1968 Election Story For Open Participation

[Robespierre's Jaw]

BUMP

How many weeks left to go in the '68 Presidential Campaign?

[Хahar 🤔]

About 6.

[Lincoln Republican]

At the national campaign headquarters in DC, Romney and Rockefeller, along with their wives, appear together at a nationally televised news conference.  Along with them are two young ladies.

Rockefeller takes the podium, and introduces the two young ladies to the assembled press, stating "These two young ladies have a statement to make."

One of the young ladies takes the podium and states "We never had an affair with Mr. Rockefeller.  Actually, today is the first time that either of us has ever met Mr. Rockefeller personally.  Three weeks ago, we were approached by an aide to Mr. Robert Kennedy, the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, and were offered $10,000.00 each if we would make up a story that we had an affair with Mr. Rockefeller.  The temptation of the money proved to be too much, were are struggling college students, and we agreed.  We went to the press and made these false and terrible accusations about Mr. Rockefeller.  We are ashamed of our actions, and cannot live with this lie any longer.  We seek the forgiveness of Mr. Rockefeller and his family.  We realize that nothing we can ever do or say could ever make up for the pain and turmoil we have caused for the campaign, and especially in the lives of Mr. Rockefller and his family."

Governor Rockefeller takes the podium, looks the girls straight in the eyes, and states "Thank you for your courage in coming here today."

In an act of selfless compassion, Rockefeller tells the girls, "Although you have caused my wife, my family and myself tremendous pain and grief, Mrs. Rockefeller and I completely and unreservedly forgive you."

The two young ladies at this point are weeping uncontrollably, and are comforted by Rockefeller and his wife, in the full view of the nation wide viewing audience. 

[Robespierre's Jaw]

New Polls after the Romney/Rockefeller Press Conference:

Romney 33%
Perot 29%
Humphrey 22%
Wallace 11
Undecided 5%

[Robespierre's Jaw]

After this revealment, Romney drops in the polls and Humphrey takes a narrow first place in the polls.

Did you have a look at the polls in the last post? If anything it probably would have been Perot in first place. Anywho here's the next update:

In Houston, Texas, Independent candidate Ross Perot makes an emotional speech attacking both George Romney and Hubert Humphrey on the recent sex scandal, which has taken the nation by storm. Perot calls for no mud slinging between all the candidates saying that's not what the American people want. They want to here the about the issues, not the issues that are happening in Nelson Rockefeller's bedroom. After this speech polls are released and this is what they look like:

Ross Perot 33%
George Romney 32%
Hubert Humphrey 20%
George C. Wallace 8%
Undecided 7%

[Hash]

You don't take a 16% bump in polls like that, or a 10% drop. Stop messing up this story.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

You don't take a 16% bump in polls like that, or a 10% drop. Stop messing up this story.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

You don't take a 16% bump in polls like that, or a 10% drop. Stop messing up this story.

When a candidate lies about a sex scandal, his opponents can sky rocket in the polls. Plus, Humphrey is doing well in California and other parts of the country. California is one of the biggest, if not the biggest state in the country. If you carry California, that boosts you in the polls at least five points. That compared with Romney lying about a sex scandal on national television, should boost both Humphrey and Perot in the polls.

First use the Godamn Spellchecker. Secondly, you say that Romney lying about the sex scandal on national television would boost HHH and HRP in the polls, then if Perot was second wouldn't he take the lead? Also I have never heard if you carry California, you boost in the polls by at least five points. Jesus Christ.

[Хahar 🤔]

I think Winfield's messing it up as much as anyone. Try to at least look a little impartial when writing a timeline.

[Hash]

You don't take a 16% bump in polls like that, or a 10% drop. Stop messing up this story.

When a candidate lies about a sex scandal, his opponents can sky rocket in the polls. Plus, Humphrey is doing well in California and other parts of the country. California is one of the biggest, if not the biggest state in the country. If you carry California, that boosts you in the polls at least five points. That compared with Romney lying about a sex scandal on national telivision, should boost both Humphrey and Perot in the polls.

For the love of the French Communist Party, give me a poll that showed a candidate up 16% and another down 10% one day after another poll. And jeez, politicians lie. Larry O'Brien just got into a bribery case and lied about not raising taxes, and he still has a damn 55% approval. You're a troll and you're stopping this story from being realistic.

[Hash]

After this revilement, Romney drops in the polls and Humphrey takes a narrow first place in the polls.

Did you have a look at the polls in the last post? If anything it probably would have been Perot in first place. Anywho here's the next update:

In Houston, Texas, Independent candidate Ross Perot makes an emotional speech attacking both George Romney and Hubert Humphrey on the recent sex scandal, which has taken the nation by storm. Perot calls for no mud slinging between all the canidadates saying that's not what the American people want. They want to here the about the issues, not the issues that are happening in Nelson Rockefeller's bedroom. After this speech polls are released and this is what they look like:

Ross Perot 33%
George Romney 32%
Hubert Humphrey 20%
George C. Wallace 8%
Undecided 7%

I think Winfield's messing it up as much as anyone. Try to at least look a little impartial when writing a timeline.

I'll tell you what I think, I think that the some of the people here will not accept certain poster's comments in a timeline. This is what is happening to me and I do not think that the posters should treat a vast majority of the posters kindly and the others harshly. I fall on the latter side of that comparison.

Well maybe if your contributions on this thread weren't hackish and entirely unrealistic, you could fall on the other side.

[Lincoln Republican]

A news story comes up on the nightly news one evening in mid October. The two girls that spoke about being asked by Kennedy to speak out about having had an affair with Rockefeller, are revealed to be insane.

They had gone under treatment shortly before that time that resulted that they were mentally insane. It is also revealed that Romney and Rockefeller used them just to get a boost in the polls.

After this revealment, Romney drops in the polls and Humphrey takes a narrow first place in the polls.

This post is totally unrealistic.

To begin with, Romney and Rockefeller are far too intelligent and politically savvy to dare go on television and make up a story and use two mentally insane young ladies as props.  No politician would dare try a stunt like that, and no politician is that stupid.

Obviously, word would get out that the young ladies were mental patients, and that they were being used by Romney and Rockefeller for political purposes.  This would effectively be the end of their hopes for victory.

This post goes over the line and is therefore disallowed.     

[Хahar 🤔]

A news story comes up on the nightly news one evening in mid October. The two girls that spoke about being asked by Kennedy to speak out about having had an affair with Rockefeller, are revealed to be insane.

They had gone under treatment shortly before that time that resulted that they were mentally insane. It is also revealed that Romney and Rockefeller used them just to get a boost in the polls.

After this revealment, Romney drops in the polls and Humphrey takes a narrow first place in the polls.

This post is totally unrealistic.

To begin with, Romney and Rockefeller are far too intelligent and politically savvy to dare go on television and make up a story and use two mentally insane young ladies as props.  No politician would dare try a stunt like that, and no politician is that stupid.

Obviously, word would get out that the young ladies were mental patients, and that they were being used by Romney and Rockefeller for political purposes.  This would effectively be the end of their hopes for victory.

This post goes over the line and is therefore disallowed.     

Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at their neighbors.

[War on Want]

Yet again another series of ads by Christian all over the country attack Romney for his Mormon faith. Even though most Americans knew about Mormonism's major differences from Christianity, it strengthened both Humphrey's and Perot's campaigns.
Perot 35%
Romney 25%
Humphrey 25%
Wallace 9%
Undecided 7%

[gorkay]

It would be interesting for someone to give us some idea of how the candidates are faring in the individual states. The PV polls are good but, in such a wide-open race, it would be nice to see how the EV might be breaking down. A House election looks probable to me.

[Lincoln Republican]

At the end of September, a bombshell hits the Perot campaign.

It is revealed that Perot had used his great wealth to bribe officials in the Johnson administration to manipulate government contracts in favor of Perot's extensive business interests.  The bribes took place over a period of six months, between late 1966 and early 1967. 

The information is confirmed by two top officials in the Department of Defense, who steered huge Defense contracts to Perot, by two top officials in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, who steered huge urban construction projects to Perot, and by two top officials in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, who steered huge medical contracts to Perot.

These officials had each been paid $2,000,000.00 by Perot for ensuring that Perot's businesses were given these contracts.  These department officials confessed to these deeds, after an extensive investigation was carried out by the FBI, after they had received a tip from a Department of Defense official, who objected to the illegal and immmoral behavior of these top officials.

These officials confessed under questioning from the FBI that they met personally with Ross Perot himself to work out the details of the contracts.  When asked why they met personally with Perot himself, and not with a Perot representative, they told the FBI that Perot was a total control freak, who insisted on being in total control of everything to do with his businesses.

[Хahar 🤔]

The next day, Perot tries to brush off the scandal that had been taken places. However, he soon drops a bigger bombshell. He states, "As President, I will restore the sovereignity of Czechoslovakia," referring to the policy of inaction Johnson took during the Prague Spring. The meaning is widely disputed, but Czechoslovakia becomes a major campaign issue.

[gorkay]

The next day, Perot tries to brush off the scandal that had been taken places. However, he soon drops a bigger bombshell. He states, "As President, I will restore the sovereignity of Czechoslovakia," referring to the policy of inaction Johnson took during the Prague Spring. The meaning is widely disputed, but Czechoslovakia becomes a major campaign issue.

The Czechoslovakian-American vote immediately swings to Perot.

[Lincoln Republican]

The day before the final Presidential debate, Perot's Vice Presidential running mate, Congressman Gerald Ford, announces at a news conference in DC that he is pulling out of the race, and is withdrawing as Perot;s running mate.

Says Ford

"I very much regret ever signing on with this wingnut, Ross Perot.  I have had to sacrifice my membership in the Republican Party, a party I love, to run on this ticket.  Now, as it turns out, not only is Perot a paranoid control freak, but he's as well a crook to boot.  I am, as of this moment, no longer Perot's running mate.  I have maintained my integrity my entire life, and I will  no longer have any association with Mr. Perot, who has used bribery to further his own personal business interests, and has fraudulently ripped off billions from hard working American taxpayers.  I urge Americans everywhere to soundly reject this grandstanding gadfly."

"I hope, that someday, the Republican Party will find it in their hearts to accept me back."     

[gorkay]

The most fun outcome here would be a deadlocked election, with the top four candidates all getting electoral votes, and the fourth-place finisher possibly holding the balance of power (since, remember, in the House election only the top three EV finishers are eligible). And the Vice-Presidential election will go to the Senate. Could we have a brokered result that ends with one party in control of the Presidency and one in control of the Vice-Presidency?

[Lincoln Republican]

In an effort to knock Humphrey out of contention, the Perot campaign releases information they have received from an "undisclosed source" that Humphrey has in fact been on the take from the leading labor unions in the country since the early 1950's in return for favorable union legislation being passed through Congress.

A visibly shaken Humphrey addresses the allegations at a hastily called press conference. 

Says Humphrey, "It is no secret that I have long been a supporter of the working men and women of this nation.  Ross Perot has made truly abhorrent allegations against me and my good name.  If there is one thing I have stood for my entire public life, it is integrity, and levelling with the public.  Let me make this clear, at no time, I repeat, at no time, have I, nor any of my family, ever, ever, taken illicit donations or pay offs from organized labor, or from any other source."

"Ross Perot has shown what a small minded, petty, coniving, and dishonest individual he truly is.  He is desperate to become President, and, my friends, let me tell you, Perot has shown he is in no way prepared for the Presidency, in any way, shape, or form.  He has in fact admitted to bribing public officials, in three different government departments, to line his own pockets with taxpayer money.  His lame excuse that he has saved taxpayers billions of dollars is nothing short of a sick joke.  Anyone bribing government officials and then running for President is truly shocking."

"President Johnson, with my advice, has ordered the Justice Department to make public all the facts regarding this bribery, and has ordered the FBI to immediately put Mr. Perot into custody.  Bribing public officials is a very serious crime, and this government will not stand for it."

That day, after Humphrey's remarks, the FBI picked up Perot, charged him with bribing public officials, and put him under arrest.

[Reluctant Republican]

Perot’s arrest blows up in Humphrey’s face. commentators all over the country blast the arrest as being “politically motivated” and strongly criticize Humphrey and the Johnson administration. Humphrey gains a reputation as something of an authoritarian, due to his ramming through of his agenda while he was acting president, and now his attempts to push Perot out of the race.  Much of the nation believes that the charges against Perot are frivolous, and Perot’s supporters rally around their man and seek to protect him from “the thug from Minnesota.” Perot, to his benefit, exploit’s the situation by urging people to “look at the people who are persecuting me.”

Perot does lose a few points, but the whole scandal as a whole hurts Humphrey far more then him. On the morning of the debate, the numbers are:

Romney/Rockefeller 32
Perot/Goldwater 28
Humphrey/Kennedy 22
Wallace/LeMay 11
Undecided 7

[Lincoln Republican]

Your Romney statement in the debate is totally ridiculous and shows extreme bias on your part against him.  No candidate would ever say anything that stupid, and you know it.

If you're going to be posting the debate statements, at least be fair.

[Lincoln Republican]

At a Democratic campaign reception in St. Petersburg, Florida in early October, Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy is talking with a friend about the campaign.  Unknown to Kennedy, he is standing near a tv recorder camera which was accidentally left on by a TV reporter who was assigned to cover the event for a local TV station.

Kennedy says to his friend

"Hubert that idiotic windbag.  If we win, maybe he'll croak shortly after, then I could take my rightful place as President.  Or maybe we could speed it along and put arsenic in his root beer," he says, laughingly, his friend laughing along with him.

They then move to another part of the room out of the range of the camera.

The TV reporter at the reception remembers he left his recording camera in the room and goes to get it.  He puts it in his camera bag and leaves the reception.

When the reporter gets back to the TV station, he turns the camera on to view his footage of the reception.  At the end of the tape, he sees the Kennedy discussion with his friend.

The next day, the TV station plays the Kennedy footage on the six o'clock news.

The footage is picked up by the national networks, and within one day is broadcast across the country.
 

[Lincoln Republican]

Stung by Kennedy's betrayal, within one day of the Kennedy tape being aired nationally, Humphrey dumps Kennedy from the Democratic ticket, and replaces him with  the experienced and likeable Washington Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson as the Vice Presidential nominee.

Jackson hits the campaign trail immediately, barnstorming through his native west coast, then flying over to the crucial midwestern battleground states in support of the embattled Humphrey.

Polls indicate the public is well pleased with the Jackson pick, and the polls also indicate that the public believes overwhelmingly that Kennedy deserved to be dumped from the ticket.

Meanwhile, polls are indicating that Wallace is making inroads into some high crime urban areas in the north, who like his messsage of "returning law and order to our streets."