WI: Nixon decides to hang it up after '62

As it says. What if Nixon really does retire from politics after losing the Govornors race in '62? You can use whatever excuse you want for this, severe deppression, stroke, change of career path.

How does this effect the next few election cycles?
Who might we see as president in the late 60's and early 70's?
What is his legacy?
 
68 is still too earlyfor Reagan. The GOP nominee then I think would be between Rockefeller and Romney. I'm assuming Barry runs and gets stomped as in OTL. If Nelson wins no Watergate, no enemies list and the conservative reolution gets delayed or watered down somewhat. Going really long term is too hard to predict due to different events ranging from Supreme Court nomimees, legislation, summits etc
 
Without the Kennedy assassination, he may have. The 1960s Nixons were living a pretty happy life in New York City, Nixon was largely an in-name-only law partner and made a lot of appearances, and Nixon had transitioned into a retired statesman role in the Republican party. It was after the assassination that things started rolling for Nixon to come back into politics.

Here's the problem with 1968: Reagan is too inexperienced and too Conservative, Rockefeller is awkwardly Liberal and Establishmentarian and he pissed off the Conservatives in 1964. Romney is gaffe prone and has the habit of putting idealism above pragmatism and what he can get done in a political environment. My money is that 1968 would fall to someone we wouldn't consider off hand to be a prime contendor.
 

TFSmith121

Banned
A weary world rejoices...

As it says. What if Nixon really does retire from politics after losing the Govornors race in '62? You can use whatever excuse you want for this, severe deppression, stroke, change of career path. How does this effect the next few election cycles?
Who might we see as president in the late 60's and early 70's?
What is his legacy?

A weary world rejoices...;)

Best,
 
Without the Kennedy assassination, he may have. The 1960s Nixons were living a pretty happy life in New York City, Nixon was largely an in-name-only law partner and made a lot of appearances, and Nixon had transitioned into a retired statesman role in the Republican party. It was after the assassination that things started rolling for Nixon to come back into politics.

Here's the problem with 1968: Reagan is too inexperienced and too Conservative, Rockefeller is awkwardly Liberal and Establishmentarian and he pissed off the Conservatives in 1964. Romney is gaffe prone and has the habit of putting idealism above pragmatism and what he can get done in a political environment. My money is that 1968 would fall to someone we wouldn't consider off hand to be a prime contendor.

I don't know that Nixon himself was that happy. Yes, he was making money, but he was just one of those people who was compelled to be in politics. He could have sat out '68, stayed in NYC and in law and picked up a few corporate boards. I'm sure he would have made lots of money and had a lot of behind the scenes power. And yet he didn't. He hit the midterms in '66 campaigning earning chits from party leaders and new GOP elected officials he helped. I suspect he decided to run the night Goldwater went down in flames.

I don't know that the Kennedy assassination changes that. He would have been the first to recognize that JFK was at that moment a lame duck. I think that 1960 left him a haunted man and the only way to exorcise that particular demon was to run again and win.

Just my $.02.
 
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