The Happy Warrior Laid to Rest: A Vignette

WASHINGTON D.C., April 19—President Hubert Horatio Humphrey was pronounced dead this morning, having died in his sleep following the announcement a little more than a week ago of his bladder cancer having gone terminal. President Humphrey had made it clear he would be resigning from office at the end of month to hand over the Presidency to Vice President George S. McGovern. President Humphrey's bladder cancer was well known to the American public when he was elected to the Presidency, but was thought to be in remission at the time. The bladder cancer was known and was mentioned as an attack by then Vice President Nelson Rockefeller while on the campaign trail for President Ford's reelection in 1976. Nonetheless, the election would go down in a landslide in favor of the Democratic ticket of Humphrey/McGovern.

Then-Vice President Humphrey had previously sought the nomination in 1968, and decided to opt out of running of 1972 in order to focus on his health, in likely gearing up for a run in 1976. Then-Senator Humphrey's announcement of running would unite the liberal wing of the Democratic Party behind him, cruising towards victory in the primaries as debate centered around whom he might pick for Vice President. Initial speculation focused on figures like Governor Hugh Carey of New York or former Governor James Earl Carter of Georgia alongside figures like Representative Morris K. Udall of Arizona or Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, however it would seem to drastically as Senator and former Presidential nominee George S. McGovern seemed to take the lead for a nomination. Senator McGovern's run in 1972 was arguably one not of a relative landslide, and whose loss could be credited to then-assassination of Governor George Wallace on May 15th by Arthur Bremer. The McGovern/Shriver ticket would be boosted by the announcement of Agnew's tax scandal followed by the announcement of Linebacker II raids on October 28th. Nonetheless, Senator McGovern would go down in defeat to relatively close odds. The selection of Senator McGovern would place full support among the Democrats for the 'liberal' wing of the party in order to defeat President Ford, and would do so with a landslide larger than three hundred electoral votes.

The death of President Humphrey would come slightly less than fifteen months after he found himself inaugurated, with one of his two major campaign initiatives, the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act having managed to pass last year by the slimmest of necessary margins. The National Health Insurance Act is slowly working it's way through committees, and the death of President Humphrey might help to buoy the efforts to get the bill through. Vice President McGovern will be expected to take the oath of office later today, to become our 40th President.
 
It's all well and fine that Congress passes and the president signs the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act [as happened in OTL], but please give me some specifics which will add to economic growth and more good jobs. :)
 
McGovern getting narrowly defeated in 1972, even with a less popular Nixon is very unlikely with just how Left he is, when there's been some backlash since 1968.
 
The Humphrey/McGovern "Buyer's Remorse" ticket finally happens? Yaaaaaasssss. TONIGHT WE RIDE.

ETA: Also love the title. And so much better that McGovern be there to eulogize HHH than Carter ("Hubert Horatio Hornblower" indeed...)
 
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