This is a reboot of this thread from last year - I don't think the discussion was entirely finished, and I'd like to see it continue.
Assuming John F. Kennedy is not assassinated and completes his second term, what does the election of 1968 look like? To avoid having to deal with the complications of an attempted assassination, the POD is simply Oswald either not being allowed back into the US or being arrested after attempting to assassinate General Edwin Walker. Of course, so much here depends on how JFK's second term goes, and it's a good topic for us to discuss in this kind of thread. I think it's more than safe to assume he will be re-elected - Goldwater is still the likely Republican nominee, and JFK is still popular.
On the subject of Vietnam - I know plenty will disagree, but I do not believe Kennedy would have escalated the situation. From what I can tell, Kennedy was skeptical of many of his advisers, and seemed hesitant to make the crucial step of committing combat troops. I expect he would have tried to seek a diplomatic settlement, and I don't think it's impossible he would have achieved it.
On Civil Rights, I think Kennedy would still have managed to pass crucial legislation. It would probably not have been as robust as OTL's CRA and VRA, and it would likely have taken several months longer to be passed, but I think there was enough pressure on the President and Congress to do something that I think it's safe to say it would have happened.
I doubt LBJ or Bobby Kennedy will be nominated in 1968 - Hubert Humphrey (or Eugene McCarthy?) seems more likely.
There is certainly an argument to be made that Nixon's comeback in 1968 is still likely, but I will mention an intriguing possibility mentioned in the earlier thread. Assuming the Republicans perform somewhat better in 1964, it is quite possible Charles Percy could be elected Governor of Illinois. He was a moderate, but on good terms with the conservatives - overall, he could be a good choice for the Republican nomination.
Assuming John F. Kennedy is not assassinated and completes his second term, what does the election of 1968 look like? To avoid having to deal with the complications of an attempted assassination, the POD is simply Oswald either not being allowed back into the US or being arrested after attempting to assassinate General Edwin Walker. Of course, so much here depends on how JFK's second term goes, and it's a good topic for us to discuss in this kind of thread. I think it's more than safe to assume he will be re-elected - Goldwater is still the likely Republican nominee, and JFK is still popular.
On the subject of Vietnam - I know plenty will disagree, but I do not believe Kennedy would have escalated the situation. From what I can tell, Kennedy was skeptical of many of his advisers, and seemed hesitant to make the crucial step of committing combat troops. I expect he would have tried to seek a diplomatic settlement, and I don't think it's impossible he would have achieved it.
On Civil Rights, I think Kennedy would still have managed to pass crucial legislation. It would probably not have been as robust as OTL's CRA and VRA, and it would likely have taken several months longer to be passed, but I think there was enough pressure on the President and Congress to do something that I think it's safe to say it would have happened.
I doubt LBJ or Bobby Kennedy will be nominated in 1968 - Hubert Humphrey (or Eugene McCarthy?) seems more likely.
There is certainly an argument to be made that Nixon's comeback in 1968 is still likely, but I will mention an intriguing possibility mentioned in the earlier thread. Assuming the Republicans perform somewhat better in 1964, it is quite possible Charles Percy could be elected Governor of Illinois. He was a moderate, but on good terms with the conservatives - overall, he could be a good choice for the Republican nomination.
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