Kentucky Fried Politics: A Colonel Sanders Timeline
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Huh, we might have an earlier LBJ presidency? Well, Southerns gotta help other Southerns.
nbcman
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Or maybe no LBJ presidency if he decides to actively contest the 1960 race and gets bumped from his OTL VP slot. Very interesting twist that gap80 put out there.
I was thinking the Colonel instead of Agnew in '68, but then I checked and wow, he's older than I realized by about 10-12 years.
Still, if Johnson does win the primiaries and Nixon feels the need to draw Southerners earlier, maybe a Nixon-Sanders ticket?
Still, if Johnson does win the primiaries and Nixon feels the need to draw Southerners earlier, maybe a Nixon-Sanders ticket?
Chapter 8: December 1959 – July 1960
Chapter 8: December 1959 – July 1960
“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
– Stephen King (OTL)
The Colonel’s rags-to-riches story inspired Martha Layne Hall to major in Political Science, and to forego attending a Baptist Camp in 1957 to instead intern at the state capital. Having spent much of the autumn campaigning for the Colonel alongside her activist parents, the then 23-year-old Martha attended the 1959 inauguration of Democratic Governor Bert T. Combs. It was there that she quite literally bumped into a timid college student, whom had also traveled far to see Combs be sworn in. The young man’s name was Paul Edward Osborne…
– biographer Margaret Carlson’s Martha Layne Osborne: Her Floorplan for a Better Future, University of Kentucky Press, 1982
“Welcome back, Pops!” my three children said in unison as I entered the company headquarters. A banner read “many happy returns,” and a large cake sat at the table in the center of the room. It felt so freeing to return to KFC, to work with the employees in the kitchen and supervise and show ’em how to make the birds just right.
Upon leaving the governorship, I returned to KFC immediately, with Harley handing over full control on December 25. “Think of it as a Christmas gift,” he said. But I told him, “Don’t be pullin’ away from the station just yet, son. I want you and Millie to stay on as Executive VPs – after applying for the job like everyone else, that is.” I was happy to see that even Margaret was willing to continue serving as head of our training and maintenance department. It’s always good to know that when things are down you can always rely on the people you love to help you get back up.
– Colonel Sanders’ Life As I Have Known It Has Been Finger-Lickin’ Good, Creation House publishing, 1974
SENATOR KENNEDY ANNOUNCES RUN FOR PRESIDENT
…However, as Kennedy is a Catholic, his bid may be an uphill battle in the weeks and months ahead… Kennedy joins a wide field that includes fellow Senators Stuart Symington of Missouri, Wayne Morse of Oregon, Lyndon Johnson of Texas, and Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota. According to most polling and political analysts, Humphrey is the frontrunner for the nomination at this point in time…
– The Chicago Tribune, 1/2/1960
NEW STEEL CONTRACT SIGNED, ENDING NATIONAL STRIKE: Settlement Raises Worker Pay, Better Pension, Health Benefits
– The New York Times, 1/12/1960
NIXON ANNOUNCES PRESIDENTIAL BID: Pledges to Continue “Ike’s Greatness”
– The Washington Post, 1/14/1960
SENATOR KENNEDY WINS NH PRIMARY
– The Boston Globe, 3/8/1960
After showing me these new machines, Millie walked me back to my new office to show me my brand-new state-of-the-art personal security vault. It was taller and wider than me, its walls were over a foot thick, and it was made of out cast iron and steel. The combination and the whole locking system was more complex than a Hatfield dating a McCoy, and looked fancier than a Southern Belle on her wedding day.
“So what do you think, Dad?”
“I think if any robbers see this, there’s no way they wouldn’t go ‘Oh, there’s definitely somethin’ valuable in there!’ And then try to find out what that somethin’ is.”
“Good thing it’s the most secure kind of safe on the market right now. Margaret got it for us. She found it while travelling abroad,” Millie explained.
“That girl never tells me anything. When did she travel abroad?”
“Oh, a short while ago, but now she’s doing some site-scouting.”
“Site scoutin’?”
“She’s thinking that the British might like our chicken, seeing as how Kentucky vittles can rarely be found in Europe. We think it could work.”
After pondering it over, I replied, “Huh, good idea.”
The efforts that Millie had made to protect the Eleven Secret Herbs and Spices were also highly impressive. Even after all these years, it still boggles my mind just to think of all the procedures and precautions the company takes to protect my recipe, especially when I think how Claudia and I used to operate. She was my packing girl, my warehouse supervisor, my delivery person — you name it. Our garage was the warehouse. [1]
[snip]
One beautiful morning in the spring of 1960, I was driving up I-75 from Mobile, AL to Florence, KY when I noticed a peculiar repetition. I kept seeing the same thing – these big yellow arches – signs, big Ms on sticks erected higher than the trees. Even the buildings they belonged to, they themselves had big sun-colored Missouri Icons slapped onto their sides.
A day or so later, I brought up in talks at headquarters, “It seems McDonald’s spots are startin’ to show up everywhere.” In the meeting, Harley brought up what he deemed was Kentucky Fried Chicken’s “weak spot.” “The only standard look is the giant bucket with Father’s face on it. The buildings themselves are all different in design and color. But the McDonald’s are completely under that company’s control, and so they’re more uniform in look. As a result, they’re more recognizable that our franchisees’ places. I think we need to set up some ‘look’ of our own, something iconic and easy to spot from far aways.” Ultimately, Pete [Harman] and Harley came up with the idea of simply having all our franchisees paint their buildings in red and white, the unofficial colors of K.F.C. since 1953 or so. This would make the company be a more than a menu added to someone’s eatery, but a menu that was part of a certain, iconic type of eatery.
“We could also have a certain roof style,” [KFC regional director] Kent Prestwich suggested.
“I liked the barn look of that stage prop store we used in that commercial we shot a few weeks ago,” I said.
“I dunno, Colonel,” Pete replied, “that might be too hokey for our suburban-based franchisees to stomach.”
Millie offered her two cents of “I think we could cut it at the paint job, because redesigning a new roof, a whole new design for established locations would be a huge undertaking. So many architecture problems,” she emphasized, “and some franchisees – like that nice elderly couple in Peoria – would sooner sell their store then change it into something different from what they spent years building themselves.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I commented. Harley concurred.
“How about this?” Pete compromised, “old franchisees only need a new paint job, but if there’s ever a chance to build a location up from scratch, we go with a new, Colonelesque design for the building.”
“Sounds like a plan!” I agreed, “But I think it still needs something more.”
After we all chicken-scratched out some designs on some paper, we eventually decided to add a Cupola with a weathervane to the tops of willing franchisees. The weathervane shows that you can find an outlet – and your next meal – in any direction – north, south, east, and west. [2]
– Colonel Sanders’ Life As I Have Known It Has Been Finger-Lickin’ Good, Creation House publishing, 1974
[ imgur.com/ylbnvvx.png ]
– A Colonel Sanders weathervane atop a KFC outlet, c. 1961
“After coming back from some trip to Morocco or wherever, Margaret went with some of our surveyors to the U.K., and the survey results revealed a lot of untapped potential. Fried chicken was not exactly a staple of the British diet back then, so, just like how it had been in Utah, the people there were very likely to see the Colonel’s birds as this exotic import! But before we could branch out to Europe, we had to understand what we’d be getting ourselves into. Selling overseas, as we soon discovered, required several crucial steps. First, get the people to develop an appetite. Scout out a single location to do a test run; London during the spring gave us high hopes moving forward. Step Two, adapt to the locals’ wants and needs; it is important to understand those. Thirdly, we found that native competition was much less severe when we focused on the more touristy, more urban parts of the UK. Doing that cut down on any alleged ‘damage’ to the local culture, or to the general ‘look’ of an area. The British love to keep their quaint neighborhoods quaint, and as prospective investors, we respected that. Native competition was a more delicate manner we had to really dance around a bit to figure out what the best spots were. For instance, near Manchester, there was this one village that had poor employment rates despite good access to the major roads. We set up a franchise there, the people had jobs, and the town grew a bit from it. Which just goes to show just how good the Colonel’s chicken is - it often boosts local economies!”
– Pete Harman, 60 Minutes interview, early 1992
I wanted the Colonel to be in more commercials. I helped him get on TV, and helped organize much of the behind-the-scenes work. To be honest, I’m much better behind camera; I’ve never been comfortable in front of it. At 27, I was still one of the Colonel’s youngest higher-ups, so I believe the Colonel figured that if anybody at the company knew how to connect with younger customers in the growing era of television advertising, it would be me. I told him, ‘Your face is iconic, but the people need to see the rest of you. What you sound like. Your demeanor, your contagiously positive personality.’ …I also worked on other aspects of the company’s post-governorship expansion. When management was divided between expanding the menu or focusing on the main signature dish, the Colonel and I favored the latter, but Harley and Millie convinced us otherwise, that both variety and high quality were key to staying ahead of the growing national competition.
– Dave Thomas’ Under the Colonel’s Wing, Mosaic Publishing, 1982
When I first started Kentucky Fried Chicken, I never liked the idea of using my photograph on things…I had always referred to my face as my mug. But I did have a line drawing made for use in advertising, and when I saw it on the boxes containing my food I nearly fainted. [3] But now things had changed, and I was getting used to people looking at my mug every time they went for dinner. I was becoming increasingly comfortable with having the sin of pride on my conscience, especially since I was doing a whole lot of good with it. When they saw my face, they knew they were getting a good meal for a good price. I could live with that sin on my heart, and I still do.
– Colonel Sanders’ Life As I Have Known It Has Been Finger-Lickin’ Good, Creation House publishing, 1974
– KFC commercial, c. April 1960
SENATOR KENNEDY WINS STATE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY
...The results improve Kennedy's odds of winning the nomination. At the same time, they also put the viability of the Humphrey campaign into question...
– The Milwaukee Journal, Wisconsin newspaper, 4/5/1960
“Tonight, Senator Lyndon Johnson secured victory in the third Democratic primary of the year, beating fellow Senator Jack Kennedy by a 4-point margin here in Illinois.”
“…do you think Mayor Daley helped Johnson tonight?”
“There’s no doubt about it, pal. Daley strongly backed the Texas Senator, and that made Daley’s backers back Johnson.”
– Exchange between a local anchor and correspondent, NBC’s WMAQ-TV, Chicago, IL, 4/12/1960
POLL: KENNEDY LOSING GROUND, JOHNSON GAINING
By George Gallup
– The Los Angeles Times, 4/15/1960
SENATOR JOHNSON WINS STATE DEM. PRIMARY
...popular incumbent Governor Robert B. Meyner of New Jersey's endorsement of the Texas Senator may have influenced the primary voters of the Garden State tonight...
– The Star-Ledger, New Jersey newspaper, 4/19/1960
Last night, the states of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania held their respective Democratic and Republican primary elections for President of the United States, and the final tallies have just come in. On the Democratic side, in Massachusetts, Senator John F. Kennedy won with almost 90% of the vote, with Senator Johnson coming in second place with less than 5% of the vote. While that contest was a landslide - which was not surprising, given that it is Senator Kennedy's home state - in Pennsylvania, Kennedy defeated Johnson by a mere 4% margin – Kennedy won with 48%, and Johnson came in second with 44%, with the remaining 8% going to all the other candidates still in the race - Senator Humphrey, Senator Morse, and some minor candidates. These results give Kennedy a substantial lead in primary season, totaling his primary victories to 4, compared to Johnson’s sole primary victory in Illinois. However, Johnson is close behind Kennedy in the delegate count. For the GOP, Vice-President Nixon won both of tonight's Republican Presidential primary elections in landslides…
– The Huntley-Brinkley Report, 4/26/1960 TV broadcast
KY U GIVES COL. SANDERS HONORARY DEGREE
…At the ceremony, Sanders also replied, “If more folks knew it was this easy to get a degree, more folks would run for Governor!”
– The Kentucky Kernel, college newspaper, 5/1/1960
– Colonel Sanders appearing on “What’s My Line?” (at the time when his company controlling the K.F.C. locations was briefly named “Southern Fried Chicken” in a quickly-aborted attempt to appeal to investors beyond just Kentucky), 5/3/1960
…And here’s the composition: Indiana – Johnson; Ohio – Governor Michael DiSalle, a surrogate candidate for Johnson; Washington, D.C. – Senator Hubert Humphrey, who touted his Civil Rights activities across the capitol this week and has been desperate for a win as his campaign continues to run low on both funds and delegate pledges. The two wins for Senate leader Johnson come after the two-term Texan increased his intermittent campaign activity, after losing the Pennsylvania primary contest to Senator Kennedy on the 26th of April. Meanwhile, Senator Kennedy failed to pick up a single primary despite superior funding, possibly due to a lack in active campaigning on his part, as he is currently under the weather, according to a campaign spokesman…
– TODAY, 5/3/1960 broadcast
According to Bobby Baker, “Johnson had decided to not wait until the convention because of the belief that Kennedy would use his daddy’s connections to win the nomination and, being a Catholic, would assure Nixon the White House.”
After weeks of negotiations, the first televised debate between Kennedy, Johnson and Humphrey was scheduled for May 5, just five days before the West Virginia primary (Morse was excluded for uncertain reasons). Johnson contemplated bringing up Kennedy’s weak health outright, but instead simply criticized Kennedy for being absent from voting on the Civil Rights bill of 1954. Kennedy replied by saying he had missed the vote because he had needed back surgery. According to Baker, Johnson held back the urge to attack Kennedy on his health; “Exactly how unhealthy are you, Jack?” was the phrase on his mind. He claims Lyndon believed voters would see Jack's charm as shallow, and see his own abrasive demeanor as being that of "a tough fighter for democracy on the world stage."
Walter Jenkins, however, offered a cruder retelling shortly before his death in 1985: “Johnson was holding back an urge to mercilessly rip into Jack [Kennedy], and criticize not only his health record but his family's affluent lifestyle as well. But I convinced him that doing so would lead to the Kennedys using their money and influence to bring him down in any way they could.”
Johnson ultimately chose not to “rip into” his opponent. According to Jenkins, the Senate leader understood that he could not afford the jab – he was aware that he himself was vulnerable to attacks: the 1936 congressional race, the nickname “Landslide Lyndon” scratching at the back of his mind; the 1941 Senate race; his paranoid suspicion that the Kennedys knew of his visits to a certain Madame’s abode in Texas. Johnson determined that he couldn’t afford to have the entire Kennedy clan – or any bitter Catholic voters – working against him in the general election. So he let the moment pass. Analysts believe Kennedy won the debate, with Johnson coming in a close second and Humphrey a distant third.
Soon after, the Johnson campaign decided to “fight fire with fire,” as Baker sought to start mimicking the campaign coordination techniques used by the Kennedys, such as getting family and friends to vouch for the candidate. “Johnson really dove into his rolodex,” Baker explained, “and we soon had endorsements from half the Senate Democrats.” Ladybird Johnson and daughters Lucy and Lynda met with female voters in two-thirds of West Virginia's counties, building up the image of Johnson as an understanding leader…
– Robert Caro’s The Years of Lyndon: Book Four: The Pursuit of Power, A. A. Knopf Inc. New York, 2012
JOHNSON IS THE STRAIGHT-TALKER WE NEED IN THE WHITE HOUSE
– The Charleston Gazette-Mail, West Virginia newspaper, endorsing Senator Johnson, 5/7/1960
LBJ BEATS JFK IN CRUCIAL WV PRIMARY; Nebraska Also Goes to Johnson
…The Kennedy family, especially the candidates’ five energetic siblings, tirelessly canvassed the state, but Johnson still won by connecting to poor and rural voters via displaying his roots, discussing his early years growing up in a farmhouse in impoverished rural Texas. Senator Humphrey’s presence on the ballot may have also siphoned more votes away from Kennedy than Johnson due to Kennedy and Humphrey having closer political views, and splitting local union voters. However, to Kennedy’s credit, the margin of victory was only 5.7%, meaning Kennedy fared much better than pundits initially believed any Catholic candidate could in a state as heavily Protestant as West Virginia…
– Associated Press, 5/10/1960
The Black Friday HUAAC Protests, also known as the Staircase Protests and for a while known as the Black Friday Riots, was the largest mass student demonstration in decades. It was the diving board for a generational movement. It was, at least to me, the true start of the ’60s.
I know it was a pivotal moment in our country because I was there. I was a 23-year-old college student, and I participated in the peaceful protests outside of HUAAC hearings in San Francisco City Hall, held at the building’s second-story chamber. We protested outside the chamber, close to the top of the building’s interior marble staircase. On May 12, the second day of the protests and the second day of the hearings, city police fire-hosed us. With there being roughly 40 steps behind us when we were hit by the water, many were hurt. More students were injured further when the police dragged them down those marble steps, many of them hitting their heads on each hard, uncarpeted step. Dozens of us were arrested.
We had been protesting the harassment of decent Americans – professors, teachers, journalists – for expressing their right to free speech. And we in turn were attacked for expressing that same right.
– Becky Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, interview, 2010
When Pops saw the riots on TV, the media called it a riot and blamed the whole thing on the protesters. He fell right for that crock. “They should be getting jobs for themselves instead of causin’ trouble,” he told me at one breakfast when I was visiting.
“Dad,” I exclaimed, “I’m surprised at you! You ain’t exactly docile whenever you see something you know ain’t right. That’s what these kids were doing – objecting to something that’s wrong.”
His defense was, “Your splittin’ hairs, Margaret. I get ticked off by people trying to harm my life’s work, or judging others on skin color alone. But the HUAC fellas want to protect our country. These youngins, though, they seem to be ornery ’cause they’ve got nothin’ better ta do. When I was their age I was working all sorts of jobs and startin’ a family. I was too busy to stir up a ruckus over somethin’ that wasn’t even a problem.”
“Ruckus? They were peacefully signing the national anthem.”
“I heard some of them tried to roughhouse the officers there. Kick ’em and spit on ’em and such.”
Soon, Hoover claimed the rioters were Communist infiltrators, professionals hired and trained to disrupt government work. The HUAC even made a one-sided propaganda piece called 'Operation Abolition' to support their narrative. Pops watched it and believed every bit of it. At the time, he had no reason not to. He still believed in the propaganda that blind faith the federal government's 'national defense' actions was the American Way. That the federal government, when it came to business regulation, was evil, but when it came to its more militaristic tendencies, could do no wrong.
A few days later, Pops wrote a letter to J. Edgar Hoover commending him for his “handling of the San Francisco Riots… I’m confident in your unwavering work defending America, despite what my acquaintance Richard Nixon has said about your lengthy time in office. Some folks say you should retire, but in my opinion, you shouldn’t ever throw out what isn’t broken. Keep on at it, The Colonel.” [4]
Now, I’m not trying to apologize for how my dad thought back in 1960; he was misinformed, but it’s everyone’s individual responsibility to hear both sides of a story so as to know which side is the true side. Now Pops often did that when it came to business, family, people, with everything – except for when it came to what “the defenders from Communism” were saying. At this point in his life journey, his naiveté – his belief that when it came to “national defense” and “the protection of our American way of life,” the Feds always did the right thing – was still unbroken.
Besides, I never said my father was perfect.
– Margaret Sanders’ The Colonel’s Secret: Eleven Herbs and a Spicy Daughter, StarGroup International, 1997
LBJ REACHES OUT TO NEGRO VOTERS, CRITICIZES JFK
…Johnson claims to have a better understanding of the problems facing Negro voters due to his “humble origins as the son of a farmhand” …In the speech, Johnson also derided his primary opponent, Senator Kennedy, eluding to his family’s wealth with the phrase “nobody, not even some millionaire's son from Massachusetts, can buy his way into the Presidency!”
While Kennedy has called Johnson "a man of unusually high character," Johnson has criticized Kennedy for his mixed record on rural concerns and his performance during debates over the 1957 Civil Rights Bill. "I was present for all 95 calls," Johnson boasted at a campaign stop last night, "While Jack missed around 35 of them. A car won't work without all four wheels - you need a President who will do all of his job, not just some of it!" [5]
– The Baltimore Sun, 5/15/1960
SEN. JOHNSON WINS MD PRIMARY
...despite the Senator from Massachusetts's best efforts, the state historically known for serving as a "haven" for Catholic settlers gave no such mercy to the Kennedy campaign...
– NY Herald Tribune side article, 5/17/1960
…Kennedy did not make the ballot in Oregon, but Wayne Morse, the state’s progressive Senator, did qualify for the ballot the day before they were printed. As a result, many supporters of Kennedy and Humphrey viewed Morse as an alternative to their respective preferred candidate, especially as some pundits began to argue more firmly that Kennedy and Humphrey were no longer viable candidates capable of denying Johnson the nomination. On May 20, Oregon's sudden "favorite son" candidate came in second place with 42.7% of the vote, which was considered a surprisingly good showing for a "favorite son" campaign only a few days old. In the long run, however, Morse’s Oregon delegates did little to slow Johnson’s momentum.
– historian Jeff Greenfield’s How Everything Changed: The Effects of 1960, Centurion Publishers, 2011
…we are getting an update… it appears that Florida has chosen Senator George Smathers, the state’s favorite son for Senator Johnson, in tonight’s primary election. Now, what makes this race interesting is the fact that Senator Smathers has made it known of his personal friendship with Senator Kennedy, and made it clear that if the situation was different and Johnson was not the clear frontrunner, he would be supporting Kennedy's candidacy tonight…
– ABC World News Tonight, 5/24/1960
FINAL PRIMARY CONTESTS HELD AHEAD OF PARTY CONVENTIONS
…In the Democratic primaries, the voters of California opted for "favorite son" candidate Governor Pat Brown, while Hubert Humphrey won the party contest held in his birth state of South Dakota. On the other side of the political aisle, Richard Nixon won the Republican primary in his home state of California with ease...
– Associated Press, side article, 6/8/1960
“Going in to this convention, despite his active campaigning winning him the largest number of primary victories, Johnson was still short of the number of delegates needed to win outright, with Senator Kennedy in second place, Governor Brown in third place, and Senator Humphrey in fourth place, uh, in regards to delegate count. How exactly did Johnson win the nomination tonight when the odds seemed to be against him winning it so quickly?”
“As Senate leader, he has clout. He had several favorite sons. As a Texan, he had western and, more importantly, Southern Democrat support.”
“…do you think Daley helped Johnson in primary states such as Illinois?”
“There’s no doubt about it. The fact that Johnson publicly offered Humphrey the second spot on the ticket is most likely what caused Humphrey to drop out and endorse Johnson tonight.”
– Exchange between anchor and correspondent, 7/13/1960
The July 4 festivities of 1960 featured a lot of sales promotion. Early reports linked the increase in KFC commercials featuring the Colonel to an increase in sales. On the day after celebrating our nation’s birthday, though, I learned of a, um, development. Several days later, at around the time of that year’s D.N.C., I believe, I had finally confirmed what was happening, and I broke the news to the Colonel. I cut right to the chase with, “Colonel, something’s come up.”
The Colonel inquired “What has?”
So I told him: “Many franchises have been requesting going public, and we’ve been declining just like you wanted…”
“Yes?”
“…Well now one our more loyal franchisees has informed us several of the rest of them have organized and are looking into possible legal action.”
“That’s incredible!” He was immediately angry because felt betrayed. “I’ve always treated our franchisees like family. How could they go behind my back?” Eventually, after, I’d say, about two full minutes of slander, he asked “They’re really challenging us on this aren’t they?”
“They think it’ll bring in more revenue.”
At this, the Colonel was quick to defend his policy. “But at the cost of priorities! Every time a company goes public, they eventually care more about stockholders than workers. And also, public means being part of the stock market – and if you may recall my distrust of the market paid off very well a few years back,” referring to the 1958 recession.
“Yes, but the fact remains that we need to address this troublemaking – the sooner, the better.”
– Pete Harman, 60 Minutes interview, early 1992
…Humphrey is expected to win the Number Two spot on the ticket by acclamation shortly. …Reports that members of the LBJ campaign met with Humphrey, then Senator Morse, and then the Kennedy campaign, shortly before he won the nomination yesterday makes this reporter wonder what is being discussed behind closed doors here in Los Angeles…
– NBC news reporter, 7/14/1960
[ imgur.com/9otFadZ.png ] (note: candidates ordered/arranged by delegate count)
– clickipedia.co.usa
1960 Democratic National Convention
CONVENTION:
Date(s): July 11-15, 1960
City: Los Angeles, CA
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Keynote Speaker: Gov. Robert B. Meyner of New Jersey
CANDIDATES:
Presidential nominee: Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas
Vice Presidential nominee: Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota
Other candidates: Jack Kennedy of Massachusetts
VOTING:
Results (President): 1,524 Total, 762 majority
Lyndon B. Johnson (TX) – 767 (50.39%)
John F. Kennedy (MA) – 485 (31.83%)
Stuart Symington (MO) – 76 (5.05%)
Adlai Stevenson (IL) – 68 (4.53%)
Pat Brown (CA) – 36 (2.36%)
Robert B. Meyner (NJ) – 35 (2.30%)
Hubert Humphrey (MN) – 31 (2.05%)
George Smathers (FL) – 20 (1.32%)
Wayne Morse (OR) – 2 (0.13%)
Ross Barnett, Herschel C. Loveless, Orval Faubus, and Albert Dean Rosellini: each 1 vote (0.06% each)
Results (Vice President):
Hubert H. Humphrey (MN) – acclamation
– clickipedia.co.usa
[ imgur.com/seFqhot.png ]
– Lyndon Johnson accepting the Democratic nomination for President at the party’s convention, 7/15/1960
With Jack out of the race, Ted and I finally returned our focus to our dream of moving west somewhere, away from the overwhelming melee of Massachusetts politics. Soon after the DNC, we flew to Colorado, then to California, where Ted had seen little outside of the convention and the airport. The snowy caps of the Rockies were pleasant, but it was the fresh winds of the Pacific coast, and the breathtaking work of Mother Nature that made me enthusiastic for the state. …Overlooking the gentle ocean waves below, Ted turn to me and said, “Joan, this is the place for us.” We made plans for a new beginning for our family in The Golden State immediately.
– Joan Bennett Kennedy’s There Are Always Two Tomorrows: My Life in an American Dynasty, Centurion Publishers, 1999
“I love Massachusetts; I’ll always love it. For decades, it was my home. But in 1960, I really wanted just get out and make a name for myself. Even if that meant moving to the other side of the country, I had to try. But thankfully, it turned out that moving to California was the best decision I ever made.”
– Ted Kennedy, 60 Minutes interview, 1977
NOTE(S)/SOURCE(S)
[1] The italicized passage is a real-life quote from the Colonel, found here: http://www.ronford.net/ui/kfc3/wkfcnews/kfcnews/claudia.htm
[2] Italicized bits found here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smit...ied-chicken-american-success-story-180955806/
[3] The italicized bits are from this article: https://needull.com/2016/08/10/colonel-sanders-not-so-flattering-story/
[4] The Colonel really did fall for the HUAC’s narrative: https://www.theverge.com/2016/7/5/12096466/colonel-sanders-kfc-meme-life-story
[5] Taken from their OTL debate described here: https://www.ourcampaigns.com/EventDetail.html?EventID=44
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Great update. I'll wait for the Republican convention, to see if Nixon is picked, and who his running mate is.
Interesting about the barn idea; there was a Red Barn chain founded, now that I'm looking at Wikipedia, in 1961; there was a restaurant in my home town that I used to enjoy when i grew up so I knew it had existed. They folded by the '90s or at latest early '00s, but it's interesting to see the idea mentioned here.
Well, it’ll be interesting to see how Sanders handles this problem. I’m guessing he bows down to the threat, but he’ll need someone with skill in the stock market. Interesting to see LBJ win the Democratic nomination. If there are still the televised debates, I’d love to see banter.
Well, I like that Sanders can make mistakes (with regards to the San Francisco Riots); sounds like he'll learn from his mistake, though...
Good update, BTW, and wondering what happens on the GOP side...
Wonder if Ted Kennedy avoids some of the demons he had IOTL (even without Chappaquiddick, he was a womanizer and an alcoholic)...
Good update, BTW, and wondering what happens on the GOP side...
Wonder if Ted Kennedy avoids some of the demons he had IOTL (even without Chappaquiddick, he was a womanizer and an alcoholic)...
The Kennedy's didn't have an alcoholic tradition, though. And in Ted's defense on alcoholism, he had all his brothers die, two be assassinated, and had to be the lone Pater Familias for every single member of the family at every wedding, graduation and celebration while being a Senator, while being consistently pressured to run for president.
Which of course might not even apply in this universe! JFK, RFK, and Teddy all experienced hands in their respective fields until ripe old age?
Admiral Halsey
Banned
Well most likely not JFK however RFK most likely isn't getting killed early from an assassination now.
I thought this look like the White House for a moment. And also, just some random KFC stuff.
http://nightflight.com/colonel-sanders-wonderfully-strange-60s-era-kfc-tv-ads/
http://nightflight.com/colonel-sanders-wonderfully-strange-60s-era-kfc-tv-ads/