If this does cause a tie I could only imagine the propaganda coming out of the USSR about the disfunction of the US's government.
A Nixed Result: a 60s Timeline
- Thread starter Intergallactic
- Start date
Is this timeline dead or is the author just taking a break? Sorry if this isn't an appropriate comment, I'm a new member of the site.
Sorry I got busy with real life with both work and school. I am open to continuing if there is still an audience for it.
I totally understand how busy life can get when you're trying to balance work and school. I'm at school right now while I'm typing this lol. I have got to say that this is one of my favourite ongoing alternate history timelines on this site and am very interested in whatever direction you plan to take it in the future.
Part of the reason I have struggled to continue this timeline other than real life being busy is me being somewhat unsure where to take it next. I have been considering retconning the most recent chapter in favor of a more “realistic” set of 1964 candidates. I will put up a poll to see what you guys think.
Can you be a little more specific with the details and what either of the scenarios will include?
Retcon: Replace George Wallace with a moderate Democratic candidate (probably President McCormack) and the Progressive party wouldn’t be a thing
No retcon: the story continues with chapter 12 as is (George Wallace vs Barry Goldwater vs Hubert Humphrey)
I kind of like the fact that you made George Wallace the Democratic nominee in 1964 though I don't think that someone like Hubert Humphrey or Robert F. Kennedy (especially if he wasn't chosen as AG) would reform the Progressive Party to run for President and to avoid Wallace from becoming President. I think this timeline easily could've become a "Nixon in 1964" timeline since he beat Kennedy in the popular vote and (I think) the electoral vote but lost due to the "corrupt bargain" between the Democrats and the Dixiecrats and successfully made his comeback in the 1962 California gubernatorial election. I hope you don't mind my asking but what did you originally plan for this timeline's 1964 election? Does Wallace actually win or does vote splitting caused by Humphrey put Goldwater in the White House? Does this election also get thrown to Congress in a repeat of 1960? Does the Progressive Party become one of the major parties? And about the possible retcon I have read other timelines where JFK and LBJ both are killed in Dallas making McCormack a caretaker President until Humphrey takes the nomination in '64 and I honestly thought they were a little cheesy but I do like the interesting course you were already taking things so I will vote for you to continue with Chapter 12 as is and I hope others do as well.
Edit: I also think I should mention that President McCormack timelines usually feature McCormack retiring due to his age (he was 72 in 1963 and coincidentally died on November 22, 1980 at age 88 in our timeline) since America had yet to elect a septuagenarian as President. I kinda thought that was a realistic possibility but I like how entertaining it is for a sitting President to be defeated in a primary challenge from such a prominent racist and segregationist like George Wallace. If I haven't said it already I'm a fan of dystopian alternate history timelines.
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I shall be continuing the timeline as is. Update coming very soon. Prepare for the chaotic 1964 election!
I think I speak for everyone when I say we cannot wait to see the upcoming chaos!
The 64 election results will be up this weekend in the return of this timeline after four months. No spoilers, but I will say that the election will have a clear winner on election night, not another hung EC.
I gotta say I am slightly disappointed that there won't be another hung electoral college but I can't wait to see what you come up with.
I’m sorry for the delay. I haven’t been feeling all too well mentally recently admittedly which has harmed my ability to be motivated to write. I will have the next part up as soon as I can though.
It's completely alright @Intergallactic, take your time. We will be here waiting patiently for the next update but it is much more important for you to take care of yourself first. If you end up deciding to leave this timeline anytime soon I'm sure we would all understand. We wouldn't want you to get stuck in a negative routine doing something you don't actually want to do. Stay safe and make sure to take some time for yourself.
Chapter 13: 1964 United States Presidential Election
At long last, I have managed to gather myself enough to finally complete this long overdue chapter. Without further ado, I present to you the 1964 Presidential Election!
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The general season for the 1964 Presidential Election started out with early victories for Wallace. While Goldwater had planned to attempt to betray Wallace as weak on Vietnam, he ended up damaging himself by commenting that he would use atomic weapons as revenge on the Vietnamese for the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
Advertisements slamming these foolish comments quickly appeared across the nation’s television screens. Moderate white voters not enthused by either candidate started to think that Wallace’s racism was not as bad as potential nuclear annihilation. With the GOP candidate stumbling on the issue of social security and slamming the incumbent government’s economic programs started to turn voters towards Wallace, with many outside of his southern base starting to prefer his economic populism over Goldwater’s hands off approach.
To make up for Wallace’s gains in the polls, former President Dwight Eisenhower and former Vice President Richard Nixon both agreed to endorse Senator Goldwater and record advertisements for him. The Goldwater campaign was trapped, lean too far into the economic aspect and drive impoverished rural voters into the hands of Wallace, or lean too far into the cultural conservatism and drive voters into the hands of Hubert Humphrey and his Progressive ticket.
Goldwater’s campaign, which had been hoping to run an “above the fray” campaign, realized they needed to challenge Wallace head on as they faced repeated embarrassing setbacks. Goldwater agreed to meet Wallace in a debate hosted by Walter Cronkite. Wallace was known as a loud bombastic orator, but many of his advisors had doubts on his ability to take the experienced Senator in a direct head-on debate. The Wallace campaign demanded that Senator Humphrey be allowed onto the debate stage as well, which they knew would force Goldwater into an uncomfortable position. All three campaigns agreed to the debate, and it was on.
Goldwater managed to hold his own, but it was clear Senator Humphrey was the clear winner of the night, his message by far the most popular with Americans. Humphrey cut deep into liberal voters Goldwater had hoped to win over by showing himself as the “lesser of two evils” compared to Governor Wallace. Wallace was his usual self on the debate stage, ranting on against the “big-Whigs” and the “liberal establishment”. While Senator Goldwater was absolutely more articulate than the Southern Governor, the attacks from both the left and right combined with his policies simply being unpopular.
Goldwater knew he needed help, and he needed it fast. He recruited Hollywood Actor Ronald Reagan, who was an extremely charismatic and popular figure, to give speeches for him in California and New York. One of the most famous of these speeches was in October, only a few days before election day. Known as “A Time for Choosing”, Reagan implored voters to stand by Senator Goldwater and that smaller government, including more economic freedom was the answer.
George Wallace responded to the actor’s speech, stating that “no good American needs any Hollywood big name to tell them that the government shouldn’t help them out”. Wallace pledged to uphold existing government economic programs, a move surprising to many but imminently popular to Union Workers, farmers and surprisingly, even some African Americans. During the campaign’s closing days, Wallace shifted to a more populist tone as opposed to railing on about segregation, calling himself “The Working Man’s Candidate”.
Wallace’s running mate Happy Chandler also helped to win more moderate support, campaigning in states like Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania where he spoke with elderly voters concerned of losing their social security to Goldwater and younger voters afraid of perishing in nuclear fire. But the most pivotal, and important moment of all happened in mid-October when Governor Chandler met with Union leaders in Chicago.
In August the AFL-CIO had endorsed the third-party Progressive ticket of Senator Hubert Humphrey and Mr. Robert Kennedy, but their support had been waning as it became clearer that the election was going to come down to Wallace and Goldwater after all as the October polls came in. Governor Chandler managed to get the AFL-CIO to switch their endorsement to Governor Wallace on November 1st, a pivotal move in this close election.
At last, on November 3rd, 1964, American voters went to the polls. Millions tuned into their radios or TV sets to find out who would become the 37th President of the United States. Although overperforming their formal poll numbers, Humphrey and Kennedy did not successfully force an electoral college deadlock, winning 52 electoral voters. This included Washington D.C., which received electoral votes for the first time this election.
A stunned Walter Cronkite read out the final tallies on CBS at around midnight on November 4th. America had elected its next President, and now prepared to enter a dark time…
---------------------------------------------------
The general season for the 1964 Presidential Election started out with early victories for Wallace. While Goldwater had planned to attempt to betray Wallace as weak on Vietnam, he ended up damaging himself by commenting that he would use atomic weapons as revenge on the Vietnamese for the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
Advertisements slamming these foolish comments quickly appeared across the nation’s television screens. Moderate white voters not enthused by either candidate started to think that Wallace’s racism was not as bad as potential nuclear annihilation. With the GOP candidate stumbling on the issue of social security and slamming the incumbent government’s economic programs started to turn voters towards Wallace, with many outside of his southern base starting to prefer his economic populism over Goldwater’s hands off approach.
To make up for Wallace’s gains in the polls, former President Dwight Eisenhower and former Vice President Richard Nixon both agreed to endorse Senator Goldwater and record advertisements for him. The Goldwater campaign was trapped, lean too far into the economic aspect and drive impoverished rural voters into the hands of Wallace, or lean too far into the cultural conservatism and drive voters into the hands of Hubert Humphrey and his Progressive ticket.
Goldwater’s campaign, which had been hoping to run an “above the fray” campaign, realized they needed to challenge Wallace head on as they faced repeated embarrassing setbacks. Goldwater agreed to meet Wallace in a debate hosted by Walter Cronkite. Wallace was known as a loud bombastic orator, but many of his advisors had doubts on his ability to take the experienced Senator in a direct head-on debate. The Wallace campaign demanded that Senator Humphrey be allowed onto the debate stage as well, which they knew would force Goldwater into an uncomfortable position. All three campaigns agreed to the debate, and it was on.
Goldwater managed to hold his own, but it was clear Senator Humphrey was the clear winner of the night, his message by far the most popular with Americans. Humphrey cut deep into liberal voters Goldwater had hoped to win over by showing himself as the “lesser of two evils” compared to Governor Wallace. Wallace was his usual self on the debate stage, ranting on against the “big-Whigs” and the “liberal establishment”. While Senator Goldwater was absolutely more articulate than the Southern Governor, the attacks from both the left and right combined with his policies simply being unpopular.
Goldwater knew he needed help, and he needed it fast. He recruited Hollywood Actor Ronald Reagan, who was an extremely charismatic and popular figure, to give speeches for him in California and New York. One of the most famous of these speeches was in October, only a few days before election day. Known as “A Time for Choosing”, Reagan implored voters to stand by Senator Goldwater and that smaller government, including more economic freedom was the answer.
George Wallace responded to the actor’s speech, stating that “no good American needs any Hollywood big name to tell them that the government shouldn’t help them out”. Wallace pledged to uphold existing government economic programs, a move surprising to many but imminently popular to Union Workers, farmers and surprisingly, even some African Americans. During the campaign’s closing days, Wallace shifted to a more populist tone as opposed to railing on about segregation, calling himself “The Working Man’s Candidate”.
Wallace’s running mate Happy Chandler also helped to win more moderate support, campaigning in states like Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania where he spoke with elderly voters concerned of losing their social security to Goldwater and younger voters afraid of perishing in nuclear fire. But the most pivotal, and important moment of all happened in mid-October when Governor Chandler met with Union leaders in Chicago.
In August the AFL-CIO had endorsed the third-party Progressive ticket of Senator Hubert Humphrey and Mr. Robert Kennedy, but their support had been waning as it became clearer that the election was going to come down to Wallace and Goldwater after all as the October polls came in. Governor Chandler managed to get the AFL-CIO to switch their endorsement to Governor Wallace on November 1st, a pivotal move in this close election.
At last, on November 3rd, 1964, American voters went to the polls. Millions tuned into their radios or TV sets to find out who would become the 37th President of the United States. Although overperforming their formal poll numbers, Humphrey and Kennedy did not successfully force an electoral college deadlock, winning 52 electoral voters. This included Washington D.C., which received electoral votes for the first time this election.
A stunned Walter Cronkite read out the final tallies on CBS at around midnight on November 4th. America had elected its next President, and now prepared to enter a dark time…