The Happy Warrior Fights Back, 1968

[President Mitt]

November 5th, 1968: In an upset, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey is elected President over Republican candidate Richard Nixon, and American Independent Candidate George C. Wallace. The crucial states proved to be Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, and New Jersey, all of which the Vice President won by incredibly narrow margins. Humphrey called the victory a win for "Progress, Equality, and positive change." Lyndon Johnson, the incumbent president, is able to enjoy one last victory for himself. "Give em' Hell Hubert" the President said as he listened to results. The Democratic Party also maintains its majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate 57 to 43 and 243 to 192.

Vice President Hubert Humphrey/ Edmond Muskie: 272 EV's; 42.9% (Democratic Party)

Frmr. Vice President Richard Nixon/ Spiro Agnew: 221 EV's; 43.2% (Republican Party)

Gov. George Wallace/ Curtis LeMay: 45 EV's; 13.9% (American Independent Party)

November 6th, 1968: Richard Nixon returns to his Florida home with another defeat in a close and contested election, he chose not to challenge the results, not wanting to appear as a "spoil sport." Little do any Americans know, that Richard Nixon is already preparing his next trip to Washington, it might not be President, but maybe something else....

November 13th, 1968: Mark Hatfield (R- OR) gives an impassioned speech against the Vietnam war in the largest city in Oregon, Portland, Hatfield decries the war as "meaningless, a waste of time, money, and precious, precious lives." Hatfield is the first politician (Republican or Democratic) to call on President- elect Humphrey to end it. Later on in the week, similar speeches would be made by Republican Senators Charles Mathias (R- MD) and John Cooper (R- KY), and Democratic Senators George McGovern (D- SD) and Eugene McCarthy (D- WI).

November 22nd, 1968: While giving a town hall meeting concerning Domestic Issues in Columbus, Ohio to a crowd made up of mainly blue collar workers, President Elect Humphrey is heckled by Anti-War protesters. The protesters chant "Hey Hey Hubey Horatio, How many kids will die tomorrow?" Some Blue Collar Workers shout down the hecklers, and give support to the President Elect. The President Elect ignores them, and continues giving his speech.

November 30th, 1968: An Anti busing rally is conducted in Los Angeles, California. One of the speakers at the event was Governor Ronald Reagan, who attacked Federal Busing as "The chief cause of collapse of American cities," the Governor also commented that "If I was President, institutions such as education would be return to their rightful owners, the states."

December 25th, 1968: President Elect Humphrey and his family spend Christmas with the Johnsons and the Muskies in the White House. The three men talk of policy, especially the war in Vietnam, where Hubert Humphrey makes a promise to President Johnson: "Mr. President, I will not abandon South Vietnam." The President Elect also talks about expanding many of Johnson's domestic programs. Humphrey later noted how "eager President Johnson was to leave the presidency."

[HappyWarrior]

Thought this was about me for a second lol.

[hcallega]

Thought this was about me for a second lol.

So did I lol!

[Psychic Octopus]

Cool, I was actually thinking of starting this, but do a great job, Gio!

REAGAN 1972!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Giovanni, one day I'll post list of all timelines you started and then abandoned.

You're good writer and I'M REALLY HOPE you FINISH ONE ONE DAY...

[Dr. Cynic]

Humphrey was never going to escalate the war.

[President Mitt]

"All my life I've stood guard against those forces of reactionism, bigotry, and discrimination, that would poison this great land. What is the end result? A handful of militant Anarchists, who believe in nothing, are determined to destroy a man, a party, and weaken a country, but ladies and gentlemen, they're not going to do that, we're going to succeed, we're going to win!"

-Hubert H. Humphrey



January 12th, 1969: Humphrey makes one of the few changes in the departing Lyndon Johnson’s cabinet and nominates Terry Sanford of North Carolina for the Humphrey Administration’s new Secretary of Education. Education was the North Carolina Senator’s specialty, and Humphrey received much praise for the decision. Sanford eagerly accepted the job.

January 20th, 1969: Vice President Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota is inaugurated as the 37th President of the United States. Edmond Muskie of Maine is inaugurated as the next Vice President of the United States. Humphrey announces his plans for the United States, including an expansion of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. He also addressed the issue of Vietnam. Humphrey urges unity in America on the issue. “The Vietnamese Communists cannot defeat the United States, only the United States can defeat the United States.” Humphrey announces that he would continue the Anti-Communist fight in Vietnam.

January 22nd, 1969: President Humphrey meets with several high level Defense specialists such as Defense Secretary Clark Clifford and General Creighton Abrams, the commander of US army forces in Vietnam. Humphrey hoped to develop a strategy for victory in Vietnam, and hopefully before the 1972 Presidential Election, where a bogged down Vietnam might cost the President his reelection. The meeting was mostly used by General Abrams to brief the new President on the situation in Vietnam. No real ‘progress’ was made in the meeting.

January 25th, 1969: Paris Peace talks resume. Representatives from the Vietcong, North Vietnamese, South Vietnamese, and the United States meet for the first time since Lyndon Johnson agreed to stop bombing in March, 1968. President Humphrey hopes to achieve a Negotiated Settlement, with South Vietnam remaining alive. He knows that a simple American Withdrawal would lead to a disaster both in Foreign Affairs, and his own popularity.

February 12th, 1969: Republican Senator George Murphy of California announces he will not run for reelection to the senate in 1970 due to his recent diagnosis of Throat Cancer. This comes as a surprise to many California Republicans, who now have a need to find a candidate, some point to Governor Ronald Reagan, others point to the defeated Richard Nixon, Reagan has shown no interest in the job, but Richard Nixon neither confirmed or denied plans for a run for Washington Offices. Nixon quietly tells his wife, "I'm not done with Washington D.C. just yet."

March 3rd, 1969: President Hubert Humphrey announces his Domestic Strategy, which the President coins, the Just Society, which contains a three point, plan to reinvent the United States Domestic Policy. Part one would be a public works program that would ease the rising unemployment in the country. Second Humphrey wanted some form of Health Insurance Reform, he preferred some sort of Government run Health Insurance Program that he predicted, would ease the rising cost of Health Coverage, part three would be increasing funding to New Deal Era programs such as Social Security, which Humphrey predicted, "Might face a budget crisis as early as the 1980's." Democrats greet the Just Society with enthusiasm, Republicans, with disgust.

March 6th, 1969: Conservative Commentator and Publisher William Buckley publishes a surprising article in The National Review that comes out in support of Drug Legalization, he quips some jabs at the Liberal Republican Governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller, for his tough stances on drugs. Rockefeller later laughs, "The Right always criticizes me for being too liberal, I finally take a "Conservative" position, and suddenly I'm too Conservative?" Buckley maintains that legalizing all drugs would ease the National debt and decrease the amount of people in prisons.

March 28th, 1969: President Humphrey gives General Abrams authority to begin some "limited covert" actions on the Parrot's Beak region in Cambodia. General Abrams had asked for a US-ARVN combined invasion of Cambodia to disrupt the Communist supply lines, Humphrey outright refused an invasion, and even bombing, but did feel the need to disrupt Vietcong supply lines.

April 5th, 1969: Congressman Claude Pepper, Democrat from Florida, introduces the Full Employment Act of 1969 to the House of Representatives, with the support of President Hubert Humphrey. The bill would create more federal jobs if unemployment reached over 4%. Congressman Pepper remarks that the bill "Must be passed to ensure that Americans have the opportunity to work hard." Conservatives, from both Parties denounce the bill as "Socialism right out of the playbook of Mao," as Republican Congressman John Ashbrook of Ohio puts it. A vote in the house is scheduled on April 12th. This is the first part of President Humphrey's legislative agenda, coined the Just Society.

[Psychic Octopus]

I'm really enjoying this.

I like the whole "Just Society" thing, its interesting to see a successor to LBJ's Great Society.

[Historico]

Awesome new start for i suppose will be another fantastic TL GIO, Can't wait to see how HHH handles the Anti-War Activists and the growing Black nationlis movement. He doesn't seem like he would take a hard stance against him, maybe a major push for Education reform in the inner cities besides Busing. Like the new style as well...Keep it comming.

[President Mitt]

Thank you all for your comments, anybody have any guesses on 72'?

[Historico]

For a ticket, which would balance Geographicaly, Ideologicall, and the tradition of a Governor/Senator ticket...I perdict...Reagan/Brooke in '72!!!(Actually I think it would be cool for Edward Brooke to run in the Primaries as TTL Shirley Chisholm...If he's able to sure moderate voters then Ronnie will be forced to pick him due to party loyalty.)

[President Mitt]

I don't suppose anybody has a link to Humphrey's positions on...well....everything?

[Historico]

I don't suppose anybody has a link to Humphrey's positions on...well....everything?

Lol Gio, I think Being the realist the Humphrey was I don't expect anything to spectacular to happen in his Presidency. I could see him expanding the Manned Space Flight Program instead of cutting the budget to NASA after Apollo. He probably does pull out ASAP in Vietnam, which could be disastorus for the situation there and the North Vietnamese could end up taking the south by '72. He may try to get something done about Hunger in America, and the Full Employment Act and the Negative Income Tax may or may not get passed...It really depends if the GOP can manage to get their act together and take back congress in '70 or not.

[RosettaStoned]

BUMP.

[CPT MikeyMike]

Thought this was about me for a second lol.

So did I lol!

For some reason I thought Al Smith rose from the dead and ran in 1968!

[Psychic Octopus]

Here is some info on the Hump's platform in 1968:

http://www.4president.org/brochures/1968/hhh1968brochure.htm

[Psychic Octopus]

Here is some more:

http://www.4president.org/brochures/1968/humphreymuskie1968brochure.htm

[hcallega]

I have interest group ratings from some of HHH's last years in the senate if u need them Giovanni

[Historico]

Come on Gio, don't let this TL die...Please

[RosettaStoned]

Come on Gio, don't let this TL die...Please

I'm afraid its too late.

[Historico]

Come on Gio, don't let this TL die...Please

I'm afraid its too late.

Holding the body of the Happy Warrior TL, as as torrential rain pounds down from the night sky, I look up to the heaven's and scream..."NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[RosettaStoned]

Come on Gio, don't let this TL die...Please

I'm afraid its too late.

Holding the body of the Happy Warrior TL, as as torrential rain pounds down from the night sky, I look up to the heaven's and scream..."NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Why don't you hijack this thread Historico?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Gio, where the f_ck you are?!

[Historico]

Let's Go GIO!!!Let's Go GIO!!!Let's GO

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Let's Go GIO!!!Let's Go GIO!!!Let's GO

He can't hear you, evil Bgwah is now presecuting him