A New and Golden Dawn

OOC: Starting my Nixon TL a bit hastily perhaps, but with no significant objections raised in discussion I think she's good to go.

The twilight of the Eisenhower Presidency left the United States in the strongest position she had been in in nearly a generation. With a humming economy, a postwar populace settling back into normalcy, and a temporary if fragile peace in Southeast Asia, there was little reason for pessimism on the road ahead. Indeed, the renowned general had in the estimation of the public acquitted himself as well in peace as in war; to this day, no President has left office on such high approval as the one simply called Ike.

The decade to come would prove one of the most challenging and tumultuous in American history, but for the moment the American people would stay the course, blissfully unaware of the brewing storm of change that lay ahead

-From Happy Days: The 1950s Examined, Simon & Schulster Publishing, 1978

The Convention was a formality really. Always is, when you have the incumbent. Sure, Rockefeller and Goldwater had said their bits but I don't think there was a man in that hall who didn't know in his heart that Dick Nixon was going to get the nomination. No, what we were more concerned with was who would get the Vice Presidential nod.

Now, if I remember right, Nixon wanted to make Ambassador Lodge his VP, but of course that wasn't going to fly. For one, in those days you practically needed a Yankee and a Southerner on your ticket or you'd never get anywhere. Someone suggested Goldwater, but that was out; his mouth had a nasty habit of running off at exactly the wrong time, God forbid that man ever got within spitting distance of the Oval Office. After some time we were at a bit of a deadlock; we needed somebody in the South, or at least Southern enough in their stances to give us a shot down there. At the same time, a lot of those present knew that the likelihood of finding a Southerner acceptable to our nominee, and vice versa, was slim to none.

In the end, we decided to take another route: instead of looking for a Southerner, we'd look for an ally. There were some big states that we figured could go either way, New York and Illinois especially, and the line of thought ran that having a VP from there could only be a good thing. By the fourth ballot we were down to Governor Rockefeller of New York and Senator Dirksen of Illinois. In the end we got Dirksen in a squeaker. I'll admit I didn't understand this at first, but in the end everything worked out.

-Former Nixon Chief of Staff Leonard Hall, quoted in For the Future: The Unauthorized Biography of Richard M. Nixon by David Gilbert.

"My fellow Americans, I will not pretend that the world in which we live is not fraught with danger. Indeed, our world is as a volcano lying dormant: impressive to gaze upon, seemingly benign, but capable of terrible destruction. We have known the destructive capabilities of our world; the blood shed twice over in Europe within our lifetimes, the terrible fury of the atomic bomb, the naked aggression of the forces of international communism.

"My friends, ours is not a world in which men of our caliber are allowed time to acclimate before getting down to business. There is no training period for the office of the President of these United States. The situation at hand demands experience, proven leadership ability, and a willingness to do what is necessary to ensure the continuity of freedom in our world. These are the qualities I, Richard Milhous Nixon, bring to this table and to the American table. As your President, I will lead our nation out from the shadows of war, of strife and of uncertainty, and into a new and golden dawn. Thank you, and may God bless America."

-Excerpt from nomination speech of Richard M. Nixon
 
Awesomenesss...Finally a Nixon in '60 TL!!! Do you plan on making it just Administration focused or are your going to take it up to the Present Day?
 
Definitely going through the full administration, then we'll see. I'll keep doing it as long as I have the time and interest, I'd definitely like to eventually take it up to present day though as I think a lot of what Nixon will end up doing ITTL will ripple all the way up to present.
 
POLLS SHOW NIXON, KENNEDY CLOSE IN MIDWEST; KENNEDY APPEARS TO HOLD SOUTH EASILY

-New York Times headline 8/3/60

"I cannot envision a circumstance where the Kennedy campaign would fail to carry the Solid South. The South has not voted Republican since Reconstruction, and with Vice President Nixon's snub fresh in our conscience, we're certainly not about to start now."

-Editorial in Alabama Journal, dated 8/11/60

It was early in the campaign and we were already in panic mode. As many in the party had predicted, Dirksen wasn't doing us any favors in the South, and with the Midwest being anyone's game we had a moment where we were looking down the barrel of a rout come November. We had to have allies in Dixie if we wanted a shot, period. Needless to say, I and the rest of the campaign team spent many a sleepless night stumping for Southern endorsements and pulling names. We had a decent names list going, most of whom would end up giving us a token endorsement, but there were two who immediately jumped out at us, and who would prove to be game-changers.

The first was William F. Buckley, the publisher. Now Buckley may not have been a politician but he was sure as hell influential with that National Review of his, and he could reach a lot more people than we could. In addition, Buckley was still segregationist in those days, so if he vetted us we might just be able to convince a southerner or two that we were worth consideration. In the end, getting his endorsement was easier than I think a lot of us thought it would be. Will Buckley was no friend of Civil Rights, but he sure as hell wasn't about to go supporting Jack Kennedy and his "liberal prep-school agenda" as he called it. A short conversation later and we had full-page Nixon ads running in the Review and Buckley singing our praises everywhere he went.

The second name to be tossed out was Allan Shivers, the former Governor of Texas. I'll admit, a lot of our staff thought this one would be a waste of time, myself included. Shivers was a Texan and a Democrat, they said, and a segregationist to boot. Nixon, though, thought it was a great idea. Shivers had supported Ike in '52, and didn't hold much love for Johnson, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to give him a call.

Now, a lot of people to this day disagree about what happened next, but let me make something absolutely clear: to the best of my knowledge--and I was in that room when the discussion happened--Allan Shivers was never promised a Cabinet seat. I don't know what led Shivers to give us his support, maybe he just wanted to stick in Johnson's craw, but I do know that Richard Nixon was entirely innocent of any wrongdoing in that whole affair.

-Former Nixon Chief of Staff Leonard Hall, quoted in For the Future: The Unauthorized Biography of Richard M. Nixon by David Gilbert

SHIVERS, BUCKLEY ENDORSEMENTS CLOSE GAP IN SOUTH; KENNEDY HANGS ON 51-49 IN LATEST POLL

-New York Times Headline 8/18/60
 
If Lodge said that there goes the black vote. Like many of the smarter (and more demagogic) Dixiecrats, Shivers "could teach it flat or he could teach it round", without actually giving a damn.
 
Whoever said the "Shivers in the Cabinet" (a spinoff of Lodge's "black in the Cabinet) is a dumbass who could very well have tossed Northeastern industrial states where blacks are the key swing demographic. In other words, Nixon may have just lost the election- except that we know he wins.
 
The Shivers in the Cabinet thing is a conspiracy that pops up during and after the election when someone questions why an ostensibly southern Democrat would throw in with Nixon. The theory is that he was promised a cabinet seat (Commerce most likely) in exchange for his endorsement. Whether or not I actually give it to him I haven't decided yet, but bear in mind that Hall is speaking from recollection here, ten or more years after the Nixon presidency, so nobody within the Nixon camp actually came out and said "Allan Shivers will be in our cabinet."
 
OOC: I couldn't find a date for Nixon's knee injury, so I made one up that fits in the TL. If anyone has the actual date, I'd be appreciative.

NIXON HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING KNEE INJURY, VOWS TO KEEP CAMPAIGNING

-New York Times headline, 8/28/60

The knee thing was bad, I'll admit that much. When we heard the prognosis of two weeks there were more than a few who thought it was lost. Richard, though, wouldn't hear any of it. "I've had worse knocks in my life than a dinged up knee," he said. "And none of them stopped me." I admired the Vice President's resolve, but at the same time we had to face reality: he couldn't stump while he was laid up in the hospital, and Kennedy was hitting all of our key territories throughout that period. In the end I think it was some staffer's wife who came up with the idea to doll up the Vice President and stick him in front of a camera in the hospital to do his stumping from afar. I'll tell you, you could've heard Nixon in the next county over when we told him we wanted him to wear makeup to go on camera. Eventually, though, he came to his senses and begrudgingly agreed. With that matter settled, the rest was a simple matter of organization: have Young Republican and local GOP staffers solicit questions from the precincts we were supposed to have covered, and send them to us to be answered on the nation's first Bedside Chat.

The event went off better than we could've hoped. When the idea got out, we got questions and reporters not only from New York, where we were supposed to have been, but from all over the country. The Vice President, to his credit, sold it perfectly, and before long we had an outpouring of support and sympathy letters coming in. Later on, a lot of people would say that the Bedside Chats were what won us the White House. I don't know about that, but they sure as hell helped.

-Former Nixon Chief of Staff Leonard Hall, quoted in For the Future: The Unauthorized Biography of Richard M. Nixon by David Gilbert

Dear Mister Vice President,

I'm writing to you with my Mommy and Daddy's help because Teacher said that you hurt your knee and that we should all send Get Well cards to cheer you up. I wanted to hear your talk on the television, but Daddy said it was past my bedtime and that it was all grownup talk anyway. Daddy talks about you a lot with Mommy. He says you are the best thing for the country and that you will keep us safe from bad men and communists. I asked my brother Jeff what a communist was, he told me that communists are evil people who want to take over the world and hurt all the mommies and daddies in America. If this is true I hope that the grownups pick you to be our next President, since Daddy says you can stop them and Daddy always seems to know everything.

Get Well Soon

-Becky M., Age 7, from Elmira, New York

DIRKSEN TO ADDRESS UNION LEADERS IN DETROIT, CHICAGO AS POLLS SHOW KENNEDY GAINS IN MIDWEST
-New York Times Headline 9/3/60
 
NIXON RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL, RESUMES CAMPAIGNING

-New York Times Headline, 9/11/60

Washington (AP)--Vice President Nixon was released from the hospital to a crowd of well-wishers and media yesterday as he vowed to continue campaigning and offered his condolences to victims of Hurricane Donna.

The Vice President was seen waving and flashing v-for-victory signs as he exited the hospital yesterday morning. While he was observed to be limping slightly, the Vice President appeared in good health and good spirits as he briefly addressed the media that had gathered outside.

"I want to thank all those who have supported me and wished me well throughout this ordeal," the Vice President said. "Your continued support of my campaign is much appreciated, and I have confidence that together we can fulfill my promise to this country of a new and golden dawn."

The Vice President also expressed his condolences to the victims of Hurricane Donna, which struck Florida a day after his hospitalization.

"I wish to express my deepest sympathies to all those who have been affected by the hurricane," Nixon said, adding that he planned to make a visit to the stricken state "in the very near future."

The Nixon campaign has been consistently polling ahead of challenger John F. Kennedy (D-MA) since mid-August, with the latest Gallup poll putting Nixon ahead 54-46 overall. Many analysts, however, predict a close campaign, with Nixon and Kennedy deadlocked in the key states of Illinois, Michigan and New York and Kennedy holding a razor-thin lead in the Deep South.

NIXON: FLORIDA WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN; APPROVAL SOARS IN SUNSHINE STATE
-Miami Herald Headline, 9/13/60

Now, I mentioned earlier that losing those two weeks turned out to be a blessing in disguise in more ways than one. Obviously, the first was the Bedside Chats idea we came up with, but the second was just as important I think. You see, the Vice President had originally wanted to hit every state in the Union. In his head, I guess it made sense, but the fact of the matter was some states were more important than others, period. By the time Nixon got released, I guess he'd seen the light or figured there wasn't enough time. From that point on, he never raised many objections over where we wanted him to go, although he did occasionally complain that we were working him too hard. Our schedule was grueling, to be sure, but we had some serious ground to make up.

The first stop was in Florida, where Hurricane Donna had just hit a few weeks back. My God, to this day I've never seen such destruction. The whole damn thing looked like a warzone. We were afraid at first that the Vice President might not be able to connect with the victims; he had had a bit of a reputation in Washington for being cold, formal, disconnected. As ever, though, Tricky Dick (God how he hated that name) surprised us. He ditched the suit coat, threw on some suspenders and a hat and rolled up his sleeves as he walked down the streets of what had once been Fort Myers, listening to the mayor and talking to victims. The outpouring of support was unbelievable. White and Negro alike, coming up to the Vice President of the United States and thanking him for his support.

As we lifted off from Page Field in the helicopter that evening, I turned to the Vice President and remarked that it looked like we had Florida locked up pretty tight. "Not now, Leo," he said softly, staring out the window at the sunset. As I turned away, I saw a single tear roll down the Vice President's cheek. In my time working with the Nixon Administration, it was one of two times I ever saw him cry.

-Former Nixon Chief of Staff Leonard Hall, quoted in For the Future: The Unauthorized Biography of Richard M. Nixon by David Gilbert

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE TO BE BROADCAST ON TELEVISION NEXT WEEK
-New York Times headline, 9/19/60
 
OOC: Just a bump for now. Update coming soon as I've got a lot of research to do for the Great Debate--it's a rather big thing and I want to get it right. Of course, any comments are appreciated (seeing Historico proclaim my TL awesomeness and then nothing afterward makes me worry I may have screwed up).
 
I have some concerns.

One is the way the VP is being chosen:

First of all, Rocky didnt have enough support in the GOP to even get to that position. Although there were some tangible doubts early on in Nixon's campaign to get the GOP nomination, those faded once he crushed Rockefeller in the New Hampshire primary. Although he virtually determined the party platform for 1960, this was because Nixon handed it to him, the same way he handed the Vice-Presidency on a silver platter (only for the notoriously bull-headed Rockefeller to turn him down.)

Also, if the convention is just a formality, as it was in OTL, then I doubt Nixon would leave it to a vote like that. The 1960 GOP convention was destined to be a coronation, and an operator like Hall would not leave it the VP nomination so open as that; it would give the appearance of disorganisation, and possibly a lack of resolve, especially given that whoever Nixon really wants, Nixon would probably get, in the interests of party unity.

I was also wondering whether this was Nixon's real speech, or one you've made up.

I thought too that this was a bit odd, considering the inherent risk of portraying Nixon this way to the people at large. Its not that Nixon succeeds- its your timeline, events are of course up to you- but in OTL, Nixon's campaign staffers were content with just having the Vice President recupurate for a while, without much press intrusion. This way, the campaign will be discounting the idea that, essentially, they're portraying a sick, older-looking Vice-President in contrast with a vibrant young Massachussetts Senator. How is Kennedy's campaign going, by the way?

Hall was fairly close to Nixon; he was the one who persuaded him, in a moment of great doubt, to pursue the Presidency in 1960. So he probably would have seen him cry more than twice if he serves in the subsequent Administration for any length of time; Nixon had a tendency to burst into tears, or drink heavily, during or after moments of extreme stress. There are some Youtube videos, recorded telephone calls to men like Haldeman and Kissinger, where you can hear him holding back the tears.
Thank you for airing your concerns, I'll try to address them as best I can.

1. The issue with the VP ITTL is a break between Nixon and his staffers over what exactly a good VP should be. Nixon wanted Lodge (as in OTL) for his foreign policy experience; Nixon's staffers wanted a VP whose presence on a ticket could swing a key state and/or the South. Its essentially a series of backroom negotiations convincing Nixon that Lodge, while useful as a potential Secretary of State, doesn't do the ticket any immediate favors come election day, especially with JFK likely to have New England locked down.

2. I made the speech up. Probably not the best move on my part in keeping with history but it came to me and gave me a catchy title, so there you go.

3. I considered that but decided that keeping Nixon out of action completely for two weeks gives JFK too much of an edge, and that if its played correctly a few speeches from the hospital can swing public sympathy toward Nixon and even portray him as a tough candidate ("he's in the hospital and he's still working for you" etc)

4. The stuff I've read on Nixon all said that he wasn't one to show emotion easily, so I took a bit of dramatic license with that.

5. The JFK campaign is hitting the south and midwest right now. In the South, they're trying to counter the influence of Shivers and Buckley by reminding Southerners that Everett Dirksen was an architect of the latest civil rights bill (the 1957 one), while Kennedy voted with them on it. In the midwest, they're pandering to the big-city machines and the unions as in OTL. As in OTL its going to be close, with New York, Illinois and a few other big states (I won't say which for now) coming down to the wire.
 
Essentially, my main concern is this: bar some unwritten disaster, why are the Nixon staffers asserting themselves so vigorously on the campaign, when in OTL Nixon micromanaged to the point of idiocy? Why the sudden change of character?
I honestly can't answer that with any historical context that wouldn't be ASB. It came about from my assumption that a man like Nixon who knew his way around how campaigning worked would let his staff handle the grunt work of campaigning (like setting schedules and such) while the man himself focused on the issues. Alternately, I could have Nixon's illness shift his perspective and convince him to let his staff handle the day-to-day in order to get the most efficiency out of the remaining campaign time.

As for the VP thing, instead of staffer conflict call it party conflict if you'd like. Dirksen was a name that got thrown out when I put up my what-if discussion thread (I was originally going to have Rocky as VP) and when I looked at him a bit more it looked like he could give Nixon Illinois and maybe the black vote as well. Lodge from what I saw didn't really do Nixon any favors on election day (Connecticut is likely to go to JFK barring a miracle because JFK has the hometown effect going for New England) and in any case his foreign policy strengths made him better suited for Secretary of State IMO.
 
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