Fear and Loathing in 72’ – The Election Game (GM Vacancy)

[YPestis25]

Nominating Speech for Edmund Muskie: Delivered by Fmr. Sec. of State Dean Rusk

"Mr. Chairman, delegates of the convention, I come before you tonight, to nominate for the presidency, a man with courage, a man with leadership, and a man who I have supported through this long and tumultuous primary season. And that man as of June 20th, has the most delegates of any candidate other than Mayor Yorty. Mr. Chairman, I nominate for the Presidency of the United States, my colleague and friend, Senator Ed Muskie!"

"Four years ago our convention nearly tore this proud party apart. Gene McCarthy, a man who's idealism is an inspiration to us all, and Hubert Humphrey, a man who's leadership we can all look up too, battled it out for the soul of this party. Over the next three days, we must come together as Democrats. We must nominate a candidate who can both beat President Nixon this November, and unite the party."

"Senator Muskie is the man to do both. After Chicago, he signed on as Hubert Humphrey's running mate, in a bid that every pundit predicted would lose in a landslide. And yet, Ed signed on anyway, for the good of the party, and the good of the nation, and four years ago we came within an eyelash of keeping the White House in Democratic hands. This November, let's put a Democrat back in the White House, and that Democrat is Ed Muskie. Thank you and goodnight."

[Lumine]

Ten hours until first ballot!

[tmthforu94]

Senator Birch Bayh is in attendance at the convention and has met privately with a multitude of delegates who are unplugged, from the Midwest and lean to the left.

The Democratic Party is fractured - I think we all know that. Mayor Yorty is somewhat close to the nomination, but this has been an incredibly divisive primary, and I don't have full confidence that he will be able to unite the party.

I know I wasn't a candidate - outside of maybe some write-in votes in Indiana, I didn't get a single vote or delegate in this primary, and I haven't had the opportunity to interact with as many voters as some of the candidates. We have to look to the future, and we need a candidate who can be a unifier - a candidate this party can rally around as we face off against President Nixon in the General Election.

I think I may be able to be that candidate. If no one attains enough delegates on the first ballot, things are going to be wide open. Vote for someone who can unify this party, not someone who has been engaging in divisive, partisan politics for the duration of this campaign. I humbly ask for your support.

[PPT Spiral]

NYT: Yorty Delegates Seek to Influence Democratic Platform

Heading into this year's Democratic National Convention, supporters of Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty (D-CA) are flexing their muscles and ensuring that their presence will be felt. Delegates for Yorty are actively planning to force votes on changes to the party's platform, to be released later on in the convention. Among the changes sought by the Yorty camp include tougher stances on combating communism and stopping crime, as well as dropping support for forced nationwide busing and a new call to reduce the national debt. With about 40% of total delegates in his control on the first ballot, Yorty, the frontrunner for the nomination following the primaries, is bound to cause sparks flying in Miami Beach.

[tmthforu94]

Supporters of Indiana Senator Birch Bayh have begun distributing the following flier around the DNC. His supporters are looking to build a strong coalition among progressives, women and younger delegates. If Bayh can survive the first few ballots, his supporters are confident he will be able to gain the traction necessary to win the Democratic nomination.

Draft Bayh!

End the gridlock and unite!

The Democratic Party is fractured. We need a nominee who can unify this party and unify our divided nation. Indiana Senator Birch Bayh is a leader who will get the job done.

What has Bayh done? Bayh introduced constitutional amendments to clarify line of secession and lowering the voting age, enfranchising millions of voters. He has been a champion for women's rights, being a strong supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and the "Father of Title IX."

Birch Bayh knows how to get things done in Washington D.C. He has the leadership and experience we need in our nominee. This is our chance. This is our opportunity. Vote for the candidate you know is right - vote Birch Bayh!

[Kingpoleon]

Nominating Speech for Morris Udall by Franklin Roosevelt, Jr.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[VPH]

Nominating Speech for Fred Harris by J. William Fulbright

"First, I'd like to welcome all of the wonderful Harris delegates to the convention! I hope you're all doing well! I've enjoyed these opening festivities, but it's time to get to business. I'm sick of things, America, and I know we all are. I'm sick of the continuing war in Vietnam. I'm sick of demagoguery, hatred, and division. Only one person here can guide the Democratic Party to unity and a big win in November. That man's name is Fred Harris. In the senate, I saw Senator Harris stand firmly for the people time and time again. Not only did he stand for tried and true populist credentials, but when he needed to get something done, Fred reached out to any listening ears and hammered out deals. It's so rare to see somebody with such a commitment to the people. I know with deep conviction that this country needs president Harris. We should, as a convention, unite around Fred Harris. Not only is he a true progressive on issues like Vietnam and the economy, but he also stands for the family values that have made out country such a fantastic place. He brings people together, be they White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, male, female, the list goes on. Democrats, it's time to evaluate our chances. Fred Harris is the most electable candidate in my opinion. I'm proud to nominate him for president in 1972. Let's do this, Democrats."

[VPH]

Fred Harris Presser

REPORTER: "Can the right or left wing win against Nixon?"
HARRIS: "I won't lie to the people. No extremist will beat Nixon. No candidate who unequivocally supports the war should be nominated by a party where most people oppose the war. How are you going to turn out your base? On the other token, advocating socialism won't win elections. We need a pragmatist populist with a long record of success, and that's my candidacy."

REPORTER: "What groups of delegates are you pushing for?"
HARRIS: "We're going for African American delegates. Reverend Jackson and my other surrogates have been reaching out to these delegates, be they from Florida, Arizona, Minnesota, or Illinois. Also, we want the support of women. We were the first campaign to endorse the ERA. I believe women should support Harris for president. We're in this to win it."

REPORTER: "Will you play dirty if that's what it takes?"
HARRIS: "I hope it doesn't come to that. I trust that my fellow candidates will not spread silly rumors or sabotage my candidacy. I'm here for a good clean convention, and I urge delegates to abandon any candidate who comes here to play dirty DC games."

REPORTER: "Can you tell us why you stand out for uncommitted delegates?"
HARRIS: "Well, I've been consistently against the war, supporting a responsible end that doesn't leave a power vacuum. Moreover, you know what I stand for. My economic policy is the most responsible, equitable, and fleshed out out of any candidate. Support the people, support Harris."

[Lumine]

Technically three hours left, but the results are ready now. Thus I ask the players, should I just release?

[NeverAgain]

Technically three hours left, but the results are ready now. Thus I ask the players, should I just release?

I would still enjoy posting.

[/]

Technically three hours left, but the results are ready now. Thus I ask the players, should I just release?

How much time left?

[Lumine]

Technically three hours left, but the results are ready now. Thus I ask the players, should I just release?

How much time left?

10-20 minutes, give or take.

[YPestis25]

Muskie Campaign Announces Floor Whips

Fmr. Sec. of Commerce and Fmr. New York Governor Harriman
-New York Delegation.

Governor Shapp of Pennsylvania
-Pennsylvania Delegation.

Senator Hartke of Indiana
-Indiana Delegation.

Senator Dodd of Connecticut
-Connecticut and Rhode Island Delegations.

Governor Curtis of Maine and Mayor Dupuis of Manchester
-Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts Delegations.

Rep. Roncellio of Wyming
-Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota Delegations.

Senator Hart of Michigan
-Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota Delegations.

Senator Symington and Governor Hearnes of Missouri
-Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas Delegations.

Senator Young of Ohio
-Ohio and Kentucky Delegations.

Senator Williams of New Jersey
-New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington D.C Delegations.

Senator Montoya of New Mexico
-New Mexico and Colorado Delegations.

Senator Cannon of Nevada
-Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Oregon Delegations.

Lt. Governor Barnes of Texas
-Texas and Oklahoma Delegations.

Texas Attorney General Martin
-Florida Delegation.

Texas Speaker of the House Mutscher
-With his experience, Mutscher will serve as a General Whip, and go where needed.

[NeverAgain]

Shirley Chisholm Nominating Speech For McGovern:

"My fellow Democrats, I stand before you today to nominate for President a colleague, a friend, a champion for us all:  Senator George McGovern.  No one has been as consistent in his opposition to this atrocious war as Senator McGovern.  I have vowed to vote against any defense appropriation bill until the time comes when our values and priorities have been turned right–side up again.  Senator McGovern has been as stalwart in his opposition to the War.
 
We Americans have a chance to become someday a nation in which all racial stocks and classes can exist in their own selfhoods, but meet on a basis of respect and equality and live together, socially, economically, and politically.  In the end, anti-black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing -- anti-humanism.  Senator McGovern has consistently stood for Civil Rights in their fullest sense.
 
I don't measure America by its achievement but by its potential.  Our potential is great . . .but you don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.  Senator McGovern has implemented ideas that are near and dear to my soul – to our country.
 
The one thing you’ve got going: your one vote.  Vote for Senator McGovern."

[/]

Over?

[Lumine]

DNC 1972, First Ballot:

(1517 votes needed for nomination)

Sam Yorty: 1217 (40.13%)
Edmund Muskie: 567 (18.70%)
George McGovern: 531 (17.51%)
Fred Harris: 420 (13.85%)
Morris Udall: 154 (5.07%)
Adlai Stevenson III: 67
Reubin Askew: 30
Harold Hughes: 10
Birch Bayh: 10
George Smathers: 6
John C. West: 6
Mike Gravel: 6
John Lindsay: 5
George Wallace: 4
Walter Fauntroy: 3
Ted Kennedy: 3
Shirley Chisholm: 2
Cecil D. Andrus: 1

Walter Cronkite: There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, no candidate has managed a majority and the Democratic Party is headed for the first brokered convention since 1952. The results serve to confirm Sam Yorty's status as frontrunner in a Convention which overrepresents the moderate and conservative wings against the anti-war Democrats, yet the question remains on whether Yorty can reach a majority without a candidate's support, just as the question remains on the issue of a potential "Stop Yorty" unity candidate. Favourite sons and non-candidates aside, reporters have begun to take note of the strong performance by Illinois Senator Adlai Stevenson, and with the candidacies of George Smathers and Birch Bayh all but certain for the upcoming second ballot their numbers should improve by a lot as well. In the meantime, we can expect some of the minor candidates to recieve votes to endorse or drop out in the upcoming hours.

[Lumine]

Right, second ballot to be held in 20 hours or so. Tomorrow afternoon I will also be releasing some brief news releases on what's going on at the Convention floor. Smathers and Bayh can announce their candidacies and do what formal candidates do as well. Additional candidates who are interested in joining in, let me know!

[/]

Who are playing Smathers and Bayh?

And is Stevenson actually running?

[Lumine]

Who are playing Smathers and Bayh?

And is Stevenson actually running?

Maxwell and Tmthforu.

Stevenson is an NPC candidate, selected among 1972 Illinois officeholders as the perfect candidate for Daley to support at the beginning of the convention. He can be taken by someone else, though, if there's any interest in him.

[tmthforu94]

Birch Bayh for President: Unite and Lead

Good evening.

I will cut right to the chase: I am announcing my official candidacy for the Democratic nomination. This was not something I had originally planned, but I love this party and I love my country.

I have previously mentioned my concerns with the way the primary race was developing, and it only grew worse as time went on. Senator McGovern and Mayor Yorty have both made a series of divisive comments that have only further divided this party. I cannot sit on the sidelines anymore and continue to watch this drama unfold.

The Democratic Party needs a nominee who can unite the party - I wasn't a candidate during the primary season, as Mayor Yorty will point out in his typical divisive nature. I know that Americans are hurting. The Nixon Administration has harmed countless working families across the nation and Americans want a president who can lead this country in a positive direction for the next four years. What the American people don't want is four more years of politics as usual, leaders who care more about winning the next election than they do actually serving the interests of the people.

I'm a reformer - I have a record of getting things done. I was a key advocate of enfranchising millions of Americans by fighting to lower the voting age to 18. I have been a constant advocate for Title IX in higher education. I have been a champion for the Equal Rights Amendment. I will take up the fight for ALL Americans, be a champion for the middle class and provide a voice for those without one.

As your nominee, I will unite the Democratic Party. I will build a winning coalition to defeat President Nixon in November. I will restore hope in the hearts of millions of Americans. Together, united, we can. Thank you, and God Bless!

[VPH]

Senator Fred Harris Speech

"This will be a long convention unless we come together. First, I'm calling on supporters of Sam Yorty to switch their support to our campaign. While Sam is a good man, I believe that I'm the more electable candidate. The best path forward for this party is unity, and we need to come behind a consistent populist who espouses party unity. I upset the regulars by helping rewrite the party rules. That experience is why we are here today as a truly Democratic body. We need somebody with proven experience fighting for the people on a federal level. I've done it in the party and I've done it out of the party, in the senate.

Take a look at the delegate count thus far. We've got support and it continues to grow as people look ay my record in the senate and my plans for the future. We need to come together. If you're supporting a candidate who's polling lower than 40% against Richard Nixon, come on over to the Harris side. We're in this to win it."

[Kingpoleon]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Udall Floor Campaign Managers
Former Representative Franklin Roosevelt, Jr. of New York:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Former Chairman John Bailey of Connecticut:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Former Secretary Stewart Udall of Arizona:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Lumine]

I must say, the amounts of backstabbing I'm getting via PM's are incredibly amusing, good work to you all! An update will follow on what's going on at the convention, then I will post results.

[Lumine]

DNC, Press Room

The aftermath of the first ballot saw some interesting shifts for power as candidates virtually spared no effort or expense in trying to lobby for supporters, leading to interesting results. From the candidates side, an expected Smathers late bid has yet to materialize, but the new (and aggressive) face of the convention is Senator Birch Bayh, who has been lobbying large numbers of people into supporting what looks like a very strong effort. From the withdrawing side, Shirley Chisholm pledged her delegates to George McGovern once more, while Senator Harold Hughes and Governor Andrus endorsed Muskie. The other favorite sons continue to the next ballot.

Of course had this remained a simple matter for lobbying it would have been uninteresting to the news, but a fist fight broke up minutes before the ballot as Yorty delegates heard some very nasty rumours coming from the more liberal delegates. Among the many insults and accusations thrown to the Mayor there have been claims of corruption, extremism, and a particularly harsh comment which portrayed Yorty as "disgusting", a "slob" and other such terms. Generally speaking, the large amount of attacks have hurt both the McGovern and Yorty campaigns coming to the second ballot as a sensation of them being unelectable is beginning to appear, but privately speaking most delegates are also disgusted at the level of attacks thrown against Yorty.

As of this edition, the source of these comments is unknown.

DNC 1972, Second Ballot:

(1517 votes needed for nomination)

Sam Yorty: 1185 (39.08%)
Edmund Muskie: 578 (19.06%)
George McGovern: 505 (16.65%)
Fred Harris: 426 (14.05%)
Morris Udall: 161 (5.31%)
Birch Bayh: 81 (2.67%)
Adlai Stevenson III: 59
Reubin Askew: 26
George Smathers: 6
John C. West: 6
Walter Fauntroy: 3
George Wallace: 2
John Lindsay: 1
Ted Kennedy: 1

The second ballot is even more deadlocked, as the irruption of Birch Bayh's large campaign efforts cause most of the Indiana delegation to switch to him along with several undecided and liberal voters. Andrus, Hughes and Chisholm are gone from the list as other favourite sons take a hit, some minor gains made by Muskie and Harris as the barrage of attacks and appeals fails to break the stalemate. On the losing side we have Mayor Yorty taking damage from rumours launched by one of his rivals, which he needs to address (and he can, considering there is some degree of outrage), and Senator McGovern, as even the liberal candidates turn on him in an attempt to reduce his already limited caucus.

[tmthforu94]

Birch Bayh Press Conference

Senator Bayh, speaking to reporters outside of the convention center

Good evening, thank you all for being here. We are incredibly grateful for the support we have received so far, and it is clear that the momentum is on our side. While other candidates have fallen, we are continuing to assert ourselves as the campaign that can unite the Democratic Party and defeat President Nixon in November.

We have rented an office nearby in Miami for us to base operations out of, and a staff has been put in place to contact delegates and also begin reaching out to various state party's. With the outpouring of support has become the necessary funds to maintain this office and also begin building organization across the nation, so that the moment I am nominated, we can immediately hit the ground running and take our message across America.

We gained more delegates last round than any other candidate, and I believe that will continue. We will continue reaching out to delegates and will prove why I am the best candidate to lead this party into the General Election. I will now open up to questions from the press.

Reporter: Senator, you weren't part of the campaign, how can voters expect you to know what issues they care about?
Look, I don't think you have to go to every corner of the country to know that Americans are hurting. Richard Nixon's economic and foreign policy decisions have sent this country backward, we haven't had strong leadership in the White House. Americans are tired of politics as usual - they want a change. I've had conversations with countless Americans who have expressed their concerns. As your nominee, I will continue to have those conversations and offer solutions. As your president, I will implement those solutions and put our country back on track.

Reporter: Sam Yorty is reportedly being drug through the mud by his opponents. What do you make of that?
Mayor Yorty has been unleashing countless attacks on his opponents for months and is part of the problem as to why this convention is so divided - delegates, Democrats...Americans are tired of this partisanship. You know, I think there are reasons to be concerned with a Yorty candidacy. I don't think he has the progressive credentials other candidates do, heck, he endorsed Nixon back in 1960. But I think some of the names people have called him...they're taking it too far. Let's keep it respectful, these type of comments only further divide the party. We should be having a conversation on how we can best unite and move forward. Period.

Reporter: Senator, do you think it is necessary to align with other candidates to win?
It may be, time will tell. I've had conversations with other candidates, I think they are all respectable men who I like a lot. This is a conversation about how we can unite as a party, so I would say it is necessary to talk with other candidates about how we can ultimately unite. I think I'm the best candidate to do that, and I hope together we can unite and defeat Nixon in November. Look, these candidates have been attacking each other for months. That's not who we should be focused on - this is about ensuring we don't have four more years of President Nixon and offering a positive, new vision for America.

Thank you for your questions.