Icarus Falls (An Alternate 1960s)

[AnywhereButOTL]

A brief update detailing what Wallace is up to in the South.

12.

Headlines from March 15, 1968 - March 28, 1968

STASSEN WITHDRAWS FROM RACE

NIXON GRAVESITE DEFACED, VANDALS WANTED

ROCKEFELLER: ROMNEY A ‘TV CANDIDATE’

KENNEDY BOUNCES BACK

MCCARTHY CAMPAIGN BUS PULLED OVER FOR SPEEDING

SHOTS FIRED AT VOLPE CAMPAIGN BUS

“Hello, I’m your anchor Bob Young and this is ABC Evening News.” The cameraman gave his thumbs up that everything was perfect and Young continued, his voice never faltering.

“A lot of campaign news this evening, with former Minnesota governor Harold Stassen withdrawing from the Republican presidential race, citing financial issues and low vote counts in New Hampshire. Elsewhere, campaign busses seem popular at the moment as Governor Eugene McCarthy’s vehicle was pulled over outside of Middleton for speeding and an assortment of traffic violations. Elsewhere, the Volpe campaign reported that shots were fired at their bus as they passed through a suburb of Milwaukee, so far no arrests have been made.” Young cleared his throat and shuffled the papers in his hands.

“In Wisconsin the sparks have been flying as New York governor Nelson Rockefeller criticized Michigan governor George Romney of relying too heavily on advertisements in lieu of actual appearances, calling him a ‘TV candidate.’ Additionally, Robert Kennedy has bounced back from the edge after a disastrous campaigning period in New Hampshire, which left him dead last in terms of votes. The Kennedy campaign is currently polling at sixteen percent of the vote.”

Wisconsin was not the only action taking place in the country though. George Wallace had been busy and had not slowed down his travel through the south, speaking in churches, restaurants and stadiums all throughout the land. On March 27, 1968, Wallace made a speech in Atlanta, speaking from in front of a statue of Robert E. Lee in the center of Grant Park, railing against the omnipotent figure of government for denying the south its basic state’s rights.

“Now I didn’t pay attention much in school so somebody correct me if I misspeak, but there was a time not so long ago when an equally intrusive government was pushing its big fat nose into other people’s business and the gentleman behind me,” Wallace gestured broadly at the statue, eliciting a cheer from the crowd, “the gentleman behind me rolled up his sleeves and did everything he could to stop it!” The resulting roar of applause was so loud that Wallace was forced to stop speaking for a few seconds, instead gazing across the crowd with a wide, ecstatic grin.

“And while that gentleman was unfortunately overpowered by those same government thugs, we shall pick up where he left off and shove the government and their nosy agents of destruction off to where the sun don’t shine!” As he was standing, Wallace noticed somebody pushing their way through the crowd towards him and knelt down to hear what he had to say.

“I’m a huge fan of yours Governor!” The man said, he shook hands with him as if he were the Messiah returned to earth and that made Wallace glad to see that he had such loyal followers. Perhaps Turnipseed wasn’t entirely incorrect when he had predicted the entirety of the south falling to the American Freedom Party.

“I don’t know why everyone doesn’t vote for you sir, you’re the best!” Wallace slapped the man on the back and gave him his winningest smile.

“Keep up the good work, and don’t forget to vote this November!” Wallace reminded him and the man departed, a new spring in his step. As he walked away from the rally, James Earl Ray felt happier than he had in months.

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

In which the Wisconsin primary results come in.

13.

“This may just be the first Reagan victory of the primary season.” Johnson said, glancing over the polling data that lay on his desk, intermingled with the latest updates in the communications that the North Vietnamese had been sending over. Humphrey chuckled from the corner of the office where he was watching a pair of secret service agents patrol the lawn of the White House.

“I’d hope so, that would knock Rockefeller on his ass pretty quickly.” Johnson shrugged. Reagan to him was like a sparkler, he burned fast, looked pretty while doing it, but would be gone before you knew it.

“What about Kennedy and McCarthy? Are they doing anything noteworthy?” Humphrey tossed over a packet showing the latest Democratic polling info. As he caught it Johnson almost smirked. Now that the war was finally on the back burner for once he seemed to be getting along better with Humphrey than he had been in months.

“Sixteen percent for Kennedy. This could do bad things to us Hubert, McCarthy actually seems to be coming back, which surprises me after the beating he took in New Hampshire.” Now it was Humphrey’s turn to shrug, he didn’t think much of McCarthy, just an opportunistic governor who had taken advantage of his state’s native hippy population.

“The primary is tomorrow, its a bit too late to be worrying about stuff like this. Besides, I’m more interested in the Republicans. There are a lot of people who would react badly to a Reagan win.”

Wisconsin Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 49%
Eugene McCarthy - 32.1%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 16.4%
Unpledged - 1.5%
Wisconsin Primary Results, Republican Party
Ronald Reagan - 36.6%
Nelson Rockefeller - 23.8%
George Romney - 12.4%
Gerald Ford - 9.3%
John Volpe - 3.1%
Other - 8.1% (6% of which are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 6.8%

REAGAN = GOLDWATER 2.0

Looking at the sign Ronald Reagan wasn’t sure whether it was a compliment or an insult until he noticed the flowers wreathed into the sign carrier's hair. Just another hippy looking for attention. Reagan waved at them anyways only to be greeted by a middle finger. He laughed and turned back to the people he had been talking to.

“People these days.” He said and the man he was talking to, an attorney for the state of Wisconsin, sighed unhappily.

“That’s what people get, voting for Johnson twice in a row. Funny to think that both of you carried the same state.”

“Democrats and Republicans are very different creatures.” Reagan said, which got a grin from the attorney. Winning his first primary felt good, but he hadn’t gotten nearly as much of the vote as he had wanted. He had wanted his win to feel solid, like Johnson’s in New Hampshire. But this was better than nothing, and he suspected that it was only the first of many victories ahead.

_______

Nelson Rockefeller was nonplussed looking at the final votes. He had been beaten by an actor fresh out of Hollywood, and while he had not entirely expected to win the state he had at least wanted to lose to somebody he could respect.

“Next time is Pennsylvania, that’s more your territory.” An aide assured him, but Rockefeller was thinking, Pennsylvania was also Romney’s territory, and it was clear that after his defeat in Wisconsin, the other campaigns smelled weakness.

_______

George Romney wasn’t sure if he felt good or merely content with his finish in the primaries. Despite being right next door to his home state, Wisconsin was very much a different place from Michigan and he hadn’t expected much going in, so he had instead elected to build infrastructure for his national campaign, when it came to that that could be important in swinging the state to his side. Now all he had to do was actually win a primary...and Pennsylvania seemed like the perfect place to do that.

_______

Gerald Ford was speaking to supporters at a diner on the outskirts of Missoula, and offering thanks and free coffee to those who came in.

“You’ll get them next time Mr. Ford.” Said an elderly lady, “you’ll be like Harry Truman back in ‘48.” Ford smiled at her and almost laughed at the thought of himself in Truman’s position. He remembered those days well enough to recall that the man hadn’t been terribly popular until after he actually left office. Thinking of that he hoped that if he actually managed to win this thing that the same wouldn’t happen to him.

_______

McCarthy looked at the poll numbers in disbelief. How had Johnson beaten him by seventeen whole points? The day before the primary he had been assured a difference of less than ten, but now this! He couldn’t blame Kennedy this time since the man’s poll numbers had remained steady as a rock at sixteen percent the entire time he had been campaigning. Something was up, and McCarthy hoped it wasn’t what he was suspecting.

“If nobody respects me anymore then I’m going to have to pull the plug.” He said, and was surprised to see a few of the campaign volunteers respond.
“Don’t worry, you’re still in this Governor.” Someone assured him, but even with the kind words, McCarthy wasn’t entirely convinced.

_______

“Though we have not yet won a primary, we are still in the race and shall soon accumulate victories. Especially when we return to the East Coast next month, that place is just ripe for the picking!” Kennedy smiled at Springer’s words and as the man walked away from the podium, he took his place and looked at the crowd.

“We have done well, there is no arguing with that. Just a month ago there were those who said we were going to crumble in the wake of New Hampshire, and seeing us now, they couldn’t be more wrong. Forget the year of the tiger, this is the year of the Kennedy!”

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

In which a national tragedy occurs and the candidates react.

13.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SHOT IN MEMPHIS

On April 4, 1968 it seemed as though the entire world had turned onto its head. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot and killed by a sniper as he stood on the balcony of his motel in Memphis Tennessee. The gunman was still on the loose and as the African American population of the nation struggled to comprehend the news, a wave of riots began to sweep across the nation.

In Indianapolis, Robert Kennedy was just getting finished brushing his teeth when he heard the news on the radio. For a moment he just stood, surprise and shock twisting around in his chest. He hadn’t known King on a personal level but he had heard of his accomplishments and greatly admired the man.

“Oh god.” He said, and rushed outside. He knew what was going to happen. Riots were going to begin to spread and it was only a matter of time before they began occurring here as vengeful Negroes, feeling more disenfranchised than ever in the wake of King’s death, began to smash windows and take to the streets. Standing on a makeshift podium a half hour later, Kennedy espoused King’s legacy of love and tolerance and begged the residents of the city to follow in those same principles.

“I know you are angry, sad, frightened. I am too, and it is only too tempting to go the route of violence and chaos in these desperate times, but we must remember the deceased and his chief tenets of love, acceptance and peace towards all of mankind.” Kennedy paused for a second, the crowd he was gathering was massive and through the fog of conflicting emotions in his head he said one final line.

“Those tenets should be pursued by all, regardless of race, creed, religion or sex. They are good, wholesome and should be exercised en masse to show our opponents that while they may use violence and horrific oppression to try to win, we can look back at them, espouse our love for them as human beings and emerge victorious in this great struggle that Dr. King has fought so valiantly in. Stay safe Indianapolis, and God bless you.”

The crowd cheered, and Kennedy could hear his name being chanted across the great expanse of people. And even as Springer shook his head vigorously no, he waded into the crowd, shaking hands and expressing condolences for their loss.

“God bless you Mr. Kennedy.” A tall black man shook his hand energetically and Kennedy could see tears in his eyes as he passed him, wishing good luck to the crowd as they slowly dispersed from the square. As he helped his crew pack up the podium, his suit was rumpled and though he felt bone deep exhaustion beginning to set in, he prayed under his breath that the speech had been enough and that Indianapolis would remain peaceful in the face of the coming night.

_______

George Romney had just gotten out of the shower when he heard the news and gasped out loud, the towel he was holding falling from boneless fingers.
Though he had never met Dr. King, he had marched with many of his colleagues and had a high opinion of the man. Hearing that he was gone felt like a punch in the gut.

“Governor. Have you heard the news?” Asked an anxious aide as Romney emerged from his room, freshly dressed and groomed, but still pale as ash.

“We need to put out a statement.” Romney said as he rushed for the sound equipment that was still packed up. “There are going to be riots soon, we need to tell these people not to do that.”

The sound equipment was set up and soon Romney began speaking, beginning by introducing himself and explaining his work with the civil rights movement over the years. As he moved on into the case for why violence was not the answer to more violence his voice became emotional and though he paused at one point to gather his thoughts, his speech remained consistent and listening to him, his chief aide wondered, had Romney finally become eloquent?

_______

Not too far away, Ronald Reagan was doing the same thing. His speech was briefer and more of a basic list of condolences than anything, but the crowd listening responded well enough to it and so he moved on, puzzling in his head why anyone would ever want to shoot somebody like Martin Luther King Jr.

“This country is going to hell in a handbasket. People have no sense anymore.” Reagan said acidly to an aide as he got into his campaign bus. “No sense whatsoever.”

_______

Nelson Rockefeller had shut of the radio in order to concentrate and jumped when his phone started ringing. Picking it up he was please to hear Ford’s voice. But even as he opened his mouth to ask him how he was, the bad news started.

“Governor, Dr. King was just shot in Memphis, the whole country is in shock.” Rockefeller was genuinely shocked and didn’t immediately respond.

“Oh God.” He said at last. “This is awful, there are going to be riots.” Ford agreed and the two men agreed to make a joint statement on the tragedy. That would help both of them out, and maybe even snag Rockefeller a few of the more centrist voters.

_______

“Good riddance.” Said George Wallace as he sat in his campaign bus as they passed through Tupelo. One of his aides smirked and Wallace shut off the radio, all it was going to be was famous people throwing themselves at the Negro community’s feet to try to appease them into not rioting. Let them riot, thought Wallace, shows their true jungle character anyways.

_______

In the White House, Johnson rushed to call his press secretary and schedule a time where he could address the nation. The last thing he needed now was more riots. Humphrey had also scheduled a space to talk as well, so hopefully, if everything went right, then the nation would be inundated with their speeches. That might just be enough to stop some of the riots.

Johnson hoped it would as he stood behind the microphone and stared at the meager crowd. Not many people had had time to arrive before he started speaking but Johnson could care less, his audience was the nation, as long as they heard it, then all would be good.

 

[starwarsfan]

I love the format of this TL, looking forward to some more updates.

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

In which the earth continues to spin in the aftermath of the MLK Jr. assassination.

14.

Headlines from April 4, 1968 - April 9, 1968

RIOTS AVERTED IN INDIANAPOLIS, KENNEDY PRAISED

ROMNEY PRAISED BY NAACP FOR MLK JR SPEECH

WALLACE CRITICIZED FOR ‘INSENSITIVE MLK JR REMARKS’

JOINT ROCKEFELLER-FORD STATEMENT SURPRISES POLITICAL COMMUNITY

RIOTS IN 34 CITIES, NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED

MCCARTHY AIDE: MCCARTHY ‘SLEPT THROUGH THE KING ASSASSINATION’

KENNEDY GAINS GROUND WITH MINORITY VOTERS IN WAKE OF INDIANAPOLIS SPEECH

JOHNSON-HUMPHREY: THE NATION HAS SUFFERED A GREAT LOSS IN MLK JR ASSASSINATION

As had come to be expected, the aftermath of the King shooting led to some interesting developments as the Pennsylvania primaries approached. Kennedy’s poll numbers skyrocketed in the aftermath of his Indianapolis speech, which was being praised by many as the greatest act of public speaking of the decade. Johnson made sure to compliment Kennedy as well, forcing him to cease his attacks on him for several days to appear gracious.

Kennedy however was not the only man of the hour amongst the candidates as the press latched onto George Romney, analyzing his pro civil rights record and his strict religious devoutness, which he had described in his speech as something that he had in common with King. Romney remained humble, describing his action as something ‘any real American would do.’ Amongst pollsters, Romney was suddenly the favorite to win Pennsylvania, which caused no end of surprise amongst the political community.

Reagan, though he had made a speech, was overshadowed by Kennedy and Romney, and instead focused his message on jobs and the economy, stating that America was threatening to fall behind the rest of the world if burdened with such a large government.

But if people had largely ignored Reagan the opposite was true of George Wallace, who had infamously said that the nation should move onwards on the day of the King shooting, saying ‘one more dead Negro ain't gonna change anything.’ This had garnered massive negative responses from the NAACP and other civil rights affiliated groups, as well as a strong condemnation from President Johnson that led Wallace to sneeringly describe him as a ‘Negro lover.’

Outside of the drama unfolding in the south, many of the people who had watched Rockefeller and Ford’s joint statement on the shooting had left, not thinking of the assassination so much as the strange bedfellows.

“I’ve seen plenty of odd pairing in politics before,” said George Carlin as he walked onto the stage on the Tonight Show. “I’ve seen plenty of oddballs be put on teams with each other in sports, but amongst all of those, Rockefeller and Ford take the cake.” Carlin eyed the audience for a second before continuing.

“Think about it, Rockefeller is a classic New York liberal who thought it would be fun to be a Republican one day and still hasn’t remembered to take off the party label, while Ford is some moderate that played football once. The political analysts are all saying that its a sign of political bipartisanship, (again with those big words!) but all I see is two guys getting cozy together just in time for the big primary. Whenever I see them I want to yell, ‘just fuck already!’”

Carlin’s final line, which occurred on live television, gave the editors no chance to censor it, and soon letters began to flood into the show, some expressing shock and outrage that such filthy language be allowed on the show, others supporting Carlin. Though the Tonight Show kept Carlin, he always remembered the incident and it wasn’t long before he was performing a skit on other comedy circuits that he called ‘the five dirty words you cannot say on TV.’

Elsewhere, even as Kennedy’s meteoric rise continued, the McCarthy campaign hit another bump as an anonymous aide told a Pennsylvania paper that McCarthy had slept through the entire assassination and thus was late to give a statement. McCarthy cited the late hours he had been working ever since the New Hampshire primary and asked the press to ‘chill out’ over the whole thing.

“Heh. He thinks the press is going to listen to him?” Johnson smirked and continued reading through the latest communique that had come back from North Vietnam. It was good news, the North Vietnamese were willing to negotiate so long as the place of negotiations was Paris.

“Ho Chi Minh was educated in Paris, I think he just wants an excuse to go back.” Commented Humphrey and Johnson smiled.

“I would have asked to negotiate on Miami beach, the treaty would be done before you knew it.” An aide walked into the room and handed a packet to Johnson, it was the latest polling data from Pennsylvania.

“Call up our ambassador and have him tell the North Vietnamese sure, we can go to Paris.” Opening the packet, Johnson was surprised to see that Kennedy was actually surprisingly close to him in terms of percentages.

“Oh, and once the North Vietnamese respond then feel free to go public with this, it just might give me a boost before Pennsylvania.” Humphrey nodded and picked up the phone, leaving Johnson to mull over the data. His and Humphrey’s statement had been well received but it was hard to stand up to something like what Kennedy had done in Indianapolis. Romney had managed to overcome his aversion to eloquence to land a pretty good speech as well and overall the week just seemed to be going excellently for his opponents.

“Also, has Wallace said anything horrible yet?” Humphrey shook his head. The Alabama governor was catching all sorts of flak for his uncouth words of the previous days and apparently had been paying for it in terms of votes and support from state legislators though Johnson didn’t know how true that was. The American Freedom Party didn’t poll very consistently, though the last polls had shown Wallace with a commanding lead in Alabama and Mississippi.

“Good, he just might have learned to shut up every once in awhile.”
Elsewhere, Rockefeller was preparing to attack Romney. The speed with which had had passed him in the Pennsylvania polling shocked him and he knew that if he didn’t act fast then the primary could be as good as lost.

Not too far away, Kennedy was doing much the same thing, Springer laying out what the logistics for a statewide media campaign similar to the ones that Romney had been putting out lately. Most of the other candidates had been slow to embrace the television, but he remembered how John had used television to defeat Nixon in 1960 and had remained convinced of its political power ever since. Though he had not run many ads in New Hampshire or Wisconsin due to financial constraints, after his strong finish in Wisconsin and the speech in Indianapolis, he had more than enough money to run a fairly large battery of advertisements ranging from billboards to thirty second television spots.

“This will change the game entirely.” Said Springer, looking at the polling data. McCarthy and Kennedy were virtually tied, and it would be an unmistakable sign of Kennedy’s resurgence if he beat McCarthy in a primary.

Kennedy For President Television Ad #1

The ad begins with a panning shot of children of all races playing on a playground together. As the shot continues, a few of the children are picked up by their parents, one of the fathers obviously being a GI returning from Vietnam.

Narrator: Peace. Prosperity. Equality. Kennedy can bring them all.

Fade out to a Kennedy for President button.

Robert Kennedy: I’m Bobby Kennedy and I support this message.

“That’s a good ad Jerry.” Said Kennedy, nodding in approval as the ad spot ended. In just a few hours it would be playing on televisions all across Pennsylvania, and in turn the rest of the primary states if it was well received.

“The only thing I worry about is the integrated playground. People might not react very well to that in the south. Wallace would probably have a heart attack.”

“If Wallace has a heart attack then I know I’m doing something right.” Kennedy responded and gave the ad his approval. The Pennsylvanians wouldn’t even know what hit them.

Halfway across the state, Rockefeller challenged Romney to a televised debate in Philadelphia, and to Rockefeller’s surprise, Romney went on television to say no.

“I am here to decline Governor Rockefeller’s kind request for a debate with him due to the fact, and most of you here know this, that I am not all that good with public speaking.” Romney looked around the reporters surrounding him, he was calm and as Rockefeller continued to watch he suddenly had a very bad feeling that he was being outsmarted. He had wanted to force Romney to back down without admitting his shortcomings, but now the man was doing the exact opposite, and worse was, he would look honest and humble doing it.

“So in short, thanks but no thanks Governor. Perhaps when I’ve had more practise.” Rockefeller swore under his breath and wondered what he was going to do now. His ads didn’t seem to have much effect on Romney’s poll numbers and now this had flopped too. Rockefeller shook his head angrily and continued planning for the Massachusetts primary. He could regroup there and force a defeat on Romney. That would take the wind out of the man’s sails.

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

In which the primaries begin to get heated as early frontrunners emerge.

15.

Pennsylvania Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 40.2%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 32.8%
Eugene McCarthy - 24.5%
Unpledged - 3.5%
Pennsylvania Primary Results, Republican Party
George Romney - 36.8%
Nelson Rockefeller - 29.3%
Gerald Ford - 11.9%
Ronald Reagan - 5.5%
John Volpe - 0.4%
Other - 10.1% (4.4% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 6.4%

Johnson looked over the results, surprised by how strongly Kennedy had come on, and how significantly he had beaten McCarthy.

“If he’d had another month he might have beaten us.” Said Humphrey from across the room. Johnson shook his head, he doubted Kennedy’s popularity ran that far, but he was still surprised and more than a little anxious about what would happen to his standing in the primaries if the war broke out again. The North Vietnamese still had not responded to the note of permission allowing negotiations for peace to begin in Paris. It was all too likely that they were still scraping for diplomats, the strikes on Hanoi had hit the diplomacy building amongst other targets and Johnson wondered if he had wiped out all of their staff in one fell stroke, much like they had done to the US embassy in Saigon. He had shipped in new diplomats almost immediately, but the ruined building still served as a chilling reminder of what had gone on during the offensive.

“It would have been nice for the communists to send us back word every now and then, preferably before the primary.” Humphrey nodded and added his signature to a letter he had been writing to the French, telling them to accept any North Vietnamese requests to hold negotiations in their capital.

He remembered when he had first taken office, when foreign policy hadn’t been such a big part of the presidency. He had liked those days much better than now, when he scarcely went an hour without a reminder that his country was deeply embroiled in a war and that it would likely not end until long after he was out of office.

But still, despite that he had been doing surprisingly well in the primaries, most likely almost entirely due to the victory that he had secured the nation in Vietnam. It still made him ill to think of what might have happened if he had not decided to challenge his intelligence officers on their word.

Thousands more might have died, and the possibility remained that they could have lost entire regions instead of merely villages.

“We did the right thing in Vietnam right?” Asked Humphrey suddenly, as if he had been reading Johnson’s thoughts.

“We did.” He said, though he was not entirely convinced that he was right.

_______

In Philadelphia, Robert Kennedy was ecstatic. He had placed much more strongly than the polls had suggested and had come fairly close to even beating Johnson. His supporters were pleased as well and predicted victory in Massachusetts if he continued to gain like he had been doing for the past month.

He was just walking past a small knot of supporters when he saw something flash in somebody's hand and before he knew it a bottle of champagne was being thrust into his own hands by none other than Eugene McCarthy, who looked decidedly unhappy.

“Congratulations on your win Kennedy.” Said McCarthy, sounding only slightly congratulatory. If anything he sounded resentful, but Kennedy could care less.

“Thank you very much Governor, good luck in Massachusetts.” McCarthy nodded curtly and walked away, leaving Kennedy with a bottle of champagne and feeling of confusion. Was McCarthy just trying to be nice or was this some sort of snub that he didn’t understand?

Shrugging, he set the bottle on a nearby table and then found Springer, who was busy chatting up a group of young women who had been volunteering at Kennedy’s Philadelphia volunteer hub.

“Jerry, did you see McCarthy just walk through here?” Springer looked surprised and then laughed, he was slightly tipsy at very least Kennedy could see, but he didn’t mind, it was a fairly momentous occasion after all.

“What’s McCarthy doing here?” Springer asked, still chuckling.

“Not sure, he just gave me a bottle of champagne and left. Didn’t seem very pleased to be here.”

“Well, I wouldn’t imagine so, you practically torpedoed his campaign back in New Hampshire, I’d think he’s still smarting from that.” Kennedy nodded, perhaps he should track McCarthy down and try to talk to him. He did feel just a little bad for attacking him the way he did all those months ago in New Hampshire.

_______

Ronald Reagan was alone, he had decided not to hold a post primary celebration and had instead taken the time to thank his staff and then locked himself in his hotel room. He had campaigned vigorously all throughout Pennsylvania and spent more money than in both previous states combined...only to get a lousy five percent of the vote. Hell, Gerald Ford had done better than him, most likely due to his strange alliance of sorts with Rockefeller. How on earth had that come up he wondered and then sighed and stood up. There was no point in sulking inside like a spoiled child, he had to get planning for Massachusetts, perhaps there he would net his second primary.

_______

Gerald Ford was happy as he raised a glass of champagne to a small crowd of his supporters. He had finally broken ten percent of the vote and even passed Ronald Reagan, who had seemed immensely popular in Wisconsin but must have crashed and burned since then, what else would explain the awful results he had garnered throughout the state? In any case he had placed third in the primary and hoped one day to even net a state.

He had spoken to Scranton, who had been very pleased with the results and interested in Ford’s grassroots campaigning, which was being described as eccentric but effective by some in the press.

After the celebrations ended, Ford looked at the list of primary states. Once they got away from the east coast then they would start crossing into the midwest, that was more his turf, and as he planned he smiled and began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he would actually win.

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

In which drama happens on the campaign trail.

16.

With only a week until the Massachusetts primary, candidates such as Rockefeller and Romney, who polled much stronger on the East Coast than just about anywhere else, wasted no time in getting to work, buying television slots for advertisements and arranging rallies and campaign stops.

Ronald Reagan at this point did something interesting and began to move away from his smaller government rhetoric, instead espousing business rights and decrying what he termed as ‘mountains of unions and regulations’ crushing small businesses.

Though sparks flew as the candidates jabbed at one another, Gerald Ford slipped through the conflict largely untouched and continued racing around the state, giving speeches and holding rallies in post offices and churches, building up an image of himself as a down to earth candidate who cared about the average American more than anything else.

Johnson didn’t arrive in Massachusetts until April 25, a mere five days before the primary, but almost immediately began trotting his legislative prowess and success both abroad and at home as proof of him being deserving of a second term.

McCarthy continued his own campaign but grew increasingly concerned over the sight of thinning crowds and slowing donation rates as voters began flocking to Kennedy instead, drawn by his charisma and ability to stay afloat in what was being described as an extremely turbulent race.

But it wasn’t until April 27, just a few days before the primary, that things got especially ugly amongst two of the candidates.

Ironically, Gerald Ford, seemingly the most peaceable of candidates, started the chain of events as he spoke outside of Holyoke City Hall.

“Hey Jerry?” Someone from the crowd yelled. Ford paused in his speech to hear what they had to say. “What does this country need the most?” It was a question he had gotten before but he had never really capitalized on it, trying to maintain a low profile until he was financially able to survive a major dispute with another candidate.

“This nation needs peace and stability most of all right now. Which unfortunately is something that the current administration cannot offer us, as the countless protests and the riots that this nation has endured over the past few years are a testament to.” The crowd cheered and Ford was gladdened by their enthusiasm.

“What we have seen from the White House so far is a marked inability to either stop or contain these rioters, which is something that would change very quickly in a Ford White House!” The crowd roared this time and Ford could see people passing by pausing to see what was going on.

“You go Jerry!” Somebody shouted and Ford smiled, things were going very well. At least until the Kennedy campaign bus squealed to a halt in a parking lot just a few hundred feet away. In one of the great coincidences of the campaign, both candidates had organized rallies in the same city, almost at the same time.

“Welcome to Holyoke, Senator!” Ford called to Kennedy as he got off of his bus. Kennedy gave him a thumbs up in return and then departed for his own rally. However, the crowd, fired up by Ford’s remarks, began to shout at Kennedy and as Ford watched helplessly, he saw a few of his supporters even break away from the crowd to go harass him and his supporters.

Years later, presidential candidate Bill Clinton, who had travelled to Holyoke from Georgetown to see Kennedy speak, would describe that day as ‘a travesty.’

“Hey!” Ford shouted from his podium as he watched the two crowds of supporters confront each other. “Back away, there’s no need to turn this afternoon ugly!” But few people heeded his words, especially after a Kennedy supporter allegedly shoved a Ford supporter into the wall of the town’s city hall.

“Disperse peacefully!” Shouted Kennedy as he attempted to jump into the midst of the crowd to diffuse the situation, but he was held back by a campaign advisor and within seconds, somebody threw a punch and the two groups collided.

The actual fight lasted less than three minutes before local police units broke it up, arresting more than thirty people, but in the chaos, nine people had been injured, including a young Bill Clinton, who was taken into the local ICU needing seventeen stitches on his scalp.

Though the fight itself may have been brief, the backlash it inspired was not, as virtually every candidate in the field latched on to Ford and Kennedy, criticizing both of them for allowing the situation to spiral out of control.

Comedians also seized the situation, and Ford was soon the talk of the circuit, especially when relating to the irony of what he had been promising to do right as the riot broke out.

Later, political historians would speculate if Ford could have potentially been able to place third or possibly even contend with Nelson Rockefeller’s second place finish in the Massachusetts primary if the incident at Holyoke had never happened, but unfortunately, as both Ford and Kennedy’s polling numbers declined, the outcome of that shall never be known.

Massachusetts Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 40.7%
Eugene McCarthy - 29.8%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 22.5%
Unpledged - 7%
Massachusetts Primary Results, Republican Party
George Romney - 22.9%
Nelson Rockefeller - 22.8%
Ronald Reagan - 11.3%
Gerald Ford - 6.5%
John Volpe - 2.6%
Other - 12.9% (4.8% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 21%

George Romney was looking at the polling data with shock. He had beaten Rockefeller for the second time in as many primaries, but that wasn’t what had surprised him. What shocked him was the tenth of a percentage point he had done it by.

“That was too close. We’ll need to try to strengthen our lead in D.C. and Indiana. Perhaps we could try some of those farm ads that we filmed back in New Hampshire but never used. Indiana is agriculture heavy, right?” Romney’s chief media executive nodded and scribbled a note down on his clipboard, if they were going to continue to win primaries they had might as well make their wins convincing.

_______

Even as George Romney worked to set up his media assets, Nelson Rockefeller was furious. He had worked so damn hard to secure another East Coast win before they set out for the midwest, but now that was down the toilet, and by a lousy tenth of a percentage point to boot.

Looking at his polling numbers, Rockefeller wondered if he would be able to carry this race at all.

_______

Ronald Reagan had decided that this called for a celebration. Even if the East Coast wasn’t exactly his own territory he was happy enough with the eleven percent he had secured, and was even happier to be moving out into more rural territory within the next few days after the D.C. primary. Those were more his people, as had been evidenced by his victory in Wisconsin. Ford would be a bit more of a threat there, but after the events at Holyoke, Ford was practically done, all that was left to do was stick a fork in him.

_______

Ford however wasn’t nearly as despondent as the rest of the candidates thought. He had been busy on the day of the primaries and had spent his time both thanking his staff and supporters as well as visiting those injured in the Holyoke riot.

Immediately after the police had broken the riot up he had rushed to the town hospital to ensure that everyone was alright. Luckily there had been no serious injuries and those who would have to spend the night were happy enough that Ford had come by to check up on them, even most of the Kennedy supporters had been fairly mild.

Despite that however, the Holyoke incident had halved his polling numbers and many in the campaign were beginning to wonder if this was the beginning of the end for the Ford campaign. But even as they speculated, Ford was gearing up for D.C., he had enough money left for one big campaigning session, so this for him was truly do or die.

_______

“Goddamnit.” Said Kennedy, staring at the sheet that Springer had given to him. His polling numbers, once eclipsing McCarthy’s, had sunk down and he had been soundly defeated in the primary. Just as things had been looking truly good for his campaign, something like Holyoke had to happen and tear down all of his progress right before his eyes. McCarthy had still been unable to gather the momentum to defeat Johnson, but that gave him little comfort as he realized that there was a very real possibility of McCarthy outlasting him in this damned thing.

“Jerry?” He asked, Springer looked over from where he was counting up the bills that they had accumulated during their stay in Massachusetts.

“Yeah?”

“We need to go on the offensive again, this defensive crap is bad for the campaign.” Springer nodded and produced a fresh reel of film.

“Should we commission an advertisement?”

“That would be a good idea. Oh, and don’t forget, make it extra harsh.”

_______

“Good. We’re back on track now. I knew it was only a matter of time before Kennedy gaffed himself into a hole again.” Eugene McCarthy wasn’t entirely pleased with the primary results, but they were good enough for the moment, and besides, he had plenty of time to raise his profile as they crossed the country.

“D.C. is going to favor Kennedy and Johnson pretty heavily, so we’ll have to campaign extra hard to make sure that we don’t get beaten like we did in New Hampshire again.” McCarthy wasn’t entirely worried though, Kennedy wouldn’t survive much longer, he was sure of it.

 

[katchen]

Excellent TL!
Yes! The Tet Offensive could have gone very differently if American forces had been more on the ball. And if Tet had fizzled, LBJ would have stayed in the race and be on his way to renomination.
I'm surprised that Reagan isn't doing better than he is on the Republican side though. Nixon's genius lay in expressing the inchoate rage and resentment that working class whites had for white liberals and especially college students. AND IT IS THAT RAGE THAT PROPELLED REAGAN TO THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR"S MANSION.!
One thing Reagan could do is offer to make George Wallace his running mate if Wallace abandons his independent bid for the White House. Can southern White Citizens Council voters change party affiliation quickly enough to sweep the Southern party caucuses? Or is it too late already IYTL?

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

In which more primaries are held and the Republican race gets a bit muddled.

17.

PEACE NEGOTIATIONS TO BEGIN IN PARIS
“They took their fucking time on that one.” Johnson said as he read the headline of the paper. The North Vietnamese, after a pause of nearly a month, had agreed to negotiate in Paris and were scheduled to sent a small team of diplomats and other leaders on May 5.

This new development had created a small jump in Johnson’s approval rating, which had otherwise stalled out at fifty seven percent, and Johnson was pleased to see that. It would definitely help him in the Washington D.C. primary. Though he had won every primary so far, McCarthy had been creeping back from the brink and Johnson knew that an overwhelming victory in D.C. would do wonders for obliterating his campaign.

The best part about the D.C. primary though was that he didn’t even need to leave home to campaign. He could spend part of the day out and about in the city attending fundraisers and rallies and such and the rest back at the White House making sure that the latest piece of party legislation was passing through the House or the Senate smoothly. It was a more relaxed style of campaigning than he was used to, but as he watched his poll numbers remain steady he was pleased to see that it was apparently effective.

Washington D.C. Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 59.8%
Eugene McCarthy - 21.9%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 16.3%
Unpledged - 3%
Washington D.C. Primary Results, Republican Party
George Romney - 32%
Nelson Rockefeller - 23.5%
Gerald Ford - 16.5%
Ronald Reagan - 15.9%
John Volpe - 1.1%
Other - 5% (2.1% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 5%

Headlines from May 5, 1968 - May 6, 1968

JOHNSON WINS D.C. IN LANDSLIDE

STRONG SHOWING BY FORD PRAISED BY SCRANTON

NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN IN PARIS PEACE TALKS

KENNEDY AD CRITICIZED BY JOHNSON, MCCARTHY CAMPAIGNS

As the campaigns all raced to Indiana to pick up some last minute votes before the primary there, the news continued to surprise and infuriate the eight men running for the highest office in the land.

Amongst the surprises made apparent by the D.C. primary was Gerald Ford’s surprisingly strong third place finish, behind George Romney and Nelson Rockefeller. Initially thought of as effectively dead in the water after the incident at Holyoke, Ford had blasted D.C. with ads and rallies, racing around the city and reportedly working twenty hour days to outpace Reagan, who had headed to Indiana early and was campaigning there ahead of the rest of the candidates. Ford had raised enough interest in his campaign to stay afloat for the time being, but it was readily apparent that if he did not pick up a win soon then he would capsize.

Johnson’s win was unsurprising, but the margin by which he won was regarded as a near fatal blow for the McCarthy campaign, which had devoted a significant amount of resources into carrying the city. Kennedy’s campaign was similarly defeated and though the man himself assured the nation that he would fight to the bitter end, many people were beginning to write him off as a lost cause.

Romney’s victory was also not unexpected, but his sound defeat of Rockefeller, a marked improvement over the razor thin victory in Massachusetts, was rapidly helping to cement his position as the frontrunner in the Republican race.

However, as the campaigns rushed to Indiana, the drama did too, especially after an advertisement aired by the Kennedy campaign showing Johnson dressed as an executioner and McCarthy as his assistant, made waves throughout the nation.

“This sort of behavior is reprehensible and immature.” Said a statement put out by the McCarthy campaign, “Kennedy obviously puts out this garbage because he knows that he cannot face any of his opponents on equal footing.”

The words were scathing, but Kennedy’s poll numbers hung steady as he appealed to the citizens of Indianapolis and Columbus to continue their loyal support of him as the primaries approached.

Indiana Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 34.8%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 30.9%
Eugene McCarthy - 25.3%
Unpledged - 9%
Indiana Primary Results, Republican Party
Ronald Reagan - 34.7%
George Romney - 29%
Gerald Ford - 17.3.%
Nelson Rockefeller - 11%
John Volpe - 1%
Other - 5% (4.2% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 1%

Ohio Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 45.5%
Eugene McCarthy - 22.9%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 21.6%
Unpledged - 11%
Ohio Primary Results, Republican Party
George Romney - 39.5%
Ronald Reagan - 27.6%
Gerald Ford - 18%
Nelson Rockefeller - 6.9%
John Volpe - 1%
Other - 4% (3.1% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 3%

After such a momentous occasion as the twin Indiana/Ohio primaries of May 7, 1968, the nation seemed convinced that Kennedy was unkillable. He had come on very strongly in Indiana, and despite Johnson’s commanding lead, had come within four points of beating him. Johnson’s strong victory in the Ohio primary had shored up his position some but it was now very clear that despite his flawless string of victories thus far, President Johnson was not invincible.

Elsewhere, citing poor vote counts in Indiana and Ohio, and a need to get back to New York to further his own agenda there, Governor Nelson Rockefeller withdrew from the race on May 10, 1968, leaving behind a close race between Romney and Reagan, with Ford trailing by several points but never being entirely left behind.

The gap between the Democrats was slightly more pronounced, but with Kennedy’s near win in Indiana it seemed like that gap was beginning to close.
Eugene McCarthy was exhausted. He had only barely beaten Kennedy in the Ohio primary and in turn had been demolished by Johnson, who seemed to feed off of Kennedy’s conflict with him. This campaign was turning out to be far more grueling than he had anticipated, but he still had confidence that Johnson would crumble, he could only ride on the success of Operation Liberty and the new peace talks in Paris for so long.

_______

Ronald Reagan was pleased with his victory in Indiana. He had beaten Romney by a comfortable margin and the man had even called him afterwards to wish him congratulations. He seemed like a nice guy too and Reagan wondered if maybe he could stick him in his cabinet somewhere once he won. Ford could have a spot too, maybe even the vice presidency if he was open to that, Ford’s moderate policies would be a nice balance to his own more right leaning tendencies and would probably snag him a substantial number of moderate voters as well.

But then again, that was far in the future. Reagan cracked his knuckles and looked at the maps of Nebraska and West Virginia he had spread out on the table. It would require some quick travel but he could visit both places pretty extensively before the primaries, and with just a little luck, maybe snag them both in one go. Now that would be a game changer.

Another troubling aspect of the campaign was the Negro problem. He had been hearing questions of what he would do considerably more often now that he was away from the East Coast and their liberal hordes and though he had stuck strictly to his affirmation that the Negro issue was purely a state’s issue as well, he knew that he would have to clarify before too long or else Romney might begin to leave him behind.

_______

Not so far away, George Romney wasn’t quite as optimistic as Reagan. Both of the states were a bit more conservative than his typical target audience, but hopefully he could work with that. He had made a strong showing in Indiana with his agriculture ads, hopefully he could repeat the process with Nebraska and West Virginia.

_______

Gerald Ford was happy to be home again. It had been a while since he had returned to his home state, and it was good to be back. Omaha was still bustling and as he helped set up his new campaign headquarters he hoped that his home state advantage would be enough to carry the state. Losing his own home state would probably sink his campaign.

_______

To the south, George Wallace, emboldened by his success in the deep south, began to expand his arc, campaigning as far north as Idaho and even dipping into the heart of Texas, which was controlled solidly by Johnson. Shouting the rhetoric of the south, he promised to enact law and order across the country if elected and promised a contrast between the Democrats and the Republicans, which he described as ‘two arms of the same nefarious beast.’

Though the reactions he got were hit or miss the further north he went, Wallace began to have success in the rural northwest, especially in Idaho and Montana.

“The American Freedom Party just may capture a state or two beyond the south.” He told Tom Turnipseed over the phone from a stop in Missoula.

“The people here are receptive, they just want a traditional style of life without those hippies or Negroes ruining it.” Turnipseed agreed to release more campaign funds into the north, and Wallace was happy. He would make good use of these people, he told himself, the American Freedom Party would prosper.

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

Excellent TL!
Yes! The Tet Offensive could have gone very differently if American forces had been more on the ball. And if Tet had fizzled, LBJ would have stayed in the race and be on his way to renomination.
I'm surprised that Reagan isn't doing better than he is on the Republican side though. Nixon's genius lay in expressing the inchoate rage and resentment that working class whites had for white liberals and especially college students. AND IT IS THAT RAGE THAT PROPELLED REAGAN TO THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR"S MANSION.!
One thing Reagan could do is offer to make George Wallace his running mate if Wallace abandons his independent bid for the White House. Can southern White Citizens Council voters change party affiliation quickly enough to sweep the Southern party caucuses? Or is it too late already IYTL?

Thank you, glad you're enjoying it!
Reagan has been playing it cool so far as to avoid getting slaughtered on the liberal East Coast by his significantly more liberal opponents, but as the primaries travel into the midwest and south you'll start seeing a more opportunistic, dare I say racist Reagan.
As for the White Citizen's Council, Wallace has been spending significantly more time up north than he did OTL, trying to win the votes of the ranchers and lower class whites that would normally be pretty solid members of the New Deal coalition, so they're a bit more autonomous than they were OTL. Which way they'll decide to swing I do not yet know.

 

[Unknown]

Take this through to today, if you can.

This is good stuff.

Sounds like all hell is about to break loose, especially if Sirhan Sirhan still makes his attempt after the California primary.

The question is: which candidate will he shoot?

 

[starwarsfan]

Wow, Wallace is doing quite well in the Northwest,

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

Some build up before the Nebraska/West Virginia Primaries.

18.

“Yes, I know that. I know. Our priority isn’t Kennedy right now, that Holyoke thing was just a terrible accident. We need to be fighting Reagan, not Kennedy.” Gerald Ford was on the phone, and he was not pleased. He was talking to a campaign advisor in Omaha and the man simply would not listen.

He was all riled up to fight Kennedy and the Democrats, but Ford could care less about them, it was Reagan who he would need to fight.

“Jerry, I don’t think you’re understanding me, Kennedy has not been a very peaceful candidate so far, he will attack you if you look weak.”

“But I’m not weak, I’m in my home state and am set to capture a pretty considerable amount of the vote in Omaha. Kennedy is focused on killing McCarthy, not me. So put aside your opinions and go mess with Reagan, he’s the threat here.” Ford put down the phone and sighed. He was still tired from his almost ceaseless campaigning in Washington D.C. and had a feeling that this week would only sharpen the edge on his fatigue.

“Its all worth it if I win this place.” He mumbled to himself and leaned back in his chair, looking at the campaign donations that had come in over the past few days. People knew him here and suddenly he had more than enough money. Being financially secure felt good and as Ford set the report down he felt good about his chances. So long as Reagan didn’t do anything unforeseeable, he was good.

_______

Ronald Reagan yawned and stretched. It was the end of a long day of travel and speaking and he felt more tired than he had in weeks. He had managed to dash all over west Virginia in the past few days and was now headed to Nebraska. His aides had briefed him on Ford’s strength in the state but Reagan didn’t particularly mind. His force of reputation and a strong ad campaign should be enough to bury Ford.

“Have you bought the Sunday slots yet?” Reagan asked his media chief, who was sitting near him, reading through a set of account bills.

“Yes. The ads are scheduled to start playing tomorrow at eight.” Reagan nodded, satisfied. Ford wouldn’t know what hit him.

But as he leaned back in his chair, his phone began to ring and he suddenly remembered the interview he had scheduled with a reporter from the Omaha Gazette several days before.

“Hello, Governor Reagan here.” He said, the reporter introduced himself and the interview began.

“Governor. Many of us in here in Omaha leave our doors unlocked at night and we enjoy a fairly low crime rate, but still, we worry about the effect that President Johnson’s policies on integration in the south may cause more Negroes to move into our fair city. What do you think about that?” Reagan paused for a second, then he saw something golden, it was an opportunity, and he liked it.

“I think that those fears are very valid. Nationally the crime rate has risen almost exponentially alongside Negro integration with white society, so fears of increased crime coming along with larger numbers of Negroes should be expected rather than questioned.”

“So, Governor, if elected president, what would you do about this issue?” This time Reagan didn’t hesitate.

“I would end all government interference in the issue and let the states decide by themselves. If some are misguided enough to invite crime within their own borders then that is unfortunate and I wish them and their citizens the best of luck in the next elections.” Reagan knew he was burning a bridge with any chance of getting any Negroes to vote for him, but as he continued to speak he found that he didn’t even care.

_______

George Romney sat back and cracked his knuckles. Though he had largely pioneered the use of advertisements amongst his opponents, they had adapted quicker than he had thought they would and he was beginning to worry that he may be left behind.

“How much would a comprehensive newspaper ad campaign cost?” He asked.

“Not much. Its actually cheaper than television.” Romney nodded, that was good. Lots of people still read the newspaper, hopefully that would be enough to give him a decent portion of the vote.

_______

“Hey Jerry!” Springer looked back to where Kennedy was holding a newspaper. “Jerry, you’re in the news.” Looking at the paper, Springer was pleasantly surprised to see himself mentioned as instrumental in Kennedy’s near win in Indiana.

“That’s good.” He said, and sat down at his desk, where a pile of bills and notices awaited him.

“Its very good. Maybe after all this is over you could go into politics yourself. You wouldn’t even need a campaign advisor.” Springer laughed and balled up a page of bills that he had finished tallying up.

“Maybe. Who knows.” Kennedy nodded and looked at his West Virginia poll numbers. As long as he beat McCarthy here then he would still be on track, the man couldn’t possibly last much longer with all the hits he had been taking.

_______

“We’re almost out of money.” McCarthy nodded and looked at his poll numbers. He had a slight edge over Kennedy in Nebraska, but they were virtually tied in West Virginia.

“Governor, we have to beat Kennedy here. If we don’t then our campaign is dead in the water.” McCarthy nodded again and set down the paper.

“I know. Which is why I’m going to Omaha tomorrow. We need to talk some sense into these people, tell them that Kennedy is a bad choice.” But that would be easier said than done, Kennedy had gained practically a cult following ever since his speech in Indianapolis and McCarthy had no idea what he was going to say.

_______

George Wallace was passing through Wyoming. It was a big state and though he liked the scenery he certainly did not like the climate. It was cold up here even at the beginning of the summer and he had been caught in a small snowstorm just a few days before as they had approached Casper.

“Next stop is Rifle, right?” The driver asked. Wallace affirmed, the schedule had been chaotic lately as towns vied to have him hold rallies. When he had been planning his campaign in January he had initially planned to stay within the south and try to win states there, but as he ventured further and further away from the heartland the more he realized how much he had underestimated the potential of western and midwestern America.

Many of the people here were farmers and ranchers. Certainly not people who would benefit from a skyrocketing crime rate brought on by having Negroes introduced into their daily lives.

“There seems to be some truth to the old rumor that Kennedy and Johnson are shills for the mafia.” He had told a crowd a week before in Thermopolis.

“They seem to feed off of the chaos and lawlessness in this nation brought upon by the Negroes and the hippies. They seem to thrive on the suffering of good God fearing folks such as y’all.” The crowd had cheered and though Wallace had noticed a number of protesters in Casper he had ignored them. Every village had their idiots after all.

“Welcome to Colorado.” One of his aides read a sign on the side of the highway as they passed by. They had left a goodly number of supporters behind them in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and Wallace hoped that they would be able to do the same here.

 

[starwarsfan]

Love this TL, keep up the good work

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

Another update for the readers! Thank you for all of your kind words.

19.

Nebraska Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 36.8%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 29.7%
Eugene McCarthy - 24.5%
Unpledged - 1%
Nebraska Primary Results, Republican Party
Ronald Reagan - 32.2%
Gerald Ford - 30.8%
George Romney - 24%
John Volpe - 1%
Other - 8% (7.4% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 4%

West Virginia Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 33.1%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 30.4%
Eugene McCarthy - 29.5%
Unpledged - 7%
West Virginia Primary Results, Republican Party
Ronald Reagan - 41.9%
Gerald Ford - 29.4%
George Romney - 19.4%
John Volpe - 0.3%
Other - 6% (4.9% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 1%

Headlines from May 14, 1968 - May 23, 1968

STRONG WEEK FOR REAGAN INDICATES GROWING CONSERVATISM AMONGST REPUBLICANS

MCCARTHY WEAKENS IN NEBRASKA, WEST VIRGINIA PRIMARIES

WALLACE RALLY IN DENVER ATTRACTS HUNDREDS

ROCKEFELLER ENDORSES ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT

AMBASSADOR WIGGINS: PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN PARIS PEACE TALKS

TRUMAN: JOHNSON ‘BEST CHOICE FOR THE NATION’

It was a rainy day and for Eugene McCarthy it matched his mood entirely. Kennedy had surged in Nebraska and managed to completely outspend him in West Virginia, ensuring that he had once again finished dead last. His coffers were practically empty, his motivation was gone, and he had noticed that fewer and fewer volunteers were coming in to the office each week. His campaign was dead in the water and he could see that despite how hard he had fought, Kennedy had simply outlasted him.

“Welcome to the end.” He said darkly, “this may as well be Johnson’s nomination at the convention.” Then, falling silent, he began to write a concession letter. There was no point in continuing the struggle if he could no longer fight.

_______

Gerald Ford was numb. Though his campaign in Nebraska had been fiercely contested by Reagan, he had maintained a lead in the polls up until a few days before the primary, when Reagan had announced an opposition to Civil Rights and desire for the issue to be strictly controlled by the states.

Reagan had called in the day before, as the primary results showed him with an unbeatable lead, and wished him good luck in the rest of the campaign. He had been very sporting about it and though Ford couldn’t help but like him he still couldn’t suppress a feeling of resentment in his gut. He had just been knocked out of the race by an actor, and though he supposed that he would endorse him in the coming weeks, much like Rockefeller had endorsed Romney just days before, he still felt disappointed.

_______

George Romney was slightly concerned at his poor showing in West Virginia, but at the same time not surprised at all. He had never been particularly strong amongst the rural population, and Nebraska and West Virginia were certainly heavy in that particular demographic. Additionally, even though Nebraska was Ford’s home state and that advantage was always difficult to overcome, Reagan had still managed to defeat him, which had boosted his national profile significantly. But despite those setbacks, Romney was still optimistic about the future, soon the primaries would move to Florida and Oregon, much more his speed.

_______

“To the future of the campaign, the voters, and most of all, to you fine folks who helped me get to where I am today.” Kennedy flicked the cork out of the champagne bottle and laughed as a spray of white foam jetted across the room. The group of interns cheered and chattered as Kennedy filled their glasses. Kennedy smiled, he was beyond pleased with the results of the last two primaries and seeing his staff this happy was certainly good as well.

“McCarthy can’t last much longer.” Said Springer, sipping at his own champagne. Kennedy nodded and looked at the mostly empty champagne bottle in his hand.

“You know, this is the same bottle that McCarthy gave me after the Pennsylvania primary.” Said Kennedy, and Springer laughed.

“You should have saved it for when he withdraws from the race.” He said, but Kennedy shook his head.

“I’ve been pretty mean to the guy. Maybe I should call him after the next primary.” Springer shrugged and finished his glass.

“You can do what you want. You’re winning.”

_______

George Wallace stretched and yawned. His Colorado tour was going well so far and though he had nearly been overrun by a crowd of hippies in Boulder he had managed to land a couple of good rallies in a couple of towns and cities since he had crossed over from Wyoming a week earlier.

“We should head for Kansas next.” He said. Kansas was rural and he seemed to have the best luck with rural audiences, good, wholesome people with good traditional lifestyles. They were hardworking and gracious too. As he had passed through Idaho a month or two earlier he and his staff had been given a basket of fresh eggs and cheese by a farmer and his family who had then earnestly wished them the best of luck on their nationwide run.

“Washington doesn’t care about us.” The farmer had told him, complaining about increasing regulations and other hardships that were making it increasingly difficult to make a living.

“And now they want to move all of the Negroes up here too, spoil the community with their filthy jungle habits.” Wallace had nodded and assured the man he would do his best to win, and he meant it. Over the past few weeks, in the south in particular, he had attained a majority stake in the vote in Arkansas as well as Mississippi and Alabama. He hoped to get Georgia and Louisiana as well.

Tom Turnipseed had continued his optimistic forecasts of the election and anticipated possibly winning as many as seven or eight states. After all, the other candidates were all liberal Negro apologists with the possible exception of Reagan, who had suddenly announced a state’s rights policy, which interested Wallace greatly. Perhaps he’d have to check the guy out, he could be an interesting ally.

 

[starwarsfan]

A Reagen Wallace alliance would be interesting....

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

In which the end of the primary season creeps a little bit closer.

20.

Headlines from the Omaha Gazette, May 24, 1968 - May 26, 1968

FORD CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES WITHDRAWAL FROM RACE

MCCARTHY: IT’S TIME TO CALL IT QUITS

REAGAN RACE RHETORIC CRITICIZED BY NAACP

Suddenly it seemed like Ronald Reagan was everywhere, especially in the south, where when he visited Florida on a campaign trip on May 25, he attracted enormous crowds, including many who waved signs reading: REAGAN/WALLACE - AMERICA’S LAST CHANCE!

Reagan had laughed at the signs, there certainly were no shortage of people who wanted him to team up with Wallace, but Reagan wasn’t certain he could trust the guy, at least not before he had met him and had a talk about that possibility. Reagan considered himself good at judging other people’s character and so far what he had seen from Wallace, namely the mocking remarks he had made after Martin Luther King Jr’s death, didn’t exactly fill him with joy.

“Governor, you have a call from a Mr. Turnipseed.” Reagan smirked at the strange name and took the call.

“Hello, Governor Reagan speaking.” A soft, cordial voice greeted him, the speaker introducing himself as Governor George Wallace’s executive director.

“I’d like to ask you more about your Negro policy. Governor Wallace has certainly found it interesting, I believe he used the term ‘a breath of fresh air.’” Reagan was flattered but remained somewhat suspicious, was this guy trying to broker an alliance between him and Wallace, like Ford had done with Rockefeller before both of them had been knocked out of the race.

“Is there any chance to speak to Governor Wallace himself?” Reagan asked, “I’ve been interested in meeting him for some time.” Turnipseed affirmed and mentioned that Wallace would be heading through California in early June after a trip into Kansas.

“There just so happens to be a primary right around that time. Perhaps meeting the Governor would help the both of us out.” The conversation continued, both men fleshing out the plan that was to happen in early June, just a few weeks away.

_______

George Romney looked at the news of Ford’s withdrawal and sighed. It was a pity that he was gone, now it was just him and an increasingly unpredictable Reagan. Romney had spent the majority of his time up in Oregon. Reagan had a firm lock on Florida and Romney knew that it would be hopeless to try to break it. Nobody down there appreciated civil rights and Reagan with his strange States Rights rhetoric was certainly stirring up plenty of support.

Oregon was more his speed, and would hopefully provide a much needed primary win come the 28th.

_______

Kennedy tossed aside the newspaper he had been skimming through and swore under his breath. Though McCarthy was gone, Johnson was still as strong as ever and with the promising new peace deal undergoing negotiations in Paris, the public was beginning to reach back towards the administration.

There was also the matter of Ronald Reagan in the south, stirring up middle and lower class whites and telling them that if they voted for him then States Rights would reign supreme.

“Bunch of horseshit.” He said out loud, causing Springer and a female aide to look at him suddenly.

“Reagan?” Asked Springer, setting down the donations record he had been updating. They had spoken about Reagan in the past but mostly as an afterthought. Up until the twin Nebraska, West Virginia primaries it had seemed like Romney was the Republican frontrunner, but now that seemed not to be the case.

“Yup. Rat bastard is kicking around in the south. Seems to be trying to emulate Wallace a little bit.” Springer nodded and placed the finished donations record into an envelope.

“We’ve been organizing just as many anti Reagan ads as we have been anti Johnson but nothing seems to hurt the guy. He’s like Johnson all over again but he has no Operation Liberty.” Kennedy shook his head.

“He has something better. He has angry white people.”

_______

“I want you to dig deep until you find something, and don’t call back until you’ve got that something.” Johnson was angry again. He had been digging into Reagan’s past but apart from not serving active duty in World War Two he hadn’t gotten anything worthwhile, and the World War Two thing wouldn’t even be worthwhile if he decided to oppose the war, which he hadn’t said much at all about. Hanging up the phone, Johnson looked at Kennedy’s poll numbers in Oregon and Florida. Both were flimsy but had been rising in the wake of his defeat of McCarthy. Johnson hadn’t been very surprised though.

Kennedy was a survivor and every bit the tenacious campaigner that his brother had been. He would be a nuisance, but as long as he didn’t capture any primaries then he was beatable. Reagan on the other hand...Johnson wasn’t entirely sure what to think about the man but what thoughts had already passed through his head were ugly indeed.

Oregon Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 52.5%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 40.4%
Unpledged - 7.1%
Oregon Primary Results, Republican Party
George Romney - 49.2%
Ronald Reagan - 41.8%
John Volpe - 0.1%
Other - 1.9% (1.4% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 8%

Florida Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 52.4%
Robert Kennedy - 40.6%
Unpledged - 7%
Florida Primary Results, Republican Party
Ronald Reagan - 49.8%
George Romney - 22%
John Volpe - 0.2%
Other - 25% (23.6% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 3%

“Jesus Lord.” Ronald Reagan turned to see an aide holding the final results of the Florida primary. He had been defeated in Oregon and even though he knew that Romney had less than a snowball’s chance in hell of beating him here the aide’s reaction made him nervous.

“Wallace got twenty three percent of the vote.” Said the aide in an awed voice, “through write ins alone.” Reagan blinked. On the sheet the aide was holding he could see that Romney’s total of the vote was only twenty two percent. The poor guy had been beaten by a politician who wasn’t even in the same party as him.

Still looking at the results, Reagan resolved to call Turnipseed after his celebrations were over. He needed to talk to Wallace.

_______

“I got beaten by a write in candidate?!” Romney was furious and even as he did his best to remain calm and collected at his victory celebration for Oregon he couldn’t help but feel a little ball of panic gathering in his gut. Was he really that powerless in the south that Wallace of all people could defeat him through write ins alone?

“We need to get back to planning. Next week is California, Reagan’s home turf, and we are going to fight him tooth and nail for that place. Show him that he’s flesh and blood too.” The campaign aides agreed and Romney unfolded a map of California. He was heading to San Francisco, that would be a good starting point for an anti Reagan campaign.

_______

“Wallace is not to be exempt from this campaign, target him, tell the people about who...no, what he really is. A disgusting, bigoted racist piece of shit.” Johnson was bent over his desk, scribbling notes to Humphrey and growling orders into the phone.

“And remember, no holds barred, you’re a free agent, do what you want to but do not implicate me in this or else I swear to everything holy I will bury you.” Johnson hung up the phone and frowned at a sudden pain in his stomach. He had been having them lately and though the antacid the doctor had prescribed helped it still had not entirely eliminated the unrest.

“I’m stressed Hubert.” Johnson admitted and leaned back in his chair. He felt stiff and a headache was beginning to send little prickles of pain behind his eyes. Humphrey looked at him, concerned.

“We can cut the day off a bit early if you want Lyndon.” He said, but Johnson just sighed angrily.

“There’s too much work to be done, and we still have to get to California. That’s the big one, I could care less about South Dakota.” They had visited New Jersey and bussed around the little state at velocity over the past few days and now they were heading back across the nation to campaign in California.

“Do what you want.” Said Humphrey and got up, heading to the hallway, where a group of aides was waiting and talking amongst themselves.
Johnson began dialing another number. It was going to be a long week.

 

[starwarsfan]

Wow,Wallace beats Rockefeller as a write in.

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

In which the California primaries occur and things get interesting.

21.

Headlines from May 29, 1968 - June 4, 1968

HECKLER BEATEN AT KANSAS CITY WALLACE RALLY

SAN FRANCISCO ROMNEY RALLY ATTRACTS THOUSANDS

ROMNEY TO NEGROES: REAGAN WILL KEEP YOU IN CHAINS

PARIS PEACE TALKS STALL AFTER NORTH VIETNAMESE WALK OUT

MAY VIETNAM CASUALTIES LOWEST IN FOUR YEARS

REAGAN: ‘SMEAR CAMPAIGN’ LAUNCHED AGAINST ME

As May drew to a close and the summer began, the weather wasn’t the only thing heating up as the four remaining major candidates each fought to win California. Romney, thinking ahead, had flown to San Francisco the night of the Oregon/Florida primaries and was making a splash there amongst the city’s diverse population. Gathering the city’s minority population together Romney had spoken of Reagan’s recent racist remarks and his apparent chumminess with George Wallace, which drew a wave of boos and other negative noise from the crowd. It was then that Romney said something that would mark his campaign for the rest of the primaries.

“If Reagan is the one chosen at the convention, if he then ascends to become president of this country then mark my words, he will put you back in chains!” The crowd had responded with absolute, dead silence. Many were thinking of the segregation that they had experienced in other parts of the country, the bigotry and oppression they had endured, and to them Romney’s words hit a nerve. It did feel like chains, and they did not like that one bit.

At first the chant started slowly, a few individuals at the back of the crowd, but within moments what the crowd was saying had become clear.

“BREAK THE CHAINS! BREAK THE CHAINS! BREAK THE CHAINS!” The crowd howled, and as Romney stood at the podium in front of thousands of chanting people he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He had completely harnessed these people’s hatred of Reagan and it scared the hell out of him.

Elsewhere, in clamer climes, the peace deal in Paris was encountering difficulty. The North Vietnamese demanded to be recognized as a sovereign nation. A notion which the United States had denied no less than twelve times over the course of the talks. Finally, after the final attempt was rejected, the chief North Vietnamese ambassador had stood up and begun to walk away. Only a final agreement to resume talks the next day saved the peace deal from collapsing entirely.

Back in America, Robert Kennedy stepped onto Hollywood Boulevard and looked around. He had visited Los Angeles before but it had been a while since he had been back and the city had changed since then, it seemed larger, and busier too.

“Have we rented out the ballroom of the Ambassador yet?” He asked. His aide affirmed and Kennedy nodded happily. This was going to be the place he beat Johnson, and he wanted it to be perfect.

“What’s Johnson up to?” He asked, Springer put on a pair of sunglasses, he had had a headache all day and the Californian sunshine was bothering him.

“He’s been in Sacramento for a bit, gaining the support of the state legislature and such. The bigwigs.” Kennedy nodded, that certainly sounded like Johnson.

“Doesn’t matter.” He said. “He may have the bigwigs, but we have the people.”

South Dakota Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 49.7%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 38.5%
Unpledged - 11.8%
South Dakota Primary Results, Republican Party
Ronald Reagan - 57.9%
George Romney - 29.1%
John Volpe - 0.9%
Other - 9% (8.4% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 2%

New Jersey Primary Results, Democratic Party
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 56.9%
Robert Francis Kennedy - 37.1%
Unpledged - 6%
New Jersey Primary Results, Republican Party
George Romney - 55.9%
Ronald Reagan - 37.5%
John Volpe - 0.6%
Other - 4% (2.9% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 2%

California Primary Results, Democratic Party
Robert Francis Kennedy - 46.9%
Lyndon Baines Johnson - 46.2%
Unpledged - 6.9%
California Primary Results, Republican Party
Ronald Reagan - 51.1%
George Romney - 45.8%
John Volpe - 0.1%
Other - 1% (0.4% are George Wallace write ins)
Unpledged - 2%

In Sacramento Johnson stared at the report in shock. He had been defeated by roughly one half of a percentage point in the California primary.

“Holy shit.” He said, and sat down, the implications of this sinking in. He had won already, he knew that. Even if Kennedy somehow managed to win every single primary from here until the convention he would still have enough clout to win, but this made him look weak, which was infinitely worse.

“Get the PR people on the line and send a congratulations letter to Kennedy.” Johnson shook his head, almost unable to comprehend the loss.

“That cocksucker.” He added venomously, and left the room.

_______

Down the coast, in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel, Robert Kennedy leapt into the air as he read the news. It had been slender as hell but he had done it. He had beaten the president of the United States in a primary. But as he saw the results for the other states his joy slowly drained. He had won one state, but Johnson had won two at the same time. And without those states, he would never have enough delegates to be named a potential candidate.

“Shit.” He muttered to himself, but as he looked at the expectant faces of his supporters crowding the ballroom he stopped frowning, took a bottle of champagne from an ice bucket and popped the cork out. This was a night for celebration, he could worry about the other stuff later.

_______

George Romney smirked as he saw the percentage of the vote he had gotten in California. That had to have rattled Reagan and the thought of the man panicking trying to figure out how to counter him made him smile as he poured champagne into the glasses of his staff. As a devout Mormon Romney did not drink and instead he poured himself a glass of water. His staff had noticed this early in the campaign and it had become an inside joke of sorts, with one wit calling it Pre Jesus Wine.

“We rattled his window frames in California, and when we reach Illinois, we will beat the pants off of him!” His staff cheered and Romney felt joy grip him. He finally had a real chance at winning this campaign, and it felt great.

_______

Robert Kennedy checked his watch. It was almost midnight, time for him to head to bed. He would have to get up early tomorrow and fly immediately out to Illinois for the final primary campaign before the convention in Chicago. Walking away from the center of the ballroom he noticed a pair of swinging kitchen doors.

“Is that a shortcut out of here?” He asked a passing waiter, he didn’t feel much like trying to get out of the crowded front doors, the kitchens seemed like a much more clandestine path. The waiter nodded and Kennedy thanked him, making his way carefully through the kitchen, shaking hands and saying hello to the staff as he passed by.

As he exited the kitchen and went into a hallway he suddenly heard a voice and turned to see a young Hispanic busboy staring at him in mingled disbelief and joy.

“Senator Kennedy! I’m a huge fan of yours, can I shake your hand?” Kennedy grinned and was leaning in to shake the young man’s hand when he noticed a second young man removing something from his pocket.

Too late, he recognized it as a revolver.

Perhaps seeing his eyes widen in shock, the busboy whirled around and the gunman flinched as he fired. Kennedy felt white hot pain sting his shoulder and from there everything seemed to go in slow motion.

He was falling ever so slowly backwards as the gun roared again and he felt another burst of pain sting his side, a third bullet whined overhead, shouting and more shots split the growing haze.

And then, nothing.

 

[starwarsfan]

Interesting, I take it Kennedy doesnt survive as in OTL?