican Party as the rich man's party--and though they voted increasingly Republican at the national level, they continued to support Democrats at the state level.  I suspect that Wallace would have looked Trump with resentment and not necessarily admiration.

Wallace's endorsement of Robert Dole in 1996 was largely because of Dole's military background (and Clinton's lack thereof) and the fact that they both served in WWII--it was an interview with Larry King (you can see it on You Tube).   

According to Wallace's biography, there was some talk in 1972 about a Humphrey-Wallace ticket--first to stave off the George McGovern nomination and then perhaps the most formidable ticket to go against Richard Nixon that  year.  Apparently, Wallace was receptive and willing to consider it--but not Humphrey.

[Cruzcrew]

If it furthered his political power, yes.
Wallace was an opportunist AND a racist.

What makes him so vile is that he WASN'T a racist, he just pretended to be ..... in order to gain power for himself .......

Hmmm.
Sounds familiar with a current "vile" candidate .... you know the one with orange-hair.

Not true considering Trump isn't actively and openly appealing to people's racism but rather allowing them to project it onto him.

That's still a pretty similarly vile form of campaigning that is going to hurt the GOP long term with minorities who are going to get this idea that the GOP is the party of white supremacists.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I'm going to say no for a reason already posted above.  Wallace's first priority was Wallace, just as Trump's first priority is Trump. 

What's scary to contemplate is how well Wallace might have done if he were in Trump's position today.  Like Trump, Wallace appealed to both the racist element and to non-racist working-class people who felt they were getting a raw deal from the system.  But Wallace was a lot more charismatic than Trump (whatever his faults, and they were many, he was a spellbinding speaker) and IMO much more intelligent and ruthless.  With Breitbart, Hannity, Coulter, etc. in his corner...Wallace could have gone a long way.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

If it furthered his political power, yes.
Wallace was an opportunist AND a racist.

What makes him so vile is that he WASN'T a racist, he just pretended to be ..... in order to gain power for himself .......

Hmmm.
Sounds familiar with a current "vile" candidate .... you know the one with orange-hair.

Not true considering Trump isn't actively and openly appealing to people's racism but rather allowing them to project it onto him.

Which is actually worse...

Does that make Obama a communist because he didn't stop the CPUSA from endorsing him and netting him 500 extra votes that he wouldn't get anyway? Has Sam Webb been sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom lately?

[Maxwell]

If it furthered his political power, yes.

Wallace was an opportunist AND a racist.

What makes him so vile is that he WASN'T a racist, he just pretended to be (and in doing so, legitimized segregation's last stand) in order to gain power for himself. He'd be on board with the likely winner (Hillary) judging by his characteristics, but were he alive today and Trump managed to win, I could see him really quickly jumping ship to the GOP if it served his interests.

Endorsing Hillary would do him no favors in Alabama.

[nicholas.slaydon]

Certainly.

[Torie]

Probably yes, but bear in mind that Wallace did not endorse Nixon in 1972 because he thought his endorsement would hurt Nixon. (Wallace was a very practical, and cynical, politician). So perhaps for the same reason, he might not endorse Trump.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

If it furthered his political power, yes.

Wallace was an opportunist AND a racist.

What makes him so vile is that he WASN'T a racist, he just pretended to be (and in doing so, legitimized segregation's last stand) in order to gain power for himself. He'd be on board with the likely winner (Hillary) judging by his characteristics, but were he alive today and Trump managed to win, I could see him really quickly jumping ship to the GOP if it served his interests.

Endorsing Hillary would do him no favors in Alabama.

I don't think it's stopping Artur Davis in his latest attempt to be relevant.