DBWI: Robert F. Kennedy Assassinated in 68?

We Know on June 4, 1968, A Assassination Attempt on Robert F. Kennedy better known as Bobby was made by crazy a Palestine who's two names where the same (what was his name again?oh, yeah Sirhan Sirhan) Thankfully RFK survived, and went on to win the Democratic nomination and the Presidency in a land slide, became a champion of Civil Rights, killed Communisim in Europe, and is regarded as one of the greatest Presidents of all time, what would have happend if the assassination attempt succeeded?




from what I know, Nixon would have probaly won the Presidency, cause no one could beat Nixon besides RFK, but what do you guys think?
 
that near killing made RFK very interested in the Israeli-Palestinian issue, it was RFK's pushing that got them to make the people of the Sinai and Golan heights Israeli Citizens, and while it happened after his second term the forming of the Israeli-Palestinian Republic really couldn't of gotten done with RFK's ground work, also the Northern Ireland issue came to a head when he came to office, having an Irish-American Catholic President as a middle man between all the parties helped keep that from getting truly ugly.
 
I think it's likely that the supporters of RFK would rally behind Eugene McCarthy and he would probably have won - similar to how Lyndon Johnson easily won after JFK was assassinated. While McCarthy shared Kennedy's vision in many ways, he was not nearly forceful enough. Which means that most likely he would not be able to push through RFK's reforms or end the Vietnam War quickly, allowing the US to concentrate on Europe. It's even possible that Reagan might defeat him in 1972, instead of the embarrassing defeat he suffered in OTL.
 

JoeMulk

Banned
McCarthy winning is ASB. He was considered to fringe to get Daley's endorsement which is what helped put Bobby over the top OTL. Most likely Humphrey would have won the nomination easily and had his hands tied to LBJ's war policy. Nixon probably would have won.

BTW did anybody read the recent Rolling Stone interview with RFK? He's still pretty sharp at 85.
 
I agree. I never thought that a President of of our country would return to political office after he served his term, but RFK managed to come out of retirement and go for another 18 years in the Senate. Amazing.
 
Thankfully RFK survived, and went on to win the Democratic nomination and the Presidency in a land slide, became a champion of Civil Rights, killed Communisim in Europe, and is regarded as one of the greatest Presidents of all time, what would have happend if the assassination attempt succeeded?
It was a landslide using today's standard only. The Kennedy-Smathers ticket only won by a 48-37 margin, and it was only after Spiro Agnew, Nixon's running mate was accused of accepting $29,500 in bribes during his tenure as governor of Maryland, forcing Nixon to drop him from the ticket. Before the Agnew scandal, Nixon was narrowly leading Kennedy.

You don't have to have RFK assassinated to keep him away from the presidency. Perhaps Agnew's bribery was never revealed, or Nixon picked another person at the very first beginning. Then you could well have a Nixon presidency.
It's even possible that Reagan might defeat him in 1972, instead of the embarrassing defeat he suffered in OTL.
Hey, how was it embarrassing? It was a landslide, but anyone other than Reagan would lose even worse. You won't say Willkie's defeat in 1940 was "embarrassing", right?
attachment.php

Robert F. Kennedy / George Smathers (D) 414EV, 56.4%
Ronald W. Reagan / Charles H. Percy (R) 124 EV, 42.1%
 
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It was a landslide using today's standard only. The Kennedy-Smathers ticket only won by a 48-37 margin, and it was only after Spiro Agnew, Nixon's running mate was accused of accepting $29,500 in bribes during his tenure as governor of Maryland, forcing Nixon to drop him from the ticket. Before the Agnew scandal, Nixon was narrowly leading Kennedy.

You don't have to have RFK assassinated to keep him away from the presidency. Perhaps Agnew's bribery was never revealed, or Nixon picked another person at the very first beginning. Then you could well have a Nixon presidency.



You are right about that, however I was talking more of the cultural and poltcial aspects of no RFK presidency,
 
Fortunately, Nixon never ended up in the White House. I doubt that he would end the Vietnam War the same way that RFK did. Nixon would have sought " peace with honor" and we would have still been in Vietnam in 1972.

Bobby's return to the Senate in 1980 will probably set a precedent for former Presidents to run for Congress and win.
 
I think it's likely that the supporters of RFK would rally behind Eugene McCarthy and he would probably have won - similar to how Lyndon Johnson easily won after JFK was assassinated. While McCarthy shared Kennedy's vision in many ways, he was not nearly forceful enough. Which means that most likely he would not be able to push through RFK's reforms or end the Vietnam War quickly, allowing the US to concentrate on Europe. It's even possible that Reagan might defeat him in 1972, instead of the embarrassing defeat he suffered in OTL.

Reagan winning 1972 is ASB. The only thing good about him was his personality, having him win would require the Democrats to commit something on the line of suicide to give the presidency to Reagan.

On another note, one could feel bad for the GOP. They didn't clinch the Presidency again until George H Bush in 1980, and with a solid Democrat congress, it was a miracle he got a second term. (A shame Clinton decided to not keep it in his pants, otherwise 1984 would have been a walkover.)
 
Reagan might have won if he had waited until 1976. At that point, Democrats held the White House for 16 years.

The GOP nominated Howard Baker but he did not have Reagan's oratorical ability. Smathers had the home state advantage in Florida which was the difference in his 271-267 Electoral College victory.

Then came the OPEC embargo and recession of 1978-1980. And of course, that unpopular war in Cuba. The country was ready to give any Republican a chance after 20 years of Democrats.
 
BTW did anybody read the recent Rolling Stone interview with RFK? He's still pretty sharp at 85.

Oh, yeah. I think was a bit rough on Clinton, though. Even if he does deserve it.

Also, he sure takes the demise of NASA a bit personally, doesn't he?
 
Oh, yeah. I think was a bit rough on Clinton, though. Even if he does deserve it.

Also, he sure takes the demise of NASA a bit personally, doesn't he?

Not really, given that he slashed space funding to help balance the budget in his first term. Remember his '68 mantra "if forced to choose between welfare and space, I'll choose welfare." His relationship with Clinton has always been fairly mixed: yes, Clinton is his protege, but Clinton's moral shortcomings are probably why he's distanced himself in recent years. Still very positive overall though.
 
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