1975: Double Assassination

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

September 5th, 1975: Lynette Fromme makes a successful attempt on President Ford's life. Vice President Rockefeller becomes president.
September 22nd, 1975: Recently-inaugurated Presiddent Rockefeller is killed by Sara Jane Moore. Speaker Carl Albert becomes president, an announces his campaign to a full term (and is nominated)
Who does President Albert choose as Vice President (appointed and/or nominated) and what happens on November 2nd, 1976? Discuss with maps.

[Kingpoleon]

Rockefeller was far too old to be allowed to be active enough to go around outside. He himself was a very powerful man in both personality and build, but I don't see he Secret Service letting such an old man go around enough to be killed, particularly since he would have just come into office after Ford was killed.

If Rockefeller lived, I doubt Reagan challenges him. Barry Goldwater, Jr., or Ron Paul might, but he'd sweep the primaries with a sympathy vote. If you insist on the extremely unlikely scenario of his death, Albert would probably pick either Jackson, Udall, McCarthy, or Glenn. Udall or McCarthy would appease his base, while Glenn unites the party and Jackson adds charisma. By the end of 1975, Jackson is at State and Symington at Defense.

340: President Carl Albert(D-MA)/Sen. John Glenn(D-OH) - 52.5%
198: Fmr. Gov. Ronald Reagan(R-CA)/Sen. Christopher Bond(R-MO) - 44.4%

Fmr. Sen. Eugene McCarthy(I-MN)/Rep. Pete McCloskey(I-CA) - 2.2%

[Agonized-Statism]

Two shocking blows to America's psyche when the malaise was arguably at its worst. I think it's clear to see where the nation goes after two presidents were the victims of countercultural women though.


Fmr. Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA) / Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (R-IL) ✓
Senator Henry Jackson (D-WA) / Fmr. Governor Jimmy Carter (D-GA)

Albert sticks around as a caretaker president to allow the primaries to unfold.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

I saw this and thought "Hey, someone had the same idea as 14-year-old me!" Then I realized this thread was started by 14-year-old me.

[ClassicElectionEnthusiast]

One other thing that comes to mind in a scenario where Carl Albert ascended to the Presidency. Near the end of Albert's final term in Congress, he was one of several members of Congress accused in the Tongsun Park scandal involving allegations of accepting bribes from a lobbyist linked to South Korean intelligence.

While Albert would not be charged with any wrongdoing (he denied taking bribes and admitted to accepting only small gifts, which he then reported), could the allegations have been enough to result in his not running for a term of his own?

[TheTide]

Rockefeller was far too old to be allowed to be active enough to go around outside. He himself was a very powerful man in both personality and build, but I don't see he Secret Service letting such an old man go around enough to be killed, particularly since he would have just come into office after Ford was killed.

Rockefeller was 67 in 1975. This post was written in January 2016, when it seemed as though Clinton vs. Rubio would be the match-up that year (although I think people were slowly becoming used to the possibility of a Trump nomination).

In this era of Trump vs. Biden, a 67-year old being described as "far too old" is kind of funny, although I think Rockefeller did have some health issues, which may have added to his age.

[ClassicElectionEnthusiast]

Rockefeller was far too old to be allowed to be active enough to go around outside. He himself was a very powerful man in both personality and build, but I don't see he Secret Service letting such an old man go around enough to be killed, particularly since he would have just come into office after Ford was killed.

Rockefeller was 67 in 1975. This post was written in January 2016, when it seemed as though Clinton vs. Rubio would be the match-up that year (although I think people were slowly becoming used to the possibility of a Trump nomination).

In this era of Trump vs. Biden, a 67-year old being described as "far too old" is kind of funny, although I think Rockefeller did have some health issues, which may have added to his age.

Regarding Nelson Rockefeller's age and health, I don't recall reading or seeing anything about Rockefeller having any major health issues prior to his fatal 1979 heart attack.