Caesar Biden
Banned
Dick coughed once again into his hankerchief, his throat scratchy and dry as his eyes watered. It seemed like he was always sick these days. Maybe it was life's way of paying him back for the impeccable health he kept while on the campaign trail eight years ago. Whatever it was, though, it was a pain in the ass. Because of this damn cold, he'd missed most of the election last night, and now he had to wake up to this.
By election night, Dick had almost stopped caring about which of these lunatics was set to replace him. Oh, sure, he was a Republican, and he stuck by his party. Moderates or Conservatives, most of them were far and away better than those Liberal Communists or Southern Bigots that opposed them. He'd have even tolerated Rockefeller succeeding him, insufferable bastard though he was. But Goldwater....
What did that damn fool think he was going to accomplish, anyway? The Democrats had kept a lock on Congress, even without support from Labor, for decades. He and his acolytes complained about moderation, but they didn't understand a damn thing about governing a country. They took his greatest achievements, the things that made him one of the most popular Presidents in this nation's history, and they promised to destroy it. And then they thought he could help them in the Midwest or the South?
"Kennedy and the rest will fall in line", Henry proclaimed, in that slow, laborous tone of his. "They revolted over civil rights, and it is over civil rights they will reach an agreement."
"Not if we have anything to say about it they won't." Gerald spoke softly. Like Dick, he hadn't woken up too long ago. "Humphrey despises Wallace, and the feeling is mutual. They have to compromise with us. All we need to do is give them something they'll accept."
Dick said nothing, instead putting away his hankerchief and turning back to breakfast. He was sure that whatever agreement those bloodsuckers in Congress came to, it would take months and push this nation even more to the brink. Things were bad enough with all the college kids and negroes screaming their heads off about the war, and now they had the first hung electoral college to make things even more chaotic.
Anderson was clearly of a different mindset. "They don't want to compromise with us and they never will, not the Liberals, at least. Goldwater might have lost the South, but we can still win it for him."
Dick looked up from his food. He didn't need them to say anything in order to know what they were really talking about. It was probably time to intervene before things got out of hand. "No matter your personal feelings for the man, John, we have our party's future to worry about. If there's anything that was proven last night, it's that this country doesn't want to see Goldwater as President."
Ford and Bush both looked very happy with themselves, while Anderson almost scoffed. "Mr.President, Rockefeller defied you and our entire party when he walked out of the convention last August and sought an independent run. What kind of party would we be if we made this man to succeed you?"
"Enough, Anderson. I said we won't be able to make Goldwater the next President, not that we'll give the White House to someone who fraternizes with the Democrat Party. There are too many people who despise each other for any consensus to be reached easily. Choosing who's next will not be as simple as anyone thinks. And we have more than four choices."
That shut them up. Dick went back to eating, satisfied that the debate would not resume. Anderson and most of the rest of his cabinet had been at odds for months now, and he had quickly come to regret not taking a side. To this day, he wondered what could have been. Perhaps if he had switched to Rockefeller over Ford before it was too late, Goldwater would have been defeated. Or, possibly, that had been the problem; he hadn't pushed hard enough for his Vice President, and when he switched tactics, Cabot Lodge was in a good position to seize the opportunity and call him indecisive.
Whatever the case, Dick had been forced to deal with Goldwater destroying his party for months now. Goldwater, Goldwater, Goldwater. The man had haunted his living days, always looming, threatening to destroy everything he'd worked so hard to create. But it wasn't like Rockefeller was any better. Everyone in their right mind had conceded that Goldwater was the nominee, and Dick had quickly realized that it was necessary to prevent a total collapse of the Party. Not Rockefeller, and not his followers. He declared that he was running as a member of the "Conservative" Party, not the crazy party, and showed up at the goddamn debates attacking Goldwater more than Wallace or Humphrey.
Dick supposed he should feel vindicated by the two's poor showing, but instead all he felt was wary. There was still so much work to do, and all the work of trying to salvage the election fell to him. He was realizing that this was all his problem, and he would have to find a solution. He'd gotten the country through Vietnam, he'd seen the passage of Civil Rights, he'd presided over the greatest economic growth in American history, and goddamn it, he'd save the Republican Party. They obviously weren't competent enough to do it themselves.
"What do you mean by that, Dick?" Gerald was tentative.
"I mean that we're not putting Goldwater or Rockefeller in the White House, not if I can help it. Election night has come and gone, gentleman, but this election is far from over. If we want to save this country and the Republican Party from radicals and fools, we will have to act and we'll have to act decisively."
Dick looked at each member of his cabinet, his mind still working through potential options. "I'm gonna need every single one of you on my side if we want to do this. If I can't count on you, tell me now. Go run to Rockefeller or Goldwater and tell them that their President thinks they're idiots. But if not, if you're still with me, we can win a victory for this nation . We've accomplished some great things together in the past, and we can do it again, one last time."
Before he even finished, Dick knew he had them. Kissinger didn't care much for moderates or conservatives in the Republican Party, but he was loyal, and he was smart. Bush owed a lot to him, and even though he might have liked Rockefeller once, he'd already made it clear that he didn't approve of his candidacy. Ford had made it clear who he stood with since the beggining of this year. Most of the rest would fall in line just out of loyalty, and as for Anderson.... he was a conservative once, but he was a reasonable man. Dick knew he could count on him now, just as he had in the past.
As each of his colleagues spoke up and ensured him that their loyalties were to him first and foremost, Dick's mind was moving at breakneck pace. How was he going to get the Democrats to support his man? How could he destroy Goldwater? And how the hell was he going to make Rockefeller pay for his betrayal, besides denying him the Presidency.
Whatever the answers, Dick was sure he was going to be a busy man. His Presidency was far from over, and the once-dreaded Lame Duck period now seemed like the perfect opportunity to change the course of this nation yet again. He'd hunt down every member of Congress and force them to follow his will at gunpoint if he had to. Any man who thought he was out of this already would have another thing coming.
And that made President Richard Nixon smile.
1968 Presidential Election results:
George Wallace/George Smathers (Democratic)- 138 EV
Barry Goldwater/William Rehnquist (Republican)- 87 EV
Hubert Humphrey/John Kennedy (Farmer-Labor)- 210
Nelson Rockefeller/George Romney (American Independent)- 0
By election night, Dick had almost stopped caring about which of these lunatics was set to replace him. Oh, sure, he was a Republican, and he stuck by his party. Moderates or Conservatives, most of them were far and away better than those Liberal Communists or Southern Bigots that opposed them. He'd have even tolerated Rockefeller succeeding him, insufferable bastard though he was. But Goldwater....
What did that damn fool think he was going to accomplish, anyway? The Democrats had kept a lock on Congress, even without support from Labor, for decades. He and his acolytes complained about moderation, but they didn't understand a damn thing about governing a country. They took his greatest achievements, the things that made him one of the most popular Presidents in this nation's history, and they promised to destroy it. And then they thought he could help them in the Midwest or the South?
"Kennedy and the rest will fall in line", Henry proclaimed, in that slow, laborous tone of his. "They revolted over civil rights, and it is over civil rights they will reach an agreement."
"Not if we have anything to say about it they won't." Gerald spoke softly. Like Dick, he hadn't woken up too long ago. "Humphrey despises Wallace, and the feeling is mutual. They have to compromise with us. All we need to do is give them something they'll accept."
Dick said nothing, instead putting away his hankerchief and turning back to breakfast. He was sure that whatever agreement those bloodsuckers in Congress came to, it would take months and push this nation even more to the brink. Things were bad enough with all the college kids and negroes screaming their heads off about the war, and now they had the first hung electoral college to make things even more chaotic.
Anderson was clearly of a different mindset. "They don't want to compromise with us and they never will, not the Liberals, at least. Goldwater might have lost the South, but we can still win it for him."
Dick looked up from his food. He didn't need them to say anything in order to know what they were really talking about. It was probably time to intervene before things got out of hand. "No matter your personal feelings for the man, John, we have our party's future to worry about. If there's anything that was proven last night, it's that this country doesn't want to see Goldwater as President."
Ford and Bush both looked very happy with themselves, while Anderson almost scoffed. "Mr.President, Rockefeller defied you and our entire party when he walked out of the convention last August and sought an independent run. What kind of party would we be if we made this man to succeed you?"
"Enough, Anderson. I said we won't be able to make Goldwater the next President, not that we'll give the White House to someone who fraternizes with the Democrat Party. There are too many people who despise each other for any consensus to be reached easily. Choosing who's next will not be as simple as anyone thinks. And we have more than four choices."
That shut them up. Dick went back to eating, satisfied that the debate would not resume. Anderson and most of the rest of his cabinet had been at odds for months now, and he had quickly come to regret not taking a side. To this day, he wondered what could have been. Perhaps if he had switched to Rockefeller over Ford before it was too late, Goldwater would have been defeated. Or, possibly, that had been the problem; he hadn't pushed hard enough for his Vice President, and when he switched tactics, Cabot Lodge was in a good position to seize the opportunity and call him indecisive.
Whatever the case, Dick had been forced to deal with Goldwater destroying his party for months now. Goldwater, Goldwater, Goldwater. The man had haunted his living days, always looming, threatening to destroy everything he'd worked so hard to create. But it wasn't like Rockefeller was any better. Everyone in their right mind had conceded that Goldwater was the nominee, and Dick had quickly realized that it was necessary to prevent a total collapse of the Party. Not Rockefeller, and not his followers. He declared that he was running as a member of the "Conservative" Party, not the crazy party, and showed up at the goddamn debates attacking Goldwater more than Wallace or Humphrey.
Dick supposed he should feel vindicated by the two's poor showing, but instead all he felt was wary. There was still so much work to do, and all the work of trying to salvage the election fell to him. He was realizing that this was all his problem, and he would have to find a solution. He'd gotten the country through Vietnam, he'd seen the passage of Civil Rights, he'd presided over the greatest economic growth in American history, and goddamn it, he'd save the Republican Party. They obviously weren't competent enough to do it themselves.
"What do you mean by that, Dick?" Gerald was tentative.
"I mean that we're not putting Goldwater or Rockefeller in the White House, not if I can help it. Election night has come and gone, gentleman, but this election is far from over. If we want to save this country and the Republican Party from radicals and fools, we will have to act and we'll have to act decisively."
Dick looked at each member of his cabinet, his mind still working through potential options. "I'm gonna need every single one of you on my side if we want to do this. If I can't count on you, tell me now. Go run to Rockefeller or Goldwater and tell them that their President thinks they're idiots. But if not, if you're still with me, we can win a victory for this nation . We've accomplished some great things together in the past, and we can do it again, one last time."
Before he even finished, Dick knew he had them. Kissinger didn't care much for moderates or conservatives in the Republican Party, but he was loyal, and he was smart. Bush owed a lot to him, and even though he might have liked Rockefeller once, he'd already made it clear that he didn't approve of his candidacy. Ford had made it clear who he stood with since the beggining of this year. Most of the rest would fall in line just out of loyalty, and as for Anderson.... he was a conservative once, but he was a reasonable man. Dick knew he could count on him now, just as he had in the past.
As each of his colleagues spoke up and ensured him that their loyalties were to him first and foremost, Dick's mind was moving at breakneck pace. How was he going to get the Democrats to support his man? How could he destroy Goldwater? And how the hell was he going to make Rockefeller pay for his betrayal, besides denying him the Presidency.
Whatever the answers, Dick was sure he was going to be a busy man. His Presidency was far from over, and the once-dreaded Lame Duck period now seemed like the perfect opportunity to change the course of this nation yet again. He'd hunt down every member of Congress and force them to follow his will at gunpoint if he had to. Any man who thought he was out of this already would have another thing coming.
And that made President Richard Nixon smile.
1968 Presidential Election results:
George Wallace/George Smathers (Democratic)- 138 EV
Barry Goldwater/William Rehnquist (Republican)- 87 EV
Hubert Humphrey/John Kennedy (Farmer-Labor)- 210
Nelson Rockefeller/George Romney (American Independent)- 0
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