Yeah...Im thinking an broader legislative package included increased funding for more Nuclear Power Plants, Coal to Liquids plants possibly under the Karrick Process, and Sugarcane based Ethanol. The problem is getting the Big Three to sign on for it?
President Reagan - in 1968
- Thread starter MrHola
- Start date
Yeah...Im thinking an broader legislative package included increased funding for more Nuclear Power Plants, Coal to Liquids plants possibly under the Karrick Process, and Sugarcane based Ethanol. The problem is getting the Big Three to sign on for it?
Thanks for the Reply, Im working on the next installment slowly but surely as I just started University this week. So the update should be in the next few days and I promise I wont dissapoint.
Without Further adue....
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Shining City upon a Hill: The Second Term of Ronald W. Reagan
On January 20th, 1973, the 61 year old President took the oath of office from his newly appointed Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court Warren Burger. A highlight of his second inaugural address “When we met here four years ago, America was bleak in spirit, depressed by the prospect of seemingly endless war abroad and of destructive conflict at home. As we meet here today, I stand here to let the American People know that America, almost 200 years after the birth of this republic, is still a Shinning City upon a Hill!” With his first term administration virtually intact, President Reagan set out during his second term to finish the goals which he had promised in both the ’68 and ’72 campaign.
One of his first goals, he wanted to achieve was that of the economy…Although Inflation was down, Volcker and his Federal Reserve tightened the money supply and rose interest rates. This combined with effects of the 1973 Oil Crisis it became apparent the United States economy would suffer a severe Recession for a few years. After his massive Tax hike during his first term, President Reagan gave relief to the American People with a Freidman supported, across the board tax cut on the middle class. He would also let the 1971 Price controls expire, all of whom did not keep the stock market from crashing in a period that lasted from January 1973 to December 1974. The Crash was crated by several different factors including; the collapse of the Breton woods system, The “Reagan Shock” (His talks with Red China), and the United States dollar devaluement.
The 1973-1974 Stock Market crash could also be compounded by the Yom Kippur War and the following oil crisis. With President Reagan being the valiant supporter of the nation of Israel he was, the gipper did not hesitate when the Jewish nation asked for a large number of American weapons to help fight off an Arab Coalition led by Soviet-allied Egypt and Syria in October, 1973. President Reagan would justify his decision to support Israel on a national Broadcast, in which he controversially quoted President Theodore Roosevelt, when he said “We stand at the battle of Armageddon and we do battle for the Lord!” By the time both President Reagan and General Secretary Brezhnev negotiated a truce, the Israeli armed forces had already penetrated deep into homelands of the coalition. It would be soon be realized that the Israeli victory was a Pyrrhic one as the members of OPEC rose oil prices in response to President Reagan’s support for Israel.
Once Reagan decided to move America against the Gold Standard, many foreign nations increased their currency reserves in fear that possible currency fluctuation could result due to the drastic measure. This in turn led to the deflation of the dollar and other currencies, which caused OPEC who traded oil in dollars to ultimately receive fewer dollars for their product. In acknowledgment of this, OPEC, cut production levels, hiked prices, and an Embargo placed against the United States along with the Netherlands. As Oil and Gasoline products skyrocketed in the US, President Reagan went against the Republican Congress’ idea of a lowered speed limit to 55mph to conserve gasoline…Instead the gipper sent forward to Congress a comprehensive bill, co-authored by Vice President Volpe and Secretary of Transportation Cliff White, that would allow for the creation of multiple Nuclear Power Plants to be built across the United States which in turn would power a sprawling infrastructure plan to support the electric train system of Amtrak. The Republican congress grudgingly passed the massive spending ball and Americans saw almost instantaneous relief at the pump.
Another major reason for the passing of the bill was President Reagan’s sweetener for the Democrats in the form of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). He would also gain praise around the country for his continued adamant support of NASA as he oversaw both the launches of Apollo 19 and 20 both with dual Saturn V rockets. The 1973 Apollo mission brought the lunar module shelter onto the surface followed by a Lunar Orbital Survey mission. Two of the Astronauts will stay inside the makeshift lunar shelter for fourteen days as one of the Astronauts performs all of the necessary excursion work via Rover. However, President Reagan’s good relationship with Democrats would not last, as he rejected a plan created by his HUD Secretary Daniel Patrick Moynihan for comprehensive Health Care Insurance. Citing it went against his libertarian beliefs, the rejection of the plan soon proved to be the last straw for Moynihan, who soon resigned the office in December of 1973. Although he would be replaced by James Thomas Lynn, former Secretary Moynihan would take his experience into his run in the 1974 New York Gubernatorial election. He would beat out primary opponent Hugh Carey and Governor Malcolm Wilson with 58% of the vote.
The Republican slim majority in Congress would fall in the 1974 largely due to poor economic state of the nation. Another contributing factor in the Democratic sweep was the lack of trust in the Reagan Administration largely due to reports early in Reagan’s second term that Attorney General Spiro Agnew was under investigation by the United States Attorney’s office in Maryland. By October 1973, AG Spiro Agnew would be formally charged conspiracy, tax fraud, extortion and bribery. In addition to those crimes, it is reported that Agnew accepted more than 100,000 dollars worth in bribes during his tenure as Baltimore County Executive, Governor of Maryland and Attorney General of the United States. He would quickly resign the office of Attorney General, and was replaced by the Popular Tennessee Senator Howard Baker. Although well- known for his skills as a Negotiator, the pick of Howard Baker did not help the Reagan Administration approval ratings in any way as most of American’s blamed Reagan for poor oversight in the matters involving Spiro Agnew.
The 1974 Midterm Elections
In the wake of the economic recession and stock market crash of 1973-1974, any idea that the Republicans would hold onto to their slim control over the Senate soon became shattered as Senate Democrats locked up their majority 61 to 38. In the House, the Democrats would pick up 49 seats which pushed them ridicously close 2/3 majority rule. The American People sent their message clear to President Reagan that he would either have to learn compromise or face a potential shutdown of the Federal Government…
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Shining City upon a Hill: The Second Term of Ronald W. Reagan
On January 20th, 1973, the 61 year old President took the oath of office from his newly appointed Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court Warren Burger. A highlight of his second inaugural address “When we met here four years ago, America was bleak in spirit, depressed by the prospect of seemingly endless war abroad and of destructive conflict at home. As we meet here today, I stand here to let the American People know that America, almost 200 years after the birth of this republic, is still a Shinning City upon a Hill!” With his first term administration virtually intact, President Reagan set out during his second term to finish the goals which he had promised in both the ’68 and ’72 campaign.
One of his first goals, he wanted to achieve was that of the economy…Although Inflation was down, Volcker and his Federal Reserve tightened the money supply and rose interest rates. This combined with effects of the 1973 Oil Crisis it became apparent the United States economy would suffer a severe Recession for a few years. After his massive Tax hike during his first term, President Reagan gave relief to the American People with a Freidman supported, across the board tax cut on the middle class. He would also let the 1971 Price controls expire, all of whom did not keep the stock market from crashing in a period that lasted from January 1973 to December 1974. The Crash was crated by several different factors including; the collapse of the Breton woods system, The “Reagan Shock” (His talks with Red China), and the United States dollar devaluement.
The 1973-1974 Stock Market crash could also be compounded by the Yom Kippur War and the following oil crisis. With President Reagan being the valiant supporter of the nation of Israel he was, the gipper did not hesitate when the Jewish nation asked for a large number of American weapons to help fight off an Arab Coalition led by Soviet-allied Egypt and Syria in October, 1973. President Reagan would justify his decision to support Israel on a national Broadcast, in which he controversially quoted President Theodore Roosevelt, when he said “We stand at the battle of Armageddon and we do battle for the Lord!” By the time both President Reagan and General Secretary Brezhnev negotiated a truce, the Israeli armed forces had already penetrated deep into homelands of the coalition. It would be soon be realized that the Israeli victory was a Pyrrhic one as the members of OPEC rose oil prices in response to President Reagan’s support for Israel.
Once Reagan decided to move America against the Gold Standard, many foreign nations increased their currency reserves in fear that possible currency fluctuation could result due to the drastic measure. This in turn led to the deflation of the dollar and other currencies, which caused OPEC who traded oil in dollars to ultimately receive fewer dollars for their product. In acknowledgment of this, OPEC, cut production levels, hiked prices, and an Embargo placed against the United States along with the Netherlands. As Oil and Gasoline products skyrocketed in the US, President Reagan went against the Republican Congress’ idea of a lowered speed limit to 55mph to conserve gasoline…Instead the gipper sent forward to Congress a comprehensive bill, co-authored by Vice President Volpe and Secretary of Transportation Cliff White, that would allow for the creation of multiple Nuclear Power Plants to be built across the United States which in turn would power a sprawling infrastructure plan to support the electric train system of Amtrak. The Republican congress grudgingly passed the massive spending ball and Americans saw almost instantaneous relief at the pump.
Another major reason for the passing of the bill was President Reagan’s sweetener for the Democrats in the form of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). He would also gain praise around the country for his continued adamant support of NASA as he oversaw both the launches of Apollo 19 and 20 both with dual Saturn V rockets. The 1973 Apollo mission brought the lunar module shelter onto the surface followed by a Lunar Orbital Survey mission. Two of the Astronauts will stay inside the makeshift lunar shelter for fourteen days as one of the Astronauts performs all of the necessary excursion work via Rover. However, President Reagan’s good relationship with Democrats would not last, as he rejected a plan created by his HUD Secretary Daniel Patrick Moynihan for comprehensive Health Care Insurance. Citing it went against his libertarian beliefs, the rejection of the plan soon proved to be the last straw for Moynihan, who soon resigned the office in December of 1973. Although he would be replaced by James Thomas Lynn, former Secretary Moynihan would take his experience into his run in the 1974 New York Gubernatorial election. He would beat out primary opponent Hugh Carey and Governor Malcolm Wilson with 58% of the vote.
The Republican slim majority in Congress would fall in the 1974 largely due to poor economic state of the nation. Another contributing factor in the Democratic sweep was the lack of trust in the Reagan Administration largely due to reports early in Reagan’s second term that Attorney General Spiro Agnew was under investigation by the United States Attorney’s office in Maryland. By October 1973, AG Spiro Agnew would be formally charged conspiracy, tax fraud, extortion and bribery. In addition to those crimes, it is reported that Agnew accepted more than 100,000 dollars worth in bribes during his tenure as Baltimore County Executive, Governor of Maryland and Attorney General of the United States. He would quickly resign the office of Attorney General, and was replaced by the Popular Tennessee Senator Howard Baker. Although well- known for his skills as a Negotiator, the pick of Howard Baker did not help the Reagan Administration approval ratings in any way as most of American’s blamed Reagan for poor oversight in the matters involving Spiro Agnew.
The 1974 Midterm Elections
In the wake of the economic recession and stock market crash of 1973-1974, any idea that the Republicans would hold onto to their slim control over the Senate soon became shattered as Senate Democrats locked up their majority 61 to 38. In the House, the Democrats would pick up 49 seats which pushed them ridicously close 2/3 majority rule. The American People sent their message clear to President Reagan that he would either have to learn compromise or face a potential shutdown of the Federal Government…
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Just to clarify, if the Dems have 2/3 in the House and are 5 seats shy of the same in the Senate, they are very close to being able to override any Reagan veto. This gives the Dems TTL much more bargaining power than say Gingrich held in 1995-6.
Sorry for the confusion, I just went back to edit the post. The 94th Congress looks virtually the same as IOTL.
Well, to give an example, technically, in the U.S. political system, people in the executive branch of government don't sponsor/author legislation.
Shining City upon a Hill: Part 2
During the final two years of his Presidency, many Historians tend to agree that the 37th President became generally more focused on what kind of legacy; he would leave within the world as we see a shift from the fiery rhetoric of his first term shift into almost a more nostalgic tone. He had “won’’ the Vietnam War, instituted Welfare Reform, Re-opened communications with China, and oversaw an ambitious NASA Program that JFK could only dream of. Although already a Hero to the conservative movement, many on the opposite political spectrum still thought of him as Untrustworthy due to his lack of a push for more progressive Civil Rights legislation, failure to come out in support the ERA, and his stubbornness in talks with Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev. One possibility could be that; he was forced to relent on some of the harsher term by the 94th Congress who had the ability, with their 2/3rds majority, to over-ride a Presidential Veto and that Reagan just did not want to be seen as an old lame duck President. Some historians believe that Reagan felt as if, especially after the 1972 Assassination attempt, that he was chosen by God to be the President that he could be and that he felt he had so much he still wanted to accomplish.
Luckily for the 37th President, the combination of lowered interest rates and deficit spending slowly led to economic recovery. With unemployment down by 3% by November 1976, Inflation down 5%, and a strong rise in corporate earnings…Reagan’s ’72 campaign slogan of “Morning in America” finally began to bear some fruit in the eyes of the American People. However there was one thorn still in the gipper’s side and that was that of the gas lines. Although, after the signing of his Nuclear Power Bill in 1974, prices initially dropped mostly due to future speculation, Gasoline prices rose once again in 1975 as OPEC refused to relent either by raising production levels or lowering their prices. The 94th congress overrode a Presidential Veto by Reagan to bring back the price controls on Domestic Oil. Also, President Reagan refused to use a federal Bailout for the city of New York when faced with possible bankruptcy.
President Reagan during this period was also given a new enemy target, this one not a nation built by the minds of man, but that of a “bug” smaller than the tiniest of human cells. Influenza strain H1N1 or as it is now commonly known as “Swine Flu”; was a virus that primarily only affected pigs yet by the early 1970’s had mutated into a strand that was susceptible to Humans. When an army recruit died in February 1976, and doctors said that it was due to the “Swine Flu”, President Reagan was faced with the very frightening possibility of a potential pandemic. Reagan followed the advice from the public health officials in his administration and demanded that all Americans be vaccinated. In the end only 25% of the total population would receive the shots, and ironically more people actually died from the vaccinations themselves than the actual virus.
Another triumph of the Reagan administration would be the gipper’s signing of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. The bill established the first true special education legislation throughout the United States. Also in 1975, revelations soon became known about past CIA activities that were anything but legal. Theses “activities” included illegal domestic spying, Operation CHAOS, public experimentation of LSD, assassinations and attempted assassinations on foreign leaders all of whom provided more than enough evidence need for Congress to perform some type of oversight on the CIA. Chaired by Idaho Senator Frank Church, the Church Committee with its findings on the abuses of the CIA eventually led to the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).
On Foreign Policy, President Reagan continued the policy of Rollpolitik especially during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Although the 37th President had promised the South Vietnamese, that the American Government wouldn’t hesitate to use airpower to rollback the North Vietnamese in case of an invasion. However, when the North Vietnamese did invade and ultimately conquer the south, President Reagan went along with his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s proposed solution of Operation Frequent Wind. With Military/Air America Helicopters and US Navy ships off shore, around 1,373 US Citizens, 5,595 Vietnamese were successfully evacuated out of Southeast Asia. The gipper was also convinced by Secretary Kissinger, that some type of bilateral talks with Brezhnev and the Soviet Union on Nuclear Weapons. What came out of these rather rigorous debate sessions was that of the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks or SALT, an agreement where strategic ballistic missile launchers were frozen at their existing levels. Although Kissinger truly believed more progress could have been made, many Historians feel as if Reagan’s signing of SALT was another crowning achievement of his administration.
The 37th President would come to end his administration on a high note, mostly being to the fact that he was the incumbent President during the nation’s bicentennial celebrations. Ronald Reagan seemed to be reinvigorated during the anniversary’s many events and during an incredible display of fireworks on July 4th in Washington D.C., he delivered one of the strongest speeches of his career. Reagan said, “And that's about all I have to say tonight. Except for one thing. The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the "shining city upon a hill." The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free. I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it and see it still.”
During the final two years of his Presidency, many Historians tend to agree that the 37th President became generally more focused on what kind of legacy; he would leave within the world as we see a shift from the fiery rhetoric of his first term shift into almost a more nostalgic tone. He had “won’’ the Vietnam War, instituted Welfare Reform, Re-opened communications with China, and oversaw an ambitious NASA Program that JFK could only dream of. Although already a Hero to the conservative movement, many on the opposite political spectrum still thought of him as Untrustworthy due to his lack of a push for more progressive Civil Rights legislation, failure to come out in support the ERA, and his stubbornness in talks with Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev. One possibility could be that; he was forced to relent on some of the harsher term by the 94th Congress who had the ability, with their 2/3rds majority, to over-ride a Presidential Veto and that Reagan just did not want to be seen as an old lame duck President. Some historians believe that Reagan felt as if, especially after the 1972 Assassination attempt, that he was chosen by God to be the President that he could be and that he felt he had so much he still wanted to accomplish.
Luckily for the 37th President, the combination of lowered interest rates and deficit spending slowly led to economic recovery. With unemployment down by 3% by November 1976, Inflation down 5%, and a strong rise in corporate earnings…Reagan’s ’72 campaign slogan of “Morning in America” finally began to bear some fruit in the eyes of the American People. However there was one thorn still in the gipper’s side and that was that of the gas lines. Although, after the signing of his Nuclear Power Bill in 1974, prices initially dropped mostly due to future speculation, Gasoline prices rose once again in 1975 as OPEC refused to relent either by raising production levels or lowering their prices. The 94th congress overrode a Presidential Veto by Reagan to bring back the price controls on Domestic Oil. Also, President Reagan refused to use a federal Bailout for the city of New York when faced with possible bankruptcy.
President Reagan during this period was also given a new enemy target, this one not a nation built by the minds of man, but that of a “bug” smaller than the tiniest of human cells. Influenza strain H1N1 or as it is now commonly known as “Swine Flu”; was a virus that primarily only affected pigs yet by the early 1970’s had mutated into a strand that was susceptible to Humans. When an army recruit died in February 1976, and doctors said that it was due to the “Swine Flu”, President Reagan was faced with the very frightening possibility of a potential pandemic. Reagan followed the advice from the public health officials in his administration and demanded that all Americans be vaccinated. In the end only 25% of the total population would receive the shots, and ironically more people actually died from the vaccinations themselves than the actual virus.
Another triumph of the Reagan administration would be the gipper’s signing of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. The bill established the first true special education legislation throughout the United States. Also in 1975, revelations soon became known about past CIA activities that were anything but legal. Theses “activities” included illegal domestic spying, Operation CHAOS, public experimentation of LSD, assassinations and attempted assassinations on foreign leaders all of whom provided more than enough evidence need for Congress to perform some type of oversight on the CIA. Chaired by Idaho Senator Frank Church, the Church Committee with its findings on the abuses of the CIA eventually led to the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).
On Foreign Policy, President Reagan continued the policy of Rollpolitik especially during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Although the 37th President had promised the South Vietnamese, that the American Government wouldn’t hesitate to use airpower to rollback the North Vietnamese in case of an invasion. However, when the North Vietnamese did invade and ultimately conquer the south, President Reagan went along with his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s proposed solution of Operation Frequent Wind. With Military/Air America Helicopters and US Navy ships off shore, around 1,373 US Citizens, 5,595 Vietnamese were successfully evacuated out of Southeast Asia. The gipper was also convinced by Secretary Kissinger, that some type of bilateral talks with Brezhnev and the Soviet Union on Nuclear Weapons. What came out of these rather rigorous debate sessions was that of the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks or SALT, an agreement where strategic ballistic missile launchers were frozen at their existing levels. Although Kissinger truly believed more progress could have been made, many Historians feel as if Reagan’s signing of SALT was another crowning achievement of his administration.
The 37th President would come to end his administration on a high note, mostly being to the fact that he was the incumbent President during the nation’s bicentennial celebrations. Ronald Reagan seemed to be reinvigorated during the anniversary’s many events and during an incredible display of fireworks on July 4th in Washington D.C., he delivered one of the strongest speeches of his career. Reagan said, “And that's about all I have to say tonight. Except for one thing. The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the "shining city upon a hill." The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free. I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it and see it still.”
Thanks for the reply Glenn, Ill have the next installment on the '76 election up in the next couple of days.
I believe the President can introduce Bills to the Congress.
And great update, by the way. Any more on the space program?
not really, the President needs some one in the Congress to introduce any bill he wants passed, if no member of the Congress liked a President's idea then the President is fucked
Thanks for the reply LA, I forgot to put an update to the Space Program, Ill make sure to mention it in to next installment.
Yeah, that's when Reagan sponsored the bill, basically it's the same as the Rail Passenger Service Act, with just more subsidies for Nuclear Power Plants to produce the electricity to propel Amtrak. Hope that clears everything up on the subjet. Thanks for the comment BA btw
Rollercoaster: The 1976 US Presidential Election
1976 Democratic Nomination
After the massive defeat of the moderate Muskie/Sanford ticket in 1972, it soon became apparent that in the battle for the nomination of 1976, that it would be a fight between the Conservative and Liberal factions of the party. The campaign effectively began in 1974, as many candidates began actively fundraising for their respective campaigns then. This resulted in a smaller pool of candidates than that of the 1972 campaign but also a much more interesting race.
Governor George Wallace of Alabama
Representative Mo Udall of Arizona
Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas
Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson of Washington
One of the surprising events in the race for the Democratic Nomination was that Representative Shirley Chisholm, who finished a strong third in the 1972 nomination, who instead of running a second time for the Presidency of the United States, went after the coveted New York Senate seat against incumbent James L. Buckley. It was also during the 1976 campaign, that the Democrats featured a record number of primaries and caucuses as it became necessary to win the primaries to clinch the nomination.
One of the candidates who understood the newfound importance in campaigning in the early primary states was that of Representative Mo Udall of Arizona. After scoring impressive wins in the early contests of Iowa and New Hampshire, Udall’s chance of steamrolling to the convention was cut short by the “Comeback” victory of Senator Jackson’s campaign in the form of wins in the states of Massachusetts and Vermont on March 2nd. This would result in a long battle for the nomination, with Senator Jackson using the Labor and Jewish communities as a base while Representative Udall used that of upper-class liberals. This left Senator Bentsen and Governor Wallace to fight it out in the South. By the time the convention rolled around in New York City, although Senator Jackson carried a large percentage of the delegates, he did not hold enough to clinch the nomination.
Delegates for Scoop Jackson during the 1976 Democratic National Convention
Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson
States Delegations: Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Montana, Rhode Island, California, North Dakota, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, New York, Virginia, Alaska and Washington.
Senator Lloyd Bentsen
States Delegations: Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Missouri and Texas.
Representative Morris Udall
State Delegations: Iowa, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Washington D.C., Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Utah, Hawaii, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming and Arizona.
Governor George Wallace
State Delegations: Illinois, West Virginia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Alabama.
After a few rounds of close balloting between Senator’s Jackson and Bentsen, Scoop would clinch the nomination by peeling a few states away from Mo Udall. Many within the Convention hall believed the logical choice to ensure unity in the party for the fall, would be for Jackson to choose a Southerner. Several names were floated as being potential running mates; Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, former Senator Fred Harris of Oklahoma, Governor Reubin Askew of Florida, Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia or even Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas. In spite of this, Senator Jackson chose his close friend, the Liberal Governor of New York Daniel Patrick Moynihan to be his running mate. Although most of the Southern Delegates thought of it as a slap in the face, they begrudgingly supported the ticket after Senator Jackson delivered a strong acceptance speech in which he said “America, I have known this man for years and let me tell you that you can trust Pat to be your Vice President!”. The Jackson/Moynihan polls numbers surged after the convention yet those numbers would begin to slip as the general election campaign would closer than that of the Democratic primaries.
1976 Republican Nomination
Vice- President John Anthony Volpe made it very clear by March of 1975 that he would be seeking his party’s nomination for the Presidency of the United States in 1976. The Moderate to Liberal wing of the party support for the Vice President was insurmountable, as Volpe was able to catch valuable endorsements from former Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, Minority Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan and even former Vice President Nixon. However, some on the Conservative wing were uneasy with idea of nominating the Vice President, Yet any attempt to run against the former Governor of Massachusetts was swatted down by President Reagan who is quoted to have said “Though shall not speak ill of a fellow Republican.” As Vice President Volpe swept through the primaries, President Reagan would actively support his candidacy as well as other Republican Congressional candidates on the campaign trail.
President Ronald Reagan in support of the Volpe/Baker ticket at a campaign stop in Kentucky.
By the time the Republicans made in to the Kansas City Convention in August, Vice President Volpe already had more than enough delegates to clinch the nomination, and therefore nominated by acclamation. The only question was to whom, the Vice President would call to be his running mate. Only one thing was for certain, that it would be a Conservative Southerner many pundits concluded, as it would be a way for the Volpe campaign to capitalize on the “fumble” made by Senator Jackson. Potential Running Mate names which were on the Vice President’s short list included; former Governor John Connally of Texas, Attorney General Howard Baker of Tennessee, Senator George H.W. Bush of Texas, Agriculture Secretary Robert Dole of Kansas, or even Defense Secretary John Tower of Texas. Ultimately, Vice President Volpe decided to pick from within the Reagan Administration and chose the popular Attorney General Howard Baker of Tennessee as his running mate. Baker seen as a Conservative to some and a moderate to others is seen as strong pick and one who would be willing to work along side Volpe in his promise for “A gentler nation.”
The 1976 General Election
With a strong Economy, victory in the War in Vietnam and the beginning steps of a détente between the Soviet Union, many Political Pundits declared that the consensus was that Vice President Volpe could possibly win a landslide victory against the “Senator from Boeing”. However, the Republican ticket would soon realize that the “fighting Democrats” under the leadership of Scoop Jackson would not go quietly into that dark night. Scoop continued to work the campaign strategy, which had won him the nomination by focusing in on his hawkish foreign policy views, and moderate to liberal views on social issues. He campaigned on a recurring theme that the Republicans were softening up on the Soviet Union by wanting to expand detente and often hinted to Jewish Audiences, that under a future Volpe administration would be likely not to valiantly support Israel and it’s dealings in the Middle East. On Domestic Policy, many saw Jackson as the true “successor” to President Reagan as he would continue the 37th President’ policy of opposition to busing…this would later turn out to have dramatic effects on Jackson’s poll numbers as it would hurt him amongst minorities and upper class liberals in the Northeast but also win over a previously cautious white working class, who was largely seen as the tossup chunk of the electorate in this election. Senator Jackson would also find that his one-on-one campaign style translated best to voters in his home region of the Pacific West Coast and in the South but it didn’t really stick well to voters in the urban centers of the North. He mainly sent his running mate, Governor Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York to the Northern states in which he was rapidly loosing support in which the Governor many times on the stump said. “Henry Jackson is proof of the old belief in the Judaic tradition that at any moment in history goodness in the world is preserved by the deeds of 36 just men who do not know that this is the role the Lord has given them. Henry Jackson is one of those men.”
Senator Henry Jackson and Governor Daniel Patrick Moynihan at a Campaign stop in Tampa, Florida
Vice President Volpe on the other hand, ran on what is now called the “Rose Garden Strategy” as he promoted his involvement in the many accomplishments of the Reagan Administration as well as reminded voters of Senator Jackson’s lukewarm stance of Civil Rights and his strong support for Japanese Interment Camps in WWII. The former Governor of Massachusetts would also campaign on the need for wider ethics oversight in the Federal Government in a fashion similar to that of the Church Committee. Vice President also ran on his support for the ERA and a widening of research into alternate fuel sources to power the nation’s growing Amtrak system. He also proved to be an avid supporter of NASA and the manned space flight program, as he reminds voters of the tremendous feet of the American’s Second Skylab space station as the launch point for a future mission to Mars by the early 80’s. The Volpe/Baker campaign would also be memorable in its differences between their opponents on the other side, for relying heavily on surrogates to the brunt of campaigning, to show the image of a “unified” Republican Party in contrast to Senator Jackson’s rather fractious coalition. Heavy hitter’s such as Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, former Vice President Nixon and even President Reagan himself were seen often with the two candidates on the trail as they crisscrossed the nation.
Vice President Volpe along with former Vice President Nixon and Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke on the campaign trail
By the time of the Two Presidential debate and sole Vice Presidential debate came around in late October, Gallup Polling had the modern day Horatio Alger and the Senator from Boeing at an absolute tie. During the first debate on Domestic Policy, many viewers saw it as a close win for Vice President Volpe, as both candidates seemed to have a lot of knowledge on the different aspects of Domestic Policy including a heated discussion between the two on comprehensive Healthcare reform. In the only Vice Presidential Debate, Attorney General Baker is thought to have beaten Governor Moynihan’s aristocratic presence with some down home Southern Charm and is seen by many as the best man to assume the Presidency if needed be. In the final debate over Foreign Policy, Senator Jackson seemed to out hawk the current President compared to the détente focus of the Vice President. It is also during this debate that Senator Jackson delivered the strongest message to the American people when he said “I believe that international terrorism is a modern form of warfare against liberal democracies. I believe that the ultimate but seldom stated goal of these terrorists is to destroy the very fabric of democracy. I believe that it is both wrong and foolhardy for any democratic state to consider international terrorism to be 'someone else's' problem.... Liberal democracies must acknowledge that international terrorism is a 'collective problem.”
The lack of a defining moment in the debates kept the race to close to call, as it became clear on the night of November 2nd, 1976 that whomever won the Presidency, that they would do so without a mandate and barely the necessary amount of votes in the electoral college. As the results came pouring in, things did not look so good in the Northeast for the Jackson/Moynihan ticket as it became apparent that Rockefeller Republicans in the region would support “their Hometown” candidate and support Vice President. Senator Jackson would only walk away with electoral votes from the states of Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Delaware, D.C., and his running mate’s home state of New York on fairly decent margins. In the Industrial belt, Senator Jackson would not fair much better as news came in that Volpe would take the states of Winsconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois as which proved that big labor support was not enough to switch working-class whites to the Democratic column in what was largely seen as good economic times. However, the Volpe/Baker team took solace in the fact that it would be a long night as results from the South came pouring in, and that Jackson would be able to count on electoral votes from Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. The picking of Attorney General Howard Baker would prove not to be in vain as he would be able to add Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and his home state of Tennessee to the Republican column, with Texas still too close to call.
In the Midwest, Vice President Volpe and his campaign would follow up their string of losses in the South with a sweep in the region. Senator Jackson would only take the longtime Democratic state of Minnesota, yet Vice President Volpe would soon feel the same as he would only walk away with the state of Alaska in the Pacific West as Senator Jackson narrowly carried the states of Oregon, California, and Hawaii along with an impressive win in his home state of Washington. With the electoral count essentially tied with Volpe at 257 electoral votes to Jackson at 255 electoral votes, it is said that whoever won Texas’s precious 26 votes could in fact clinch the Presidency. The state would not be called until early the next morning, by only a margin of only 5,600 votes that Vice President Volpe had won the state and thus won the election. Many Historians now agree that had Senator Jackson had simply chosen a Southerner for a running mate; he could have easily won the election. Senator Jackson decided not to contest the results from Texas and declared that “The American People have made their decision and I stand by it and accept John Anthony Volpe as my President.” The 67 year-old President elect personally thanks Senator Jackson for the gracious concession and promised true bipartisanship in his new administration that would reflect the need for Democrats and Republicans to work together but more so to more effective in working with the Democratic Congress.
John A. Volpe/Howard Baker, Jr. 283 electoral votes
Henry "Scoop" Jackson/Daniel Patrick Moynihan 255 electoral votes
The 1976 Congressional elections
With the narrow victory of Vice President Volpe also came a sincere lack of coattails by the man who was to become the 38th President of the United States. There was no real change in the balance of the chamber as it remained in Democratic Hands 62 to 37. One of the two startling changes to the chamber however came in the form of two new African American members to the Senate. Representative Shirley Chisholm with the support of New York Governor and failed Vice Presidential running mate Daniel Patrick Moynihan defeated several well-qualified candidates in the Democratic primary and beat the incumbent Senator James L. Buckley on a five percent margin to become the nation’s first African American female to become a Senator. The other African American Senator would come in the form of Tom Bradley, law and order Mayor of Los Angeles since 1969, eked out a narrow victory over Republican candidate S.I. Hayakawa mainly due to his support of Senator Jackson’s candidacy. In the House, the Democrats would gain only one seat from the Republicans leaving the allocation at 292 Democratic seats to 144 Republican seats.
1976 Democratic Nomination
After the massive defeat of the moderate Muskie/Sanford ticket in 1972, it soon became apparent that in the battle for the nomination of 1976, that it would be a fight between the Conservative and Liberal factions of the party. The campaign effectively began in 1974, as many candidates began actively fundraising for their respective campaigns then. This resulted in a smaller pool of candidates than that of the 1972 campaign but also a much more interesting race.
Governor George Wallace of Alabama
Representative Mo Udall of Arizona
Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas
Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson of Washington
One of the surprising events in the race for the Democratic Nomination was that Representative Shirley Chisholm, who finished a strong third in the 1972 nomination, who instead of running a second time for the Presidency of the United States, went after the coveted New York Senate seat against incumbent James L. Buckley. It was also during the 1976 campaign, that the Democrats featured a record number of primaries and caucuses as it became necessary to win the primaries to clinch the nomination.
One of the candidates who understood the newfound importance in campaigning in the early primary states was that of Representative Mo Udall of Arizona. After scoring impressive wins in the early contests of Iowa and New Hampshire, Udall’s chance of steamrolling to the convention was cut short by the “Comeback” victory of Senator Jackson’s campaign in the form of wins in the states of Massachusetts and Vermont on March 2nd. This would result in a long battle for the nomination, with Senator Jackson using the Labor and Jewish communities as a base while Representative Udall used that of upper-class liberals. This left Senator Bentsen and Governor Wallace to fight it out in the South. By the time the convention rolled around in New York City, although Senator Jackson carried a large percentage of the delegates, he did not hold enough to clinch the nomination.
Delegates for Scoop Jackson during the 1976 Democratic National Convention
Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson
States Delegations: Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Montana, Rhode Island, California, North Dakota, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, New York, Virginia, Alaska and Washington.
Senator Lloyd Bentsen
States Delegations: Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Missouri and Texas.
Representative Morris Udall
State Delegations: Iowa, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Washington D.C., Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Utah, Hawaii, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming and Arizona.
Governor George Wallace
State Delegations: Illinois, West Virginia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Alabama.
After a few rounds of close balloting between Senator’s Jackson and Bentsen, Scoop would clinch the nomination by peeling a few states away from Mo Udall. Many within the Convention hall believed the logical choice to ensure unity in the party for the fall, would be for Jackson to choose a Southerner. Several names were floated as being potential running mates; Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, former Senator Fred Harris of Oklahoma, Governor Reubin Askew of Florida, Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia or even Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas. In spite of this, Senator Jackson chose his close friend, the Liberal Governor of New York Daniel Patrick Moynihan to be his running mate. Although most of the Southern Delegates thought of it as a slap in the face, they begrudgingly supported the ticket after Senator Jackson delivered a strong acceptance speech in which he said “America, I have known this man for years and let me tell you that you can trust Pat to be your Vice President!”. The Jackson/Moynihan polls numbers surged after the convention yet those numbers would begin to slip as the general election campaign would closer than that of the Democratic primaries.
1976 Republican Nomination
Vice- President John Anthony Volpe made it very clear by March of 1975 that he would be seeking his party’s nomination for the Presidency of the United States in 1976. The Moderate to Liberal wing of the party support for the Vice President was insurmountable, as Volpe was able to catch valuable endorsements from former Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, Minority Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan and even former Vice President Nixon. However, some on the Conservative wing were uneasy with idea of nominating the Vice President, Yet any attempt to run against the former Governor of Massachusetts was swatted down by President Reagan who is quoted to have said “Though shall not speak ill of a fellow Republican.” As Vice President Volpe swept through the primaries, President Reagan would actively support his candidacy as well as other Republican Congressional candidates on the campaign trail.
President Ronald Reagan in support of the Volpe/Baker ticket at a campaign stop in Kentucky.
By the time the Republicans made in to the Kansas City Convention in August, Vice President Volpe already had more than enough delegates to clinch the nomination, and therefore nominated by acclamation. The only question was to whom, the Vice President would call to be his running mate. Only one thing was for certain, that it would be a Conservative Southerner many pundits concluded, as it would be a way for the Volpe campaign to capitalize on the “fumble” made by Senator Jackson. Potential Running Mate names which were on the Vice President’s short list included; former Governor John Connally of Texas, Attorney General Howard Baker of Tennessee, Senator George H.W. Bush of Texas, Agriculture Secretary Robert Dole of Kansas, or even Defense Secretary John Tower of Texas. Ultimately, Vice President Volpe decided to pick from within the Reagan Administration and chose the popular Attorney General Howard Baker of Tennessee as his running mate. Baker seen as a Conservative to some and a moderate to others is seen as strong pick and one who would be willing to work along side Volpe in his promise for “A gentler nation.”
The 1976 General Election
With a strong Economy, victory in the War in Vietnam and the beginning steps of a détente between the Soviet Union, many Political Pundits declared that the consensus was that Vice President Volpe could possibly win a landslide victory against the “Senator from Boeing”. However, the Republican ticket would soon realize that the “fighting Democrats” under the leadership of Scoop Jackson would not go quietly into that dark night. Scoop continued to work the campaign strategy, which had won him the nomination by focusing in on his hawkish foreign policy views, and moderate to liberal views on social issues. He campaigned on a recurring theme that the Republicans were softening up on the Soviet Union by wanting to expand detente and often hinted to Jewish Audiences, that under a future Volpe administration would be likely not to valiantly support Israel and it’s dealings in the Middle East. On Domestic Policy, many saw Jackson as the true “successor” to President Reagan as he would continue the 37th President’ policy of opposition to busing…this would later turn out to have dramatic effects on Jackson’s poll numbers as it would hurt him amongst minorities and upper class liberals in the Northeast but also win over a previously cautious white working class, who was largely seen as the tossup chunk of the electorate in this election. Senator Jackson would also find that his one-on-one campaign style translated best to voters in his home region of the Pacific West Coast and in the South but it didn’t really stick well to voters in the urban centers of the North. He mainly sent his running mate, Governor Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York to the Northern states in which he was rapidly loosing support in which the Governor many times on the stump said. “Henry Jackson is proof of the old belief in the Judaic tradition that at any moment in history goodness in the world is preserved by the deeds of 36 just men who do not know that this is the role the Lord has given them. Henry Jackson is one of those men.”
Senator Henry Jackson and Governor Daniel Patrick Moynihan at a Campaign stop in Tampa, Florida
Vice President Volpe on the other hand, ran on what is now called the “Rose Garden Strategy” as he promoted his involvement in the many accomplishments of the Reagan Administration as well as reminded voters of Senator Jackson’s lukewarm stance of Civil Rights and his strong support for Japanese Interment Camps in WWII. The former Governor of Massachusetts would also campaign on the need for wider ethics oversight in the Federal Government in a fashion similar to that of the Church Committee. Vice President also ran on his support for the ERA and a widening of research into alternate fuel sources to power the nation’s growing Amtrak system. He also proved to be an avid supporter of NASA and the manned space flight program, as he reminds voters of the tremendous feet of the American’s Second Skylab space station as the launch point for a future mission to Mars by the early 80’s. The Volpe/Baker campaign would also be memorable in its differences between their opponents on the other side, for relying heavily on surrogates to the brunt of campaigning, to show the image of a “unified” Republican Party in contrast to Senator Jackson’s rather fractious coalition. Heavy hitter’s such as Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, former Vice President Nixon and even President Reagan himself were seen often with the two candidates on the trail as they crisscrossed the nation.
Vice President Volpe along with former Vice President Nixon and Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke on the campaign trail
By the time of the Two Presidential debate and sole Vice Presidential debate came around in late October, Gallup Polling had the modern day Horatio Alger and the Senator from Boeing at an absolute tie. During the first debate on Domestic Policy, many viewers saw it as a close win for Vice President Volpe, as both candidates seemed to have a lot of knowledge on the different aspects of Domestic Policy including a heated discussion between the two on comprehensive Healthcare reform. In the only Vice Presidential Debate, Attorney General Baker is thought to have beaten Governor Moynihan’s aristocratic presence with some down home Southern Charm and is seen by many as the best man to assume the Presidency if needed be. In the final debate over Foreign Policy, Senator Jackson seemed to out hawk the current President compared to the détente focus of the Vice President. It is also during this debate that Senator Jackson delivered the strongest message to the American people when he said “I believe that international terrorism is a modern form of warfare against liberal democracies. I believe that the ultimate but seldom stated goal of these terrorists is to destroy the very fabric of democracy. I believe that it is both wrong and foolhardy for any democratic state to consider international terrorism to be 'someone else's' problem.... Liberal democracies must acknowledge that international terrorism is a 'collective problem.”
The lack of a defining moment in the debates kept the race to close to call, as it became clear on the night of November 2nd, 1976 that whomever won the Presidency, that they would do so without a mandate and barely the necessary amount of votes in the electoral college. As the results came pouring in, things did not look so good in the Northeast for the Jackson/Moynihan ticket as it became apparent that Rockefeller Republicans in the region would support “their Hometown” candidate and support Vice President. Senator Jackson would only walk away with electoral votes from the states of Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Delaware, D.C., and his running mate’s home state of New York on fairly decent margins. In the Industrial belt, Senator Jackson would not fair much better as news came in that Volpe would take the states of Winsconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois as which proved that big labor support was not enough to switch working-class whites to the Democratic column in what was largely seen as good economic times. However, the Volpe/Baker team took solace in the fact that it would be a long night as results from the South came pouring in, and that Jackson would be able to count on electoral votes from Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. The picking of Attorney General Howard Baker would prove not to be in vain as he would be able to add Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and his home state of Tennessee to the Republican column, with Texas still too close to call.
In the Midwest, Vice President Volpe and his campaign would follow up their string of losses in the South with a sweep in the region. Senator Jackson would only take the longtime Democratic state of Minnesota, yet Vice President Volpe would soon feel the same as he would only walk away with the state of Alaska in the Pacific West as Senator Jackson narrowly carried the states of Oregon, California, and Hawaii along with an impressive win in his home state of Washington. With the electoral count essentially tied with Volpe at 257 electoral votes to Jackson at 255 electoral votes, it is said that whoever won Texas’s precious 26 votes could in fact clinch the Presidency. The state would not be called until early the next morning, by only a margin of only 5,600 votes that Vice President Volpe had won the state and thus won the election. Many Historians now agree that had Senator Jackson had simply chosen a Southerner for a running mate; he could have easily won the election. Senator Jackson decided not to contest the results from Texas and declared that “The American People have made their decision and I stand by it and accept John Anthony Volpe as my President.” The 67 year-old President elect personally thanks Senator Jackson for the gracious concession and promised true bipartisanship in his new administration that would reflect the need for Democrats and Republicans to work together but more so to more effective in working with the Democratic Congress.
John A. Volpe/Howard Baker, Jr. 283 electoral votes
Henry "Scoop" Jackson/Daniel Patrick Moynihan 255 electoral votes
The 1976 Congressional elections
With the narrow victory of Vice President Volpe also came a sincere lack of coattails by the man who was to become the 38th President of the United States. There was no real change in the balance of the chamber as it remained in Democratic Hands 62 to 37. One of the two startling changes to the chamber however came in the form of two new African American members to the Senate. Representative Shirley Chisholm with the support of New York Governor and failed Vice Presidential running mate Daniel Patrick Moynihan defeated several well-qualified candidates in the Democratic primary and beat the incumbent Senator James L. Buckley on a five percent margin to become the nation’s first African American female to become a Senator. The other African American Senator would come in the form of Tom Bradley, law and order Mayor of Los Angeles since 1969, eked out a narrow victory over Republican candidate S.I. Hayakawa mainly due to his support of Senator Jackson’s candidacy. In the House, the Democrats would gain only one seat from the Republicans leaving the allocation at 292 Democratic seats to 144 Republican seats.
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(Pout) I wanted Scoop and Moynihan.
(And, uh, you may want to fix the subheadings—the primaries are for 1972, not 1976 as they should be. Also you should crop the Reagan picture so it doesn't show as the 1976 Presidential candidate.)
That said it's pretty reasonable Volpe wins although if Yarborough is still around he'd be a strong VP candidate for Scoop.
I'm not sure Lloyd Bentsen would run in 1972, but I understand you're seeking a conservative—what about Governor John Connally?
Volpe should probably also face a stronger primary challenge. It's getting late in the day, but I could see a conservative Republican mount a challenge. I'm not sure who, to be fair. Maybe Paul Fannin or an earlier elected Bill Brock? Bob Dole as well, perhaps.
(And, uh, you may want to fix the subheadings—the primaries are for 1972, not 1976 as they should be. Also you should crop the Reagan picture so it doesn't show as the 1976 Presidential candidate.)
That said it's pretty reasonable Volpe wins although if Yarborough is still around he'd be a strong VP candidate for Scoop.
I'm not sure Lloyd Bentsen would run in 1972, but I understand you're seeking a conservative—what about Governor John Connally?
Volpe should probably also face a stronger primary challenge. It's getting late in the day, but I could see a conservative Republican mount a challenge. I'm not sure who, to be fair. Maybe Paul Fannin or an earlier elected Bill Brock? Bob Dole as well, perhaps.
It was 1976, and I just fixed it in the original post...I must have seriously overlooked it when i revised the last segment lol...I choose Moynihan cause it seems to me that Scoop would be the type to value loyalty over political expedience, and being how close he and Moynihan was in OTL...It seems like a good choice, in doing so however, costs Scoop from picking up the solid south.
Lloyd Bentsen was third in fundraising in OTL 1975 for the '76 election...The smaller pool of canidates due to Scoop, Mo, Lloyd and Wallace crowding out most of the fundraising money. And with Bob Dole, being Sec. Agriculture he ultimatley goes against running and was on Volpe shortlist for VP. John Connally will play a crucial role in the next election, I can tell you that much.
Very interesting update...I look forward to seeing how President Volpe does. Also interesting becasue you are now closing on the time right before my first votes - I will be interested to see how I would have voted in this ATL.
Thanks for the reply tc, nice to know someone is reading this timeline lol. Yeah President Volpe will be an interesting piece to work on, as it will be a much different economic situation(Basically it looks like it was around otl 1984,with Volcker being the Fed Chairman since 1970). Yeah writing it as a Sophmore in College is alot different than it would be if it was written by someone who actually lived through the events. But I like to think im doing a good job. Does anybody else have any comments, questions, compliments or as Electric Monk says Pokertips?