That's fair. I'm happy to take suggestions if you see an interesting path for the NFL to take ITTL. You can PM me if you wish.
Thank you!
A Time For Greatness: The Alternate Presidency of John F. Kennedy and beyond
- Thread starter PickledFish
- Start date
To be honest, I don't see anything that would change much.
Maybe the NFL would postpone games in the wake of the death of Nixon
It seems a possibly since iotl the CFL created teams in the US, a little preripty, reversal of intension.
Apologies for the very slow shedule! I wrote the bulk of this timeline during a 9 month span of unemployment and now I work 4 days a week, and do post graduate study - I hope this explains the drop in activity! However, rest assured I will finish this, and the Mondale TL will resume thereafter. I'm currently loosely figuring out a Kerry 04 timeline too, entitled "Fear, Loathing and Windsurfing on the Campaign Trail in '04" but that is a very long time away.
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Events in 1970 (Part 2) - A New Decade, With Old Problems...and New Solutions?
Events in 1970 (Part 2) - A New Decade, With Old Problems...And New Solutions?
The People’s Republic of China had begun the painful process of rebuilding after their loss in the Sino-Soviet War almost immediately after the atomic weapons were dropped on five of their cities. However, many both inside and outside the Communist Party leadership were beginning to have doubts as to whether their Revolution could continue as it had before.Their lands had been defiled and carved up by their Soviet enemies. Citizens near the former Xinjian, and Manchuria resented Mao’s nuking of his own land. Millions of Chinese citizens were dead, dislodged, and the government was in chaos. The horrors of atomic war were visited upon the Chinese people, and millions of survivors were reporting illnesses in and around the affected areas.
Beyond the loss of lives, the material cost, destruction of infrastructure, and disruption to lines of communication and travel meant that aid was slow to travel. Large swathes of China were lacking in food, medicine, and basic necessities, and many areas of China were completely cut off from the influence of government.
Tensions between the Red Revolutionary Guard and the PLA were immediately apparent, and Mao had made his preference plainly known. Unlike their previous incarnation, the Red Revolutionary Guard were permitted to enter Zhongnanhai, and 8341 Special Regiment were forbidden from firing upon them unless absolutely necessary to protect the lives of CCP leadership or state secrets. Similarly, unlike in 1967, Mao explicitly ordered the PLA to avoid suppressing even the most radical Red Revolutionary Guards, citing “the critical necessity of young, able manpower”.
This order proved highly controversial among the Chinese Communist Party leadership, but none dared to speak out against the Chairman.
Similarly, PLA regiments that acted aggressively to the Red Revolutionary Guard were reprimanded, or even in extreme cases had resources diverted to prevent them from having the necessary arms and armaments to stand up to the Guards.
More and more, there was rumblings of discontent among the PLA and everyday Chinese citizens alike. And Mao’s inner circle were beginning to question the judgement of the Great Helmsman – many privately doubted the continued survival of the People’s Republic of China in its current state.
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By mid-to-late June, the upcoming mid-term elections were well and truly the main focus of everyone in the American political landscape. With the primary over, the battle lines were drawn – Democrats broadly campaigned on Goldwater’s alleged mismanagement of labor issues and the economy and called for an end to the Vietnam War.
By comparison, Republicans sought to position themselves as the staunch anti-Communist defenders of freedom and paint the Democrats as being soft on communism and tools of the union movement. They blamed the Democrats for working with the union movement to sabotage the President and the US economy.
Democrats broadly mocked the suggestion they were responsible for what was now accepted to be an economic recession, though the White House did its best to avoid that language. The recession was caused by efforts to reduce the deficit, alongside rising interest rates, and the crippling strikes at the start of the year.
The Democratic Party, particularly its liberal wing, were unquestionably energized, however. And nothing excited them more than Bobby Kennedy’s campaign for Massachusetts Governor.
Kennedy had triumphed in the Democratic gubernatorial primary for easily, sweeping aside token opposition to walk to the nomination. This was the first time that a Massachusetts Governor and Lieutenant Governor would be elected on a ticket rather than separately – and the ticket of Robert Kennedy and Kevin White would take on incumbent Governor John Volpe and Lieutenant Governor Francis Sargent.
Despite some prodding from his allies to nationalize the campaign, Kennedy focused strictly on Massachusetts issues.
It would be up to the youngest brother to take the fight to Goldwater – Senator Ted Kennedy.
Senator Kennedy ran with the Kennedy banner – calling for Congress to end the Vietnam War and pass an expansive legislative agenda to end the recession. He called for the completion of Kennedy’s New Frontier agenda, including a bill that would see healthcare provided to all Americans regardless of their level if income. He lambasted the Goldwater administration’s failures, accusing Republicans of “trying to undo the work of Presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy” by rolling back essential aid to the poor and disadvantaged “under the false banner of prosperity and so-called fiscal responsibility”.
“But there can be no true prosperity,” Senator Kennedy continued, “Unless all our citizens are cared for, not just those with privilege, wealth, and power.”
In many ways, Ted Kennedy’s 1970 re-election campaign was the time he came out from the shadow of his elder brothers and became a political force in his own right.
Another liberal firebrand who hoping to reshape the Senate into a vanguard of American liberalism was actor Robert Vaughn, who had triumphed in the Democratic primary for Connecticut’s senate seat. He had beaten the incumbent Democratic Senator, Thomas J. Dodd, who promised to campaign an Independent after his defeat.
Lowell Weicker, a liberal Republican, was the third man in the race. He sought to exploit the divisions between Vaughn and Dodd to win a plurality of the vote, but Vaughn’s popularity made this a difficult prosect.
Exploiting his Man from U.N.C.L.E. fame, Vaughn proved himself a natural campaigner and extremely charming on the stump, electrifying crowds with his speeches and charming individual voters in smaller settings. A series of slick television advertisements would bolster his candidacy even further, making him a clear frontrunner in the race even with the 3rd party candidacy of Dodd cutting into his numbers.
However, there was cause for some disappointment among liberals too. While Tom Bradley had waged an effective campaign, he had come up just short in the Democratic primary to become the party’s nominee to face Governor Reagan in November.
Still, he emerged as a high-profile figure in Democratic politics and promised to campaign for the Democratic nominee, Jesse “Big Daddy” Unruh.
President Goldwater had already began crisscrossing the country, making speech after speech for Congressional candidates, backing up his record of “victory in Vietnam and defense of freedom abroad”.
“The path to prosperity has many cliffs and valleys,” he said at an event for New Mexico senatorial candidate Anderson Carter, “Just like the great New Mexico landscape. But if these Democrats win in November, we’ll go straight backwards into the muckheap of collectivism and stagnation.”
It was shaping up to be one of the most ideologically charged midterm elections in recent history, but many Republicans could help but think they were walking into a landslide defeat.
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While the United States was gearing up for the midterms, their NATO ally, the United Kingdom, hosted a major election of their own – the 1970 general election. The incumbent Labour Party, led by Prime Minister James Callaghan, who’d only come into the office in January following the death of his predecessor.
His opposite number, Conservative leader Edward Heath, attacked the incumbent government on issues like a poor balance of payments on international trade, rising unemployment, the Selective Employment Tax and increasing migration.
Callaghan fought back, citing the strong economic growth of the previous years was a truer reflection of Labour’s economic performance, and that the incumbent government had successfully taken on communism abroad while minimising the risks of Britain’s fighting men. The spectre of the late Prime Minister Gaitskell loomed large over the election, and Callaghan made regular reference to his departed mentor.
Edward Heath received severe criticism for comments leaked to the press where he suggested that Callaghan was “attempting to win by using Prime Minister Gaitskell’s gravestone as a platform”. He gave an awkward apology the next day.
Labour led by double digits in most polls, and patriotic fervour was whipped up following England’s victory in the World Cup on June 14.
However, when it came time for the votes to be cast, the incumbent Labour government lost 10 seats. They maintained government, but the reduced majority came as a shock to many who were expecting a resounding Labour victory.
Still, Callaghan played it off on election night as an endorsement of his admittedly brief Prime Ministership, citing a “great victory” and a “resounding success for Labour”. Many commentators this would be the first time in their history that Labour ever won a second general election in a row.
Heath touted the performance as an endorsement of his leadership, but many in the Conservative party were unconvinced – they believed that to capitalise on this momentum, new blood would be necessary.
William Whitelaw, Reginald Maudling, Iain Macleod established themselves as the three early frontrunners for the leadership. Macleod would drop out first, citing health issues. Maudling would make a series of embarrassing gaffes that damaged his candidacy.
In the end, Whitelaw would be the one, chosen practically be default, to be the new Conservative leader.
It was the dawn of a new era in British politics on both sides of the aisle.
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If the polling was to be believed, Republicans were headed for major losses in the upcoming mid-terms. Painfully aware of this, Speaker Ford and Majority Leader Dirksen attempted to shepherd through legislation through the Congress that they believed would be popular with the public – namely, bills that tackled the rising rate of crime.
With the pressure on the Congressional Republicans to get some wins under the belts prior to the mid-terms, they turned to a consistent vote getter – the issue of crime.
Three major pieces of anti-crime legislation would be passed in the year, and each of them came with a new piece of rhetoric by Goldwater to build up his anti-crime message.
The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 which revised Federal narcotics and dangerous drug laws and the penalties for violations and made harsher the penalty for committing a violent crime while under the influence of drugs such as heroin, morphine, cocaine, or marijuana.
In signing this legislation, Goldwater called for “a national War on Drugs which takes the fight to drug pushers and purveyors of poisons who prey on the weak and force these harmful substances onto our children.”
Meanwhile the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 was also signed into law, facilitated the task of gathering and presenting evidence against largescale professional criminal operations. It also expanded the ability of prosecutors to charge known associates of criminal gangs with the crimes of their compatriots.
The Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1970 which authorized $4 billion in Federal aid to state and local law enforcement agencies over the next 3 years.
As well as this, another key piece of legislation that Republicans sought to pass was the Workplace Control and Strike Regulation Act of 1970 which granted further powers to break up unions participating in illegal strikes and allowed for the easier hiring of replacement workers.
This anti-union legislation was successfully defeated, in large part due to filibustering by Henry “Scoop” Jackson, who engaged in one of the longest filibusters in Senate history against the legislation. He spoke for a total about 23 hours and 48 minutes, reciting the history of unions in American life, and the achievements of the Democratic party in working with them.
This mixed bag of political successes and a major failure did not produce the sort of turnaround in the polls that Republicans were hoping to get – they were still lagging, badly.
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On August 2nd, the Washington Post released a massive expose into American war crimes in Vietnam, outlining several instances of mass slaughter of civilians, and other acts of barbarism committed by US serviceman against the Vietnamese population.
Shooting sprees against civilians, terror tactics, rampant sexual assault, and torture were among the list of transgressions alleged to have been perpetrated by US soldiers, sailors, airmen and their allies.
Several returning servicemen were identified in the reports, including Hugh Thompson Jr, John Kerry, and no less than a dozen Americans formerly deployed in Vietnam.
Thompson Jr was nearly forced to open fire on a group of Americans to prevent the killing of several Vietnamese women and children, and instead flew them to safety in his helicopter. Meanwhile, Kerry had reported several men to his superiors on charges that they had raped, brutalised and mistreated Vietnamese civilians in the North, but these claims were not taken seriously or investigated.
Kerry and those serving on his boat were similarly forced to transport Vietnamese civilians away in their swift boat to protect them from a particularly rapid detachment of American troops.
Congressional investigations were held immediately, at both the House and Senate level, into the claims.
Kerry, a recipient of 3 purple hearts, the Silver Star, and the Bronze Star, had returned to the US earlier in the year as part of a reassignment away from combat duties. As a result of heroism, he immediately became a leading member of the Vietnam Veterans Against The War group, and led several protests and marches calling for an end to US involvement.
He was asked to speak before the US Senate, and did so, outlining his disgust with American policy in Southeast Asia and stating that “unquestionably, things changed for the worse when Washington decided we were to march against North Vietnam”. He went on to list several atrocities he witnessed, including the one he intervened in to save lives, in graphic detail.
Goldwater aides, and many hawkish figures on both sides of politics, derided Kerry as someone who was besmirching the honour of America’s fighting men.
“Had John Kerry been listened to,” Secretary Westmoreland stated in a television interview the evening after Kerry’s speech, “The Americans trapped in camps at places like Hanoi and Sa Pa would still be there today”.
Photos leaked the press only days after Kerry’s testimony depicted Vietnamese civilians fleeing from villages engulfed in napalm, and there several photos of mass graves alleged to be North Vietnamese civilians slaughtered by American troops.
More and more, evidence was mounting that American forces were committing frequent acts of violence against the Northern populace in particular, but even South Vietnamese civilians were not safe.
In a Gallup poll, 62% of Americans stated that they believed that the US’s role in Vietnam should end, and the South Vietnamese should be left to pacify the remaining Northern resistance themselves.
A bi-partisan resolution for an immediate withdrawal out of Vietnam was introduced before the Congress, sponsored by George McGovern (D-SD) and John Sherman Cooper (R-KY). It was defeated as a result of heavy lobbying by the White House, but there was no question that the public was turning heavily against further involvement in Vietnam.
The President was unmoved by the public opinion polls, stating:
“Our job in Vietnam will conclude when the communist insurgents are pacified and can no longer threaten the people of Vietnam, or the new transitional government that will hold free democratic elections. We will not leave before the job is done.”
But more and more, his position of Vietnam was becoming toxic to the public.
With the Vietnam War captivating the attention of American audiences, the Panamanian Civil War continued to grind away, largely out of the public consciousness.
Though there would be the occasional news report, or member of Congress demand the White House shift its attention from Vietnam to Latin America, these small reminders were nothing next to the constant barrage of protests, congressional testimonies, leaked war footage and flag draped coffins which showed up on US television screens every night.
But the State Department, led by Assistant Secretaries of State for Inter-American Affairs, Milton Eisenhower, watched the situation closely.
A report from the State Department sent to the President did not paint a positive view of the situation.
“The situation between the Soviet backed Panamanian People’s Front (PPF) led by Omar Trujillo and anti-communist Avila government continues to worsen from the perspective of our analysts in Washington. Government Security Service forces are up against a motivated force of leftist guerrillas, many of whom were formerly apart of Panama National Guardsmen.
They are also outnumbered by a factor of at least two-to-one, and the PPF are utilising relatively advanced guerrilla tactics to frustrate government forces.
Communist insurgents have claimed much of the rural land and have substantial support amongst the populace. Urban areas remain in the hands of the government, but this is beyond a low-level irregular force.
It may be necessary intervene.”
Substantial arguments were had amongst Goldwater’s cabinet, occasionally involving the President himself, about what should be done. But with many in the administration focused on Vietnam, Goldwater was relatively dismissive.
“Let’s send more advisors and weapons,” Goldwater ordered, “We can come in and sweep up a few wannabe revolutionaries in Panama anytime we choose. Vietnam should be our focus for now.”
And with that, the issue was decided. For better or worse, the conflict in Panama would be put on the back burner.
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On November 3rd, 1970, the mid-terms took place. After months of build-up, the people would have their referendum on Barry Goldwater’s Presidency thus far.
And the result was that the American people wanted change.
In the end, a net gain of 44 seats would put the Democrats in firm control of the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, Democrats gained 7 seats in the Senate.
Interesting, there were two races whereby a 3rd party candidate made a splash.
In Connecticut, Robert Vaughn triumphed over Republican Lowell Weicker and conservative Democrat-turned-Independent Thomas J. Dodd to become the next Senator. This was one of the most watched races of the night, and liberal Democrats were overjoyed when Vaughn was able to triumph in spite of the spoiler nature of Dodd’s campaign
In New York, incumbent Democratic Senator from New York Samuel S. Stratton cruised to re-election against not only liberal Republican Charles Goodell but the Conservative Party’s James L. Buckley.
Congressional Republican leadership was gutted. Dirksen offered to step back from his position and allow a younger, fresh face into the role of Minority Leader, but Goldwater refused him. Similarly, Gerald Ford privately spoke of a desire to retire in 1972, having accomplished and lost his dream of being Speaker of the House.
Goldwater was able to talk Ford out of it over the telephone, saying “I need you in ’72 for my re-election Jerry.”
In response, the ever-loyal party man Ford agreed to stay on until 1974.
Because of their absolute routing of Congressional Republicans, Carl Albert would be the new Speaker of the House, while Mike Mansfield was set to become the new Senate Majority Leader.
However, for all their success in Congressional races, it was the Massachusetts gubernatorial election that gave liberal Democrats the most hope that the Goldwater era might soon be coming to an end.
Bobby Kennedy had won in a landslide, ousting John Volpe and becoming the next Governor of Massachusetts. With a greater than 20% margin of victory, Kennedy’s landslide surprised even his most ardent supporters.
“We have sent a message,” Kennedy said, “Not just to the people of this great state, but to the whole of this great nation – and yes, to the powers-that-be in Washington – that focusing on the same old issues is not enough anymore, for the American people. We cannot mask the issues of poverty, injustice, starvation, and depravation with the same old solutions. And, just as importantly, we must end the politics of division must end here in the United States. These might be old problems, but they require new solutions if we are to become the nation that our citizens deserve.”
Kennedy was already framing himself as a post partisanship uniter, to contrast with the bitter relations between Democrats and Republicans across the United States. Divisions over Vietnam, the rapid pace of societal change, and the future of America in an uncertain world had blown up, fuelled in part by the divisive Presidency of Barry Goldwater.
Governor Ronald Reagan, a staunch Goldwater ally, came perilously close to losing his race to become elected Governor in his own right, winning with 1.2% of the vote against his opponent Jesse “Big Daddy” Unruh. Reagan’s perceived heavy handedness on crime had backfired in the wake of several ugly incidents of police brutality, and an energised Democratic party had nearly driven him from office. But he had survived, by the skin of his teeth.
Some politicians, other than Kennedy, had been able to escape the toxicity. Riding a wave of popular support from a coalition of African Americans, college education whites, and working-class voters, Albert Brewer was successfully elected in his own right as Alabama’s Governor.
In 1968, Brewer had assumed the role of Governor following the resignation of Lurlene Wallace and parlayed that position into assuming almost total control of the state’s party machine. He ran unopposed for re-election in the Democratic primary and won with 71% of the vote in the general.
In his victory, Governor Brewer declared the existence of a “New South”. A South free from racial intolerance, poverty, and other social ills. It was inspiring rhetoric, and mirrored Brewer’s own political turn from segregationist to a relatively progressive Governor who eschewed the racial bigotry of George Wallace and others.
There were other signs of extreme change in American society, fuelled by a changing values and political partisanship.
The local elections in Aspen, Colorado had seen writer and journalist Hunter S. Thompson campaign for Pitkin County, Colorado under the “Freak Power” ticket.
Thompson ran an eccentric campaign, which had a campaign platform that included the decriminalization of drugs for personal use, tearing up the streets and turning them into grassy pedestrian malls, banning any building that obscures the view of the mountains, disarming all police forces, and changing the name of Aspen to "Fat City" to deter investors.
Thompson continued to publish articles for the Rolling Stone over the course of his campaign and shaved his head bald so he could refer to his crew-cut wearing Republican adversary as “my long-haired opponent”.
There was an attempt to solidate votes against Thompson by having the Republican drop out of the race while the Democrats withdrew their candidate for county commissioner in return. However, fueled in part by the toxic influence of increasing partisanship, the Democrats reneged on their part of the deal and the race would continue as a 3-person contest.
When the votes were counted, Hunter S. Thompson triumphed by 11 votes in a 3-way race.
In a blonde wig, draped in an American flag, and with a cigarette in between his lips, Thompson gave his victory speech:
“Fortunately…or unfortunately depending on who you ask…I’ve proven myself wrong. The American Dream isn’t really fucked after all. If we can win here in Aspen and bring some common sense back to this country…maybe there’s hope for America yet.”
While there had been threats before the election that someone would use dynamite if Thompson was elected, no bombing or attack took place.
For once, it looked like the streak of random acts of violence that had characterized American politics in the 1960s had finally been broken.
Maybe, for all his eccentricities, Hunter S. Thompson was right – perhaps there was hope for America yet.
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Oh Goldwater, doubling down on Vietnam and ignoring risk to the Panama Canal; what could go wrong?
Great update!
Do you mean Albert Brewer in AL though? Arthur Bremer was the man who tried to kill Nixon
Do you mean Albert Brewer in AL though? Arthur Bremer was the man who tried to kill Nixon
Great update. Good to have this TL back. Goldwater doubling down on Vietnam isn't a good sign. Nice to see Ted Kennedy stepping out of his brothers shadows. I enjoyed the UK election too. Go Labour. Looking forward to seeing Goldwater and the new Congress inevitably clash over Vietnam and Goldwater's domestic agenda. Keep up the good work 👍
I did! Thanks for the correction.
Rest assured, Bremer will have his part to play in this TL.
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"Mao’s inner circle were beginning to question the judgement of the Great Helmsman – many privately doubted the continued survival of the People’s Republic of China in its current state." - does on smell a backstab in the air...?
Go Kennedy and White!
"In many ways, Ted Kennedy’s 1970 re-election campaign was the time he came out from the shadow of his elder brothers and became a political force in his own right." - this is likely to be a good thing indeed.
"England’s victory in the World Cup on June 14." - Hooray! Did Gordon Banks play?
Good Luck PM Callaghan - I think you will need it. Willie Whitelaw could be a bit of a attack dog when he wanted.
Goldwater's War on Drugs is not likely to succeed unless they work with addicts to help them not reoffend rather than just bust the suppliers since demand will just go up, prices go up and crime goes up. Unlikely Goldwater's White House will authorise treatment programs though it seems.
Congratz on the record Henry “Scoop” Jackson.
"...but there was no question that the public was turning heavily against further involvement in Vietnam." - this will likely be a major factor in the mid-terms.
"the conflict in Panama would be put on the back burner." - as long as the Canal is not threaten heh?
"...a net gain of 44 seats would put the Democrats in firm control of the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, Democrats gained 7 seats in the Senate." - Wow that's a big swing.
Interesting collection of candidates and winners there. Hunter S. Thompson should be an interesting watch to see how he preforms in office.
Good chapter!
Go Kennedy and White!
"In many ways, Ted Kennedy’s 1970 re-election campaign was the time he came out from the shadow of his elder brothers and became a political force in his own right." - this is likely to be a good thing indeed.
"England’s victory in the World Cup on June 14." - Hooray! Did Gordon Banks play?
Good Luck PM Callaghan - I think you will need it. Willie Whitelaw could be a bit of a attack dog when he wanted.
Goldwater's War on Drugs is not likely to succeed unless they work with addicts to help them not reoffend rather than just bust the suppliers since demand will just go up, prices go up and crime goes up. Unlikely Goldwater's White House will authorise treatment programs though it seems.
Congratz on the record Henry “Scoop” Jackson.
"...but there was no question that the public was turning heavily against further involvement in Vietnam." - this will likely be a major factor in the mid-terms.
"the conflict in Panama would be put on the back burner." - as long as the Canal is not threaten heh?
"...a net gain of 44 seats would put the Democrats in firm control of the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, Democrats gained 7 seats in the Senate." - Wow that's a big swing.
Interesting collection of candidates and winners there. Hunter S. Thompson should be an interesting watch to see how he preforms in office.
Good chapter!
China is too fucked-up. Another civil conflict in the horizon. Great update nonetheless.
I'll cover what he's up to in the next chapter which covers the whole of 1972.
Perhaps Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's Liberals will lose to Robert Stanfield in the 1972 federal election since it was the closest in Canadian history with a margin of just 2 seats deciding the control of government. I've seen a lot of timelines taking place in the 1960s and '70s featuring a Stanfield victory in 1972 and/or 1974.