Out of vietnam sooner? Obviously no watergate. If he was a 2 term president, possibility of reagan in '76? Any changes that could have been made in the late 60’s to avoid the economic problems of the late 70’s? Also, if you were old enough to vote in '68, what was your opinion of him at the time?
For starters, if Nixon is never president, then the Rehnquist Court never happens.
Well, no Nixon, but IMHO, Nixon was a political abberation anyway: a headline-grabber made Ike’s VP as a sop to the rabid McCarthyites, no real power-base of his among the larger GOP, just the ambition of someone who won’t go away even when he’s not welcome.
I think the GOP would have done what it did anyway, without the Nixon interlude: rebuild after Goldwater’s defeat with Regan in the lead, but with both China and the USSR as the “evil empire.” And their own domestic enemy would be those damn Kennedys.
RFK was JFK’s hatchetman. The martyred senator who visited Alabama and wept for the poor sharecroppers, and “saw a war and tried to stop it” (oddly, only when it was LBJ’s war, not back when he himself was helping Jack start it) was not a role he’d had time to perfect. Once in office, I don’t see why he wouldn’t have reverted to his previous incarnation: a vindictive little SOB. With an enemies list, a crew of 'plumbers," etc.
There is an ancient Vulcan proverb: “Only Nixon could go to China.”
Yowza.
If RFK is elected in 1968, then not a lot changes over the next four years: Vietnam is still unwinnable, civil unrest at home continues, the FBI still conducts quasi-legal operations against domestic dissent, the CIA is still knee deep in dirty tricks abroad, etc. After four more years of disillusionment with the Democratic Party, the public votes in Nixon in '72 (just a little too early for Reagan to take the national stage IMO.) About the only difference that I see happening is that possibly Robert keeps the Apollo program alive in memory of John, although in the face of heavy budget deficits it gets cut back to a token mission per year, plus Skylab.
The big question is, how does a Nixon not hamstrung by Watergate handle Vietnam, the OPEC oil embargo, S.A.L.T., inflation, etc.? Do the Dems still run a fairly obscure state governor for President in '76?
I would also vote that Nixon–in a roundabout way–kicked off a popularity for investigative journalism, which has had a strong influence on the US up until about 2000.
If Nixon loses in 1968 why would the Republicans nominate him again in 1972. I think in that scenario, they would’ve been likely to nominate Reagan.
Incidentally, I was wondering if it was already apparent Nixon would be the GOP nominee at the time of RFK’s assassination? If RFK got the Democratic nomination, was there a chance the Republicans would’ve nominated Rockefeller or even Reagan instead?
As for an RFK presidency, I totally disagree with you. The U.S. probably would’ve been out of Vietnam by 1972 and there would’ve been no excursions into Laos and Cambodia (which, in the latter case, would’ve make that country’s destabilization and eventual takeover by the Khmer Rouge less likely).
Domestically, RFK would’ve continued and expanded Johnson’s social programs. I can almost guarantee a national health-care plan would’ve been implemented.
As has been mentioned in this thread, the Supreme Court remains liberal longer due to RFK’s picks. No Burger Court and no Rehnquist Court.
I think that RFK would have made VietNam worse because he was an idealist and believed in saving the VietNamese from their ‘ignorant’ choice to prefer Communism. Nixon believed in nothing except protecting Big Business, so could leave the VietNamese to sort themselves out and deal with China as a pragmatist. There are times when it is better for a politician to have no principles than to be held to ones that affect the rest of the world. The Kennedeys could have started nuclear WW3 on principle, Nixon would agree with Frank Zappa that There’s too much real estate involved let them go rather than risk ourselves.
My understanding at the time was that RFK would continue the “This war can be won” attitude of his brother, so I avoided supporting the Dems because that was canon, regardless of how many guys just a couple years older than I it would cost. I was BARELY an RFK supporter and, though I was deeply saddened by the means with which he was taken out of the equation, I could see how it could be played to my advantage.
(signed) dropzone, a Machiavellian since eight grade.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 never happens, Vietnam extends until at least 1976, we withdraw from Bretton Woods a few years later than we did, we don’t have any relations with China until much later, and Reagan wins in 1976 instead of 1980. The oil shocks probably still happen, and stagflation probably still exists.
I’m not sure Rehnquist wouldn’t have still been at least a Justice. Reagan loved that guy, and would have still put him on the court. Depending on the lifespan/tenure of who RFK appointed to replace Warren in '69, Rehnquist still might have been elevated in the 80’s.
I agree that Reagan might have moved up a cycle, but I think he would have done so without Bush as his Veep. Much of Bush’s impressive resume of public service came under Nixon; especially his successes in China.
Reagan didn’t really want Bush, but only took him as he felt he needed to in order to unify the party. I figure Rockefeller would have filled the role in '76.
Plus, you never would have heard of Bob Woodward or Rich Little, and Futurama would not have a President of Earth.
Good thread, btw!
He also – in a roundabout way – provoked the Congressional investigations of the CIA and the FBI, which brought a lot of loathsomeness to light, not only from Nixon’s Admin, but from every Admin since Truman’s.
I would venture that strong influence died long before 2000. Had an investigative press really existed in 2000, there would have been no Clinton impeachment.
The USA would have been a much better place in which to live had RFK made it to the White House. Much of the divisive ugliness that marked that period of time would have been soothed and healed. Beyond that, I hesitate to predict specifics because that is folly.
Military advisors started arriving in Vietnam in 1950. Kennedy didn’t help, but he damn well didn’t start it.
Nitpick: Clinton was impeached in 1998.
I could be wrong, but I think Rehnquist joined the DOJ under Nixon. Certainly the RFK administration wouldn’t have brought him aboard. If indeed Regean succeeded Kennedy in '72 or '76, there are no guarantees that Rehnquist would have ever appeared on Ronnie’s radar.
Without Nixon though, I’m pretty sure we can all agree that a certain peanut farming Georgia governor wouldn’t have been elected in '76.
Really? According to the Wikipedia, Nixon did a lot for both racial and sexual equality in school and in the work place.
He also backed universal health care.
Reagan’s actual VP pick in 1976 was Richard Schweiker. I think there was too much bad blood between Reagan and Rockefeller in order for him to be picked. Admittedly, a lot of that came from their post 1968 interactions, but with Reagan having the personality he had and Rockefeller having the personality he had, I think a conflict between the two of them would have been inevitable.