ACT ONE: Part 8 - The State of Our States in 1978
DEATH OF A KLANSMAN? AG BILL BAXLEY ELECTED GOVERNOR

...Baxley is most well known for, in a public letter, telling the Ku Klux Klan to “kiss his ass” in response to their outrage at his reopening of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing…

THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS, November 8th, 1978


ATTORNEY GENERAL CLINTON ELECTED GOVERNOR

THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE, November 8th, 1978


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Above: Governor-Elect Bill Clinton (D-AR) with his wife Hillary.

FOUR MORE YEARS? JERRY BROWN WINS SECOND TERM

...Brown is widely viewed as a top-tier Democratic candidate for President in 1980, but he has not yet indicated whether he intends on running against his predecessor in Sacramento…

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, November 8th, 1978


FORMER SENATOR GURNEY TO TAKE GOVERNOR’S MANSION

...Ed Gurney’s 51.1% to 48.7% victory over Bob Graham has largely been attributed to Reubin Askew’s push to ratify the ERA in Florida. While popular with national Democrats, Askew’s move angered a large number of traditionally Democratic rural Floridians, who cast their ballots for Gurney yesterday despite his past corruption allegations...

THE TAMPA BAY TIMES, November 8th, 1978

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Above: Governor-Elect Ed Gurney (R-FL).


BRENNAN DEFEATS SEWALL

...Democrat Joseph Brennan’s victory has been attributed in part to his slogan: “Joe Sewall is about to face the scariest thing in his political career: an election.” Sewall notably took over as Governor when James Longley vacated his seat to become Secretary of Commerce…

THE BANGOR DAILY NEWS, November 8th, 1978


HARRY HUGHES DEFEATS REPUBLICAN-TURNED-LIBERAL JOHN GLENN BEALL

THE CARROLL COUNTY TIMES, November 8th, 1978


“INVINCIBLE:” DUKAKIS RE-ELECTED DESPITE CHALLENGES

Michael Dukakis isn’t going anywhere. Despite a primary challenge by conservative Port Authority Director Edward King and a firm challenge by Liberal-endorsed Republican Francis Hatch, Dukakis was given a second term by voters last night. It was widely believed that backlash against high taxes in Massachusetts would drive the governor from office, but for every prediction pundits gave about “Duke’s” downfall, it simply never came to pass. For this, Dukakis has already received a label from commentators: “a political tank.” Dukakis has hinted at a bid for the Presidency...

THE BOSTON GLOBE, November 8th, 1978

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Above: Governor Michael Dukakis (D-MA), right.


RUPPE DEFEATS LEVIN

...Governor Phillip Ruppe, one of the few currently serving Republican officials to disavow President Reagan, successfully avoided the drag on his party this year to narrowly defeat Detroit City Councillor Carl Levin…

THE DETROIT FREE PRESS, November 8th, 1978


Mike Wallace: Your connections with Former Governor O’Callaghan and his political sway in Nevada go back decades. Do you believe that Mike O’Callaghan is the main reason you currently occupy his former seat?
Harry Reid: Absolutely not. Look, Mike is a wonderful friend. I’ve known him since I was a teenager - he was my high school boxing coach. He convinced me to run in ‘78! I know you’re asking if I think he propped me up, and absolutely not. He’s been in my corner, but I put long hours into making sure I won the primary, the election, all of it.
MW: O’Callaghan continues to be one of the most popular Governors in Nevada history, though. Surely his support is a factor in your continued success-
HR: If I was some kind of loser, I’d have been tossed out the statehouse door last year, Mike. But instead they look at the recovery, they see the economy getting better here in Nevada. They see us fighting all sorts of corruption and nonsense in Carson City and Nevadans voted for this to keep going. That can’t be pinned on Mike O’Callaghan, surely. And, while I’m on my approach, dealing with the nonsense people hate first is what they keep forgetting on Capitol Hill, honestly.
MW: So you’re saying a similar no-holds-barred attitude is needed in Washington?
HR: Well, that’s what I’m trying to bring to DC.

60 Minutes Interview with Gov. Harry Reid (D-NV), September 4th, 1983


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Above: Governor Harry Reid (D-NV) in 1979.


HUGH CAREY RE-ELECTED

...the Carey-Krupsak ticket was re-elected by a resounding 56.5% to 43.3% margin over Perry Duryea and Bruce Caputo. Governor Carey is widely expected to run for President in 1980, but his office has not yet responded for comment on the matter…

THE NEW YORK TIMES, November 8th, 1978


LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR CELESTE UNSEATS RHODES

...Dick Celeste, the Democratic Lieutenant Governor, has unseated Jim Rhodes for the Governorship…

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, November 8th, 1978


“GOVERNOR PETE:” PITTSBURGH MAYOR DEFEATS SPECTER

...Pittsburgh’s “Mayor Pete” Flaherty, a self-avowed progressive reformer, has been elected Governor over Arlen Specter. In his victory speech, Flaherty promised that “yes, change is coming to Harrisburg!”

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, November 8th, 1978


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Above: Governor-Elect Pete Flaherty (D-PA)


RICHARD RILEY ELECTED GOVERNOR

THE GREENVILLE NEWS, November 8th, 1978


STATE SEN. MCKELLIPS VICTORIOUS OVER AG JANKLOW

THE RAPID CITY JOURNAL, November 8th, 1978


GOVERNOR-ELECT HILL: HUTCHINSON CONCEDES CLOSE RACE

...Hill successfully defeated incumbent Gov. Dolph Briscoe in a close primary as a liberal insurgent this spring...

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE, November 8th, 1978


GM: Yeah, I remember Dan White. Well, he wasn’t really that memorable on the Board, but I know that’s not why you asked about him. He showed up that day, November 28th, in city hall with a gun. It’s pretty obvious what he wanted to do, and he kept trying to find me to ask me something or whatever his excuse was. But Dianne - Feinstein, of course, the Board of Supervisors President - was there. I dunno if she saw something off or just had a hunch, but she kept telling him I was busy, that I couldn’t meet with him, all of that. I wasn’t there for that part, of course, but that’s what people said after it happened. I don’t know if she pissed him off or not, but next thing I know I hear a gunshot from my office. Obviously I go to check out what on earth just happened, and I see one of the security guards wrestling Dan to the ground, and Dianne - oh God - just… lying there, in a pool of blood. Turns out, based on the way he started shouting when he saw me walk over, that he was there to kill me, then to go and find Cong-sorry, he had just won an Assembly Seat that November, yeah Assemblyman Milk and shoot “that…” yeah I won’t repeat the words he used to describe Harvey.

THE PEOPLE’S GOVERNOR: The George Moscone Story, a documentary directed by Martin Scorsese in 2012

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Above: George Moscone as Mayor of San Francisco, 1978


FULL GUBERNATORIAL RESULTS:

Alabama

- Bill Baxley (D) defeats Guy Hunt (R). D hold.

Alaska
- Incumbent Jay Hammond (R) re-elected over Wally Hickel (write-in). R hold.

Arizona
- Incumbent Raul Hector Castro (D) re-elected over Evan Mecham (R). D hold.

Arkansas
- Bill Clinton (D) defeats Lynn Lowe (R). D hold.

California
- Incumbent Jerry Brown (D) re-elected over Evelle Younger (R). D hold.

Colorado
- Incumbent Dick Lamm (D) re-elected over Ted Strickland (R). D hold.

Connecticut
- Incumbent Ella T. Grasso (D) re-elected over Ronald A. Sarasin (R). D hold.

Florida
- Ed Gurney (R) defeats Bob Graham (D). R gain.

Georgia
- Incumbent George Busbee (D) re-elected over Rodney Cook (R). D hold.

Hawaii
- Incumbent George Ariyoshi (D) re-elected over John Leopold (R). D hold.

Idaho
- Incumbent John V. Evans (D) re-elected over Allan Larsen (R). D hold.

Illinois
- Incumbent James R. Thompson (R) re-elected over Michael Balakis (D). R hold.

Iowa
- Incumbent Robert Ray (R) re-elected over Jerome Fitzgerald (D). R hold.

Kansas
- John W. Carlin (D) defeats incumbent Robert F. Bennett (R). D gain.

Maine
- Joseph Brennan (D) defeats Incumbent Joseph Sewall (R). D gain.

Maryland
- Harry Hughes (D) defeats John Glenn Beall Jr. (L). D hold.

Massachusetts
- Incumbent Michael Dukakis (D) defeats Francis Hatch (R). D hold.

Michigan
- Phillip Ruppe (R) defeats Carl Levin (D). R hold.

Minnesota
- Wendell Anderson (D) defeats Al Quie (R). D hold.

Nebraska
- Charles Thone (R) defeats Gerald Whelan (D). R gain.

Nevada
- Harry Reid (D) defeats Robert List (R). D hold.

New Hampshire
- Hugh Gallen (D) defeats incumbent Meldrim Thompson (R). D gain.

New Mexico
- Bruce King (D) defeats Joe Skeen (R). D hold.

New York
- Incumbent Hugh Carey (D) re-elected over Perry Duryea (R). D hold.

Ohio
- Dick Celeste (D) defeats incumbent Jim Rhodes (R). D gain.

Oklahoma
- Ron Shotts (R) defeats George Nigh (D). R gain.

Oregon
- Victor Atiyeh (R) defeats incumbent Robert Straub (D). R gain.

Pennsylvania
- Pete Flaherty (D) defeats Arlen Specter (R). D hold.

Rhode Island
- Incumbent John Garrahy (D) re-elected over Lincoln Almond (R). D hold.

South Carolina
- Richard Riley (D) defeats Edward Lunn Young (R). D gain.

South Dakota
- Roger McKellips (D) defeats Bill Janklow (R). D hold.

Tennessee
- Lamar Alexander (R) defeats Jake Butcher (D). R gain.

Texas
- John Hill (D) defeats Ray Hutchinson (R). D hold.

Vermont
- Incumbent Richard Snelling (R) re-elected over Edwin Granai (D). R hold.

Wisconsin
- Incumbent Patrick Lucey (D) re-elected over Lee Dreyfus (R). D hold.

Wyoming
- Incumbent Edgar Herschler (D) re-elected over John Ostlund (R). D hold.
 
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(1) G U R N E Y

(2) G O V E R N O R P E T E

(3) Moscone wends his oleaginous way forward. Delightful.

(4) “A political tank”...

what you did there. It was seen.
 
(1) G U R N E Y

(2) G O V E R N O R P E T E

(3) Moscone wends his oleaginous way forward. Delightful.

(4) “A political tank”...

what you did there. It was seen.

1. When Florida does something good, it tends to attract scum next election. That means you, Rick Scott, and in this case it means Ed.
2. I fell in love with Pete Flaherty researching this, rest assured he's not going away. Also, he actually used the "Mayor Pete" label, so the Buttigieg reference is apt.
3. He's ready to, as Jim Jones’ son ACTUALLY put it, keep on grabbing ass in the punchline.
4. Fingerguns in tank
QK5P6KCL2II6THH2EYVQ4OOXHM.jpg
 
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1. When Florida does something good, it tends to attract scum next election. That means you, Rick Scott.
My father's a Jacksonville native (he was actually a Congressional Fellow in Charley Bennett's House office in 1970-71), my late mother's family ended up outside Alachua while she was growing up. I'm so damn familiar with that phenomenon I've considered ritual re-birthing to get its stench off me.

2. I fell in love with Pete Flaherty researching this, rest assured he's not going away. Also, he actually used the "Mayor Pete" label, so the Buttigieg reference is apt.
I, too, have been and still am a fan of F L A H E R T Y M E N T U M. Very significant Steeltown mayor, plus he got to enjoy The Dynasty of the Terrible Towels and also Willie Stargell's One More Heave on his watch. Also I applaud his blend of turtlenecks with wool sportcoats.

3. He's ready to, as former Peoples' Temple members would put it, keep on grabbing ass in the punchline.
Your Mayor of San Francisco, Ladies and Gentlemen.

4. Fingerguns in tank
QK5P6KCL2II6THH2EYVQ4OOXHM.jpg
Sixteen-year-old me is fisting the air right now. (In my NC hometown that year I got to see Al Gore cold open for a Lloyd Bentsen stump speech. Still have the campaign button.)
 
My father's a Jacksonville native (he was actually a Congressional Fellow in Charley Bennett's House office in 1970-71), my late mother's family ended up outside Alachua while she was growing up. I'm so damn familiar with that phenomenon I've considered ritual re-birthing to get its stench off me.


I, too, have been and still am a fan of F L A H E R T Y M E N T U M. Very significant Steeltown mayor, plus he got to enjoy The Dynasty of the Terrible Towels and also Willie Stargell's One More Heave on his watch. Also I applaud his blend of turtlenecks with wool sportcoats.


Your Mayor of San Francisco, Ladies and Gentlemen.


Sixteen-year-old me is fisting the air right now. (In my NC hometown that year I got to see Al Gore cold open for a Lloyd Bentsen stump speech. Still have the campaign button.)

Also great big fan of Bill Baxley, for decades. There's a man who did the Lord's work in Mordor.

Okay. The Bentsen thing is really cool. Wish I’d have been able to see someone like him speak, but I was negative years old then.

There’s a common theme of reformers this cycle as Reagan proves unpopular and shows institutional flaws to a lot of voters - Flaherty, Baxley, even Reid to an extent, etc. all make it there promising to clean things up and deal with those issues that everyone from Nixon to Reagan has displayed to the public. Whether they pull it off is another matter.
 
How in the Hell did Daddy Graham choke in FL ?

I better see the FL Dems rebound in 1982.

On TX: White will likely wait until 1982.
 
How in the Hell did Daddy Graham choke in FL ?

I better see the FL Dems rebound in 1982.

On TX: White will likely wait until 1982.

ERA tanked him. Dammit Reubin, doing what's right and not what's popular. He killed Graham there.
White has to wait his turn, seeing as John Luke Hill swung the election by enough to change that 1% margin.
 
ERA tanked him. Dammit Reubin, doing what's right and not what's popular. He killed Graham there.
White has to wait his turn, seeing as John Luke Hill swung the election by enough to change that 1% margin.
Bold Prediction: Hill will flop & become a disaster as the Briscoe Dems are pissed off & determined to make him fail.
 
Speaking of Harry Reid--the state senator who accepts VIP favors (including a prostitute) from Ace Rothstein and then still denies him a gaming license in the movie Casino is based on Reid, IIRC...

Wonder how far Reid will go ITTL...

Waiting for more...
 
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Speaking of Harry Reid--the state senator who accepts VIP favors (including a prostitute) from Ace Rothstein and then still denies him a gaming license is based on Reid, IIRC...

Wonder how far Reid will go ITTL...

Waiting for more...

Remember, he isn't getting mellowed out by the Senate's byzantines procedures and awful ruling structure. This is pure, undiluted, punch-em-all Harry Reid here, and he's taking zero shit.


PERCY! The Musical.

Title track: The Center Must Hold
 
ACT ONE: Part 9 - The Center Does More Than Hold
Percy’s 1978 re-election ultimately sent him off towards his intraparty rebellion. While expected to cruise through as a popular Senator, Percy would end up upstaged by dark-horse Democratic candidate Alex Seith. What’s generally credited as returning Percy to Washington is a tearful televised address he gave in October, pleading with the people of Illinois to give him another chance. He ultimately won by about a 1% margin, when he was expected to have 10%. This confirmed the Senator’s worst fears - Ronald Reagan was drastically narrowing the Republican base. People may have personally liked the Gipper, but in Percy’s eyes, the party was losing supporters due to the conservative faithful forcing them out, and a party of pure ideology is one that would lose election after election.

A detail of Percy’s time in Illinois that’s often missed is his connections in state politics. He was practically responsible for Governor Jim Thompson’s rise to power, as well as a smattering of other state legislators. As such, any request for a favor to be returned had a very high likelihood of it getting through the state government. With this in mind, Percy’s decision for how to begin his insurrection against President Reagan makes more sense.

A MODERATE'S LAST STAND: A Biography of Charles Percy, published in 2013


“Today, I stand in front of the statehouse with Governor Thompson to deliver one message to the incoming legislators. I implore our newest representatives and senators to revive the issue of the Equal Rights Amendment in their first session. We stand at thirty-seven ratifying states. Our great state could make history on this vote. We could be the ones to enshrine the principle that gender does not dictate your status in this nation. If this legislature takes up the ratification issue once more, we will be the ones to reaffirm that all are equal within this nation.”

Excerpt from Sen. Charles Percy’s speech in front of the Illinois Statehouse, January 8th, 1979

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Above: Sen. Charles Percy (R-IL) speaks in favor of the ERA in Springfield.



ILLINOIS STATE LEGISLATURE INTRODUCES ERA RATIFICATION AS FIRST BILL

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, January 11th, 1979


SECTION 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
SECTION 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
SECTION 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

Text of the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified January 14th, 1979


“This is a moment of great triumph to me. One of the great failings of the American system is the continuation of corrosive and unjustified discrimination against women. Two years from now, though, this will not be the case, because the 27th Amendment will take effect and constitutionally enshrine the equality of the sexes!”
[CHEERING]

Sen. Birch Bayh’s victory speech upon ratification of the 27th Amendment, January 14th, 1979

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Above: Sen. Birch Bayh (D-IN) at a victory rally for the ratification of the 27th Amendment.



“Well, the states have made their decision. It may be another attempt by liberals to impose their views on the entire nation, willingly or otherwise, but in our constitutional government what they’ve done here is the law of the land.”

President Reagan responding to a question about the 27th Amendment at a press conference, January 15th, 1979


“Liberals want us to pretend there’s no difference between men and women, and now they’ve put that radical notion in the Constitution of the United States! They want to remove faith from our great nation, and with that our deeply-held values as a Christian society.”

Rev. Jerry Falwell on the 27th Amendment, January 15th, 1979

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Above: Reverend Falwell delivering a speech.



“This is a monumental achievement for women all across this nation. I applaud the state of Illinois for finalizing a much-needed amendment.”

Speaker Tip O’Neill on the 27th Amendment, January 15th, 1979


“I’m absolutely overjoyed by this ratification, even if it did let the gentleman from Indiana run up his already-high total on Constitutional amendments.”

Senate Majority Whip Walter Mondale on the 27th Amendment, January 15th, 1979


“Well, ratifying this as the 27th Amendment is a great accomplishment. No, I have no further comment.”

Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd on the 27th Amendment, January 15th, 1979


“As any good American does, I have my concerns about this new Amendment. But it’s settled in our constitution now, and I won’t fight that.”

Senate Minority Leader Ted Stevens on the 27th Amendment, January 15th, 1979


Jerry Litton: So, I know that there’s quite the burning question in the audience tonight, so I’m going to kick that off before we open the floor: why did you give the 27th Amendment the last shove it needed, presumably against the wishes of many in your party?”
Charles Percy: Well, Jerry, first of all, it wasn’t nearly as controversial in the Republican Party as you may think. Sure, the President opposed ratification, as did countless other members of leadership. However, Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and Ford were all major supporters, and several of our current colleagues that I’ve discussed the matter with are pleased to see the amendment pass. It’s not a partisan issue, and it never truly was. Anyways, I advocated for it because I felt it was right. I felt that women deserved this equal protection, and that denying them said protection for gain in partisan standing would be nothing short of shameful.
JL: Thank you, Chuck. It’s always refreshing to hear of people in our government with this sort of rigid adherence to doing what’s right before what’s popular. Now, one question for the audience before I ask the follow-on: who here considers themselves a Republican?
[ABOUT A THIRD OF THE HANDS GO UP]
JL: Interesting, interesting. It’s great to have such a politically diverse crowd. Now, I don’t doubt this will come up from someone among those who raised their hands tonight - Senator, are you running for President?
[SCATTERED CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
CP: I don’t know Jerry, are you?
[BOTH LAUGH]
JL: Touché. Alright, let’s open up the floor to the public.

Sen. Charles Percy on Dialogues With Litton, January 25th, 1979


Chuck Percy’s a hack who loves the face he sees in the mirror, ‘specially when he calls it President Percy. Plain and simple. That being said, this party could awfully use hacks. The Democrats are so clearly touting the union-paid line, and they seem so robotically attached to the same points. If we can look more independent, allow the type of shit “mavericks” like Percy spew, we look like we belong to the people. Where that takes our platform, I can’t say. But it’s worth keeping a few Chuck Percys around for appearances.


Comments made by Lee Atwater to Michael Wolff in 1982, later published by Wolff in "Three Days in the Lion's Den" in 2015 following Atwater's death


By the time his resistance began, Senator Percy was already one of the most regular visitors to the family ranch out in Chillicothe - and that’s saying a lot, given the frequent political use it had. The media knew, of course, and they loved to speculate on it. Did Litton convince Percy to support the ERA publicly? Did Percy talk Litton into supporting some of his housing measures? Of course, this is all rampant speculation. The reality of the case is honestly that my father and Senator Percy - Uncle Chuck, as I knew him then - were very close friends. Most of those deeply political meetings were actually dinners with the Percy family. I’d be remiss to pretend that there was zero talk of Congress, though. At that time, my father was not experienced on foreign policy and he knew it. Meanwhile, Percy was one of the most skilled hands on the matter in the Senate. When discussion inevitably turned to senatorial work, my father was always ready to ask him what he thought of various issues of the day - Iran, Panama, Afghanistan, and so on. I clearly remember one time where I walked in on a deep discussion about the internal politics of Iran at our New Year’s Party, for instance.

DIALOGUES WITH MY FATHER, written by Linda Litton, published in 2011


THE LAST OF THE MODERATES: A LONE SENATOR FACES DOWN A NEWLY-CONSERVATIVE PARTY

I sit in a lounge in a house on an affluent suburban street. Across from me sits a successful businessman, an affable political moderate, and a man with yet-unrealized presidential potential. The same sentences could’ve been said about the three-time presidential candidate from New York, former Governor and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. But my meeting is not with “Rocky.” Instead, it’s with the senior Senator from Illinois: Charles Percy.

Percy’s story is a deeply American one. He was born in Pensacola in 1919, and shortly thereafter moved to Chicago. His father was a bank clerk, and lost that job when the bank failed in the Great Depression. Never one to quit, Percy took several jobs as a teenager. Despite this, he graduated from the well-regarded New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill., then received a scholarship to attend the University of Chicago. There he ran a cooperative that purchased services for fraternities and sent money home to help his family. He was also the captain of the water polo team. Percy was still a student when he began his association with Bell & Howell, taking summer jobs. The company hired him full time after he graduated in 1941. When war came later that year, he set up schools to teach military personnel how to use Bell & Howell movie cameras. He joined the Navy in 1943, training aviation personnel. Rising quickly through the company’s ranks, he was named president on January 12, 1949, an appointment that drew wide attention not least because of his age. But the company, based near Chicago in Skokie, prospered under him as it extended its reach in the consumer electronics market and went beyond making home-movie cameras, producing components for space photography as well. Annual sales were $13 million when he took over; when he left in 1963, they were more than $160 million. Corporate life was not nearly enough for Percy, though. He was deeply interested in politics, and in the late 1950s, with the encouragement of then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower, he entered the political scene and became closely aligned with then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Losing a narrow gubernatorial bid in 1964, Percy was not deterred, and ran for the US Senate in 1966. His surprise defeat of Paul Douglas led to immediate presidential rumors, despite his belief that he was too politically inexperienced. Nearly thirteen years later, those rumors have still not faded. In fact, in recent weeks, they’ve only intensified, and Percy only gave me a sly smile when asked about them.

In the Senate, Percy’s pragmatism has only become more powerful. He voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1968. He pushed for increased development of low-cost housing, sensing that this would be an issue for generations if it was not addressed. His high profile landed him a seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, a position which he would ultimately give up in 1974. Instead, he took the ranking position on the Foreign Relations Committee. In this post, he’s only disagreed more intensely with the hawkish stances the President holds, advocating for a treaty to ultimately return the Panama Canal to Panama. He still views this as one of the ticking time bombs of the Reagan administration, stating that “sooner or later Torrijos is going to act out against this, and nobody wants to see him do something rash because the President is more concerned with the commercial revenue given to us by the canal.” No, Percy’s resistance to the party line has not faded whatsoever, instead remaining central to his career in the upper chamber.

Percy takes a sip of his drink. This is only water, as the Senator swears he’ll never drink, or smoke for that matter. Despite his opposition to the tactics of the Moral Majority, he’s a faithful Christian and considers this vital to his personal beliefs. However, he does not believe this needs to be inserted into political life. “My faith has always shaped my beliefs,” he says. “But that does not mean it needs to shape the government of this country. We were founded on the principle of religious freedom, and if I imposed my ideals onto the nation, I would be undermining this. I may have personal objections to abortion, but my beliefs should not be the law imposed on every woman in this country. The Supreme Court decided it was legal, and I respect their authority.” In Chuck Percy’s America, faith guides the politicians, but it does not guide the law. In his Republican Party, Reverend Falwell and his ilk have no place onstage with the President.

When asked about his biggest concern for the Republican Party, he answers immediately: “We need to expand our base. Right now, the party is centered around conservative values and, to an extent, Ronald Reagan himself. Anyone who does not get the thumbs-up from them is gone next primary. John Anderson, here in Illinois, tried to continue his relative independence. He never wanted to leave the party. However, for the unforgivable sin of not being one of President Reagan’s disciples, he was defeated by a televangelist in the primary. I want a party that encourages Andersons, that has people who question their leaders. Ideological rigidity is a genuine danger to the party. People want to feel that their government represents them, not simply the base that elected the leader.” Indeed, independence is also central to the Senator’s ideas. He was opposed to the Vietnam War, even as his party dissented. He ended up on President Nixon’s enemies list due to his beliefs. He called for a special investigation into Watergate, moving him higher on that list. Percy, in his mind, has always held his own beliefs above the party line, and he has no issue challenging people like President Reagan when they attempt to force him to tout a very different line. This independence came to the forefront last week through a joint action by Percy and Governor Thompson.

“Why did I encourage Illinois to adopt the… well, I suppose it's now the 27th Amendment? I felt it was right. I felt that women deserved equal constitutional protection, not just legal protection that beliefs I wouldn’t call quite conservative could easily strip away. At the end of the day, it was the right thing to do, and that’s what matters most. I may have angered the President, but I welcome his anger here. He was wrong, and he serves to alienate a demographic that happens to be half of this country with this stance. I don’t mind the consequences within the party, because a party that penalizes dissent is not one I see going in the correct direction.” Illinois’ eleventh-hour ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, bringing it into the Constitution as the 27th Amendment, was a shock to all, and many feel that Senator Percy and Governor Thompson’s advocacy is the reason the worlds are written in the Constitution today.

Even though Percy is new to the anti-Reagan movement, he is a prominent advocate for moderates everywhere. However, time will tell if the Senator can truly turn the party back to the inclusive stances he advocates for, or if, as he put it: “I might just be a passenger who can’t turn the car around as it drives off a cliff.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES, January 27th, 1979


Mr. President,

Chuck Percy is reportedly making tentative noises about a presidential campaign to a few of his colleagues. I asked John [Sears] to run some polling on this, and you have 69% support with Republicans nationally, versus 22% support for Percy. Certainly a wide margin, but not close to desirable for an incumbent President in his own primary. That stupid Times piece didn’t help, they’re obviously after our heads and trying to pry at Rocky’s old bunch. Should I make a call to Jerry [Falwell] and get him campaigning for us in early states? We shouldn’t dignify Chuck ourselves, but surrogates can do quite a lot to dampen his influence. Let me know what you want and I’ll talk to the campaign.

- Cap

White House memo from Chief of Staff Caspar Weinberger to President Ronald Reagan, February 2nd, 1979


After Africa, Hunter S. Thompson could not write. In the chamber of oxymorons that was his mind, he simply could not pick the pieces up and put them together. As he retreated further into the shell that was his Colorado home, he sunk deeper into what he described as addiction, pain, and insanity. But then came 1980. To this day, nobody knows what spurred him on - maybe it was his divorce, maybe it was a genuine desire to claw his way out of the depths of psychological hell, maybe it was a flash of inspiration - but one thing is certain: when the 1980 election proved to be a campaign for the ages, the only man worthy of covering such an occasion was ready to resume his work.

Excerpt from Fear and Hope: On the Campaign Trail ‘80 by Hunter S. Thompson - Foreword


RUHOLLAH78

Ruhollah78 is a banned Iranian member with a penchant for radicalism. His username appears to be a reference to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his 1978 disappearance, who has become something of an icon of the Iranian fundamentalist far-right in recent years. Ruhollah is often known for making several threads for the sole purpose of ideological wanks, as well as a seemingly endless ability to pivot every thread to the glory and wonder of Iranian supremacy. Most consider him to be an Iranian nationalist and Islamic fundamentalist, which he vehemently denies. Despite this, he’s expressed views that have been described as misogynistic, racist (with a particular focus on Kurds), homophobic, antisemitic, and whatnot.

Ruhollah is most well-known for his “Khomeini Lives” thread. This timeline, if you could call it that, is primarily focused on Ruhollah Khomeini surviving a CIA plot on his life while en route to Syria from Iraq (Ruhollah takes this as established fact, despite overwhelming evidence pointing to either SAVAK or Saddam Hussein targeting the Ayatollah). From there, the story quickly deteriorates as Khomeini establishes an Islamic theocracy, defeats a joint US-USSR invasion, and is welcomed as a liberator in large Shi’a-majority swaths of Iraq his Islamic Republic annexes. This thread ended up reaching a fever pitch when Ruhollah’s alt-Khomeini began a genocidal campaign against the Kurds, which Ruhollah portrayed as highly positive and vigorously defended OOC after multiple horrified reactions. Of course, it wouldn’t be proper to ignore his infamous insult towards moderator President Glen Taylor and user SpectreOverEurope, who he referred to as “the Greater Satan and Lesser Satan” at the end of a rant about the Kurds, West, and Jews. This finally got him banned, but his spirit lives on as the designations “Greater Satan” and “Lesser Satan” and variations on such (Tiny Satan, MegaSatan, Average Satan, etc) have become something of a meme amongst users.

Ruhollah has attempted to return under various sockpuppets, each one lasting only a few hours as they immediately create threads to launch into antisemitic conspiracies.

ALTERNATEHISTORY.COM WIKI, 2019
 
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Yes!!! Let go Illinois and fascinating stuff senator perry though I think a presidential run wouldn’t go well for him
Will the passage of the era mobilize the far right even more? Possibly causing early polarization
 
Yes!!! Let go Illinois and fascinating stuff senator perry though I think a presidential run wouldn’t go well for him
Will the passage of the era mobilize the far right even more? Possibly causing early polarization

We’ll see soon enough - but the more liberal things that get passed in this period, the worse the backlash likely is. The 60s and 70s OTL were enough to make a couple of decades into absurd levels of conservatism, imagine what a longer form of that would cause in the late 80s and 90s (if liberalism survives at-large. After all, Reagan might be able to surf this to a second term - that’s one major advantage Alt!Ron has over OTL!Jimmeh in 1980 for certain). What form it takes and how it polarizes is fairly dependent on who leads the charge, and that we don’t know.
 
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Question: I’ve been tentatively considering doing a pop culture update at some point in the near future (ultimately before we get into the 1980 race and associated fun), would there be any interest in seeing this? I’m kind of on the fence about going too far into it if there’s no interest, but I’m definitely considering it.
 
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