Eisenhower strokes out in '55. Nixon starts his presidency with public sympathy, but his work ethic and intelligence shows the country that his generation is ready to lead, after being forged in the depression and WW2.
AHC: Make Richard Nixon Considered a Good President
- Thread starter Amadeus
- Start date
This is actually pretty easy as I am a Nixon fan myself:
1. Get rid of Watergate (don't need to explain this one)
2. Get rid of the War on Drugs.
3. Pick a better VP (I'd say Rockefeller or Romney is the best bet)
There's probably more but I say those are the big 3 you need to get rid of to help Nixon's legacy. Or you can just make him president earlier (winning in '60) as other users suggested.
1. Get rid of Watergate (don't need to explain this one)
2. Get rid of the War on Drugs.
3. Pick a better VP (I'd say Rockefeller or Romney is the best bet)
There's probably more but I say those are the big 3 you need to get rid of to help Nixon's legacy. Or you can just make him president earlier (winning in '60) as other users suggested.
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And keep the Gold Standard. That was a big mistake on his part.
Romney would be the better bet. Rocky more or less detested Nixon in general, hence why he always declined Nixon's requests to be VP. Nixon probably lost quite a lot without either Romney or Rocky on his side instead of everyone's favorite Greek American Vice President.
Nixon at this time wouldn't be the rather dark person that he would be known as after 1960 and 1962 (especially the latter) OTL, so it would be safe to say that Nixon's presidency would overall go very well and he would probably be elected again for a second term in 1960 for the man was definitely not a slouch and at this moment in time, he certainly was not a crook in a sense, and given he would bring his family into the white house, you would possibly see the Nixon family become the embodiment of an all American family given their relative youth and the fact that the White House had two young girls occupying it and along with a First Couple that was devoted to one another (I could only imagine how well it would go is someone tried to honeypot this version of Nixon whilst he president).
With regards to what Nixon himself would be able to accomplish, it would be assumed that anti-communism would be very much a stringent thing that Nixon would use to the fullest in terms of getting his support, but for lets say civil rights, I could see Nixon doing the right damn thing and maybe given his OTL self, he would push harder to try and integrate once things are settled, though he would have to get around the Dixiecrats in order to do that, though given this time period... him and Kennedy would still be good friends and Nixon already knew LBJ so I could see some things getting thrown around to get around that.
As for things such as labor unions, Nixon would probably find an ally within George Meany and AFL-CIO as long as Nixon does rock the boat with Taft-Hartley, which he probably wouldn't given the man was more or less a Keynesian given OTL, probably to most Keynesian the US had honestly. So yeah, Nixon would have his support there, and maybe if he plays things right he could also secure Walter Reuther, though that I gotta check out on.
Economically, expect a boom so yeah.
Foreign Policy, expect it to be early Richard Nixon, as in the man who went toe to toe with Khrushchev... though it would be very interesting to see how he would handle the CIA, things like United Fruit, Iran... etc.
There is my freaky take.
Have his predecessors be Wallace / Yorty, the less said about their disastrous administration the better.
Well he took the US off the gold standard because of the ongoing fiscal crisis. There was rising inflation and then there was the cost of LBJ’s Great Society program which was a massive increase in government spending.
Actually I could see Nixon being assassinated in the same light (not thats it's 100% certain but it's not ASB). Nixon's pro civil rights stance could also make him unpopular in the South and also IIRC but wasn't Oswald a communist sympathizer? Nixon was anti-communist (like JFK) which could prompt an attempt to assassinate Nixon!
I agree that JFK historical reputation boosted after his assassination but I wouldn't say he was mediocre. His domestic policy was excellent, his foreign policy was meh so about average imo. Also, what do you mean by "tarnished legacy"? Did I miss that?
Well, taking America off the gold standard didn't work did it? Stagflation still occured in the 1970s and many people blame Nixon's decision to terminate the Bretton Woods system in 1971.
Paradoxer
Banned
He somehow breaks deal with Mao while visiting China for south Vietnam and Cambodia to be under US influence while North Vietnam and Laos would be allowed to be communist. Basically, Chinese pressure them too their sphere(or at least create internal divisions between pro soviet vs prob sino sects of party) and cut aid to point they can’t make counter offensives anymore. The US withdraws without fall of Saigon but like Korea keep few bases there. It’s technically “victory” but somewhat Pyrrhic victory.
He also avoids water gates. He basically is very polarizing figure now but well remember by good bit too.
Make him less of a paranoid fuck who sees his list of political opponents as literal enemies so he doesn't sign off on Watergate.
Done. He is remembered as one of America's left-leaning presidents domestically, but a tad hawkish on the foreign policy issues.
Done. He is remembered as one of America's left-leaning presidents domestically, but a tad hawkish on the foreign policy issues.
One option might be to find some way for him to win the 1962 gubernatorial election in California. It's difficult but winning that might potentially take some of the sting out of the 1960 presidential election loss. Provided he didn't make any major missteps it sets him up nicely for another tilt at the presidency in 1968 whilst making him unavailable in 1964.
An interesting POD would be if Nixon decided to avoid challenging incumbent Pat Brown for California governor in 1962 and waited until the 1964 US Senate election in California where the incumbent retired due to ill health or alternatively even bided his time until the 1966 gubernatorial election when Brown was considerably more unpopular due to the Watts riot. It would be interesting if Nixon uses this time to travel more around Asia and Latin America, making him at least somewhat more understanding of Third World leftism.
Brown was popular in 1962 so challenging him so soon after losing to Kennedy was a bad move on Nixon's part. 1964 is a possibility that hasn't been mentioned before but it could definitely work. It would also make more sense for Nixon considering that he had been a Senator 12 years earlier.
So a less embittered Senator Nixon is nominated in 1968. Though if Nixon does not interfere in the peace talks, might Humphrey win?