Prescott Bush elected President of the United States

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pipisme

There was an unexpected twist in the Vice Presidential candidacy of Edward Brooke. Five days after getting the VP nomination, he announced his withdrawal because he had been receiving racist threats and abuse. He said that he did not think the United States was ready for a black President or Vice President.

Mark Hatfield said he was deeply saddened by Brooke's decision, but accepted it. He picked former Governor Jim Rhodes of Ohio as his running mate. Rhodes was on the conservative wing of the GOP, which was disappointment to liberal and moderate Republicans.

The campaign by the Conservative Party over the previous three and a half years to get on the ballot in all fifty states and the District of Columbia had been successful. At its National Convention, James Buckley, who had unsuccessfully run for Senator for New York in 1970 was nominated as candidate for President, and Edward H. Crane, the founder of the Cato Institute as candidate for Vice President.
 

pipisme

In the general election campaign the Democrats campaigned on the theme of progress and reform after 16 years of Republican stagnation and mismanagement of the economy. The Republicans had held the presidency for 16 of the last 20 years. The Democrats said that America was falling behind in the race for economic and technological superiority over the Soviet Union.

Robert Kennedy promised to make education a priority of his administration which would increase federal support to education programs. He also pledged to establish a program called the Peace Corps under which American volunteers would work in developing countries. (1) He also promised to increase government spending on NASA and put a manned space station on the Moon by the end of the decade.

(1) I can't think of a better name for the proposed organisation.
 

pipisme

Kennedy promises to introduce affordable, comprehensive health care if he is elected President.

The Republicans campaign on their record of having ended the war in Vietnam, and of increasing economic prosperity. They oppose the Democrat policy of a federal department of education, because education is the responsibility of the states and more local levels of government. They are divided on Kennedy's Peace Corps proposal. The liberals support it while the conservatives oppose it.

The Democrats raised the allegation that in his sucessful race for governor of Ohio in 1962 Jim Rhodes diverted $54,000 dollars from his campaign fund. But that was a horse which didn't run. However while opinions polls on the choice of President showed that Kennedy and Hatfield were running more or less equally, in polls which tested preference for Vice President, Sanford had a consistent lead of 4% to 10% over Rhodes. Most commentators regarded Sanford as potentially the better man to take up the responsibilities of the Presidency if they should ever fall on either of them. (1)

Ethel Kennedy campaigned for her husband, as did their two eldest children - Kathleen and Joseph. The Republicans tried to make capital out of allegations that members of the Kennedy clan would be rewarded with posts in his administration if Robert were to be elected President. The candidate said that if he is elected President he would choose the best people for posts in his administration whether or not they were related to him.

The Conservative ticket of James Buckley and Edward Crane campaign on the slogan "A real choice not an echo", as the conservative alternative to the liberalism of Robert Kennedy and Mark Hatfield.

The election was narrowly won by Kennedy/Sanford. The result was:

Robert Kennedy/Terry Sanford (Democrat) 289 electoral votes

Mark Hatfield/Jim Rhodes (Republican) 249 electoral votes.

Kennedy won the following states (and district):

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, D.C., Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia.

Hatfield won these states:

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

The percentage votes won by each ticket were as follows:

Kennedy/Sanford 48.1

Hatfield/Rhodes 46.5

Buckley/Crane (Conservative) 4.6

Others 0.8.

The Conservatives had more than doubled their vote compared to 1968. In New York their vote of 3.7% was higher than Kennedy's winning margin of 2.9%. Their best result was in Idaho where they polled 9.5%.

(1) This campaign brochure for Terry Sanford from 1976 - http://www.4president.org/brochures/terrysanford1976brochure.htm - shows the type of material put out by the Democrats in his support in this TL.
 

Historico

Nice last couple of updates...Bobby's Presidency should be pretty interesting especially in the tough times of the mid to late 70's. Might we see the voters that supported that made up Bobby's campaign in '68(A combination of blacks, hispanics, and working class whites) become the new coalition for the Democratic Party while the Republicans have to formulate a new electoral strategy?...Keep it comming.
 
Thande

Thande

Donor
Nice work.

I suspect the Conservatives will keep splitting the Republican vote so the Democrats dominate US politics, at least until/unless the Conservatives pick up dissenting Dixiecrats from the Democrats to hamper their voter demographics as well.
 

Historico

Btw...Here is your electoral maps, and maybe Bobby will make it long enough to be the 1st two-term President since Ike.

genusmap.php


Robert F. Kennedy/Terry Sanford: 289 Electoral Votes
Mark Hatfield/James Rhodes: 249 Electoral Votes
 

pipisme

The November 1972 congressional elections showed small to moderate gains for the Democrats. They kept their majority in the Senate, while the Republicans managed to cling on to a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. The results were:

Senate: Democrat 56 (+3)
Republican 43 (-3)
Independents 1 (Harry F. Byrd from Virginia).

The Democrats picked up seats in Colorado, Delaware and Michigan. However in Maine long-serving Republican Margaret Chase Smith was re-elected by a majority of 5,863 votes.

In October 1971 Senator Wayne Morse from Oregon returned to the Democrats from being an Independent.

House of Representatives: Republican 221 (-11)
Democrat 214 (+11).

Some cabinet and csbinet-level appointments made by President-elect Robert Kennedy:

Secretary of State: William Fulbright

Secretary of the Treasury: Walter Heller

Secretary of Defense: Paul Nitze

Attorney General: Robert Killian

Director of the Office of Environmental Protection: Jimmy Carter

Ambassador to the United Nations: Ralph Abernethy

Secretary of Education (1): Roland Barth

Robert Killian was the Attorney-General of Connecticut. Roland Barth was a teacher, college principal and author of Open Education and the American School.

Also Jacqueline Kennedy was appointed Ambassador to France.

(1) Subject to Congressional approval for the creation of the Department of Education.
 
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pipisme

After the Peace Corps was created by Executive Order in late February 1973, President Kennedy appointed George Wildman Ball as its first Director. Ball was an Under Secretary of State in the Jackson administration from January 1965 to January 1969.
 

Historico

Nice Cabinent for Bobby to start of with...However I think Jackie would have been more suitable and happier at being US Ambassador to France. I know she spoke fluent French and lived in France at a time before she dated Jack.
 

pipisme

Originally posted by Historico
I think Jackie would have been more suitable and happier at being US Ambassador to France.
Click to expand...

I have amended the relevant message to state that Kennedy appointed her Ambassador to France.

Originally posted by Carpetbagger
What was the Democratic platform in 1972 when it came to civil rights?
Click to expand...

It expressed support for the civil rights measures of the 1960s, but opposed compulsory bussing of school children to achieve racially integrated schools. Both the Democrat and Republican platforms expressed support for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court decided in the case of Roe v Wade. By a majority of 7 to 2 the Court ruled that a mother may abort her pregnancy for any reason up till "the point at which the fetus becomes viable". Viability is usually placed at about 28 weeks, but may occur even earlier at 24 weeks.

This judgement was strongly condemned by President Kennedy. He called it an unacceptable attack on the fundamental right to life from conception to death. He hoped that this decision would be reversed at a later date. However he said that he would not use views on abortion as a litmus test for any appointments he might make to the Supreme Court.
 

Historico

Im really sorry to see this TL, go so close but yet so far l guess...I made a list based on how I think the Timeline would have continued to the Present day.

34. Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower (R-NY): January 20th 1953-January 20th 1961
35. Prescott S. Bush (R-CT): January 20th 1961-January 20th 1965
36. Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (D-WA): January 20th 1965-January 20th 1969
37. John S. Cooper (R-KY): January 20th 1969-January 20th 1973
38. Robert F. Kennedy (D-MA): January 20th 1973-September 5th 1975*
39. James Terry Sanford (D-NC): September 5th 1975-Janury 20th 1981
40. George H.W. Bush (R-TX): January 20th 1981-January 20th 1989
41. Phillip M. “Phil” Crane (R-IL): January 20th 1989-January 20th 1993
42. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-MA): January 20th 1993-January 20th 2001
43. Andrew Young (D-GA): January 20th 2001-January 20th 2005*
44. John E. “Jeb” Bush (R-FL): January 20th 2005-January 20th 2009
45. Henry G. Cisneros (D-TX): January 20th 2009-???*

Notes.

38. Assassinated by Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme while in Sacramento, California.
43. First African American President.
45. First Hispanic American President.
 

Emperor of Scandinavia

Prescott Bush

Have Ike drop nixon as his vp during the scandal in 1952 when Nixon was accused by several newspapers of receiving $18,000 in undeclared "gifts" from wealthy donors. Then Ike picks Prescott Bush as vp.
 
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