Thank you for that btw, I was interested in the effect of the People's party and the AIP tickets. Makes me wonder why AIP, especially after their gains in the 1972 election, just totally collapsed as a party without Wallace, I suppose a combination of lack of Wallace's charisma and name recognition and of Rhodes' conservatism and populism.
Give Peace A Chance: The Presidency of Eugene McCarthy
- Thread starter The Lethargic Lett
- Start date
It can best be described as 'under renovations.' As I've previously mentioned on the thread, I've been doing more research, adding and cropping more images, and otherwise improving what already exists before moving on to the Rhodes Presidency. As edits don't bump things up on the discussion board, it hasn't "moved" for a while.
That being said, progress has been slower than I would have liked and originally intended. If all goes well, "Season 2" will begin within a week.
Chapter Thirty-Two - Back In The Saddle Again
“Archie Griffin could do more help in the inner cities than a whole raft of welfare workers. The people in the inner city want more than a handout. There is no dignity in a handout. They want jobs.”
As tradition went, the Presidential Inauguration of James A. Rhodes was held on January 20th.
If McCarthy’s inauguration had been counterculture, then Rhodes’ was a return to normalcy. While McCarthy never would have been part of a club that would accept him as a member, Rhodes worked himself hoarse to make sure as many people as possible loved him. If it were possible, the presidential briefing of 1977 was even icier than that of 1969; not only had McCarthy’s candidate lose the Democratic primary, but he was being succeeded by what he saw as a country bumpkin who couldn’t tell you the difference between a marginal tax rate and a margin of error. Although standard of living was up in America, inflation was approaching out-of-control proportions, and permanent economic fixes had been kicked down the road for over a decade to avoid hard decisions such as raising taxes, completely removing the gold standard, and fully addressing McCarthy’s occasional use of price freezes and controls to keep the economy going. In spite of the difficult times ahead, Rhodes was willing to tackle it with gumption and stick-to-itiveness.
In what could best be described as a ‘New Deal Republican’ attitude, Rhodes was more in line with the traditional mild interventionist policies of European conservatism than he was with the upcoming laissez-faire principles of American conservatives.
President McCarthy, upon leaving office in 1977.
Behind the scenes, Rhodes’ “Ohio Posse” was already laying the groundwork for the Administration. One of the benefits of going into the Presidency as a Governor is the fact that most of the staff infrastructure is already there. Rhodes’ greatest early weakness as he prepared himself during McCarthy’s lame duck period was his and his staff’s lack of knowledge on Washington’s inner workings. Half a term as a Senator hadn’t been nearly enough to absorb all the minutiae, and the majority of Rhodes’ close political friends, such as Nelson Rockefeller and Claude R. Kirk Jr, were also Governors with limited comparative experience in Washington. To make up the difference, Rhodes asked for a “crash course” from the outgoing Republican congressional leaders, Gerald Ford and Hugh Scott, on how to best work with Congress, especially now that there was a Republican majority. Meeting several times before the inauguration, Rhodes was able to (more or less) get a grasp of things. He was also to take on the new Senator for California into his Administration, a man with a long history in Washington.
The Vice Presidential briefing between Edmund Muskie and Mills Godwin was more less terse. Although Godwin had switched parties to the Republicans from the Democrats, that wasn’t any particular bad blood between the two. There was, however, the question of ‘New Federalism.’ With Muskie taking a significantly more prominent role as Vice President than the previous men to hold the office, there were questions on whether Rhodes would revert to tradition or keep more of a partnership open. Some pointed towards Rhodes’ gregariousness and the fact that Godwin never ‘stole the show’ from Rhodes while campaigning that he would be given an active role, while others remembered Rhodes’ fairly top-heavy attitudes to governing in Ohio that indicated a reversion. While Governor, Rhodes knew how to delegates to Congress, but never shared an ounce of executive power with his Lieutenant Governors.
In his last public address as Governor of Ohio, Jim Rhodes bid farewell to his direct governing of the Buckeye State, having been elected four times to that office, and promised to serve all fifty states with the same vigor as he had Ohio.
As for the cabinet, Rhodes considered himself a ‘Man for All Seasons’ type, and intended to have a balance between the three wings of the Republican Party. By appointing prominent members of the three wings (and with a healthy sprinkling of nepotistic appointments as well) he could get a leg up on factionalism while also neutralizing potential intraparty troublemakers from criticizing the Administration from the outside.
Along with Jim Rhodes was his wife, Helen, as well as their three adult daughters, Suzanne, Sharon, and Saundra. The Rhodes family lived an intensely separate private life from Rhodes’ political career. Helen was entirely apolitical with the exception of voting for her husband, and never appeared with him on the campaign trail before 1976. There was a long-standing personal agreement of sorts that Helen had ultimate power for home and family decisions while Jim was running the state, and now, the country. Neither of them saw fit to change that arrangement going to the White House.
The Inauguration of James Rhodes, January 20th, 1977
With festivities in full gear, and delivering a blissfully short inaugural address compared to McCarthy’s near-record breakers, James Allen Rhodes was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States.
At long last, a Republican was back in the White House.
The age of McCarthy was over.
The era of Rhodes had begun.
“If you would have me, it would be my honor to serve your new administration as Secretary of State, and to offer honest, first-hand advice on how to run things in Washington.
I look forward to working with you,
Signed,
Richard Nixon”
-Excerpt from a memo to President-Elect Rhodes, December 9th 1976
- Excerpt from the inaugural address of President James A. Rhodes, 1977
As tradition went, the Presidential Inauguration of James A. Rhodes was held on January 20th.
If McCarthy’s inauguration had been counterculture, then Rhodes’ was a return to normalcy. While McCarthy never would have been part of a club that would accept him as a member, Rhodes worked himself hoarse to make sure as many people as possible loved him. If it were possible, the presidential briefing of 1977 was even icier than that of 1969; not only had McCarthy’s candidate lose the Democratic primary, but he was being succeeded by what he saw as a country bumpkin who couldn’t tell you the difference between a marginal tax rate and a margin of error. Although standard of living was up in America, inflation was approaching out-of-control proportions, and permanent economic fixes had been kicked down the road for over a decade to avoid hard decisions such as raising taxes, completely removing the gold standard, and fully addressing McCarthy’s occasional use of price freezes and controls to keep the economy going. In spite of the difficult times ahead, Rhodes was willing to tackle it with gumption and stick-to-itiveness.
In what could best be described as a ‘New Deal Republican’ attitude, Rhodes was more in line with the traditional mild interventionist policies of European conservatism than he was with the upcoming laissez-faire principles of American conservatives.
President McCarthy, upon leaving office in 1977.
Behind the scenes, Rhodes’ “Ohio Posse” was already laying the groundwork for the Administration. One of the benefits of going into the Presidency as a Governor is the fact that most of the staff infrastructure is already there. Rhodes’ greatest early weakness as he prepared himself during McCarthy’s lame duck period was his and his staff’s lack of knowledge on Washington’s inner workings. Half a term as a Senator hadn’t been nearly enough to absorb all the minutiae, and the majority of Rhodes’ close political friends, such as Nelson Rockefeller and Claude R. Kirk Jr, were also Governors with limited comparative experience in Washington. To make up the difference, Rhodes asked for a “crash course” from the outgoing Republican congressional leaders, Gerald Ford and Hugh Scott, on how to best work with Congress, especially now that there was a Republican majority. Meeting several times before the inauguration, Rhodes was able to (more or less) get a grasp of things. He was also to take on the new Senator for California into his Administration, a man with a long history in Washington.
The Vice Presidential briefing between Edmund Muskie and Mills Godwin was more less terse. Although Godwin had switched parties to the Republicans from the Democrats, that wasn’t any particular bad blood between the two. There was, however, the question of ‘New Federalism.’ With Muskie taking a significantly more prominent role as Vice President than the previous men to hold the office, there were questions on whether Rhodes would revert to tradition or keep more of a partnership open. Some pointed towards Rhodes’ gregariousness and the fact that Godwin never ‘stole the show’ from Rhodes while campaigning that he would be given an active role, while others remembered Rhodes’ fairly top-heavy attitudes to governing in Ohio that indicated a reversion. While Governor, Rhodes knew how to delegates to Congress, but never shared an ounce of executive power with his Lieutenant Governors.
In his last public address as Governor of Ohio, Jim Rhodes bid farewell to his direct governing of the Buckeye State, having been elected four times to that office, and promised to serve all fifty states with the same vigor as he had Ohio.
As for the cabinet, Rhodes considered himself a ‘Man for All Seasons’ type, and intended to have a balance between the three wings of the Republican Party. By appointing prominent members of the three wings (and with a healthy sprinkling of nepotistic appointments as well) he could get a leg up on factionalism while also neutralizing potential intraparty troublemakers from criticizing the Administration from the outside.
Along with Jim Rhodes was his wife, Helen, as well as their three adult daughters, Suzanne, Sharon, and Saundra. The Rhodes family lived an intensely separate private life from Rhodes’ political career. Helen was entirely apolitical with the exception of voting for her husband, and never appeared with him on the campaign trail before 1976. There was a long-standing personal agreement of sorts that Helen had ultimate power for home and family decisions while Jim was running the state, and now, the country. Neither of them saw fit to change that arrangement going to the White House.
The Inauguration of James Rhodes, January 20th, 1977
With festivities in full gear, and delivering a blissfully short inaugural address compared to McCarthy’s near-record breakers, James Allen Rhodes was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States.
At long last, a Republican was back in the White House.
The age of McCarthy was over.
The era of Rhodes had begun.
“If you would have me, it would be my honor to serve your new administration as Secretary of State, and to offer honest, first-hand advice on how to run things in Washington.
I look forward to working with you,
Signed,
Richard Nixon”
-Excerpt from a memo to President-Elect Rhodes, December 9th 1976
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That's right folks, Give Peace A Chance is officially back on its regular scheduling of a new chapter every 4-6 days! Stay tuned, things are going to get spicy.
Literally half asleep finishing essays rn. I check for one second and my favourite TL's updated. I'm not even mad, essays can wait. Bring on the Wabash Cannonball.
A Look Back on the McCarthy Administration
A Look Back on the McCarthy Administration
Domestic Policy:
The Economy:
The Crusade Against Poverty and the Greater Society: McCarthy’s umbrella term for his legislative agenda was his continuation of the War on Poverty, the Crusade Against Poverty. It composed of the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act, the Farmer Advancement Act, the McGovern-Sullivan Food Stamp Expansion Act, the Medicare and Medicaid Expansion Act, and the Social Security Amendments of 1974.
Further Crusade Against Poverty legislation that failed to pass through Congress during the McCarthy Administration included the Universal Housing Act, which would have provided federally-funded housing to all homeless in America, the Distributive Justice Act, which would have established universal basic income, and the Full Education Act, which endeavored to provide universal post-secondary education.
Inflation remained a problem of the McCarthy Administration that was never solved. Price freezing served as a temporary solution at various points, but ultimately only led to greater economic instability. Raising taxes in his second term slowed down inflation, but tanked his already declining popularity.
Social Issues:
The Equal Rights Amendment was confirmed by the states during the McCarthy Administration. With the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment with loud and prominent support from McCarthy, some religious conservative evangelicals organized against it under the leadership of preacher Jerry Falwell and activist Phyllis Schlafly. This movement, the Moral Majority, quickly fizzled out without the endorsement of ‘America’s Preacher,’ Billy Graham, and with public opinion overwhelmingly in favour of the amendment.
Abortion was decriminalized in the legal case of Roe v. Wade. Generally supported by Democrats and with Republicans largely indifferent, abortion had yet to arrive in the public consciousness, and wasn’t a prominent political issue during the McCarthy Administration.
In 1972, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) coalesced for McCarthy’s re-election, but rapidly fractured and effectively disbanded around 1973 to 1974, following the collapse of the Moral Majority. An SDS offshoot, Evangelicals for McCarthy, formed together with the Sojourners, Anabaptist theologians, and the Calvinist Association for Public Justice to form the People’s Christian Coalition, an evangelical left activist group.
Early on in the McCarthy Administration, conscription was brought to an end. Draft dodgers were pardoned late in McCarthy’s second term.
McCarthy was vehemently opposed to campaign finance reform, and any attempt to keep money out of politics, mostly since his political career had been kept afloat by wealthy liberals who made large campaign donations.
His attempts to reign in domestic spying and the United States’ national security and espionage agencies went horribly wrong, when his personal infidelities were revealed to the public, and the agencies left the public eye. Although organizations like the FBI would never return to the power they had under J. Edgar Hoover, there has been no significant legislation to affect their powers.
Foreign Policy:
Asia
The most obvious aspect of McCarthy’s foreign policy was the conclusion of the Vietnam War. By revealing revealing previously hidden scandal and American conduct, McCarthy was able to turn public opinion against the war, I negotiate a settlement that heavily favoured the North Vietnamese. The South and North were reunited in a thinly veiled annexation. Fighting continued in the rest of South-East Asia: although the communists won the Laotian Civil War, the Thai and American-backed Khmer Republic holds the upper hand in Cambodia.
Following the assassination of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai took control of China as Paramount Leader. After securing his position and removing the Gang of Four from power, Enlai began a process of political and economic reform, along with his right hand man, Deng Xiaoping. McCarthy was dismissive of the People’s Republic of China, and the Taiwan-based Republic of China remains the recognized Chinese government in the United Nations.
Following the Bangladesh War of Liberation, Pakistan was left in a severely weakened position. Bangladesh gained independence, and Kashmir was fully ceded to India. Pakistan is in a state of barely controlled political turmoil: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s central government is ineffectual, Maoist rebels are inciting violence, the new republican government in Afghanistan is eyeing Pakistan’s Pashtun lands, repatriated general A.A.K. Niazi is pushing an ultra-conservative agenda, and Iran is poised to seize Baluchistan in the event of total collapse.
In reaction to the American diplomatic abandonment of Pakistan, much of the Middle East shifted towards the Soviet camp, particularly in Egypt, in which President Anwar el-Sadat was removed in a coup, to be replaced by the socialist Ali Sabri. Egypt continues constant low-intensity skirmishes with Israel, but has yet to resort to open war.
Europe:
European public reception to the McCarthy Presidency was very positive. In Italy, there has been greater cooperation between the Communist Party and the liberal and conservatives parties in Italy. In France, the socialist Francois Mitterand was elected, with the tipping point being a failure on the part of conservative candidates to drum up a red scare in the south-west. Likewise, the Social Democrats remain in power in West Germany, despite scandal. The exception to the continental trend towards Eurosocialism has been in the United Kingdom. Edward Heath and the Conservatives have formed their first government in years, and are attempting to find a peaceful solution to The Troubles in Ireland by establishing Ulster as a jointly governed zone.
Behind the Iron Curtain, the Soviet economy is at an all time high. Confident in their international position with McCarthy in power in the United States, Soviet military spending has dipped, but for the first time, the Soviet nuclear arsenal has surpassed the American one in both size and destructive capabilities. With this confidence has come an allowance for reform: the Soviet puppet states have moderated somewhat (with the exception of Romania) and there has been greater economic co-operation between East and West in Europe.
South America:
The political situation has polarized in South America. With the United States ending the sale of the vast majority of military equipment, many of the tinpot dictators of Central and South America have been forced to implement at least some democratic reforms. Although military juntas most notably remain in Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, Argentina has transitioned to a democracy, and Chile became the first country in memory to democratically elect a Marxist as President.
However, a lack of American support has also left a power vacuum on the political right. A botched coup in Bolivia has led to civil war, and the leftist regime of Peru has launched a revanchist war against Chile, with the Chilean President Allende dying under suspicious circumstances; The Chilean general, Augusto Pinochet, has seized emergency powers, but is fighting a losing war against Peru.
Africa:
Africa has benefited from direct foreign aid from the United States since McCarthy was elected. The Sahel region has enjoyed political stability with extensive food aid from America to make up for a drought, but Ethiopia remains on the precipice of a socialist takeover. White minority regimes remain in power in South Africa and Rhodesia, but few sanctions against them have passed the American Congress (or anywhere else). McCarthy has advocated for a partitioning of South Africa into a white and a black nation if apartheid cannot be peacefully abolished, but it hasn’t come to that yet. In the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola, the United States has been offering direct foreign aid to the rebel groups, and is putting political pressure to give up on their colonial empire.
Behind the Scenes:
You know, the hardest thing to write about McCarthy has been McCarthy. That is to say, Gene McCarthy himself. Every historical account I’ve read of him pointed out his various flaws: the chip on his shoulder, his penchant to hold a grudge, his sense of superiority, his poor campaigning, his hurtful, critical nature, and so on. Hell, the name of his biopic was I’m Sorry I Was Right, and he referred to his only biography as “trash” and was considering suing the author for libel when he died. He was a man who claimed he had no interest in running for President and only did so in 1968 out of a sense of duty, but he indeed ran in 1968, 1972, 1976 (as an independent), endorsed Reagan in 1980, ran again in 1988 (as the Consumer Party candidate), and in 1992 (once more as a Democrat). He got his most votes in 1976, when he very nearly threw New York state (and the election) to Gerald Ford, but lost his court case to appear on the ballot in that state, and his projected votes went to Jimmy Carter. It also goes without saying that he was somewhat lacking in personal morals, as he cheated on his wife. They became estranged after the Election of 1968. Later in life, McCarthy would become, in a word, a kook. He advocated abolishing the Vice Presidency and the Electoral College, supported Ross Perot-esque radical centrism and libertarianism, and spent most of his time writing poetry and complaining about things. He finally came back to the fold of the mainstream Democratic Party in 2004, when he endorsed John Kerry, calling him "an okay guy, with some of the charm of John Kennedy."
That being said, the vast majority of personal accounts of McCarthy have been completely glowing. He was seen by his supporters as a brilliant wit, fighting for moral causes and greater human decency across the entire planet, ending unjust war, giving hope to a generation that felt ignored by the ‘professional politicians’ of the likes of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and supporting equal rights for all and his “distributive justice” to raise up the poor. By modern American standards, he could make Bernie Sanders look centrist. He truly wanted to make the world a better place, even if he didn’t live up to his full potential, and a small but dedicated group of supporters carry his torch even today, with his niece currently making a feature length documentary film about him titled Alone in the Land of the Aardvarks. I’ve tried to strike a balance between ‘McCarthy the Utopian’ and ‘McCarthy the Misanthrope,’ and I still remain concerned if I’ve favoured one of those aspects too much. I don't want to vilify the guy, but he definitely had his problems.
Writing the McCarthy Administration as a whole wasn’t too difficult. I did my research, and followed the historical web to offer what I think is a pretty in depth and quality timeline. The only big change in the overall plot that I considered was having McCarthy lose to Charles H. Percy in 1972, but this was a last minute consideration, and I didn’t have nearly enough research on Percy to do the story justice if I took that path. Maybe one day I’ll do a TLIAD or TLIAW of what would’ve happened in Give Peace A Chance if Percy had indeed won.
Was Eugene McCarthy a ‘nice’ man? I’d say no. Was he a ‘good’ man? I guess that’s up to individual interpretation. If you’d ask me, I’d give you a solid “maybe.”
I’ll leave it up to you to decide, dear reader.
Ask me about Jim Rhodes later.
Domestic Policy:
The Economy:
The Crusade Against Poverty and the Greater Society: McCarthy’s umbrella term for his legislative agenda was his continuation of the War on Poverty, the Crusade Against Poverty. It composed of the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act, the Farmer Advancement Act, the McGovern-Sullivan Food Stamp Expansion Act, the Medicare and Medicaid Expansion Act, and the Social Security Amendments of 1974.
Further Crusade Against Poverty legislation that failed to pass through Congress during the McCarthy Administration included the Universal Housing Act, which would have provided federally-funded housing to all homeless in America, the Distributive Justice Act, which would have established universal basic income, and the Full Education Act, which endeavored to provide universal post-secondary education.
Inflation remained a problem of the McCarthy Administration that was never solved. Price freezing served as a temporary solution at various points, but ultimately only led to greater economic instability. Raising taxes in his second term slowed down inflation, but tanked his already declining popularity.
Social Issues:
The Equal Rights Amendment was confirmed by the states during the McCarthy Administration. With the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment with loud and prominent support from McCarthy, some religious conservative evangelicals organized against it under the leadership of preacher Jerry Falwell and activist Phyllis Schlafly. This movement, the Moral Majority, quickly fizzled out without the endorsement of ‘America’s Preacher,’ Billy Graham, and with public opinion overwhelmingly in favour of the amendment.
Abortion was decriminalized in the legal case of Roe v. Wade. Generally supported by Democrats and with Republicans largely indifferent, abortion had yet to arrive in the public consciousness, and wasn’t a prominent political issue during the McCarthy Administration.
In 1972, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) coalesced for McCarthy’s re-election, but rapidly fractured and effectively disbanded around 1973 to 1974, following the collapse of the Moral Majority. An SDS offshoot, Evangelicals for McCarthy, formed together with the Sojourners, Anabaptist theologians, and the Calvinist Association for Public Justice to form the People’s Christian Coalition, an evangelical left activist group.
Early on in the McCarthy Administration, conscription was brought to an end. Draft dodgers were pardoned late in McCarthy’s second term.
McCarthy was vehemently opposed to campaign finance reform, and any attempt to keep money out of politics, mostly since his political career had been kept afloat by wealthy liberals who made large campaign donations.
His attempts to reign in domestic spying and the United States’ national security and espionage agencies went horribly wrong, when his personal infidelities were revealed to the public, and the agencies left the public eye. Although organizations like the FBI would never return to the power they had under J. Edgar Hoover, there has been no significant legislation to affect their powers.
Foreign Policy:
Asia
The most obvious aspect of McCarthy’s foreign policy was the conclusion of the Vietnam War. By revealing revealing previously hidden scandal and American conduct, McCarthy was able to turn public opinion against the war, I negotiate a settlement that heavily favoured the North Vietnamese. The South and North were reunited in a thinly veiled annexation. Fighting continued in the rest of South-East Asia: although the communists won the Laotian Civil War, the Thai and American-backed Khmer Republic holds the upper hand in Cambodia.
Following the assassination of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai took control of China as Paramount Leader. After securing his position and removing the Gang of Four from power, Enlai began a process of political and economic reform, along with his right hand man, Deng Xiaoping. McCarthy was dismissive of the People’s Republic of China, and the Taiwan-based Republic of China remains the recognized Chinese government in the United Nations.
Following the Bangladesh War of Liberation, Pakistan was left in a severely weakened position. Bangladesh gained independence, and Kashmir was fully ceded to India. Pakistan is in a state of barely controlled political turmoil: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s central government is ineffectual, Maoist rebels are inciting violence, the new republican government in Afghanistan is eyeing Pakistan’s Pashtun lands, repatriated general A.A.K. Niazi is pushing an ultra-conservative agenda, and Iran is poised to seize Baluchistan in the event of total collapse.
In reaction to the American diplomatic abandonment of Pakistan, much of the Middle East shifted towards the Soviet camp, particularly in Egypt, in which President Anwar el-Sadat was removed in a coup, to be replaced by the socialist Ali Sabri. Egypt continues constant low-intensity skirmishes with Israel, but has yet to resort to open war.
Europe:
European public reception to the McCarthy Presidency was very positive. In Italy, there has been greater cooperation between the Communist Party and the liberal and conservatives parties in Italy. In France, the socialist Francois Mitterand was elected, with the tipping point being a failure on the part of conservative candidates to drum up a red scare in the south-west. Likewise, the Social Democrats remain in power in West Germany, despite scandal. The exception to the continental trend towards Eurosocialism has been in the United Kingdom. Edward Heath and the Conservatives have formed their first government in years, and are attempting to find a peaceful solution to The Troubles in Ireland by establishing Ulster as a jointly governed zone.
Behind the Iron Curtain, the Soviet economy is at an all time high. Confident in their international position with McCarthy in power in the United States, Soviet military spending has dipped, but for the first time, the Soviet nuclear arsenal has surpassed the American one in both size and destructive capabilities. With this confidence has come an allowance for reform: the Soviet puppet states have moderated somewhat (with the exception of Romania) and there has been greater economic co-operation between East and West in Europe.
South America:
The political situation has polarized in South America. With the United States ending the sale of the vast majority of military equipment, many of the tinpot dictators of Central and South America have been forced to implement at least some democratic reforms. Although military juntas most notably remain in Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, Argentina has transitioned to a democracy, and Chile became the first country in memory to democratically elect a Marxist as President.
However, a lack of American support has also left a power vacuum on the political right. A botched coup in Bolivia has led to civil war, and the leftist regime of Peru has launched a revanchist war against Chile, with the Chilean President Allende dying under suspicious circumstances; The Chilean general, Augusto Pinochet, has seized emergency powers, but is fighting a losing war against Peru.
Africa:
Africa has benefited from direct foreign aid from the United States since McCarthy was elected. The Sahel region has enjoyed political stability with extensive food aid from America to make up for a drought, but Ethiopia remains on the precipice of a socialist takeover. White minority regimes remain in power in South Africa and Rhodesia, but few sanctions against them have passed the American Congress (or anywhere else). McCarthy has advocated for a partitioning of South Africa into a white and a black nation if apartheid cannot be peacefully abolished, but it hasn’t come to that yet. In the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola, the United States has been offering direct foreign aid to the rebel groups, and is putting political pressure to give up on their colonial empire.
Behind the Scenes:
You know, the hardest thing to write about McCarthy has been McCarthy. That is to say, Gene McCarthy himself. Every historical account I’ve read of him pointed out his various flaws: the chip on his shoulder, his penchant to hold a grudge, his sense of superiority, his poor campaigning, his hurtful, critical nature, and so on. Hell, the name of his biopic was I’m Sorry I Was Right, and he referred to his only biography as “trash” and was considering suing the author for libel when he died. He was a man who claimed he had no interest in running for President and only did so in 1968 out of a sense of duty, but he indeed ran in 1968, 1972, 1976 (as an independent), endorsed Reagan in 1980, ran again in 1988 (as the Consumer Party candidate), and in 1992 (once more as a Democrat). He got his most votes in 1976, when he very nearly threw New York state (and the election) to Gerald Ford, but lost his court case to appear on the ballot in that state, and his projected votes went to Jimmy Carter. It also goes without saying that he was somewhat lacking in personal morals, as he cheated on his wife. They became estranged after the Election of 1968. Later in life, McCarthy would become, in a word, a kook. He advocated abolishing the Vice Presidency and the Electoral College, supported Ross Perot-esque radical centrism and libertarianism, and spent most of his time writing poetry and complaining about things. He finally came back to the fold of the mainstream Democratic Party in 2004, when he endorsed John Kerry, calling him "an okay guy, with some of the charm of John Kennedy."
That being said, the vast majority of personal accounts of McCarthy have been completely glowing. He was seen by his supporters as a brilliant wit, fighting for moral causes and greater human decency across the entire planet, ending unjust war, giving hope to a generation that felt ignored by the ‘professional politicians’ of the likes of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and supporting equal rights for all and his “distributive justice” to raise up the poor. By modern American standards, he could make Bernie Sanders look centrist. He truly wanted to make the world a better place, even if he didn’t live up to his full potential, and a small but dedicated group of supporters carry his torch even today, with his niece currently making a feature length documentary film about him titled Alone in the Land of the Aardvarks. I’ve tried to strike a balance between ‘McCarthy the Utopian’ and ‘McCarthy the Misanthrope,’ and I still remain concerned if I’ve favoured one of those aspects too much. I don't want to vilify the guy, but he definitely had his problems.
Writing the McCarthy Administration as a whole wasn’t too difficult. I did my research, and followed the historical web to offer what I think is a pretty in depth and quality timeline. The only big change in the overall plot that I considered was having McCarthy lose to Charles H. Percy in 1972, but this was a last minute consideration, and I didn’t have nearly enough research on Percy to do the story justice if I took that path. Maybe one day I’ll do a TLIAD or TLIAW of what would’ve happened in Give Peace A Chance if Percy had indeed won.
Was Eugene McCarthy a ‘nice’ man? I’d say no. Was he a ‘good’ man? I guess that’s up to individual interpretation. If you’d ask me, I’d give you a solid “maybe.”
I’ll leave it up to you to decide, dear reader.
Ask me about Jim Rhodes later.
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Thank you so much for the behind the scenes. 
It's really nice getting a look behind the curtain. And it's been a marvelously entertaining timeline. Well done!
Surely you mean Give Percy a Chance?
It's really nice getting a look behind the curtain. And it's been a marvelously entertaining timeline. Well done!Surely you mean Give Percy a Chance?
That's probably his biggest failure here.
Does it mean China is less of a fuck up? Deng is wrongfully considered the sole architect of modern Chinese state capitalism, but that's not really accurate, and political reforms under Enlai should make things better overall.
The Rhodes Cabinet and Staff
The Rhodes Cabinet and Staff
President James A. Rhodes (OH, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
In a crushing landslide, Jim Rhodes has been elected as the first Republican President since Dwight Eisenhower, and the second oldest in American history. Like Eisenhower, Rhodes leans towards an economic status quo, but intends to strip down most of the Crusade Against Poverty and War on Poverty to end growing inflation, and replace them with make work programs. Rhodes is a fan of large-scale, eccentric, projects, but has absolutely no interest in foreign policy.
Vice President Mills Godwin (VA, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
Unknown outside of Virginia, Godwin had the good fortune of being an inoffensive acquaintance of Rhodes who agrees with him on practically every policy issue, once it came time to select a Vice Presidential nominee. Godwin has only been a Republican since 1973, and is unpopular with most of the party, and is often called ‘a turncoat who got by on coattails.’
Secretary of State Richard Nixon (CA, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
Twice the Senator for California, twice the Republican nominee for President, and one-time Vice President of the United States, Richard Nixon seems politically unkillable. Nixon has been given near-unilateral control of American foreign policy and the State Department, and intends to restore American geopolitical ‘prestige’ abroad, through any and all means at his disposal.
With Rhodes’ approval, of course...
Secretary of Treasury Nelson Rockefeller (NY, Rockefeller Republican, Hawk)
Nelson Rockefeller defies strict classification. Described at various points as a progressive, liberal, or moderate, the consistent factor of Rockefeller’s career is that he’s to the left of most of the Republican Party. Having stepped down as Governor of New York and having largely given up on his Presidential aspirations, Rockefeller has instead taken a cabinet position from his friend, Rhodes, before retiring from politics.
Secretary of Defence Barry Goldwater (AZ, Conservative Republican, Hawk)
The (in)famous Republican nominee in 1964, Barry Goldwater lost in a crushing landslide to Lyndon Johnson, but remained the godfather of American conservatism, as well as its flagbearer until Ronald Reagan came on to the scene. More ideological and anti-Communist than the new Secretary of State, it seems likely that Goldwater and Nixon, who already dislike each other, will be jockeying to decide foreign and national security policy within the Rhodes Administration.
Attorney General Bill Saxbe (OH, Moderate Republican, Dove-Leaning)
Rhodes’ fellow Senator for Ohio during his brief stint in Congress, Saxbe is a fellow ‘New Deal Republican.’ Saxbe’s particular interest is trust-busting and the breaking up of monopolies, which is complementary to Rhodes’ jobs-oriented and small business-style economic beliefs.
Secretary of the Interior Clifford Hansen (NE, Conservative Republican, Dove-Leaning)
The well-liked and conservative Senator of Wyoming, Hansen is a compromise pick between Rhodes and the more environmentally-minded members of the party, who would have preferred someone like Stanley K. Hathaway. An environmentalist of the ‘Theodore Roosevelt national park’ variety rather than a ‘modern legislative pollution-control’ environmentalist, Hansen also supports Rhodes’ intention to advance the oil and coal industry while still protecting landowners’ rights.
Secretary of Agriculture William R. Poage (TX, Conservative Democrat, Hawk)
The former Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Poage was recently removed in a revolt by his fellow Democrats for being too conservative. He’s now been picked up by the Rhodes Administration, both as a bipartisan appointment, and as a means to disincentivize the removal of conservative committee chairmen by appointing one to a more powerful position.
Secretary of Commerce Claude R. Kirk Jr. (FL, Conservative Republican, Hawk)
The bombastic and confrontational former Governor of Florida, Kirk is a close personal friend of Rhodes, having originally met at a Governor’s Convention. Known for his economic projects similar to Rhodes, his social conservatism, and his harassing of his political opponents, Kirk has a long-running feud with William C. Cramer, as the unofficial co-leaders of the Florida delegation to the Republican National Committee.
Secretary of Labor Jacob Javits (NY, Rockefeller Republican, Dove)
The longtime liberal Senator for New York, Jacob Javits’ career has gone back long enough to oppose the Taft-Hartley Act, and has long served on the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. Although his Presidential aspirations have been fruitless, the absence of the Republican’s most outspoken liberal from the Senate has been noticed.
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Robert H. Michel (IL, Conservative Republican, Hawk)
The ranking Republican member of the House Appropriations Committee, and on the Health, Education, and Welfare Sub-Committee, Robert H. Michel is a conservative Republican from Illinois. With the outgoing Gerald Ford being replaced by John Rhodes as Speaker of the House for the foreseeable future, Michel has left behind the possibility of House leadership to accept a cabinet position.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Charles H. Percy (IL, Rockefeller Republican, Dove-Leaning)
The Republican kingmaker of 1972 and 1976 has finally gotten a cabinet position, but it’s not an exact fit. Although Percy’s domestic policy expertise lies with housing, he primarily served as a foreign policy oriented Senator. He has only accepted something less than Secretary of State with the informal agreement that he will be part of foreign policy decision-making along with Goldwater and Nixon, and will serve as a foreign policy advisor as well as Secretary of Housing.
Secretary of Transportation Ray Lee Hunt (TX, Conservative Republican, Hawk)
The heir to Hunt Oil, Ray Lee Hunt is an oil tycoon, and the son of one of the most famous oil tycoons outside of the Rockefellers, H.L. Hunt, who held title on one of the world’s largest oil deposits, until his death in 1974. Rhodes has appointed Hunt with the intention of increasing efficiency between the energy sector (read: oil, coal, and gas) and the transportation of energy.
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Supreme Allied Commander Europe Bernard W. Rogers (KS, Moderate Independent, Hawk)
A ‘return to form’ for the American military past the McCarthy years, General Rogers is a proponent of war readiness in Europe and keeping morale high. Rogers wants to whip the army back into shape after years of budget neglect and low spirits.
Chief of Staff of the United States Army Alexander Haig (PA, Conservative Republican, Hawk)
President-Elect Rhodes has taken a shine to General Haig. Haig’s quixotic use of malapropisms and malaphors suit Rhodes’ political double-talk, and gave him a competitive edge when choosing a new Army Chief of Staff. Haig, while a competent enough commander, is somewhat gaffe-prone to say the least.
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Hale Boggs (LA, Moderate Democrat, Hawk-Leaning)
Hale Boggs remains as the McCarthy appointment as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Chances are that with the political hopes of reigning in American espionage and national security agencies smashed that Boggs’ days are numbered as head of the FBI.
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Richard Helms (PA, Conservative Independent, Hawk)
Another ‘return to normalcy’ appointment, Helms served as the Director of the CIA in the Johnson years, before being replaced by McCarthy with General James M. Gavin. Returning to a secretive, intelligence and counterintelligence based model for the CIA, Helms intends to get things “back on track” after Gavin.
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First Lady Helen Rhodes
The entirely apolitical First Lady of the United States had long served as the completely apolitical First Lady of Ohio. Jim and Helen Rhodes have their own personal agreement that Helen has total say in family matters, and doesn’t intend to do many - if any - events.
White House Chief of Staff Tom Moyer (OH, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
Replacing Rhodes’ longtime, outgoing Chief of Staff John McElroy in 1975, Tom Moyer had begun to have gotten a handle on running an Ohio office, but the White House remains beyond his full comprehension. Having run a fairly organized campaign, Moyer hopes to adapt quickly to Washington.
White House Senior Advisor Earl Barnes (OH, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
The closest thing Rhodes has to a lieutenant or right-hand man, Earl Barnes, like many of Rhodes’ staffers, has worked with him for years. Nothing has significantly changed between Barnes and Rhodes, despite their different setting, and he continues to advise. Barnes also works with Roy Martin, the head of Rhodes’ patronage machine.
White House Deputy Advisor Robert Hughes (OH, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
The former Chairman of the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Robert Hughes has been the long-time confidante of Rhodes throughout his long career. Although he has something of a rustic touch, Hughes intends to give the same advice to Rhodes as he always has.
White House Deputy Advisor Richard Krabach (OH, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
Rhodes’ longtime financial advisor, Krabach has worked with Rhodes to put together his state budgets and work with the state’s Congress. Going into the White House, Krabach serves as a general assistant and message courier for Rhodes, Rockefeller, and Kirk Jr. His counterpart, Ohio Finance Director Howard Collier, has been appointed Deputy Treasury Secretary under Rockefeller, while Ohio Commerce Director Gordon Peltier has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Commerce under Kirk Jr.
White House Deputy Advisor Fred Neuenschwander (OH, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
The Ohio Development Director and Rhodes’ frequent business partner, Fred Neuenschwander was usually the one who helped Rhodes identify possible civil works and construction projects in the state of Ohio. He continues to serve in a similar capacity, but has taken a lesser position overall compared to the wishes of the cabinet and Congress. Neuenschwander is also assisted by Elmer Keller, a man that could be best described as Rhodes’ ‘fixer’ and slush-funder.
White House Press Secretary James Duerk (OH, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
Rhodes’ campaign Press Secretary, not only for the Presidency but for Governor of Ohio, James Duerk continues to serve Rhodes as the White House Press Secretary.
White House Chief Speechwriter Rollin Jauchius (OH, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
Having previously served as Rhodes’ Press Secretary as well as his speechwriter, Rollin Jauchius was originally a journalist and writer for the Columbus Evening Dispatch before being picked up by Rhodes.
Director of the National Economic Council William Scranton (PA, Rockefeller Republican, Hawk)
The previous Governor of Pennsylvania, after leaving politics, Scranton worked for a series of big businesses, including A&P, IBM, The New York Times, as well as Pan American Airways and the Heinz Company, having also served as President of Northeastern National Bank and Trust Company. A former associate of Rhodes', he has been selected as the new Director of the National Economic Council. Other figures appointed to the National Economic Council by Rhodes include the businessmen Don Hilliker and Ralph Stolle, as well as the owner and founder of Wendy's, Dave Thomas, who is a personal friend of Rhodes.
National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger (NY, Rockefeller Republican, Realpolitik)
The counterpart of McCarthy's long-serving National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, Henry Kissinger has been appointed at the insistence of both Nelson Rockefeller (whom Kissinger had acted as a foreign policy advisor for in several campaigns) as well as Richard Nixon. The new National Security Advisor and Secretary of State have developed a very close partnership, and have formed their on foreign policy bloc in competition with Percy and Goldwater.
Chairman of the Young Republican National Federation Bill Willis (OH, Moderate Republican, Realpolitik)
Rhodes' Youth Relations organizer in Ohio, Bill Willis has taken the role of Chairman of the Young Republicans. Although not as quite the potent (and volatile) political force as the Young Democrats, they're still the future of the party: and the future is Rhodes.
Director of the Environmental Conservation Agency James G. Watt (WY, Conservative Republican, Hawk)
A notoriously anti-environmentalist lobbyist, Watt has been appointed to fast-track Rhodes' plans for land development and the sale of federal land, as well as slashing environmental regulations, and working with the oil industry. Watt's appointment is already being protested by environmentalist groups.
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samuel W. Lewis (TX, Moderate Independent, Dove)
A behind-the-scenes, foreign policy official and bureaucrat, Samuel Lewis has a particular specialty in the Middle East, and had previously worked on McCarthy's Central and South American policy initiatives and the International Organization Affairs branch of the State Department. Considering the flare-ups of conflict in South America and the Middle East, he was considered a good choice for the role.
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Interesting cabinet. Most of the names are ones I haven't heard before. Goldwater at Defense?
We'll be getting into it later, but the PRC has begun to adopt the Four Principles and "Zhouism" (TTL's Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Western media's play on words that Maoism has become Zhouism), but progress has been stymied by the fact that, ITTL, the PRC still doesn't have UN recognition.
Goldwater at Defense, for now.
When George Voinovich was being sworn in as Governor, Rhodes told him "you got too many Ph.Ds in your cabinet." I've partially reflected that sentiment in more obscure appointments, as well as throwing in a few of Rhodes' more prominent friends, like Rockefeller.
All of Rhodes' White House staff are his actual staff from Ohio. Unfortunately, no record exists of their political views except for working for Rhodes, so I labelled all of them as having Rhodes' same political views. If, by some stroke of luck, any of you are related to any of his staffers or did some sort of Ohio school project on them, feel free to PM me the details.
Also, thanks to @Lucky Luciano and @Salvador79 for nominating McCarthy for Best Cold War to Contemporary Timeline for the Turtledoves!