AHC: President Edward Brooke
- Thread starter Chapman
- Start date
There was speculation that Nixon would kick Agnew and replace him with Brooke in 1972. In 1968, Reagan also considered picking Brooke to pick up the African-American vote. However, you need Thurmond to not support Nixon to give Reagan the nomination, and he would not find Brooke as an acceptable running mate. Ford also thought of him as a potential running mate, and if the 1975 attempt is more successful, Brooke enters the Oval Office.
Allen Drury noted political scientist and novelist, had a Brooke style Democrat, get the nomination in the Promise of Joy
(1) In a scenario where Reagan wins the GOP presidential nomination in 1968, Brooke becomes Reagan's running mate, leaving him (if the ticket wins) one bullet or one helicopter crash away from the presidency:
"[*National Review* publisher William] Rusher and his...comrade Clif White aimed to secure the presidency for Reagan at the GOP convention by forging a tacit alliance with Rockefeller's supporters to stop Nixon on the first and second ballots. 'At the third ballot,' according to the notes of one Ripon member at the meeting with Rusher, 'Rockefeller and Nixon forces part company. Reagan, with Clif White as broker, 'aims at Reagan-Percy ticket with Nixon as Secretary of State and Rockefeller (with a sneer from Rusher) as 'the man who put it all together.' If Percy wouldn't take the vice-presidency, they would look for another moderate. *'If I could be convinced that Ed Brooke could deliver a portion of the Negro vote, we would take him.'* [my emphasis--DT] Rusher felt that the California governor would have no chance if he were perceived as the 1968 version of Goldwater, so at Miami he would 'do everything possible to appear moderate, humane, and compassionate...He must start appearing progressive, responsible, and ecumenical in a hurry.'" Geoffrey Kabaservice, *Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party,* p. 241
https://books.google.com/books?id=GJ9baqZLVIYC&pg=PT272
(2) There was also talk in 1971 (when Nixon seemed to be in serious political trouble, with Agnew a drag on the ticket) of a Nixon-Brooke ticket for 1972. Brooke himself would later write in *Bridging the Divide: My Life,* p. 201: "Columnists Evans and Novak ran a poll showing a Nixon-Brooke ticket in 1972 topped either a Nixon-Agnew or a Nixon-John Connally ticket. But I did not take it seriously. *It was difficult to see how I would square with a southern strategy.* [my emphasis--DT] But what if Nixon decides a southern strategy is unnecessary once Wallace chose not to run on a third-party ticket?
(3) Gerald Ford appoints Ed Brooke as his vice-president. (Not too likely, but not wildly implausible--an attempt to do something "historic" to offset the impact of Watergate, to woo a large group that had been hostile to the GOP, etc.; also, notice that he was one of Dole's suggestions to Ford at https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/391990962580238336/ ) Squeaky Fromme or Sara Jane Moore succeeds in killing Ford, making Brooke president.
All three scenarios depend on Brooke's being VP first and having the president die or resign. I think that is the only plausible way he becomes POTUS. He is not going to win the GOP presidential nomination as a non-incumbent. Even leaving aside race--which realistically you can't do--remember that even Gerald Ford was too liberal for almost half the Republican primary voters in 1976...
"[*National Review* publisher William] Rusher and his...comrade Clif White aimed to secure the presidency for Reagan at the GOP convention by forging a tacit alliance with Rockefeller's supporters to stop Nixon on the first and second ballots. 'At the third ballot,' according to the notes of one Ripon member at the meeting with Rusher, 'Rockefeller and Nixon forces part company. Reagan, with Clif White as broker, 'aims at Reagan-Percy ticket with Nixon as Secretary of State and Rockefeller (with a sneer from Rusher) as 'the man who put it all together.' If Percy wouldn't take the vice-presidency, they would look for another moderate. *'If I could be convinced that Ed Brooke could deliver a portion of the Negro vote, we would take him.'* [my emphasis--DT] Rusher felt that the California governor would have no chance if he were perceived as the 1968 version of Goldwater, so at Miami he would 'do everything possible to appear moderate, humane, and compassionate...He must start appearing progressive, responsible, and ecumenical in a hurry.'" Geoffrey Kabaservice, *Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party,* p. 241
https://books.google.com/books?id=GJ9baqZLVIYC&pg=PT272
(2) There was also talk in 1971 (when Nixon seemed to be in serious political trouble, with Agnew a drag on the ticket) of a Nixon-Brooke ticket for 1972. Brooke himself would later write in *Bridging the Divide: My Life,* p. 201: "Columnists Evans and Novak ran a poll showing a Nixon-Brooke ticket in 1972 topped either a Nixon-Agnew or a Nixon-John Connally ticket. But I did not take it seriously. *It was difficult to see how I would square with a southern strategy.* [my emphasis--DT] But what if Nixon decides a southern strategy is unnecessary once Wallace chose not to run on a third-party ticket?
(3) Gerald Ford appoints Ed Brooke as his vice-president. (Not too likely, but not wildly implausible--an attempt to do something "historic" to offset the impact of Watergate, to woo a large group that had been hostile to the GOP, etc.; also, notice that he was one of Dole's suggestions to Ford at https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/391990962580238336/ ) Squeaky Fromme or Sara Jane Moore succeeds in killing Ford, making Brooke president.
All three scenarios depend on Brooke's being VP first and having the president die or resign. I think that is the only plausible way he becomes POTUS. He is not going to win the GOP presidential nomination as a non-incumbent. Even leaving aside race--which realistically you can't do--remember that even Gerald Ford was too liberal for almost half the Republican primary voters in 1976...