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John Volpe, governor of MA in 1968, was Nixon's second choice for a running mate. Had he been chosen instead of Spiro Agnew, consider these:

  • If Volpe had had a greater voice in policy-making than did Agnew (who was pretty much consigned to attack dog duty), perhaps he might have been able to say "are you crazy?" to the proposals to the Watergate break-in and perhaps prevent it altogether.
  • If not, and Watergate plays out essentially as it does IOTL, Volpe succeeds Nixon in 1974 since, unlike Agnew, he was not obliged to resign for defalcations while governor. Volpe's presidency on the short term is probably not vastly different from that of Gerald Ford--whom, I suggest, Volpe would select as his vice president.
  • Does Volpe opt for a term in his own right in 1976?
    • If so, does he continue with Ford as a running mate? And should he beat Carter (presuming the Dem selection process is unaffected), could he handle the economic upheavals better? And would he not engage in the same meddling with the intelligence apparatus that allowed the US to be caught flatfooted by the takeover of Iran by the ayatollahs, thus averting the hostage crisis?
    • If not, who is the GOP nominee in 1976? Would that likely be Rockefeller, who was hoping to make a run that year? Whom would Rockefeller take as a running mate: perhaps Ford? Dole? And the same questions about Iran and the economy as posed for a Volpe administration apply to a Rockefeller administration, presuming he wins.
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