The only defense I have for my vote is that voting Nixon in 1960 likely prevents both a Kennedy and Johnson presidency and transports Nixon's to a time period in which he can inflict less damage1. Plus, with any luck, Lee Harvey Oswald's aim would be just as good in this alternate universe.
1Presumably Nixon would not have had to play nuclear chicken over Cuba to counteract the notion that his political party was weak on defense.
it had nothing to do with 'counteracting', the consensus was totally different then. nixon was very much for the bay of pigs invasion, like most. plus theres the matter of laos which he certainly would have invaded. it's a myth that kennedy was some sort of liberal dove but he was much more cautious in that regard than nixon or eisenhower were for that matter. so no, it's highly probable that we got lucky when nixon lost in 1960.
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