What a tackle by Rosey Grier: An Alternate History

[hcallega]

I'm shifting back to the old format since the day-by-day format is a lot less fun to write.

The Second term of President Robert F. Kennedy

President Robert Kennedy began his second term with a "mandate of continued progress, action, and purpose." In his inaugural address, the President made clear that he would continue his liberal domestic agenda, while also working for a "world that will be at greater peace than it has ever been since the beginning of our showdown with the Soviets." President Kennedy had to deal with only one major cabinet shift, as Secretary of State Dean Rusk stepped down due to "a greater need to spend time with my family." He was replaced by former Missouri Senator Stu Symington. Symington was no Kennedy ally, but was seen as a logical choice for the position. He was easily confirmed.

The first goal of the Kennedy administration was to pass the President's health care reform package. The plan was designed principally by Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, but received contributions from Rep. Carl Perkins of Kentucky and Senator Harrison Williams of New Jersey. The plan outlined a substantial shift in the way that the health insurance industry would run in America. Essentially, the plan was in three parts:

• Reform: Banning the use of preexisting conditions as a means to deny coverage and removing the anti-trust exemption for insurance companies.
• Coverage: The creation of a public option known as "Americare" that would be available to all Americans in the lower class. It would also be available to others with outstanding circumstances. Also, all employers over a certain size would be required to provide coverage to their employees. 
• Relief: A tax-cut for all small businesses that provide health insurance to their employees. Also, greater investment in better technology and a stream-lined approach to medicine by making patient information more assessable.

The plan was quickly adopted by the House and Senate Education and Labor committees, but took far longer to proceed in the House Commerce committee, as well as the Senate Finance committee. While it would pass in the House, the Senate finance committee chose to go in a different direction. Chairman Russell Long was worried that the President's bill would hurt Louisiana's oil companies, and therefore wrote a different bill focusing on reform. This bill included all of the "reform" and "relief" aspects of the President's bill, but removed the employer mandate and public option. This bill would pass the finance committee but would not be given a vote by Majority Leader Mike Mansfield who was committed to pass the President's bill. The House would pass the bill in April with a vote of 222 in favor, and 205 opposed.

In May, the bill received it's best news yet. Republican Minority Leader Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania announced that he "will not block this bill with an attempted filibuster. This legislation does not do what many on the fringe of this party are saying it will. I will not lead an obstruction and mutilation of parliamentary procedure." However a block of conservative senators would line up against the legislation, waging a filibuster against it's passage. But without the support of the Republican leadership, the cloture vote went 75-25 against those opposed. The final senate vote would be 58-42 in favor, with the bill being signed by the President just before the Fourth of July recess.

The next major crisis for President Kennedy was the oil crisis of October. This crisis was brought on by US support for the Israeli government against the neighboring Arab powers. OPEC raised prices by a massive amount, therefore leading to gas shortages in the US. Kennedy was quick to stand behind Israel, but also attacked American oil companies for "taking advantage of this crisis to raise prices on the American people." The crisis does not end until March of 1974. A recession was also brought on by the gas crisis and the stock market crash of 1973-1974, leading to a peak of 8.8% unemployment in 1975. Inflation was also high in this time due to large government spending. However President Kennedy would pass a stimulus package to help relieve the recession.

The only two other major pieces of domestic legislation passed by President Kennedy in his second term was a welfare reform bill and an environmental protection bill. The welfare reform bill was crafted by Kennedy in coalition with many Republicans and Southern Democrats, including a young Jack Kemp who Kennedy called "one of very few Republicans who actually gives a damn about the poor in this country." The bill would have a progressive scale of benefits based on continued employment. It would also ease those who were moving up the ladder off of government based assistance such as food-stamps. The bill would pass with large support, though many liberals including the President's own brother balked at the bill. The environmental legislation (The Udall Bill) was also very important, as it involved setting up a timeline of increasing caps on emissions, along with a carbon emissions tax. The bill received little support, but through negotiation a strong environmental protection law creating a "cap-and-trade" system was passed.

In foreign policy, Kennedy continued many of the steps of his first term. He continued to work with the Soviet Union to limit arms production and deployment, and also stood in support of Israel. Overall Kennedy had a solid presidential term, but with inflation high as he left office and the deficit even higher, many wondered what his legacy would be.

1974 Midterm Elections

Senate Elections
Entering Elections: 56 D, 43 R, 1 I
Democratic Gains
-Colorado: Gary Hart
-Kentucky: Wendell Ford
Republican Gains
-Indiana: Richard Lugar
-Nevada: Paul Laxalt
Following Elections: 56 D, 43 R, 1 I

House Elections
Entering Elections: 243 D, 192 R
Following Elections: 231 D, 204 R

[Historico]

Awesome, Bobby's Second Term isn't going as Rosy as I thought...hopefully the Bicentennial will be enough to lift his spirits, but 1976 is looking more and more like a GOP year...Keep it comming.

[pragmatic liberal]

One (minor) quibble: the president has no role in signing or ratifying a constitutional amendment.

[hcallega]

One (minor) quibble: the president has no role in signing or ratifying a constitutional amendment.

My bad.

[Bo]

Does Chapaquiddick still happen in this TL? If not, Ted could run for President sometime in the future (1980 would probably be a good year for him since the winner of the 1976 election will have to deal with hyperinflation).

[RosettaStoned]

Does Chapaquiddick still happen in this TL? If not, Ted could run for President sometime in the future (1980 would probably be a good year for him since the winner of the 1976 election will have to deal with hyperinflation).

July 18: Senator Ted Kennedy spends the night at home with his wife Joan and his children.

[hcallega]

1976 Democratic Primaries

The race to decide who would be Robert Kennedy's successor was one of the most competitive in Democratic Party history. The field was packed with candidate's looking to build off of Kennedy's popularity and rally his "black-and-blue" coalition of minorities and the white working class. The prospective frontrunner's for the race were Vice-President Ralph Yarborough, Senator Hubert Humphrey, and Senator Ted Kennedy (the Presidents brother). However, due to old age and illness, Humphrey decided against a second White House run, while Kennedy announced that he would not run and pursue the position of Majority Leader instead. This in turn opened up the field substantially. The following is a list of candidates from left-to-right. The number next to them is their purported ranking in the polls before the Iowa Caucuses:

-Representative Shirley Chisholm of New York (12)
-Senator George McGovern of South Dakota (5)
-Vice-President Ralph Yarborough of Texas (1)
-Senator Fred Harris of Oklahoma (10)
-Former Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota (
-Former Ambassador Sargent Shriver of Maryland (9)
-Senator Frank Church of Idaho (6)
-Senator Ed Muskie of Maine (2)
-Senator Scoop Jackson of Washington (3)
-Former Governor Terry Sanford of North Carolina (11)
-Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia (Favorite Son)
-Former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia (Favorite Son)
-Governor George Wallace of Alabama (7)
-Secretary John Connally of Texas (4)


The massive field was divided over what strategy to take to win the nomination. Several of the frontrunners (Jackson, Connally, Wallace, McGovern) chose to avoid the early primaries in favor of picking their contests strategically. Those who weren't frontrunners were forced into competition, or else they chose only to run in their homestates (Carter, Byrd). The only frontrunners to chose to run in all the primaries were Ed Muskie and Ralph Yarborough. Muskie chose out of a belief that he was the most likely to get muscled out by the swath of other liberal candidates. Yarborough, on the other hand, realized that with Connally in the race not a single delegation was pledged to support him going into the primaries. He could not fall back on the support of Texas, and therefore needed to compete. He also was short on funds and organization outside of what he inherited from Kennedy, which wasn't much. Frank Manciewicz and Pierre Salinger signed on to support McGovern (their closer ally) while O'Donnell, Lawrence O'Brien, and Ted Sorensen offered their support to Shriver. It was only Arthur Schelesenger Jr. who signed on to help their idealist compatriot.

In the opening contest of Iowa, Yarborough would defeat Muskie by a sound margin. This victory was a combination of the liberal Iowa caucus-goers and Yarborough's local roots. However in New Hampshire Muskie would come out victorious over Yarborough and McGovern. In Massachusetts Scoop Jackson would nudge Muskie and McGovern, while Yarborough faired poorly. McGovern would score a win in Vermont, making this truly anyones race. In Florida, Yarborough would regain his frontrunner status as he out dueled Wallace and Connally. He would parlay that into a victory in Illinois, which was followed by the race thinning to simply Yarborough, McGovern, Connally, Wallace, and the favorite sons. However for the rest of the race it would be Yarborough central, as he won most of the contests. His only real challenge would be California Governor Jerry Brown who entered the race on a "Stop Ralph!" platform. He would win several western states, but he was too late to stop Yarborough. Ralph would go on to choose Boston Mayor Kevin White as his VEEP in a highly controversial and unpopular decision. It was later revealed that Senator Ted Kennedy turned down Yarborough's offer, and was advised against accepting by his brother. President Kennedy would also speak out against choosing White, but Yarborough made it clear that he was in charge. According to several sources, Yarborough stated "Dag un it! It want someone with some controversy! Make the Republicans say they hate negros and busing!"

Red=Yarborough
Pink=Brown
Light Blue=Favorite Son (Byrd=West Virginia, Carter=Georgia)
Dark Blue=Muskie
Light Green=McGovern
Dark Green=Jackson

[Bo]

Does Chapaquiddick still happen in this TL? If not, Ted could run for President sometime in the future (1980 would probably be a good year for him since the winner of the 1976 election will have to deal with hyperinflation).

July 18: Senator Ted Kennedy spends the night at home with his wife Joan and his children.

Something similar could have happened on a different date, though.

[hcallega]

1976 Republican Primaries

Many pundits expected that the GOP nomination to once again be a showdown between Rockefeller and Reagan. However, Reagan unexpectedly announced that he would not seek the nomination. This shocked many Republicans and seemed to give an open shot at the nomination for Rockefeller. However he was not alone in the field:

• Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York
• Senator Bob Dole of Kansas
• Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina
• Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona
• Senator Charles Mathias of Maryland
• Attorney General Edward Brooke of Massachusetts

The crowded conservative field made any possibility of an easy ride to the nomination impossible. The opening round in Iowa was carried by Dole, as was expected. In New Hampshire Rockefeller would run to an impressive win against Brooke. In Massachusetts Brooke would win a shockingly narrow race against Rocky. Vermont would also go to Rocky. In Florida Rockefeller would find his principal Southern foe, Jesse Helms. Helms would draw controversy when he stated before the primaries "I'm gonna say something now a lot of people are going to have a problem with: I will never endorse, vote for, or support Nelly Rockefeller!" Helms would go on to win the primary narrowly, due in large part to increased turnout in primarily Democratic counties in the panhandle. While Rocky would cruise to the nomination, Helms would sweep the south, and make clear that the regional divisions within the Democratic Party were nothing compared to the Republicans. At the convention, Helms would oppose Rockefeller strongly, but did not have the support to block his nomination. However they were able to move the platform to the right on key issues such as abortion and national defense, past where Rockefeller personally stood. Rocky would nominate a conservative as VEEP, Senator John Tower of Texas as a cave in to those on the right.

[Historico]

I have a feelingt that this '76 race will be a snoozer with Vice President Yarborough being 73 and Governor Rockefeller being 68, it won't particulary excite the baby boomers on either party. Senator Roman Hruska of Nebraska would be way to old to balance the ticket him only being 72 at the time. Y not go with Congressman Bob Mathias of California to balance the ticket, he's 45, a former Olympic Athlete and been in Congress in 1966(Let say he beats Krebs in 1974 ITTL due to the 6 year rule). Or if you wan't a more stringent Western/Southern Conservative theres Senator Paul Laxalt of Nevada, Senator Jake Garn(44) of Utah, Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, Senator John Tower of Texas, Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr. of California, and former Governr Claude Kirk of Florida. I think Mathias, Garn, or Barry Jr. would all be smart choices.

[hcallega]

I have a feelingt that this '76 race will be a snoozer with Vice President Yarborough being 73 and Governor Rockefeller being 68, it won't particulary excite the baby boomers on either party. Senator Roman Hruska of Nebraska would be way to old to balance the ticket him only being 72 at the time. Y not go with Congressman Bob Mathias of California to balance the ticket, he's 45, a former Olympic Athlete and been in Congress in 1966(Let say he beats Krebs in 1974 ITTL due to the 6 year rule). Or if you wan't a more stringent Western/Southern Conservative theres Senator Paul Laxalt of Nevada, Senator Jake Garn(44) of Utah, Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, Senator John Tower of Texas, Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr. of California, and former Governr Claude Kirk of Florida. I think Mathias, Garn, or Barry Jr. would all be smart choices.

Thanks for the help. Edited

[dwkulcsar]

I have a feelingt that this '76 race will be a snoozer with Vice President Yarborough being 73 and Governor Rockefeller being 68, it won't particulary excite the baby boomers on either party. Senator Roman Hruska of Nebraska would be way to old to balance the ticket him only being 72 at the time. Y not go with Congressman Bob Mathias of California to balance the ticket, he's 45, a former Olympic Athlete and been in Congress in 1966(Let say he beats Krebs in 1974 ITTL due to the 6 year rule). Or if you wan't a more stringent Western/Southern Conservative theres Senator Paul Laxalt of Nevada, Senator Jake Garn(44) of Utah, Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, Senator John Tower of Texas, Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr. of California, and former Governr Claude Kirk of Florida. I think Mathias, Garn, or Barry Jr. would all be smart choices.

Thanks for the help. Edited

Claude Kirk was just too crazy for anything more than what he was given, he was a desperate man. Claude Kirk is like Evan Mecham

[hcallega]

1976 Presidential Election and Congressional Elections

The race to succeed President Kennedy was less a showdown of ideologies and more a conflict of personalities. Governor Rockefeller was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had grown up with a strong belief in helping others. VP Yarborough grew up in a middle class Texas family with little hope of ever becoming an influential politician. This clash was between a folksy populist and an intellectual progressive. It was clear that for many in the country they would not have a favorite candidate.  The third party ticket of Lester Maddox and Jesse Helms with the "Unity Party" drew support from some conservatives, but never had the same following as George Wallace had in 1968.

The fall campaign was a relatively boring one. Rockefeller played his hand close to his chest, primarily running on the belief the government needed to "trim spending, whip inflation, and balance the budget." On foreign policy he remained supportive of President Kennedy's policies, but advocated "less involvement in the third world and a greater focus on the real enemy." On social issues, he was quite liberal, opposing the Hyde-Oberstar-Bauman Ammednment and supporting the Equal Rights Ammednment. However, he would state "The precedent that congress is setting is not a good one. We need to put this sort of power in the hands of the states and the courts, not the House and Senate."

Yarborough's campaign was geared entirely differently than Rockefellers. The Vice-President was quick to retort "just call me Ralph" when referred to by his title and last name. He would stroll onto the stage after a performance by the Charlie Daniels Band (touring with him for the whole campaign). He would then deliver a folksy and down to Earth speech focusing on whatever was relevant to the local crowd. He tended to focus on economic hardships such as coal mining, right to work laws, and pro-business policies. In African-American communities he was quite comfortable and relied on others to point out that he was the only southern senator to support civil rights legislation.

A week before the election, with the race a dead heat, two debates were held between the candidates. The first debate focused on domestic issues. Here Rocky shined, separating himself from the President and Yarborough while also supporting the general feeling behind the domestic legislation. He was helped by Yarborough stumbling over a particularly difficult question:

Moderator: Mr. Vice-President, in 1973 you were asked what you would do to bring down inflation. While you stated that you agreed with President Kennedy's policies, you also hinted that you supported caps on income and wealth. Do you supporting capping income and wealth?

Yarborough: Well I think it's important that we make clear what I was reffering too. I was asked what I would do to bring down inflation, and I responded that while I was 100% behind the Presidents policies I did recognize that income and wealth caps would bring down inflation.

Moderator: But do you support them?

Yarborough: Well.....It's important to remember that was three years ago when I said that. Today I think that you'd have to do a lot of studies and polls before one could ever implement that.

Yarborough's portrayal as a extremist was multiplied by this exchange, and while his polls numbers were not terribly damaged, it did help Rockefeller's image as a "calm force in radical times." The second debate would help Ralph, as he appeared far more knowledgeable than Rocky. He made clear his support of the current policies that "have brought far reaching peace to this globe. The Republican party has consistently opposed these policies, and it's hard to imagine Mr. Rockefeller rebuking his colleagues in congress." This debate helped Yarborough regain some momentum and pull even in the race.

In the Vice-Presidential debate the sparks truly began to fly as the Mayor of Boston and the Senator from Texas threw down. Tower attacked White's support of busing, while White fired back by calling Tower a "good ole' reactionary." This comment hurt Yarborough's campaign, and many questioned why he would put White on the ticket. Going into election night, Rockefeller held a two-point lead in the polls, and many recognized how close an election this would be.

Rockefeller/Tower (R) 334, 50% of the PV
Yarborough/White (D) 204, 44% of the PV
Maddox/Helms (U) 6% of the PV

Senate Elections
Entering Elections
56 D, 43 R, 1 I
Democratic Gains
-Arizona: Mo Udall
-Maryland: Paul Sarbanes
-Nebraska: Edward Zorinsky
-Tennessee: Jim Sasser
Republican Gains
-California: S.I. Hayakawa
-Hawaii: Spark Matsunaga
-Michigan: Donald Riegle
-New Mexico: Harrison Schmitt
-Rhode Island: John Chafee
-Utah: Orrin Hatch
-Wyoming: Malcolm Wallop
Following Elections
53 D, 46 R, 1 I

1976 House Elections
Entering Elections: 231 D, 204 R
Following Elections: 218 D, 217 R

[Bo]

It appears Rockefeller overperformed the polls. It also looks like Tower failed to deliver Texas, but then again Yarborough is from there. Hopefully Rockefeller doesn't cut off aid to the Iranian regime like Carter did. BTW, I think it would be a good idea to have Rockefeller die on a different date and possibly in a different year.

[Historico]

It appears Rockefeller overperformed the polls. It also looks like Tower failed to deliver Texas, but then again Yarborough is from there. Hopefully Rockefeller doesn't cut off aid to the Iranian regime like Carter did. BTW, I think it would be a good idea to have Rockefeller die on a different date and possibly in a different year.

Pretty much everything I was going to say lol...Keep it comming HC

[hcallega]

It appears Rockefeller overperformed the polls. It also looks like Tower failed to deliver Texas, but then again Yarborough is from there. Hopefully Rockefeller doesn't cut off aid to the Iranian regime like Carter did. BTW, I think it would be a good idea to have Rockefeller die on a different date and possibly in a different year.

Pretty much everything I was going to say lol...Keep it comming HC

Yeah the polls undervalued Maddox's production in the south, which therefore hurt Yarborough more than Rocky. Also the closest states (Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Pennsylvania) all broke for Rockefeller by very narrow margins. I think that you all will enjoy the Rockefeller White House lol

[hcallega]

The First Term of President Nelson Rockefeller

President Rockefeller began his tenure in the White House in a fairly good position. While inflation and the debt were high, little else was a pressing concern. The economy was in good shape, the world was in a general state of peace, and poverty was low. For the new President the most difficult question was what he would go about doing first.

The biggest focus for President Rockefeller was on tackling inflation. In his innagural address he would state that "While the needs of this nation are not as great as in the past, we mustn't rest and allow them to return." Rockefeller initiated a plan known as Whip Inflation Now (WIN). This plan called for cuts in spending across the board, along with increases in taxes along with the return of the 1973 wage and price controls. This plan was initially quite unpopular with members of both parties, as many Democrats resented the budget cuts and many Republicans opposed the tax increases and wage and price controls. Rockefeller was forced to accept a watered down plan that failed to accomplish a great deal of what he was looking for.

In foreign policy, Rocky was forced to deal with much larger concerns. Withdrawing support for regimes deemed "inhumane", Rockefeller would soon find that things would go from bad to worse in several instances. In Iran, the Shah's regime would topple under opposition from both the right and the left. A radical Islamist regime would take it's place, and the Iranian hostage crisis would ensue. Rockefeller would fail to negotiate a release of the hostages in his first term, and this issue would haunt him in the 1980 election. Also, Rockefeller would be viewed as lackluster in his response to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. While offering support to the Russian's opponents, he would fail to deliver much aid to the Mujahadeen.

In domestic affairs, Rockefeller would support many of President Kennedy's programs such as Americare. He would even go a step further, signing into law Senator Russell Long's catastrophic insurance bill that would provide single-payer insurance for catastrophic conditions. He would also sign into law a bill establishing individual mandates to have some form of health insurance. But when it came to affairs, Rocky stood out. The media began to pick up wind of the President's marital indescrecions early on in his term in the Oval Office. While the previous generation of journalists had remained intentionally ignorant of JFK and LBJs philandering, this new group was raised on the investigative nature of Vietnam and the open lawmaking style of RFK. In 1979 reports would become public that the President had had several affairs inside the confines of the White House. These affairs would further drop his popularity among conservatives, with Bill Buckley deeming him "Public Enemy #1 for the conservative movement in America." Going into the 1980 elections, with inflation high, the economy stagnant, foreign policy going poorly, and his own domestic problems, an approval rating of 36% was the best that he could expect.

1978 Midterm Elections

Entering Elections: 54 D, 45 R, 1 I
Democratic Gains
-Massachusetts: Paul Tsongas
-Michigan: Carl Levin
-Nebraska: Jim Exon
-New Jersey: Bill Bradley
-Oklahoma: David Boren
-Texas: Lloyd Bentsen* (appointed by Governor Briscoe in 1977)
-Virginia: Andrew Miller
Republican Gains
-Colorado: William Armstrong
-Maine: William Cohen
-Minnesota: David Durenberger
-Mississippi: Thad Cochran
-South Dakota: Larry Pressler
Following Elections:
55 D, 44 R, 1 I

House Elections
Entering Elections: 218 D, 217 R
Following Elections: 228 D, 207 R

[Historico]

Wow, looks like a very Rocky Road, for the 38th President of the United States....And with the affairs getting out im suprised that a coalition of Conservative Democrats and Republicans aren't pushing for Rocky's impeachment. If not, the Rockefeller brand has been tarnished so much due to the scandals, congressional gridlock and his age, I don't think hell run for a second term...Leaving Vice President Tower(Who has his own women's issues as well as his alcoholisim) to pick up the pieces...

In such a time of Stagnation and failed detente...America needs true heroes...Vote Senator John Glenn of Ohio and 4 star General Chappie James Jr. of Florida for your Democratic Ticket in 1980!!!

[hcallega]

1980 Republican Nomination

Despite the best wishes of his advisors and the Republican Party leadership, President Nelson Rockefeller announced that he would run for a second term for President of the United States: "Many of my closest advisors, friends, and family have suggested that I not run for a second term.  While I deeply respect their advice, I will not back down from a job that needs to be finished. Therefore, tonight I am announcing that I will pursue the Republican Party's nomination for the Presidency of the United States."

This move surprised many, including Vice-President Tower who had been planning on making a run for the nomination himself. Tower's Chief-of-Staff George Bush would later quote his boss as saying "The President's a damn idiot. He's screwing us both over." However Tower would remain loyal to the Commander-in-Chief and stay on the ticket. This was not the case with former California Governor Ronald Reagan. Reagan had planned on staying out of the race is Tower was to run. But with the news that Rocky was in and Tower was out, Reagan felt that it was his "duty to this great nation" to run for the nomination.

The rematch of Rocky vs. Reagan would not feature any other major candidates. Illinois Representative John Anderson would throw his hat into the ring, but would garner little support. Essentially Rocky portrayed himself as a martyr for a cause who had been smashed by both sides. He stated that "my campaign is not that of a Republican. It is that of an American." However many saw Rockefeller as looking for pity points. William Buckley would put Rockefeller on the cover of the National Review, but with the caption "The Lovable Loser?"

Reagan's campaign on the other hand was far more upbeat and positive. He combined his "Conservative Coalition" with a slew of other groups including the growing evangelical movement. Reagan smartly attempted to distance himself from staunch conservatives such as former Senator Barry Goldwater and Representative Phil Crane. Instead, Reagan ran on universal themes such as patriotism, strong foreign policy, and cutting inflation without raising taxes on manipulating the markets. Reagan did harken back to small government values, such as states rights, tax cuts, and increased military spending, but he did not emphasis these as much. He also pounded Rockefeller on practically every issue, and was quite effective.

In the actual primaries themselves, Reagan would do quite well. Outside of the northeast, Reagan would dominate the landscape, sweeping away Rocky by "Super Tuesday". However the incumbent would not end his campaign, and fought until the bitter end. At the convention he would offer a rather lackluster conciliatory speech, but would offer his endorsement to Reagan. Ronny would go on to choose Governor "Big Jim" Thompson of Illinois as his Vice-Presidential nominee.

1980 Democratic Nomination

The major news for the Democratic contest in 1980 was that Senate Majority Leader Ted Kennedy would not seek the nomination, instead once again deciding to continue his work on Capitol Hill. This opened up the field for many candidates, though far fewer than in 1976. The following is a list of the candidates who ran for the Nomination:
-Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota
-Senator Mo Udall of Arizona
-Senator George McGovern of South Dakota
-Senator Alan Cranston of California
-Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas

The entirely Senatorial field was solidly liberal, with only one moderate (Bumpers) running. Most polls showed Mondale and Udall in a dead heat, with labor and traditionally Democratic groups rallying behind Mondale, while young voters, minorities, and environmentalists supported Udall. However the biggest event in the race prior to the Iowa Caucuses was former President Robert Kennedy's endorsement of Senator George McGovern: "I've known Senator McGovern for many years. We were good colleagues in the Senate, and became even closer friends when I moved down the street. While all the candidates in this race are qualified and good men, I must throw my support behind the man who has helped me immeasurably over the past 15 years." Kennedy's endorsement apparently greatly upset Udall who was a close Kennedy ally as well. However the bigger impact was felt in the polls, as McGovern jumped into a three-way dead heat. But Udall's support would continue to slide down as on the eve of the Iowa caucuses McGovern would be in a national tie with Mondale with Udall trailing by as many as 8 points.

The caucuses would deliver a stirring victory to McGovern, as he would defeat Mondale by 9 points. In New Hampshire, McGovern would narrowly fall to Mondale, but the results would leave Udall and Cranston out in the snow. Both would withdraw and endorse Mondale shortly afterwards. The rest of the race would be a showdown between McGovern and Mondale, with the Prairie Populist narrowly prevailing. Many would attribute McGovern's victory to the support of Kennedy and his strong support from the African-American community. Mondale was considered a stiff public speaker and a weak campaigner, though he had more money and endorsements. McGovern was energizing and fully utilized Kennedy on the trail. In the end, many would call 1980 "Bobby's last rodeo." At the convention, McGovern would select Bumpers as his VP nominee to balance the ticket geographically and ideologically.

[hcallega]

I feel like now is a good time to list the Congressional Leadership so far in the TL. I will update this list every decade or so, and since the 1970s just came to a close I believe it is worthwhile.
Majority in bold

Democratic Senate Leader

Mike Mansfield (MT) 1961-1977
Ted Kennedy (MA) 1977-Present

Democratic Assistant Leader

Ted Kennedy (MA) 1969-1977
Alan Cranston (CA) 1977-Present

Democratic Conference Chair

Mike Mansfield (MT) 1961-1977
Ted Kennedy (MA) 1977-Present

Democratic Conference Secretary

Robert Byrd (WV) 1967-1977
Daniel Inouye (HI) 1977-Present

Democratic Policy Committee Chairman

Mike Mansfield (MT) 1961-1977
Ted Kennedy (MA) 1977-Present

Republican Senate Leader

Everett Dirksen (IL) 1959-September 1969
Hugh Scott (PA) September 1969-1977
Robert Griffin (MI) 1977-1979
Ted Stevens (AK) 1979-Present

Republican Assistant Senate Leader

Hugh Scott (PA) 1969
Robert Griffin (MI) 1969-1977
Ted Stevens (AK) 1977-1979
Howard Baker (TN) 1979-Present

Republican Conference Chairman

Margaret Chase Smith (ME) 1967-1972
Norris Cotton (NH) 1973-1974
Carl Curtis (NE) 1975-1978
Bob Packwood (OR) 1978-1980

Republican Conference Vice-Chair

Milton Young (ND) 1956-1971
Norris Cotton (NH) 1971-1972
Wallace Bennett (UT) 1973-1974
Robert Stafford (VT) 1976
Clifford Hansen (WY) 1977-1978
Jake Garn (UT) 1979-Present

Republican Policy Committee Chair

Gordon Allot (CO) 1969-1972
John Tower (TX) 1972-1977
Howard Baker (TN) 1977-1979
Bob Dole (KS) 1979-Present

House coming soon!

[Historico]

Wow, the Ultimate Hawk vs. the Ultimate Dove...McGovern v. Reagan...Should be a very interesting due to how polar opposites they are. George will have the upperhand with as fed up with GOP Adminstration the GOP are...Still I don't the McGovern's ultraliberalism will be super encouraging, so it will be close...Keep it comming.

[James Rivington]

Excellent, McGovern would have made an excellent President.

[Dancing with Myself]

Hopefully Reagan will win, but i am afraid by 2010 Acid will be Legal.

[hcallega]

Hopefully Reagan will win, but i am afraid by 2010 Acid will be Legal.

Is that a bad thing

[Bo]

Go Reagan!!!!!!!!!!!

Despite my personal dislike for the man.