1968 Party Nominations

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1968 Party Nominations

« on: April 05, 2013, 03:52:53 PM »

Ah, here we are in good ol' 1968, a year marred by war, domestic turbulence, and the death of a few well known American leaders. From a real life perspective, the situation is basically now reversed.

If you're a finicky voter, it's advised you read the specific stances of the candidates. However, as always, the success of certain folks will cause the situation to change.

While four years ago President Margaret Chase Smith was able to win re-election by a thin margin, her good will with the nation seems to have worn out its stay. The situation in Vietnam has only deepened since 1964 with continued escalation and an ever worsening view of the war. While a good number of Americans resent the "hippies" camped outside the White House, they too are uncomfortable with this war. With the constitution barring President Smith from seeking a third term, the field is wide open in both parties.

For the Republicans, Vice President Goldwater will have more than a hard time seeking the nomination. Despite continued gravitas among his core following, the fact that he has served under an administration that he has been at odds with is a sticky situation to be in. Nevertheless, his campaign has chosen the themes of a) continuing American prosperity, and b) a decisive and victorious end to the war in Vietnam. Meanwhile, prominent Republican Senator Richard Nixon, a foreign policy leader in the party, has chosen to seek the nomination, having long been denied a spot on the ticket despite his hard work and high visibility. He too is touting the phrase "Peace, With Honor" and is attempting to use blue collar discontent, both with the hippies and with the administration, to his advantage. Nelson Rockefeller is back again. He warns that the other contenders--Goldwater, Reagan, Nixon--associated with the Republican right wing, are unelectable. He instead proposes a continued moderate-to-liberal Republican path to victory like those pioneered by Eisenhower and Smith, and in doing so promises a "continued record of progress and triumph, both at home and abroad". For the first time, the issue of abortion is beginning to come up in national debate, as brought by some opponents of Rockefeller. Running as a "conservative alternative", California's favorite son Governor Ronald Reagan is testing the presidential waters. Depending on his and his opponents' success, he may act in his own interests or instead pledge his delegates to Goldwater. The man who sticks out of the field is Michigan Governor George Romney. While earlier having been ambiguous on Vietnam, he has now come out in favor of American withdrawal, taking a more dovish stance than straddlers like Nixon and Rockefeller. He is hoping to use this anti-establishment stance combined with his record as a successful industrial state governor to forge a path to the nomination.

The Democrats meanwhile have assembled a largely anti-war field in opposition to the Smith administration's policies. Senator Eugene McCarthy became the first of the anti-war legislators to hop into the race, upsetting potential front-runners Hubert H. Humphrey and Robert F. Kennedy. Humphrey, as in 1960, is running on economic issues and has taken a muddled stance on Vietnam that has left both sides unsatisfied. Meanwhile, Kennedy had only more recently taken the anti-war position, in time for it to hopefully help his candidacy catch fire. Kennedy, the brother of 1964 Vice Presidential nominee John F. Kennedy, instead originally made the focus of his campaign urban issues. Now having added the war to that list, Kennedy is hoping to steal minorities from Humphrey while winning McCarthy's dove vote. Senator George Smathers meanwhile is running as a conservative favorite son in his home state of Florida. McGovern is running his own favorite son campaign and is a vocal anti-war Senator in the vein of McCarthy.

**As always, voice your preference for VP. If I've left out descriptions of anyone you're interested in, or you want some clarification, don't be afraid to ask.**

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