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Yes - The Cream Rises
The Cream Rises
Based loosely on the very good "best presidents we never had" list near the end of the Alternate Thread of Blessed Memory:
Pres. Harry S. Truman (D-MO)/Vice Pres. Alben W. Barkley (D-KY) 1948-53
def. Sen. Robert Taft (R-OH)/Gov. Harold Stassen (R-MN), Sen. Strom Thurmond (DIX-SC)/Lt. Gov. Fielding Wright (DIX-MS)
Fmr. Gov. Thomas Dewey (R-NY)/Gov. Earl Warren (R-CA) 1953-61
1952 def. Pres. Harry S. Truman (D-MO)/Vice Pres. Alben W. Barkley (D-KY)
1956 def. Gov. Averell Harriman (D-NY)/Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)
Gov. Adlai Stevenson II (D-IL)*/Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX) 1961-64
1960 def. Sen. Richard M. Nixon (R-CA)/Sen. Prescott Bush (R-CT)
Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX)/Sen. Thomas Dodd (D-CT) 1964-69
1964 def. Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ)/Sen. Norris Cotton (R-NH)
Gov. George Romney** (R-MI)/Sen. Paul Fannin (R-AZ) 1969-72
1968 def. Vice Pres. Thomas Dodd (D-CT)/Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-MA)
Pres. Paul Fannin/VACANT 1972-73
Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey (D-MN)***/Sen. Edmund Muskie (D-ME) 1973-78
1972 def. Pres. Paul Fannin (R-NV)/Fmr. Gov. John Volpe (R-MA)
1976 def. Fmr. Gov. Ronald Reagan (R-CA)/Sen. Raymond Shafer (R-PA)
Pres. Edmund Muskie (D-ME)/Vice Pres. Reubin Askew (D-FL) 1978-85
1980 def. Gov. John Connally (R-TX)/Sen. Robert Finch (R-CA)
Gov. Jack Kemp (R-NY)/Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) 1985-1993
1984 def. Sen. George McGovern (D-SD)/Gov. Tom Bradley (D-CA)
1988 def. Sen. Gary Hart (D-CO)/Gov. James "Jim" Blanchard (D-MI)
Gov. Bill Bradley (D-MO)/Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL) 1993-2001
1992 def. Vice Pres. Thad Cochran (R-MS)/Gov. Carroll Campbell (R-SC)
1996 def. Gov. Pete Wilson (R-CA)/Gov. Bob Riley (R-AL)
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)/Gov. George Voinovich (R-OH) 2001-2009
2000 def. Vice Pres. Bob Graham (D-FL)/Sen. Elizabeth Holtzman (D-NY)
2004 def. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)/Gov. Al Franken (D-MN)
Gov. Cecile Richards (D-TX)/Sen. Al Gore (D-TN) 2009-2017
2008 def. Sen. John Thune (R-SD)/Gov. Robert "Bob" Barr (R-GA)
2012 def. Gov. Sam Brownback (R-KS)/Sen. Robert "Rob" Portman (R-OH)
Gov. Corey Booker (D-NJ)/Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) 2017-
2016 def. Sen. Rafael "Ted" Cruz (R-FL)/Gov. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
*= Died of a massive heart attack during a state visit to London
** = Assassinated by James Earl Ray for advances on civil rights
*** = Died of bladder cancer while in office
Two notes: yes it's that James Earl Ray who shot Romney. ITTL Dr. King dies around the same time as IOTL but like Walter Reuther (one of the few Sixties assassinations where there obviously was a conspiracy and nobody talks about it) in a highly suspicious (sabotage) plane crash that also claimed Jesse Jackson and Julian Bond. This is a good TL to live in but no TL is free of heartache.
And what about those darned Kennedys? Teddy didn't make it out of the '64 plane crash -- first family tragedy. After being "robbed" by Stevenson in '60 and taking second spot in '68 he was considered a front runner for next time round but his Addison's had grown markedly worse and he bowed out. Bobby did indeed pursue the New York Senate seat and bided his time building a name in the institution esp. as Jack's health grew worse, but then (Bobby) returned to Albany in '74 to a two-term governorship. There were voices that called on him to challenge President Muskie in the 1980 primaries, but Jack's worsening health and the rally-round-the-flag effect as Muskie deftly handled a Soviet incursion into northern Iran warned him off it. By '84 he figured it was past his time and helped his old Senate friend and liberal lion George McGovern ambush Vice President Askew in the primaries.
Based loosely on the very good "best presidents we never had" list near the end of the Alternate Thread of Blessed Memory:
Pres. Harry S. Truman (D-MO)/Vice Pres. Alben W. Barkley (D-KY) 1948-53
def. Sen. Robert Taft (R-OH)/Gov. Harold Stassen (R-MN), Sen. Strom Thurmond (DIX-SC)/Lt. Gov. Fielding Wright (DIX-MS)
Fmr. Gov. Thomas Dewey (R-NY)/Gov. Earl Warren (R-CA) 1953-61
1952 def. Pres. Harry S. Truman (D-MO)/Vice Pres. Alben W. Barkley (D-KY)
1956 def. Gov. Averell Harriman (D-NY)/Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)
Gov. Adlai Stevenson II (D-IL)*/Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX) 1961-64
1960 def. Sen. Richard M. Nixon (R-CA)/Sen. Prescott Bush (R-CT)
Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX)/Sen. Thomas Dodd (D-CT) 1964-69
1964 def. Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ)/Sen. Norris Cotton (R-NH)
Gov. George Romney** (R-MI)/Sen. Paul Fannin (R-AZ) 1969-72
1968 def. Vice Pres. Thomas Dodd (D-CT)/Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-MA)
Pres. Paul Fannin/VACANT 1972-73
Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey (D-MN)***/Sen. Edmund Muskie (D-ME) 1973-78
1972 def. Pres. Paul Fannin (R-NV)/Fmr. Gov. John Volpe (R-MA)
1976 def. Fmr. Gov. Ronald Reagan (R-CA)/Sen. Raymond Shafer (R-PA)
Pres. Edmund Muskie (D-ME)/Vice Pres. Reubin Askew (D-FL) 1978-85
1980 def. Gov. John Connally (R-TX)/Sen. Robert Finch (R-CA)
Gov. Jack Kemp (R-NY)/Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) 1985-1993
1984 def. Sen. George McGovern (D-SD)/Gov. Tom Bradley (D-CA)
1988 def. Sen. Gary Hart (D-CO)/Gov. James "Jim" Blanchard (D-MI)
Gov. Bill Bradley (D-MO)/Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL) 1993-2001
1992 def. Vice Pres. Thad Cochran (R-MS)/Gov. Carroll Campbell (R-SC)
1996 def. Gov. Pete Wilson (R-CA)/Gov. Bob Riley (R-AL)
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)/Gov. George Voinovich (R-OH) 2001-2009
2000 def. Vice Pres. Bob Graham (D-FL)/Sen. Elizabeth Holtzman (D-NY)
2004 def. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)/Gov. Al Franken (D-MN)
Gov. Cecile Richards (D-TX)/Sen. Al Gore (D-TN) 2009-2017
2008 def. Sen. John Thune (R-SD)/Gov. Robert "Bob" Barr (R-GA)
2012 def. Gov. Sam Brownback (R-KS)/Sen. Robert "Rob" Portman (R-OH)
Gov. Corey Booker (D-NJ)/Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) 2017-
2016 def. Sen. Rafael "Ted" Cruz (R-FL)/Gov. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
*= Died of a massive heart attack during a state visit to London
** = Assassinated by James Earl Ray for advances on civil rights
*** = Died of bladder cancer while in office
Two notes: yes it's that James Earl Ray who shot Romney. ITTL Dr. King dies around the same time as IOTL but like Walter Reuther (one of the few Sixties assassinations where there obviously was a conspiracy and nobody talks about it) in a highly suspicious (sabotage) plane crash that also claimed Jesse Jackson and Julian Bond. This is a good TL to live in but no TL is free of heartache.
And what about those darned Kennedys? Teddy didn't make it out of the '64 plane crash -- first family tragedy. After being "robbed" by Stevenson in '60 and taking second spot in '68 he was considered a front runner for next time round but his Addison's had grown markedly worse and he bowed out. Bobby did indeed pursue the New York Senate seat and bided his time building a name in the institution esp. as Jack's health grew worse, but then (Bobby) returned to Albany in '74 to a two-term governorship. There were voices that called on him to challenge President Muskie in the 1980 primaries, but Jack's worsening health and the rally-round-the-flag effect as Muskie deftly handled a Soviet incursion into northern Iran warned him off it. By '84 he figured it was past his time and helped his old Senate friend and liberal lion George McGovern ambush Vice President Askew in the primaries.
- Yes
- Word Count: 680