Nothing but silent generation presidents from 1974 to the present

In OTL the US presidency went directly from the GI Generation (GHW Bush) to the Boomers (Bill Clinton, GW Bush, Obama, Trump) with no Silent Generation presidents (at least so far--but two of the front-runners for the Democratic nomination would qualify!).

I here propose a timeline where all the US presidents from 1974 onward were from the "Silent Generation" (we'll use 1928 to 1945 as the birth dates). I have decided to make the party identities of the presidents the same as in OTL--otherwise I could go back to 1968 and have nothing but Silent Generation presidents starting with Ted Kennedy getting elected that year!

(1) 1974-77: Donald Rumsfeld. A surprise choice by Nixon for vice-president on Agnew's resignation; becomes POTUS on Nixon's resignation. He narrowly prevails in 1976 GOP primaries over Ronald Reagan's challenge, which weakens Rumsfeld in November.

(2) 1977-81: Birch Bayh. As I noted last year, "his only hope then was to have the party's liberal wing (which I'll define as "everyone to the left of Carter") coalesce behind him. This did not happen; in the New Hampshire primary, he finished third, behind Carter and Udall, while fourth-place Fred Harris also undoubtedly took some votes that might otherwise have gone to Bayh. When he finished a disastrous seventh in the Massachusetts primary, his campaign was over. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries,_1976 If Udall hadn't run, would Bayh have had a chance--perhaps as a Midwesterner he can win the Wisconsin primary which Udall narrowly lost to Carter?..."

(3) 1981-89: Phil Crane. After Reagan's surprise decision not to run (a near-assassination of Bayh in 1979 makes Nancy persuade him not to), Crane becomes the great hope of the GOP right and wins the nomination against split opposition from moderates and moderate-conservatives (Rumsfeld, Howard Baker, GHW Bush, John Anderson, etc.) Crane defeats the unpopular Bayh in November 1980 and is re-elected in 1984, after the Federal Reserve Board, confident that the recession has squeezed inflation out of the economy, eases up.

(4) 1989-93 Jack Kemp. Crane's VP, elected POTUS in 1988. He represents a kinder and gentler version of Crane's policies (he is a bit more open to Gorbachev and helps end the Cold War). He loses popularity after the recession of the early 1990's.

(5) 1993-2001: Mario Cuomo. In this ATL he decides to run, and as a representative of old-fashioned labor-liberalism defeats a split primary opposition of "new" Democrats of one sort or another (Bill Clinton, Jerry Brown, Paul Tsongas…). He defeats Kemp in November; pundits disagree on what role if any Ross Perot's third party candidacy played in the outcome. He is re-elected in 1996, largely thanks to a good economy.

(6) 2001-2009: John McCain. (Remember that the Bush family is far less influential in this ATL.) Narrowly defeats Cuomo's VP Al Gore in November 2000, re-elected in 2004.

(7) 2009-2017: Joe Biden. (In this ATL Carol Mosely Braun has decided to run for her old Senate seat in 2004, so Barack Obama does not run. The Clintons are of course hardly known outside Arkansas.) Wins in November 2008 largely because of economic collapse; subsequent recovery is just enough to allow him to be re-elected in 2012.

(8) 2017-present: Rudy Giuliani (in this ATL he finally "evolves" on abortion sufficiently to win religious conservatives over. Some big terrorist attack that was narrowly foiled in OTL makes terrorism the big issue again.)

And the current Democratic frontrunners are Paul Wellstone (who didn't die in a plane crash in 2002 in this TL) and John Kerry!

(I realize that from (7) on we may be dealing with current politics, but I don't think most of this post can be so classified.)
 
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In OTL the US presidency went directly from the GI Generation (GHW Bush) to the Boomers (Bill Clinton, GW Bush, Obama, Trump) with no Silent Generation presidents (at least so far--but two of the front-runners fot the Democratic nomination would qualify!).

I here proposed a timeline where all the US presidents from 1974 onward were from the "Silent Generation" (we'll use 1928 to 1945 as the birth dates). I have decided to make the party identities of the presidents the same as in OTL--otherwise I could go back to 1968 and have nothing but Silent Generation presidents starting with Ted Kennedy getting elected that year!

(1) 1974-77: Donald Rumsfeld. A surprise choice by Nixon for vice-president on Agnew's resignation; becomes POTUS on Nixon's resignation. He narrowly prevails in 1976 GOP primaries over Ronald Reagan's challenge, which weakens Rumsfeld in November.

(2) 1977-81: Birch Bayh. As I noted last year, "his only hope then was to have the party's liberal wing (which I'll define as "everyone to the left of Carter") coalesce behind him. This did not happen; in the New Hampshire primary, he finished third, behind Carter and Udall, while fourth-place Fred Harris also undoubtedly took some votes that might otherwise have gone to Bayh. When he finished a disastrous seventh in the Massachusetts primary, his campaign was over. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries,_1976 If Udall hadn't run, would Bayh have had a chance--perhaps as a Midwesterner he can win the Wisconsin primary which Udall narrowly lost to Carter?..."

(3) 1981-89: Phil Crane. After Reagan's surprise decision not to run (a near-assassination of Bayh in 1979 makes Nancy persuade him not to), Crane becomes the great hope of the GOP right and wins the nomination against split opposition from moderates and moderate-conservatives (Rumsfeld, Howard Baker, GHW Bush, John Anderson, etc.) Crane defeats the unpopular Bayh in November 1980 and is re-elected in 1984, after the Federal Reserve Board, confident that the recession has squeezed inflation out of the economy, eases up

(4) 1989-93 Jack Kemp. Crane's VP, elected POTUS in 1988. He represents a kinder and gentler version of Crane's policies (he is a bit more open to Gorbachev and helps end the Cold War). He loses popularity after the recession of the early 1990's.

(5) 1993-2001: Mario Cuomo. In this OTL he decides to run, and as a representative of old-fashioned labor-liberalism defeats a split primary opposition of "new" Democrats of one sort or another (Bill Clinton, Kerry Brown, Paul Tsongas…). He defeats Kemp in November; pundits disagree on what role if any Ross Perot's third party candidacy played in the outcome. He is re-elected in 1996, largely thanks to a good economy.

(6) 2001-2009: John McCain. (Remember that the Bush family is far less influential in this ATL.) Narrowly defeats Cuomo's VP Al Gore in November 2000, re-elected in 2004.

(7) 2009-2017: Joe Biden. (In this ATL Carol Mosely Braun has decided to run for her old Senate seat in 2004, so Barack Obama does not run. The Clintons are of course hardly known outside Arkansas.) Wins in November 2008 largely because of economic collapse; subsequent recovery is just rnough to allow him to be re-elected in 2012.

(8) 2017-present: Rudy Giuliani (in this ATL he finally "evolves" on abortion sufficiently to win religious conservatives over. Some big terrorist attack that was narrowly foiled in OTL makes terrorism the big issue again.)

And the current Democratic frontrunners are Paul Wellstone (who didn't die in a plane crash in 2002 in this TL) and John Kerry!

(I realize that from (7) on we may be dealing with current politics, but I don't think most of this post can be so classified.)

1974 may be too early for a member of the Silent Generation to realistically become President (I don't see why choosing Rumsfeld as VP would be to Nixon's advantage), but overall I find this plausible. Alternatively, one simply have Nixon choose Ford as in OTL only for Birch Bayh to win in 1976 - skipping Rumsfeld and kicking off the process two years later.
 
Baby Boomer, he was born in '46. Though I'm sure @David T wouldn't want to include him anyway since that's blatantly current politics.

I was confused at the difference in ages between Trump and Biden, one who didn't count and one which did. I don't know these generations
 
I was confused at the difference in ages between Trump and Biden, one who didn't count and one which did. I don't know these generations

The Silent Generation is roughly defined as those born between 1928 and 1945, while the Baby Boomer Generation covers those born between 1946 and 1965. Biden was born in 1942, making him a member of the Silent Generation.
 
Rumsfeld was recommended to Ford by Bob Dole as a possible alternate for Rockefeller! So maybe the POD is that Agnew _dies_ rather than resigns, so Nixon is more comfortable appointing someone from his circle as VP, but Watergate still unfolds as per OTL...
 
Rumsfeld was recommended to Ford by Bob Dole as a possible alternate for Rockefeller! So maybe the POD is that Agnew _dies_ rather than resigns, so Nixon is more comfortable appointing someone from his circle as VP, but Watergate still unfolds as per OTL...

Would President Rumsfeld have necessarily lost to Carter in 1976? Rummy is even more likely than Ford to pardon Nixon, but I doubt he would've made a gaffe about Soviet domination or come off as a bumbler like Ford did. And would Reagan have challenged the more conservative Rumsfeld in the '76 primaries?
 
I was confused at the difference in ages between Trump and Biden, one who didn't count and one which did. I don't know these generations

In the US, the Baby Boom is defined by a sudden rise in birth rate in 1946 and a sudden drop after 1964. An Australian sociologist confirmed their generations correspond with the American ones and after the Boom, cultural generations are defined as 15 years and family generations as 30 years. For America, you have:

1907-1927 – Greatest Generation, WW2 vets
1927-1945 – Silent Generation
1946-1964 – Baby Boom
1965-1979 – Generation X
1980-1994 – Millennial (others say it ends later)
1995-2009 – Generation Z

Of course, in other countries, the generations break differently. In Britain, I believe, the Baby Boom begins and ends a year or two earlier. South Africa is more different, with its politics and the fact that they did not have television until after 1970.

The American Silent Generation lacks a single unifying definition, as it starts with Korean War Vets (much in common with younger ones from WW2) and ends with those who fought in Vietnam, with very different experiences. That defines several “overlapping” classifications:

1939-1953 – Vietnam (though nobody born after 1952 was drafted)
1954-1970 – Generation Jones
1975-1985 – X-ennial

It is interesting to note that those born before the mid-fifties are characterized by discrete changes in life experiences relating to wars, the draft, the depression, and the challenges related. Those born later were not subject to sudden society-wide lifestyle changes after the 1974 fuel shortage. Since the eighties, changes have been centered on electronics and communication.
 
Alternates to Rumsfeld:

Senator Bill Brock (TN): Conservative, balance to moderate Ford
Rep. Pete McCloskey (CA): Openly anti-Nixon, would signal a fresh break post-Watergate
 

bguy

Donor
Would President Rumsfeld have necessarily lost to Carter in 1976? Rummy is even more likely than Ford to pardon Nixon, but I doubt he would've made a gaffe about Soviet domination or come off as a bumbler like Ford did. And would Reagan have challenged the more conservative Rumsfeld in the '76 primaries?

Rumsfeld was considered a moderate in the 1970s (and in fact did earn the ire of conservatives for his vigor in defending the OEO).

A few choice quotes from a 2003 profile on Rumsfeld in The Atlantic.

"During the following three decades Rumsfeld came to be viewed as an ardent hawk, a champion of U.S. military power. That perception does not fit the early phases of his career, when, as a fervent proponent of domestic reform, he was a moderate-to-liberal force within the Nixon Administration."

"Rumsfeld's voting record was not unlike those of other Republicans from the northern suburbs: he was economically conservative but socially moderate; he supported civil-rights legislation; he was a leader in the drive to replace the draft with a volunteer Army."

"Nevertheless, within a few months Rumsfeld became a staunch and surprisingly tough advocate for the anti-poverty agency."

"In a speech to the National Press Club seven months after taking charge of the OEO, Rumsfeld even defended the concept of federally funded legal services, saying that "justice for the poor" was part of his agency's mission. By this point he was beginning to be seen as a rare moderate, even progressive, voice within the Administration, and was becoming a target of the conservatives."

"Rumsfeld continued to speak up for moderate-to-liberal causes that ran against the generally conservative drift of the Administration. His work at the OEO had given him a constituency and, for a time, a sense of purpose. "We need to be able to communicate with the young and the black and the people who are out, even though we don't get their vote," he told Nixon in one private conversation in March of 1971."

Thus I think President Rumsfeld would be just as likely to draw a Reagan primary challenge as President Ford was.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/11/close-up-young-rumsfeld/302824/
 
Rumsfeld was considered a moderate in the 1970s (and in fact did earn the ire of conservatives for his vigor in defending the OEO).

A few choice quotes from a 2003 profile on Rumsfeld in The Atlantic.

"During the following three decades Rumsfeld came to be viewed as an ardent hawk, a champion of U.S. military power. That perception does not fit the early phases of his career, when, as a fervent proponent of domestic reform, he was a moderate-to-liberal force within the Nixon Administration."

"Rumsfeld's voting record was not unlike those of other Republicans from the northern suburbs: he was economically conservative but socially moderate; he supported civil-rights legislation; he was a leader in the drive to replace the draft with a volunteer Army."

"Nevertheless, within a few months Rumsfeld became a staunch and surprisingly tough advocate for the anti-poverty agency."

"In a speech to the National Press Club seven months after taking charge of the OEO, Rumsfeld even defended the concept of federally funded legal services, saying that "justice for the poor" was part of his agency's mission. By this point he was beginning to be seen as a rare moderate, even progressive, voice within the Administration, and was becoming a target of the conservatives."

"Rumsfeld continued to speak up for moderate-to-liberal causes that ran against the generally conservative drift of the Administration. His work at the OEO had given him a constituency and, for a time, a sense of purpose. "We need to be able to communicate with the young and the black and the people who are out, even though we don't get their vote," he told Nixon in one private conversation in March of 1971."

Thus I think President Rumsfeld would be just as likely to draw a Reagan primary challenge as President Ford was.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/11/close-up-young-rumsfeld/302824/

The '76 primary fight was quite close. Would Rumsfeld have been more or less likely than Ford to beat Reagan?
 
Alternates to Rumsfeld:

Senator Bill Brock (TN): Conservative, balance to moderate Ford
Rep. Pete McCloskey (CA): Openly anti-Nixon, would signal a fresh break post-Watergate

GOP conservatives had a hard enough time accepting Nelson Rockefeller as VP even though he had always been hawkish on foreign policy and had moved to the right on domestic issues; and indeed eventually Ford felt that he had to dump Rockefeller to have any chance of defeating Reagan. The conservative reaction to the choice of McCloskey would be even stronger. If Ford is going to choose someone perceived as being to the left of Rockefeller, Ed Brooke (who was of course from the GI generation) would make more sense in that he would at least enable the GOP to fight for an important segment of the electorate (African Americans) that had overwhelmingly opposed it in recent elections...

(Even in his own district, McCloskey barely won the GOP primary in 1974: https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=441963)
 
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