AHC: Invert Reagan and JFK
- Thread starter Asami
- Start date
Asami
Banned
oh- oh- sorry about that. I've gotten so far behind on everything in life, I haven't had the chance to really work on much. I've hit some snags, I'll finish it, I promise.
Yeah, JFK's health will prevent him from running for President by '80, if not by '76 or'72.
Reagan gets the political bug earlier in life and runs as the Democrat he was for the Senate back in 1950, defeating Helen Douglas in the Democratic primary and then-Congressman Nixon in the general election. That primary would have been a mini-civil war in Hollywood, as Douglas was married to the actor Melvyn Douglas. Reagan wins in part because Nixon's attempt to smear Reagan as "pink" backfires badly. Nixon never holds public office again.
Meanwhile, back in Massachusetts, Joseph Kennedy, Jr., a noted war hero, runs for and wins a seat in Congress in 1946 and runs for the Senate in 1952 but is narrowly defeated by Henry Cabot Lodge. His brother John, however, runs for and wins the seat Joe, Jr. vacated. In 1958, there's another Kennedy - Lodge battle but this time it's John Kennedy running and Lodge is defeated.
In 1960, Reagan has been a pretty orthodox Democrat during his time in the Senate and his communication skills and hard line on the Cold War, combined with a few impressive primary wins, propels him to the 1960 Democratic nomination -- the bosses like and would prefer LBJ, but fear he'd lose the election as he is the antithesis of telegenic in the dawning of the TV era in politics. The general election is a battle between Californians. In 1952, Eisenhower had picked Robert Taft for Vice President, but Taft died not long after being elected. In 1956, he selected former California governor Earl Warren (also the pick for VP in 1948) as his second Vice-President and Warren managed to win the 1960 GOP nomination. While the election is close, Reagan ekes out a win. While he narrowly escapes assassination in Dallas in 1963, he does manage to serve out two full terms, breaking the so-called "Tecumseh curse".
Meanwhile, after a somewhat rocky start in the Senate where he was initially perceived as something of a lightweight, John Kennedy starts to hit his stride in the mid and late 1960s as a Senator with some influence.
However, by 1968, the Democrats are something of a mess as a party. While Reagan remains somewhat personally popular, the public is fatigued after the battles over civil rights and Vietnam and turns toward the more moderate wing of the GOP, selecting a ticket of Nelson Rockefeller and Gerald Ford over Reagan's Vice-President, Hubert Humphrey.
Rockefeller proves to be a popular and adept President despite a number of economic problems and an energy crisis in the early 1970s. The Democrats, still divided by the legacy of Vietnam and Reagan's moderate to conservative wing of the Party, nominates Senator George McGovern in 1972. McGovern does better than expected, but loses in 1972. Rockefeller's popularity flags late in his term, the cumulative effect of 8 years of economic difficulties, but he still is able to pull out a 50% approval rating. In 1975, just as the 1976 primary season is about to get underway, Rockefeller is shot and killed by a former associate of the Manson family while on a trip to San Francisco. Gerald Ford becomes President.
The 1976 Democratic primaries are a free-for-all and an unexpected nominee emerges: an obscure former Georgia Governor named Jimmy Carter. Senator Kennedy, considered a formidable potential candidate, passes on the race due to health reasons (which is not the reason publicly given). However, Ford manages to eke out a very narrow win. Having now lost 3 straight elections, Democrats are demoralized.
Kennedy, during his time in the Senate, had been growing concerned about the narrowing gap between US and Soviet nuclear forces and made something of a name for himself on defense issues. Ford's term turns out to be a disaster mostly not of his own making. A hostage crisis in Iran, a worsening economic situation, a perception of weakness relative to the Soviet Union and a perception of worsening crime makes Ford a very vulnerable incumbent as 1980 approaches. Meanwhile, Senator John Kennedy is, for the first time in his life, feeling pretty healthy and, with age, came a slowing in what had been known in Washington as a notoriously wild private life. At 62, John Kennedy looks younger than his years and has earned a good deal of good will among his fellow Senators, who see a maturity in the man that had been lacking for much of his time in the Senate. And with the 1980 election being an open race for Democrats and Kennedy, at last feeling up to the task of being President and knowing that 1980 is probably his last shot at running, decides to run...
Ronald W. Reagan (D), 35th President of the United States (1961-1969)
Nelson A. Rockefeller (R), 36th President of the United States (1969-1975)
Gerald R. Ford (R), 37th President of the United States (1975-1981)
John F. Kennedy (D), 38th President of the United States (1981-????)
OOC: While there are a number of PODs here, the big one is Kennedy being healthy in 1980 and beyond. This is attributed to advances in treating Addison's and in orthopedics for dealing with his back pain as well as the lower stress of being a Senator rather than President and Kennedy being able to afford the very best in medical care. Is this a stretch? Perhaps, but the Addison's and back problems were his major problems and there were advances in treating each in the nearly 20 years between JFK's death and 1980. Moreover, JFK has an extra dozen years here out of public office and out of the public spotlight in which to handle his health issues.
Meanwhile, back in Massachusetts, Joseph Kennedy, Jr., a noted war hero, runs for and wins a seat in Congress in 1946 and runs for the Senate in 1952 but is narrowly defeated by Henry Cabot Lodge. His brother John, however, runs for and wins the seat Joe, Jr. vacated. In 1958, there's another Kennedy - Lodge battle but this time it's John Kennedy running and Lodge is defeated.
In 1960, Reagan has been a pretty orthodox Democrat during his time in the Senate and his communication skills and hard line on the Cold War, combined with a few impressive primary wins, propels him to the 1960 Democratic nomination -- the bosses like and would prefer LBJ, but fear he'd lose the election as he is the antithesis of telegenic in the dawning of the TV era in politics. The general election is a battle between Californians. In 1952, Eisenhower had picked Robert Taft for Vice President, but Taft died not long after being elected. In 1956, he selected former California governor Earl Warren (also the pick for VP in 1948) as his second Vice-President and Warren managed to win the 1960 GOP nomination. While the election is close, Reagan ekes out a win. While he narrowly escapes assassination in Dallas in 1963, he does manage to serve out two full terms, breaking the so-called "Tecumseh curse".
Meanwhile, after a somewhat rocky start in the Senate where he was initially perceived as something of a lightweight, John Kennedy starts to hit his stride in the mid and late 1960s as a Senator with some influence.
However, by 1968, the Democrats are something of a mess as a party. While Reagan remains somewhat personally popular, the public is fatigued after the battles over civil rights and Vietnam and turns toward the more moderate wing of the GOP, selecting a ticket of Nelson Rockefeller and Gerald Ford over Reagan's Vice-President, Hubert Humphrey.
Rockefeller proves to be a popular and adept President despite a number of economic problems and an energy crisis in the early 1970s. The Democrats, still divided by the legacy of Vietnam and Reagan's moderate to conservative wing of the Party, nominates Senator George McGovern in 1972. McGovern does better than expected, but loses in 1972. Rockefeller's popularity flags late in his term, the cumulative effect of 8 years of economic difficulties, but he still is able to pull out a 50% approval rating. In 1975, just as the 1976 primary season is about to get underway, Rockefeller is shot and killed by a former associate of the Manson family while on a trip to San Francisco. Gerald Ford becomes President.
The 1976 Democratic primaries are a free-for-all and an unexpected nominee emerges: an obscure former Georgia Governor named Jimmy Carter. Senator Kennedy, considered a formidable potential candidate, passes on the race due to health reasons (which is not the reason publicly given). However, Ford manages to eke out a very narrow win. Having now lost 3 straight elections, Democrats are demoralized.
Kennedy, during his time in the Senate, had been growing concerned about the narrowing gap between US and Soviet nuclear forces and made something of a name for himself on defense issues. Ford's term turns out to be a disaster mostly not of his own making. A hostage crisis in Iran, a worsening economic situation, a perception of weakness relative to the Soviet Union and a perception of worsening crime makes Ford a very vulnerable incumbent as 1980 approaches. Meanwhile, Senator John Kennedy is, for the first time in his life, feeling pretty healthy and, with age, came a slowing in what had been known in Washington as a notoriously wild private life. At 62, John Kennedy looks younger than his years and has earned a good deal of good will among his fellow Senators, who see a maturity in the man that had been lacking for much of his time in the Senate. And with the 1980 election being an open race for Democrats and Kennedy, at last feeling up to the task of being President and knowing that 1980 is probably his last shot at running, decides to run...
Ronald W. Reagan (D), 35th President of the United States (1961-1969)
Nelson A. Rockefeller (R), 36th President of the United States (1969-1975)
Gerald R. Ford (R), 37th President of the United States (1975-1981)
John F. Kennedy (D), 38th President of the United States (1981-????)
OOC: While there are a number of PODs here, the big one is Kennedy being healthy in 1980 and beyond. This is attributed to advances in treating Addison's and in orthopedics for dealing with his back pain as well as the lower stress of being a Senator rather than President and Kennedy being able to afford the very best in medical care. Is this a stretch? Perhaps, but the Addison's and back problems were his major problems and there were advances in treating each in the nearly 20 years between JFK's death and 1980. Moreover, JFK has an extra dozen years here out of public office and out of the public spotlight in which to handle his health issues.
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I like it. Given that Kennedy never made it to the 1970's no one can really say what his health would have been like, so we might as well just make assumptions that produce a good story.
And yet you brought up Dallas. >.>
I kid, I kid.
This site has made me a whole lot more concious however of the fact that it seems to crop up everywhere in some shape or form, despite the characters and circumstances being different, as if the event were fated to happen no matter how the world had changed.
I lost most of my write-up earlier, but the existing one is surprisingly close. I had Reagan as Governor of California from 1955 to 1961, when he defeats Nixon for the presidency, and is assassinated in Minneapolis in 1963. Humphrey takes over and passes Great Society-esque legislation but loses his bid for a second full term to Nelson Rockefeller. I didn't come up with a Carter analogue, but an aged, but confident Republican-converted Kennedy enters in 1981 alongside a Texas congressman by the name of Bush, and transforms the Republican Party.
I lost most of my write-up earlier, but the existing one is surprisingly close. I had Reagan as Governor of California from 1955 to 1961, when he defeats Nixon for the presidency, and is assassinated in Minneapolis in 1963. Humphrey takes over and passes Great Society-esque legislation but loses his bid for a second full term to Nelson Rockefeller. I didn't come up with a Carter analogue, but an aged, but confident Republican-converted Kennedy enters in 1981 alongside a Texas congressman by the name of Bush, and transforms the Republican Party.[/QUOTE]
As soon as I heard that I had to lol because in my head I heard Hannity and Rush's voices praising the good old days of the Kennedy Revolution!
POD, Dewey wins in 1948.
33. Harry S. Truman (Democrat-Missouri) 1945-1949
34. Thomas E. Dewey (Republican-New York) 1949-1953
35. Harry S. Truman (Democrat-Missouri) Jan-Sep 1953 assassinated
36. Estes Kefauver (Democrat-Tennessee) 1953-1961
37. Ronald Reagan (Democrat-California) 1961-1965
38. William F. Knowland (Republican-California) 1965-1969
39. Hubert Humphrey (Democrat-Minnesota) 1969-1977
40. Gerald Ford (Republican-Michigan) 1977-1981
41. John F. Kennedy (Democrat-Massachusetts) 1981-1983 died in office due to complications of Addison's Disease
42. Dale Bumpers (Democrat-Arkansas) 1983-1989
43. Gary Hart (Democrat-Colorado) 1989-1993
44. Pete Wilson (Republican-California) 1993-2001
45. Howard Dean (Democrat-Vermont) 2001-2009
46. Sarah Palin (Republican-Alaska) 2009-present
33. Harry S. Truman (Democrat-Missouri) 1945-1949
34. Thomas E. Dewey (Republican-New York) 1949-1953
35. Harry S. Truman (Democrat-Missouri) Jan-Sep 1953 assassinated
36. Estes Kefauver (Democrat-Tennessee) 1953-1961
37. Ronald Reagan (Democrat-California) 1961-1965
38. William F. Knowland (Republican-California) 1965-1969
39. Hubert Humphrey (Democrat-Minnesota) 1969-1977
40. Gerald Ford (Republican-Michigan) 1977-1981
41. John F. Kennedy (Democrat-Massachusetts) 1981-1983 died in office due to complications of Addison's Disease
42. Dale Bumpers (Democrat-Arkansas) 1983-1989
43. Gary Hart (Democrat-Colorado) 1989-1993
44. Pete Wilson (Republican-California) 1993-2001
45. Howard Dean (Democrat-Vermont) 2001-2009
46. Sarah Palin (Republican-Alaska) 2009-present