Prescott the President: A Bush in the White House
- Thread starter Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy
- Start date
I'm not particularly sure; bush Did not openly enter elected politics until the 1950s (he dabbled earlier, becoming active in Planned Parenthood and the Republican party in the 1940s, but didn't make his first run for office until 1950, which he lost). His best bet would be in 1968, when the Republicans had a fairly open field. But, by then, he had been out of public office for five years (he left the Senate in 1963) and would be dead in four years (not that he knew that, of course0
Prescot Bush was a leader, albeit not a charasmatic one, of the Liberal/Moderate Republicans in the 1950s, being closely associated with Eisenhower. He was politically close to Rockefeller, but greatly disliked the man, and opposed him at every turn.
Perhaps Bush's best chance would be if either Eisenhower dropped Nixon in 1956 and chose Prescot to replace him on the ticket (Ike, by that point, was looking for a successor, and had deep reservations about Nixon, although his opinion of him was improving), or if Nixon chose him as his Vice-Presidential candidate in 1960.
In the prior case, Bush serves as Eisenhower's Vice-President for four years and becomes the presumptive Republican candidate in 1960. He narrowly defeats JFK that year, after the two split the Northeast (Bush was a deft debator, althoug he can certainly not match Kennedy's youth. Bush's connections to planned parenthood continue to haunt him with the Catholic vote ... but in a year where he is running against a Catholic presidential candidate, he could hardly win much of that vote in any case)
In the later case, Nixon's choice of Bush actually makes more sense than Henry Cabot Lodge. With the election of 1960 so close in OTL anyway, it is easy to see Nicon pulling off a victory. Then, a few years later, a young man by the name of Oswald travels to Illinois where President Nixon is speaking. Prescot Bush is sword in as President of the United States several hours later.
Prescot Bush was a leader, albeit not a charasmatic one, of the Liberal/Moderate Republicans in the 1950s, being closely associated with Eisenhower. He was politically close to Rockefeller, but greatly disliked the man, and opposed him at every turn.
Perhaps Bush's best chance would be if either Eisenhower dropped Nixon in 1956 and chose Prescot to replace him on the ticket (Ike, by that point, was looking for a successor, and had deep reservations about Nixon, although his opinion of him was improving), or if Nixon chose him as his Vice-Presidential candidate in 1960.
In the prior case, Bush serves as Eisenhower's Vice-President for four years and becomes the presumptive Republican candidate in 1960. He narrowly defeats JFK that year, after the two split the Northeast (Bush was a deft debator, althoug he can certainly not match Kennedy's youth. Bush's connections to planned parenthood continue to haunt him with the Catholic vote ... but in a year where he is running against a Catholic presidential candidate, he could hardly win much of that vote in any case)
In the later case, Nixon's choice of Bush actually makes more sense than Henry Cabot Lodge. With the election of 1960 so close in OTL anyway, it is easy to see Nicon pulling off a victory. Then, a few years later, a young man by the name of Oswald travels to Illinois where President Nixon is speaking. Prescot Bush is sword in as President of the United States several hours later.
This makes the most sense, IMO; 65 years old, incumbent two term senator, friends with the outgoing Eisenhower, adds regional balance on a Nixon ticket but isn't at all overshadowing to the younger man.
George Prescott Bush, Jeb's son. He's still in his 30s and has yet to hold any elected office. But he will, oh yes, he will.
He means Prescott Bush Jr. who ran for Senate in 1982 but dropped out to support incumbent Lowell Weicker.
Okay, so let's assume, for a second, we have Nixon/Bush win in 1960 and Nixon gets assassinated in 1963. Bush gets electedto a term in his own right in 1964. How would a Bush presidency look?
Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy
Banned
We could have him win his 1950 race or even enter politics earlier (the House or the Senate in '46, the House in '48). We could also have a Dewey defeat Truman, which changes the whole presidential dynamic and makes Bush a contender in 1960 (2-term Dewey followed by a one-term Democrat or one-term Dewey followed by a 2-term Democrat) or even 1956 (one-term Dewey followed by a one-term Democrat).
Or if Eisenhower drops Nixon in 1952, as he would've done if not for the Checkers speech, and replaces him with a Biden - someone who'd be too old to have a go at it 8 years later.
So, a question for you all; are there any good, as nonpartisan as possible, books out there that deals with Prescott Bush? I know there were a few in the early 2000s, but they were largely biased one way or another.
Nixon gets killed and Prescott, assumes the presidency, depending on Prescott's stance Vis A Vie VIetnam, I may have my PoD for another timeline I am noodling with.
Pangur
Donor
Why would Oswald kill Nixon? The other question is would Prescott's involvement with Thyssen have been enough to stop him either a chance at being a candidate or of he got the chance lost him the election?
Well I can think of a reason, Nixon would be even more Hawkish about Communism than Kennedy was and even more Hawkish on COmmunist Cuba, two subjects that the frankly unstable and Communist Soldier want-to-be Oswald felt, rather stronly about.
Killing the Hawkish red baiting HUAC veteran Nixon would be even more of an imperetive for him than killing Kennedy was.
As to thew second question I got nothin'.