Richard Nixon's Vice President, Spiro Agnew, had a long history of alleged corruption even before he was brought down in 1973 and forced to resign. Democrats and journalists alike accused Agnew of the very behavior that lead to his downfall, but never had any substantial proof. So let's say, some time after he's chosen as Nixon's running mate for 1968 (but before the election), undeniable proof of bribes he received during his time as Governor of Maryland (and as Baltimore County Executive) comes out. How this happens is not particularly important, but what happens next is. Does Nixon choose to keep him on the ticket? Assuming he doesn't, who replaces Agnew? What impact does this scandal have on the election, and could it prevent Nixon from winning in November?
 
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Nixon's second choice was John Volpe of Rhode Island. I suspect Agnew would have been dropped faster than a hot potato with Volpe replacing him. It wouldn't make any difference in Maryland--Humphrey carried the state in '68--and if anything, it might have helped Nixon modestly.
 
Nixon's second choice was John Volpe of Rhode Island. I suspect Agnew would have been dropped faster than a hot potato with Volpe replacing him. It wouldn't make any difference in Maryland--Humphrey carried the state in '68--and if anything, it might have helped Nixon modestly.

Why would it have helped him? I imagine it'd play nicely into some attacks from Humphrey/other Democrats; the self-professed "law and order" candidate intending to put a criminal in the No. 2 spot, doesn't look good.
 

SwampTiger

Banned
I really never understood the choice of Agnew in the first place. There were better choices from the east, Volpe being one. When I first heard the choice I had to ask who Agnew was. At least I was paying attention as an 8th grader. Folks from Louisiana learn early that politics is a physical sport.:p
 
Come 1973 without the example of taking down a vulnerable VP does anyone even bother looking into Watergate?

Was that a major motivation for looking into Watergate? I've never heard that elsewhere, but if that's the case, Agnew going down sooner could stand to do benefit Nixon nicely. Assuming it doesn't flip the election in '68, which I imagine it wouldn't.
 
Come 1973 without the example of taking down a vulnerable VP does anyone even bother looking into Watergate?
Agnew fell along time after Watergate started and in fact I suspect getting his corrupt arse out of office before Nixon was probably a priority at that point as nobody wanted him to replace Tricky Dick and by the time Agnew was finally forced from office the writing was pretty much on the wall for Dick even if Nixon held on for quite sometime afterwards. Certainly Ford was picked as the new VP not only to replace Agnew but because they needed a clean and respected candidate to replace Nixon if and when the time came. If Agnew never takes office and if the replacement candidate is clean in the scandal then Nixon may fall earlier because the replacement is in position and ready to take over and isn't going to make a bad situation worse. If nothing else the need to replace the VP meant that if Nixon went before Ford was confirmed the line of succession would have fallen on a democratic speaker and while they were on record that they would immediately recuse themselves in favour of the republican president pro tempore that could have still caused a very nasty constitutional crisis the US needed like a hole in the head.

People forget there were two scandal's during watergate which is why the US ended up with its one and only unelected president as it turned out both the president and the VP were unfit for office. With only Watergate going on things might actually have been resolved earlier and the damage might have been less if Agnew hadn't also turned out to be the worst and most corrupt VP of all time at the same moment Nixon turned out to be the second worst (after Buchanan) president to that date.
 
I really never understood the choice of Agnew in the first place. There were better choices from the east, Volpe being one. When I first heard the choice I had to ask who Agnew was. At least I was paying attention as an 8th grader. Folks from Louisiana learn early that politics is a physical sport.:p
Nixon wanted a nobody on the ticket rather than a big name.
 
Nixon wanted a nobody on the ticket rather than a big name.
Nixon felt that a vice presidential nominee can only hurt and not help the presidential candidate, he would cite his 1960 vice presidential nominee Henry Cabot Lodge as proof.
 

SwampTiger

Banned
Nixon felt that a vice presidential nominee can only hurt and not help the presidential candidate, he would cite his 1960 vice presidential nominee Henry Cabot Lodge as proof.

Which should have alerted the voters of a problem in character. Nixon did not lose because of Lodge in 1960. Lodge didn't help the cause, but people are electing the President, not the VP, unfortunately.
 
Why would it have helped him? I imagine it'd play nicely into some attacks from Humphrey/other Democrats; the self-professed "law and order" candidate intending to put a criminal in the No. 2 spot, doesn't look good.
Not initially, no. But Nixon could easily spin this, pointing out this was new information that hadn't come to light during the vetting process because there had been no indictments until then; Agnew needs to devote his full attention to building his case; though all Americans are presumed innocent until proven guilty, this defense would detract from the campaign, etc., etc. Nixon washes his hands of Agnew, gets someone with a grimly clean record and doubles down on law and order, pointing out he cleaned his own house before any trouble could start.
 
Not initially, no. But Nixon could easily spin this, pointing out this was new information that hadn't come to light during the vetting process because there had been no indictments until then; Agnew needs to devote his full attention to building his case; though all Americans are presumed innocent until proven guilty, this defense would detract from the campaign, etc., etc. Nixon washes his hands of Agnew, gets someone with a grimly clean record and doubles down on law and order, pointing out he cleaned his own house before any trouble could start.
It would certainly make him look even more of a hypocrite when Watergate erupted.
 
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