alternatehistory.com
Chapter 70
You Gotta Have Hart - The Hart Beats Again
Last time on You Gotta Have Hart....
"It is with a heavy heart that I must announce my withdrawal from the Democratic primaries, and my subsequent endorsement of Gary Hart for President of the United States."
-Jesse Jackson withdrawing from the Democratic primaries
Meanwhile, on the Republican side of the race...
It was a breakthrough victory for the Bush campaign, which only became better with the added news that he had won the Delaware caucuses on the same evening. For Dole, his second place finishes in both states were enough to stave off the end of the campaign, but a victory was quickly becoming necessary to stay in the race.
The Quayle campaign was becoming more and more worried. The major concern was that the novelty of his campaign was wearing thin, and the Republican electorate was turning to the conventional choice as a cop-out.
The path would only become harder for Quayle, with the next Republican primaries coming in New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania.
And for George Bush, victory was coming into sight.
And without further ado, we resume You Gotta Have Hart:
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April 10th, 1988
While the Republican Party continued to writhe and thrash with itself without any semblance of party unity, the now-extinct Democratic field of candidates came together at a fundraising event in presumptive nominee Gary Hart's hometown of Aspen in order to demonstrate the sense of camaraderie that was so clearly lacking in the party of their opponents.
While some of the candidates had commitments tying them up in Washington, Hart sat alongside Lee Iacocca and Jesse Jackson for the Gala event, and the three former enemies were fast friends as they discussed the future of their party.
The seating arrangement was almost poetic: the three candidates were seated on a dais at the front of the supper event, with Lee Iacocca in the chair on the right. Hart sat between the two men, and Jesse Jackson, wearing the pin of the Rainbow Coalition, sat to his left.
As the three men talked of the country's future as casually as if they were perched on a front porch, the hired security dragged a bedraggled man wearing shorts, a flannel shirt and a fishing hat before Hart.
"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," the burly security guard said meekly, "but this man here has a media pass that he claims is legitimate, and he says he knows you..."
The Hart campaign, now transitioning to the pace of a general election, assured that the gala was highly publicized, allowing a slew of media into the building. There were correspondents from all of the major networks and publications, from the Times all the way to Rolling Stone.
When the assignment information reached the desk of the magazine's owner Jann Wenner, he didn't have to think long before he was sure who he would send. He knew his best man was stationed only a few miles from the address where the party was set to commence. He was on the phone with his man in seconds, and after a fair amount of shouting and gunshots, an agreement was made.
His man was now in the arms of the security guard, the journalist's pistol clearly visible on it's holster. Gary Hart pantomimed a sigh before nodding to security.
"Yes, I suppose I know him," he said. He turned to Iacocca and Jackson with a look of mischievous entertainment shining in his eyes.
"Gentlemen," he said, "Let me introduce you to Hunter S. Thompson."
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As the Democrats acted chummy at Hart's bash, the Republican Party finally inched closer to unity.
After his victory in the Wisconsin primary, he knew that the call was coming. Hell, the entire campaign staff was aware that this sort of telephonic adventure was rapidly approaching. With this in mind, Bush's closest advisers had prepped him over and over, and the decision was finally reached. He knew what he was to say when the call came.
As he read about Hart's show of unity in Aspen, his phone rang.
"Vice President Bush?" Bob Dole's nasally Kansas drawl crowed over the handset.
"Senator Dole, I must say that it is music to my ears to hear your voice today. How's the campaign?" A laugh shot through the other line, a new chuckle that Bush had never heard from his longtime colleague.
"I think you know how it is George, considering that you are the one whipping my ass up and down these fifty states. It's about time that I get out of this race." Bush's heart was slamming against his chest.
"Let me guess," he said, barely holding in his excitement, "this revelation doesn't come without strings attached?"
"Well, not exactly," Dole said, "and I think you know what guarantee I am looking for here."
"Tell me it's as easy as platform influence?" Bush said, half-kidding and half-hoping. He could almost hear Dole shaking his head over the phone line.
"No, it's not quite that simple. While I certainly want to have a large hand in the alteration of the platform (and God knows we have to moderate against the Quayle wing), I only want to do it as your running mate."
A candidate with less preparation or worse timing than he might have stumbled, but Vice President Bush had run through in his head what he would say to this statement at least one hundred times.
"Off the record, I am prepared to offer you the Vice Presidential nomination."
Last time on You Gotta Have Hart....
"It is with a heavy heart that I must announce my withdrawal from the Democratic primaries, and my subsequent endorsement of Gary Hart for President of the United States."
-Jesse Jackson withdrawing from the Democratic primaries
Meanwhile, on the Republican side of the race...
It was a breakthrough victory for the Bush campaign, which only became better with the added news that he had won the Delaware caucuses on the same evening. For Dole, his second place finishes in both states were enough to stave off the end of the campaign, but a victory was quickly becoming necessary to stay in the race.
The Quayle campaign was becoming more and more worried. The major concern was that the novelty of his campaign was wearing thin, and the Republican electorate was turning to the conventional choice as a cop-out.
The path would only become harder for Quayle, with the next Republican primaries coming in New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania.
And for George Bush, victory was coming into sight.
And without further ado, we resume You Gotta Have Hart:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 10th, 1988
While the Republican Party continued to writhe and thrash with itself without any semblance of party unity, the now-extinct Democratic field of candidates came together at a fundraising event in presumptive nominee Gary Hart's hometown of Aspen in order to demonstrate the sense of camaraderie that was so clearly lacking in the party of their opponents.
While some of the candidates had commitments tying them up in Washington, Hart sat alongside Lee Iacocca and Jesse Jackson for the Gala event, and the three former enemies were fast friends as they discussed the future of their party.
The seating arrangement was almost poetic: the three candidates were seated on a dais at the front of the supper event, with Lee Iacocca in the chair on the right. Hart sat between the two men, and Jesse Jackson, wearing the pin of the Rainbow Coalition, sat to his left.
As the three men talked of the country's future as casually as if they were perched on a front porch, the hired security dragged a bedraggled man wearing shorts, a flannel shirt and a fishing hat before Hart.
"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," the burly security guard said meekly, "but this man here has a media pass that he claims is legitimate, and he says he knows you..."
The Hart campaign, now transitioning to the pace of a general election, assured that the gala was highly publicized, allowing a slew of media into the building. There were correspondents from all of the major networks and publications, from the Times all the way to Rolling Stone.
When the assignment information reached the desk of the magazine's owner Jann Wenner, he didn't have to think long before he was sure who he would send. He knew his best man was stationed only a few miles from the address where the party was set to commence. He was on the phone with his man in seconds, and after a fair amount of shouting and gunshots, an agreement was made.
His man was now in the arms of the security guard, the journalist's pistol clearly visible on it's holster. Gary Hart pantomimed a sigh before nodding to security.
"Yes, I suppose I know him," he said. He turned to Iacocca and Jackson with a look of mischievous entertainment shining in his eyes.
"Gentlemen," he said, "Let me introduce you to Hunter S. Thompson."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the Democrats acted chummy at Hart's bash, the Republican Party finally inched closer to unity.
After his victory in the Wisconsin primary, he knew that the call was coming. Hell, the entire campaign staff was aware that this sort of telephonic adventure was rapidly approaching. With this in mind, Bush's closest advisers had prepped him over and over, and the decision was finally reached. He knew what he was to say when the call came.
As he read about Hart's show of unity in Aspen, his phone rang.
"Vice President Bush?" Bob Dole's nasally Kansas drawl crowed over the handset.
"Senator Dole, I must say that it is music to my ears to hear your voice today. How's the campaign?" A laugh shot through the other line, a new chuckle that Bush had never heard from his longtime colleague.
"I think you know how it is George, considering that you are the one whipping my ass up and down these fifty states. It's about time that I get out of this race." Bush's heart was slamming against his chest.
"Let me guess," he said, barely holding in his excitement, "this revelation doesn't come without strings attached?"
"Well, not exactly," Dole said, "and I think you know what guarantee I am looking for here."
"Tell me it's as easy as platform influence?" Bush said, half-kidding and half-hoping. He could almost hear Dole shaking his head over the phone line.
"No, it's not quite that simple. While I certainly want to have a large hand in the alteration of the platform (and God knows we have to moderate against the Quayle wing), I only want to do it as your running mate."
A candidate with less preparation or worse timing than he might have stumbled, but Vice President Bush had run through in his head what he would say to this statement at least one hundred times.
"Off the record, I am prepared to offer you the Vice Presidential nomination."
- Meyer London
- Word Count: 930