An Effective Consensus

[KaiserDave]

Campaign 1968

Wikimedia Commons for all



The Presidential debate was the first since the Kennedy-Nixon debates, although these had less have an impact on the momentum of the campaign. People felt that Romney's personality was too abrasive, he was too jumpy and enthusiastic, Wallace spoke with the same strength and simple force ha always had. However, Wallace continued to jump around the war in Vietnam, while Romney was direct, he would end the war. On the whole Wallace's supporters were greatly enthused by the debate, and many who had thought about sitting out the race due to disappointments over economic policy or healthcare expansion became committed voters again over the law and order issue and interestingly, over the inflation issue. However, Governor Romney, polls showed made sweeping gains across McCarthy and Humphrey Democrats, many of whom were no coming over to his side and droves, and the Black vote was coming over to him in a substantial way. On the whole, it was hard to see how the race would be effected. Jack Campbell and Edward Brooke did not agree on terms to debate, and no Vice Presidential debate was held.

The Wallace campaign did not take the optimistic tone that many incumbents do. Franklin Roosevelt had "the road is open again" and "happy days are here again", Eisenhower had "I like Ike." Wallace had "Wallace or else!" That was not the official slogan, but that's what the theme of his rallies where. In Louisville Wallace declared that, "a vote for my opponent is to lay down and surrender to every single element of the radicalism now trying to overtake this country. A vote for George Romney is a vote for student Marxists, it's a vote for forced busing, it's a vote for armed mobs in our towns and communities, a vote for drug dealers dealing crack cocaine in our playgrounds, and it's a vote for international bankers to rip off this great, great country!"  Wallace's campaign focused on two main elements, pulling massive crowds across the South and border states, and relying on city machines to keep Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio in the fold. The first element succeeded magnificently, in every city he went to Wallace got thousands of people to attend his rallies each one hooting and cheering. When the band played Dixie they hooted and cheered even more. In Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, and in Missouri, Virginia, and Kentucky his crowds were massive. For the second part it was more complicated, Mayor Daley in Chicago was a good example. Daley was a party man and Wallace was the party, and combined with the fact that the DNC was staffed full of Wallace supporters, they were certainly trying to get Wallace reelected. But while they did good turning out the Wallace base, the usual New Deal coalition was in shambles. Especially black voters. While many still voted Democrat in 1964, it was not so in 1968. Black voters were going over to Romney in droves, and McCarthy and Humphrey Democrats too.

Governor Romney's campaign was different. He campaigned on a new, kinder, gentler, more tolerant nation. A bold and optimistic platform for the 70s. He had a variety of big bold promises, and made sure everyone knew how different he was from Wallace. He promised a Voting Rights Act, a Fair Housing Act, expansion of public healthcare to the poor, tax cuts for the poor and businesses, federally backed desegregation of schools, suburbs, and public places, an end to unfair congressional  redistricting, more federal funding for education and infrastructure, and an end to the war in Vietnam. The Goldwaterites recoiled, though Goldwater himself had indicated he would support Romney, and bolted from the ticket. But on the other hand, McCarthy and Humphrey Democrats abandoned Wallace in perhaps greater numbers. Eugene McCarthy even said he preferred Romney to Wallace, though he was not campaigning for Romney. The Kennedy brothers refused to support Wallace or Romney, but when asked they praised Romney's civil rights platform and defended him from attacks on his Mormon religion. Romney looked like the favorite but he stilled campaigned with a religious and enthusiastic zeal. His biggest rallies were concentrated in the midwest, but he also toured the plain states, and the west coast. He also gave a major speech in Madison Square Garden, and while he did not meet Wallace's crowd size at the same venue from '64, he still got a large and excited crowd when he spoke with Governor Rockefeller and Mayor Lindsay. New York City was fully abandoning the Democratic Party. As were black voters, who Romney and Brooke campaigned to relentlessly. President Nixon spoke in Los Angeles on behalf of Romney, and former President Eisenhower wrote an editorial in the New York Times from his hospital bed in support of Romney. Could Republicans finally take back the White House?

The last week of the campaign included an assassination attempt on the President when a Black Panther with a handgun got really close at a Wallace rally in St. Louis, but when he drew his pistol the crowd knocked him out and beat him bloody. In addition, as the campaign ended Governor Romney got several high profile endorsements from the Civil Rights Movement. A. Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King Sr, and Coretta Scott King all endorsed his candidacy. For the liberal democratic vote the dam broke further when Hubert Humphrey told reporters outside his home that though he would "remain a Democrat for my entire life" this time he would "casting my ballot for Governor Romney" and he "encouraged all Minnesotans to do the same."

[KaiserDave]

Polling Map (Gallup)


George Romney/Edward Brooke: 53.5%/374
George Wallace/Jack Campbell: 46.0%/164

Gallup Poll: President Wallace Job Approval October 1968



Wikimedia Commons

Approve: 37%
Disapprove: 55%

[KaiserDave]

Before results, for whom do you cast your ballot?

[Elcaspar]

Before results, for whom do you cast your ballot?

Romney/Brooke of course! Send a message to the country by having the first African-American Vice President! And getting rid of Wallace of course.

[KaiserDave]

Before results, for whom do you cast your ballot?

Romney/Brooke of course! Send a message to the country by having the first African-American Vice President! And getting rid of Wallace of course.

What do you make of his platform other than just being better than Wallace?

[Elcaspar]

Before results, for whom do you cast your ballot?

Romney/Brooke of course! Send a message to the country by having the first African-American Vice President! And getting rid of Wallace of course.

What do you make of his platform other than just being better than Wallace?

A return to a consistent economic policy will be great. I basically agree with the platform, though obviously for some things i would desire for it to go further, one of those things being healthcare.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Like I said before,  Wallace's renomination has made me a Romney... some synonym for woman that starts with R.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Before results, for whom do you cast your ballot?

I wish Romney ran on a more conservative economic platform but he is still obviously way way better than Wallace so I would obviously support Romney for president

[We Live in Black and White]

If I were alive and voting-eligible in this timeline, I wouldn't just be voting for Romney, I'd be campaigning my ass off for Romney.

[S019]

Enthusiastic vote for Romney, also with the ways that the parties seem headed, I may stay a Republican in this timeline

[KaiserDave]

Campaign 1968: Election Night

Romney/Brooke: 54.1%/291 ✓
Wallace/Campbell: 45.5%/112

The band played as the crowd in Detroit cheered wildly and waved flags and Romney signs as the results began to become clear. By now, when the 270 number came in, the crowd became unbelievably ecstatic. George Romney, Lenore Romney, as well as his sons Mitt and George Jr., as well as Edward Brooke and his wife Remigia Ferrari-Scacco. George had greeted the first results with glee, the great numbers out of New York which projected he'd win the state with 60%, the targeted numbers from Humphrey and McCarthy Dems showed they were almost in total voting for Romney, and then the turnout from Black voters was tremendous. When the results from Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio came in it became clear Romney had one. As time went on and it became obvious he was winning in a landslide, he began to greet the results more somberly. The duty of rebuilding a broken and battered country was coming down on him. With Lenore, Edward and the others he circled around with them, bowed his head and the others followed and prayed.

....

The crowd was ecstatic. Ecstatic was the word, as the Battle Hymn of the Republic came forth from the band and George Romney entered the stage with his family and Senator Brooke and his family. The cheers were quite loud as he reached the podium of the indoor rally, and a chant of "ROMNEY ROMNEY ROMNEY" began. He motioned for the crowd to become quiet.

"Thank you America!"

[We Live in Black and White]

This is the happiest I've ever been to hear the words "President Romney". Let's strike it up, folks.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Down Goes Wallace, Down Goes Wallace

[We Live in Black and White]

You know, it's just occurred to me: does this mean Romney is going to get to destroy a nationally-hated Democrat in 1972? Because I'd love to see him mow down, say, John Sparkman.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

You know, it's just occurred to me: does this mean Romney is going to get to destroy a nationally-hated Democrat in 1972? Because I'd love to see him mow down, say, John Sparkman.

That's a pretty fascinating way to inverse the party system. I was gonna suggest Wilbur Mills.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Woohoo President Romney!

[KaiserDave]

Election Results

George Romney/Edward Brooke: 394-55.91% ✓
George C. Wallace/Jack M. Campbell: 144-43.99%

Good evening I'm Walter Cronkite and it's November 6th on CBS Evening News and the 1968 Presidential election is over. Governor George Wilcken Romney of Michigan is President-elect, and Senator Edward William Brooke is Vice President-elect. This is a momentous event in American history,  and an event that will certainly go down in history as one of the most important elections in our history. President Wallace has been defeated by an electoral vote margin of 394 to 144 and a popular vote margin of 56 to 44 percent, a large rout not seen since the days of Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin Roosevelt. President Wallace has conceded the race, and congratulated the President-elect, but refused to acknowledge the defeat of his ideas. Now why did President-elect Romney win such a big victory? Analysts have pinned it on a few things, firstly a massive sea change amongst black voters. Black voters were key to the victories of President Roosevelt's New Deal wins, but they went in a large majority to George Romney last night, with the added enthusiasm of a black man as the running man, definitely a massive moment for progress. Secondly liberal Democrats who backed McCarthy this time and Humphrey last time went to Romney in large majorities. Finally, those middle of the road voters, went to Governor Romney, mostly over the worsening economy and the war in Vietnam. In Congress, Gerald Ford and the Republicans finally took back the House with big wins in the north and west. In the Senate Republicans picked up Oregon and Pennsylvania, and in Iowa there was an interesting race. Humphrey's running mate Harold Hughes, a progressive ran for the Democratic nomination and lost to a populist Wallace backed candidate, but he ran as an Independent and with the support of many Republican voters won the race. Democrats continue to hold the senate strongly, but it appears the grip slips every year. If Democrats can take one silver lining, it's the Solid South seems to have swung irreparably against Republicans. Edward Brooke's selection may have incited a racist backlash in the south, which has caused a massive swing against Republicans. Not only did President Wallace carry every southern state, but at every level of government, state house, senate seats, congressional seats, even Agriculture Commissioners and School Boards, Republicans in most of the south outside some major metros were wiped out. If Republicans were going to try any Southern strategy, it is surely dead now. And that's the way it, November 6th, 1968.


Senate
Democrats: 64 (-2)
Republicans: 35 (+1)
Independents: 1 (+1)

Flips:  Oregon (D to R), Pennsylvania (D to R), Iowa (R to I)

House of Representatives
Republicans: 229 (+19)
Democrats: 208 (-19)

[We Live in Black and White]

Fatality.

[KaiserDave]

Fatality.

Perhaps Romney could have gotten +500 if he picked Bill Scranton or somebody else. But if he did that he might not have gotten his big margins in New York or other places, or made history.

[We Live in Black and White]

Fatality.

Perhaps Romney could have gotten +500 if he picked Bill Scranton or somebody else. But if he did that he might not have gotten his big margins in New York or other places, or made history.

Worth it. The Dixiecrats can keep their backwaters.

Also, those 60+ and 70+ margins in Wyoming and Utah respectively are beautiful.

[KaiserDave]

Fatality.

Perhaps Romney could have gotten +500 if he picked Bill Scranton or somebody else. But if he did that he might not have gotten his big margins in New York or other places, or made history.

Worth it. The Dixiecrats can keep their backwaters.

Also, those 60+ and 70+ margins in Wyoming and Utah respectively are beautiful.

Well Utah can be explained by President-elect Romney's Mormon faith but yes. Big swing against Wallace.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Would suburban counties such as Fairfax , Loudon, Tarrant , Cobb still be Republican

[KaiserDave]

Would suburban counties such as Fairfax , Loudon, Tarrant , Cobb still be Republican

Depends on the suburb

If it’s a liberal educated one than yes

If it’s a segregated and more conservative one, Democrat.

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons and Image Modified by Me

The Romney Administration

On January 20th, 1969 George Wilcken Romney took the oath of office as President of the United States. Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the oath, and Romney assumed the office of the presidency. Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen administered the oath of office to Vice President Edward William Brooke, the first African American Vice President in the history of the country. President Romney gave a speech praising the American virtues of equality, justice, and entrepreneurship. He spoke of how industry (not finance) built America, and how every American was entitled to the promises and liberties of the Declaration of Independence. He said that the four years of "violence and division" were over and promised that the next decade would be one of "progress and growth." The inauguration was attended by former Presidents Nixon, and by a dour President Wallace, though frail President Eisenhower could not attend. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was in attendance.

The road to inauguration day had not been easy. A week after election day a group of Wallace backers and right wing groups created "Citizens for the Legitimacy of the Presidency" that began to advocate that George Romney was not a legitimate President because of his Mexican birth, and implied that Edward Brooke was not a "real American." The group, bankrolled by Nelson Bunker Hunt, the outgoing Secretary of State. Their lawsuit was often defeated in the courts, but they continued to appeal and in time the case reached the highest court of the land in CLEP vs. Romney. In mid December the Warren Court ruled unanimously on the side of President-elect Romney and ruled that any person with American citizens as parents and other constitutional requirements could take the office of the Presidency. Despite this, the organization continued to exist as a conservative opposition to George Romney.

The Romney administration began by immediately bringing an end to Wallace policies on policing, aggressive federal militarization of police, and immediately put the federal government on the side of the Civil Rights Movement and industrial America. The Wallace deregulations were largely signed away, and the President signed a variety of measures that undid his executive actions in many respects. President Romney also made a series of symbolic pardons made for "racial healing." One of which who was pardoned was George Stinney, a 14 year old black child executed by electric chair for the supposed murder of two white children. The trial is largely believed to be a sham, and the crimes a fiction. He, and several other victims of discrimination in the justice system and the death penalty were pardoned by President Romney with Dr. Martin Luther King, and several NAACP leaders in attendance. The Romney cabinet included a defense team led by Henry Kissinger as National Security Advisor and Bill Scranton as Secretary of State, and he had a domestic team that included Hiram Fong as Attorney General and Roy Abernethy (George's successor at American motors) as Secretary of the Treasury. The cabinet immediately threw out Wallace policies in favor of more liberal ones on civil rights, housing, policing, the economy, and foreign policy.

However, Romney's domestic policy agenda took a backseat when Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev was shot by a deranged army deserter named Viktor Ilyn. While the Soviet leader struggled in the hospital, conflicting news reports emerged about who was seizing power in Moscow, including that the Red Army had put nuclear weapon enthusiast Andrei Grechko in power. However, this was not to be, as Brezhnev survived and gave an internationally televised address where he spoke about the space race and the continuing industrial development of the Union. It was all anyone needed to know about him being alive. President Romney scheduled new meetings with Soviet leadership to restore detente, and cool down the Cold War. As a show of good faith, and in accordance with his foreign policy agenda, Romney ordered the gradual withdrawal the vast majority of American soldiers in Vietnam by the summer, and halted all bombing of the nation as Paris Peace Talks continued.

The domestic policy train got out of the station with the Santa Barbara Oil Spill which saw 100,000 barrels of crude enter the local waterways and beaches. Romney visited the area and while he had already eliminated the Wallace anti-EPA policies, he pledged to do more in the next budget. As January passed Romney returned to Washington to get his agenda passed. The Voting Rights Act to end racial discrimination in voting was the first priority, Speaker Ford made sure it passed the House with ease, with minimal time in committee. In the Senate it was harder, Mike Mansfield had taken over from the late Lyndon Johnson (who had retired in 1966 and died in 1968 of a heart attack), and he was supportive of broad civil rights measures, but the Southern Democrats more confident than ever refused to allow the bill's passage. They filibustered the bill. But when Republicans teamed up with liberal Democrats like McCarthy, Humphrey, both Kennedys and Symington, the bill was able to squeak past the filibuster. With Dr. King and other civil rights leaders in attendance, the bill was signed on National TV by the President. But Romney wasn't done, a Fair Housing Act was next, including Romney's proposed "Open Communities" plan which would open up suburbs across America to Blacks and Jews. Southerners were even more opposed, and some moderates questioned how aggressively President Romney approached the housing developments, especially in a time of economic crisis. But Romney pushed ahead, he wouldn't take no for an answer. The bill passed by a single vote in the Senate and it was close in the House too.

Then he turned to the economy, Congress was happy to pass his stimulus bill, which eased taxes on most Americans and slashed the corporate tax from 48% to 35%. The bill made government backed loans to small businesses easier, though it avoided cash payments to struggling major industries. As Romney said, "I'm a businessman, I know that if you run your business into the ground you get the consequences, there is no golden parachute for CEOs when the put their workers out of a job." The stimulus was also combined with the "Romney shock" when Romney stopped the convertibility of dollars to Gold, and combined with the Romney Fed Chair's relaxation of interest rate both allowed unemployment to fall while keeping inflation under control. Unemployment fell, inflation barely rose, and the economy seemed to be headed in the direction. The only economic drawback were the deficits the government began running, which while angering Southern Conservatives, did not seem to bother most as long as inflation stayed stable. The Dow rose and the Romney administration seemed to have won a major victory. It won again when Kissinger and Scranton won a cease-fire in Paris, which allowed Romney to greatly escalate the troop withdrawal. The Anti-War movement did not end, but the government's adaptation of an anti-War perspective greatly helped in regards to public order. The Romney administration had just begun.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Decent presidency!