Nelson Rockefeller, president 1975- 1979

What if Gerald Ford Was assassinated September 5th, 1975 by Lynette Fromme, Vice President Rockefeller would become President, and I say he would run for reelection, and (lets just say) beats Carter. What could Rockefeller accomplish from 1975- 1979 (where he dies)?

So, since Rocky dies in 1979, the VP pick in 1976 will be important, is it still Dole? Or will Rocky need someone more Conservative like John Conally, to balance his perceived liberalness?

If the GOP rules from 1969- 1981, who does the Dems nominate? Does Rocky's VP win in 1980.
 
Unless he's very astute and has some astonishingly good luck, Rockefeller would almost certainly lose the nomination in '76. (Yeah, I think even riding on the back of sympathy over Ford)
 

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What if Gerald Ford Was assassinated September 5th, 1975 by Lynette Fromme, Vice President Rockefeller would become President, and I say he would run for reelection, and (lets just say) beats Carter. What could Rockefeller accomplish from 1975- 1979 (where he dies)?

So, since Rocky dies in 1979, the VP pick in 1976 will be important, is it still Dole? Or will Rocky need someone more Conservative like John Conally, to balance his perceived liberalness?

If the GOP rules from 1969- 1981, who does the Dems nominate? Does Rocky's VP win in 1980.

Will Rockefeller still die in 1979 though? If memory serves me correctly he was having sex with a younger woman when he had a heart attack, she panicked and instead of calling for help she called a friend. Like an hour later 911 was finally called. It is thought if he had help immediately he may have survived. If he is president, and for the sake of argument he does have a heart attack at the same exact time, the Secret Service rush him to the local ER, he gets help he survives and finishes out his term.
 
Will Rockefeller still die in 1979 though? If memory serves me correctly he was having sex with a younger woman when he had a heart attack, she panicked and instead of calling for help she called a friend. Like an hour later 911 was finally called. It is thought if he had help immediately he may have survived. If he is president, and for the sake of argument he does have a heart attack at the same exact time, the Secret Service rush him to the local ER, he gets help he survives and finishes out his term.

I learned something today :)

On a serious note, i just looked that up, and it is true, he was with a woman when he had a heart attack, and probably would have survived if 911 was called. In that case, would President Rockefeller run in 1980, if he does, would he win?
 
Unless he's very astute and has some astonishingly good luck, Rockefeller would almost certainly lose the nomination in '76. (Yeah, I think even riding on the back of sympathy over Ford)

^^^^

Rockefeller was pretty much despised by the Republican Party because of his loose personal life. So how does he keep the '76 nomination, when Ford nearly lost it in OTL to Reagan? (And, incidentally, had to dump Rockefeller as his running mate)
 
Rockefeller didnt pardon Nixon, and id think hed get a boost for being an incumbent President after Ford is assassinated.
 
^^^^

Rockefeller was pretty much despised by the Republican Party because of his loose personal life. So how does he keep the '76 nomination, when Ford nearly lost it in OTL to Reagan? (And, incidentally, had to dump Rockefeller as his running mate)

Well you have to remember that the assasination on Ford would have happend in September of '75, which would have been pretty devastating to the nation so close to Primary Season. Ronnie has always been won to put Party Loyalty over his own ambitions,(Why he didn't run in '72) and might not have run. Although 67 at the time Rocky would still have alot of the Personal Charisima that almost toppled over Vice President Nixon in 1960. I think not only could he win the nomination with a conservative running mate like Bob Dole or John Tower, He could beat a lightweight like Carter in the General.
 
Well you have to remember that the assasination on Ford would have happend in September of '75, which would have been pretty devastating to the nation so close to Primary Season.

I am not so sure tbh. Four months - the time between this assasination and election year - is actually quite a long time, politically speaking. It doesn't sound long, but it is. I don't see Rockefeller's position within the party, which is all that matters for the time being, holding up that long. I still strongly think he'd be challenged, if not by Reagan, by someone less scrupulous. (Jim Rhodes?)

Oh, and if Rockefeller doesn't pardon Nixon? Well then you have the wonderful prospect of criminal charges being advanced against the former President of the incumbent party during an election year.
 
Will Rockefeller still die in 1979 though? If memory serves me correctly he was having sex with a younger woman when he had a heart attack, she panicked and instead of calling for help she called a friend. Like an hour later 911 was finally called. It is thought if he had help immediately he may have survived. If he is president, and for the sake of argument he does have a heart attack at the same exact time, the Secret Service rush him to the local ER, he gets help he survives and finishes out his term.

his dead doesn't really matter, the GOP moved right, hard right, the Party forced Ford to drop Rocky, not that Rocky was all that broken up about that, one Rocky is old, 67, and hated Washington, felt that it was full of political BS fights, he fought with just about every one in Washington, more so with his own party, Rocky was the most hated man with-in the Republican party in 1976, he's unlikely to run in 1976,


any way, on the VP, Dole can kiss that shit good bye, the Senate is in the Democrat's hands, and by his time Rocky is bitter and angry at the Right wing of his party, most likely a Liberal will be Rocky's VP, he might pick a black person, Edward Brooke any one? Rocky's goals in his short Presidency would be to strength the Liberal end of the GOP and try to cut the party away from the "sun belt"
 
Rockefeller would certainly have a claim at being the least legitimate President in US history - he was appointed VP, not elected, by a man who was also never elected.

Not that any of that makes him illegal, but he is running without having ever established a national base, and he's probably considerably less popular than Ford within his own party. He could well be talked out of running in 1976.

Unless he manages to do something really impressive during his term in office.
 
With Vietnam done, and Civil rights a non issue, is there anything Rockefeller wanted to accomplish? Mabye something that will change the GOP's opinion of him.
 
With Vietnam done, and Civil rights a non issue, is there anything Rockefeller wanted to accomplish? Mabye something that will change the GOP's opinion of him.

Rocky does not care what the GOP thinks of him, for him Politics was a contact sport, one in 1976 he knows he's lost, his 16 year war for the soul of the GOP ended when Ford lost to Carter, it was over before that really, Rocky's 3 failures to be his party's nominee (1960, 64, 68) were big defeats for the old GOP, any way if there is anything Rockefeller would want to do it'd be to try to hurt the Conservatives inside the GOP and put the Liberals on a better footing, but helping the Liberals would be secondary to hurting the Conservatives, he'll work on alienating the South and Thurmond, making a liberal Black or woman VP would be helpful and something Rockefeller (Rocky fought hurt for civil rights) as i said before Edward Brooke would be my first pick for Rocky's VP, he's Black, Liberal, and from the North (Mass) also Rocky's close friend and long time Senator Margaret Chase Smith, and Liberal woman from Maine both fit the goals of tying old GOP Progressive values back into the party and alienating Conservatives.
 
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