John Fredrick Parker
Donor
The US came to think of the incumbent Vice-President as the frontrunner for the incumbent party's choice of successor in the latter 20th Century, when from 1952 to 2008*, if an incumbent President wasn't running, the VP was. Five elections illustrate the latter point -- 1960 (VP Nixon), 1968 (VP Humphrey, and Nixon returns), 1984 (former VP Mondale), 1988 (VP Bush), and 2000 (VP Gore).
For this thread -- what are some ways this period of America politics be shortened, lengthened, or averted all together? My 2 cents -- if RFK had lived and gone on to win, the pattern may not have ever continued past 1960 (making Nixon's first nomination a matter of trivia, along with 1836 and 1860).
*Incidentally, it appears this pattern will not be returning in 2016 if Obama wins re-election, as Biden will be probably be to old to assume the nomination
For this thread -- what are some ways this period of America politics be shortened, lengthened, or averted all together? My 2 cents -- if RFK had lived and gone on to win, the pattern may not have ever continued past 1960 (making Nixon's first nomination a matter of trivia, along with 1836 and 1860).
*Incidentally, it appears this pattern will not be returning in 2016 if Obama wins re-election, as Biden will be probably be to old to assume the nomination