alternatehistory.com
Cevolian - Finished When He Quits
1969-1973: Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew (Republican)
1968 def - Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie (Democratic), George Wallace/Curtis LeMay (American Independent Party)
1972 def - George McGovern/Sargent Shriver (Democratic)
1973-1977: Richard Nixon/Gerald Ford (Repblican)
When Richard Nixon sought to replace the scandalous Spiro Agnew with Gerald Ford, most knew he wasn't unlikely to last long as Vice President. External commentators recognised that he only has the last four years of the Nixon Presidency to serve, whilst figures inside the administration saw Ford as little more than a placeholder. In fact, Nixon had much wider plans, and with the so-called "Watergate Hotel Scandal" turning out to be nothing (and any investigation was abandoned after Bob Woodward's unfortunate death in a car accident), began the process of campaigning to repeal the 22nd amendment. In the end it was only repealed narrowly, with the 28th amendment passing with the exact number of states required. The popular President, who had won peace with honour in Vietnam and seemed the most deft hand to deal with the nation's economic woes could now seek a third term. The nation, however, was shocked when President Nixon announced that he would seek to form a third party to run for President and hoped to have former Democrat John Connally as his running mate...
1977-1981: Richard Nixon/John Connally (National Majority)
1976 def - Mo Udall/Frank Church (Democratic), Ronald Reagan/Nelson Rockefeller (Republican)
Despite the divided conservative vote, Nixon and Connally would win in 1976 and whilst not as big a win as in 1972, they entered the White House comfortably with a mandate to govern. It was from there that things went downhill; although the Republicans had been defeated with their "party unity" ticket in the Presidential election, they had kept most of their Senate and House seats, with Nixon's National Majority Party picking up just six seats in the Senate (though many from both other parties were willing to pass some of his reforms). Throughout Nixon's third term the Democrats and Republicans would have a majority together, and form 1979, the Dmeocrats alone would have a majority in both houses. With little he could do domestically, and with most of his work "already done" in foreign affairs, Nixon spent his last two years in office as a lame duck, even as he worked with the USA's Cold War rivals to pass the "Strategic Military Armaments Reduction Treaty" (SMART) in 1978. With Stagflation still gripping the country and more and more scandals leaked to the press, Nixon declined to run in 1980 and, after a brief challenge from John Anderson, Vice President Connally secured the nomination easily.
1981-1989: Birch E. Bayh/Dolph Briscoe (Democratic)
1980 def - John Connally/John Anderson (National Majority), Donald Rumsfeld/Alexander Haig (Republican)
1984 def - Jack Kemp/Elliot Richardson (National Republican)
1980 saw strident Nixon critic, constitutional amendment author, and electoral reform advocate Birch Bayh elected to the Presidency in a narrow victory he himself saw as reason enough for electoral reform (which was narrowly passed, alongside the re-instatement of the 22nd amendment, in 1982). Bayh governed from the left, enacting liberal policies which inspired a new generation of left-wing activists with hope after the dark days of the Nixon administration and brought the country "into the light of the modern day". Surprisingly, Bayh continued Nixon's efforts to lessen Cold War tensions, signing SMART II in 1983 and then signing the "Mutual Military Reduction Treaty" in 1984 which saw Germany demilitarised. The quiet death of the Cold War was immensely popular, and saw Bayh re-elected on a andslide against the newly united National Republican Party in 1984.
In Bayh's second term, the rifts within the Democratic Party became clearer, and with the Electoral College scrapped, many even called for the setting up of a new left-wing party. This did not happen (in part because Bayh was able to negotiate that Ted Kennedy would be cornoated in 1988 (after a strong showing as a challenger in the 1984 primary) in return for Dolph Briscoe being handed a free Senate run in 1988, and if he lost it the State Department. With the National Republicans sweeping the 1986 mid-terms there was little that Bayh could do which was as radical as the actions of his first term, though work towards expanding healthcare (already done under Medicaid II in 1985) was completed with widespread approval. A controversial bill on Universal Basic Income drafted under Nixon narrowly saw defeat in the Senate despite widespread support on both sides of the aisle, and wouldbe in the Party Platform for the Democrats in 1988. However, as the 1988 election rolled around, economic recovery seemed to have slowed despite early success form Bayh's stimulus packages - the National Republicans with their promise of widespread fiscal responsibility and reform won a slim margin of victory, and Edward Kennedy, despite a hard fought campaign, found himself locked out in the cold...
1989-0000: Charles Percy/Lloyd Bentsen (National Republican)
1988 def - Ted Kennedy/Jerry Brown (Democratic)
The story of Charles Percy and Lloyd Bentsen is truly that of the National Republican Party. A centrist Republican, Percy had been an early defector to the National Majority Party, and was the party's Senate leader from 1976-1988, whilst also having had a long and illustrious career on the Sebate Foreign Affairs Committee. Bentsen, a Conservative Democrat, represented the other wing of the National Majority Party; disaffected southern conservative democrats with no home in an increasingly left-wing party. When the two secured the nomination in 1988, it had become clear that the "National Majority" party was truly in control of the "New GOP", and that old-school Republicans had been largely phased out. Now entering office, the two seem set to once again enforce the will of the "Silent Majority" of Americans.
Finished When He Quits
"A man is not finished when he's defeated, he's finished when he quits."
"A man is not finished when he's defeated, he's finished when he quits."
1969-1973: Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew (Republican)
1968 def - Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie (Democratic), George Wallace/Curtis LeMay (American Independent Party)
1972 def - George McGovern/Sargent Shriver (Democratic)
1973-1977: Richard Nixon/Gerald Ford (Repblican)
When Richard Nixon sought to replace the scandalous Spiro Agnew with Gerald Ford, most knew he wasn't unlikely to last long as Vice President. External commentators recognised that he only has the last four years of the Nixon Presidency to serve, whilst figures inside the administration saw Ford as little more than a placeholder. In fact, Nixon had much wider plans, and with the so-called "Watergate Hotel Scandal" turning out to be nothing (and any investigation was abandoned after Bob Woodward's unfortunate death in a car accident), began the process of campaigning to repeal the 22nd amendment. In the end it was only repealed narrowly, with the 28th amendment passing with the exact number of states required. The popular President, who had won peace with honour in Vietnam and seemed the most deft hand to deal with the nation's economic woes could now seek a third term. The nation, however, was shocked when President Nixon announced that he would seek to form a third party to run for President and hoped to have former Democrat John Connally as his running mate...
1977-1981: Richard Nixon/John Connally (National Majority)
1976 def - Mo Udall/Frank Church (Democratic), Ronald Reagan/Nelson Rockefeller (Republican)
Despite the divided conservative vote, Nixon and Connally would win in 1976 and whilst not as big a win as in 1972, they entered the White House comfortably with a mandate to govern. It was from there that things went downhill; although the Republicans had been defeated with their "party unity" ticket in the Presidential election, they had kept most of their Senate and House seats, with Nixon's National Majority Party picking up just six seats in the Senate (though many from both other parties were willing to pass some of his reforms). Throughout Nixon's third term the Democrats and Republicans would have a majority together, and form 1979, the Dmeocrats alone would have a majority in both houses. With little he could do domestically, and with most of his work "already done" in foreign affairs, Nixon spent his last two years in office as a lame duck, even as he worked with the USA's Cold War rivals to pass the "Strategic Military Armaments Reduction Treaty" (SMART) in 1978. With Stagflation still gripping the country and more and more scandals leaked to the press, Nixon declined to run in 1980 and, after a brief challenge from John Anderson, Vice President Connally secured the nomination easily.
1981-1989: Birch E. Bayh/Dolph Briscoe (Democratic)
1980 def - John Connally/John Anderson (National Majority), Donald Rumsfeld/Alexander Haig (Republican)
1984 def - Jack Kemp/Elliot Richardson (National Republican)
1980 saw strident Nixon critic, constitutional amendment author, and electoral reform advocate Birch Bayh elected to the Presidency in a narrow victory he himself saw as reason enough for electoral reform (which was narrowly passed, alongside the re-instatement of the 22nd amendment, in 1982). Bayh governed from the left, enacting liberal policies which inspired a new generation of left-wing activists with hope after the dark days of the Nixon administration and brought the country "into the light of the modern day". Surprisingly, Bayh continued Nixon's efforts to lessen Cold War tensions, signing SMART II in 1983 and then signing the "Mutual Military Reduction Treaty" in 1984 which saw Germany demilitarised. The quiet death of the Cold War was immensely popular, and saw Bayh re-elected on a andslide against the newly united National Republican Party in 1984.
In Bayh's second term, the rifts within the Democratic Party became clearer, and with the Electoral College scrapped, many even called for the setting up of a new left-wing party. This did not happen (in part because Bayh was able to negotiate that Ted Kennedy would be cornoated in 1988 (after a strong showing as a challenger in the 1984 primary) in return for Dolph Briscoe being handed a free Senate run in 1988, and if he lost it the State Department. With the National Republicans sweeping the 1986 mid-terms there was little that Bayh could do which was as radical as the actions of his first term, though work towards expanding healthcare (already done under Medicaid II in 1985) was completed with widespread approval. A controversial bill on Universal Basic Income drafted under Nixon narrowly saw defeat in the Senate despite widespread support on both sides of the aisle, and wouldbe in the Party Platform for the Democrats in 1988. However, as the 1988 election rolled around, economic recovery seemed to have slowed despite early success form Bayh's stimulus packages - the National Republicans with their promise of widespread fiscal responsibility and reform won a slim margin of victory, and Edward Kennedy, despite a hard fought campaign, found himself locked out in the cold...
1989-0000: Charles Percy/Lloyd Bentsen (National Republican)
1988 def - Ted Kennedy/Jerry Brown (Democratic)
The story of Charles Percy and Lloyd Bentsen is truly that of the National Republican Party. A centrist Republican, Percy had been an early defector to the National Majority Party, and was the party's Senate leader from 1976-1988, whilst also having had a long and illustrious career on the Sebate Foreign Affairs Committee. Bentsen, a Conservative Democrat, represented the other wing of the National Majority Party; disaffected southern conservative democrats with no home in an increasingly left-wing party. When the two secured the nomination in 1988, it had become clear that the "National Majority" party was truly in control of the "New GOP", and that old-school Republicans had been largely phased out. Now entering office, the two seem set to once again enforce the will of the "Silent Majority" of Americans.
- Cevolian
- Word Count: 990