Post by mcnutt on Jan 3, 2019 17:45:31 GMT
OTL Lee Harvey Oswald, his wife Mariana and their daughter spent the Summer of 1963 in New Orleans. In September, they decided to return to Dallas. Lee phoned Mariana’s friend Ruth Paine, who would welcome the Oswalds into her home. When she came to pick up the family, Lee was missing. Mariana didn’t mention it but Lee had gone to Mexico City to go to the Cuban Embassy to unsuccessfully try to get a visa to Cuba. On October 3, 1963, Lee returned to Dallas and began looking for work. He would get employment and the opportunity to kill President Kennedy, after Ruth heard that a down the street neighbor had found a position at the Texas School Book Depository. He successfully applied there on October 15, 1963. Oswald later heard of a job at a photo lab. He had worked at a photo lab and enjoyed it. He applied unsuccessfully on November 9, 1963. The POD here is that Oswald gets the photo lab job or one of the positions he applied for from October 3, to October 15. None of those positions would have been on the President’s motorcade route. If President Kennedy wasn’t coming to him, Oswald would not have thought of killing him. So President Kennedy survives his trip to Dallas and wins reelection. He serves out his second term and dies of natural causes circa 1977.
During the Texas trip Vice President Johnson gave Kennedy some advice on his tax cut. Johnson said to give in to the demands of Senate Finance Chair Harry Byrd and limit federal spending to $ 100 billion. Kennedy takes the Veep’s advice in his budget plan his submits in January 1964.The tax cut passes in March 1964. President Kennedy turned to the Vice President again for advice in February. when his civl rights bill was bottled up in the House Rules Committee. Johnson suggesting starting a discharge petition. The discharge petition brought enough pressure to get the bill out of committee. The House passed the bill. In the Senate a filibuster stalled the bill. Johnson advised the bill’s Senate manager Senator Hubert Humphrey to negotiate with Republican Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen. Dirksen and other Republicans came on board and the bill was signed into law. on September 5, 1964.
By September 1964, Kennedy was running for reelection against Barry Goldwater. The Kennedy campaign successfully depicted Goldwater as an extremist. Kennedy would defeat Goldwater in 61 % to 37 % in the popular vote. Kennedy would carry the entire country except South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arizona.
With a friendlier Congress and the guidance of Vice President Johnson Kennedy enjoyed considerable legislative success in 1965. The programs of the New Frontier would enlarge the role of the federal government. In 1965 , Kennedy would sign legislation creating Medicare,the Office of Economic Opportunity, Head Start, VISTA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, federal aid to education, Medicaid and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The events in Selma would help the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965.
In foreign policy Kennedy had developed a good working relationship with Khrushchev. His efforts to improve Soviet American relations would survive Khrushchev’s ouster. The first SALT Treaty is signed in 1967.
Kennedy was seeking diplomatic contact with Cuba. After his reelection, negations with Cuba begin. Congressional opposition prevents Kennedy from lifting sanctions.
One foreign policy area provides the greatest mystery of Kennedy living, what would he do about Vietnam? He expressed opposition to escalating the war. if South Vietnam was in danger, he would be obligated to send troops. So a Vietnam war could effect the end of the Kennedy Administration. I don’t know how,
I can talk about the 1968 election, The candidates for the Democratic nomination will be Vice President Lyndon Johnson, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Senator Hubert Humphrey. Johnson would not have won over too many liberals. He is the Southern candidate. Kennedy is tied to his brother. Humphrey uses the enthusiastic support of liberals, labor and Blacks to win nomination. Richard Nixon successfully makes his comeback like he did OTL and wins the Republican nomination. George Wallace will run on his third party American Independent ticket. So ITTL we get the same as OTL candidates. I don’t how a potential Vietnam war would effect this election. So I can’t say who would win.
