WI: No Carter, Democrat nom for '76 election?

I’m going to say Udall and that he wins the general by a bigger margin than Carter because it was only close due to Carter basically muffing up the entire last few weeks. But as said above, any one could’ve really won.

Having been a long time member of the House, I'm sure that Udall would've had better relations with Congress than Carter did and as a result would've been able to accomplish much more. But ultimately Udall's chances in 1980 would depend on his economic management and Iran policy.
 
Having been a long time member of the House, I'm sure that Udall would've had better relations with Congress than Carter did and as a result would've been able to accomplish much more. But ultimately Udall's chances in 1980 would depend on his economic management and Iran policy.

I think a part of Iran getting so bad was Carter being so cozy with the shah and allowing him treatment in America. That made an unstable situation that much more volatile. Assuming Udall is less humanitarian, it won’t get that bad. On economics I’m not am expert
so I don’t know but I think it may get better with Iran being perhaps less volatile and maybe better Congress = better plans? Just my thoughts.
 
Udall believed in full employment, clean energy, infrastructure, rail, wanted to repeal 14B of Taft-Hartley (which won’t happen), card check (will pass, Carter betrayed his promises), and so forth. He also believed we were about to hit peak oil, some of his policies will be based on that reasonable but mistaken opinion.

The University of Arizona has a collection of his speeches and papers online. He’s a thoughtful man willing to change his mind of a liberal bent. He’s also funny, the most liked person in Congress, able to get a deal with the most conservative folk of either party, and wrote the book on how Congress operates—he would have killed it as President.

This brilliant Molly Ivins piece will give you the plausible future of the man America could have—should have—chosen.

In early 1967, Udall admitted what he considers his biggest mistake—his earlier support of the Vietnam War. He could have made his mea culpa on the East Coast, where he would have been lionized for it. Instead, he flew home and faced his voters, many of them retired military personnel. “I was wrong when I supported the President's policy in Vietnam,” he said. “And I think his advisers are wrong now.” All the Theysayers said Udall was done for, that the Arizona hawks would never forgive him. He won his next election by 70 percent.

When conservative Arizona Republicans (if that's not a redundancy) are asked why they vote both for Udall and Goldwater, they reply, “Because they're honest.”
 
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Frank Church would have a strong shot for the vice presidential slot.

I think Udall would win. Not only was he charismatic but a genuine liberal. But don't count Scoop Jackson out.

Imagine a Jackson-Church ticket. Now that would be fascinating.
 
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