Xen
Banned
The 1960 election was so close we can easily swing it Nixon's way, so here he barely defeats JFK in the 1960 election. Nixon moves into the White House, and JFK stays in the Senate until he retire from politics in 1971, Kennedy dies in 1993.
As President Nixon faced his first test in April 1961 with the Bay of Pigs, unlike OTL, Nixon didn't hold out any punches, and the operation was a success. Other than the USSR making some noise and saber rattling, the world largely turned its head to the incident. Nixon had handed Cuba back to Fulgencio Batista, and left the Marine Corps there to put down any rebellion that may try to overthrow Batista.
Where as Nixon claimed victory in Cuba he failed a few months later in Berlin when the East German government erected a wall meant to keep its people from going to the west. The American media hounded Nixon for his failure to prevent the wall from going up.
Not wanting to look soft on Communism, Nixon stepped up the Arms Race which dominated his foreign policy in his first term. Domestically the United States was in turmoil in the South, the Civil Rights movement had reached a fevor pitch as images of young black's being attacked by dogs and beaten by police were shown across the world. Horror stories of lynchings and rapes echoed throughout the country. It was clear to everybody, except in the south, that something had to be done.
Nixon's first term was considered successful and in 1964 he squared off against Lyndon B. Johnson and the son of FDR, James Roosevelt for the Presidential nomination. The race is closely contested with the democrats focusing on the Race riots, and the Berlin Wall. Nixon manages to squeeze yet another race by just over 200,000 votes.
His second term looks more sinister, the United States entered the Vietnam Conflict in 1965 with Nixon giving long speeches on television about dominos. Now Americans watch news footages of young men trudging along in rice fields, and in swamps. Though the Army fights bravely and claims victory battle after battle, the Viet Cong keep coming. Meanwhile the race issue in the south continues to climax. The black civil rights leader Malcom X is shot in 1966, causing riots in Montgomery, Atlanta and Dallas. To keep the riots from spreading northward, Nixon signs the Civil Rights Act in December 1966.
Soviet Premeir Nikita Khruschev plays America's faults to a hilt, Africa becomes the Soviet's main target for exporting communism. Other than some border troubles with China, the Soviets have come out smelling like roses in the late 60s. America's youth marches in the streets protesting the war, and demonstrating for Civil Rights, experimenting with drugs and fully embracing the musical and sexual revolutions. Groups like the Beatles, and Rolling Stones became outlets for teens to express themselves.
Israel found itself again victorious over its Arab neighbors, and occupying the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai, and Golan Heights. Military and political analysists are awed by Israel's efficiency in the Six Day War, and have spent countless hours studying their tactics. In Greece a military coup is foiled by loyalists to the King, the leaders of the attempted coup are arrested, tried for treason and executed.
With Civil Rights, and Vietnam being the focus of American politics, Vice President Lodge nominated Nelson Rockefeller as his running mate and squared off against Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York and his running mate George McGovern. Nixon's time as President was coming to an end, and only one thing was clear, he was leaving the country a different place than when he was sworn in in 1961.
As President Nixon faced his first test in April 1961 with the Bay of Pigs, unlike OTL, Nixon didn't hold out any punches, and the operation was a success. Other than the USSR making some noise and saber rattling, the world largely turned its head to the incident. Nixon had handed Cuba back to Fulgencio Batista, and left the Marine Corps there to put down any rebellion that may try to overthrow Batista.
Where as Nixon claimed victory in Cuba he failed a few months later in Berlin when the East German government erected a wall meant to keep its people from going to the west. The American media hounded Nixon for his failure to prevent the wall from going up.
Not wanting to look soft on Communism, Nixon stepped up the Arms Race which dominated his foreign policy in his first term. Domestically the United States was in turmoil in the South, the Civil Rights movement had reached a fevor pitch as images of young black's being attacked by dogs and beaten by police were shown across the world. Horror stories of lynchings and rapes echoed throughout the country. It was clear to everybody, except in the south, that something had to be done.
Nixon's first term was considered successful and in 1964 he squared off against Lyndon B. Johnson and the son of FDR, James Roosevelt for the Presidential nomination. The race is closely contested with the democrats focusing on the Race riots, and the Berlin Wall. Nixon manages to squeeze yet another race by just over 200,000 votes.
His second term looks more sinister, the United States entered the Vietnam Conflict in 1965 with Nixon giving long speeches on television about dominos. Now Americans watch news footages of young men trudging along in rice fields, and in swamps. Though the Army fights bravely and claims victory battle after battle, the Viet Cong keep coming. Meanwhile the race issue in the south continues to climax. The black civil rights leader Malcom X is shot in 1966, causing riots in Montgomery, Atlanta and Dallas. To keep the riots from spreading northward, Nixon signs the Civil Rights Act in December 1966.
Soviet Premeir Nikita Khruschev plays America's faults to a hilt, Africa becomes the Soviet's main target for exporting communism. Other than some border troubles with China, the Soviets have come out smelling like roses in the late 60s. America's youth marches in the streets protesting the war, and demonstrating for Civil Rights, experimenting with drugs and fully embracing the musical and sexual revolutions. Groups like the Beatles, and Rolling Stones became outlets for teens to express themselves.
Israel found itself again victorious over its Arab neighbors, and occupying the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai, and Golan Heights. Military and political analysists are awed by Israel's efficiency in the Six Day War, and have spent countless hours studying their tactics. In Greece a military coup is foiled by loyalists to the King, the leaders of the attempted coup are arrested, tried for treason and executed.
With Civil Rights, and Vietnam being the focus of American politics, Vice President Lodge nominated Nelson Rockefeller as his running mate and squared off against Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York and his running mate George McGovern. Nixon's time as President was coming to an end, and only one thing was clear, he was leaving the country a different place than when he was sworn in in 1961.
I could imagine both those previous jobs are going to give him a very distinctive take on the world