If Ford won in 76, would Ted Kennedy have won in 80?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

On the Hart issue, for one in 1980 he was a one-termed seeking re-election. Secondly, his scadal(s) didn't come out until '87/'88 so there's a chance that might not be an issue.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

If Gerry means Gerald Ford, then I'd beg to differ. They were ideologically close together & both were moderate. However, by 1976, Ford had steadied himself & was becoming much tougher with the Soviets. Carter still had his two years of naïveté ahead of him before he became tougher on the foreign front. Economically & socially, they were roughly in the same boat & were the two most fiscally conservative administrations up until Clinton.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Well you were just saying that Carter was more Cpbservative than Ford, & that Reagan wasn't a real Conservative.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

With Ford in the White House, and thus continuing detente, I'd say a hawkish Democrat would win in 1980.

Henry Martin Jackson.

That is tricky. By 1976, Ford had definitely gained more teeth in foreign policy and by then had booted Kissinger out of NSA and had brought in Rumsfeld--definitely more hawkish that "realist" Kissinger--as Secretary of Defense. I think in foreign policy Ford would move steadily to the Right during his hypothetical second term.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

A Reagan/Kennedy smackdown would be the ultimate slugfest of alternate historians dreams.

Being a Kennedy, I think Ted would have had a good chance of becoming president.

You're a Kennedy?  How are you related (not to be a stalker or anything, but that's pretty cool .)  Not to go off topic, but my dad once crashed a fundraiser of his when he was in MA (I think it was when he was running against romney in 94.)

He's talking about Ted being a Kennedy (I think).