Born Again: A WallaceWank

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POD: Gerald Ford is assassinated by Fromme on September 5, 1975

Rockefeller wins the 1976 nomination due to a split in the conservative vote caused by Reagan’s Schweiker ploy, and the subsequent success of the Draft Buckley movement. Rockefeller nominates Howard Baker as his vice president.

Scoop Jackson, due to being the greatest opposition to the liberal Rockefeller, runs in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primaries and wins, which allows him to beat Carter in the Pennsylvania primary. He chooses Frank Church as his VP.

Rockefeller’s refusal to pardon Nixon gives him a jump in support, and Jackson and Church prove to be poor campaigners, with people not yet ready for Jackson’s conservatism. Wallace however, views the election as proof that the nation wants conservatism, and he believes himself to be the one who should lead the nation through a revival, laying the foundation for his own personal philosophy intertwining a newfound passion for civil rights with christian conservatism. His presidential ambitions prevent his bitter divorce in 1978.

In the run up to 1980, two important events occur. Rockefeller is an unpopular president, just as Carter is in OTL, but his death in 1979 allows Baker to ascend to the presidency. Baker is moderately liberal, but Rocky’s death garners him the sympathy vote, and shuts down the potential challenger in Reagan. He chooses Jack Kemp, a fellow liberal for VP. In 1979, as Wallace finishes his term as governor, he gives an impassioned speech, calling himself a ‘Born Again Christian’ and asking for forgiveness from civil rights leaders. Due to Baker’s liberalism, and Wallace’s new found passion for civil rights, the 1980 democratic convention takes a turn to the right. Jackson’s 1976 run brought many conservative voters into the democratic fold, and Wallace capitalizes on this. Kennedy still decides not to run, due to a combination of Chappaquiddick guilt and no Carter to push his buttons. Wallace sweeps many of the primaries, with his only major opposition being Jerry Brown, who is put in his place by another presidential hopeful, Lloyd Bentsen, when he compares himself to JFK. Many expect Lloyd Bentsen or Scoop Jackson to be named Wallace’s VP, but Wallace wants a more region conscience ticket and wants to emphasize his newfound commitment to civil rights. Surprisingly, he taps Edmund Muskie, who’d been planning to retire come 1980. Quixotically, Muskie accepts, later citing support from Kennedy, and a heartfelt personal conversation with Wallace.

Wallace’s First Cabinet :

Vice President : Edmund Muskie
Secretary of State : Henry M. Jackson
Secretary of the Treasury : Lloyd Bentsen
Secretary of Defense : Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
Attorney General : Warren Christopher
Secretary of the Interior : Mike O'Callaghan
Secretary of Agriculture : Jimmy Carter
Secretary of Commerce : Reubin Askew
Secretary of Labor : Eugene McCarthy
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare: Patricia Roberts Harris
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development : Shirley Chisholm
Secretary of Transportation : Neil Goldschmidt

Wallace wins the 1980 election by winning the religious vote and the disaffected conservative vote, as well as a good chunk of the black vote. Many make comparisons to him as the new FDR, while Baker is Hoover, unwilling to do anything about the sluggish economy. He calls for the following decade to be a ‘Decade of Change’ and declares himself committed to ‘Jesus Today, Jesus Tomorrow, Jesus Forever’. His presidency follows the same line as that of Ronald Reagan’s OTL religious conservatism, however with a heavier emphasis on civil rights. Wallace supports Jesse Jackson’s peace mission to Syria in ‘83, and when Muskie declares his intent to not run in ‘84 citing age, Wallace promptly cites his support for Jackson (due to his anti-abortion beliefs and religious background as well), stating either ‘I must be the one’ or ‘He must be the one’, in reference to George Wallace’s commitment to civil rights and Jackson’s status as the first black person on a ticket. Wallace-Jackson easily win reelection from a booming economy and Wallace’s hardline approach to foreign policy.

Come 1888, Jackson is the obvious frontrunner and is unbeatable, he has the support of the south with Wallace’s blessing and his VP pick of Dick Gephardt, and he is unusually popular with southern farmers.


Presidents

39. Nelson Rockefeller (1975-1979)

40. Howard Baker (1979-1981)

41. George Wallace (1981-1989)

42. Jesse Jackson (1989-)

Vice Presidents

42. Howard Baker (1976-1979)

43. Jack Kemp (1979-1981)

44. Edmund Muskie (1981-1985)

45. Jesse Jackson (1985-1989)

46. Dick Gephardt (1989-)
 
Wallace's presidency here helps increases the chance the South stays Democratic, which would do wonders for American politics.
 
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