WI: Kennedy survives assassination but LBJ doesn't

I'm thinking of writeing a timeline releated to this but I need a hand on some the repercussions on it. Would Kennedy be re-elected? What about Vietnam? The space program? The cold war?
 
I'm doing a TL on JFK lives so I'm barred from saying much for fear of revealing my master plans.

I will say:

  • Reelection, yes. JFK was very popular.
  • Vietnam, gradual withdrawal of advisers by 1965 (per JFK plan) or 1968 (per McNamara plan). No combat troops. Revert to aid and supply of South Vietnam. War is not Americanized.
  • Space program, probably more funding which could be allocated without a Vietnam war would help, but it would be despite JFK; he wasn't really crazy about space beyond either a forum with which to join with the USSR in joint projects and thus help detente, or to beat the Russians and thus show US superiority.
  • Cold war, attempts at cooling tensions at least.
 
Use the search function for "JFK lives" discussions, I've lost count of how many we've had but the last was not even 6 months ago.

Short term: Terry Sanford replaces LBJ on the ticket. JFK wins a landslide only about 20-30 EV smaller than LBJ's over either Rocky or Goldwater. All the stalled New Frontier legislation goes through because of the lopsided 2-1 liberal majorities in the 89th (1965-7) Congress. You will see Medicaid, not Medicare because JFK will not be able to outmaneuver the AMA like Johnson did IOTL.

Space was a means to an end, essentially a photo-op to beat the Soviets. Both JFK and RFK held this view.

Vietnam: see NSAM 273. The OTL strategy, which was keep the war Vietnamized (Nixon's OTL Vietnamization was merely a return to the Kennedy policy) remains, while arms shipments of frontline equipment to SVN take top priority. All or most of the advisers are withdrawn by '65.

Cold War: attempt at Nixon/Kissinger detente.

For the rest, as I said, use Search.
 
Wouldn't the bigger butterflies here not be JFK lives, but LBJ dies. As RogueBeaver the US gets Medicaid, but not Medicare; that's a fairly substantial change from IOTL.
 
Wouldn't the bigger butterflies here not be JFK lives, but LBJ dies. As RogueBeaver the US gets Medicaid, but not Medicare; that's a fairly substantial change from IOTL.
As a Canadian looking in, I can't really tell the difference between the two.
 
Top