I don't think there'd be any major protests besides a few radicals on the far-left. Wallace's victory in Vietnam has largely discredited the counterculture peace protests of the 60's as the United States did win a complete victory in Vietnam, so historians might look to those college students as divergents who chose to stand up against the government as a part of youth rebellion. Here in the leadup to WW3, the U.S has done nothing wrong as Reagan was on the path to detente with the Soviets and Rummy was seeking a passive-aggressive foreign policy until the coup happened. The Soviets and the Focoist bloc are the ones who are acting like aggressive conquerors, the only controversy for the West being whether it was okay for the Freyist Germans to fire upon the border guard, something I think most Americans would approve of. So domestically support for the war effort would be at an all-time high unless shit hits the fan with a global nuclear exchange, though judging by the wiki-boxes I predict a Soviet Revolution will occur before a possible judgement day.
Though since we are talking about family, this part hits pretty close to home for me as my dad was a Marine reservist so he'll most likely be deployed, along with my Uncle who was in the Navy at the time. I'll be waiting in anticipation to see what war-plan Rumsfeld and Bush concoct against the Soviets, most likely starting up with an invasion of Argentina and Brazil.
