1964 and beyond...

[johnpressman]

Sorry to get into this thread so late but Rockefeller shot his 1964 Presidential chances in the foot by divoricing his wife and marrying his houskeeper, Margaretta "Happy" Murphy, a woman nearly 20 years his junior, with whom he had been carrying on an affair, who left her marrige and children for him. in 1963. 


Remember, the counterculture nonwithstanding, America was a MUCH more conservative nation in those days. The circumstances of Rocky's marrige and divorce ended his presidential aspirations.  He worked behind the scenes in  "Stop-Goldwater" and "Stop-Nixon" movements in 1964 and 1968, only entering the race in 68 at the eleventh hour.  Interestingly enough, he was LBJ's choice for President after his own non-candidacy in 68 and the only Republican JFK feared in 60 and 64!

P.S. Rocky died "in the saddle" with his mistress/secretary Megan Marshank in 1979 when he was 71!  Old Rocky just couldn't keep it in his pants!

[johnpressman]

Hey Winfield, that last statement was pretty harsh.  I do not know what kind of President Rocky would have made. A whole generation of New Yorkers grew up knowing only Rocky as Governor; 1959 to 1974, when he resigned to accept the Vice Presidency under Ford.  His divorce and re-marrige ended his Presidential ambitions.

As for RFK, I guess I must agree with you.  His hard-edged, no-compromise style probably would have worked against him as President.  He had already alienated most of the Democratic Party, from its' representatives in Congress on down to the rank-and-file party faithful.  My contention is, had he lived, he would NOT have been nominated in 1968.  He could have possibly won the nomination in 1972 but, with the Vietnam War winding down,  would have been crushed by Nixon, doing only slightly better than McGovern.  After that, who knows?