WI: Kennedy/Nixon 1960

In an ATL in which the Kennedys go Republican (The Boston Brahmin acceptance of a P. J. Kennedy who is wealthy earlier and/or better integrated into Boston high society) but remain just as moderate/liberal politically AND Nixon is Secretary of Defense (or War) under Eisenhower/Warren resulting in his close second nomination to JFK in the primaries and his acceptance of the Vice Presidency in 1960...

Imagining that Nixon and the Kennedys work very closely on platform and policy together during their joint administration and Kennedy is still assassinated as per OTL under mysterious circumstances:

What does this administration and Nixon's subsequent filling of OTL's LBJ's shoes look like? The sixties? The missile crisis? Vietnam? Cambodia? Pop culture? ETC.?!?!?!

If possible Nixon runs for reelection both opportunities and RFK provides the sympathy vote as running mate during the entire Nixon admin setting himself up for the 1972 election.

It's a lot for me to politically process (particularly in a global sense) and I'd like to hear some opinions and ideas, etc.

:D
 
Heres a possible list of Presidents
John F Kennedy(R)1961-1963
Richard Nixon(R)1963-1970
Henry Cabot Lodge(R)1970-1973
George McGovern(D)1973-1981
George Bush(R)1981-1989
Bob Dole(R)1989-1993
Bill Clinton(D)1993-2001
George Bush Jr(R)2001-2009
Barrack Obama(D)2009-
 
Heres a possible list of Presidents
John F Kennedy(R)1961-1963
Richard Nixon(R)1963-1970
Henry Cabot Lodge(R)1970-1973
George McGovern(D)1973-1981
George Bush(R)1981-1989
Bob Dole(R)1989-1993
Bill Clinton(D)1993-2001
George Bush Jr(R)2001-2009
Barrack Obama(D)2009-

Hmmm... interesting. Why does Nixon's term cut off at 1970? (Am I taking your bait for an earlier "Watergate" discussion?;))

And if the Republican party becomes the more Social Reform and progressive of the parties (as it inevitably would here) where's Rockefeller and would Clinton and Obama still become Democrats?

Also would Regan still "reject" the Democratic party and switch sides?
 
I know there's been a lot of Kennedy and Nixon "same-team" kind of things on here and it will be hard to drum up interest but I haven't seen it done in this way before.

As much discussion as possible, therefore, is encouraged. A healthy argument would even be welcome right about now...
 
I'm posting from school right now, later tonight I'll expound at length.

First: depends on how good the relationship is by this time. Nixon would probably not try and end-run Bobby as LBJ did (which as with Reagan vis-a-vis Nancy, always failed, as LBJ and Regan eventually discovered) but try and work with him to avoid a "three's a crowd" scenario. If this relationship can be handled well, then there's no bitter feud with all the associated ramifications.

Vietnam: following the brothers' (yes, RFK's '68 proposals were his brother's from 5 years earlier contrary to liberal myth) OTL policy of keeping the war a Vietnamese project. Cambodia would be handled by ARVN.

RFK as running mate: not necessarily, but Nixon would ensure he gets the succession.

I'll expand on this later, but just wanted to provide some quick thoughts.
 
I'm posting from school right now, later tonight I'll expound at length.

First: depends on how good the relationship is by this time. Nixon would probably not try and end-run Bobby as LBJ did (which as with Reagan vis-a-vis Nancy, always failed, as LBJ and Regan eventually discovered) but try and work with him to avoid a "three's a crowd" scenario. If this relationship can be handled well, then there's no bitter feud with all the associated ramifications.

Vietnam: following the brothers' (yes, RFK's '68 proposals were his brother's from 5 years earlier contrary to liberal myth) OTL policy of keeping the war a Vietnamese project. Cambodia would be handled by ARVN.

RFK as running mate: not necessarily, but Nixon would ensure he gets the succession.

I'll expand on this later, but just wanted to provide some quick thoughts.

Thanks and can't wait for the expansion!

As far as the "three's company" scenario, it seems like it would work out well, at least for a while. Nixon seemed to genuinely like RFK more than Jack even after the onslaught of Kennedy paranoia. If they're all not only close friends but closely involved with one another in the administration I can't see any reason to suspect it wouldn't work well until '63 and then continue to produce fruit throughout Nixon and Bobby's careers.

And provide excellent fodder for an Oliver Stone political epic.

There's another pretty interesting idea on here I wanted your thoughts on, I'll PM you later tonight.

Thanks again, Beav.
 
Like? Far from it. Civil yes, but most certainly not a friendship by any means. In many ways their personalities, ambitions and source of their ambitions, and of course the Rovian style of political operation, overlapped- (Orthogonian for Nixonland readers) rather lengthy for me to list here. IOTL Nixon did not "like" Bobby more than Jack. He loathed RFK but had the highest respect for him of all the brothers and thought him the most intelligent of the 3. Jack he "liked" but considered him a lazy, weak-willed (in controlling his libido) man who contributed nothing to the Senate in 8 years there, which was largely true legislatively. By '68 Nixon still thought RFK would be his opponent and took a few mild potshots like "the next president must have maturity and experience" which is a jab at Bobby's hyperthyroidic personality.

The problem is turf-wise. ITTL Nixon would probably stick to foreign affairs, which like JFK was his primary interest. Not what Nixon called "building outhouses in Peoria" at home.
 
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