JFK Lives, A timeline from 1963 until the Present

I've always wanted to see one of these timelines...............who knows how much better things coulda been in OTL, if JFK had lived?

Thanks, Scoop, and I wish you good luck. :D :cool: ;) ;)
 
Awesome update, Ben. I second Historico's questions. Is there a similar push for law and order as there was OTL? Did Ronald Reagan win the Governorship in 1966? Is JFK having a hard time trying to keep the nation from falling apart?
 
In the second term Bobby will be at the Pentagon. Expect a SpecOps-wank. But yes, before PATRIOT he did set the tapping record. As he said in reference to the MLK tap: "National security, and that's all the answer you're gonna get!" Classic Bobby, nor did it hurt him with black voters. Only white civil libertarians, who never liked him anyways. ;)
 
In the second term Bobby will be at the Pentagon. Expect a SpecOps-wank. But yes, before PATRIOT he did set the tapping record. As he said in reference to the MLK tap: "National security, and that's all the answer you're gonna get!" Classic Bobby, nor did it hurt him with black voters. Only white civil libertarians, who never liked him anyways. ;)

To quote Nixon "Damned Hippies!" *peace sign and shakes jowls left and right*
 
In the second term Bobby will be at the Pentagon. Expect a SpecOps-wank. But yes, before PATRIOT he did set the tapping record. As he said in reference to the MLK tap: "National security, and that's all the answer you're gonna get!" Classic Bobby, nor did it hurt him with black voters. Only white civil libertarians, who never liked him anyways. ;)

I think, due to rule of cool, that I can accept a WireTap-wank if it comes hand-in-hand with a SpecOps-wank. :cool:
 
Hair and occasional outre musical tastes aside, Bobby was "essentially square" to quote Evan Thomas. Not to mention being a hate object of the left like the Clintons. To quote FDR: "I welcome their hatred." :D
 
As President Kennedy enters the final two years of his term, his approval ratings stand at an all time low, hovering in the mid 40’s. This is mostly attributed to the situation in Vietnam. Despite the massive troop increase, the North Vietnamese refused to allow for a ceasefire, despite failing to inflict any sort of damage to the American troops.

Many members of Congress begin calling for a decisive blow in the war. Senator Henry M. Jackson (D-WA), says that, “We have an opportunity to win this war now. With one fell swoop, we can end the threat of North Vietnam permanently.” Senator John Tower (R-TX) says, “The President is putting his poll numbers ahead of national security.” Despite the increased pressure, Kennedy does nothing to troop levels.

In a speech on January 29, 1967, President Kennedy boasts that wages were the highest in history, unemployment was at a 13-year low, and corporate profits and farm incomes were greater than ever. Following the speech, he sends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; written by his brother, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), the ADEA would prohibit employment discrimination against persons 40 years of age or older. It would also set standards for pensions and benefits provided by employers, and requires that information about the needs of older workers be provided to the general public. This legislation, like many of Kennedy’s key programs, passes with little opposition, and is signed into law on May 1, 1967.

On June 5, President Kennedy is confronted with a foreign affairs crisis, when Israel launches a pre-emptive attack against the Egyptian air force. Jordan, which had signed a mutual defence treaty with Egypt on May 30, responds by attacking western Jerusalem and Netanya. Despite calls from Senators such as Henry Jackson, Hubert Humphrey, John Tower, and other hawks, President Kennedy does not respond immediately, allowing Israel to take its own path.

On June 8, Israel captures the Sinai by sending infantry units to Ras-Sudar on the western coast of the peninsula. Sharm El-Sheikh, at its southern tip, had already been taken a day earlier by units of the Israeli Navy. By June 10, following the capture of the Golan Heights, Israel signs a ceasefire. During the fighting, Israel had seized the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank of the Jordan River (including East Jerusalem), and the Golan Heights. During peace negotiations, Israel votes to return the Sinai to Egypt and the Golan Heights to Syria in return for peace agreements. The Golans would be demilitarized and special arrangement would be negotiated for the Straits of Tiran. The government also resolved to open negotiations with King Hussein of Jordan regarding the Eastern border. Despite the favorable result, Kennedy is still criticized for his failure to send in troops to help Israel.

On June 29, Chief Justice Earl Warren and Justice Tom Clark both announce their retirement from the Supreme Court. To replace him, President Kennedy nominates David L. Bazelon of the DC Court of Appeals. Bazelon is confirmed without any controversy. Clark is replaced by his fellow Texan John Robert Brown.

On 14 July, 1967, the voters in the United Kingdom give a major boost to incumbent Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his Labour Party, giving Labour a gain of 54 seats, giving him a majority of 102 seats.

In September, though, Kennedy asks Congress to pass the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1968. The INA would abolish the national-origin quotas that had been in place in the United States since the Immigration Act of 1924. Strongly supported by liberal Democrats and Republicans, it passes the House on October 17, by a vote of 280-129; on December 12 it passes the Senate, 68-32, and is signed by President Kennedy.

In early February, Kennedy asks Congress to pass legislation increasing funding for NASA, saying that it was possible to reach the moon by the end of 1968. Congress, however, refuses to pass the spending bill, instead making cuts to the NASA budget, overriding Kennedy’s veto on April 25.

On April 4, 1968, in Tennessee, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray. Following King’s death, Kennedy gives a speech on national television, mourning that slain leader, and ending any possible threat of riots throughout the country. King’s funeral is Alabama is attended by the President, Vice President, every member of the Cabinet, House and Senate Leaders, and several Presidential candidates, preparing for the campaign.
 
The Democratic Nomination

With it being taken for granted that Vice President Smathers would seek reelection, the major question was who, if anyone, would run against him. Early attention centered around Senator Henry M. Jackson, of Washington. A prominent hawk who enjoyed support in every major Democratic constituency, Jackson was considered a premier choice to run for President. On January 17, Jackson announces that he will indeed seek the nomination. On February 2, Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin announces that he will seek the nomination, with support from the small, dovish wing of his party.

On March 12, the first primary of the year is held in New Hampshire. As expected, Vice President Smathers wins an easy victory, garnering 61% of the vote. Senator Proxmire finishes second, with 23%, and Senator Jackson gets 16%. On April 2, in Wisconsin, Senator Proxmire wins 67% in his home state, with 23% going to Smathers, and 10% going to Jackson. Three weeks later, Smathers wins 70% in Pennsylvania, Jackson wins 21%, and Proxmire wins 9%. On April 30, Smathers wins 72% in Massachusetts, with Jackson getting 23%, and 5% going to Proxmire. Smathers continues his winning streak on May 7, taking Washington DC, Indiana, and Ohio by large margins. Jackson drops out following those primaries, and endorses Smathers. On May 14, Smathers wins Nebraska and West Virginia; he wins Florida and Oregon on May 28; on June 4 he wins California, New Jersey and South Dakota, and ends the primary season with a win in Illinois.

Entering the Convention, Smathers already holds a majority of delegates. However, Proxmire insists on a roll call vote, which ends with him only winning in Wisconsin. Smathers selects Senator Jackson as his running mate, much to the anger of the dovish wing of the party. Smathers and Jackson both give rousing speeches, and march on to the November election.

The Republican Nomination

Following Goldwater’s defeat in 1964, the GOP looked to the moderate wing of the Party, and the first candidate to declare is moderate Nelson Rockefeller, who failed to gain the nomination in 1964. Shortly after Rockefeller’s announcement, Senator John Tower of Texas, a conservative, announces his bid for the nomination. An attempt to draft Richard Nixon fails, and on February 23, Nixon endorses Tower for the nomination.

Rockefeller, as expected, wins the New Hampshire primary by a large margin; Tower responds by winning Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, before Rockefeller takes Massachusetts and DC. Tower responds by winning Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska, West Virginia, Florida, Oregon, and California, ending with a Rockefeller victory in New Jersey; Tower ends the primaries with a win in Illinois.

The RNC opens in Miami without a clear nominee. The first ballot shows a slight lead for Tower, with Rockefeller in second.
Senator John Tower (TX): 623 votes
Governor Nelson Rockefeller (NY): 600 votes
Governor George Romney (MI): 74 votes
Former Vice President Richard Nixon (CA): 35 votes
Senator Hiram Fong (HI): 1 vote

Shortly before the second vote, Tower makes Rockefeller an offer: if Rockefeller withdraws, then Tower will let him name the Vice President. Rockefeller accepts, Tower wins the nomination, and Rockefeller supporter Governor Spiro Agnew of Maryland is named the VP nominee.

The General Election

As the campaign gets underway, the race is dead even between Smathers and Tower. The race changes, though, on September 5, when General William Westmoreland, angry at both candidates for their perceived dovish views on Vietnam, announces his candidacy for President, as the nominee of the American Independent Party, running with Governor Lester Maddox of Georgia as his Vice President.

Westmoreland’s entry into the race radically alters the dynamics of the campaign. Running to the right of Tower, Westmoreland appears to have thrown the election to Smathers. During the debates, Westmoreland pounds both candidates on national defense, and jumps in the polls, garnering nearly 25% in early October. However, Westmoreland is hit hard by the media on his running mate’s segregationist past. Westmoreland, however, states that his running mate should not effect voter’s views on him, which gets him hit even harder by the media.

On election day, Tower pulls out an extremely narrow victory, with Westmoreland taking a significant chunk of the vote, despite not winning any states.

genusmap.php

John Tower/Spiro Agnew: 41.7% PV, 317 EV
George Smathers/Henry Jackson: 41.1% PV, 221 EV
William Westmoreland/Lester Maddox: 16.1% PV, 0 EV
Others: 1.1% PV, 0 EV

The Congressional Elections

Despite the close Presidential race, the Republicans make major gains in the Senate; in the House, however, their gains are much smaller.
Senate Results
genusmap.php

Democrats: 53 (-7)
Republicans: 47 (+7)

House Results
Democrats: 232 (-6)
Republicans: 203 (+6)
 
So are you just reposting your orginal Atlas version of TL here, or is this a revised TL? If so, I wonder what former Secretary of Defense Bobby Kennedy is going to after Jack's out of office. At this point he still has never been elected to public office. Might he run for Governor or a senate seat in NY to make himself more of a viable candiate? Or does he just return home to Hickory Hill and spend the next four years activley raising his kids, only to do the Kennedy thing and run against an Incumbent President in '72:D
 
Hair and occasional outre musical tastes aside, Bobby was "essentially square" to quote Evan Thomas. Not to mention being a hate object of the left like the Clintons. To quote FDR: "I welcome their hatred." :D

Somewhere up there, RFK is no doubt scratching his head as to how he came to be such an icon to liberals and progressives. (Yes, I know, civil rights and Vietnam...)
 
The Democratic Nomination

With it being taken for granted that Vice President Smathers would seek reelection, the major question was who, if anyone, would run against him.
Sorry but in the 60's it Still was not assumed that the VP would automatically run for Pres.
Nor was the VP slot a good launching pad for a Presidential run.
 
This is a good read. I am enjoying this but have two disagreements. First, Goldwater would want a fellow conservative as a running mate just as he did OTL. Second I read in One Thousand Days that Earl Warren warned Kennedy not to appoint Hastie to the Supreme Court, he was not liberal enough.
 
This is a good read. I am enjoying this but have two disagreements. First, Goldwater would want a fellow conservative as a running mate just as he did OTL.

William Miller was a conservative? If he was, that wasn't why Barry chose him, as IIRC Barry only chose him because he "drove LBJ nuts." :D
 
No Thurgood Marshall on the Supreme Court?!?:eek:

I don't like this timeline.:(

Actually appointing Hastie to the Supreme Court could have some very interesting butterfly effects, Jack originally wanted Hastie because he had been Governor of the Virigin Islands and one of the few respected Black Leaders that he could use for the spot. However, Warren didn't like Hastie, because he felt that he was too conservative and might not go along with a lot of his decisions,. So we very well could be getting a proto-Clarence Thomas in Hastie:rolleyes:
 
presidentjohntowerbeneu1.jpg

The First Term of John Tower

In his Inaugural Address, continuing on the themes of his campaign, Tower promises for a strong military, including victory in Vietnam. Tower promises for a bipartisan administration, and his Cabinet reflects that.

Secretary of State: William P. Rogers (R-NY)
Secretary of Treasury: George P. Shultz (R-NY)
Secretary of Defense: Olin E. Teague (D-TX)
Attorney General: Richard Kleindienst (R-AZ)
Postmaster General: Winton M. Blount (R-AL)
Secretary of the Interior: Don Samuelson (R-ID)
Secretary of Agriculture: Robert Docking (D-KS)
Secretary of Commerce: Elliot Richardson (R-MA)
Secretary of Labor: James D. Hodgson (R-MN)
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Caspar Weinberger (R-CA)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Frank E. Curran (D-CA)
Secretary of Transportation: John A. Volpe (R-MA)

Upon taking office, one of Tower’s first actions is to call for a massive troop increase in Vietnam. He also asks Congress to pass a military pay raise, in an attempt to draw more people into the military. He does, however, reject a suggestion from hawks such as the recently reelected Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) for a draft, saying it would only have a negative impact on the morale of soldiers.

In deciding to focus on the military, Tower decides to cut spending on numerous domestic programs, including NASA. The decision, however, raises hell amongst Congressional liberals. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), says, “The President is trying to gut all of the programs that have been so beneficial to the American people, simply so he can pay for a foreign war.” Senator Henry M. Jackson says, “We do not have to sacrifice butter for guns. The President’s budget has been starved to death, and it does not need to be so.” On February 12, Congress passes a budget that includes only minor cuts in social spending, and barely any increase in military spending. The next day, President Tower vetoes the bill, and announces that he will veto any spending bill that lacks major increases in military spending, and major cuts in social spending.

Four days later, though, the Congress votes overwhelmingly to override the President’s veto. In a statement, the President blames Congress for endangering the American military presence in Vietnam.

On May 12, 1969, Congress passes the Environmental Protection Act of 1969. Written by Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (D-MN), the EPA would establish an Environmental Protection Agency, giving the Agency a large amount of control over the country’s environmental programs. Despite facing strong opposition from conservatives in Congress, the EPA passes on June 27 in the House, 300-135, and passes the Senate on July 18, 57-43. Following his stinging spending defeat, Tower signs the legislation on July 19.

In early September, Congress begins debate on the Civil Rights Act of 1969. Written primarily by Senator Hubert Humphrey (D-MN), the Act would prohibit discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, and national origin. For the first time since the Voting Rights Act, the South filibusters. Not all Southerners join in, though. Senator Al Gore of Tennessee announces he will vote for cloture, as does Ralph Yarborough of Texas and both Senators from Florida, Spessard Holland and LeRoy Collins.

On October 23, by a vote of 79-17, the Senate approved cloture on the bill. On October 30, they pass the Civil Rights Act of 1969, 73-27. Upon reaching the House, the Act is bottled up in the Rules Committee by Chairman William Colmer (D-MS), a strong opponent of civil rights legislation. For nearly a month, pro-civil rights Congressman try to get the Act discharged from Committee, without success.

On December 10, though, Colmer inexplicably releases the Act from Committee, sending it to the full House. On December 19, by a vote of 280-155, the House passes the Civil Rights Act of 1968, and sends it to the President. After several days of internal wrangling, the President signs the Act on December 22.

In his State of the Union Address on January 22, 1970, Tower calls for yet another increase in military spending. He also comes out strongly in opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, despite strong support amongst the voters.

By early February, the situation in Vietnam seems to have deteriorated since Tower took over. On February 16, General Taylor resigns, and is replaced by General Westmoreland, after serving for a little over a year as Tower’s National Security Advisor. Westmoreland, speaking to Congress in early March, says that he needs at least 50,000 more troops in order to win the war fully.

Following Westmoreland’s statement, though, criticism of the war effort begins to increase. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) says, “We have been in Vietnam for over a decade. The time has come to pull out, and allow the Vietnamese to handle their own affairs.” Even hawks such as Henry M. Jackson (D-WA) begin to move towards peace, with Jackson declaring, “There’s no point in spending an extra 5 years to overcome North Vietnam, when we can have a peaceful coexistence.”

Despite the calls, Tower refuses to cut back on troop levels, and begins suggesting that America may remain in Vietnam well into the 1970’s.

On June 3, Justice John Marshal Harlan dies of a heart attack. To replace him, Tower nominates Clement Haynsworth of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. However, the Haynsworth nomination runs into opposition from liberals, as well as unions and the NAACP. On June 20, the Senate rejects Haynsworth’s nomination, 53-46, the first nominee to be rejected in 40 years. On June 28, Tower nominates Bailey Aldrich of the 1st Circuit; on July 15, Aldrich is confirmed 97-2.

On August 3, Tower leaves for a tour of Europe. He meets with every major European leader, including newly elected British Prime Minister Edward Heath, just several weeks after his Conservative Party regained the majority in Parliament. Throughout Europe, Tower is criticized for his position of Vietnam. Pope Paul VI spends nearly an hour lecturing Tower on the sanctity of life, as protesters rant outside of the Palace. When Tower returns to the US on August 25, his approval rating stands at an all time low of 42%.

The Congressional Elections

With Tower’s approval ratings sinking very low, the Democrats make major gains in both Houses of Congress, giving them an impressive majority to confront Tower with.

Senate Results
genusmap.php

Democrats: 59 (+6)
Republicans: 41 (-7)

House Results
Democrats: 260 (+28)
Republicans: 175 (-28)
 
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