RFK lives

I recently read that Robert Kennedy left the Ambassado Hotel through the kitchen to avoid taking a more crowded route. In the kitchen, Sirhan Sirhan was waiting.What would have happened if Kenedy had decided to shake hands with the crowd? I read a piece in an AH anthology that said that Humphrey faced would have changed his public views on Vietnam in June 1968,just as he did OTL in September 1968.HHH would win the nomination and then ask Kennedy to be his running mate and the Humphrey Kennedy ticket would win.I agree with that scenario. I would take it further to speculate that Vice President Kennedy would lose the electon of 1976,due the bad economy but come back four years later and win in a time of an even worse economy and a hostage crisis. He enjoys high popularity during two terms marked by peace and prosperity. hHis high approval raitings help him push through an ambitious program of social reform and civil rights.
1969. - 1977 Hubert Humphrey
1977 -1981 Howard Baker
1981 - 1989 Robert Kennedy
1989 - 1993 Lloyd Bentsen
1993 - 2001 Lamar Alexander
2001 - 2009 John McCain
2009 - Barack Obama
 
*Rubs hands in exultant glee* :D

That press conference was only held there because the journalists were too lazy to move their equipment to John Frankenheimer's Malibu home, where Bobby was staying on primary night.

First of all, the final delegate count before June 5th was 858 for Hubert, 713 for Bobby, and roughly 250 for Gene. The rest were uncommitted. All that is needed for him to survive is 1 inch extra clearance for the third round to hit the rear of the skull and not spray shrapnel into his brain. After that it was only a matter of time. Then it would be three weeks convalescence before resuming the campaign, during which he'd win a blowout in the NY primary.

Kennedy would never take the VP position for the same reason as Hillary. Humphrey or Kennedy would take a moderate Southerner like Carl Sanders, Don Russell or Terry Sanford.

Daley would likely eventually side with Kennedy, because he is the winner. Kennedy has the organization, the fundraising, and can hold a sizable portion of blue-collars, as he proved in Indiana. Many Kennedy blue-collar voters voted for George Wallace in November IOTL. It would be a toss-up between Nixon and Kennedy in November: both are the foremost operators in their parties, unlike the virginal Humphrey.

Kennedy's stance on the war was more flexible than it appeared: at different times he advocated Vietnamization, other times he advocated a negotiated settlement. In any case, Thieu hated his guts.

Re Kennedy's domestic program: Robert Kennedy's domestic programme was enacted by Bill Clinton a generation later. Clinton calls Kennedy his ideological mentor: "the first New Democrat", which is nothing but the truth. The proof is in this interview from May 1968. One of my pet peeves is the myth that he was a bleeding-heart liberal, which is 100% false.

Some important bits:

MOOD OF THE COUNTRY: I don't want to dismantle the Federal Government—it's sort of heresy on my part to talk of decentralizing control—but I do think that a lot of the things now being done by Washington could be done at the local level and by private business. This would not only be more efficient; it would enrich the life of the individual, and that's what this country is for.

If the country recognizes the serious concerns of the middle class, we can get greater understanding for the concerns of the poor.

POVERTY: Welfare has proved ineffective and demeaning. The only answer is to create jobs. I'd do it through tax incentives to the private sector, using the Government as employer of last resort. I think business can handle most of it if we make it economically attractive.

On healthcare: while often vague, Kennedy would probably acqueisce to a slightly modified version of Nixon's CHIP, which used employer mandates. He would close all loopholes on tax brackets above $50,000 ($300,000 today), which means that he'd increase his own tax burden.

Eventually I'll be doing a new version of my flagship TL Flight of Fate, and all your concerns will be addressed in much detail.
 
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Jack, why have you brought me to Fort Worth?

*Rubs hands in exultant glee* :D

That press conference was only held there because the journalists were too lazy to move their equipment to John Frankenheimer's Malibu home, where Bobby was staying on primary night.

First of all, the final delegate count before June 5th was 858 for Hubert, 713 for Bobby, and roughly 250 for Gene. The rest were uncommitted. All that is needed for him to survive is 1 inch extra clearance for the third round to hit the rear of the skull and not spray shrapnel into his brain. After that it was only a matter of time. Then it would be three weeks convalescence before resuming the campaign, during which he'd win a blowout in the NY primary.

Kennedy would never take the VP position for the same reason as Hillary. Humphrey or Kennedy would take a moderate Southerner like Carl Sanders, Don Russell or Terry Sanford.

Daley would likely eventually side with Kennedy, because he is the winner. Kennedy has the organization, the fundraising, and can hold a sizable portion of blue-collars, as he proved in Indiana. Many Kennedy blue-collar voters voted for George Wallace in November IOTL. It would be a toss-up between Nixon and Kennedy in November: both are the foremost operators in their parties, unlike the virginal Humphrey.

Kennedy's stance on the war was more flexible than it appeared: at different times he advocated Vietnamization, other times he advocated a negotiated settlement. In any case, Thieu hated his guts.

Re Kennedy's domestic program: Robert Kennedy's domestic programme was enacted by Bill Clinton a generation later. Clinton calls Kennedy his ideological mentor: "the first New Democrat", which is nothing but the truth. The proof is in this interview from May 1968. One of my pet peeves is the myth that he was a bleeding-heart liberal, which is 100% false.

Some important bits:

MOOD OF THE COUNTRY: I don't want to dismantle the Federal Government—it's sort of heresy on my part to talk of decentralizing control—but I do think that a lot of the things now being done by Washington could be done at the local level and by private business. This would not only be more efficient; it would enrich the life of the individual, and that's what this country is for.

If the country recognizes the serious concerns of the middle class, we can get greater understanding for the concerns of the poor.

POVERTY: Welfare has proved ineffective and demeaning. The only answer is to create jobs. I'd do it through tax incentives to the private sector, using the Government as employer of last resort. I think business can handle most of it if we make it economically attractive.

On healthcare: while often vague, Kennedy would probably acqueisce to a slightly modified version of Nixon's CHIP, which used employer mandates. He would close all loopholes on tax brackets above $50,000 ($300,000 today), which means that he'd increase his own tax burden.

Eventually I'll be doing a new version of my flagship TL Flight of Fate, and all your concerns will be addressed in much detail.
Have you seen the teleplay "If Kennedy had lived?"? If not, then your life has not yet begun, RogueBeaver.;)
 
The remark I remember was "you should go to the theater, and I'd go with you." I admittedly have not heard of the teleplay: I have never watched any of the historical fiction (though I have seen all the documentaries) RFK movies such as Bobby. Nor have I read Thirteen Days or To Seek a Newer World. I've seen the TD movie, and I know his campaign manifesto, which is what TSNW is. I have little appetite for a movie: that's for people who can't listen to his voice for over 30 minutes. :p Once you've heard Maurice Duplessis, whose tone, octaves and accent are comparable, you're ready.
 
An electoral map for RFK v. Nixon. Don't expect the final results till midday the following day: North Carolina, Indiana and Missouri will be agonizingly close. California will also be a nail-biter, but will probably go for their favourite son, Dick Nixon.

genusmap.php


(D) Robert F. Kennedy/ J. Terry Sanford: 272 EV, 44.1%
(R) Richard M. Nixon/ Spiro T. Agnew: 227 EV, 43.7%
(AIP) George C. Wallace/ Curtis E. Lemay: 39 EV, 13.2%

Incumbent President: Lyndon Johnson (D)
President-elect: Robert Kennedy (D)
 
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PVM: Hubert wouldn't change his views on the war for one simple reason: Lyndon won't let him. Remember, Hubert's pecker is in his President's pocket, to quote LBJ. ;) Besides, Kennedy's Vietnam position is more nuanced than "bring the troops home immediately" that many believe was his position IOTL. The reality was closer to his brother's and Nixon's position of "Vietnamization".

What is this "social reform" that you speak of? Kennedy was deeply socioculturally conservative on all issues except race/civil rights. That's partially why he had both the Wallaceites and the minorities on his side: traditional family values. Less prominently, there is the Poppy Bush stance on Israel, which was (wrongly) suspected by many Jews of being something more sinister. Again, "social reform" is part of the "RFK as uber-liberal" myth I've spent a good amount of my Board career demolishing. All his social positions were the traditional Catholic ones (hardly surprising for such a devout man), including opposing the death penalty.
 
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