President Edmund Muskie

He was favourite to win the 1972 Democratic nomination and polled ahead of tricky Dicky for a while nationally!
However dirty tricks were employed against him suggesting he had an issue with French Canadians and that his wife had a drink problem and he ran out of campaign funds!
He was subsequently secretary of state under the Carter briefly.
How would a Muskie presidency have turned out?
 
Hunter S. Thompson didn't help matters either.

Exactly. For this to happen, you'd have to do at least a couple of the following:

a) smooth over the Canuck Letter quickly (maybe have Segretti arrested for some minor offense and eventually spill the beans)

b) ensure Muskie controls himself emotionally while defending his wife (no crying)

c) stop HST from giving his press pass to the drunken reporter who used it to run amok on Muskie's campaign train in Florida, which ruined all the press coverage of his tour.
 
Exactly. For this to happen, you'd have to do at least a couple of the following:

a) smooth over the Canuck Letter quickly (maybe have Segretti arrested for some minor offense and eventually spill the beans)

b) ensure Muskie controls himself emotionally while defending his wife (no crying)

c) stop HST from giving his press pass to the drunken reporter who used it to run amok on Muskie's campaign train in Florida, which ruined all the press coverage of his tour.

"I'm not crying, it's just been raining, on my face."


im-not-crying.jpg


Seriously though, Muskie claims he wasn't crying; it was just melted snowflakes on his face.

Yeah, just gotta avoid the Canuck Letter. But Nixon might do something worse later in the campaign.
 
"I'm not crying, it's just been raining, on my face."

Seriously though, Muskie claims he wasn't crying; it was just melted snowflakes on his face.

And then there's Thompson's theory that he was high out of his mind on Ibogaine...

Yeah, just gotta avoid the Canuck Letter. But Nixon might do something worse later in the campaign.

Of course, but once the Muskie campaign is off to a running start, dirty tricks will become tougher.
 
Another possibility is for Muskie to sit out 1972 in favour of 1976, where he'd have an easier time winning the election. He could well beat Carter in the primaries as well, though that could be tougher as Carter still has his outsider image.
 
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