Reagan '68: VP choices?
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  Past Election What-ifs (US) (Moderator: Dereich)
  Reagan '68: VP choices?
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Lincoln Republican
Winfield
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« Reply #25 on: January 31, 2014, 10:34:01 PM »

Senator Clifford P Case of New Jersey.

Would act as a good balance to Reagan's inexperience and conservatism.

Law degree from Columbia.

U.S. House of Representatives 1945-1953, U.S. Senate since 1955.

64 years old in 1968, but don't forget Biden was  66 years old in 2008 when picked by Obama and elected Vice President.
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johnpressman
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« Reply #26 on: February 02, 2014, 12:40:13 PM »

   

Not only was Case too old, sixty four years of age has a different meaning today when  people live a lot longer and are expected to be productive well into their sixties.  Such was not the case in 1968.

More importantly, Case was one of the most liberal members of EITHER party in 1968 and was an early opponent of the Vietnam War and a supporter of LBJ's Great Society programs. This would have made him a nonstarter as Reagan's VP in 1968.  Reagan supported an ESCALATION of the conflict as a means to total victory in Vietnam.  Case spoke out against the war as early as September 1967. 

Also, remember, Reagan was a fledgling politico in 1968, his campaign being mastermind by the GOP right wing, no way would they take Case, his VP candidacy would have undermined Reagan's candidacy.  Once again, Reagan would have slim pickings for a suitable VP in 1968.
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Atlas Has Shrugged
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« Reply #27 on: February 02, 2014, 06:54:30 PM »

Besides her age (71), would Margaret Chase Smith be a bad pick? She campaigned for Goldwater in '64 despite original opposition, and was a long serving Senator.
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RogueBeaver
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« Reply #28 on: February 02, 2014, 07:23:05 PM »

Ford perhaps. If Reagan wanted an ideological soulmate, Sen. Pete Dominick (CO) or Gov. Tim Hancock (MT). The senior Colorado senator, Gordon Allott, is much more experienced than those 2 (who took office in 1963/2 respectively) but not really known and at 61, pushing what they'd then consider an age limit.

Sanchez: Too old, especially in that era, and too liberal (except on Nam) for Reagan. Gender could also be a problem at the time, unfortunately.
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Atlas Has Shrugged
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« Reply #29 on: February 03, 2014, 04:01:07 PM »

What about Senator J. Caleb Boggs of Delaware? In 1968, he was 59 years old, and had been a Senator since 1960, and was Governor of Delaware from 1952-1960, and was a Congressman from 1946 until 1952. He seems to be a moderate.
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sdu754
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« Reply #30 on: February 28, 2014, 02:48:30 AM »

I recently read a book titled "If Kennedy had lived" where it does a JFK timeline where he's re-elected in 1964. It has Reagan being nominated with Ford as his VP choice. Unless he could have gotten Nixon (Who would have only done so to stay in the public eye hoping for another chance down the road) I think Ford is the best choice. Reagan would have needed someone from the national stage for foreign policy experience.
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johnpressman
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« Reply #31 on: April 03, 2014, 02:10:49 PM »

I also read "If Kennedy Lived" and the author had Reagan running against Senator Hubert Humphrey
in 1968, JFK has defeated Barry Goldwater in 1964.

If Reagan had run in 1968, Gerald Ford would have been the ONLY suitable running mate.  The GOP had been devastated in the elections of 1958 and 1964.  The resurgence of 1966 would have brought in candidates too inexperienced for Reagan who had won the California Governorship that year.  Only a more seasoned candidate, a GOP moderate with some foreign policy experience would have been chosen; hence Ford.
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