alternatehistory.com
Nofix - [The Boy President]
@Gonzo
1968 def. Hubert Humphrey/Ed Muskie (Democratic), George Wallace/Curtis LeMay (American Independent Party)
1973-1981: Robert Casey/Terry Sanford (Democratic) [1]
1972 def. Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew (Republican)
1976 def. Ronald Reagan/Dewey Bartlett (Republican) [2]
1981-1982: Jack Eckerd/Donald Brotzman (Republican) [3]
1980 def. Terry Sanford/Louis Lambert (Democratic), Eugene McCarthy/Ed Clark (People's) [4]
*1982: Donald Brotzman/none (Republican) [5]
*1982-1985: Donald Brotzman/Winston Blount (Republican) [6]
1985-1989: John Hill/Bill Fitzgerald (Democratic) [7]
1984 def. Donald Brotzman/Winston Blount (Republican)
1989-1997: Chris Smith/Will Romney (Republican) [8]
1988 def. John Hill/ Bill Fitzgerald (Democratic)
1992 def. Richard Perle /Jeanne Kirkpatrick (Democratic) [9]
[1] A dark horse to everyone, even the highly paranoid President himself. Despite promises that he had no interest in running, Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey performed a surprisingly strong second place finish in New Hampshire as a write-in (albeit with plenty of friends and support rushing in to help him). This out-of-nowhere appearance disoriented the Muskie campaign, up until then the frontrunner. After knocking down giant after giant, from Henry Jackson (who polled surprisingly little in the primaries) to former nominee Hubert Humphrey. After a rather heated Convention, Casey nominated former North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford to add regional variety and gravitas to the ticket. Despite attacks on Casey's age ("the boy Governor") and counteracts on Nixon ("yesterday's man"), the Democrats were able to harness the working class discontent that had propelled George Wallace in 1968, as well as the coalition that had carried Kennedy to office.
Many allusions and direct connections were made to John Kennedy during the election, something that was unavoidable given the candidates youth (at 40 he was a couple years younger then Kennedy when he ran, and was the youngest Presidential candidate since William Jennings Bryan), Catholicism, and optimistic liberalism. But, aside from trying to ride on the image of Kennedy, Casey ran on an ambitious platform, rivaling the Great Society in scope in terms of federal reach on schooling, health, welfare, and others. His tight, professional campaign and professional platform managed to smooth over many differences between party members. All that was left was to take the fight to Nixon, to castigate him for the continued war in Vietnam,
It all worked, as in November Casey became the first President since Franklin Roosevelt to defeat an incumbent President (a comparison Casey liked to draw), and the first since Buchanan to hail from Pennsylvania (not so much). His tenure in office would be dominated by a struggling economy, the flaring up of tensions in Vietnam (which would be forcibly united by the North in 1974), and difficult international relations. The largest of this was the overthrow of the Shah in 1975, the massacre of the American embassy, and the beginnings of the Iranian War.
Domestically there was more success. The creation of the EPA, several environmentalist bills, work safety standardization, and a score of other bills were hurriedly passed in his first two years, nearly rivaling the Johnson Administrations. His biggest achievement, in may Democrats eyes, was the passage of the Kennedy-Dellums Act, a market-based healthcare system modeled off of the German model. While engendering furious opposition by the Congressional Republicans, and many Democrats, it passed and became the thing the Casey administration was known for.
As time went on, however, Casey's political fortunes seemed dim. The economy was still stuck in the mud, the War in Iran was, despite heavy support from NATO, quickly becoming a Middle-Eastern Vietnam (in the words of many anti-war liberals), and Casey's failed attempts to ban abortion and the death penalty backfired and made him forfeit a lot of momentum. The Republican nomination, worst of all, was quickly wrapped up by former California Governor Ronald Reagan. The Democrats were facing a united front, mostly, and feared a big loss.
[2] Casey attacked Reagan from the right on abortion, pulling out the 1967 Therapeutic Abortion Act that he signed in as California governor. The Casey campaign also attacked Reagan as "pro-birth and anti-life," drawing attention to the Governors simultaneous support of the death penalty and his opposition to abortion. "No child, no newborn," Casey said at a campaign stop, "should suffer because their family are too poor to afford food or medicine for them. They shouldn't have to make that choice. Not in the richest country in the world."
Despite polls showing bad news for Casey, a last minute surge of events saved him. Peace in Iran came for a short time as Tehran fell to NATO troops and Iranian troops were beginning to surrender en masse, the economy seemed to upswing after a long time of mediocrity, and the Reagan campaign suffered several setbacks, including the hospitalization of their Vice-Presidential nominee, former Oklahoma Governor Dewey Bartlett, and the premature announcement of his death by a campaign staffer. Casey won by a hair in both the electoral and popular vote, even as the Democrats suffered a minor setbacks in Congress, even losing the Senate.
The remaining four years were far slower, and did not feature as many popular initiatives, mostly building on the previous ones.
[3] Sanford, despite heavy support by his President, an upswing in the economy, and the conclusion of the Iran War in 1979, was not very popular. He was old, part of a slowly unraveling administration, and was unsuited to the new form of national politicking. Worst of all, he could not inspire passion into voters despite his pick of the loud and notoriously populist Louisiana Governor, Louis Lambert, who some have said scared off many conservative Democrats and swing-voters.
Considering all of his disadvantages , he only narrowly lost to Jack Eckerd, the Florida Governor and former CEO of Eckerd Drugs. Only two percent of the popular vote and Florida's electoral votes separated the two. Eckerd campaigned on a new style of politics, promising social moderation and to "run the nation like a business." His brief tenure was President was mixed, with economic deregulation slowly passing through Congress, but many laws passed under Casey were kept.
[4] The ticket of Eugene McCarthy and Ed Clark was the best performing third party ticket since George Wallace, despite only gaining 3% of the vote nationwide and no electoral votes. Many angry Democrats cited McCarthy's third party bid as siphoning votes from Sanford and allowing Eckfords election, despite polls showing that they broke about even in taking votes from Democrats and Republicans.
[5] Despite much hope from Republicans, Eckerd would only serve one year, four months, and two days of his term as, on May 22, 1982, he was assassinated by an Iranian shooter, seeking revenge for the war. Little known Colorado congressman Donald Brotzman was chosen to be Vice-President mostly in regards to his political experience in (most recently serving as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee during the brief period of Republican rule in the House). He expected mostly to serve as a go-between for the President and Congress, an important if unglamorous job, which he liked. Instead he was kicked up the office of President, forcing him to quickly adapt.
[6] The appointment of Alabama Governor Winston Blount, one of the earlier Deep South Republicans, was when the Brotzman Administration really started coming together. The reconstruction of Iran was progressing slowly, but surely. The Falklands Invasion by the Argentine Junta was quickly repulsed by Britain, with American assistance. Negotiations opened with the People's Republic of China (and later Vietnam), and the economy soared for a time. Few expected much from the little-known Coloradan, but he exceeded in many regards, even if his administration took a few years to be looked back on fondly.
[7] The campaign of "John and Bill" came as far more personable and likable to the professional, if distant and unloved, Brotzman. Despite their stunning win, and large personal popularity, neither man made much out of the Congressional majorities they had. People found them hard to work with, and far too demanding from the, far slower, federal bureaucracy then both were used to as Governors. Scandals piled up, some not even the faults of the Administration, but with them left holding the check for them. It was obvious as early as May 1986 that the Republicans were going to win big in the next Presidential election
[8] Two Governors replacing two other Governors seemed like a repeat of the last four years with different parties, but the Smith Administration proved far more effective then expected. The largest set of tax cuts and public expenditures proved stressful on the federal deficit, but was extremely popular with the voters who benefited from newly fixed roads and more accessible transportation. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 was enough to secure them re-election, regardless of other domestic concerns. Politicians from both parties avoided the primaries like the plague, leading to the extremely unpopular Democratic nominees.
[9] A crowded field of "second-string Democrats," in former President Bob Casey's own words, allowed the nomination of right-wing Democratic gadfly Richard Perle. Even the nomination of the first woman to a major Presidential ticket was not enough to stop large amounts of liberal abstention, and the largest Presidential landslide since Lyndon Johnson.
(Kind of ran of steam at the end there.
Sorry)
[The Boy President]
1969-1973: Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew (Republican)
1968 def. Hubert Humphrey/Ed Muskie (Democratic), George Wallace/Curtis LeMay (American Independent Party)
1973-1981: Robert Casey/Terry Sanford (Democratic) [1]
1972 def. Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew (Republican)
1976 def. Ronald Reagan/Dewey Bartlett (Republican) [2]
1981-1982: Jack Eckerd/Donald Brotzman (Republican) [3]
1980 def. Terry Sanford/Louis Lambert (Democratic), Eugene McCarthy/Ed Clark (People's) [4]
*1982: Donald Brotzman/none (Republican) [5]
*1982-1985: Donald Brotzman/Winston Blount (Republican) [6]
1985-1989: John Hill/Bill Fitzgerald (Democratic) [7]
1984 def. Donald Brotzman/Winston Blount (Republican)
1989-1997: Chris Smith/Will Romney (Republican) [8]
1988 def. John Hill/ Bill Fitzgerald (Democratic)
1992 def. Richard Perle /Jeanne Kirkpatrick (Democratic) [9]
[1] A dark horse to everyone, even the highly paranoid President himself. Despite promises that he had no interest in running, Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey performed a surprisingly strong second place finish in New Hampshire as a write-in (albeit with plenty of friends and support rushing in to help him). This out-of-nowhere appearance disoriented the Muskie campaign, up until then the frontrunner. After knocking down giant after giant, from Henry Jackson (who polled surprisingly little in the primaries) to former nominee Hubert Humphrey. After a rather heated Convention, Casey nominated former North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford to add regional variety and gravitas to the ticket. Despite attacks on Casey's age ("the boy Governor") and counteracts on Nixon ("yesterday's man"), the Democrats were able to harness the working class discontent that had propelled George Wallace in 1968, as well as the coalition that had carried Kennedy to office.
Many allusions and direct connections were made to John Kennedy during the election, something that was unavoidable given the candidates youth (at 40 he was a couple years younger then Kennedy when he ran, and was the youngest Presidential candidate since William Jennings Bryan), Catholicism, and optimistic liberalism. But, aside from trying to ride on the image of Kennedy, Casey ran on an ambitious platform, rivaling the Great Society in scope in terms of federal reach on schooling, health, welfare, and others. His tight, professional campaign and professional platform managed to smooth over many differences between party members. All that was left was to take the fight to Nixon, to castigate him for the continued war in Vietnam,
It all worked, as in November Casey became the first President since Franklin Roosevelt to defeat an incumbent President (a comparison Casey liked to draw), and the first since Buchanan to hail from Pennsylvania (not so much). His tenure in office would be dominated by a struggling economy, the flaring up of tensions in Vietnam (which would be forcibly united by the North in 1974), and difficult international relations. The largest of this was the overthrow of the Shah in 1975, the massacre of the American embassy, and the beginnings of the Iranian War.
Domestically there was more success. The creation of the EPA, several environmentalist bills, work safety standardization, and a score of other bills were hurriedly passed in his first two years, nearly rivaling the Johnson Administrations. His biggest achievement, in may Democrats eyes, was the passage of the Kennedy-Dellums Act, a market-based healthcare system modeled off of the German model. While engendering furious opposition by the Congressional Republicans, and many Democrats, it passed and became the thing the Casey administration was known for.
As time went on, however, Casey's political fortunes seemed dim. The economy was still stuck in the mud, the War in Iran was, despite heavy support from NATO, quickly becoming a Middle-Eastern Vietnam (in the words of many anti-war liberals), and Casey's failed attempts to ban abortion and the death penalty backfired and made him forfeit a lot of momentum. The Republican nomination, worst of all, was quickly wrapped up by former California Governor Ronald Reagan. The Democrats were facing a united front, mostly, and feared a big loss.
[2] Casey attacked Reagan from the right on abortion, pulling out the 1967 Therapeutic Abortion Act that he signed in as California governor. The Casey campaign also attacked Reagan as "pro-birth and anti-life," drawing attention to the Governors simultaneous support of the death penalty and his opposition to abortion. "No child, no newborn," Casey said at a campaign stop, "should suffer because their family are too poor to afford food or medicine for them. They shouldn't have to make that choice. Not in the richest country in the world."
Despite polls showing bad news for Casey, a last minute surge of events saved him. Peace in Iran came for a short time as Tehran fell to NATO troops and Iranian troops were beginning to surrender en masse, the economy seemed to upswing after a long time of mediocrity, and the Reagan campaign suffered several setbacks, including the hospitalization of their Vice-Presidential nominee, former Oklahoma Governor Dewey Bartlett, and the premature announcement of his death by a campaign staffer. Casey won by a hair in both the electoral and popular vote, even as the Democrats suffered a minor setbacks in Congress, even losing the Senate.
The remaining four years were far slower, and did not feature as many popular initiatives, mostly building on the previous ones.
[3] Sanford, despite heavy support by his President, an upswing in the economy, and the conclusion of the Iran War in 1979, was not very popular. He was old, part of a slowly unraveling administration, and was unsuited to the new form of national politicking. Worst of all, he could not inspire passion into voters despite his pick of the loud and notoriously populist Louisiana Governor, Louis Lambert, who some have said scared off many conservative Democrats and swing-voters.
Considering all of his disadvantages , he only narrowly lost to Jack Eckerd, the Florida Governor and former CEO of Eckerd Drugs. Only two percent of the popular vote and Florida's electoral votes separated the two. Eckerd campaigned on a new style of politics, promising social moderation and to "run the nation like a business." His brief tenure was President was mixed, with economic deregulation slowly passing through Congress, but many laws passed under Casey were kept.
[4] The ticket of Eugene McCarthy and Ed Clark was the best performing third party ticket since George Wallace, despite only gaining 3% of the vote nationwide and no electoral votes. Many angry Democrats cited McCarthy's third party bid as siphoning votes from Sanford and allowing Eckfords election, despite polls showing that they broke about even in taking votes from Democrats and Republicans.
[5] Despite much hope from Republicans, Eckerd would only serve one year, four months, and two days of his term as, on May 22, 1982, he was assassinated by an Iranian shooter, seeking revenge for the war. Little known Colorado congressman Donald Brotzman was chosen to be Vice-President mostly in regards to his political experience in (most recently serving as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee during the brief period of Republican rule in the House). He expected mostly to serve as a go-between for the President and Congress, an important if unglamorous job, which he liked. Instead he was kicked up the office of President, forcing him to quickly adapt.
[6] The appointment of Alabama Governor Winston Blount, one of the earlier Deep South Republicans, was when the Brotzman Administration really started coming together. The reconstruction of Iran was progressing slowly, but surely. The Falklands Invasion by the Argentine Junta was quickly repulsed by Britain, with American assistance. Negotiations opened with the People's Republic of China (and later Vietnam), and the economy soared for a time. Few expected much from the little-known Coloradan, but he exceeded in many regards, even if his administration took a few years to be looked back on fondly.
[7] The campaign of "John and Bill" came as far more personable and likable to the professional, if distant and unloved, Brotzman. Despite their stunning win, and large personal popularity, neither man made much out of the Congressional majorities they had. People found them hard to work with, and far too demanding from the, far slower, federal bureaucracy then both were used to as Governors. Scandals piled up, some not even the faults of the Administration, but with them left holding the check for them. It was obvious as early as May 1986 that the Republicans were going to win big in the next Presidential election
[8] Two Governors replacing two other Governors seemed like a repeat of the last four years with different parties, but the Smith Administration proved far more effective then expected. The largest set of tax cuts and public expenditures proved stressful on the federal deficit, but was extremely popular with the voters who benefited from newly fixed roads and more accessible transportation. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 was enough to secure them re-election, regardless of other domestic concerns. Politicians from both parties avoided the primaries like the plague, leading to the extremely unpopular Democratic nominees.
[9] A crowded field of "second-string Democrats," in former President Bob Casey's own words, allowed the nomination of right-wing Democratic gadfly Richard Perle. Even the nomination of the first woman to a major Presidential ticket was not enough to stop large amounts of liberal abstention, and the largest Presidential landslide since Lyndon Johnson.
(Kind of ran of steam at the end there.
Sorry)- Nofix
- Word Count: 1.6k