A Different Republican Icon

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A Different Republican Icon


Date it will begin: October 20th

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quick question, will this take place in the 1960, 1964, or 1968 Presidential Elections?

1968

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I hope I wont disappoint you and hope you will enjoy this TL.


I have also decided to start this TL on the 20th instead of 27th

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I have decided to do a Hybrid Format:


- Election Night Coverage, Debates, Major Speeches will be done with the Romney Admin Format but I wont go that into day-day politics as I did in that TL(So I can cover a larger amount of time in this TL).

Also there will be flashback and flashforward posts as well.

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Prologue Part 1: 1964 Election


Republican Primaries and Convention:

Convention Delegates:

Nelson Rockefeller 683
Barry Goldwater 625


Summary: The race between the leader of the Liberal Wing of the GOP Nelson Rockefeller and the Conservative Wing Barry Goldwater would be very close but a close win in California would give Rockefeller the edge going into the convention where he would narrowly defeat Goldwater despite a last-minute speech at the convention by Hollywood Actor Ronald Reagan to try to energize the delegates in Goldwater's favor but while that did help the Goldwater camp it was not enough for Goldwater to win.




General Election:

Lyndon Johnson/Hubert Humphrey 418 52%
Nelson Rockefeller/Gerald Ford 67  41%
George Wallace/Orval Faubus 53 6.8%


Summary: LBJ began the campaign with a huge lead in the polls and despite George Wallace taking the deep south away from the Democrats, Rockefeller still wasnt able to win due to Wallace not being able to split the Democratic vote outside the south and LBJ being a very popular president.


House:

Democrats: 282(+24)
Republicans: 152(-24)
Indpendent: 1


Senate:

Democrats: 66
Republicans: 34

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Prologue Part 2: The Lyndon Johnson Presidency



With a landslide victory and large majorities of Congress, President Johnson now had the ability to do pass anything he wanted passed for the next 2-4 years. Over the next 2 years , the voting rights act which received the votes of even senators who voted against the Civil Rights act like Senate Barry Goldwater would be passed into law, the Social Secuirty Amendment Act which provided Federal Health Insurance for the Elderly and the Poor would pass into law, War on Poverty Programs, signfiantly increase funding for education, and other programs known as the Great Society would pass. Despite all that legislative success much of his term would be dominated by the Vietnam War which would cause his popularity to dip.

President Johnson decided to send hundreds of thousands of troops to Vietnam was originally uncontroversial as most people supported the idea of the US going in to protect the South Vietnamese. Despite hundreds of thousands of troops being sent to Vietnam, the US were unable to get the North Vietnamese to stop fighting and troubles with Guerilla fighters such as the Viet Cong would cause the US to suffer significantly more casualties than needed. Johnson's handling of the Vietnam War would result in his administration being attacked by both the Left and the Right. People on the left would attack him from sending troops to Vietnam in the first place and demanded that President Johnson bring the troops back home and people on the right have attacked him for not being aggressive enough against the North Vietnamese which they claim would have ended the war sooner. Along with an increase in amount of riots in the nation, would cause his popularity to fall and the Democratic party to suffer significant losses in the 1966 midterm elections.



1966 House Elections:

Democrats: 235(-47)
Republicans: 200(+48)

1966 Senate Elections:

Democrats: 62(-3)
Republicans: 38(+3)

Note: Democrats lost one seat in between 1964-1966
1966 Gubernatorial Elections:

Republican Gains: AK, AZ, AR, CA, FL, MD, MN, NE, NV, NM

The Biggest Republican Gubernatorial Gain in the nation came in California where former Hollywood Actor Ronald Reagan who was only expected to win by 5 points would instead win by double digits and over a million votes due to his candidacy energizing Conservative in Southern California and even winning over many Working Class Democrats. It was a huge win for the Goldwater wing of the party and a stunning defeat for the President as the biggest state in the union will not only be represented by one of his biggest allies but will likely be represented by one of his biggest adversaries.


Democratic Gains: KS, ME


With major gains in the House, President Johnson legislative agenda would be slowed down considerably and the war and unrest throughout the nation would get worse throught 1967.

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quick thing to note: Rockefeller HAD to win California AND Illinois to get the Nomination in 1964, not one or the other, BOTH. The only way he could've gotten that was if the birth didn't happen until after he was Nominated, which I think is possible, though the birth would cause to lose a lot of support and maybe even Utah and the West entirely.

Who was Rockefeller's running mate?

Ok fixed

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NBC 1968 Election Special: Previewing the Republican Nomination Battle




Brinkley: With the Presidential election now less than a year away from us, many potential Republican candidates for the Presidency will start to throw their hats into ring. With Johnson's popularity having dropped throughout the past 3 years people may start to believe that the race for the Republican nomination might be more open then it was 4 years ago but that isnt the case.

Huntley: No it isnt the case as currently Senator Goldwater is considered to be a significant frontrunner by most of the polls, oddsmakers and pundits in the Republican Race. The question is which candidate from the liberal wing of the party could challenge him for the nomination and currently, there are three potential choices: Governor George Romney, Governor William Scranton and Senator Jacob Javits. Out of these Senator Goldwater leads by double digits against all of these potential candidates but Governor Romney fares the best in this.


Brinkley: If the Conservative Wing of the Republican Party is this ahead why are they insisting they run Senator Goldwater as they have another prominent potential candidate as well, Governor Ronald Reagan. Governor Reagan fares much better in polls against President Johnson than Senator Goldwater does , has pretty good approval rating as governor of the largest state in the union and won in a less Republican state by a larger margin that Goldwater as won in any of his 3 races.


Huntley: 3 Reasons why, One Governor Reagan does not have the name recognition Senator Goldwater does so while he polls better in a General Election he does not in the primaries , he has only been a Governor for 2 years while Goldwater has been a senator for nearly 15 now , and since Goldwater is a large part of why Reagan became Governor in the first place Reagan feels loyal to him and for that reason wont run if Goldwater will

Brinkley: There is also former Vice President Nixon who doesnt fit in either wing of the party but could jump in if the race gets close enough.

Huntley: Yup

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Prospective Candidates officially Declare Candidacy and receive promienent endorsments as well.

The Leader of the Conservative Movement and the Republican Frontrunner Barry Goldwater announces Presidential Run




Goldwater: Thank You , Thank You. Today we stand here in pivotal times: We are currently in a middle of a struggle in Vietnam which cause sadly caused the deaths of thousands of our troops and it is our duty to make sure that their sacrifice won't go down in vain and the only we can do that is by winning this war(Applause). Here home we have seen the size of the Federal Government grow way past its boundaries and it is time we check and reverse the growth of the Federal Government by significantly cutting taxes for everyone in our great nation and getting rid of the special interest created loopholes in there as well(Applause). We also must get rid of regulations that curtail the growth of business all across our nation and grow the power of the government while infringing on the rights of the people . It is time to take back the government from bureaucrats in Washington and return it to you the American people and that is why I am running of President (Applause).



Reagan wont run for President , Will Endorse Goldwater  



David Brinkley: Just as we expected, California Governor Ronald Reagan has decided to endorse Senator Goldwater for President.


George Romney to throw his hat in the ring:



Romney: Thank You, Thank You. We come here today with our nation dealing with many issues : From Vietnam to Unrest in the Streets, Poverty and others and that is why I have decided to run for President(Applause). I believe it is time that we bring our combat troops home from Vietnam as our current strategy of winning the war is not working and instead, we should focus on using diplomacy to end the war and we can also guarantee that the South Vietnamese dont fall under communist rule either(Applause). At home we must make sure that every tax dollar is being spent efficiently so we can make sure that government programs can accomplish their goals better(Applause). I believe if we do that we can continue to make sure the American Dream is stronger than ever and that is why I have decided to run for President(Applause)


Rockefeller, Ford, Scranton and Javits all announce that they will endorse Romney.



Brinkley: Again no surprise but Governor Rockefeller , Governor Scranton, House Minoirty Leader Ford and Senator Javits have announced they will endorse Governor Romney for Presidnet.



Presidnet Johnson to face a Primary challenger as Congressman McCarthy Announces Run



Brinkley: Congressman McCarthy announced his run with just 8 words: I'm running for President to end the war




Primary Polls:


Republicans:

Barry Goldwater: 48%
George Romney: 35%
Undecided  17%


Democrats:

Lyndon Johnson 73%
Eugene McCarthy 20%
Undecided 17%


General Election:

Lyndon Johnson 49%
Barry Goldwater 41%
Undecided 10%

George Romney 46%
Lyndon Johnson 41%
Undecided 13%


Barry Goldwater 50%
Eugene McCarthy 40%
Undecided 10%

George Romney 53%
Eugene McCarthy 38%
Undecided 9%

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North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch a major offensive against South Vietnamese and American forces causing heavy casualties. More Americans now believe it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam than those who believe it was not a mistake


Breaking News: North Vietnamese forces launch major offensive against South Vietnam


David Brinkley: We have some breaking news coming out of Vietnam and that is the North Vietnamese have launched a major offensive against South Vietnam and the battle so far has caused many casualties. President Johnson in a Press Conference earlier today said that this offensive is the enemy making one last desperate attempt to win the war similarly to what the Germans did during the battle of the bulge in WW2.


More people now oppose Vietnam War than Support it and President Johnson's approvals fall to new low


Gallup: Do you believe sending troops to Vietnam was the right decision

Yes: 42%
No: 46%
No Opinion: 12%


President Johnson's Approval:

Approve: 39%
Disapprove: 47%


Presidential Candidates  call out President Johnson's handling of the war

Goldwater: President Johnson's handling of the war has been a disaster and has only prolonged this war. If we went on the offensive earlier on during the conflict this war could have possibly been over by now.

Romney: President Johnson handling of the war has just not worked , in my opinion it is time for a new direction. After we are able to push the North Vietnamese back into the North it is of my opinion that we should start negotiating a peace deal with them similar to the one we have in Korea right now.


McCarthy: The time to end the War is now, and the President should begin to withdraw troops immediately from the conflict

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President Johnson drops out of Presidential Race after Narrow New Hampshire result , promoting Humphrey and RFK to enter race. Goldwater pulls of victory in New Hampshire thanks to Senator Norris Cotton's endorsement. Romney still confident of chances of winning nomination due to Schedule in April benefiting him.

New Hampshire Primary Results:

Republican:

Senator Barry Goldwater 54%
Governor George Romney 46%

Democratic:

President Lyndon Johnson 49%
Congressman Eugene McCarthy 43%
Write-In 8%


Breaking News: President Lyndon Johnson announces he will drop out of Presidential Race

You must be logged in to read this quote.

RFK  announces he will run for President after news President Johnson wont run for another term



David Brinkley: After the President's stunning announcement where he said he wont run for another term, Senator RFK  announced his Presidential run in a statement.

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Romney sweeps Primaries in April and hopes the momentum will carry him to a win in Ohio on May 7th. McCarthy also sweeps Primaries in April including a surprise win in Massachusetts.  Humphrey also jumps in Democratic race

Romney, McCarthy easily win Wisconsin Primary:




Republicans:                                        Democrats:
George Romney: 62%                           Eugene McCarthy: 56%
Barry Goldwater: 31%                           Lyndon Johnson: 35%
Write in: 1%                                         Robert Kennedy: 6%
                                                            Write-In: 3%


McCarthy and Romney dominate in Pennsylvania



Republicans:                                        Democrats:

George Romney: 68%                           Eugene McCarthy: 71%
Barry Goldwater: 30%                           Robert Kennedy: 23%
Write-In: 2%                                         Write-In: 6%


Humphrey Jumps into the race as well



Brinkley: We have just gotten word that Vice President Humphrey has jumped into the race as well. The reason for this may be polls show RFK losing to McCarthy in Ohio while , Humphrey leads there.

David Brinkley Analyzes results of primaries so far after Romney and Mcarthy win in Massachusetts:

Republicans:                         Democrats:
George Romney: 62%           Eugene McCarthy: 49%
Barry Goldwater: 37%           Robert Kennedy: 28%
Write-In: 1%                        Hubert Humphrey: 18%
                                           Write-In: 5%

David Brinkley: The primaries so far in April were wins by the underdog candidates Governor George Romney, and Congressman Eugene McCarthy and some say these wins may give them the momentum to have the chance to potentially win their nominations. Well we will have to wait in my opinion to see the result of the Ohio primary before we can tell if they have become the new frontrunner or not. Reason for that is that on the Republican side these 3 states overwhelmingly favored Governor Romney , and on the Democratic side President Johnson dropping out of the race threw everything in the flux and neither Senator Kennedy or Vice President Humphrey have had the time to be able to put the effort needed to win these states


NY Times Primary Map as of April 31st 1968:

Republicans:

Color Code:

Governor George Romney
Senator Barry Goldwater

Democrats:

Color Code:

Congressman Eugene McCarthy
President Lyndon Johnson

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Ohio Governor James Rhodes stuns political world by endorsing Senator Goldwater which enables Goldwater to win the Ohio Primary and take back the momentum in the Republican race . Democratic Primary falls into more chaos as favorite son candidates take two of the biggest prizes during the month of May.

Ohio Governor James Rhodes stuns political world by endorsing Senator Goldwater:



Brinkley: Ohio Governor James Rhodes made a surprising decision tonight by deciding to endorse Senator Goldwater. This endorsement is a huge win for Senator Goldwater as if he is able to win Ohio, he very likely will be the nominee


Rhodes Endorsements allows Goldwater to win Ohio Primary along with winning a landslide win in Indiana. Democratic Nomination falls in flux as Favorite Son George Smathers wins the Ohio primary




Indiana Primary:

Republicans: Goldwater 63% , Romney 36%,  Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy 42% , Humphrey 31%, McCarthy 27%, Write-In 2%

Ohio Primary:

Republicans: Goldwater 53% , Romney 46% , Write-In 1%
Democrats: Young 70% , Humphrey 14% , McCarthy 9%, Kennedy 7%

Washington DC Primary:

Republicans: Romney 89% , Goldwater 10% , Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy 62%, Humphrey 38%


May 14th: Goldwater and Kennedy Win NE, Romney and Humphrey win WV



Nebraska Primary:

Republicans: Goldwater 73%, Romney 26% , Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy 52%, McCarthy 31%, Humphrey 14%, Write-In 3%

West Virginia Primary:

Republicans: Romney 68% , Goldwater 30%, Write-In 2%
Democrats: Humphrey 48%, RFK 40%, McCarthy 11%, Write-In 1%


May 28th Primaries: Goldwater wins big again with wins in Florida while Romney picks up Oregon. On Democratic Side Favorite Son wins Florida while McCarthy wins Oregon.




Florida Primaries:

Republicans : Goldwater: 62%, Romney 37%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: Smathers 50%, McCarthy 24%, Kenendy 14%, Humphrey 12%

Oregon Primaries:


Republicans: Romney 54%, Goldwater 45%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: McCarthy 44%, Kennedy 38%, Humphrey 17%, Write-In 1%

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1964 Republican Nominee and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller interviewed about his thoughts about Senator Goldwater and the Republican Nomination Battle:


John Chancellor: With us today , is New York Governor and the Republican nominee for the 1964 Election Nelson Rockefeller. Governor Rockefeller its nice to have you on

Nelson Rockefeller: Pleasure is mine

Chancellor: Lets get right to it, as you know Senator Barry Goldwater your former rival for the Republican nomination and the current rival to the candidate you support has become the clear frontrunner to win the nomination. With only 4 primaries remaining Senator Goldwater is expected to win 3 of them and 2 by solid margins: California and South Dakota while putting up a pretty decent win in Illionis. Given this why shouldnt the convention nominate him

Rockefeller: Other than ideological reasons it is because I really dont think he is electable.

Chancellor: Why so

Rockefeller: Well its simple a Republican must win 3 of these 5 states : New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan and the fact is its hard for me to see Senator Goldwater winning any of those states. If you look at the primary results Senator Goldwater has performed very poorly in Urban Areas , and in blue-collar working class areas as well both of which are critical to win any of those 5 states.

Chancellor: Senator Goldwater believes though he can win those states because he can do better in the rural areas of the state and especially do better in the Suburbs.

Rockefeller: I do agree that Senator Goldwater probably will do really well in the suburbs but while that may be enough in a Republican Primary it will not be enough in a general election and I dont think currently there is any evidence  he will do better in rural areas outside the Mountain West than a normal Republican does . Governor Romney on the other hand I believe has a strong appeal to blue collar working class families and can make inroads into many major Urban Areas in those states . Along with the fact that he likely wont do that much worse int he suburbs compared to Senator Goldwater means I think he not only has a good chance of winning the election but would be the definite favorite as well.

Chancellor: Senator Goldwater though believes he can change the map from the Republicans by winning Texas and many other southern states .

Rockefeller : Well one problem is that while yes he has a good chance of winning Texas it will be almost offsetted by losses in Wisconsin and Iowa and other than Texas I dont really see him making inroads into the South.

Chancellor: Why not

Rockefeller: Firstly they are solidly Democratic states and second is that he is way to economically conservative and no where near populist enough to win those states.

Chancellor: nice having you on

Rockefeller: Anytime

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Goldwater and Kennedy win South Dakota and California , while McCarthy and Romney win New Jersey



Brinkley: While Governor Romney had a pretty big win in New Jersey tonight, his pretty large loss in California likely ends any realistic chances he has of winning the nomination.

Huntley: I agree and on the Democratic Side all I can say is that it is impossible for anyone to say they can tell who will be the nominee. Lets let our viewers joining us see the results of the primaries tonight so lets start in New Jersey.


New Jersey:

Republicans: Romney 62%, Goldwater 37%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: McCarthy 36%, Kennedy 33%, Humphrey 31%

South Dakota:

Republicans: Goldwater 70%, Romney 29%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy 50%, Humphrey 30%, McCarthy 20%

California:

Republicans: Goldwater: 60%, Romney 39%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy: 40%, McCarthy 31%, Humphrey 28%, Write-In 1%

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Breaking News: Senator Robert Kennedy assassinated while giving victory speech in California



Brinkley: Oh My God, We have some horrible news to report you!! Senator Robert Kennedy was shot while giving his victory speech in California yesterday and died from his wounds at Good Samaritan Hospital a few hours ago. The perpetrator of the crime was thankfully arrested and taken into custody a few hours ago as well.

I want to let the Kennedy family know that our thoughts and prayers are with you tonight and now I hope everyone watching joins me in this moment of silence.


Presidential Candidates announce they will suspend their campaign for the next 5 days. President Johnson also reacts to Kennedy's assassination


Johnson: Yesterday was a terrible day for our nation, and I want to let the Kennedy family know that I will be there for them in this horrible time for them. As someone who personally knew Senator Kennedy, he was one of the most honorable men I ever knew and his dedication to our people was unmatched and I hope the man who did this horrible crime is brought to Justice.

Humphrey: Yesterday was a sad day in our nation, as one of the most honorable and nicest men I ever knew Senator Kennedy was killed by an assassin who I hope gets brought to justice for his crime.

I will also suspend my campaign for 5 days and I hope everyone does as well, as these next few days shouldnt be about politics but remembering the legacy of Senator Kennedy.

McCarthy: My thoughts and prayers go to the Kennedy family . Yesterday was a terible day for our nation and I hope the man who did this gets brought to justice.

Goldwater: Yesterday was just not an attack on Senator Kennedy but an attack on our democracy. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and I hope the man who committed the crime gets brought to justice.

Romney: Yesterday was a sad day for our nation. Senator Kennedy was an honorable man who deeply loved our nation and its people and I hope the man who committed this crime gets brought to justice.


RFK Funeral: People from all around nation mourn his death, and members from both parties speak about his legacy and about his love for the nation

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Former Vice President Nixon and Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen endorse Senator Goldwater after his win in Illinois which results in Governor Romney dropping out of the race. McCarthy wins Illinois but nomination will be decided at the Convention.

Goldwater and McCarthy win Illinois Primaries

Illinois Primary:

Republicans: Goldwater: 56%, Romney: 43%, Write-In: 1%
Democrats: McCarthy 39%, Kennedy 35% , Humphrey 25%, Write-In : 1%

Brinkley: With the win in Illinois I think we can safely say Senator Goldwater will be the Republican nominee and we are getting news that Former Vice President Nixon and Senate Minority Leader are about to make a statement endorsing Goldwater. On the Democratic side well, all we can say is it will be decided at the convention.

Former Vice President Nixon and Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen endorse Goldwater and ask that the party unite behind Senator Goldwater as the nominee :



Private Conversation between Governor Romney, and his advisor:

Romney: So with Nixon and Dirksen endorsing Goldwater is there any plausible chance I could still win the nomination

Advisor: I dont really see it as now its likely both the Conservative Wing of the Party and a lot of the GOP establishment will back Goldwater as well. I think its better for you to drop out of the race give a little support to Goldwater so either two of these things happen: if Goldwater wins you can get a cabinet spot in his Adminstartion or if he loses you would become the Frontrunner in 1972.

Romney: Ok I will do that

Romney Drops out

Romney: I want to thank everyone who supported and worked so hard for this campaign and while we all our dissapointed , remember change at the end of the day does not come from me or anybody who runs for President but you and you should never give up hope(Applause). Thank You Again

Brinkley: With Romney dropping out we can offically declare that Goldwater will be the presumtive nominee for the Republican Party

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NBC 1968 Election Special: Goldwater's Running Mate Selection



Huntley: Now that the Republican Nomination battle is over, the next step in the process is for the Presumptive Nominee , Senator Barry Goldwater to select a running mate. We are told he will announce who his running mate will be a day or two before the convention so all we can do now is speculate but we have gotten a list of names from top leaders of the GOP of who may become the Vice Presidential Nominee. So David who do you think are the 5 best choices out of that list .


Brinkley: First of all I want to start off by letting people know that Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Governor William Scranton have already made it clear they have taken themselves out of the running. So now lets look at the 5 best and here they are



George Romney:



Strengths: Would be the best choice to quickly bring Liberal Republicans on board, would bring working-class appeal to ticket and help in states like Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Weaknesses: May reduce enthusiasm of Conservative Voters, Would hurt party's attempts of making inroads in the South and their differing views may lead to Governing Problems.

Ronald Reagan:



Strengths: Would almost Guarantee that California would go Republican and would greatly help the ticket in Texas as well, Very Charismatic and would drive up turnout among Conservatives even more

Weaknesses: Would not bring Ideological or Geographical Balance to ticket, May even hurt ticket in attempts to win critical Midwestern states and doesnt have much experience either.

Huntley: May I like to add that Governor Reagan may not even want to be Vice President as being the California Governor is a much better job and would set him for the Presidency in either 1972 or 1976 better than the Vice Presidency would. Also if Senator Goldwater needs Reagan on the ticket to win California, he will probably lose the election because out of all the major states California is the most likely to go Goldwater's way.

Everett Dirksen:



Strengths: Is popular among all wings of the party, would help the ticket greatly in Illinois and the Midwest in General, and if elected could use his experience in the Senate to help pass the administration agenda through the Senate.

Weakness: Too Old, and may help a possible administration more as Senate GOP leader than Vice President.

James Rhodes:



Strengths: Would help ticket win Ohio, help ticket with blue collar voters , Bring executive experience as well

Weaknesses: Wouldnt bring enthusiasm to the ticket, while not unpopular he isnt popular with any wing of the party either.

Spiro Agnew:



Strengths: Popular by both Moderates in Party and Law and Order Conservatives, Would help ticket make inroads in the south

Weaknesses: Could be of a wildcard due to being inexperianced and controversial as well

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Summary of Campaign in July:

Goldwater Releases Detailed Platform signaling he will seek a policy mandate from the voters



Brinkley: Senator Goldwater released his detailed platform today , where he clearly asks for a conservative policy mandate from the American People. Now while we cant read you the entire platform we can summarize it for you and here's the main details of the platform

Economic Issues: On tax policy, Goldwater calls for the income tax code to be overhauled from the current 25 tax brackets which have rates as low as 14% and go as high 70% all the way down to 5 bracks which have rates as low as 10% to a high of 40% along with getting rid of many deductions in the tax code. On Government Programs he has called for much of the spending which goes in direct aid to beneficiaries to go to state and local governments instead as he claims they can spend the money on programs in a more efficient mater. He has also called for an audit of all federal expenditures of the past 5 years and promises to immediately cut spending which is considered to be wasteful. Finally, on Regulations, he promises to create a task force which would be tasked in identifying unnecessary and unconstitutional regulations and then promises to get rid of those regulations immediately.

Foreign Policy: His strategy is to do anything to force the North Vietnamese on the Defense. He believes this would force the North Vietnamese to negotiate with good faith to end the war for good. He claims to implement this strategy he will consult with the generals on the ground as he believes they are the people who know best of how to win the war.

On the issue of civil rights, Goldwater has called for the continuation of integration policies and aggressively enforce the laws to end Jim Crow in the south. Lastly he claimed he would bring law and order back to this nation.

Humphrey and McCarthy Slam Goldwater's Platform

Humphrey: Senator Goldwater's economic platform would be a disaster to the working class people in our nation and would be a gift to the rich.

McCarthy: Senator Goldwater foreign policy would actually expand the war , which is the last thing our nation needs. We need to end the War on Day 1


Former 1964 Dixiecrat Nominee George Wallace says he wont run again in 1968 but he wont endorse either side either.



Wallace: While I wont be running for President Again, I wont be endorsing either side and the reason is simple, both sides show contempt for non-elitists. The Democrats completely show contempt for people outside the Washington Elite and would trample on the rights of states while the Republican Nominee shows contempt for anyone who isnt rich and would trample on the rights of states to protect them.


Senator Goldwater challenges eventual Democratic Nominee to 3 Presidential Debates. Both Humphrey and McCarthy agree to the challenge



Brinkley: Senator Goldwater today announced he will be challenging the eventual Democratic Nominee to 3 Presidential Debates, one about Domestic Policy, one about Foreign Policy and one town hall style debates. Both Senator Humphrey and Congressman McCarthy agreed to the challange .

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Breaking News: Goldwater selects Ohio Governor James Rhodes as his running mate



Brinkley: News as just come in that Senator Goldwater will select Ohio Governor James Rhodes as his running mate.  This is not a big surprise as Governor Rhodes was one of the two finalists for the Vice Presidential Pick along with Senate Minority Leader Dirksen and Senator Goldwater probably came to the conclusion that Senator Dirksen can do a lot more as the GOP leader in the Senate then he can as Vice President.

Huntley: Also Governor Rhodes and Senator Dirksen both are equally good picks when it comes to electoral politics , so the fact that Party Leader in Senate is a more powerful role than Vice President is why he probably did not choose Senator Dirksen in the end. Now lets go to Cincinnati, Ohio where we are told that Goldwater will officially introduce Governor Rhodes as his running mate


Goldwater Introduces Rhodes at a rally in Cincinnati:



Goldwater: Thank You, Thank You. As you may know two days from now the convention will begin and I will be asked to name who I believe should be nominated as our party's Vice Presidential Nominee and after careful consideration, I have decided that person will be Ohio Governor James Rhodes(Applause). Over the past 6 years Governor Rhodes has done a great job as the Governor of Ohio and I am sure he will make an excellent Vice President. As Governor he has cut taxes , implemented policies which incentivized businesses to invest in Ohio and due to his leadership the state of Ohio has boomed economically (Applause). Now it is my honor to introduce to you my running mate and hopefully our nation's next Vice President, Governor Jim Rhodes(Applause).

Rhodes: Thank You Thank You. I want to start of by thanking Senator Goldwater for giving me the honor of being your running mate and the chance to serve our nation as our next Vice President(Applause). Over the past 4 years we have seen our nation get bogged down in a war in Vietnam due to incompetent war leadership, countless new government programs created here at home with no guarantees of accountability, inflation going up year after year and unrest getting worse and worse. It is time for a change, and Senator Goldwater represents change better than any potential candidate and I'm confident would help bring upon change. Now the Democrats all across the nation have claimed that Senator Goldwater tax proposal is too radical and would not work, well as Governor of Ohio they said the same thing about my proposals and guess what we did cut taxes and not only did it not lead to disaster as they said ,it led to the state of our economy get better.

Thank You, May God Bless You and May God Bless America

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1968 RNC: Party Unites after Successful Convention and Goldwater makes up major ground in the polls

Major Speakers At Convention and Summary of their Speeches:

Image Link

Former President Dwight Eisenhower: Talked about Vietnam and the Cold War and why Goldwater would do a good job at dealing with those issues

Former Vice President Nixon: Talked about the need to end the Vietnam War with Honor and Bring Back Law and Order in the Nation.

Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen: Talked about how much of a principled and honorable man Goldwater is and about Goldwater's career in the Senate

House Minority Leader Gerald Ford: Talked about need to give Republican control of the House

California Governor Ronald Reagan: Energized crowd with his speech about the need to cut taxes, get rid of unnecessary regulations and reversing the growth of the Federal Government. Also spoke about his friendship with Goldwater

Michigan Governor George Romney: Talked about the need to make Government Programs more efficient

Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew: Lambasted President Johnson and the Democrats over and over their handling of the Vietnam War and the growing unrest in the nation


Excerpts of Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes speech accepting the Republican Vice Presidential Nomination:


Thank You Thank You. Its a great honor to be nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate of this great party and have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of great Vice Presidents like Hannibal Hamlin , Teddy Roosevelt, Charles Fairbanks, and Richard Nixon and I will work hard every day to prove that I deserve to follow in their footsteps(Applause). Throughout our history, we faced many issues where people have doubted whether or not our nation could move past and solve those issues or whether or not we would be stuck with them for the rest of our lives , but time and time again we have solved those issues and I am confident we will solve the ills that face our nation today as well(Applause). That does not mean it is a guarantee though as the reason we solved them was because of great leadership and as Governor of Ohio these are the lessons I have learned in what makes good leadership.

One that leader must be willing to do whatever he feels necessary to fix problems no matter what the political and personal costs that might mean and after getting to know Senator Goldwater for the past many months all I can say is he embodies that trait than most politicians I have seen in my lifetime and that is why we must elect him as our next President. For the past 4 years the Johnson Administration has not taken the tough decisions needed in Vietnam because taking that decision could alienate either the Pacifists or Hawks in his party and that strategy has failed. Senator Goldwater I can guarantee you will not be afraid to make the tough decisions that may be unpopular but are needed and that goes true for Vietnam, the Cold War in General, Law and Order and to continue to implement policies that help our economy grow(Approval). Thank You


Excerpts from Senator Barry Goldwater's Speech Accepting the Republican Nomination:

Image Link

Goldwater: President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, Delegates and members of the Republican Party , I am honored to be the nominee of this great party of Lincoln and with gratitude, I accept your nomination(Standing Ovation). Today we meet here at a time when our nation is faced with many crises from the War in Vietnam, to the break down in law and order in our nation,  a tax system which taxes our people far too much while favoring the government bureaucracies and special interests. While the problems we face today may seem overwhelming I am confident we can fix these problems and make America Great Again(Applause). Now doing so wont be easy, but if do these things not only can we make America Great Again we can make America greater than it ever has been before(Standing Ovation).

The first thing we must do is bring a successful end to the war in Vietnam. It is critical that we make sure that we are successful in Vietnam, so we can guarantee the tens of thousands of our soldiers who died fighting for our nation and a free South Vietnam sacrifice is honored(Applause). To do so we must change our strategy in the war as the current strategy just has not worked and we should change it to a strategy which the generals on the ground believe would be a good strategy as they not the politicians know best what the situation on the ground is(Applause).

Second, we must reduce the size of the federal government and return that power to the people. To do that we must do 3 things : reform tax , spending and regulatory power (Applause). Currently, we have a tax code which taxes the American people too while being ridden with special tax breaks that only help the bureaucrats and special interests. Instead, we need to have a tax code that is simple  taxes our people and business less so they can have more money to spend or invest in our economy, while we need to get rid of the special breaks for the bureaucrats and special interests. We also must reform the way government by letting local and state governments choose how they want to spend program money, and this will lead to programs being more efficient as effective as each problem in each city and state is different and the people who know there problems are the state and local governments who then can use the money to help people better(Applause). The 3rd thing we must do to reduce the size of government is to reform the regulatory state by getting rid of regulations that hurt our economy and clearly violate the rights of the states and the people . We also must change the process of how they are implemented to guarantee that these types of regulations never again get implemented(Standing Ovation).

Lastly, we must restore law and order in the nation and continue to integrate society and end the Jim crow Era for good(Applause) . While our constitution guarantees people the right to protest, it does not give people the right to do so in a violent fashion and the types of riots that have engulfed our nation is inexcusable and we must make it clear we will not tolerate violent riots and the utter disregard for the rule of law and will punish those who act out in a violent way. This applies to both violent protestors and the racists who are attempting to violate the law by keeping Jim Crow on the books, so to the Governors and Mayors who want to stop integration, I will let you know that we will not let you succeed in violating our laws(Applause).

I want to end today by asking all of you to make sure you vote in November because it is you not me who is the ultimate driver of change. Thank You



NYT Polling Map:

Dark Color: Solid R or Solid D
Light Color: Lean R or Lean D
Gray: Tossup

Humphrey 212 45%
Goldwater/Rhodes 201 45%


Goldwater vs McCarthy(No state by state polling):

Goldwater 53%
McCarthy  39%

[OSR stands with Israel]

California Governor Ronald Reagan interviewed about his thoughts on the election on Meet The Press



Lawrence Spivak: Thank You, Governor Reagan, for coming on

Ronald Reagan: Pleasure is mine

Spivak: Lets get straight to it, the latest New York Times poll shows both Senator Goldwater and Vice President Humphrey tied and thats after the convention bounce. So wont the race go back to around a 5 point lead after the Democrats have their lead assuming, of course, Humphrey wins the nomination.

Reagan: I disagree because if you look at the polling numbers before the convention while Humphrey had a 7 point lead the numbers showed it was 46%-39% and now its 45% to 45% so most of the deficit was made up by undecided voters much of whom were comprised of Governor Romney's supporters coming home to the party during the convention.  So while Humphrey will take back the lead in the polls I think it will be more like a couple point lead .

Spivak: Cant the DNC also unite the Democratic Party as well

Reagan: Well first of all most of the undecided voters left are ones who are independents so I dont think party unity will help them as much in the polls as it helped us. Second I also think it will be harder to unite the Democratic party as remember we spent the 2 months before the Convention uniting our party , the results of that effort just showed at the convention. The Democrats, on the other hand, have not done that and due to that they will only have 4 days to unite the party which I dont believe if enough time to effectively do so.

Spivak: Ok moving on, what is the key factor what you think gives an unconventional candidate like Goldwater a chance to win

Reagan: Well I think its actually very similar to my race in 1966 for Governor as we both were viewed as unelectable for a lot of the cycle but we were able to get lots of enthusiasm behind our campaign and used it to ride the momentum to a landslide win.

Spivak: But California is more Republican than the nation as a whole. It has only elected 2 Democrats this century so Republicans have the advantage they dont have nationally.

Reagan: I disagree because if you look at voter registration in California, the Democrats have a 3:2 edge so to win we needed to get Republicans and Conservatives very motivated to turn out, appeal to independents and many Democrats either. The reason we were able to win so many independents and Democrats is because many of the important issues we addressed were issues that were popular but not addressed by either party .

Spivak: Like what

Reagan: Well for one , lowering taxes , regulations and the size of government. While traditionally they are viewed as Republican policies the reason they are popular is that people feel that taxation and regulation has gone out of hand and government has grown way to big, especially over the past 4 years. This along with the fact that their has been a break down in law and order in our nation , and the current administration has mishandled the war in Vietnam is why I feel my candidacy in 1966 and Goldwater candidacy in 1968 were able to appeal to voters who ususally either dont vote Republican or dont vote at all.

Spivak: Looking at the map what do you think is the easiest path for Goldwater to victory

Reagan: Well I think he will have to win Texas and I think he can because Texas in many ways is similar to California and much of the message that appeals here can appeal in Texas. So if you add that to his electoral totals he will still need 44 more to win. So the next step, in my opinion, is by winning Tennessee and Lousinia two southern states he polls pretty well in and once you do that he will only need 23 more and then Illinois will put him over the top.

Spivak: Thank you, Governor Reagan, for coming on

Reagan: Pleasure's mine

[OSR stands with Israel]

1968 DNC : Humphrey Nominated but Choas and Riots just outside Convention overshadow events inside the Convention Hall

Breaking News: Vice President Humphrey Nominated on First Ballot and Former North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford nominated as Vice Presidential Nominee



Brinkley: We have breaking news to report to you and that is that Vice President Humphrey has won the nomination and selected former North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford as his running mate

Riots outside Convention disrupt events going on inside as things seemingly get out of hand:



Huntley: I have never seen such disgraceful behavior in my life, and these protestors should be ashamed of themselves for their behavior.

Brinkley: These riots have completely taken attention away from the convention and towards them and I think thats very unfortunate.

Notable Speakers at Convention :


President Lyndon Johnson- Spoke about the Great Society and how he is confident that Humphrey not only will protect it but expand it

Note: Boos and Jeers by protestors and some delegates were loudly heard throughout the convention hall during the speech

Senator Ted Kennedy- Spoke about Healthcare and the legacy of JFK and RFK and how Humphrey will continue it

Speaker John McCormack - Talked about all the work Democrats have done in past 8 years and slams Republicans for all the measures they opposed

Senate Majority leader Mike Mansfield: Slams Goldwater and talks about legacy of LBJ, Humphrey and Democrats in past 8 years

Excerpts of Former North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford Accepting Vice Presidential Nomination:



Terry Sanford: Thank You, Thank You. It is a great honor of receiving the Vice Presidential Nomination of this great party and I accept your nomination(Applause). As a teenager during the Depression, I saw how President Roosevelt helped pull millions of families out of poverty and from his policies of fighting for the working class of our nation I knew from that day I was a Democrat and proud to be one(Applause). Over the past 8 years, our party has helped pass a tremendous amount of legislation aimed at helping the ordinary men and women of all races whether it was with the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act, Medicare and Medicaid, expanding Education to make sure poor children can have a decent education, and creating many programs aimed at reducing hunger and poverty all I can say is I am still proud to be a Democrat(Applause).

This doesnt mean our fight is over , because all I can say is we can always do better(Applause) and one area where we can is on education(Applause). We need to start off by increasing teacher pay all across our nation to make sure teachers get the wages they deserve for teaching our next generation and to attract the best and brightest among us to the profession of teaching(Applause). We also need to expand the school lunch program so we can guarantee that no child in our nation has to sit in class with an empty stomach (Applause), we must expand the Head Start Program as well(Applause). Also we must expand access to college education so we can make the types of jobs which require people to have a college education available to everyone in the nation if they work hard. This is why we must elect Vice President Hubert Humphrey as our next President because I am certain he will continue to fight for the working men and women in our country along with our children (Applause). Thank You, May God Bless You and May God Bless America

Excerpts from Vice President Hubert Humphrey's Speech Accepting the Democratic Nomination:


Humphrey: Thank You Thank You. Its an honor to be nominated as the Presidential Nominee of this great party of Jackson and Roosevelt(Applause) and I accept your nomination(Standing Ovation). It has also been an honor to serve as your Vice President over the past 4 years and work with President Johnson in passing the Voting Rights Act, Medicare and Medicaid and the Great Society and I look forward in expanding the work he has done over the next 4 years(Applause). While our nation faces many challenges rights now , it will only make us a stronger nation moving forward(Applause).

Now my opponsnet Senator Barry Goldwater said in his speech at the Republican Convention that if you elect him he will make America Great Again, and the question I have is what does he mean by the again. In his speech explaining that statement, he made it clear that the time period he believes we need to go back to is a time similar to the 1920s where we had a tax code which benefited the rich and the corporations over the working class of our nation(boos), and era where we had no minimum wage which allowed corporations to greatly underpay the working class of our nation and an era where they were allowed to run amok without any regard of the consequences it had to our nation as whole(Boos). My friends that is exactly the wrong direction we need to move our nation in as now is the time where we need to expand the Great Society not curtail it(Applause), it is the time where we need to Expand Medicare not cut it, and it is a time where we need to create programs which benefit the working class of our nation and not the very Rich(Standing Ovation).

An issue that has divided our great nation of ours is the Vietnam War, and is a problem facing our nation as well but like the other problems we have had in our nation's history I am sure we will move past this one successfully as well(Applause). While it would be irresponsible to immediately pull troops out of Vietnam , it would also be irresponsible to believe like my opponent believes that the answer is to expand the war even further. The correct answer to this problem is to begin negotiations with the North Vietnamese to end the war in Vietnam while guaranteeing that the South Vietnamese doesnt fall to the communists as well(Applause). It may not end the war immediately but it will end the war faster than if we go to the strategy of expanding the war and give better results than the strategy of pulling out immediately which would result in South Vietnam falling to the Communists.

Ending the war , would not only lead to peace in Vietnam but help calm tensions here at home and reduce unrest(Applause). It will also allow us to spend money to make sure we can provide every child a decent education, expand health care to millions of Americans, and maybe help us achieve the goal of wiping out poverty in the United States(Applause). Thank You


Goldwater takes a 6 point Lead in Presidential Race due to riots outside DNC overshadowing events inside the Convention Itself

Dark Color: 8+ point lead
Light Color: 4-8  point lead
Gray: Tossup

Goldwater/Rhodes 254 49%
Humphrey/Sanford 165 43%

[OSR stands with Israel]

Race Tightens in September and Debate Schedule Set:

President Johnson campaigns in Texas in an attempt to keep the state in Democratic Fold:



Johnson: If you want somebody who will fight for poor and working-class Texans, this choice is not even close. The Republicans have nominated a guy who voted against the War on Poverty over and over, The Expansion of Healthcare to Senior Citizens, and is running on a platform which would not only rip up my legacy but Roosevelt's as well and take our nation back to the days of the Laaiz Faire 1920s. On the other hand Vice President Humphrey has always been a strong advocate for unions , labor , wants to expand Medicare, expand educational opportunities for poor children and an expansion of the War on poverty.  It is clear there is only one person in this election who will fight for poor and working-class Texans and that is Vice President Humphrey while his opponent Senator Barry Goldwater will take us back to the 1920s.

Eisenhower and Nixon Campaign for Goldwater in the Midwest




Eisenhower: The number one priority for any administration has to be to win the War in Vietnam believe we need to put in the military strength we need there to win as soon as possible, instead of the strategy of gradualism which has not worked. I am confident Senator Goldwater can end this war with honor and that is why he must be elected our next President.


Nixon: Unrest in our nation has gone out of control and the fact is the current administration has done nothing to help restore law and order in our nation. Senator Goldwater will restore law and order to our cities and communities and that is why we must elect him as our next President as we need Goldwater now more than ever.

Governor Rockefeller Appoints Representative Charles Goodell to New York Senate Seat to fill the vacancy which was caused by the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy:




Debate Schedule Released:

1st Debate(Foriegn Policy Debate):

Date: October 4th , 1968
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Venue: Walnut Street Theater
Moderator: Walter Cronkite of CBS

VP Debate:

Date: October 12th, 1968
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Venue: Municipal Auditorium
Moderator: Tom Wicker of New York Times

2nd Debate(Town Hall):

Date: October 18th, 1968
Location: Houston, Texas
Venue: Alley Theater
Moderator: Frank Reynolds of ABC News


3rd Debate(Domestic and Economic Policy):

Date: October 25th, 1968
Location: Inglewood, California
Venue: The Forum
Moderator: David Brinkley of NBC News

Humphrey Cuts Goldwater Lead in Half:

Dark Color: 8+ point lead
Light Color: 4-8  point lead
Gray: Tossup

Goldwater/Rhodes 213 48%
Humphrey/Sanford 177 45%

[OSR stands with Israel]

Senate Seats which have the potential of flipping:



Huntley: The current balance of the Senate is 61 Democrats to 39 Republicans so Republicans need 11 seats to gain control of the Senate because if they gain 11 seats they will have won the White House so Jim Rhodes would break ties in the Senate. David is there a way they could reach that number

Brinkley: At this point no, but they could very much significantly cut into the Democratic majority as there are a lot more Democratic-held seats that are vulnerable than Republican held one ones . Lets go to the list of these senate seats. First lets go over the Democratic Seats vulnerable for flipping

Vulenrable  Democratic Seats
Alaska: Former Alaska Speaker Mike Gravel(D) vs Buisnessman Elmer Rasmuson(R) vs Senator Ernest Gruening(Write-In) - Tossup

Arizona: Former Governor Paul Fannin(R) vs Mr. Roy Elson(D) - Tossup

Florida: Former Governor LeRoy Collins(D) vs Congressman Edward Gurney(R)- Lean Republican Gain

Huntley: Florida has trended Republican for the past two decades, and this race will probably result in the Republicans winning this Senate seat for the first time since Reconstruction

Indiana: Senator Birch Bayh(D) vs Indiana Representative William Ruckelshaus(R)- Tossup

Maryland: Senator Daniel Brewster(D) vs Representative Charles Mathias(R)- Lean Republican Gain

Missouri: Lieutenant Governor Thomas Eagleton(D) vs Representative Thomas Curtis(R)- Tossup

Ohio: Former Representative John Gilligian(D) vs Ohio Lieutenant Governor John Brown(R)- Tossup

Oklahoma: Senator Mike Monroney(D) vs Former Governor Henry Bellman(R)- Lean Republican Gain

Oregon: Senator Wayne Morse(D) vs Oregon Secretary of State Henry Myers (R)- Tossup

Pennsylvania: Senator Joseph Clark(D) vs Representative Richard Schweiker(R) - Tossup

Vulenrable Republican Seats:
California : California State Senator George Deukmejian(R) vs California State Controller Alan Cranston(D)- Tossup

Brinkely: Originally the Republican Primary race was going to be Senator Tom Kuchel vs Far Right Max Rafferty and the rise of Mr.Rafferty in the polls caused Senator Kuchel to drop out and then Mr.Deukmijian got in and won the nomination.

Iowa: Iowa Representative David Stanley(R) vs Governor Harold Hughes(R)- Tossup

Kentucky: Former Kentucky Representative Marlow Cook(R) vs Kentucky Commerce Commissioner Katherine Pedan(D) - Tossup


Brinkley:So Senate Balance could go from Anywhere to +10 Republicans to no net gain for either side if all the tossups go to either party.