some idle WIs

[Straha]

A few idle WIs. Warning: American politics lies within! Read at your own risk.

1. Huey Long survives. Barring some very grave political blunders by FDR and his administration, it's very unlikely that he would be elected President in 1936, or even throw the election of that year to Alf Landon. But, if FDR has a relatively close call in 1936 (say, 45-39-16) might he not get so overconfident in 1937-1938; no courtpacking plan in 1937 and no failed purge in 1938?

2. WI LBJ-McCarthy in 1964? Minnesota Eugene McCarthy had as strong a record of liberalism as Hubert Humphrey in 1964, was less of a threat politically, and was even a Catholic. If LBJ has a noisy, outspoken dove as his VP in the late 1960s, does his administration and 1968 campaign disintegrate even faster? Or does "Clean Gene" buckle down and HHH lead the liberal revolt in 1968?

3. It's 1973, and some scandal has implicated the Republican House leadership. (It doesn't have to be anything major, but just then, any breath of scandal was pretty darn bad) Who does Richard Nixon name as his VP?

4. Some people have argued that if Nikita Kruschev had remained in power in the Soviet Union, his efforts at reform would have led to perestroika, glasnost, and the collapse of the Soviet Union decades earlier. I'm not sure if I agree with that, but let's say Nikita does stay in power and does just that. Just for the hell of it, let's say in 1973-1974.

5. WI Dwight Eisenhower had been a hawk? Let's say that as an army general he follows his OTL policy (outside of the 1952 campaign) of following the orders of the commander-in-chief, but once in office he feels free to give the OK to Mark Clark's offensive in 1953 and to support the French in Indochina in 1954.

6. WI FDR had picked William O. Douglas as his VP in 1944?