Out of the Shadow

[Cold War Liberal]

A Different Path, Chapter 3:
Out of the Shadow
The Humphrey Administration and Beyond

  

Coming soon...
(after finals week)

In the meantime, get caught up:
A Different Path, Chapter 1: The New Frontier
A Different Path, Chapter 2: Vice, Virtue, and Independence

[America Needs R'hllor]

YES

[KaiserDave]

Oh boy!

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

[Joe Biden 2024]

It's back!

[Cold War Liberal]

November 8, 1972
IT’S PRESIDENT HUMPHREY
Nation Rejects Goldwater as Liberal Icon Wins in 50-State Sweep;
Democrats Make Gains in House, Senate, Governorships

Sen. Hubert Humphrey/Sen. Henry Jackson: ~62%, 537* Electoral Votes ✓
Pres. Barry Goldwater/Fmr. Sen. Hiram Fong: ~37%, 1* Electoral Vote

*One Arizona faithless elector voted for Barry Goldwater and Hiram Fong to keep Washington as the only President to win 100% of the electoral vote; the other 5 Arizona electors voted for Humphrey, to whom they were pledged.
House Elections
1972
Democrats: 321 ( 25), ~58% of the vote
Republicans: 114 ( 25), ~41% of the vote

House Speaker: Carl Albert
Majority Leader: Phillip Burton
Majority Whip: John J. McFall

Minority Leader: Gerald Ford
Minority Whip: Bob Michel
Senate Elections
1972

Democrats: 69 ( 13)
Republicans: 31 ( 13)
Senate Makeup
93rd Congress

Red = 2 Democrats, Blue = 2 Republicans, Purple = 1 Democrat, 1 Republican
Governors’ Elections
1972

Governors’ Party
1973

Marshall Court
1973

Chief Justice
Thurgood Marshall (b. 1908, liberal, appointed by Kennedy in 1965)

Associate Justices
Harry Blackmun (b. 1908, moderate, appointed by Goldwater in 1971)
Byron White (b. 1917, moderate, appointed by Kennedy in 1962)
Arthur Goldberg (b. 1908, liberal, appointed by Kennedy in 1962)
Robert Bork (b. 1927, conservative, appointed by Goldwater in 1970)
G. Harrold Carswell (b. 1919, conservative, appointed by Goldwater in 1969)
Potter Stewart (b. 1915, moderate, appointed by Eisenhower in 1958)
Tom C. Clark (b. 1899, moderate, appointed by Truman in 1949)
William J. Brennan, Jr. (b. 1906, liberal, appointed by Eisenhower in 1956)
List of Presidents of the United States
As of Jan. 1, 1973

35. John F. Kennedy/Lyndon B. Johnson (1961-1964)
      John F. Kennedy/[vacant] (1964-1965)
      John F. Kennedy/Morris K. Udall (1965-1969)
36. Barry M. Goldwater/Ronald W. Reagan (1969-1973)
37. Hubert H. Humphrey/Henry M. Jackson (1973-19??)*

*President and Vice President-elect

[Cold War Liberal]

Update: I'm taking the time to go back and actually calculate the result of every single house race from 1964-1974 before I post the first chapter of this. I've already done 1964-1968 and am working on 1970. I'll finish 1970 tomorrow, then do 1972 and 1974, and then post the first chapter by the end of the week (hopefully).

Numbers for the house will change because they're based on actual (rough) math instead of a random guessing like they used to be. Also two Senate races in 1968 didn't make much sense in hindsight so I retconned them. Welcome Abraham Ribicoff (D-CT) and Wayne Morse (D-OR) back to the Senate.

Also I found out Hale Boggs loses in 1968 which has this knock-on effect: Tip O'Neill (D-MA-08) becomes Majority Leader early and is the one on the plane with Rep. Nick Begich (D-AK-AL) in 1972 when it goes down. Oops. Phillip Burton (D-CA-05) is the new Majority Leader after becoming Whip following O'Neill's ascension to Majority Leader in 1969.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Update: I'm taking the time to go back and actually calculate the result of every single house race from 1964-1974 before I post the first chapter of this. I've already done 1964-1968 and am working on 1970. I'll finish 1970 tomorrow, then do 1972 and 1974, and then post the first chapter by the end of the week (hopefully).

Numbers for the house will change because they're based on actual (rough) math instead of a random guessing like they used to be. Also two Senate races in 1968 didn't make much sense in hindsight so I retconned them. Welcome Abraham Ribicoff (D-CT) and Wayne Morse (D-OR) back to the Senate.

Also I found out Hale Boggs loses in 1968 which has this knock-on effect: Tip O'Neill (D-MA-08) becomes Majority Leader early and is the one on the plane with Rep. Nick Begich (D-AK-AL) in 1972 when it goes down. Oops. Phillip Burton (D-CA-05) is the new Majority Leader after becoming Whip following O'Neill's ascension to Majority Leader in 1969.

Interesting! Appreciate the efforts you're making here
Also, really hoping for President Scoop Jackson in this TL even though I know it's unlikely

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Beautiful!

[Cold War Liberal]

Also, really hoping for President Scoop Jackson in this TL even though I know it's unlikely

[Cold War Liberal]

Fun fact: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH-23), elected in 1972 at age 26, is the youngest House member ever elected.

[Cold War Liberal]

November 9, 1972

THE DEATH OF THE GOP?

   With the landslide loss of President Goldwater to Hubert Humphrey and the incoming Democratic supermajorities in the House and Senate, some are speculating that the Goldwater Administration may just be what kills the Republican party. The outgoing President, currently sitting at around 30% approval, became the only sitting President to ever lose all 50 states. President Goldwater was the champion of the conservative movement in the late 50’s and throughout the 1960’s, and rode to victory in 1968 amid a wave of conservative anger at the Kennedy Administration’s expansion of civil rights and government antipoverty programs.

   After a rebuke of the Goldwater Administration in the 1970 midterms, the Democratic wave crashed down hard upon President Goldwater and his wing of the GOP. Democrats gained 25 House seats, 13 seats in the Senate, and won all but three of the state governorships up for election in 1972 (additionally, incoming independent Governor McLane of New Hampshire is a moderate liberal as well, though not affiliated with the Democratic party). The Democrats have the largest House majority since 1935 and are just two members shy of setting a new record. Some new Congressmen, such as Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH-23), Rep. Bernard Sanders (D-VT-AL), and Rep. Allard Lowenstein (D-NY-04) are very liberal, a stark contrast to Goldwater’s conservatism. Many blame these new supermajorities on anger at Goldwater’s handling of the Vietnam War and the recent fall of Saigon, his ending of farm subsidies, and his unsuccessful attempts at privatizing Social Security. Democrats successfully mobilized their base against the incumbent government, and had success reaching out across the aisle as well, leading to a massive win in what is sure to be recorded as one of the lowest turnout Presidential elections in American history.

   The GOP is now left without a clear leader who is unaffiliated with Goldwater or his unpopular Administration. Without a radical shift in ideology, it is hard to see how the Republicans can rebound in time to win in 1974, 1976, or possibly even 1978. However, politics is usually full of surprises, and only time will tell what lies in the future of the Republican party.

November 29, 1972

Humphrey Names More Cabinet Picks

   President-elect Hubert Humphrey has announced three new Cabinet appointments today, following last week’s announcement that former Transportation Secretary Alan Boyd would be renominated to his old position, Joseph Barr would be nominated to the Treasury Department, and that Mark Felt would remain FBI Director.

   First was the announcement that Florida congressman and former Senator Claude Pepper will be the nation’s next Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Congressman Pepper has made issues of Social Security, healthcare, and old age major focuses of his, and is now expected to work with President Humphrey to make progress on those fronts as HEW Secretary.

   The next nominee to be announced was that of Idaho Senator Frank Church to the Interior Department. While Senator Church was rumored to have been considered for the position of Secretary of State due to his foreign policy chops, President-elect Humphrey apparently decided that Interior would be a better fit for Church, who also has a strong conservationist record. Governor Andrus has announced that Idaho State Senator John V. Evans will be Church’s replacement in the US Senate.

   And finally, for now, is the announcement that one of President Kennedy’s Deputy Secretary of Defense, Cyrus Vance, will be nominated to the position of Defense Secretary in the incoming Humphrey Administration. Vance was widely expected to be nominated, as he has years of experience in the Department of Defense. Vance also spoke out in the press against the war in Vietnam back in the middle of 1969, when the war was still popular, and warned that the war was not going to be easily winnable.

   Humphrey also announced yesterday that his campaign manager, Gary Hart, will be the next White House Chief of Staff.

December 18, 1972

The Electoral College officially meets and elects Hubert Humphrey and Henry Jackson President and Vice President, respectively. One Arizona elector votes for Goldwater at Humphrey's request, to preserve Washington as the only US President to win 100% of the electoral vote.

December 26, 1972

Harry S Truman, the 33rd President of the United States (1945-1953) passes away at age 88.

January 1, 1973
Gallup Poll
President Goldwater Approval Rating
Disapprove: 70%
Approve: 27%
Not sure: 2%
Didn’t answer: 1%
President-elect Humphrey Approval Rating
Approve: 71%
Disapprove: 15%
Not sure: 11%
Didn’t answer: 3%

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Yay! Claude Pepper will do great

[Cold War Liberal]

January 4, 1973
George Ball to be Secretary of State; Clark to be Attorney General

President-elect Hubert Humphrey announced this morning that former Under Secretary of State George Ball is his pick to run the State Department. His appointment was sent to the 93rd Congress, which convened for the first time yesterday. A liberal on foreign policy, Ball was the man in Kennedy’s ear most fervently against escalating Vietnam. He is expected to easily sail to nomination, as the Democrats hold a supermajority in the Senate.

Additionally, Ramsey Clark, the very pro-civil rights former Deputy Attorney General, will be Humphrey’s nominee for Attorney General. Humphrey has appointed a very liberal Cabinet so far, and his pick for DOJ is no different. Clark’s father, Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark, announced immediately after the nomination of his son that he would be retiring at the end of this judicial term. Humphrey will begin meeting with potential replacements for Clark after his inauguration.

The new Senate has been hard at work confirming Humphrey’s Cabinet. Cyrus Vance was confirmed to Defense, Claude Pepper was confirmed to HEW, and John Connally was confirmed to Commerce. Frank Church sailed through his hearings to become the next Interior Secretary, and Alan Boyd easily got approved to his old post at Transportation. Cesar Chavez, having been persuaded by Humphrey that he could help migrant workers more as a Cabinet member than a grassroots activist, was confirmed to head up the Agriculture Department, mostly along ideological (though not party) lines. Labor Secretary nominee Walter Reuther’s hearings are still ongoing, as he is one of the more controversial nominees. Head of the United Automobile Workers’ union, Reuther is unpopular among Southern conservative Democrats, though with the overwhelming Democratic majority it is quite likely Reuther will be confirmed anyway. The President-elect made history by nominating the first African-American woman to a Cabinet post when he nominated Patricia Roberts Harris to the Housing Department (which Humphrey has vowed to make more powerful); Harris was confirmed this morning. And finally (so far), Kennedy in-law Sargent Shriver got confirmed to his new post as UN Ambassador.

January 15, 1973
President Goldwater Gives Farewell Address

Speaking from Phoenix, Arizona, outgoing President Goldwater gave the last major speech of his administration this evening. In it, he took a more combative stance than most farewell speeches. "America will not forever succumb to the dangers of rampant liberalism," cried the President; "one day, conservatism will rise again in this country."

January 20, 1973

President Humphrey and Vice President Jackson are sworn in at the Capitol.

“Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Kennedy, President Goldwater, Vice President Reagan, Senator Fong, my fellow Americans.”

“...the America of four years ago was a better one by nearly every metric. Unemployment was down. Inflation was down. The dollar was more robust and America’s image around the world was better. We must take care in the coming days, months, and years to remedy these mistakes and fight the problems of the 1970’s with the solutions of the 1970’s, and not those solutions found in an idyllic myth of some bygone past…”

“...our great nation, which has withstood great troubles in the past, has once again proven that it can withstand great troubles in the present. We are a resilient people, a people which takes matters into our own hands not by revolution or violent uprising but by peaceful protest and diligence at the ballot box…”

“...we must provide for those who are poor, protect the rights of those who are oppressed, and preserve America's place as a superpower on the world stage. These are the guiding principles of this new administration. In the next hundred days and the next four years, we will pass civil rights legislation; protect workers, farmers, and everyday Americans; and ensure all Americans have easier access to common-sense government programs designed to help all of us…”

“...America’s promise has never dulled nor retreated into the shadows, and today, it shines bright like a beacon pointing us away from yesterday and towards tomorrow!”

Humphrey Cabinet
President: Hubert Humphrey
Vice President: Henry M. Jackson
-------
Secretary of State: George Ball
Secretary of the Treasury: Joseph Barr
Secretary of Defense: Cyrus Vance
Attorney General: Ramsey Clark
Secretary of the Interior: Frank Church
Secretary of Agriculture: Cesar Chavez
Secretary of Commerce: John Connally
Secretary of Labor: Walter Reuther
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Claude Pepper
Secretary of Housing: Patricia Roberts Harris
Secretary of Transportation: Alan Boyd
-------
FBI Director: Mark Felt
Director of Central Intelligence: Hugh B. Hester
-------
Chief of Staff: Gary Hart
Press Secretary: Frank Mankiewicz
Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Robert Coldwell Wood
United States Trade Representative: Robert Strauss
United States Ambassador to the United Nations: Sargent Shriver
Gallup Poll
January 20, 1973
President Goldwater Approval Rating
Disapprove: 70%
Approve: 27%
Not sure: 2%
Didn’t answer: 1%
President Humphrey Approval Rating
Approve: 71%
Disapprove: 15%
Not sure: 11%
Didn’t answer: 3%
Should the Equal Rights Amendment be ratified?
Yes: 76%
No: 20%
Not sure: 3%
Didn’t answer: 1%

[KaiserDave]

Yes! Update!
Wow, loving HHH.
America will be much more liberal in this TL.

[Mr. Smith]

Wow, I missed a lot!

[Cold War Liberal]

January 20, 1973

Humphrey officially appoints his Cabinet following the inauguration, and publicly urges Congress to send him bills on civil rights and welfare.

January 22, 1973

ROE V. WADE: Supreme Court decides 6-3 (Bork, White, Carswell dissenting) that abortion is a Constitutional right.

January 29, 1973

The Housing Rights Act of 1973, a bill which allows the Housing Department to “strictly enforce” anti-discrimination policies, passes the House 297-136.

January 30, 1973

The HRA passes the Senate 65-35. President Humphrey proclaims “the era of housing discrimination ends now” when signing the bill into law.

February 2, 1973

President Humphrey addresses Congress for the first time. In his first unofficial “state of the union,” the President proudly points to the recently enacted Housing Rights Act as a “great piece of legislation” and states that it is only the beginning of the extensive agenda of the Humphrey Administration.

February 5, 1973

Associate Justice Tom C. Clark confirms that he will retire at the end of the Supreme Court term, as expected. This is apparently due to a deal between Clark and Humphrey reached before the inauguration; in return for allowing the new President to appoint a younger new justice, he would appoint Clark’s son, Ramsey, Attorney General. Humphrey is alleged to be considering a young candidate who would be a “first” for the Court.

February 12, 1973

The Voting Rights Act of 1973 is passed in the House 322-113. The VRA, which initially failed under the Kennedy Administration, would protect the right to vote for all Americans, including millions of African-Americans, and give the government renewed powers to enforce the 14th Amendment.

February 17, 1973

Florida becomes the 35th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Governor Askew calls this a “victory for all Americans, regardless of their sex.”

February 19, 1973

The Senate passes the VRA 72-28. President Humphrey signs it into law and says that “it’s about time we ensure the Constitution applies to everyone!” The President celebrates with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta in the White House.

March 2, 1973

Washington and Idaho special Senate elections are scheduled for November 6.

March 7, 1973

President Humphrey sets up a commission, lead by Senator LeRoy Collins (D-FL) and Governor Ivan Allen, Jr. (D-GA), to assess the state of desegregation in the South and measures the Humphrey Administration can take to improve race relations, promote integration, and help black Americans build wealth.

March 20, 1973

Former President John F. Kennedy announces he is funding a new initiative to help research Addison’s disease, a chronic endocrine disorder. The popular former President, 55, was noticeably thinner, stiffer, and more pained than he appeared during his Presidency, leading to speculation that Kennedy himself has the disease. The Kennedy family denied these claims, stating that President Kennedy was simply suffering from a flaring-up of a back injury sustained during his time in the Navy during World War II.

March 21, 1973

In San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, the Supreme Court rules that funding schools via property taxes is an unconstitutional violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment because it gives an unfair advantage to the wealthy. Justices Marshall, Clark, Brennan, White, and Goldberg were the majority, with Blackmun, Bork, Carswell, and Stewart dissenting.

March 22, 1973

A group of Chinese and Soviet soldiers get into an altercation on the border of the PRC and USSR. No one is injured, but the dispute threatens to reignite tensions between the two Communist countries, which had somewhat settled since the border conflicts of the late 1960’s. New Chairwoman Jiang Qing, who came to power after the assassination of her late husband Mao Zedong in 1972, has been aggressive in her foreign policy.

April 4, 1973

President Humphrey, Governor Kennedy, former Secretary Rockefeller, and Senators Javits and Harriman attend ribbon-cutting for the newly-finished World Trade Center in New York City, the tallest buildings in the world.

April 10, 1973

President Humphrey reaches out to Chairwoman Jiang Qing about taking steps towards improving relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Jiang flatly rejected Humphrey’s proposals.

April 27, 1973

A WOMAN ON THE COURT?

  Today, President Humphrey nominated the honorable Judge Shirley Hufstedler to the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Associate Justice Tom C. Clark. Hufstedler was appointed by President Kennedy to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1968, and would be the first woman in history to serve on the Supreme Court. Liberal Senators such as Walter Mondale (DFL-MN) and George McGovern (D-SD) have praised the choice, while some conservatives such as Bob Dole (R-KS) and Spiro Agnew (R-MD) have raised concerns over her qualifications.

Gallup Poll
April 30, 1973
President Humphrey Approval Rating
Approve: 67%
Disapprove: 26%
Not sure: 7%

[YE]

I kept up with this a bit a while ago but haven’t read through recent bits. Nice work and a break from the stupid 2016-2020 TL stuff that clutters this board. Glad to see my boi Hubert Humphrey being a successful president!

[NewYorkExpress]

It's a shame Humphrey's cancer diagnosis can't really be butterflied away. The question is will it be sped up here?

Scoop Jackson is quite a hawk, and moderate compared to other Democrats, and would be vulnerable to a primary challenge from someone like George McGovern or Robert Kennedy (though RFK would have some of the same problems as Ted would, minus the womanizing).

As for the Republicans, I'll bet they'll gain seats in 1974... And I'll be bold and predict on a primary battle between Richard Nixon (you've certainly foreshadowed that he'll run again) and Bob Dole in 1976.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

SENATOR LEROY COLLINS

His nephew was my Government teacher in HS!

[Cold War Liberal]

Scoop Jackson is quite a hawk, and moderate compared to other Democrats, and would be vulnerable to a primary challenge from someone like George McGovern or Robert Kennedy (though RFK would have some of the same problems as Ted would, minus the womanizing).

Ol' Scoop is very hawkish on foreign policy. That's not gonna change. If he becomes president, he'll have been VP to Humphrey, who has the potential to be the most liberal president since at least FDR on domestic policy, which could conceivably have an impact on Jackson's domestic policy. However, though he wasn't McGovern by any stretch of the imagination, OTL Jackson was solidly in favor of unions and civil rights; ITTL America is even more liberal so we'll see what Jackson is capable of - if he's given the reigns of power, that is. A lot can happen before he runs for president himself in, say, 1980. McGovern, his greatest adversary within the party, likely won't be a major player after losing narrowly in the 1968 primaries and surprisingly badly in the 1972 primaries. Maybe a more dovish Democrat could challenge him in '80?

(Of course, I already have all of 1973-1985 planned out fairly extensively and have for a while now, I know exactly what happens )

As for the Republicans, I'll bet they'll gain seats in 1974... And I'll be bold and predict on a primary battle between Richard Nixon (you've certainly foreshadowed that he'll run again) and Bob Dole in 1976.

Former Vice/Acting President Reagan is by far the most popular Republican in the country, but he's so far definitively ruled out a run. There are a bunch of big names that could run, but will they? Humphrey's pretty strong ATM, though again, there's a political eternity between April 1973 and January 1976.

SENATOR LEROY COLLINS

His nephew was my Government teacher in HS!

Oh that's really cool!

LeRoy Collins is by far the best thing to come out of George Wallace's 1968 coattails, and is possibly my favorite alternate senator ITTL.

Except Spiro Agnew, I love having him in the Senate to comment on current events once in a while.

[KaiserDave]

Please keep glorious HHH alive

[Cold War Liberal]

May 2, 1973

The “Hanoi Report” Released

  The UN Special Committee on Nuclear War releases its finished report on the US nuclear attack on Hanoi that took place on June 1, 1971. The UN sets the official death toll at around 500,000 people who were instantly vaporized; 750,000 more died from radiation sickness or other injury over the next year and a half. In Vietnam, Cambodia, and a swath of the southern PRC, the effects of nuclear fallout are beginning to show. Pregnancy rates have dropped slightly but noticeably, while cancer rates have ticked up. Current data cannot conclude with absolute certainty that this is due to the fallout, but experts both at the UN and elsewhere agree that the attacks are likely the cause.

May 6, 1973

US intelligence shows 30,000 Chinese troops moving towards the Manchurian border with the USSR. The troops stop in Jiamusi. Leaders around the world are concerned that Chairwoman Jiang’s foreign policy is more bellicose than that of her late husband.

May 14, 1973

Ruth B. Ginsburg delivers the ACLU a win with the Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision in favor of Sharron Frontiero in Frontiero v. Richardson. The US military must give benefits out to military spouses of both genders, the Court decided. Justices Bork and Carswell dissented.

May 25, 1973

President Humphrey declares that, “just as John F. Kennedy said we must go to the moon, I stand before you to declare that humanity must forge a path to the next frontier: the planet Mars.” Humphrey announces a bill will be introduced to double NASA’s budget to achieve this goal by 2000. “Man should set foot on another planet in little more than a quarter century,” Humphrey stated, “and I should hope to live to see it.”

May 27, 1973

The Next Frontier Act of 1973 passes with 251 votes in the House.

May 29, 1973

The Next Frontier Act of 1973 passes with 62 votes in the Senate, and is signed into law by President Humphrey. NASA’s budget for FY 1974 will be slightly over $7 million, with a new focus on putting a man on Mars by 1990.

June 7, 1973

The leaders of North and South Vietnam, along with Premier Zhou Enlai of the PRC and USSR Second Secretary Mikhail Suslov, meet in Saigon to discuss plans for the new Vietnam and how it fits into the world order. President Humphrey requested a place for himself, Secretary Ball, Secretary Vance, or some other representative of the US at the metaphorical table, but the request was denied.

June 9, 1973

The McGovern Amendment, a proposed Constitutional Amendment to require the US to call for a national referendum before declaring war, is voted on in the US Senate. It fails, with only 56 Senators voting for it and 44 Senators voting against it, well short of the 67 votes needed to send it to the House. Senator George McGovern (D-SD) states he will not reintroduce his eponymous amendment; this is the second time it has failed to pass.

June 10, 1973

Illinois becomes the 36th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

June 13, 1973

A national referendum is scheduled in Vietnam as a result of the recent summit. It will take place on November 1. Voters will be able to choose from uniting Vietnam under communism, uniting Vietnam under capitalist democracy, and keeping the pre-war North/South Vietnam divide.

June 15, 1973

Shirley Hufstedler’s confirmation hearing scheduled for the beginning of August.

June 27, 1973

President Humphrey and General Secretary Brezhnev meet in Vienna for what will be the first of several arms limitation talks between the two world leaders over the course of the following couple of years. Secretary Brezhnev was open to such talks earlier, but former President Goldwater was not. President Humphrey campaigned on repairing the US-Soviet relationship, and he saw an end to the arms race as the start of fulfilling those promises.

July 6, 1973

The House passes the Comprehensive Child Development Act of 1973, which would, if signed into law, provide free or subsidized day care to single, working parents across the country. Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (D-NY-12), the sponsor of the bill in the House, called the Act a victory for women and poor Americans.

July 13, 1973

In a primetime speech, President Humphrey calls on Congress to pass not only the Child Development Act, but environmental protection legislation as well. The Clean Air Act and National Environmental Protection Act had both passed despite Goldwater’s veto in 1971, but Humphrey called for a Cabinet-level position to more effectively carry out the protection and conservation of the American environment.

July 22, 1973

Special Senate elections: Senator Tom Foley (D) to face former Governor Daniel Evans (R) in Washington; Senator John V. Evans (D) and former Congressman James A. McClure (R) fight for the seat in Idaho.

July 27, 1973

After much debate, the Senate passes the Comprehensive Child Development Act of 1973 with a vote of 65 to 35. President Humphrey signs it into law in the presence of a collection of lower-and-middle class working women from around the country, and the bill’s sponsors, including Rep. Chisholm, Rep. Andrew Young (D-GA-05) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

August 6 - 10, 1973

Shirley Hufstedler appears before Congress for a series of confirmation hearings. Despite the monumental prospect of the first permanent female member of the Supreme court (President Goldwater appointed Phyllis Schlafly to the Court in 1970 during a Congressional recess, but she was voted down in 1971), the hearings are fairly boring. Hufstedler proves to be a reserved, competent jurist, and is widely seen to likely be a moderate vote on the Court. At 48 years old, Hufstedler could easily serve on the Court for three decades of more.

August 14, 1973

The Judiciary Committee sends Hufstedler’s nomination to the floor on a unanimous vote. The full Senate votes to confirm her to the Court, with the only Senator voting no being Strom Thurmond (R-SC). Associate Justice Shirley Hufstedler is sworn in the following afternoon.

Marshall Court, 1973

Chief Justice
Thurgood Marshall (b. 1908, liberal, appointed by Kennedy in 1965)

Associate Justices
Harry Blackmun (b. 1908, moderate, appointed by Goldwater in 1971)
Byron White (b. 1917, moderate, appointed by Kennedy in 1962)
Arthur Goldberg (b. 1908, liberal, appointed by Kennedy in 1962)
Robert Bork (b. 1927, conservative, appointed by Goldwater in 1970)
G. Harrold Carswell (b. 1919, conservative, appointed by Goldwater in 1969)
Potter Stewart (b. 1915, moderate, appointed by Eisenhower in 1958)
Shirley Hufstedler (b. 1925, moderate, appointed by Humphrey in 1973)
William J. Brennan, Jr. (b. 1906, liberal, appointed by Eisenhower in 1956)

September 9, 1973

President Humphrey meets with Senator Kennedy and HEW Secretary Claude Pepper at the White House to discuss proposals for comprehensive healthcare reform. The Administration sets the goal to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system by the 1976 elections.

September 24, 1973

Significantly more Chinese troops are moved towards Kashmir. India and Pakistan get nervous and move more troops towards the region as well; the CIA reports to President Humphrey that India and Pakistan have also increased spending on developing nuclear capabilities. This concerns the President.

October 3, 1973

After months of debate, the Environmental Protection and Conservation Act of 1973 (EPCA) passes the House with 259 votes in its favor. The bill would create a Cabinet-level Department of Environmental Affairs, which would be tasked with protecting and conserving America’s environment. The DoEA would research the environment, conduct studies, and provide solutions to environmental problems. In addition to these new functions, various environment-focused functions of other Cabinet departments would be folded into the DoEA as well.

October 8, 1973

The EPCA passes the Senate with 73 votes. President Humphrey signs it into law, and announces that he will choose a nominee to be the DoEA Secretary within two weeks.

October 20, 1973

President Humphrey announces Douglas Costle, a vocal environmentalist who pushed for the EPCA, will be his choice for DoEA Secretary.

October 22, 1973

Missouri becomes the 37th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

October 24, 1973

The Senate unanimously confirms Douglas Costle as the first Secretary of Environmental Affairs.

November 1, 1973

Vietnam Referendum, 1973:
Reunite Under Communism: 55.19% ✓
Reunite Under Capitalism: 35.76%
Stay Divided: 7.79%
None of the Above: 1.26%

Despite the best (covert) efforts of the CIA, the Vietnamese people choose communism, creating an air of doom and gloom among Western observers who subscribe to the domino theory.

November 6, 1973
U.S. ELECTION SPECIAL: Democrats Run the Table
New Jersey Gubernatorial Election, 1973
Brendan Byrne: 67.22% ✓
Charles Sandman, Jr.: 31.05%

Virginia Gubernatorial Election, 1973
Henry Howell: 50.34% ✓
Mills Godwin: 49.66%

Idaho Special Senate Election, 1973
John Evans*: 54.91% ✓
James McClure: 45.09%

Washington Special Senate Election, 1973
Tom Foley*: 57.25% ✓
Daniel Evans: 42.75%

New York City Mayoral Election, 1973
Herman Badillo: 37.71% ✓
Allard Lowenstein: 34.18
John Marchi: 15.99%
Mario Biaggi: 11.02%

November 24, 1973

President Humphrey meets with several congressmen and Senators about possible education policies that could be pursued in 1974.

December 6, 1973

Following another round of border skirmishes, Soviet leader Brezhnev warns that if war breaks out between the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, he fears that the use of nuclear weapons would be “inevitable, if not immediate.” In response, Chairwoman Jiang says that “would be a pity,” which stikes an ominous tone on the world stage. President Humphrey calls this exchange “troubling” in a press conference.

Gallup Poll
January 1, 1974
Do you approve of the job President Humphrey is doing as President?
Yes: 64%
No: 33%
No opinion: 2%
Not sure: 1%
Didn't answer: 0%
Do you approve of President Humphrey personally?
Yes: 82%
No: 8%
No opinion: 8%
Not sure: 1%
Didn't answer: 1%
If the 1974 midterms were held today, who would you vote for?
Democrats: 44%
Republicans: 42%
Others: 1%
Not sure: 12%
Didn't answer: 1%
Should the Equal Rights Amendment become a part of the US Constitution?
Yes: 87%
No: 8%
Not sure: 4%
Didn't answer: 1%
If the 1976 Presidential election were held today, who would you vote for?
President Hubert Humphrey/Vice President Henry Jackson: 42%
Generic Republicans: 21%
Others: 2%
Not sure: 36%
Didn't answer: 1%

[RFK Jr.’s Brain Worm]

Glad to see so much progress! One thing though, isn’t 1990 only 17 years (not more than a quarter century) from 1973?

[YE]

Hoping the ERA passes.