Hubert H. Humphrey, elected President in 1968

Since my Jackson timeline didnt seem to catch many eyes, im starting this one, ive searched this board for 1968 election scenarios, but most either arent answered or only hace 2 or three posts.

Anyway, Here it goes:

Part 1: Election 1968

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American public opinion is like an ocean, it cannot be stirred by a teaspoon.
-Hubert H. Humphrey

The Democratic Coalition was at a disaster area. Liberals were disgusted and threatened to sit out because of the Vietnam War. Negroes were upset over LBJ’s handling of violence in ghettos, and threatened to sit out. The South was lost, and untold thousands of blue-collar workers were deserting to the charismatic George Wallace camp. The 1968 Chicago Convention was a disaster, and hope seemed to be lost in Hubert Humphrey’s campaign. Nixon was outspending Humphrey, and every possible outcome seemed to be tilting in the GOP’s favor.
Richard Nixon used a new campaign tactic – the southern strategy. Nixon’s newly found positions on “states rights”, “law and order”, “school choice” and tactical disapproving attitude of busing was aimed at targeting thousands of white southerners, and blue collar workers to make a new GOP base. George Wallace though- was an upset that took countless votes from Nixon.However, Vice-President Humphrey criticized the "law and order" issue, claiming that it was a subtle appeal to white racial prejudice. Nonetheless, Nixon was still ahead of the wounded Hubert Humphrey.
Then, on October 29th, news coverage reported that Anna Chennault- a Nixon agent had told South Vietnamese officials to purposely hold off the peace meetings that President Johnson was trying to start up. Hubert Humphrey immediately attacked Nixon:

“I am absolutely disgusted that anyone would put thousands of America’s boys at risk just to win a Political Campaign.” – Hubert Humphrey, 30th October, 1968.

This late October Surprise proved devastating for the Nixon Campaign, and combined with Humphrey regaining the allegiance of Labor Unions, 1968 was shaping up to be one of the closest in American History.

On Election Day, Nixon and Humphrey were neck and neck. Humphrey swept the Northeast, except for two narrow Nixon victories in Vermont and New Hampshire. Humphrey also managed to keep the Democratic hold on the Rust belt, where Humphrey did well with Unions, despite the meddling of Wallace. In the South, Richard Nixon swept the Upper South, and the Carolinas. George Wallace swept the Deep South, and Hubert Humphrey took Texas, a still moderately democratic state. Nixon swept the west, with Humphrey snagging Washington state.
In the end, Humphrey managed a slim victory over Nixon in the popular, and electoral vote. Polls were shown in the closest states (New Jersey, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio) that many last minute voters chose Humphrey over the anger over the Chennault- Vietnam scandal.
genusmap.php


Hubert Humphrey/ Edmund Muskie 272 43.6% (Democratic)
Richard Nixon/ Spiro Agnew 213 43.5% (Republican)
George Wallace/ Curtis Le May 53 13.9% (American Independent)

Questions, Comments, Advice?
 
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How will you solve the Vietnam problem? Follow Nixon's OTL policies, prop up SVN by any means, thereby ditching the antiwar/leftist Dems, or unilateral withdrawal? Also the domestic front. In 1968, HHH promised not to unilaterally withdraw from Vietnam. As did Nixon and RFK.
 
To answer your question: Humphrey's position on Vietnam was interesting, he war far from a "cut and run", but wasnt exactly "victory at all costs" either.

Humphrey supported stopping the bombing of North Vietnam during the Paris Peace Talks, but bombing would resume if NV tried anything funny.

Humphrey would only support troop withdrawals if North Vietnam stopped Hostilities against South Vietnam.

Humphrey did want to keep US military bases in SV in case of reprisal.

Domestically, Humphrey would probably continue and add to the Great Society.
 
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I like the POD, I assume it's based on a true event that came out years later?

Oh, and sorry to nitpick, but 49.5% + 49.6% + 13.5% does not equal 100% of the popular vote, unless a whole lotta dead people are voting in Chicago... ;)
 
Here's why the "Chennault affair" was not leaked in OTL: a) HHH felt that would compromise national security b) provoke a backlash for Nixon. c) further entrenching his reputation as LBJ's tool/stand-in. d) like Bush Sr. didn't go for the jugular.
 
I like the POD, I assume it's based on a true event that came out years later?

Oh, and sorry to nitpick, but 49.5% + 49.6% + 13.5% does not equal 100% of the popular vote, unless a whole lotta dead people are voting in Chicago... ;)

Whoops, sorry, ill fix that, and yeah, the Anna Chenault thing really happened, we just had a slightly more snoopy media find it out.
 
Small update on the House......

Senate Elections, 1968
The Democrats had been worried, due to an unpopular president; preparations were being made for upwards of 7 or 8 senate seats being lost. Fortunately for the Democrats, the Chennault scandal provided a much needed boost for faltering Senate Democrats, it proved effective as well, as the Republican Party gained a Net Worth of only 3 Senate Seats.

genusmap.php

Light Red- Democratic Hold
Dark Red- Democratic Pickup
Light Blue- GOP Hold
Dark Blue- GOP pickup

Defeated Republican Seats
David Stanley (R- IO) by Harold E Hughes (D- IO)
Max Rafferty (R- CA) by Alan Cranston (D- CA)

Defeated Democratic Seats
Daniel Brewster (D- MD) by Charles Mathias (R- MA)
LeRoy Collins (D- FL) by Edward Gurney (R- FL)
John Gilligan (D- OH) by William Saxbee (R- OH)
Joseph Clark (D- PA) by Richard Schwieker (R_ PA)
Mike Moroney (D- OK) by Henry Bellmon (R- OK)

91st United States Congress
Senate:
Democrats: 59 (-3)
Republicans: 41 (+3)
House:
Democrats: 244 (-3)
Republicans: 191 (+ 4)
 
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Interesting so far. I wonder about the domestic programs of Humphrey, really...any ideas for what his successor to the Great Society will be called, program-wise? :D
 
Yes. Strom Thurmond, who screened countless X-rated porn films for fellow Senators during the Fortas hearings. The biggest Senate dinosaur post WWII. Jesse Helms "she's not your garden-variety lesbian. She's a mean, activist lesbian."
 
Here's a prologue into the HHH presidency, im going to sprinkle my updates with Humphrey quotes, regardless of your opinion of the man, he was a quote machine.

"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


Part II: The Presidency of Hubert Horatio Humphrey
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"I pledge to you my fellow Americans; A New Day has begun in the United States, a day where that child living in Detroit doesn’t go hungry, a day where all Americans are treated equal under the law, a day where the factory worker doesn’t have to worry about the cost to see his doctor, a day where the children of Alabama don’t have to be escorted to school by police, America will step out of the Darkness and into the New Day!"
-excerpt from President Humphrey's inaugural speech, 1/ 20/ 1969


In the rest of Humphrey's address, he promises an "honorable peace" to the War in Vietnam, it's clear to the disappointment of the "New Left" Humphrey isn't going to end the war very soon. He also emphasizes that "a level of law and order is needed", even though he criticized Nixon for emphasizing it during the campaign.

Cabinet of Hubert Humphrey:
Vice President: Edmond Muskie
Secretary of State: Ernest Hollings (D- SC)
Secretary of the Treasury: Joseph Barr (D- IN)
Secretary of Defense: Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D- WA)
Attorney General: Ramsey Clark (D- TX)
Postmaster General: Marvin Watson (D- TX)
Secretary of the Interior: Birch Bayh II (D- IN)
Secretary of the Agriculture: Harold E Hughes (D- IO)
Secretary of Commerce: John Connally (D- TX)
Secretary of Health, Education, and Urban Development: Terry Sanford (D- NC)

For his cabinet, Humphrey retained much of Lyndon Johnson's cabinet, with a few exceptions. Henry "Scoop" Jackson was selected as his secretary of Defense. He also chose newly elected senator Harold E Hughes to head the Agriculture department. And after some strong prodding from Former President Johnson, Governor John Connally was chosen as Humphrey's new Secretary of Commerce, although Connally was good with money, Humphrey would later regret this decision. Humphrey also chose Progressive North Carolina Senator Terry Sanford as his Secretary of Education, which was Sanford's specialty. Humphrey would face criticism from Liberals for having a hawkish cabinet, and the Republicans would cite the lack of bipartisanship in Humphrey's cabinet.
 
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A little helpful suggestion and no offense intended here, but you have a good few open tags here and there so far which you might wanna clean up. I also suggest in the first post that you put the quote under the picture of Humphrey. Aesthetic really does draw the eye to a TL is a promotion for a TL of sorts.
 
A little helpful suggestion and no offense intended here, but you have a good few open tags here and there so far which you might wanna clean up. I also suggest in the first post that you put the quote under the picture of Humphrey. Aesthetic really does draw the eye to a TL is a promotion for a TL of sorts.

I fixed the tags, and the picture is moved, thanks for the advice. :)
 
I think that if it came out that Nixon was sabotaging Peace talks days before the electuion the effect would have been more profound. I think that Humphrey wins the popular vote by at least 5%
 
Very nice cabinet you have there. Jackson seems like a good pick for Defense over say, someone like McNamara or another man tainted by the Vietnam War.
 
i woundering Wat If happen Nixon plot became public during the electuion ?
in case HHH made triumpf victory, while Nixon poilitcal careers is terminate.
also of that diplomat Henry Kissinger...

so wat has that to do with Vietman War ?
the war could end sooner let say 1970 and Nobel peace price to HHH.


wat a news on April 22, 1994
Los Angeles
former Vize President Robert Nixon is death
know for his notorious scandals
with most famous 1968 "peace talk scandal"
were he try to sabotage the U.S. Vietnam peace talk
in last Decades of his life we work as Used car dealer in L.A. area
 
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