What do you mean by that? RFK was, OTL, a theoretical VP choice for LBJ, and so was faux Kennedy Sargent Shriver.
Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes III
- Thread starter shiftygiant
- Start date
- Status
What do you mean by that? RFK was, OTL, a theoretical VP choice for LBJ, and so was faux Kennedy Sargent Shriver.
Deleted member 87099
While a good theoretical selection, LBJ would have literally only selected RFK if the entire DNC went up in flames and they were the only survivors.
shiftygiant
Gone Fishin'
LBJ hated RFK, a feeling reciprocated, which was why he was only theoretical.
The main issue with RFK in '64 is that RFK is unsuitable for 1964- he was Attorney General, yes, but the man never held political office, was considered gawky, inexperienced and unqualified by his peers, and would have had a base built on a dead body, the latter of which was something he was extremely conscious to avoid IoTL, hence his run in New York, which also gave him the experience he needed. Like Shriver, he would have maybe worked as a VP Candidate, but never as an actual Presidential Candidate, at least not until he was able to establish himself like he did IoTL.
No, I know they hated one another. It just seems VERY unlikely that McCormack would run for his own term is all.
WHY DOES EVERYONE STEAL MY IDEAS? I was going to write that...
You still can! Just don't steal my McGovernslide.
You both make valid arguments. In hindsight I would have had Shriver or another Democrat lose to Goldwater instead of McCormack, maybe with RFK on the ticket. I still like the Goldwater v Wallace option though.
Last edited:
You still can! Just don't steal my McGovernslide
No, I won't. I had different ideas. There's some ridiculous story called 'Paper Trail' where Liddy murders Woodward and Burnstein and gets elected. That's the only McGovernslide I can think of.
shiftygiant
Gone Fishin'
Shriver's also a bit early, and his position in the Peace Corps might be an issue if they get no love.
Enjoyable timeline and very well done wikiboxes though
Just a quick start for a mini-TL here. It's a little rough around the edges, as I basically just rolled with this idea the second the light bulb went off. I'll expand on this idea if it goes over well.
aaaaaJesse Jackson was barely able to win the Democratic Nomination in 1988 after the poor performance of Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, mainly due to the surprisingly successful campaign of Delaware Senator Joe Biden. His nomination came as a shock to many and nearly every worry in the book was brought to the forefront. Many worried that America wouldn't be ready to elect a black man as president. Others were simply worried about his experience (the lack thereof) and his extremely liberal platform (which could easily be considered farther left of even Walter Mondale).
aaaaaThese worries were shared by higher ups in the party as well. Many of the possible running mates Jackson had attempted to court had outright refused, convinced that their careers would be over if they tied themselves to the ticket. Jackson tried to find a running mate who could best relieve fears over his inexperience, while possibly adding ideological balance to the ticket. His choices were slowly whittled down until these first two considerations were almost completely thrown out. Most of the possible choices who hadn't refused simply weren't to Jackson's liking. Eventually he resorted to choosing someone he had previously dismissed, Pat Schroeder of Colorado. Jackson disliked the idea of choosing Schroeder, mainly because he thought that the public would see it as a political stunt and a reminder of the Mondale campaign. But, at this point he had soured on the idea of a ticket balancer. She was ideologically similar to him and inexperienced, but he was actually favorable towards the idea of her as his Vice President. So for the second time in a row, the Democratic ticket nominated a female running mate.
aaaaaInstantly the media began to attack the new ticket from all sides. The right attacked the ticket for its inexperience and radical platform. The Democratic ticket attempted to spin the right's criticisms as racist attacks, but the point of Jackson's race seemed to be brought up more by the left and the American people largely rejected this spin, seeing little substance to it. Jackson performed poorly in the debates, failing to explain several of his positions and refusing to compromise on others. Criticisms of Jackson's nuclear plan were made a major part of the Republican campaign (much to the surprise of Jackson), which managed to fairly easily paint Jackson as a "peacenik", with "no regard for American safety". The Republicans also made a point of Jackson's "Hymietown" comment from the '84 campaign, using it to such a degree that it turned much of Jackson's civil rights focused base against him. By the end of the campaign it had become clear that America had rejected Jackson's platform and Jackson himself wasn't ready for this campaign. Some polls showed Jackson winning as low as two states (a defeat as terrible as Mondale four years earlier), while others showed him winning a few more but not enough to nab more than 50 electoral votes. The Democratic ticket would lose, it was just a matter of by how much it would lose.
aaaaaIt was easily the worst defeat the Democratic party had ever seen, as well as being the worst defeat for any major party nominee in history. Bush had won every single state, only losing D.C. Bush's monumental success translated in a small degree down ticket as well, establishing substantial Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. Jackson's career was over, and the Democratic Party had suffered a defeat it might not recover from. It was a dark day for the American left.
EDIT: Removed ironic Dianne Feinstein
A Rainbow Fades
aaaaaJesse Jackson was barely able to win the Democratic Nomination in 1988 after the poor performance of Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, mainly due to the surprisingly successful campaign of Delaware Senator Joe Biden. His nomination came as a shock to many and nearly every worry in the book was brought to the forefront. Many worried that America wouldn't be ready to elect a black man as president. Others were simply worried about his experience (the lack thereof) and his extremely liberal platform (which could easily be considered farther left of even Walter Mondale).
aaaaaThese worries were shared by higher ups in the party as well. Many of the possible running mates Jackson had attempted to court had outright refused, convinced that their careers would be over if they tied themselves to the ticket. Jackson tried to find a running mate who could best relieve fears over his inexperience, while possibly adding ideological balance to the ticket. His choices were slowly whittled down until these first two considerations were almost completely thrown out. Most of the possible choices who hadn't refused simply weren't to Jackson's liking. Eventually he resorted to choosing someone he had previously dismissed, Pat Schroeder of Colorado. Jackson disliked the idea of choosing Schroeder, mainly because he thought that the public would see it as a political stunt and a reminder of the Mondale campaign. But, at this point he had soured on the idea of a ticket balancer. She was ideologically similar to him and inexperienced, but he was actually favorable towards the idea of her as his Vice President. So for the second time in a row, the Democratic ticket nominated a female running mate.
aaaaaInstantly the media began to attack the new ticket from all sides. The right attacked the ticket for its inexperience and radical platform. The Democratic ticket attempted to spin the right's criticisms as racist attacks, but the point of Jackson's race seemed to be brought up more by the left and the American people largely rejected this spin, seeing little substance to it. Jackson performed poorly in the debates, failing to explain several of his positions and refusing to compromise on others. Criticisms of Jackson's nuclear plan were made a major part of the Republican campaign (much to the surprise of Jackson), which managed to fairly easily paint Jackson as a "peacenik", with "no regard for American safety". The Republicans also made a point of Jackson's "Hymietown" comment from the '84 campaign, using it to such a degree that it turned much of Jackson's civil rights focused base against him. By the end of the campaign it had become clear that America had rejected Jackson's platform and Jackson himself wasn't ready for this campaign. Some polls showed Jackson winning as low as two states (a defeat as terrible as Mondale four years earlier), while others showed him winning a few more but not enough to nab more than 50 electoral votes. The Democratic ticket would lose, it was just a matter of by how much it would lose.
aaaaaIt was easily the worst defeat the Democratic party had ever seen, as well as being the worst defeat for any major party nominee in history. Bush had won every single state, only losing D.C. Bush's monumental success translated in a small degree down ticket as well, establishing substantial Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. Jackson's career was over, and the Democratic Party had suffered a defeat it might not recover from. It was a dark day for the American left.
EDIT: Removed ironic Dianne Feinstein
Last edited:
Ephraim Ben Raphael
Banned
I like Dianne Feinstein, she's always impressed me as a very capable and intelligent person. But would Jackson include a Zionist on his ticket?
Ah... I somehow forgot that Feinstein was Jewish... hold on
Well, it would be a good way of shutting up any ideas that he was an anti-Semite at least?
I kek'd. I like that.
Also, I never quite understood the Jesse Jackson hate. I'm aware of the 'Hymietown' thing and all, but I just don't find him that bad of a guy, and I say this as a Jew. Then again, we share a first name...
It also prevents the Republicans from using the Hymietown comment in their campaign, which was pretty important to derailing his campaign. Swapped her out for Pat Schroeder.
Never said I hate him. If doing something in a TL means that I agree with that something, then Gonzo would probably be banned by now
- Status