DBWI: Reagan a Republican

George HW Bush is the king maker Joe Kennedy Sr. dreamed of being.

Ironically, if JFK had agreed to be vice president, Kennedy Sr would've pulled it off after Johnson went to Dallas. (Considering all the shit from Vietnam and civil rights reform, Symington probably wished JFK had agreed too!) And if he'd not tried to run in 1968 and waited for 1972, JFK could've got somewhere. Coulda.

Doesn't compare to getting two sons and a daughter into high office though!
 
Ironically, if JFK had agreed to be vice president, Kennedy Sr would've pulled it off after Johnson went to Dallas. (Considering all the shit from Vietnam and civil rights reform, Symington probably wished JFK had agreed too!) And if he'd not tried to run in 1968 and waited for 1972, JFK could've got somewhere. Coulda.

Doesn't compare to getting two sons and a daughter into high office though!
Joe Jr. was pressed hard by his father throughout his life, and was suffering from depression by that point. He wanted to just be done with the constant attempts at kingmaking and the regular pressure and belittlement by his father so that's why he bit the bullet then rather than later. There's a reason his brothers distanced themselves from their father when Joe Jr. committed suicide in '71 after all, and why most Kennedy's barring Ted have not tried for the Oval Office, especially after Ted won the office in 88 and in 92 for his own passion: Universal Healthcare.

Reagan was in many ways either a liberal or conservative depending on where you look. His domestic policies tended to be fairly left, and in some cases even Democratic Socialist. The one area he tended to be right in that field was in the legal system and in gun ownership. But his foreign policy tended to be pretty right, although he was always even handed in spite of it. I'd have to agree that his relationships were probably what decided it, since Reagan's exact placement depends on what you look at.
 
Joe Jr. was pressed hard by his father throughout his life, and was suffering from depression by that point. He wanted to just be done with the constant attempts at kingmaking and the regular pressure and belittlement by his father so that's why he bit the bullet then rather than later. There's a reason his brothers distanced themselves from their father when Joe Jr. committed suicide in '71 after all, and why most Kennedy's barring Ted have not tried for the Oval Office, especially after Ted won the office in 88 and in 92 for his own passion: Universal Healthcare.

OOC: Well that got dark.
 
, and why most Kennedy's barring Ted have not tried for the Oval Office, especially after Ted won the office in 88 and in 92 for his own passion: Universal Healthcare.

Considering the amount of big things Reagan, Carter, and Kennedy pulled off - universal care, the Cold War ending without violence, successful military work, decreasing racism and eventually bringing crime down [1] - it's amazing Bush Sr did get in by 1996. People knew he was a slick grifter back then and all.

But after five terms of Democrats and Nixon far in the past, I can see why America decided it was time for a change. (I know some people claim America 'wasn't ready' for a female president in 1996 and the Dems shouldn't have picked Albright, but that's just people wanting someone to blame.)

But his foreign policy tended to be pretty right

He certainly had to fight with his party to get the Lebanon War in [2] and keep it going as the bodies piled up. As with Vietnam, it eventually worked out better than the alternative but it wasn't going to be easy to stay the course when over a thousand Marines and airmen were dead so close to midterms.

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OOC:

[1] Assuming that crime falls fast in the West after 1991 as it did IOTL but here, Kennedy's getting the credit in the same way some people give Reagan the lion's share of credit for the Cold War ending (and here would give Carter it).

[2] Since Vietnam was a victory in this timeline, there's heavier involvement in Lebanon from the start and a higher threshold for American casualties. (Exactly how better "worked out better" is, is up to you!)
 
Considering the amount of big things Reagan, Carter, and Kennedy pulled off - universal care, the Cold War ending without violence, successful military work, decreasing racism and eventually bringing crime down [1] - it's amazing Bush Sr did get in by 1996. People knew he was a slick grifter back then and all.

But after five terms of Democrats and Nixon far in the past, I can see why America decided it was time for a change. (I know some people claim America 'wasn't ready' for a female president in 1996 and the Dems shouldn't have picked Albright, but that's just people wanting someone to blame.)
If not for such a sudden and abrupt end to Carter's time in office, I don't think things would've gone nearly as smoothly for Democrats in 1988. The Republicans picked up a lot of seats that year. Kennedy was a very dynamic figure and managed to unite the party at a time when it could've fallen apart, and we all know Reagan's convention speech settled what little doubt people had left about Kennedy.

A lot of people forget just how much doubt there was before Kennedy's nomination.
 
OOC: Well that got dark.

OOC: Until proven wrong by other posters, the Kennedy clan is still somewhat better off in terms of tragedy, since John and Rob don't get assassinated.

Considering the amount of big things Reagan, Carter, and Kennedy pulled off - universal care, the Cold War ending without violence, successful military work, decreasing racism and eventually bringing crime down [1] - it's amazing Bush Sr did get in by 1996. People knew he was a slick grifter back then and all.

But after five terms of Democrats and Nixon far in the past, I can see why America decided it was time for a change. (I know some people claim America 'wasn't ready' for a female president in 1996 and the Dems shouldn't have picked Albright, but that's just people wanting someone to blame.)

A lot of people don't seem to get that there is such a thing as voter fatigue. There's a reason why the GOP has gotten past its nadir in the 80s, and a generation of Dem wins was it. Probably helped that by 1996, the GOP had a fresh and sharp image under a very canny and experienced manipulator.

This year probably will be a shift towards the Dems because of that same fatigue; four of the five terms were Republicans after all.'

If not for such a sudden and abrupt end to Carter's time in office, I don't think things would've gone nearly as smoothly for Democrats in 1988. The Republicans picked up a lot of seats that year. Kennedy was a very dynamic figure and managed to unite the party at a time when it could've fallen apart, and we all know Reagan's convention speech settled what little doubt people had left about Kennedy.

A lot of people forget just how much doubt there was before Kennedy's nomination.

It wasn't that Carter was terrible that did it, he just was somewhat out of touch with his party base during a fairly ill set of years due to that slump that hit in during the late 80s, early 90s. He took losing to Ted during the primaries in good stride and used his new freedom to work with infrastructure and health programs in not just US, but in Africa to boot.
 
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