Effects of a Nixon-Romney Ticket in ‘68 on the 2012 Election?

If it’s more plausible for Nixon to win with Agnew, we can go for him picking Romney in place of Ford instead. The point is that after the Watergate Scandal breaks (I think assuming Tricky Dick still plays his tricks is safe) George Romney is now President of the United States after Nixon instead of Gerald Ford.

The gist of it is, would George Romney being President after the Watergate Scandal, assuming the butterflies don’t affect Romney’s 2012 campaign to the point of stopping it - would this help or hinder Romney against Obama?

Assume a couple of other things as well, say Romney still decides to pardon Nixon (which I suppose could spark a whole debate in of itself), Carter still wins ‘76, and Mitt still runs for President.
 
So many butterflies would be flapping for domestic politics and international history that the 2012 election would be unrecognizable. It's like asking the effects of Britain winning the American Revolution on the Battle of Jutland
 
So many butterflies would be flapping for domestic politics and international history that the 2012 election would be unrecognizable. It's like asking the effects of Britain winning the American Revolution on the Battle of Jutland

Yeah I kind of realized that right after I posted it- it just popped into my head so I was thinking about it for a bit and thought I’d throw it out there
 
Gerald Ford, in my opinion, lost in 1976 over his gaffe in a televised debate with Carter, about Soviet control in Eastern Europe. Romney would not have made that gaffe, so he would win in 1976. Since so many of Carter's troubles (energy, inflation, Iran) were out of his control, there is a good chance Romney would have responded the same way (as would Ford). Inflation will rage in 1980, giving the Democrat an advantage. Inflation will ebb in 1984, making that candidate a two-term president. History changes.
 
Gerald Ford, in my opinion, lost in 1976 over his gaffe in a televised debate with Carter, about Soviet control in Eastern Europe. Romney would not have made that gaffe, so he would win in 1976. Since so many of Carter's troubles (energy, inflation, Iran) were out of his control, there is a good chance Romney would have responded the same way (as would Ford). Inflation will rage in 1980, giving the Democrat an advantage. Inflation will ebb in 1984, making that candidate a two-term president. History changes.

Indeed - and therein the boat of my logic sinks heavily.
 
Gerald Ford, in my opinion, lost in 1976 over his gaffe in a televised debate with Carter, about Soviet control in Eastern Europe. Romney would not have made that gaffe, so he would win in 1976. Since so many of Carter's troubles (energy, inflation, Iran) were out of his control, there is a good chance Romney would have responded the same way (as would Ford). Inflation will rage in 1980, giving the Democrat an advantage. Inflation will ebb in 1984, making that candidate a two-term president. History changes.

Who looks good in 1980?

Kennedy seems to have problems. Guessing Jerry Brown and maybe John Glenn?
 
Gerald Ford, in my opinion, lost in 1976 over his gaffe in a televised debate with Carter, about Soviet control in Eastern Europe. Romney would not have made that gaffe, so he would win in 1976. Since so many of Carter's troubles (energy, inflation, Iran) were out of his control, there is a good chance Romney would have responded the same way (as would Ford). Inflation will rage in 1980, giving the Democrat an advantage. Inflation will ebb in 1984, making that candidate a two-term president. History changes.
Considering that Romney's OTL campaign bombed because of a gaffe("When I came back from Viet Nam [in November 1965], I'd just had the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get."), I wouldn't say it's entirely out of the question that he makes a similar one to Ford in '76.
 
Considering that Romney's OTL campaign bombed because of a gaffe("When I came back from Viet Nam [in November 1965], I'd just had the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get."), I wouldn't say it's entirely out of the question that he makes a similar one to Ford in '76.
The difference is that Ford's gaffe was right on network television. A poor choice of words that did him in.
 

kernals12

Banned
Gerald Ford, in my opinion, lost in 1976 over his gaffe in a televised debate with Carter, about Soviet control in Eastern Europe. Romney would not have made that gaffe, so he would win in 1976. Since so many of Carter's troubles (energy, inflation, Iran) were out of his control, there is a good chance Romney would have responded the same way (as would Ford). Inflation will rage in 1980, giving the Democrat an advantage. Inflation will ebb in 1984, making that candidate a two-term president. History changes.
That's an urban legend. The debate had no impact on the polls which consistently showed a shrinking lead for Carter. It's hard for a party to win the white house a third straight time, especially one tarnished by as much scandal and economic crisis as the Nixon-Ford one was.
 
That's an urban legend. The debate had no impact on the polls which consistently showed a shrinking lead for Carter. It's hard for a party to win the white house a third straight time, especially one tarnished by as much scandal and economic crisis as the Nixon-Ford one was.
Incumbency has an inherent advantage, especially when the opponent has no definitively different plan. I still believe the gaffe tipped the scales to Carter because Ford expressed a lack of relation to Euro-politics.
 

kernals12

Banned
Incumbency has an inherent advantage, especially when the opponent has no definitively different plan. I still believe the gaffe tipped the scales to Carter because Ford expressed a lack of relation to Euro-politics.
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Here's the Gallup polling from that election. Ford narrowed the gap with Carter after the debate. And let's not forget Carter had his own gaffes (e.g. saying he had "lust in his heart" in a Playboy Magazine interview).
 
Who looks good in 1980?

Kennedy seems to have problems. Guessing Jerry Brown and maybe John Glenn?
Assuming a Republican wins in 1976, a Glenn-Kennedy would be very strong in 1980. That assumes, though, that Glenn would run that soon, and Teddy could overcome his problems after Chappaquiddick.
 
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