Mr. All-American: The Nile Kinnick Story

[brunohusker]

Prologue: In 1943, Nile Kinnick, the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Iowa, was the first Heisman winner to die, just shy of his 25th birthday. He died when his plane had an oil leak and he was unable to safely land it on board the aircraft carrier USS Lexington, which was in the Gulf of Paria in Venezuela. Kinnick was not only a talented football player, but also a model student, having been elected student body president at Iowa and graduated "with distinction" (Iowa's equivalent of Cum Laude) in 1940. He then went on to reject offers to play in the NFL and attended law school in Iowa City, while also serving as an assistant coach for the Hawkeye football team.

Kinnick also had an interest in politics. His maternal grandfather George W. Clarke was governor of Iowa, and Kinnick spoke at the Young Republicans convention in 1940, and later campaigned for Wendell Willkie. Of course, none of his future plans would come true due to his untimely death. However, the goal of this timeline is to explore what might happen if Nile Kinnick had lived. It seems that he did have some big plans, and for all we know, he could rise pretty high.

Anyways, here it goes. This is my first timeline in a while and I know I'm not that great of a writer, but here it goes.



Chapter 1.- A Near Miss.

Smoke started coming out of the Grumman F4F Wildcat. Ensign Nile Kinnick, the former Heisman winner from Iowa, saw his oil gauge dropping. He was four miles from the carrier USS Lexington. He knew he wouldn't be able to land on the deck. Kinnick then decided decided to try and get out of the plane before it crashed.

"This is it" he thought to himself. The plane was now on fire. He jumped out, hoping his parachute wouldn't catch on fire. He pushed himself out, closed his eyes, and jumped. He then waited and pulled the rip chord. After what seemed like an eternity he hit the water. He opened his eyes. He struggled to swim to the surface. He tried with all his might and finally made it. He then took a big breath, continuing to tread water. The time continued to drag on. Soon a rescue boat was in sight.

"I'm here! I'm here!"

Kinnick kept screaming. He then was pulled aboard and taken back to the Lexington. As soon as he got on board he saw his squadron mate Bill Reiter running towards him.

"Is he alive" shouted Reiter.

Kinnick stayed quiet. He then closed his eyes and passed out. He then found himself in a hospital room with bandages around his midsection and legs. He then saw a nurse nearby.

"Excuse me, but what happened to me?"

"Well Ensign Kinnick, you have some broken ribs and your right leg is broken. Apparently you hit the water pretty hard."

"Yeah, that was rough. So where are we at?"

"Well were still off the coast of Venezuela but we're heading back stateside. We're going to have you recover back up in Florida."

"Florida! So how long will I be out?"

"The doctor said you'd probably be out a few months" said the nurse.

Ensign Kinnick then smiled. He didn't want to miss out on combat, but at this point he was just glad to be alive. He had been sure that he would die. There had been no way that anyone could have survived such a crash, but here he was. As much as he had wanted to serve his country, Kinnick knew that he was lucky to survive.

 

[brunohusker]

Chapter 2: The Political Pregame Show

"And that's why we need the people of Iowa to give all they can to help us win the war. We've been blessed that the farms of Iowa have fed us and the factories of Iowa have given us materiel, and I'm sure we will be blessed by the individual people of Iowa who will give us the money and the muscle to carry us to victory in both Europe and the Pacific. Thank you, and God bless."

The crowd erupted into a frenzy. In spite of a cold north wind blowing across the prairie, the citizens of Cedar Rapids Iowa were ready not only to give support to the war effort, but to see their former favorite son Nile Kinnick, who was back home on a tour to encourage people in Iowa to buy war bonds. Kinnick had already spoken in Dubuque, Davenport and Burlington, but Cedar Rapids, only a short distance from Iowa City and the State University of Iowa had by far been the most receptive crowd. Some attendees even started singing "On Iowa" the university song. It made Kinnick happy to be back home and to encourage people to keep up the war effort, though he always made sure to mention how much he wanted to be "back on the field, making sure we earn the victory."

Kinnick had been reluctant to go on such a tour. He didn't just want to profit off of his celebrity status in the Hawkeye state, and it wasn't like he'd actually been injured in combat. It was a simple plane crash. That was all. However, he loved being able to talk to the people, whether it was giving speeches or just meeting the crowds. Kinnick seemed to be a natural speaker and leader which served him well, and fortified the adoration of the people of Iowa.

The tour continued across Iowa making stops in Des Moines, Ames, Fort Dodge, Sioux City and ended in Omaha Nebraska just before Thanksgiving. Kinnick had made sure that the tour ended in Omaha where his parents lived. He'd been fortunate since his crash that he'd been able to see them, spending July and August in Omaha recovering from broken ribs and a broken leg while also speaking to a number of clubs in Omaha and western Iowa about his war experiences (though he'd always modestly say that his experience wasn't much. It was just a crash, but it still riveted audiences.) However, he was just glad to be able to get back with his family where he could enjoy some peace and quiet before he was deployed again.

At his last speech in Omaha, Kinnick again mostly talked about how much people needed to give to the war effort, and praised the Omaha community and mentioned how in spite of being raised in Iowa, he was glad to consider Omaha a second home, saying

"I truly believe that Omaha is a great city. It truly is the heart of the region that feeds us and our allies, and will continue to feed the free world. I may be a native of Adel Iowa, and a son of the University of Iowa, but I'm proud to call Omaha my second home, and its because the people of Omaha know the value of hard work and perseverance even during the most difficult of times and I like to think that those values have had a large impact on my life. Thank you Omaha and thank you to all the folks of Nebraska and western Iowa."

After spending Thanksgiving with his family, Kinnick was called back into active duty with the Navy. He was first asked to report to California and from there would get any further assignments. Finally, his sojourn back home had come to an end. He gave his parents one last goodbye, reminding them that he had almost been gone once before and was worried something would happen again, though they did their best to reassure him that he'd make it back. "I hope I can" said Kinnick.

 

[brunohusker]

Chapter 3- Fighting until the final gun

"We've been hit. The Lexington's been hit. Might not be able to land for a while."

"We're going to have to try and stop them from hitting the Ticonderoga. We can't afford having two ships getting hit."

"Well good luck with that Kinnick. The Japs are going to try more kamikaze attacks. Be careful out there."

Lieutenant Nile Kinnick was up in his Wildcat plane when the USS Lexington got its first taste of the Japanese Kamikaze. While he was worried about whether his squad would be able to land, there were bigger fish to fry as his group was ordered to protect the nearby carrier Ticonderoga. There were still a few Japanese planes flying around and they were aiming to hit the Ticonderoga. However, Kinnick's squad was able to shoot down a number of Japanese planes and soon found out that the Lexington was going to survive in spite of its island structure suffering extensive damage.

Kinnick was soon able to return to the Lexington, when then headed for Ulithi in the Caroline Islands for repairs. While there, the crew found out that the Japanese had thought the Lexington was sunk even though casualties were considered light. After the excitement at Leyte Gulf, Kinnick stayed with the Lexington through the early part of 1945, helping with raids in the South Pacific. Eventually Kinnick was reassigned to the USS Intrepid once the Lexington was sent for repairs in Puget Sound. While there were a number of number of raids carried out by the squadrons Kinnick served in. Eventually Lieutenant Kinnick was able to return to the United States in December of 1945.

 

[Lantern]

Seems interesting, be sure to threadmark your chapters

 

[SilentSpaniard]

Interesting, let's see where this goes. Watched!

BTW does Kinnick's survival affect in some small way the Pacific War?

 

[jack_donaghy_is_the_shado]

One less family becoming a gold star family is always wonderful.

Kinnick still has a HUGE following here in Iowa. His survival will definitely change things here.

And there's always the hope Iowa, Nebraska, and other midwestern states would be better off than otl with Kinnick still kicking.

 

[brunohusker]

One less family becoming a gold star family is always wonderful.

Kinnick still has a HUGE following here in Iowa. His survival will definitely change things here.

And there's always the hope Iowa, Nebraska, and other midwestern states would be better off than otl with Kinnick still kicking.

Thanks. I actually live in Iowa (though I grew up in Nebraska, so I’m a Husker at heart.) People in Iowa still do respect Kinnick a ton and it does seem like he was destined for greater things beyond football.

 

[NyQuil]

Which the Heisman being announced tonight it’s cool this TL popped up on my feed.

 

[XTrapnel]

Intriguing premise. I'm afraid that I initially misread the title of this ATL as "Mr. All-American: The Neil Kinnock Story" which would have certainly been an interesting avenue to go down.

 

[brunohusker]

Chapter 4- On the sidelines


"Nile Clark Kinnick" said the announcer. Kinnick then walked up to the podium. He finally had received his law degree. There would be no speech this time as he had done when he got his undergraduate degree back in 1940. Today he was just citizen Kinnick. Of course there were cheers when his name was announced but the only one he heard was from his fiancée, Evelyn.

Kinnick had met Evelyn Schmidt in 1946 when he had returned to Iowa City to finish law school. He also was serving as an assistant coach on the Iowa Hawkeye football team, but only stayed for the 1946 season. Between a new girlfriend and his studies, Kinnick felt that it was time to put football aside, at least for now. It was hard for him as he had to turn down an offer from his old head coach, Eddie Anderson, but Kinnick knew coaching could be a tough gig. More importantly, he felt he could do more good outside of football, and so in 1947 he sat on the sidelines, though he did still attend Hawkeye home games, with Evelyn.

Now it seemed as if Kinnick was ready to head into a new chapter of his life. He had taken a job with a law firm in Des Moines, not far from Evelyn's hometown of Newton and his hometown of Adel. While many at Iowa had suggested that Kinnick should look at firms in larger cities like Chicago, Kinnick had wanted to stay in Iowa. Also, while Kinnick had felt that a run for some sort of office was far away, the 30 year old had thought in the back of his mind that he could build a political career, though that would have to wait, not only because he was just starting out, but also because Republicans dominated most of Iowa and being a Republican himself, he felt it might be a while until he was able to run for any sort of office, but that would have to wait. For now, Kinnick was just happy to be finally starting his new life beyond Iowa City.

 

[brunohusker]

Chapter 5- The First Quarter of Political Football

"This is WHO of Des Moines and we've just got the votes in this evening and it looks like after a tight race, Dallas County attorney Nile Kinnick, the former Hawkeye football star will be heading for Washington. It was quite a close race but it looks as if Kinnick got 51% of the vote in the district, which is a bit of a surprise as the Democrats have done well nationally, but it looks as if the 5th district has bucked the trend and Nile Kinnick has defeated Neal Smith for congress. Once again, Dallas County attorney and former football star Nile Kinnick has been elected to congress."

The crowd at the Fort Des Moines hotel ballroom was quite ecstatic. Many were surprised that Kinnick was able to win in a year that otherwise was bad for Republicans nationwide. One man who wasn't surprised though was Nile Kinnick. Kinnick had campaigned hard in the district, hitting the pavement not only in its largest city, Des Moines, but in the smaller communities that made up its outskirts. It was here where Kinnick got large majorities, though he did win all six counties in his district including heavily urban Polk County by a half percent.

Overall, Kinnick was quite proud of himself, and felt that he'd finally made it by his own merits. After first moving to Des Moines in 1948 and later to the small bedroom community of Dallas Center, Kinnick had been a lawyer in Des Moines, working on smaller cases until he decided to run for county attorney of mostly rural Dallas County, just to the west of Des Moines. It was an easy victory as the county was mostly Republican, but he felt it would be a way to earn his political stripes. During his time in Dallas County, he also had started a family with his wife Evelyn. His first child, Clarke was born in 1949 and he later had two daughters, Nancy in 1952 and Linda born in 1954 and his last child, Robert, born in 1957. Overall, it was a busy time for Kinnick, but he enjoyed the challenge and even with a family of small children, he felt he could be able to be a good father and still serve in congress.

As the crowd quieted down again, Kinnick walked out with Evelyn. They had put their kids to bed in their hotel room, so they could enjoy a brief moment alone. They looked at each other, and then Nile and Evelyn walked to the podium.

"Well thank you everyone. I'm glad for all the hard work you've done for the campaign and it looks like we've pulled the upset. That's always a good feeling, and hopefully I can keep those good feelings up in Washington where I hope to support the President and work to represent all of the voters here in Central Iowa. I'd also like to thank my opponent, Neal Smith for running a good campaign. I know that he's a good man and a good competitor and I know he has a long future in politics. Most of all though, I'd like to thank my wife, Evelyn who's been a great support, and has helped me a lot in this race, along with all of you who've decided to send me to congress. There's lots of work to be done but I believe I will succeed."

Kinnick then left the podium and mingled with the crowd for a bit. Later he left after receiving calls from President Eisenhower and Vice President Nixon, as well as Governor Loveless. He then retired for bed where Evelyn had gone about an hour before. It all seemed unreal. It seemed as if just yesterday Kinnick was on the field for the Hawkeyes, but now he'd achieved notoriety for something more than sports and that pleased him.

 

[Emperor Norton I]

You're doing the Lord's work, sir.

 

[brunohusker]

Chapter 6- A star player on a losing team

" Thank you all for coming today. I'm glad you could all brave this wonderful Iowa weather. As you all know, I've been in the House for the past six years, working closely with two presidents to ensure good government for Iowa, but I have to say, being out in Washington these past few years has reminded me of just how special Iowa is, and how at this time, we need good leadership in Iowa, and that's why I'm announcing today, that I am running for the Republican nomination for governor in 1964."

Kinnick also announced that he would not run for his house seat. Kinnick had been redistricted in 1962 to a new district in Southwest Iowa. While Kinnick had done well, winning his district with a solid 55% in 1962, he had not felt as comfortable running in a more rural district that was more fiscally conservative. While Kinnick was not necessarily a so-called "Rockefeller Republican" and did support some forms of fiscal conservatism, he was more or less a part of the national establishment that trended a bit more liberal, though that would change during the 1964 election as the feud between conservatives and more moderate republicans would come to split the party. However, before any of that happened, Kinnick prepared for a challenging race.


Before he could take on incumbent Harold Hughes in the general election, he faced state Attorney General Evan Hultman, who argued that Kinnick was still "profiting off of his gridiron success" though Kinnick countered that his service in congress had been exemplary. He had been proud of his record on civil rights, and also had been proud of his moderate fiscal record which he touted as common sense. Kinnick had never been one to deny help to people and while he opposed what he saw as excessive spending, he insisted that he only opposed what he saw as "true waste" and supported programs that he thought might actually provide a benefit to his constituents. However, Kinnick did acknowledge he had not been in the house for a long time, but rebuked Hultman's comments.

"I don't know why Mr. Hultman thought he needed to bring up my football career. I believe I've had quite the career since and I hope that the Republican voters in this state will see that through my military service, my time as a lawyer, and my time in Washington. Those experiences are the ones I feel are most relevant and I'm sure the voters will think so as well."

Due to the misstep, Kinnick won the Republican primary in June and was able to proceed on to the general election.

Kinnick's challenger was the 42 year old Harold Hughes was a former Republican and former trucking company manager who'd been elected to the State Commerce Board and later switched parties in order to run for governor. Hughes then defeated the Republican incumbent Norman Erbe, winning 52 % of the vote, propelled mostly by the fact that in spite of being a former alcoholic who'd become active in AA, Hughes supported allowing liquor to be sold by the drink in Iowa. Up until that point, only beer could be served at bars in Iowa, with wine and spirits either being sold in state liquor stores or private clubs.

After his election, Hughes became known not only for changing Iowa's alcohol laws, but also creating programs to help with alcohol abuse. He also was a notable death penalty opponent, having asked President Kennedy to commute the sentence of Victor Fueger, the last person executed in the United States for nearly 40 years and the last person executed in Iowa.

Kinnick himself was not necessarily against Hughes. He personally felt that Hughes had a lot of character and even made public remarks talking about how he was a "real fighter." In spite of this, Kinnick did make sure to attack Hughes on policy. While Kinnick himself was personally a teetotaler, he argued that the state needed to get out of the liquor business totally, arguing that it not only was immoral for the state to profit off of liquor, but also hypocritical, especially since Hughes had started providing more resources for treatment while also saying he agreed with allowing liquor by the drink to be sold in the state. He also had argued that Hughes should not have put pressure on the federal government to stop the Fueger execution as it was a federal matter, though Kinnick himself remained noncommittal in regards to the death penalty itself, only saying that "I think it might best be settled by the voters of Iowa and not by a governor or judge forcing it on the people.

In spite of these differences, many pundits felt that Kinnick and Hughes seemed somewhat too similar, lamenting the fact that in Iowa at least, the two major parties ran candidates that were quite similar, even if Kinnick was the more urbane former lawyer while Hughes was the more folksy truck driver. In short, it seemed as if the race would not come down so much to policy but personality, which many said Hughes had an edge in, even though Kinnick was far from a block of wood, though many Democrats in the state tried to portray him as such.

The bigger issue for Kinnick was that nationally, the Republicans were faltering. He had attended the Republican National Convention in July and was witnessed the party split between Barry Goldwater and Nelson Rockefeller at the Cow Palace. Kinnick himself had urged party delegates to coalesce around Pennsylvania governor William Scranton, feeling that while Goldwater was "an authoritarian cowboy" Rockefeller was too liberal for most Republicans to accept. Kinnick did agree with Goldwater on his stance on communism, but privately had told many that he felt Goldwater wanted to "fight fire with fire." In the end, Goldwater won, and while it would mean disaster for many Republicans in the short term, it would define the party in the long term.

After the convention, Kinnick returned to Iowa to campaign, though it seemed as if due to declining fortunes nationally for the Republicans, Kinnick would suffer. He still gave it his best shot though, campaigning across the state hoping to mobilize Republican support while not bringing up national races. Kinnick himself emphasized that while he had conservative credentials, he also had "common sense to make sure all Iowans will have equal opportunity and the ability to rise up as far as talent will take them." While this moderate tone was able to keep Kinnick up in the polls, on election day, the voters of Iowa ended up choosing Hughes, who won with 53% of the vote to Kinnick's 47. Kinnick had done well in most of the western sections of the state, due to Republican influence, but had lost in Iowa's smaller cities and few urban centers. While most attributed the defeat to Hughes' popularity, many had felt that Kinnick had failed to differentiate himself as a candidate, with some Republicans, especially from the heavily conservative northwest of the state arguing that Kinnick was more or less a "Rockefeller Republican." Kinnick himself took it in stride though.

"I'm just glad that I ran a good race" Said Kinnick. "I knew this would be a challenge and I've always been someone who liked to go against the odds and we did that. We put up a good challenge against Governor Hughes and my hope is that he continues to lead this state and work for all of the people here in Iowa."

Afterwards, Kinnick went home to Dallas Center. It was a bittersweet return. He had enjoyed being in the small town and had made sure to keep a home there, though for the past few years, he and Evelyn had also kept a small home in the Maryland suburbs outside of Washington and made sure his oldest son Clarke was able to attend private boarding school on the east coast. The home would be sold however, and while Clarke would stay in school on the east coast during the school term (he had become a decently talented football player, and had even started a few games as a sophomore) the rest of the Kinnick children would move back to Iowa and for now it seemed Kinnick would go back to private practice, at least for now.

 

[KingSweden24]

Cool idea for a POD! Excited to see where Mr. Kinnick’s career takes him from here

 

[brunohusker]

Chapter 7
Captain Comeback

By January of 1966, Kinnick had enough of simply being a private citizen. While he had returned to private practice at a Des Moines law firm and had even taught a political science class at Drake University, Kinnick had wanted to get back into politics hoping to make a difference. Some had suggested he run for the position of Attorney General of Iowa, though Kinnick himself had eyes on returning to Washington, and thus he decided that he'd run again for his old seat against John Hansen.

Things looked relatively good for Kinnick as a number of Democrats had been elected from Republican leaning districts, including Iowa's 7th district, which included southwestern Iowa, including the suburbs just west of Des Moines where Kinnick resided. Kinnick himself was sure that there'd be a Republican comeback. Of course, some in Iowa had felt that Kinnick himself wasn't much of a Republican and he did have a challenger in William J. Scherle from Mills County, southeast of Omaha. Scherle himself had not only derided his Democratic opponent as a "tax and spend liberal" but also derided Kinnick as a "has been" and "friend of Rockefeller" while Kinnick himself had mentioned he had been an ardent supporter of Richard Nixon in 1960, and had also generally been supportive of fiscal conservatism, though he always stated that he believed in common sense and not simply cutting spending for the sake of cuts, arguing that "We need a balance. I'm against government waste, but as a former athlete there is a difference between getting in shape and simply losing weight. I prefer to have an in shape government rather than a bloated government, or a starved government." Kinnick also played up the fact that Scherle had been born in New York and had only been an Iowa resident since the late 40's, while Kinnick had spent his whole life in Iowa, except for his military service.

By the time the primary rolled around, Kinnick, still a dynamic campaigner at 48 years old, had defeated Scherle, and went on to defeat Hansen in the general, winning 54% of the vote. Kinnick seemed happy to return to Washington, if only because it kept his profile up. While he'd never been one to seek fame for fame's sake, he still felt like it was the best path to higher office, and in 1968, he felt it was time to seek that higher office.

Republican Senator Bourke Hickenlooper had decided to retire in 1968, and in one of the most influential years in American politics, Iowa would also be divided. Popular governor Harold Hughes had decided to run for Senate, while on the Republican side, Kinnick had decided to run for Senate and ran in the primary unopposed. While Kinnick was still considered more or less a moderate to liberal Republican, he had been supportive of intervention in Vietnam and also had started to criticize anti-war demonstrations and racial demonstrations, though he still stated that he was an ardent supporter of civil rights and argued that law and order "was not only for those minorities who are destroying our cities, but for those whites trying to use guns and shady lawyers to deny civil rights to those minorities." Of course, Iowa was relatively unaffected by this, though he did attack Hughes for giving a nominating speech at the Democratic convention for peace candidate Eugene McCarthy, calling Hughes a "Good but naive man who doesn't want to finish the job in Vietnam." Hughes meanwhile called Kinnick "an old war hawk who'd never have to worry about sending his kids to war." Of course Kinnick countered that his son Clarke had decided to enter the Air Force Academy in Colorado, though Hughes pointed out that Kinnick "Should be more concerned about his son, especially considering that old man Kinnick almost died himself."

Between all of the barbs, it seemed as if the Republicans would return to power in Iowa . Kinnick beat Hughes by only 5000 votes, while Robert Ray had won the governors race. Republicans also kept the majority of Iowa's house seats, and most importantly to the party, Nixon had carried the state. Kinnick himself had campaigned hard for Nixon, and had himself stated that he supported his "Law and Order" stance, while also emphasizing common sense.

"I support an orderly society" Kinnick said in a speech in Waterloo, "but I am also for common sense. We all have to respect authority and the rule of law, whether its protestors tearing up cities and causing trouble, or cops and courthouse cliques abusing their power. That's why I emphasize law and order along with common sense. All people have to respect authority and abide by the laws of our land and if anyone abuses such laws, then I am against them no matter who they are."

 

[brunohusker]

Chapter 8

A Changing Game

In May of 1969, Nile Kinnick returned to his alma mater, this time to give the commencement speech for the class of 1969. Kinnick had obviously kept up on the news and how the country was divided over issues like the Vietnam War and Civil Rights, but in Iowa City, he experienced it first hand. As he entered into Iowa Stadium, he saw a number of students who were protesting his speech. He wasn't sure what to think of what to think of what was going on. On the one hand, he was grudgingly appreciative of the fact that there were students willing to get involved, and always felt that free speech was important in American Society. However, he wasn't so sure he liked the lifestyle he assumed said protestors lived, and felt that even if they had the right to protest the war and his speech, he also felt they were on the wrong side of the war issue and were at times disrespectful to those serving or who would serve, like his son Clarke, who was set to begin his junior year at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.

Kinnick then entered Iowa Stadium. While the reception outside had been a bit more frosty, inside, he received a cheer from many in the crowd, and even a few students. It brought back memories of his playing days. Soon, after the opening ceremonies and speeches by the students, Kinnick got up to talk.

" Congratulations to you all. It's a great thing to complete an education, and its a great thing to see the future leaders, hopefully not only here in Iowa, but in our country and even around the world. I know that the last few years have been quite a trying time for all of us, what with war and distress at home. Even here in the middle west we have had our struggles. Different opinions on where we are going as a country, however, one thing that is important is that we still are united and must stay so. You right here are all different. Republican, Democrat, Black, white, catholic, protestant, American, and non-American and so much more. While you are all different. today you are all Hawkeyes, and are united by a shared spirit of learning and discovery. That spirit is what will make our society great and function. We all may have our differences, but we are all united, and I hope that spirit of unity will continue with you all, and allow you to become the next great generation of leaders."

Kinnick continued on, and at the end of the speech, the entire crowd. He smiled and then sat down for the rest of the convocation. Kinnick had hoped this would be a speech that would convince Iowans that while he certainly had his beliefs, he felt that unity was important. It had been tough though, as his campaign for Senate had been quite a bitter fight. While Kinnick had stayed true to himself, he felt he had to be a bit more aggressibve in the campaign, though now that he won, he felt he could focus on uniting Iowans and uniting the country on some level, or at least keep it from splitting apart ideologically.

In Washington, Kinnick was mostly seen as a well spoken rookie. While his service in the house had been well regarded, he was viewed with suspicion not only by Iowa and national democrats as another conservative from the sticks, those on the more conservative end saw him as a kind of Rockefeller Republican. It didn't matter if he campaigned hard for Nixon and felt that ideologically that Nixon not only was quite close to him ideologically, but also close to a lot of Iowans. Even the Democrats he talked to felt that while the war might be going badly and didn't like it, they weren't fans of the counterculture, or at least those who went too far in the counterculture. Kinnick made sure he balanced his tough talk against it by mentioning that reactionary rhetoric and action were also outside of the pale, arguing that as much as he disliked those on the radical left, he disliked the radical right who "ran courthouse cliques in the south, and denied opportunity to those who deserved it." It was a tightrope walk, but Kinnick felt it was also the pragmatic way to go.

In his early years in the Senate was mostly known for being on the agriculture committee, the environment and public works committee, and the committee on small business and entrepeneurship, hoping such assignments would allow him to help out Iowa. He was seen mostly as a staunch Nixon ally, and the two had even become staunch friends, bonding over their love of football, though Kinnick later recounted that Nixon had "a paranoid streak, which was odd to me, as he was quite popular, electorally speaking." Kinnick mostly served as a reliably republican vote, though much like Nixon, he could be very conservative, yet supported environmental legislation, arguing that such regulations would benefit all Iowans and might help farms in the state be more efficient. He also spoke out in favor of Vietnam though toned down his rhetoric, arguing for a settlement that allowed for some form of democratic government in South Vietnam though this became less of a reality.

Another major Kinnick speech was in 1971 at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony where his son Clarke, was a graduate. Clarke himself had achieved notoriety not only as being in the top 5 of his class, but also was considered the "12th man" on the Air Force football team, playing as a running back. The elder Kinnick was not the main commencement speaker, but had been invited to say a few words, and once again echoed the words he had given two years earlier in 1971 that a "spirit of unity will enable us to have a well run society."

However, Kinnick's focus on unity and loyalty would be tested. While he once again campaigned hard for President Nixon, who he now considered a friend, Kinnicks own loyalty would be tested during the last years of the Nixon administration, and he himself would face a tough challenge to keep his Senate seat.

 

[Anarch King of Dipsodes]

Kinnick beat Hughes by only 5000 votes, and Robert Ray had taken the Governors mansion, and Republicans now held both Senate seats and a majority of house seats and now Kinnick moved to the upper house of the Senate.

This is very confusing. It seems to suggest that Republicans won a majority in the US House of Representatives, which would be huge change from OTL.

Or is is that Republicans won a majority in the Iowa state House of Representatives? A very odd place to insert that item.

Or maybe it means that Republicans won over half of Iowa's US House seats?

The quoted sentence is any case a run-on sentence,which ought to be split up. (four "and"s).

 

[brunohusker]

This is very confusing. It seems to suggest that Republicans won a majority in the US House of Representatives, which would be huge change from OTL.

Or is is that Republicans won a majority in the Iowa state House of Representatives? A very odd place to insert that item.

Or maybe it means that Republicans won over half of Iowa's US House seats?

The quoted sentence is any case a run-on sentence,which ought to be split up. (four "and"s).

Thanks. I edited that and changed the ending. I know I'm not the best writer out there, so thanks for the help.

 

[brunohusker]

Chapter 9- Trick plays from Tricky Dick.

On August 9th 1974, Richard Nixon resigned from office after being told by congressional leaders that they would more than likely vote to impeach. Among those looking to impeach Nixon was the Senator who was seen by Nixon as a friend and ally, Nile Kinnick. Kinnick had liked Nixon as well, at least politically speaking. Kinnick had hitched his political horse to Nixon's policies in 1968 when he was first elected to the senate, and had been a supporter of his major policy goals such as détente with the Soviet Union and allowing for troop withdrawals in Vietnam, while also supporting domestic goals like reducing inflation and fighting illegal drug use. Kinnick himself had felt that Nixon best matched his political philosophy of a common sense conservatism, though Kinnick would note that at time Nixon "seemed to lack confidence in his ideas" and also seemed to be "someone who was willing to bend the rules to achieve his goals." These musings would soon prove to be true as it appeared that the President was behind the Watergate break-in as well as the cover up. As soon as the Nixon tapes were released, Kinnick stated that "there is no doubt that the President needs to be removed from office. I have supported his goals in office, but when leadership fails to follow the rule of law, that means that they must lose that position."

While Kinnick took the right stance, many felt that his days in the senate might be over as the Republicans were expected to lose a number of seats and Kinnick himself faced a strong challenge from congressman John Culver, who many felt would probably win if national trends played out in Iowa. As a result, Kinnick campaigned across the state promoting himself as a champion of Iowa, especially the state's farm population, hoping that more conservative rural voters would still turn out. Culver in the meantime tried to paint Kinnick as a lackey of Nixon who had enabled his behavior. He also felt that Kinnick was not representing "a more modern Iowa, an Iowa that is educated and informed and does not support failed policies of a failed administration." Kinnick however remained optimistic and even at 56 years of age, he was still able to be a charismatic campaigner. One of the issues that Kinnick campaigned hard on was that of food stamps. Kinnick stated that while Culver called him a "hardliner" he had made sure that working Iowa families would be able to get assistance and that Iowa farmers would be able to help feed not only their neighbors but people across the country.

By November, Kinnick was able to win by a thin margin of 4,000 votes, with more conservative rural counties giving him the advantage and returning him to the Senate. For the next few years, Kinnick remained a decently popular and well liked Senator with a moderate to Conservative record which he felt represented his Iowa constituents. He also became good friends with new president Gerald Ford, who like Kinnick was a former Big Ten college football player, starring as a Center at Michigan in the 30's. This friendship would end up being quite beneficial to Kinnick.

 

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Chapter 10- The Hawkeye and the Wolverine

After surviving his reelection bid, Nile Kinnick could seemingly breathe easier, for now anyways. The Watergate Scandal had been so kind to other Republicans, who once again were the minority party in both houses, and with Gerald Ford as President, many felt that the next presidential election was a shoe-in for the Democrats. Kinnick however, remained optimistic that he and his party would still be able to influence policy. He also was fortunate to be able to see his son Clarke return from Vietnam and get married, with his first grandson, Benjamin, being born in 1975. He also was proud of his son Robert being accepted into Yale where he'd go on to play football. For now at least, it seemed as if he could not only focus on policy, but family as well.

Things would change a bit however, when in November 1975, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller announced that he would be retiring from politics, meaning that Gerald Ford would be choosing a new vice president. The move made sense from an electoral standpoint. Rockefeller had never been popular with the increasingly conservative Republicans who often dismissed Rockefeller and many of his liberal eastern cohorts. Kinnick himself had even been considered by some to be a "Rockefeller Republican" at least by some, though he generally was for lower taxes, and socially was more in line with conservatives in his party, though he was generally supportive of civil rights and often said that entitlements were needed, though Kinnick felt they should be used more as temporary aid, dismissing talk of "welfare queens" as "hurtful to those who need assistance and intend to get off it as soon as possible." This did end up helping Kinnick in Iowa where moderates generally approved of him, and nationally many saw him as a principled and balanced member who at best was "center right."

As the campaign for President began in early 1976, Ford felt like he needed someone to balance the ticket, especially since the archconservative Ronald Reagan was intending to challenge Ford for the nomination. Ford had felt he needed someone who could appeal to moderates and conservatives and even some liberals who hadn't yet left the GOP. Some had expected he'd name someone like Tennessee Senator Howard Baker or Kansas Senator Bob Dole, but Ford had felt Kinnick would not only be able to keep the party together, but had appeal in the midwest. It helped too that in contrast to Ford, Kinnick was generally pro life, mostly due to the fact that he felt most Iowans were, though he felt that different states should be able to choose their own laws on abortion. Kinnick also was generally well liked by his Senate colleagues and many hoped he'd give the ticket a more healthy image than that of the bumbling Ford.

For the Democrats, it was a wide open year where outsider Jimmy Carter of Georgia had won the nomination in spite of being challenged by a number of Democrats. Most expected that Carter would win, but Ford and Kinnick were able to run a strong campaign. Kinnick himself made sure to talk about how in spite of the personal failures of Nixon, the Republicans had been able to get the US out of Vietnam and felt that Republican policies would help the economy. In the end, in spite of a strong challenge from Ronald Reagan, Ford won the Republican nomination and Kinnick would officially be the nominee for Vice President.

At the Republican Convention in Kansas City, Kinnick gave what many considered one of his best speeches, often known as "The Ideals Speech" in which Kinnick talked about the unchanging ideals he believed in and that he felt Americans believed in.

"I believe that in this country, we must stick with our ideals. We may not always live up to them. I know that there have been times that I, and my fellow leaders have not lived up to them, but the important thing is that when we fail, we get back up, and the American people get back up. That's what I feel we need to do. I know that all of us here are working on doing this, and if we elect Gerald Ford in November, I have no doubt that America can live up to its ideals and recover its confidence. "

In the general election, it looked as if Carter would have the edge, but in a tight race, but the Ford campaign pulled ahead, and on Election Day, Ford won a close race with 276 electoral votes, with the key states being Ohio and Wisconsin. Nile Kinnick now had risen higher than even he had imagined. He even joked with the local paper that "Iowa finally might have someone in the White House they can be proud of" referring to the infamous Herbert Hoover who had been born in West Branch Iowa. Kinnick was finally sworn in on January 20th along with President Ford, with the both of them smiling as a Marine band played their college fight songs, which both said they preferred to Hail to the Chief.