Vice, Virtue, and Independence (A Different Path, Chapter 2)

[Cold War Liberal]

A Different Path, Chapter 2:
VICE,
VIRTUE,
AND
INDEPENDENCE

The 1968 Election and the 36th President of the United States

And, to catch you up:
A Different Path, Chapter 1: The New Frontier

[Cold War Liberal]

September 14, 1967
Morris

Vice President Morris Udall sipped the last of his coffee as he prepared to make what he felt would be one of the more important speeches of his life. He’d wanted this for a long time, and Johnson’s scandal in ‘64 had propelled him to this point much faster than he’d anticipated.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen, Hello! I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here today…”

The audience laughed. They knew full well what Udall was announcing.

“Well, I’m announcing, quite simply, that I’m running for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States. We need to continue the great progress that President Kennedy has made over the past eight years - and that I have helped make in the past four. We got civil rights for all Americans, healthcare for the old and the poor, and even put a man on the moon. I believe that I, having served with Jack for the past 4 years, am uniquely prepared to lead our country on into the 1970’s with the same vigor which President Kennedy lead us through the 1960’s…”

October 2, 1967
Richard

Richard closed his eyes and reveled in the words he had said just a few minutes ago.

“...Nelson Rockefeller and Maggie Smith lead us to defeat in ‘64, even though I tried to save the party. This time, we’re going to bring the GOP back to the ideals of Ike Eisenhower, not the liberalism of Rockefeller or the crazed conservatism of Barry Goldwater. We’re going to win next November and push for sensibility in our government again…”

Of course, Dick didn’t think Jack was “insensible,” or whatever, but it played well with the crowd. He knew this wouldn’t be the coronation of the 1960 primaries - hell, he wasn’t even the Republican frontrunner - but he was confident that he could pull this off, and that all Americans would be saying “President Nixon” come January 20th, 1969.

October 13, 1967
George

“...and as your President, we’ll go further than Kennedy and Udall ever dreamed we could. We’ll guarantee free healthcare for all Americans. We’ll guarantee everyone’s right to the franchise. And we’ll guarantee every American child the right to an education! What we need going into the 1970’s is radical change beyond even what the current Administration could achieve…”

October 15, 1967
Barry

“...so today, I am announcing that we, the true conservative mainstream of the Republican Party, are taking back the GOP, and then we will take back our country. We need to spend less money on things that are not the government’s business to pay for, scale back federal encroachment on states’ rights, and fight against Communism, not appease them like the British did the Germans!”

October 27, 1967
George

“Our party has been taken over by a President who hates the working men of the real America. We need to take our country back to prosperity and traditional values, and soon, before the Communists in Russia look over at us and see that we’re almost as bad as they are! Vote for me and stand up for America!”

November 1, 1967
George

“...and the GOP is the party of Lincoln, of Eisenhower, and of Nelson Rockefeller. We need to remain committed to the cause of civil rights and not make the hard turn to the right that some in the party today wish to take. Vote for me if you want the 1968 election to be another 1952; vote for someone else if you wish for 1968 to be another 1932!”

November 3, 1967
Margaret

Senator Smith waved to her small band of enthusiastic supporters. Margaret, the 1964 Republican Vice Presidential nominee, had decided to run again in 1968. She’d hoped to have the support of the man she ran with - Nelson Rockefeller - but that didn’t appear to be in the cards. Rockefeller hadn’t endorsed anyone yet, but Romney seemed to be the more electable of the two major liberal Republicans running in this race. Margaret wouldn’t be surprised if Rocky endorsed that babbling gaffe-machine instead of the woman who basically saved his 1964 campaign at the convention.

Like in 1964, Margaret was highly doubtful that America was ready to elect a female President. Nevertheless, she would run her best campaign, and see what happened.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Nevertheless, she

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Single every single day
Do it every single way
Make those single ladies say
Oh, Mo

[MAINEiac4434]

McGovern 68

[OBD]

Generic Moderate Dem 68

[Independents for Nihilism]

McGovern 68

[TheBeardedOne]

LBJ 68

[America Needs R'hllor]

Smith 68!

[Cold War Liberal]

December 7, 1967

BREAKING: LBJ JUMPS INTO 1968 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY, ADDING A MORE MODERATE SOUTHERN OPTION

DALLAS, TX - Texas Governor Lyndon B. Johnson, after years of speculation, has officially announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination for President. The former Vice President, once disgraced and dropped off the 1964 ticket, has become something of a political phoenix, rising from the ashes of his tax evasion trial to beat an incumbent Democratic governor in 1966 by a razor-thin margin.

Now, Governor Johnson is trying for the office he has wanted since he was a boy: the Presidency. In a speech given outside the Johnson family ranch, the Governor stated that he was “horrified” by the “bland, inexperienced Vice President; the radically liberal Senator McGovern, and the downright racist Governor Wallace.” He then pitched himself as the pragmatic alternative to the three: pro-civil-rights, unlike Governor Wallace; more connected and experienced than Vice President Udall; and more conservative than Senator McGovern (while still being fairly progressive). He also touted his own “Texas grit” as a merit only he possessed, and in that he may be right.

Governor Johnson is a polarizing figure in American politics; the trial that, in the governor’s words, “vindicated” him is seen by much of the public as having come to the wrong conclusion. Nonetheless, he is still a fairly popular figure among Democrats (70% of party members approved of him in a recent Gallup poll, while only 40% of all voters did), and will certainly be a formidable foe for the other Democratic candidates in the race, especially as Mr. Johnson is a masterful delegate-wrangler.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Honestly, Johnson might just be the best D candidate here. If I had to rate all the candidates it'd probably be:

1. Chase Smith

2. Romney
3. Johnson (down because of the scandal; otherwise is a bit better than Romney)
4. Udall

5. Nixon
6. McGovern

7. Goldwater

8. Wallace

[Independents for Nihilism]

What's RFK up to at this point in your timeline? He served as Attorney General for both of JFK's terms right? Senate a few years removed from IRL then, instead of the presidency?

[Cold War Liberal]

What's RFK up to at this point in your timeline? He served as Attorney General for both of JFK's terms right? Senate a few years removed from IRL then, instead of the presidency?

He is the current Attorney General of the United States as of December 1967 and will remain in that position until January 20th of 1969.

From the previous chapter's thread:

RFK will not be a candidate for anything in '68 (not really a spoiler because he'd have to resign from the DOJ in order to legally do so, which I would have covered in this chapter), and neither will Teddy. It should go without saying that due to this being the case, RFK is not assassinated and Teddy doesn't "accidentally" drive off that bridge in Chappaquiddick.

RFK will definitely be in chapters 2 and 3, and beyond (you will know what this means circa 1976 ). Teddy is sure to be influential until his death, which will most likely be in 2009 like IRL (maybe a different day but probably around the same time)

I haven't decided when JFK and RFK will die. I could easily see RFK living into the 2000's, but as I said in the last installment, JFK's Addison's will surely catch up with him, probably before 1980.

RFK has an idea of what he wants to do next, but he wants to see just how '68 plays out before making a firm decision. I kinda want to keep it a secret from you guys, which is why I haven't mentioned it yet. It'll be in the next chapter.

[TheBeardedOne]

December 7, 1967

LBJ JUMPS INTO 1968 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY, ADDING A MORE MODERATE SOUTHERN OPTION

DALLAS, TX - Texas Governor Lyndon B. Johnson, after years of speculation, has officially announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination for President. The former Vice President, once disgraced and dropped off the 1964 ticket, has become something of a political phoenix, rising from the ashes of his tax evasion trial to beat an incumbent Democratic governor in 1966 by a razor-thin margin.

Now, Governor Johnson is trying for the office he has wanted since he was a boy: the Presidency. In a speech given outside the Johnson family ranch, the Governor stated that he was “horrified” by the “bland, inexperienced Vice President; the radically liberal Senator McGovern, and the downright racist Governor Wallace.” He then pitched himself as the pragmatic alternative to the three: pro-civil-rights, unlike Governor Wallace; more connected and experienced than Vice President Udall; and more conservative than Senator McGovern (while still being fairly progressive). He also touted his own “Texas grit” as a merit only he possessed, and in that he may be right.

Governor Johnson is a polarizing figure in American politics; the trial that, in the governor’s words, “vindicated” him is seen by much of the public as having come to the wrong conclusion. Nonetheless, he is still a fairly popular figure among Democrats (70% of party members approved of him in a recent Gallup poll, while only 40% of all voters did), and will certainly be a formidable foe for the other Democratic candidates in the race, especially as Mr. Johnson is a masterful delegate-wrangler.

I knew it

[Cold War Liberal]

November 19, 1967
Wallace, Goldwater Promise to Reshape Courts

Democratic Presidential candidate and former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace gave a speech on the campaign trail this morning. After condemning the Kennedy Administration’s renewed push for less discriminatory federal housing policy, Gov. Wallace discussed his plans for Supreme Court vacancies, should one (or more) occur during his hypothetical tenure as President. He pledged to appoint justices that would “uphold our Constitution and prevent future Presidents from bulldozing over states’ rights like our current President.”

Similarly, Republican Presidential candidate and Arizona Senator Barry M. Goldwater made a speech about the Court in Manchester, New Hampshire last Thursday. In more polished language, he denounced activist judges on the Court and promised to only appoint strict constitutionalists to the bench, both in the Supreme Court and on lower courts. Goldwater did not express support for segregation.

Several members of the current Court, lead by Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, are aging and could conceivably retire during the next President’s term in office. Likely candidates include Justices Black, Harlan, Douglas, and possibly Clark. Whoever the next President may be, they may have the potential to reshape the Court for a generation.

January 2, 1968
BREAKING: KENNEDY, BREZHNEV STEP INTO MIDDLE-EASTERN WAR

The Third Arab-Israeli War, now well into its seventh month, has shifted the American government’s attention from training operations in Vietnam to the Middle East. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet First Secretary Leonid Brezhnev both announced today that they would speak to the leaders of Israel and Egypt, respectively, and attempt to strike a peace deal in the process.

The war, which began in June, has flooded television news with pictures of death and destruction, disturbing many in the United States and around the world. As the situation has only gotten worse in the past few months, pressure has increased for world governments to intervene, diplomatically at first and militarily if its necessity becomes evident.

Mr. Brezhnev and Mr. Kennedy, while not personally close, get along much better than their predecessors typically have. After the almost-cataclysmic Cuban Missile Crisis, Mr. Kennedy apparently realized the necessity of improving US-Soviet relations, and has taken steps, such as the joint space program which landed John Glenn and Valentina Tereshkova on the moon in June, towards that goal. It has not been without its political detractors, however, as both Governor George Wallace and Senator Barry Goldwater have been very critical of President Kennedy’s “cozying up” to the Communists, a sentiment which was later echoed by former Vice President Richard Nixon

January 10, 1968
Gallup Poll
President Kennedy Approval Rating
Approve: 65%
Disapprove: 31%
Not sure: 2%
Didn’t answer: 2%
Who do you support for your party’s nomination? (Republicans only)
Barry M. Goldwater: 33%
Richard M. Nixon: 22%
George W. Romney: 14%
Margaret C. Smith: 5%
Other: 1%
Not sure: 24%
Didn’t answer: 1%
Who do you support for your party’s nomination? (Democrats only)
Morris K. Udall: 23%
Lyndon B. Johnson: 20%
George C. Wallace: 18%
George S. McGovern: 18%
Other: 2%
Not sure: 19%
Didn’t answer: 0%
Who are you more inclined to vote for in the general election?
Democrats: 42%
Republicans: 35%
Other: 2%
Not sure: 20%
Didn’t answer: 1%

January 16, 1968
CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite

“...the vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1968, or the Fair Housing Act, was held today, and it did not turn out how President Kennedy and other liberals had hoped. With 58 yeas, 32 nays, and 10 not voting for various reasons, the bill failed due to not receiving the 60 votes it needed to be sent to the President’s desk. This landmark bill would have authorized the federal government to enforce policies against racial discrimination in the sale of housing, but upon its death in the Senate today, the government will not get that power…”

January 20, 1968
First Primary in Nation: Close Race on Both Sides

The New Hampshire primary is the first such contest in the country, and it’s shaping up to be a close contest on both sides. Every candidate except Alabama Governor George Wallace has been spending a large amount of their time in the Granite State, including Republican frontrunner Barry Goldwater, who has again had to tone down his conservative rhetoric to have a fighting chance at winning the state, much like he did in 1964. A new poll out today suggests that it may be paying off as the liberal vote seems to be split between the three other major candidates in the Republican field. Senator Goldwater leads with 26% of the vote, while former Vice President Nixon is right on his heels at 24%. Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith pulled 21% in the poll, while Michigan Governor Romney trailed at 11%. The rest were undecided.

In the Democratic field, the contest is essentially a two-man race between Vice President Mo Udall and Senator George McGovern. The Vice President leads with 32%, while McGovern is right behind him with 31%. Texas Governor Lyndon B. Johnson has a healthy 21%, while Alabama Governor George Wallace’s New Hampshire campaign is virtually nonexistent, polling at only 1%. The rest are undecided.

With two months remaining before the people of New Hampshire go out to vote, candidates are ramping up their campaigning in the state. The contest is always important, as it is the first test of a candidate’s electability, and though it is small, it can sink or buoy a campaign. With it being this close this year, it will surely be interesting who comes out on top.

[MillennialModerate]

Margaret C. Smith: 5%

I see what you did there...

[MillennialModerate]

Democrats had huge majorities in both houses, JFK was personally EXTREMELY popular, politically more likable than your average President and lastly this was at an age where most Americans by in large trusted the government (remember no Vietnam in this scenario). So with all that being I ask... how does JFK have only a 56% approval?

By the way that field of contenders is hideous. LBJ, Nixon and Romney are the only ones that I think had the potential to make great Presidents (of course we see Nixon become corrupt despite his brilliant statesmanship and LBJ’s stubborn foreign policy decisions overshadow his domestic legacy)

[Cold War Liberal]

Democrats had huge majorities in both houses, JFK was personally EXTREMELY popular, politically more likable than your average President and lastly this was at an age where most Americans by in large trusted the government (remember no Vietnam in this scenario). So with all that being I ask... how does JFK have only a 56% approval?

No yeah that's a good point. It should probably be a little higher, especially with no Vietnam and a recent moon landing. I'll bump it up to 65%.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Ironically, the Rolling Stones released "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in 1969, the first year of the Presidency of whoever wins this election.

(Side note: I wonder how pop culture will be different in this timeline. I genuinely don't know because that's not my area of expertise, though maybe I'll play around with it at some point. Going along with the Stones, I guess you and me didn't kill the Kennedys because they're still alive)

[America Needs R'hllor]

Smith is polling well in NH... I hope she stages an upset! Also, this update was great, like always.

[Cold War Liberal]

January 17, 1968
Kennedy Lauds Forthcoming Space Treaty
in Final State of the Union Address

President John F. Kennedy gave his final State of the Union address to members of Congress and the American people tonight. In the hour-long speech, the President touted his Administration’s handling of the Arab-Israeli War, and promised peace soon. He made his disappointment with yesterday’s failure of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 very clear. He also praised the joint Soviet-US space program and the moon landing (John Glenn was in attendance), and the general easing of tensions between the US and USSR. Kennedy spent slightly more time discussing the Outer Space Treaty, which is poised to be ratified and signed sometime in the next week or two. Kennedy urged Congress to go through with the ratification, though there is very little opposition to the treaty in the legislature.

Kennedy ended his address by stating confidently that “regardless of who wins the next election, we have led the United States through the ‘60’s and have prepared the next man to stand in this spot to lead us on into the ‘70’s.”

January 19, 1968

BREAKING: NELSON ROCKEFELLER ENDORSES GEORGE ROMNEY

1964 Republican Presidential nominee and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller made a surprise endorsement this morning. Expected to stay neutral in the Republican primary race due to the presence of two moderate-to-liberal candidates (Governor Romney of Michigan and Senator Smith of Maine) running for the nomination, the GOP standard-bearer instead chose to throw his weight behind the Michigan Governor.

There had previously been some speculation that Rockefeller would mount another campaign for the nomination, but he stated in a speech last year that “my time has come and gone,” and that it was instead the time for other leaders to step up and take the liberal mantle in the party. Apparently, that choice was George W. Romney and not his 1964 running-mate, Margaret Chase Smith.

The Smith campaign could not be reached for comment.

February 20, 1968
Gallup Poll
President Kennedy Approval Rating
Approve: 68%
Disapprove: 29%
Not sure: 2%
Didn’t answer: 1%
Who do you support for your party’s nomination? (Republicans only)
Barry M. Goldwater: 36%
Richard M. Nixon: 21%
George W. Romney: 17%
Margaret C. Smith: 5%
Other: 1%
Not sure: 19%
Didn’t answer: 1%
Who do you support for your party’s nomination? (Democrats only)
Morris K. Udall: 23%
Lyndon B. Johnson: 23%
George C. Wallace: 20%
George S. McGovern: 17%
Other: 2%
Not sure: 15%
Didn’t answer: 0%
Who are you more inclined to vote for in the general election?
Democrats: 42%
Republicans: 36%
Other: 2%
Not sure: 19%
Didn’t answer: 1%

February 21, 1968
Peace Agreement Reached in Egypt-Israel Conflict

TEL AVIV - After over a month of negotiations between US President Kennedy, Soviet leader Brezhnev, Egyptian President Nasser, and Israeli Prime Minister Eshkol, a peace agreement was reached in the early hours of this morning. Fighting will cease immediately, and the Sinai Peninsula will be returned to Egypt, the West Bank (excluding east Jerusalem) will be returned to Jordan, and the Golan Heights will be returned to Syria. In exchange, Israel will get a UN-guarantee that the Straits of Tiran will remain open to Israeli shipping, and will be allowed to keep the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

The Third Arab-Israeli War, also already becoming dubbed the “Eight Month War,” has taken nearly 40,000 lives between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, and caused millions of dollars in damage. United States Secretary of State Dean Rusk said that “this is an uneasy peace, but it is peace, and right now, that is what matters.” President Kennedy and Secretary Brezhnev are being commended by the international community for their effectiveness and willingness to cooperate.

March 5 - 8, 1968

Kennedy, Brezhnev meet in Glassboro to celebrate easing of US-Soviet tensions

March 10, 1968

NH Polling (Republican): Goldwater 26%, Smith 26%, Nixon 25%, Romney 19%NH Polling (Democratic): McGovern 36%, Udall 34%, Johnson 24%, Wallace 2%

[America Needs R'hllor]

Israel should've fought harder to retain the Golan Heights, the Syrians don't deserve that gem.

[NewYorkExpress]

Israel should've fought harder to retain the Golan Heights, the Syrians don't deserve that gem.

I'd be relatively happy that Israel got to keep East Jerusalem in this scenario, actually...and actually getting to keep Gaza is something they were (sort of) never able to do.

[Cold War Liberal]

March 12, 1968
Barry

Senator Barry Goldwater got the news via phone call.

“Senator, you came in second place tonight. A very close second. In New Hampshire.”

Barry smiled. Yes, the Lady from Maine, probably acting as a voice for all the angry women in the Granite State, had beaten the rugged outdoorsman from Arizona. But New Hampshire was far to Barry’s left (supposedly), and coming in second place to a Maine Senator was a good sign for the Goldwater campaign. And he’d still beaten that slimy SOB Nixon, which was good enough for him.

The general election would be tough against anyone the Democrats decided to nominate, save Wallace (whom they would never nominate). But Barry would worry about that after he won the nomination.

Because he would win the nomination this time. Barry just knew it.

Republican New Hampshire Primary, 1968
Margaret C. Smith: 28.55%
Barry M. Goldwater: 27.86%
Richard M. Nixon: 21.97%
George W. Romney: 20.82%
Others: 0.80%
(Italics = write-in)

March 12, 1968
George

If anyone still believed that Vice President Udall was just sailing to the nomination by virtue of being Vice President, Senator George McGovern had just proved them wrong. The Vice President had lost to the Senator from South Dakota.

George was thrilled. He had nothing against Udall personally, of course, but George thought Udall was wholly unfit for the presidency. Apparently President Kennedy had his reservations too, as he hadn’t offered any help to his struggling VP. And apparently the voters of New Hampshire didn’t think Udall was the best choice either.

Now, George didn’t think he was going to have a cakewalk to the nomination either. He wasn’t naive. Udall would have the establishment vote at the convention, probably, if Johnson didn’t lock it up before then. The South would uniformly go for Wallace, with the exception of Texas and maybe Maryland, though Governor Mahoney controlled the latter’s delegation, which probably was good news for Wallace. McGovern hoped to win the support of the Manufacturing Belt and the Plains states, and possibly some of those out West, though he’d be competing with Udall for that (and most other) territory. The convention would be… interesting, to say the least.

But if he could do it, McGovern was confident that he’d crush Goldwater in the fall and become the 36th President. All he had to do was win the nomination.

Democratic New Hampshire Primary, 1968
George S. McGovern: 38.26%
Morris K. Udall: 34.97%
Lyndon B. Johnson: 23.11%
George C. Wallace: 1.88%
Others: 1.78%
(Italics = write-in)

[America Needs R'hllor]

GO SMITH!

[MAINEiac4434]

PRESIDENT MCGOVERN 68