Senator Spiral
Spiral
Atlas Politician
YaBB God
Posts: 4,551
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« on: February 08, 2015, 03:55:08 AM » |
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While Senator Frank Church was able to clinch the DA nomination fairly easily over his competitors, there would be plenty of more drama for the other two parties. The biggest shock came with the WP, who ended up nominating Lyndon LaRouche, a radical activist with a growing following. LaRouche's intensely devoted supporters stormed low-turnout primaries and caucuses and worked up the system, with many LaRouchites becoming party officers and delegates throughout the country. They were able to build such an advantage that they benefited from the convention chaos and eventually got a majority. Analysts point to WP voters frustrated with third-place results for the last two decades and an unremarkable field for why LaRouche's perfect storm arrived. Though LaRouche became the nominee, every major politician in the WP condemned him as well as "his thugs taking over this party," leaving the party at its greatest time of crisis.
The AU had its own problems, though not as severe. President Taft struggled in the primaries and eventually had to leave the race due to health problems, leaving the convention as a free-for-all. Many in the party were concerned that insurgent candidate Larry McDonald, an ultraconservative who surprisingly finished second to Taft in the primaries, could clinch the nomination and kill their chances in November. However, a strong draft effort surfaced to nominate Barry Goldwater, the unapologetic former president, which steadily gained traction, even reluctantly among more liberal delegates concerned with McDonald. Goldwater eventually trumped McDonald, and in his acceptance speech, the 71-year-old Goldwater pledged to unite the party's factions and "have one hell of a last campaign."
While LaRouche is claiming to be "the only one capable of stopping thermonuclear war," the race is widely seen as a battle between Church and Goldwater. How it will end is up to you. Two days.
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