A Different Republican Icon

[OSR stands with Israel]

A Different Republican Icon


Date it will begin: October 20th

[Huey Long is a Republican]

GOLDWATER, YES!!!

I CALLED IT!!!

[Huey Long is a Republican]

quick question, will this take place in the 1960, 1964, or 1968 Presidential Elections?

[OSR stands with Israel]

quick question, will this take place in the 1960, 1964, or 1968 Presidential Elections?

1968

[Cold War Liberal]

I did an unsuccessful Goldwater Administration starting in '69, but that's just one of the many ways history could have turned out. I'm interested to see your take on both the Goldwater Administration and the Presidencies that follow it.

[DeSantis4Prez]

Excited for this

[Horsemask]

Looking forward to it

[OSR stands with Israel]

I hope I wont disappoint you and hope you will enjoy this TL.


I have also decided to start this TL on the 20th instead of 27th

[Huey Long is a Republican]

interesting that it's in 1968 instead of 1964. Either Kennedy survives TTL or Rockefeller wins California due to the birth not happening, though that would have ramifications with Johnson effectively killing off the Liberal wing of the Republican Party in a landslide, as I don't see Goldwater coming back after losing in a landslide in 1964.

also:

I hope I wont disappoint you and hope you will enjoy this TL.


I have also decided to start this TL on the 20th instead of 27th

WOOHOO

3 day wait!

[OSR stands with Israel]

I have decided to do a Hybrid Format:


- Election Night Coverage, Debates, Major Speeches will be done with the Romney Admin Format but I wont go that into day-day politics as I did in that TL(So I can cover a larger amount of time in this TL).

Also there will be flashback and flashforward posts as well.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Prologue Part 1: 1964 Election


Republican Primaries and Convention:

Convention Delegates:

Nelson Rockefeller 683
Barry Goldwater 625


Summary: The race between the leader of the Liberal Wing of the GOP Nelson Rockefeller and the Conservative Wing Barry Goldwater would be very close but a close win in California would give Rockefeller the edge going into the convention where he would narrowly defeat Goldwater despite a last-minute speech at the convention by Hollywood Actor Ronald Reagan to try to energize the delegates in Goldwater's favor but while that did help the Goldwater camp it was not enough for Goldwater to win.




General Election:

Lyndon Johnson/Hubert Humphrey 418 52%
Nelson Rockefeller/Gerald Ford 67  41%
George Wallace/Orval Faubus 53 6.8%


Summary: LBJ began the campaign with a huge lead in the polls and despite George Wallace taking the deep south away from the Democrats, Rockefeller still wasnt able to win due to Wallace not being able to split the Democratic vote outside the south and LBJ being a very popular president.


House:

Democrats: 282(+24)
Republicans: 152(-24)
Indpendent: 1


Senate:

Democrats: 66
Republicans: 34

[OSR stands with Israel]

Prologue Part 2: The Lyndon Johnson Presidency



With a landslide victory and large majorities of Congress, President Johnson now had the ability to do pass anything he wanted passed for the next 2-4 years. Over the next 2 years , the voting rights act which received the votes of even senators who voted against the Civil Rights act like Senate Barry Goldwater would be passed into law, the Social Secuirty Amendment Act which provided Federal Health Insurance for the Elderly and the Poor would pass into law, War on Poverty Programs, signfiantly increase funding for education, and other programs known as the Great Society would pass. Despite all that legislative success much of his term would be dominated by the Vietnam War which would cause his popularity to dip.

President Johnson decided to send hundreds of thousands of troops to Vietnam was originally uncontroversial as most people supported the idea of the US going in to protect the South Vietnamese. Despite hundreds of thousands of troops being sent to Vietnam, the US were unable to get the North Vietnamese to stop fighting and troubles with Guerilla fighters such as the Viet Cong would cause the US to suffer significantly more casualties than needed. Johnson's handling of the Vietnam War would result in his administration being attacked by both the Left and the Right. People on the left would attack him from sending troops to Vietnam in the first place and demanded that President Johnson bring the troops back home and people on the right have attacked him for not being aggressive enough against the North Vietnamese which they claim would have ended the war sooner. Along with an increase in amount of riots in the nation, would cause his popularity to fall and the Democratic party to suffer significant losses in the 1966 midterm elections.



1966 House Elections:

Democrats: 235(-47)
Republicans: 200(+48)

1966 Senate Elections:

Democrats: 62(-3)
Republicans: 38(+3)

Note: Democrats lost one seat in between 1964-1966
1966 Gubernatorial Elections:

Republican Gains: AK, AZ, AR, CA, FL, MD, MN, NE, NV, NM

The Biggest Republican Gubernatorial Gain in the nation came in California where former Hollywood Actor Ronald Reagan who was only expected to win by 5 points would instead win by double digits and over a million votes due to his candidacy energizing Conservative in Southern California and even winning over many Working Class Democrats. It was a huge win for the Goldwater wing of the party and a stunning defeat for the President as the biggest state in the union will not only be represented by one of his biggest allies but will likely be represented by one of his biggest adversaries.


Democratic Gains: KS, ME


With major gains in the House, President Johnson legislative agenda would be slowed down considerably and the war and unrest throughout the nation would get worse throught 1967.

[Huey Long is a Republican]

quick thing to note: Rockefeller HAD to win California AND Illinois to get the Nomination in 1964, not one or the other, BOTH. The only way he could've gotten that was if the birth didn't happen until after he was Nominated, which I think is possible, though the birth would cause to lose a lot of support and maybe even Utah and the West entirely.

Who was Rockefeller's running mate?

[OSR stands with Israel]

quick thing to note: Rockefeller HAD to win California AND Illinois to get the Nomination in 1964, not one or the other, BOTH. The only way he could've gotten that was if the birth didn't happen until after he was Nominated, which I think is possible, though the birth would cause to lose a lot of support and maybe even Utah and the West entirely.

Who was Rockefeller's running mate?

Ok fixed

[OSR stands with Israel]

NBC 1968 Election Special: Previewing the Republican Nomination Battle




Brinkley: With the Presidential election now less than a year away from us, many potential Republican candidates for the Presidency will start to throw their hats into ring. With Johnson's popularity having dropped throughout the past 3 years people may start to believe that the race for the Republican nomination might be more open then it was 4 years ago but that isnt the case.

Huntley: No it isnt the case as currently Senator Goldwater is considered to be a significant frontrunner by most of the polls, oddsmakers and pundits in the Republican Race. The question is which candidate from the liberal wing of the party could challenge him for the nomination and currently, there are three potential choices: Governor George Romney, Governor William Scranton and Senator Jacob Javits. Out of these Senator Goldwater leads by double digits against all of these potential candidates but Governor Romney fares the best in this.


Brinkley: If the Conservative Wing of the Republican Party is this ahead why are they insisting they run Senator Goldwater as they have another prominent potential candidate as well, Governor Ronald Reagan. Governor Reagan fares much better in polls against President Johnson than Senator Goldwater does , has pretty good approval rating as governor of the largest state in the union and won in a less Republican state by a larger margin that Goldwater as won in any of his 3 races.


Huntley: 3 Reasons why, One Governor Reagan does not have the name recognition Senator Goldwater does so while he polls better in a General Election he does not in the primaries , he has only been a Governor for 2 years while Goldwater has been a senator for nearly 15 now , and since Goldwater is a large part of why Reagan became Governor in the first place Reagan feels loyal to him and for that reason wont run if Goldwater will

Brinkley: There is also former Vice President Nixon who doesnt fit in either wing of the party but could jump in if the race gets close enough.

Huntley: Yup

[OSR stands with Israel]

Prospective Candidates officially Declare Candidacy and receive promienent endorsments as well.

The Leader of the Conservative Movement and the Republican Frontrunner Barry Goldwater announces Presidential Run




Goldwater: Thank You , Thank You. Today we stand here in pivotal times: We are currently in a middle of a struggle in Vietnam which cause sadly caused the deaths of thousands of our troops and it is our duty to make sure that their sacrifice won't go down in vain and the only we can do that is by winning this war(Applause). Here home we have seen the size of the Federal Government grow way past its boundaries and it is time we check and reverse the growth of the Federal Government by significantly cutting taxes for everyone in our great nation and getting rid of the special interest created loopholes in there as well(Applause). We also must get rid of regulations that curtail the growth of business all across our nation and grow the power of the government while infringing on the rights of the people . It is time to take back the government from bureaucrats in Washington and return it to you the American people and that is why I am running of President (Applause).



Reagan wont run for President , Will Endorse Goldwater  



David Brinkley: Just as we expected, California Governor Ronald Reagan has decided to endorse Senator Goldwater for President.


George Romney to throw his hat in the ring:



Romney: Thank You, Thank You. We come here today with our nation dealing with many issues : From Vietnam to Unrest in the Streets, Poverty and others and that is why I have decided to run for President(Applause). I believe it is time that we bring our combat troops home from Vietnam as our current strategy of winning the war is not working and instead, we should focus on using diplomacy to end the war and we can also guarantee that the South Vietnamese dont fall under communist rule either(Applause). At home we must make sure that every tax dollar is being spent efficiently so we can make sure that government programs can accomplish their goals better(Applause). I believe if we do that we can continue to make sure the American Dream is stronger than ever and that is why I have decided to run for President(Applause)


Rockefeller, Ford, Scranton and Javits all announce that they will endorse Romney.



Brinkley: Again no surprise but Governor Rockefeller , Governor Scranton, House Minoirty Leader Ford and Senator Javits have announced they will endorse Governor Romney for Presidnet.



Presidnet Johnson to face a Primary challenger as Congressman McCarthy Announces Run



Brinkley: Congressman McCarthy announced his run with just 8 words: I'm running for President to end the war




Primary Polls:


Republicans:

Barry Goldwater: 48%
George Romney: 35%
Undecided  17%


Democrats:

Lyndon Johnson 73%
Eugene McCarthy 20%
Undecided 17%


General Election:

Lyndon Johnson 49%
Barry Goldwater 41%
Undecided 10%

George Romney 46%
Lyndon Johnson 41%
Undecided 13%


Barry Goldwater 50%
Eugene McCarthy 40%
Undecided 10%

George Romney 53%
Eugene McCarthy 38%
Undecided 9%

[OSR stands with Israel]

North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch a major offensive against South Vietnamese and American forces causing heavy casualties. More Americans now believe it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam than those who believe it was not a mistake


Breaking News: North Vietnamese forces launch major offensive against South Vietnam


David Brinkley: We have some breaking news coming out of Vietnam and that is the North Vietnamese have launched a major offensive against South Vietnam and the battle so far has caused many casualties. President Johnson in a Press Conference earlier today said that this offensive is the enemy making one last desperate attempt to win the war similarly to what the Germans did during the battle of the bulge in WW2.


More people now oppose Vietnam War than Support it and President Johnson's approvals fall to new low


Gallup: Do you believe sending troops to Vietnam was the right decision

Yes: 42%
No: 46%
No Opinion: 12%


President Johnson's Approval:

Approve: 39%
Disapprove: 47%


Presidential Candidates  call out President Johnson's handling of the war

Goldwater: President Johnson's handling of the war has been a disaster and has only prolonged this war. If we went on the offensive earlier on during the conflict this war could have possibly been over by now.

Romney: President Johnson handling of the war has just not worked , in my opinion it is time for a new direction. After we are able to push the North Vietnamese back into the North it is of my opinion that we should start negotiating a peace deal with them similar to the one we have in Korea right now.


McCarthy: The time to end the War is now, and the President should begin to withdraw troops immediately from the conflict

[OSR stands with Israel]

President Johnson drops out of Presidential Race after Narrow New Hampshire result , promoting Humphrey and RFK to enter race. Goldwater pulls of victory in New Hampshire thanks to Senator Norris Cotton's endorsement. Romney still confident of chances of winning nomination due to Schedule in April benefiting him.

New Hampshire Primary Results:

Republican:

Senator Barry Goldwater 54%
Governor George Romney 46%

Democratic:

President Lyndon Johnson 49%
Congressman Eugene McCarthy 43%
Write-In 8%


Breaking News: President Lyndon Johnson announces he will drop out of Presidential Race

You must be logged in to read this quote.

RFK  announces he will run for President after news President Johnson wont run for another term



David Brinkley: After the President's stunning announcement where he said he wont run for another term, Senator RFK  announced his Presidential run in a statement.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Romney sweeps Primaries in April and hopes the momentum will carry him to a win in Ohio on May 7th. McCarthy also sweeps Primaries in April including a surprise win in Massachusetts.  Humphrey also jumps in Democratic race

Romney, McCarthy easily win Wisconsin Primary:




Republicans:                                        Democrats:
George Romney: 62%                           Eugene McCarthy: 56%
Barry Goldwater: 31%                           Lyndon Johnson: 35%
Write in: 1%                                         Robert Kennedy: 6%
                                                            Write-In: 3%


McCarthy and Romney dominate in Pennsylvania



Republicans:                                        Democrats:

George Romney: 68%                           Eugene McCarthy: 71%
Barry Goldwater: 30%                           Robert Kennedy: 23%
Write-In: 2%                                         Write-In: 6%


Humphrey Jumps into the race as well



Brinkley: We have just gotten word that Vice President Humphrey has jumped into the race as well. The reason for this may be polls show RFK losing to McCarthy in Ohio while , Humphrey leads there.

David Brinkley Analyzes results of primaries so far after Romney and Mcarthy win in Massachusetts:

Republicans:                         Democrats:
George Romney: 62%           Eugene McCarthy: 49%
Barry Goldwater: 37%           Robert Kennedy: 28%
Write-In: 1%                        Hubert Humphrey: 18%
                                           Write-In: 5%

David Brinkley: The primaries so far in April were wins by the underdog candidates Governor George Romney, and Congressman Eugene McCarthy and some say these wins may give them the momentum to have the chance to potentially win their nominations. Well we will have to wait in my opinion to see the result of the Ohio primary before we can tell if they have become the new frontrunner or not. Reason for that is that on the Republican side these 3 states overwhelmingly favored Governor Romney , and on the Democratic side President Johnson dropping out of the race threw everything in the flux and neither Senator Kennedy or Vice President Humphrey have had the time to be able to put the effort needed to win these states


NY Times Primary Map as of April 31st 1968:

Republicans:

Color Code:

Governor George Romney
Senator Barry Goldwater

Democrats:

Color Code:

Congressman Eugene McCarthy
President Lyndon Johnson

[OSR stands with Israel]

Ohio Governor James Rhodes stuns political world by endorsing Senator Goldwater which enables Goldwater to win the Ohio Primary and take back the momentum in the Republican race . Democratic Primary falls into more chaos as favorite son candidates take two of the biggest prizes during the month of May.

Ohio Governor James Rhodes stuns political world by endorsing Senator Goldwater:



Brinkley: Ohio Governor James Rhodes made a surprising decision tonight by deciding to endorse Senator Goldwater. This endorsement is a huge win for Senator Goldwater as if he is able to win Ohio, he very likely will be the nominee


Rhodes Endorsements allows Goldwater to win Ohio Primary along with winning a landslide win in Indiana. Democratic Nomination falls in flux as Favorite Son George Smathers wins the Ohio primary




Indiana Primary:

Republicans: Goldwater 63% , Romney 36%,  Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy 42% , Humphrey 31%, McCarthy 27%, Write-In 2%

Ohio Primary:

Republicans: Goldwater 53% , Romney 46% , Write-In 1%
Democrats: Young 70% , Humphrey 14% , McCarthy 9%, Kennedy 7%

Washington DC Primary:

Republicans: Romney 89% , Goldwater 10% , Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy 62%, Humphrey 38%


May 14th: Goldwater and Kennedy Win NE, Romney and Humphrey win WV



Nebraska Primary:

Republicans: Goldwater 73%, Romney 26% , Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy 52%, McCarthy 31%, Humphrey 14%, Write-In 3%

West Virginia Primary:

Republicans: Romney 68% , Goldwater 30%, Write-In 2%
Democrats: Humphrey 48%, RFK 40%, McCarthy 11%, Write-In 1%


May 28th Primaries: Goldwater wins big again with wins in Florida while Romney picks up Oregon. On Democratic Side Favorite Son wins Florida while McCarthy wins Oregon.




Florida Primaries:

Republicans : Goldwater: 62%, Romney 37%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: Smathers 50%, McCarthy 24%, Kenendy 14%, Humphrey 12%

Oregon Primaries:


Republicans: Romney 54%, Goldwater 45%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: McCarthy 44%, Kennedy 38%, Humphrey 17%, Write-In 1%

[OSR stands with Israel]

1964 Republican Nominee and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller interviewed about his thoughts about Senator Goldwater and the Republican Nomination Battle:


John Chancellor: With us today , is New York Governor and the Republican nominee for the 1964 Election Nelson Rockefeller. Governor Rockefeller its nice to have you on

Nelson Rockefeller: Pleasure is mine

Chancellor: Lets get right to it, as you know Senator Barry Goldwater your former rival for the Republican nomination and the current rival to the candidate you support has become the clear frontrunner to win the nomination. With only 4 primaries remaining Senator Goldwater is expected to win 3 of them and 2 by solid margins: California and South Dakota while putting up a pretty decent win in Illionis. Given this why shouldnt the convention nominate him

Rockefeller: Other than ideological reasons it is because I really dont think he is electable.

Chancellor: Why so

Rockefeller: Well its simple a Republican must win 3 of these 5 states : New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan and the fact is its hard for me to see Senator Goldwater winning any of those states. If you look at the primary results Senator Goldwater has performed very poorly in Urban Areas , and in blue-collar working class areas as well both of which are critical to win any of those 5 states.

Chancellor: Senator Goldwater believes though he can win those states because he can do better in the rural areas of the state and especially do better in the Suburbs.

Rockefeller: I do agree that Senator Goldwater probably will do really well in the suburbs but while that may be enough in a Republican Primary it will not be enough in a general election and I dont think currently there is any evidence  he will do better in rural areas outside the Mountain West than a normal Republican does . Governor Romney on the other hand I believe has a strong appeal to blue collar working class families and can make inroads into many major Urban Areas in those states . Along with the fact that he likely wont do that much worse int he suburbs compared to Senator Goldwater means I think he not only has a good chance of winning the election but would be the definite favorite as well.

Chancellor: Senator Goldwater though believes he can change the map from the Republicans by winning Texas and many other southern states .

Rockefeller : Well one problem is that while yes he has a good chance of winning Texas it will be almost offsetted by losses in Wisconsin and Iowa and other than Texas I dont really see him making inroads into the South.

Chancellor: Why not

Rockefeller: Firstly they are solidly Democratic states and second is that he is way to economically conservative and no where near populist enough to win those states.

Chancellor: nice having you on

Rockefeller: Anytime

[Huey Long is a Republican]

Something interesting for your TL, in 1964 OTL, William Scranton of Pennsylvania was originally considered for Goldwater's running mate until the Scranton Letter appeared. Perhaps Scranton is Goldwater's Choice ITTL?

[OSR stands with Israel]

Goldwater and Kennedy win South Dakota and California , while McCarthy and Romney win New Jersey



Brinkley: While Governor Romney had a pretty big win in New Jersey tonight, his pretty large loss in California likely ends any realistic chances he has of winning the nomination.

Huntley: I agree and on the Democratic Side all I can say is that it is impossible for anyone to say they can tell who will be the nominee. Lets let our viewers joining us see the results of the primaries tonight so lets start in New Jersey.


New Jersey:

Republicans: Romney 62%, Goldwater 37%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: McCarthy 36%, Kennedy 33%, Humphrey 31%

South Dakota:

Republicans: Goldwater 70%, Romney 29%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy 50%, Humphrey 30%, McCarthy 20%

California:

Republicans: Goldwater: 60%, Romney 39%, Write-In 1%
Democrats: Kennedy: 40%, McCarthy 31%, Humphrey 28%, Write-In 1%

[Huey Long is a Republican]

Either it'll be Kennedy v Goldwater or Kennedy dies and it's Goldwater v Humphrey

[OSR stands with Israel]

Breaking News: Senator Robert Kennedy assassinated while giving victory speech in California



Brinkley: Oh My God, We have some horrible news to report you!! Senator Robert Kennedy was shot while giving his victory speech in California yesterday and died from his wounds at Good Samaritan Hospital a few hours ago. The perpetrator of the crime was thankfully arrested and taken into custody a few hours ago as well.

I want to let the Kennedy family know that our thoughts and prayers are with you tonight and now I hope everyone watching joins me in this moment of silence.


Presidential Candidates announce they will suspend their campaign for the next 5 days. President Johnson also reacts to Kennedy's assassination


Johnson: Yesterday was a terrible day for our nation, and I want to let the Kennedy family know that I will be there for them in this horrible time for them. As someone who personally knew Senator Kennedy, he was one of the most honorable men I ever knew and his dedication to our people was unmatched and I hope the man who did this horrible crime is brought to Justice.

Humphrey: Yesterday was a sad day in our nation, as one of the most honorable and nicest men I ever knew Senator Kennedy was killed by an assassin who I hope gets brought to justice for his crime.

I will also suspend my campaign for 5 days and I hope everyone does as well, as these next few days shouldnt be about politics but remembering the legacy of Senator Kennedy.

McCarthy: My thoughts and prayers go to the Kennedy family . Yesterday was a terible day for our nation and I hope the man who did this gets brought to justice.

Goldwater: Yesterday was just not an attack on Senator Kennedy but an attack on our democracy. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and I hope the man who committed the crime gets brought to justice.

Romney: Yesterday was a sad day for our nation. Senator Kennedy was an honorable man who deeply loved our nation and its people and I hope the man who committed this crime gets brought to justice.


RFK Funeral: People from all around nation mourn his death, and members from both parties speak about his legacy and about his love for the nation