A Second Chance - CONCLUSION

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

April 4th, 1977
Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR) has the floor in the Senate and begins speaking.
    Hatfield: ...[A]nd while I do applaud the President's economic stimulus package, he has shown no effort to end the current conflict in Palestine! I have frequently called the Pentagon and the State Department asking to see a time-table or a set of goals and nothing has come forth from either source! Other Senators have done the same! Kennedy came in with a promise to end this conflict, and nothing so far has come forth except for a brief statement (the Senator holds up a piece of paper with a couple of lines printed on it)!

Senator Hatfield today, protesting the President's inaction on the war in Palestine. the Oregon Senator is a rumored candidate for President in 1980 and has been a fiery critic of the last three Presidents-Bush, Agnew, and JFK. We asked him about a possible bid three years from now.

The camera switches to footage of Hatfield leaving the Senate followed by a reporter.
    Reporter: Senator Hatfield! Does today's criticism of the President foreshadow any possible Presidential bid?
    Hatfield: Of course there's always the possibility of a Presidential bid. However, right now I'm concentrating on doing what's right for the country, and that's getting our troops out of this disastrous war. Yes the death of Henry Jackson was a horrible thing. However, had President Bush looked at the data, I believe that he would have sided against this costly and bloody invasion.
    Reporter: How do you feel about other possible contenders, such as former Senator Reagan, former Attorney General John Ashbrook, and Senator Bob Dole?
    Hatfield: I believe they are all good men and I worked with both Reagan and Dole in the Senate. However, I don't believe that they are the right men at this time to represent the American People.
    Reporter: Then who would be?
    Hatfield: Eh...I'm not sure about that.


In the Oval Office, President Kennedy turns off the television after wathing the interview with Senator Hatfield. In the Oval Office are Secretary of Defense Jimmy Carter, Senator John Connally, and former President John F Kennedy.
    Bobby: What do you think?
    Jack: Oh, he's running, no doubt about it.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

June 18th, 1977
The office of Director of Central Intellgience Richard Bissell. The Directors sits and talks of Navy Secretary Stansfield Turner.
    Bissell: Listen, the President, right now, is handling a lot of things. The economy, the war in Palestine, and foreign affiars. For the past few months he's had my team working not only on our usual functions, but on finding out as much as possible about a tiny island ninety miles off Florida.
    Turner: I thought that issue was settled after Nixon's failure.
    Bissell: Some things never die.
    Turner: Well, I haven't been in contact with the President. What does he plan to do? I haven't heard everything through Carter either.
    Bissell: That's the thing. This is supposed to be a CIA operation, but-
    Turner: What's supposed to be a CIA operation? You haven't mentioned any proposed operation yet.
    Bissell: The President and I both feel that it's time to...take out this possible threat. You know, after Nixon's failure at ousting Castro, they're not really afraid of us down there and the Soviets don't really have anything stopping them from trying to put missiles there again. After all, Cuba pretty much dropped off the radar in 1963 after the last incident. We were just too afraid of another humiliation after that.
    Turner: Why didn't JFK do anything? He wanted Castro gone.
    Bissell: JFK was a dying man while in the Presidency and still is. Have you seen footage of him from June of 1965 onward? He's got Addison's disease. That rumor proved true. Vietnam was enough of a drain on him, let alone dealing with a Republican controlled Congress and a small recession in his last two years.
    Turner: Was it just that much of a non-issue by 1973, or were we still afraid? Agnew and Bush did nothing.
    Bissell: Agnew was concentrated on power, wealth, and the economy. Bush was happy to play detente with the Soviets and China and get us into a war in Palestine. Now we have a chance.
    Turner: I'll have to talk to Carter about this.
    Bissell: That's exactly the opposite of why you were asked here. This is to be a CIA operation in conjunction with the Navy and the Marines. We'll be using CIA intelligence and agents, but Naval technology and assistance from the marines.
    Turner: Okay. Is there any concrete plan set in place?
    Bissell: Not yet. We're still reviewing intelligence and working on building a spy network inside Cuba.
    Turner: Well, contact me whenever you need Navy planning and tech on board.
    Bissell: Good. And remember, this is not to go anywhere above the Navy. Carter and Brzezinski aren't supposed to know about this, and I'm not sure on whether Vance will be included. No leaks!
    Turner: Got it.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Well, I finally got to page 32. Any comments?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Bump. 17 years of a timeline. Not bad.

Well, I finally got to page 32. Any comments?

congratulations!!! But I think you'll get to page 100 soon haha...
about the TL.. I really like those conversations between politicians (specially if they are democrats and their surname is kennedy hahaha).

Thanks. Hopefully I'll update this soon. Maybe even today. I'm trying to figure out how to move it along to 1980 and the things I want to happen in between.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

July 13th, 1977
In the Oval Office, President Kennedy sits across from a man he thought that he would never find himself in any alliance with. However, politics and the Presidency can lead to several strange alliances.
    Goldwater: Mr. President. Why did you call me here?
    Kennedy: I know you had somewhat of a friendship with Jack despite political differences, and I need a favor to be carried out and you, with your knowledge of the Pentagon and of the Senate, can help me.
    Goldwater: **Sigh** A lot of time has passed since Jack left office. How's he doing?
    Kennedy: (eyes turn downward) Not good. Addison's is eating him away. The Presidency did irreparable harm there.
    Goldwater: Well, I'm sorry to here that. I remember watching that happen to him as well...  Anyway, what favor do you need?
    Kennedy: 1960's and 1970's spending left our economy in horrible shape in 1974 through 1975. And- and I'm not going to just say it was Agnew and Nixon, it was Jack too. I- I'll admit that. However, the fact is that we need to, in Agnew's words "Whip Inflation Now". I know you voted against the stimulus that's been pushed. However, I think you'll find this much more enticing.
    Goldwater: What? My interest is growing.
    Kennedy: The military. Yes, I know we need our nation's defenses. However, I view this as a reasonable thing that just about every person can sign on to. We need to reform the military, get rid of the billion dollar wastes that keep coming up. We also need to re-organize the chain of command.
    Goldwater: These are reforms I've always supported.
    Kennedy: Good. Hopefully this will help to save money in the future and dig us out of this horrible hole that we've been digging. I believe you know Congressman Rumsfeld of Illinois?
    Goldwater: Heh. Yes. He endorsed me in 1964 and 1968. I specifically remember accidentally pronouncing his name "Rumsfield" when I visited his district. He later told me he was glad in 1964 because his seat was in danger, and he didn't want to be too identified with the right-wing nutcase people saw me as. Yes, yes I know him. He was instrumental in getting rid of the draft in 1974.
    Kennedy: Good. I've been talking with him and he's very interested in this. He's also interested in working with the defense department to craft a "winning strategy" for Palestine. He's noted some of the mistakes in Vietnam. Despite winning, there were ways we could've wrapped it up sooner, I admit.
    Goldwater: I'm wondering why you asked me to work on this. Why not Hatfield or Percy, good moderate Republicans?
    Kennedy: Let me tell you. Hatfield's impossible to work with because he's too damned concentrated on winning a Presidential election in 1980. Percy, well, he doesn't carry the same weight as you. You've been the Conservative poster boy since 1960 at least, you've been Secretary of Defense, and you'd bring in Conservative support. Can you imagine Conservatives saying "Well, I'll sign on because Hatfield's signing on"? However, I believe you can bring them in. Besides, I think that there are already people willing to vote for this including Hatfield and your son, Barry Jr. from California.
    Goldwater: Well, I guess now you have two Goldwaters to give you hell.
    Kennedy: (smiles) Well, I think I can handle both of you. Be seeing you.
    
Goldwater and Kennedy exchange farewell greetings and Goldwater departs.

It was in that meeting, on a cloudy, gray June day, that the Goldwater-Rumsfeld act was born. It would accomplish more in the way of military reforms and budget control since Eisenhower and possibly every, and more than the following two Presidents were able to accomplish. However, within two years, accomplishments like that would soon be overshadowed.

-In My Defense, Robert F Kennedy, (c) 1984

Senator Goldwater and President Robert F Kennedy discussing the Goldwater-Rumsfeld Act

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

August 2nd, 1977
At a press conference in Washington DC, Congressman Donald Rumsfeld addresses a crowd of reporters.
    Rumsfeld: Ladies and gentlemen. It is my proud duty to be the one to announce that a  bill calling for reform of the military entailing re-organization of the chain of command, review of spending projects, and cutting of wasteful spending will be taking place. Therefore, wihtin two weeks, the Goldwater-Rumsfeld Act will be introduced to the House of Representatives. Thank you.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Given that I'm not too sure on what to do to advance the timeline, I'll go into rankings and lists for a little bit:

Presidents from "A Second Chance" ranked best to worst

John F Kennedy (D-MA) 1965-1973; Ranked Average, Above Average
George HW Bush (R-TX) 1974-1977; Ranked Average
Richard M Nixon (R-CA) 1961-1965; Ranked Below Average
Spiro T Agnew (R-CA) 1973-1974; Ranked Below Average, Bad

As you can see, there hasn't really been a "great" President so far, at least since Eisenhower or FDR, but the way both JFK and Bush are viewed historically will change over time. nixon and Agnew I'm not so sure about.

As for ranking the Presidents Conservative to Liberal, that migth not be so easy as the Presidents have strayed close to the center on certain issues, and JFK might be more Conservative on foreign policy than say Bush, but more fiscally Liberal than him. Therefore, I'll try to withold ranking until there's more contrast (around the eighties or nineties) between leaders.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

List of United States Senators from Massachusetts (as of 1977)

Class 1, starting 1947

Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (R) 1947-1953
John F Kennedy (D) 1953-1964
Edward M Kennedy (D) 1964-Present

Class 2, starting 1945

Leverett Saltonstall (R) 1945-1967
Edward Brooke (R) 1967-1973
Robert F Kennedy (D) 1973-1976
vacant 1976-1977
Elliot Richardson (R) 1977-Present

Notes
John F Kennedy: Resigned in late 1964 to take the Presidency, Edward M Kennedy (brother to John F Kennedy) was appointed to his position by the Governor
Robert F Kennedy: Resigned in late 1976 to take the Presidency, Elliot Richardson [former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (1967-1973) and United States Transportation Secretary (1973-1977) was appointed by the Governor]


List of United States Senators from California (as of 1977)

Class 1, starting in 1959

Clair Engle (D) 1959-1964
Glenn M Anderson (D) 1964-1965
Ronald W Reagan (R) 1965-1976
Barry Goldwater Jr. (R) 1976-Present

Class 3, starting 1953

Thomas Kuchel (R) 1953-1969
Edmund G "Pat" Brown Sr. 1969-1974
Edmund G "Jerry" Brown Jr. 1974-Present

Notes
Claire Engle: Died in office, Glen M Anderson (at that time the California Lieutenant Governor) was appointed by Governor Pat Brown to the position
Barry Goldwater Jr.: After Reagan was nominated for Vice-President at the 1976 Republican National Convention, he dropped his re-election bid. The Republicans in turn nominated Congressman and Reagan family friend Barry Goldwater Jr. to the position, which he won in 1977. Before taking Goldawter's taking office, Reagan resigned so as to give Goldwater seniority in the new Senate.
Edmund G "Pat" Brown Sr.: After losing re-election to a third term to Robert Finch (formerly United States Secretary of Health, Welfare, & Education 1961-1965), Brown went on to win against incumbent Republican Senator Thomas Kuchel in 1968. In 1974, he announced his retirement and his son, the California Secretary of State Edmund G "Jerry" Brown Jr. would be elected to the office. Upon his son's election, Pat Brown would resign so as to give his son seniority in Congress.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

List of Governors of California as of 1977

32. Edmund G "Pat" Brown Sr. (D) 1959-1967
33. Robert Finch (R) 1967-1971
34. Charlton Heston (D) 1971-Present

List of Governors of Texas as of 1977

38. Price Daniel (D) 1957-1963
39. John B Connally (D) 1963-1967
40. John G Tower (R) 1967-1973
41. Henry Grover (R) 1973-1975
42. Lloyd Bentsen (D) 1975-Present

List of United States Senators from Texas as of 1977

Class 1 (starting 1957)

Ralph Yarborough (D) 1957-1971
George HW Bush (R) 1971-1973
vacant 1973
James Baker (R) 1973-Present

Notes
James Baker: After Bush's ascension to the Vice-Presidency, the seat remained vacant until after a special election in March in which James Baker was elected and immediately sworn in.

Class 2 (starting 1949)

Lyndon B Johnson (D) 1949-1973
John B Connally (D) 1973-Present

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

August 17th, 1977
Rancho del Cielo, "the Reagan Ranch", in California
Senator Barry Goldwater of the neighboring state of Arizona arrives at the Reagan Ranch just as former Senator Reagan returns from a horseride.
    Goldawter: Hello!
    Reagan: (climbing off horse) Hey, Barry! (walks over to Goldwater) I heard you and Rummy caused quite a stir on capital hill.
    Goldawter: Yeah, a bunch of the Senators on both sides, to my surprise, aren't taking to it. It'll need work.
    Reagan: Well, you can count on my support. From what I know, you'll have the votes of the two Senators from this state.
    Goldwater: Jerry Brown seems on board to the idea, and we all know how the 'other Barry' will vote.
    Reagan: Now, don't tell me you came all the way up here so you could say hi.
    Goldwater: In fact, I'm here because I was wondering what you think the next step will be, politically. I think Kennedy can finally get us away from the 'era of big government', but it'll require a solid Conservative to finally blow it into oblivion.
    Reagan: I've been considering a run since last year when Bush lost. People have said that I'm the 'heir apparent' to the nomination.
    Goldwater: Anything going on in the meantime? What about Governor of California?
    Reagan: I've been thinking about that too. But only if Heston doesn't run.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

After the defeat in 1976, George really didn't know what to do. He'd been in politics so long he wasn't sure what to do with his time. Mostly, he tried to  concentrate on getting back into business, calling up old clients, buying into the boards of several large corporations, and talking with Texas businessmen. However, politics would come calling back to him when his son, George W Bush, who by then we all called "W" (pronounced by many in the media as "Dubya"), told him he was planning on running for the House of Representatives, from Texas' 19th Congressional District.

Also, through business deals in Texas, George had met a businessman named Henry Ross Perot. Ross, as everyone called him, possessed a vague interest in politics, and even offered George a job, which was politely declined. It turned out that Ross was interested in possibly running for office at some point in the seventies or maybe the eighties. Though he had gained a reputation as the "biggest single loser in the stock market" in 1970, Perot had a good mind for business and he qas filled with quirky political ideas. Though Bush and I never really had huge agreements with his ideas, his striaght-forwardness was an interesting aspect of him. Perot would be-friend Bush and later be elected Congressman from Texas' 4th Congressional District and later US Senator.

Politics in the late seventies was a weird time to be in. At the same time, it seemed that the economy was sliding deepere into its recession, but slowly being rescued by the Kennedy administration policies. It was as if there were two seperate worlds-one where the economy was recovering and one where it seemed doomed. The monetary policies of Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker didn't seem to be helping, though he would later be vindicated.

As for the state of the Republican Party, no-one knew where it was headed. It seemed both the Rockefeller-esque Liberals in the party were unable to clinch the nomination, and the Goldwater/Reagan-led Conservatives couldn't do it either. At the same time it seemed that the moderates, led by George himself, had failed with the Agnew Administration and the loss in 1976. That left the party in a disarray and it seemed as if we all needed a leader to finally say "This is the way the party's going to go, and if you don't follow, you can leave". However, the Republican electorate itself seemed undecided as to who should be its 1980 nominee. Polling in mid-1977 showed three leading potential candidates: Former California Senator Ronald Reagan, Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield, and former President Bush himself. People had continually asked George if he planned on running a second time. After all, he'd lost by a narrow margin and had been President less than three years. Everybody, including me, had said to the press that they were getting ahead of themselves, that the 1978 mid-terms hadn't even occured yet and they were talking about something three and a half years away. However, those would be a very long, arduous, three and a half years.

-What the Man was Made of, James Baker, (c) 1999

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

List of Governors of New York as of 1977

49. Nelson Rockefeller (R) 1959-1973
50. Malcolm Wilson (R) 1973-1974
51. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D) 1975-Present

Notes
Nelson Rockefeller: Rockefeller resigned in January of 1973 to become Secretary of State for hte Agnew Administration, a position he held until 1977 when Agnew's successor, George Bush, left office. After Rockefeller's resignation, his Lieutenant Governor Malcolm Wilson took office, losing his re-election bid to Daniel Patrick Moynihan,
Daniel Patrick Moynihan: Moynihan served as a sociologist to Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon. In 1965 he became Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and left that position in 1973 when President John F Kennedy left office. From 1973 to 1974, he served as Ambassador to India, until resigning to run for Governor of New York.

List of United States Senators from New York as of 1977

Class I from 1959

Kenneth Keating (R) 1959-1968
Charles Goodell (R) 1968-1971
James L Buckley (C) 1971-Present

Notes
Kenneth Keating: Keating resigned from office in 1968 to become Ambassador to the Soviet Union for the Kennedy Administration.
Charles Goodell: Goodell was appointed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller after Keating's resignation.
James L Buckley: Buckley was elected in a tight three-way race in 1970, beating Goodell and the Democratic opponent. In 1976, Buckley was re-elected with the Republican endorsement, defeating Congresswoman Bella Abzug (D) in a very tight race.

Class 3 from 1957

Jacob K Javits (R) 1957-1975
Ramsey Clark (D) 1975-Present

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

September 3rd, 1977

"...And, come next year, I shall not be a candidate for re-election. I feel I have had a good two terms as Governor of this great state, and I hope that the people of this great state feel the same way. I have other interests, and I will be glad to move onto them, though I may return to politics in the future. Thank you." Thus were the words of California Governor Charlton Heston, leaving us all to wonder: who will be succeeding him? In fact, the names that have been traded around Sacramento earlier today are bigger than you might think. For the Republicans, such names include former Interior Secretary and Heston's predecessor to the Governorship, Robert Finch, as well as former Senator and Nixon Commerce Secretary Ronald Reagan. For the Democrats, one of the names to surprisingly come up was that of Senator Jerry Brown, who will not be up for re-election in 1978 and has served thus far less than three years. Other, smaller names include California Attorney General Evell J Younger and San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson-both Republicans. For the Democrats we may be seeing Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley run.

Over the last seven years, Heston has been a primarily moderate Governor. In the late 1970's, he was praised by Conservatives for his "law & order" stance against rioters. However, he has also worked a lot for urban development in Los Angeles and other cities. On social issue, Heston has a pro-life record on both abortion and capital punishment, saying "Every human life, no matter how small, how unseen, or how soiled, how dirtied, is still human". He has also worked to address the issues of abortion related to poverty and has made himself the enemy of Liberals for doing so. However, Conservatives haven't been that happy about his stance against capital punishment, claiming that he is spending tax payer money on paying for the food and shelter of murderers. Throughout his Governorship, he has made many political friends, including Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon, Congressman Jack Kemp of New York, and President Robert F Kennedy himself while Kennedy was in the Senate. He has also presided over two Presidential campaigns, in 1972 and 1976. Beloved by the people of California, it will take a good politician to fill his shoes.

Governor Charlton Heston will not be running for re-election come next year; Who will succeed him?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

October 29th, 1977

Gas Prices Expected to Rise Sharply!

With the ongoing conflict in Palestine and pressure from Arab nations for the United States to leave Palestine, it should come as no surprise that gas prices, which have already been rising, are expected to go even higher in the coming year. Even by the end of this year as fighting drags on, gas prices could shoot up. And what is Washington doing about this? There is talk among Democrats of "Alternative Energy" solutions of the future, including the possibilities of harnessing the power of the sun, the wind, and the water to help power homes and buildings. However, some Republicans appear skeptical about the viability of these enrgy sources. As of now, nuclear power plants are fueling parts of the country, and some say that that should be expanded. However, Secretary of the Interior Ralph Nader said yesterday that it would be "definition insanity" to expand nuclear power and has even talked about "slowly, maybe even quickly, shutting down nuclear power. It's unsafe at any level". However, Nader does seem ecstatic about the idea of "solar" power in the future and claims to have even addressed the President on numerous occasions about so-called "earth friendly" energy sources. However, as of now, gas prices will keep on rising.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Right now I'm trying to figure out basically what in the 1970's caused stagflation, how it could be fixed, and basically where Carter was wrong. I don't think Kennedy would have Carter's naivete on foreign policy, and while maybe being moderate on domestic policy, would work much better with Congress than Carter. It'll be information like that that'll help me write out Kennedy's first term and see where I go from there.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

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[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Coming off the successful passing of the Goldwater/Rumsfeld Act, I was proud and felt that I should do more in the way of foreign policy, the conflict in Palestine, and the economy. Reports on the economy were confusing. Bob McNamara, Joe Biden, and George Romney would come to me with differing reports and differing statistics. At one point or another, Bob would show that trading and commerce was up while Joe would show unemployment increasing and George saying that inflation was on the rise. Another day it would be the opposite. However, there would be certain definites. Paul Volcker, Federal Reserve Chairman, would continue his tight monetary policy and I would stand by him through thick and thin on that despite what critics on both my Right and my Left said. Of course, we now see that it works, but six years ago, no-on eacknowledged that and barely anyone knew it.

On foreign policy, I would begin talks with Soviet Leader Leonid Brehznev. Despite the wishes of  Zbigniew and Jimmy, I wasn't going there for arms limitation. That would come only as a bi-product of the talks. I was interested mainly in human rights - an issue that it didn't seem that Agnew or Bush had put nearly enough focus on. Agnew was instead focused on a military build-up for God knows what and Bush was focused on playing dipomatic puppet-master with Russia and China. Despite what the history books will tell you, it was those original talks in 1977 that would lead to the Soviet acknowledgement of human rights and eventually withdrawal from puuppet states, not the era of the eighties. Eventually, on February 16th, 1978, at a summit in Helsinki, Sweden, the International Conference on Human Rights, or ICHR (called by the Republicans "Itcher"), would begin with representatives from NATO, the Warsaw Pact, China, and other countries. It was there that a human-rights based foreign policy that some might now call the norm in today's foreign policy would begin.

Author speaking at the International Conference on Human Rights

The end of the conference, on February 26th, would be marked with the signing of the Global Humanity Accords. When I returned home, Republicans attacked the conference calling it a mere "puff affair where world leaders that abuse their citizens get to tell the United States how great they are" (those words would be spoken by former United States Attorney General John Ashbrook of Ohio). However, it would be that treaty that would lead to the United Nations condemnation of the Soviet Union in 1983 and to other, more severe actions against them.

-In My Defense, Robert F Kennedy, (c) 1984

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

March 22nd, 1978
"Today, I am announcing the beginning of legislation to create the Department of Energy, a cabinet level position designed to develop policy to work with our ever changing landscape of energy resources for the future. This will have an important hand in the shaping of the structure of our economy as it relates to energy use and consumption, as well as trading and of course transportation. Thank you." Those words, spoken today by President Kennedy, seem to be in response to continued rising oil prices throughout the country. Republicans have criticised his unwillingness to "open drilling wide open", in the words of former Treasury Secretary John Tower, while Democrats have criticised his "policies of continued dependence on oil from overseas", the words of Senator Mike Gravel. It as of yet unknown who is working on the legislation, however, rumor has it that the job has been given to some of the President's worst enemies in his own party, such as the aforementioned Mike Gravel, or to a Republican such as Senators Mark Hatfield and Paul Laxalt. However, nothing is as of now known. As for who might head the department? That too is a mystery. However, rumors are circulating from former Senator Eugene McCarthy, ro Interior Secretary Ralph Nader, from Defense Secretary Jimmy Carter to California Governor Charlton Heston. However, nobody knows. If Nader were to be picked, he would be both the first Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the first Secretary of Energy.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

April 4th, 1978

The Candidates of 1978

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"After having reviewed my options and talked with my closest advisers, I have decided to announce my candidacy for Governor of California" were the words spoken by former Senator Reagan only months ago. It'll be interesting to see the former Vice-Presidential candidate give it another go, and people must wonder "Will this keep him out of 1980?". Some have said "No", stating that two years of Governing will only re-inforce his "obvious" credentials for the Presidency which include over two years as United States Secretary of Commerce and twelve years as Senator from California, being the Senior Senator since 1968. Onboard Reagan's campaign are former Health and Human Services Secretary Caspar Weinberger and former RNC Chairman Edwin Meese, both friends of Reagan and presences in California politics. Facing him on the Democratic side will be a number of smaller candidates including Congressman and former Senator Glenn Anderson who Reagan first beat in 1964, and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

In other races that are worth watching, it seems the remnants of the Bush and Agnew Administrations are really working to get back into politics. Former Treasury Secretary John Tower has filed papers for his candidacy for the Senate this year. However, he will not be going up against his nemesis John Connally who has announced he will be retiring from Texas politics for good in 1978. This marks the end of twelve years of dominance in Texas and national politics beginning in 1962 with his election to the Governorship. With Connally out of the Senate race, it looks like Texas will be a Republican gain in the mid-terms. The Democrats themselves are in chaos over who to nominate, though former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and son of former Governor Price Daniel, Price Daniel Jr. seems to be the front-runner. The only other big name Democrat woudl be Governor Lloyd Bentsen who, like Connally, is a refugee from the Kennedy administration. However, he has announced he will be running for re-election.

Also in Texas, George W Bush, son of the former President George Bush, is running for Congress from Texas' 19th Congressional District, a race, most likely to be funded by his father, that he is expected to win hands down.

In New York, in a surprise, popular Democratic Governor Daniel Patrick Moynihan will be facing published William F Buckley on the Conservative Party ticket. While Moynihan is expected to win, this may severely weaken whoever the Republicans decide to nominate. Buckley is notable the publisher of the National Review, and brother of two term Conservative Senator James L Buckley who was re-elected in 1976.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

June 1st, 1978
Republican Primary Polling
As of now, the Republican primaries begin less than two years from now seem to be yielding very interesting results. In nationwide polling for the nomination in primary and limited caucus states, the map below shows states where potential candidates won pluralities or even majorities.

List of Potential Candidates

• Former President George Bush of Texas
• Former Senator Ronald Reagan of California
• Former Vice-President Gerald Ford of Michigan
• Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon
• Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker of Tennessee
• Senator James L Buckley of New York
• Senator Barry Goldwater Jr. of California
• Former Treasury Secretary John Tower of Texas
• Attorney General Edward Brooke of Massachusetts
• Congressman John Anderson of Illinois
• Former Attorney General John Ashbrook of Ohio
• Senator Robert Taft of Ohio
• Congressman Donald Rumsfeld of Illinois

Republican Primary Polling Map With Bush

Dark Blue-Former President George Bush of Texas
Blue-Former Senator and 1976 Vice-Presidential Candidate Ronald Reagan of California
Red-Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker of Tennessee
Dark Green-United States Attorney General Edward Brooke of Massachusetts
Light Green-Senator and 1968 Vice-Presidential Candidate Mark Hatfield of Oregon

Republican Primary Polling Map Without Bush

Blue-Former Senator and Vice-Presidential Candidate Ronald Reagan of California
Red-Former Treasury Secretary John G Tower of Texas
Light Yellow-Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker of Tennessee
Dark Green-United States Attorney General Edward Brooke of Massachusetts
Yellow-Senator James L Buckley of New York
Light Green-Senator and 1968 Vice-Presidential Candidate Mark Hatfield of Oregon
Light Blue-Former Vice-President Gerald Ford of Michigan

Of course, however, the failure of things like these is that they don't measure campaign momentum, campaign funding, the political climate two years from now, and the fact that there's a time difference between each primary, so otherwise major candidates might be forced to drop out after the first few primaries.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Over two weeks since anybody commented. **Sigh**

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

(Inspired by the Oliver Stone film "W.")

June 3rd, 1978

A hot Texas night in June, where five men in the Northern part of the state sit around a table drinking from glass bottles and metal cans. The only source of light is a lamp over the table.
    Texan1: I fold.
    Dubya: Hah! Well, boys, that's a couple more dollars in my pocket.
    Texan2: So, Dubya, do you think you'll be able to pull off your race this year?
    Dubya: **Swig** Of course I do, John, you know that. According to polls I'm up with at leat 56%!
    Texan3: How 'bout two years from now? Do you think Bobby Kennedy's gonna be able to win another term?
    Dubya: With the economy gettin' worse by the day and with him calling for a tax increase, and with his "Realistic" foreign policy, sure as hell the Grand Old Party's gonna carry the day.
    Texan2: Who do ya think'll do the deed?
    Texan4: Your pappy?
    Dubya: Nah, boys. He seems to be resigning himself to a life of retirement out in Crawford. Fuck, I don't know what the Hell he's gonna do with the rest of his life, but it seems one election was just too much for him.
    Texan1: So who? Reagan?
    Texan3: Hatfield? (the room bursts out in laughter)
    Dubya: I personally am hopin' for Tower. He's a real Texan and he'll beat the cowboy actor and the hippie back to the West Coast where they belong.
    Texan2: Tower? Really? He's lost to Texas Democrats too many times. Do you think he'll win?
    Dubya: What? The Senate race? Hell yeah. With Connally retiring and Bentsen tied up in the Governoship, Texas is losing it's big name Democrats. Soon, the GOP flag'll be waving above the state.
    Texan1: Would ya bet on that?
    Dubya: Hell yeah.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I can easily see this occurring.

A new reader!

If you've seen "W.", a conversation like that takes place. At one point in the short scene, the characters talk about 1980, and it goes something like "What about 1980, Dubya? Do you think your Dad can beat Reagan?" "Hell yeah he can beat that cowboy actor!", and I wanted to create a version of that, only, Poppy's pretty much out of the way in this 1980.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Any other comments?

I remember reading older timelines (2009-2010 maybe), and there'd be multiple comments between updates and discussions filling up pages between updates. I seem to have missed out on that.[/self pitying]

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Within a couple posts, maybe today, the mid-terms should be up.

However, I also want to outline what's really been going on with things like domestic policy, because I don't think that that's really covered.