So I've been reading a lot of works about US politics recently, and it seems that Presideny Kennedy's election spurred tremendous change, from the formation of the Peace Corp, to the Cuban missile crisis, to his assasination paving the way for his successor to push for the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts.
So, all of this could be different if Nixon wins. Since 1960 was an extremely close election, it stands to reason that even a minor POD vould make this possible. The most obvious one seems to be if he showed strong support to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was arrested, rather than remaining mum on the issue and letting Kennedy carry the black vote 70-30-- which wasin stark contrast to Eisenhower, who had the majority of the black vote in his two elections. Maybe if he didn't show up to the first televised debate sweaty and disheveled compared to Kennedy, that would have helped too. (I'm open to any alternative POVs if you have them).
Okay, so Nixon is elected. The first major change I see is his policies in the Cold War. Kennedy was railroaded by the intelligence agency during this crisis, but I doubt Nixon--who was until 1960 Vice President--would take the same approach. From what I have read, the consensus seems to be that either Castro would have been killed and/or Cuba invaded long before the Soviets put missiles on the island. With regards to Vietnam, Nixon would probably have continued Eisenhower's policies regarding the South, rather than Kennedy's gradual escalation. I'm not sure how this would go. Would South Vietnam be more stable, or would it have been overrun by the North quicker than OTL? LBJ's massive troop surge would be off the table unless something catastrophic happens by 1964, so the Vietnam War might well be unrecognizable to us.
The other big thing here would be Civil Rights. If Nixon does come to King's defense, he would be seen as a stronger proponent of ewuality, if added along with his policy and rhetoric in the Eisenhower Administration, which were generally in favor of Civil Rights, as far as I can tell. I know in OTL he was elected on the promise of "law and order", but that seems to be a reaction to what happened in the preceding years, and not his position during 1960. LBJ's political connections and the political capital from Kennedy's killings were essential in passing the Civil and Votings Rights acts, but Nixon held connections and was powerful in his own right, unlike the relatively fresh Kennedy. I'm sure some form of OTLs laws would pass, but I don't know if they would be stonger, weaker, or about the same in enforcing the 13, 14, and 15th Amendments.
So, what are your thoughts? Would Tricky Dicky in 1960 have been better or worse for America?
So, all of this could be different if Nixon wins. Since 1960 was an extremely close election, it stands to reason that even a minor POD vould make this possible. The most obvious one seems to be if he showed strong support to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was arrested, rather than remaining mum on the issue and letting Kennedy carry the black vote 70-30-- which wasin stark contrast to Eisenhower, who had the majority of the black vote in his two elections. Maybe if he didn't show up to the first televised debate sweaty and disheveled compared to Kennedy, that would have helped too. (I'm open to any alternative POVs if you have them).
Okay, so Nixon is elected. The first major change I see is his policies in the Cold War. Kennedy was railroaded by the intelligence agency during this crisis, but I doubt Nixon--who was until 1960 Vice President--would take the same approach. From what I have read, the consensus seems to be that either Castro would have been killed and/or Cuba invaded long before the Soviets put missiles on the island. With regards to Vietnam, Nixon would probably have continued Eisenhower's policies regarding the South, rather than Kennedy's gradual escalation. I'm not sure how this would go. Would South Vietnam be more stable, or would it have been overrun by the North quicker than OTL? LBJ's massive troop surge would be off the table unless something catastrophic happens by 1964, so the Vietnam War might well be unrecognizable to us.
The other big thing here would be Civil Rights. If Nixon does come to King's defense, he would be seen as a stronger proponent of ewuality, if added along with his policy and rhetoric in the Eisenhower Administration, which were generally in favor of Civil Rights, as far as I can tell. I know in OTL he was elected on the promise of "law and order", but that seems to be a reaction to what happened in the preceding years, and not his position during 1960. LBJ's political connections and the political capital from Kennedy's killings were essential in passing the Civil and Votings Rights acts, but Nixon held connections and was powerful in his own right, unlike the relatively fresh Kennedy. I'm sure some form of OTLs laws would pass, but I don't know if they would be stonger, weaker, or about the same in enforcing the 13, 14, and 15th Amendments.
So, what are your thoughts? Would Tricky Dicky in 1960 have been better or worse for America?