Vice, Virtue, and Independence (A Different Path, Chapter 2)

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

McGovern 68

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

What's RFK up to at this point in your timeline? He served as Attorney General for both of JFK's terms right? Senate a few years removed from IRL then, instead of the presidency?

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

Surely Johnson would appeal more to the McGovern-ites than Wallace, but again, you have promised to send us down a different path. Excited to see what happens to the Democrats.

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

So Goldwater and Wallace split the conservative vote, Wallace and LBJ split the southern vote, and LBJ and Goldwater split the anti-segregation vote? Crazy stuff, all that's missing is for Nixon to somehow sneak up the middle and win.

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

March 14, 1969
Donald

Well, s---. What now?

22-year-old Donald Trump held the navy draft card in his hand as he looked it over in front of his father. Donald had graduated, so he couldn’t get a deferment due to school, and basically anyone else was required to serve if drafted due to the state of emergency.

“Father, I, like, really really don’t want to serve, believe me. I mean everyone always tells me I’d be the best soldier, but-”

“Donald, you’re going to serve. Our country needs people like you,” Fred Trump said, distantly.

Donald started to whine. “But father-”

“I didn’t send you to the military academy to have you be a damned draft dodger, you whiny dips---! You’re either going to ‘Nam or you’re going out of my damn house and onto the street with the proletariat!”

Donald had always felt his father didn’t love him, but he didn’t think Daddy would force him to live with poors!

“You mean you’ll make me live with people who don’t even have a million - no, not even a hundred thousand - dollars to their name? Like, even with the Irish or the blacks or the Mexicans?!”

“Yes, Donald, you’ll go fight Goldwater’s war for six months until it’s over and he can get around to giving us tax cuts.”

Thoroughly humiliated, Donald resigned himself to what he had to do.

Two weeks later, Donald was in the Gulf of Tonkin on the ship he had been assigned to, the USS Forrestal.

Butterflying away Lee Harvey Oswald and everything that's come from that so far I can get behind, but butterflying away Donnie's totally legit bone spurs? Now that's just inconceivable.

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

Calling it now, McCain doesn't survive, but Trump does, greatly changed and humbled, though ultimately for the better, and leads America to newfound prosperity after winning the 2008 election in a landslide.

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

With a faint smile on his lips, LeMay gave the launch authorization and awaited the destruction of those commie bastards.

Holy sh**t, man. Chillingly realistic stuff, I can't wait to see where you take it from here.

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

Donald John Trump
June 14, 1946 - June 1, 1971
Son, Brother, War Hero

You can't give The Donald this much growth and then just kill him off! Shaggy dog story much!

I still can't wait to see what the fallout (heh) of Goldwater's incapacitation is though. Since LeMay's bombing actually went through without a revolt from the bombers, this world absolutely won't be the same.

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

June 1, 1971
Ronald

Man, incredible respect for a more humble and level-headed Ronnie Raygun. This is the type of guy who wouldn't begin bombing Russia in 5 minutes and I think based on his comportment here would be a shoe-in for 1976 after the inevitable backlash against the GOP gets Ted Kennedy or somebody elected in '72. The memory of Reagan helping America through this time of crisis, and some would say great communication, would still be fresh in the people's collective minds and I think would overcome the resentment towards the rest of the Goldwater administration. Maybe we will have Ronald to kick around again in '76, after all what's a realistic story without a few unreliable narrators?

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

This timeline has purposefully never been predictable but I want to note that, according to current polling on Humphrey/Jackson vs. Goldwater/Fong, even if somehow Goldwater comes back to win every state except those marked solid Democratic (including the ones that are every other shade of red!) HHH and Scoop still win with 294 EVs...

Man, even if Ashbrook somehow won the nomination, and won all the toss-ups, lean Dem states, and Ohio, he'd come up short too. Goldwater sure has damaged the Republican brand, but who would have expected the Democrats to come back from Wallace and LBJ's sh**tshow in '68 so strongly too? Fun stuff as always.

Also, somehow I'd been reading John Ashbrook as John Anderson this whole time and was confused why he was being portrayed as a challenger from Goldwater's right but obviously I was mistaken. What is Anderson up here, anyway? He probably would have done well as a unifying figure for the Republicans ITTL.

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

I'll be excited, if somewhat surprised if Humphrey wins 538-0...

I'd be surprised if Goldwater even wins a state.

I give it 50% odds Barry wins AZ, 50% odds he gets perfect swept.

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

While HHH's 50 state sweep is something to behold, this was definitely more of a repudiation of Goldwater than an endorsement of the democrats, who probably could have ran LBJ's dead body and still won. I can't imagine we're anywhere near out of the woods yet, and plus you still have to show us what you have in store for Bobby and Teddy. Speaking of the Kennedys, any chance we can check back in with Jack sometime?

[Neo-Malthusian Misanthrope]

“Hello Hubert, congratulations on the victory. Very impressive. I’d like to offer my assistance to you however I can. You’ve got some work to do..." "by the way, it is Kennedy"

Chills! I can't wait to see how HHH's term plays out.

ALSO I didn't notice that little post script until even after I posted this. You're a sly one