WI: When JFK is shot in 1963 he lives and suffers brain damage instead of dying?

Would he be removed from Office?

  • He likely would be removed.

    Votes: 41 85.4%
  • Maybe but it would be a hard sell.

    Votes: 4 8.3%
  • Unlikely

    Votes: 1 2.1%
  • The public would be outraged, so no way.

    Votes: 2 4.2%

  • Total voters
    48
So in 1963 he is shot in the head but lives with brain damage. He then shows some signs of Broader line personality disorder and takes a harsher stance on the USSR as he can't quite shake the feeling the KGB tried to kill him.

He also fires the head of the CIA and leading Secret Service agents as he blames them for not seeing the plot to kill him. He even dumps LBJ as his VP publicly stating he doesn't like how he has handled himself. In private to his remaining trusted staff he expresses fear that his VP was in on the plot to kill him.

He pushes much harder to go into Vietnam so the Communism doesn't spread anymore than it already has and that we must take the hardline against the unmistakable threat that communism truly stands for. He makes a speech that would become known for the following "Communism must be fought at every turn at any cost because the cost of losing is limitless in the cost to our freedoms, our way of life and our values."

As the 1964 election comes around some suggest that JFK needs to be removed on the grounds he is menially unfit for office. The Public still shocked and mortified over how JFK was shot in 1963 hands the 1964 election over to JFK in a landslide against Goldwater.

How likely is it that congress would remove him from Office on the grounds he is menially unfit after the 1964 election?
 
What you also have to take into consideration is JFK's ego. He would not want to be president if he can't play to his audience (the American Public). I think he'd resign. The views on "mental issues" weren't an enlightened as they are now. Peaple will hear "brain damage" and the next time LBJ steps out of the john, "Hail to the Chief" is played.
 
What you also have to take into consideration is JFK's ego. He would not want to be president if he can't play to his audience (the American Public). I think he'd resign. The views on "mental issues" weren't an enlightened as they are now. Peaple will hear "brain damage" and the next time LBJ steps out of the john, "Hail to the Chief" is played.

I know mental issues were a big deal but in this ATL his fear is greater than his ego, I mean a man shot him in the head and screwed a bunch of the brain up. If he did resign then how would the public look at him in the short term and the longer term?
 

shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
There is a TL on this subject- No Longer Jack- and a short story- Winterberry. Both may be of interest.

But yeah, he'll likely be removed from office in such a situation.
 
How would they go about removing him if he due to being ill refused to resign?

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment allows for the Vice President and the majority of the cabinet to declare the President incapable of discharging duties. After that, 2/3 of Congress as to agree and remove him from office, and Johnson would become "Acting President".
 
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment allows for the Vice President and the majority of the cabinet to declare the President incapable of discharging duties. After that, 2/3 of Congress as to agree and remove him from office, and Johnson would become "Acting President".
Remember the 25th wasn't adopted until 1967.
 
Remember the 25th wasn't adopted until 1967.

Correct. Which leaves impeachment and trial as the only means of removing him if he refuses to resign. One would think that his brother would persuade him of the need to resign if he emerged impaired, but I suppose you can imagine a scenario where the impairment is such that his judgment is so off that he is beyond persuasion. Seeing him impeached and removed might be a bridge too far for the nation emotionally, but I can't see any alternative in the midst of the Cold War and with urgent national issues like civil rights demanding attention. The whole thing would be gut wrenching and sad beyond belief. We're probably talking Senators in tears as they vote to convict and remove. In the interim, you are probably looking at a situation where no legislation gets signed and any possible nuclear orders are deliberately disregarded by the Pentagon with McNamara arranging it behind the scenes. I think the whole situation might be worse to live through than the actual assassination. Alternatively, you have a Wilson-type situation where the significance of the impairment is covered up and Bobby winds up running the country in practice. This might be very hard to pull off, though in an environment where there is intensive media attention on the Presidency that did not exist in Wilson's time.
 
He even dumps LBJ as his VP publicly stating he doesn't like how he has handled himself. In private to his remaining trusted staff he expresses fear that his VP was in on the plot to kill him.

He can be impeached for failure to uphold the Constitution, by thinking he can sack his VP at whim. It's not his call, and he should know it.
 

Asami

Banned
I think instead, they'd cover up any issues and Kennedy would gracefully refuse to run for a second term in '64. It's less than a year away now, RFK will probably run the nation behind everyone's back.
 
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