WI: John Wayne accepts and wins the Republican Nomination 1968

burmafrd

Banned
The Duke would never have gone along with that. BUT I also think that he never had any interest in politics as regards running for any kind of office.
I really doubt anyone could have convinced him to run for President, but if he had he would have been no figurehead.
 
He might have been an american icon but as a president with no political experience, wouldn't he have just been a puppet to other republicans?
 
Regards to Wayne running see below
Politics

Wayne was a conservative Republican. Wayne used his iconic status to support conservative causes, including rallying support for the Vietnam War by producing, co-directing, and starring in the critically panned The Green Berets (1968). In 1978 however, he enraged conservatives by supporting liberal causes such as the Panama Canal Treaty and the innocence of Patty Hearst.[10][11]
Due to his enormous popularity, and his status as the most famous Republican star in Hollywood, wealthy Texas Republican Party backers asked Wayne to run for national office in 1968, as had his friend and fellow actor, Senator George Murphy. He declined, joking that he did not believe the public would seriously consider an actor in the White House. However, he did support his friend Ronald Reagan's runs for Governor of California in 1966 and 1970. He was also asked to be the running mate for Democratic Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1968. Wayne vehemently rejected the offer.[12] Wayne actively campaigned for Richard Nixon,[13] and addressed the Republican National Convention on its opening day in August 1968. Wayne also was a member of the conservative and anti-communist John Birch Society.[14]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_wayne#cite_note-16
 
There is a big difference between John Wayne and Reagan, in terms of political experience. Reagan had the advantage of being governor of a large state.
 
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