From what I remember of either Kennedy or Mondale in those days, neither would be a shoo-in for the presidency. Ted Kennedy wasn't much more than a distant echo of either of his brothers, plus he had the massive baggage of Chappaquiddick. Mondale tended to be rather strident at times, and while he wasn't as far to the left as McGovern, he was far enough to give swing voters pause. Have the GOP nominate a moderate (paging Arlen Specter or Howard Baker...) and 1980 would be fascinating--and could even have a GOP president taking office in 1981.