AHC: America Votes 1968

November 5, 1968


  • Total voters
    92
Who would you vote for?

November 5, 1968

Democratic

Sen. Robert Kennedy (D-NY)

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Gov. Carl Sanders (D-GA)
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Republican

Fmr. Vice President Richard Nixon (R-CA) and Rep. George Bush (R-TX)



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Even as a Republican, I am still undecided in my presidential voting. Down ballot straight Republican. While I instinctively prefer Nixon, in part over the war, I think Sen. Kennedy is the better man to unify the country. As he put it at the Democratic Convention, to be "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime." How can we be unified if Nixon is only tough on crime and neglecting their causes, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle of violence? Besides, Vietnam aside I think Kennedy is in a much better place to get our nanny state under control and the fiscal house in order than Nixon, who is distrusted by many Democrats and cannot sell it to the country. I trust both their judgments equally in both foreign and domestic affairs.
 
For reasons beyond me, I went with Nixon. Primarily because while I'm pretty liberal socially, I'm mildly conservative regarding laws, and I like to consider myself a moderate regarding economy.

Besides, I voted for Jack in '60, so why not go for his opponent?
 
The future First and Second Ladies with their husbands:

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;)

I really wish Reagan had won the Republican nomination, but for now it looks like his time will have to wait until 1976. As it is, it seems we're stuck with the lesser of two evils. Besides, it was the elder Kennedy brother who escalated Vietnam during his second term. So it looks like I'm going with Nixon.

I actually feel kind of sorry for Vice President Humphrey, losing out to another Kennedy in the primaries the way he did. Lyndon Johnson was JFK's second choice for VP back in 1960; I wonder if he would have put up more of a fight.
 
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Gotta go with Nixon; gut reaction. I'm from Cincinnati, had to move out to the suburbs because of increasing violence and the ever present threat of riots in the city. I hear Kennedy talking about the "law and order" issue, but we've had two Democratic presidents in this decade who have been unable to address seriously the issues of urban decay and crime. I don't mind it when government steps in to help people who really need it, that's why I didn't vote for Goldwater four years ago. But I've seen how Johnson (mis)handled the presidency, and I'm starting to doubt that the Younger Kennedy can do much better. He sort of leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Maybe VPs should figure more into the picture than they are for me, as that is how Johnson reached the Presidency, but they really aren't figuring into it at all.

Anyhow, this country is going to the dogs, we have a war that we need to finish without losing, and I haven't felt safe going to watch my Reds play all summer. Nixon will be a breath of fresh air.
 

JoeMulk

Banned
All I care about is ending Vietnam. Although Eugene McCarthy was my first choice I gotta go with RFK.
 
I wish Ronald Reagan had won the GOP nod, I think he would handle the nation's problems effectively, and he would united the country. Oh well, we can't have everything. :p

Nixon will be more conservative, so I'll vote for Nixon. I trust Nixon to handle Vietnam and "law and order" more effectively than Kennedy. Plus I think that Nixon will be more conservative in terms of economic policy. Monetarism, anyone? :cool: I can't help but like Bobby though, and I can't say that I'd mind if Bobby won.

I'm kind of confused why Nixon chose George H.W. Bush though. He's only been a Congressman for less than two years.

I think Bobby wins:

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Robert Kennedy (D-NY)/Carl Sanders (D-GA): 42.9% PV, 283 EV
Richard Nixon (R-NY)/George H.W. Bush (R-TX): 42.2% PV, 210 EV
George Wallace (AI-AL)/Curtis LeMay (AI-CA): 14.5% PV, 45 EV

OOC: I would've voted for RFK in retrospect though, especially since Nixon turned out to not be conservative at all.

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Uhh,why did Nixon lose his home state in those two electoral charts?

Come on everybody!

There is only one winner here!

Vote Dick and get Bush!

Clever, and also a reason why I went with the ticket as well.
 
Nixon is not losing CA, though it will be between a 5-8 point margin of victory, not a blowout. RFK could possibly beat Nixon in Indiana given his immense popularity among WWC voters. It is telling that in Indiana, many blue-collar workers were undecided between Kennedy and Wallace, and weren't even considering Nixon. In November many of them voted for Wallace. RFK can take WWC votes from both sides, which is what will give him the margin in industrial and border states. '68 is the Year of the Blue-Collar Voter psephologically.
 
I'll be voting for Robert Kennedy, though I wish that Humphrey had gotten the Democratic nomination. At least Kennedy is probably going to put Walt Reuther on at the labor department.
 
I like the fact that Kennedy seems to be moving the Democratic Party back to the centre after the mass statism of the Johnson years, more in line with his brother's presidency. His ideas on urban development, education and welfare reform are quite intriguing and worthy of enactment into law.
 
I like the fact that Kennedy seems to be moving the Democratic Party back to the centre after the mass statism of the Johnson years, more in line with his brother's presidency. His ideas on urban development, education and welfare reform are quite intriguing and worthy of enactment into law.
It looks like he just copied Nixon's idears ta-me.
I'd rather have a real Nixon than a fake Nixon anyday.
 
It is interesting that Nixon now talks up these priorities. Yet in 1965, when Kennedy first proposed them, he was silent. If anything, Nixon copied Kennedy, not vice-versa. Regardless of their origination, what bothers me is that neither candidate has proposed any deficit-reduction measures. Especially those that involve cuts, not tax increases. No one seems to be taking inflation, the deficit or the economy especially seriously these days, even Nixon. My party is supposed to be the one of fiscal responsibility and I'm not hearing anything of the sort. Kennedy has proven time and again that he's flexible and willing to consider new ideas regardless of their origination. So I think he is more pragmatic than Nixon generally.
 
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