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RFKHumphreyObama

(15,164 posts)

78. Terry Sanford or George Smathers

Fri May 25, 2012, 01:27 AM

May 2012

George Smathers of Florida was an old friend of JFK. Smathers was a reactionary on civil rights but he wasn't an extremist like Wallace and he did give some limited support to civil rights measures (he did for example vote for the Voting Rights Act) so he may have been an acceptable compromise choice if RFK was looking to woo southern Wallace voters while keeping his progressive base

Terry Sanford, the former Governor of North Carolina, is another possibility. He was also close to JFK and Evelyn Lincoln, JFK's press secretary, writes that JFK was entertaining the option of replacing Johnson with Sanford on the ticket in 1964. Sanford was a southerner very progressive on civil rights issues so he probably would have been a perfect fit for RFK

What might have been...

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A question about RFK [View all] lovemydog May 2012 OP

That is an excellent hypothetical. hifiguy May 2012 #1

Though in the Muskie hypothetical, that would put two "Northeasterners" on the ticket villager May 2012 #2

'Let's put the jam on the lower shelf lovemydog May 2012 #81

It's a good mantra. Sadly, the current owners/sponsors of the Democratic Party villager May 2012 #82

Didn't Muskie go kinda crazy at one point ...on a train? zzaapp May 2012 #11

That was in 1972 when he was running for Prez. hifiguy May 2012 #13

Thanks for clearing that up. zzaapp May 2012 #18

no. HiPointDem May 2012 #15

When Muskie was the demoratic front runner in 1972 lovemydog May 2012 #17

UNFAIR zzaapp May 2012 #21

yes, another example of the inanity lovemydog May 2012 #27

Unfortunately, Muskie was also an alcoholic. avebury May 2012 #62

Was Jerry Brown in office then? zzaapp May 2012 #3

No but his father Pat Brown would have been a good choice. See below. yellowcanine May 2012 #7

Pat Brown would have been an excellent choice goclark May 2012 #25

Pat Brown had just lost to Raygun at that point RFKHumphreyObama May 2012 #79

Jerry was first elected Gov of Cali in '74 IIRC. hifiguy May 2012 #8

Thanks, wasn't sure of the dates. zzaapp May 2012 #9

He Was All Of Thirty DemocratSinceBirth May 2012 #84

I've got it !!! Hunter Thompson. zzaapp May 2012 #4

Henry B. Gonzales broiles May 2012 #5

that would have been a great choice. gonzalez's work was the first time i got a clue about HiPointDem May 2012 #16

'Gonz�lez was referred to as a "communist" in 1986 lovemydog May 2012 #38

Pat Brown might have been an inspired choice. yellowcanine May 2012 #6

Good thoughts, but note that Brown had lost the governship to St. Ronnie in '66 villager May 2012 #12

Yes that would have been one thing against having Brown as VP. But beyond California, Brown yellowcanine May 2012 #37

Brown lost to Ronnie Reagan by a million votes in 1966--so doubtful. WI_DEM May 2012 #28

How about Jesse Jackson...too young? zzaapp May 2012 #10

Probably too young lovemydog May 2012 #19

I need to start checking dates before posting. lol zzaapp May 2012 #20

Too young, and too soon--RFK would not have selected a black or female VP WI_DEM May 2012 #29

I Presume He Wanted To Win DemocratSinceBirth May 2012 #85

I first thought southerner Capt. Obvious May 2012 #14

But RFK was strongly in favor of civil rights lovemydog May 2012 #22

Oh, I'm sure they hated each other Capt. Obvious May 2012 #24

USAF General Curtis "Bomb 'em Back To the Stone Age" LeMay. hifiguy May 2012 #30

yeah, LeMay lovemydog May 2012 #39

I think you mean Curtis LeMay. craigmatic May 2012 #36

Come on, RFK would never have selected George Wallace WI_DEM May 2012 #26

Are you sure that he didn't mean George Wallace, the black comedian? zzaapp May 2012 #31

well then that is possible. But I think Bill Cosby would have been more universally WI_DEM May 2012 #33

George Carlin? zzaapp May 2012 #35

If it would get him the White House Capt. Obvious May 2012 #34

I doubt a RFK/Wallace ticket would even win WI_DEM May 2012 #45

No effin way. The Southern Strategy didn't kick in until 1972. It was a response to Wallace in yellowcanine May 2012 #44

This thread is all about hypotheticals - I gave mine Capt. Obvious May 2012 #53

Even for a hypothetical it is a bridge too far. The old South hated RFK. They would have swung to yellowcanine May 2012 #61

Not Shriver (family), Not McCarthy (Catholic) not Clark (LBJ's Attorney General) WI_DEM May 2012 #23

RFK wouldn't have won the nod in '68 because LBJ wouldn't have allowed it. craigmatic May 2012 #32

Actually Johnson did a lot to try and help HHH win WI_DEM May 2012 #41

You're right overtly LBJ did alot for HHH but behind the scenes he believed HHH was disloyal. craigmatic May 2012 #51

Great points lovemydog May 2012 #49

You had to have brass balls to try to blackmail LBJ. hifiguy May 2012 #60

Whatever bad traits he had, LBJ was a real Democrat and would NOT have backed NIXON UTUSN May 2012 #54

I like LBJ too but politicians have been known to buck party loyalty in private. craigmatic May 2012 #57

It's not a matter of "liking LBJ" but somebody of his party accomplishment would be like FDR turning UTUSN May 2012 #74

Are you saying that, even after he won the California Democratic Primary and coalition_unwilling May 2012 #66

I'm saying exactly that. craigmatic May 2012 #75

Everything you write is true. However, RFK's victory in coalition_unwilling May 2012 #76

His Ruthlessness Is What Made Him Appealing DemocratSinceBirth May 2012 #86

I beg to disagree. His ruthlessness that had morphed into coalition_unwilling May 2012 #87

But His Affinity For The Underdog And Being Ruthless Or Tough DemocratSinceBirth May 2012 #88

McGovern would have balanced the ticket nicely . . . markpkessinger May 2012 #40

McGovern was a conservative????? WI_DEM May 2012 #42

Yes, as a matter of fact . . . markpkessinger May 2012 #43

And McGovern was a WWII vet. Not that it helped him in 1972. yellowcanine May 2012 #47

Indeed... markpkessinger May 2012 #50

Sure doesn't sound like a moderate/conservative democrat.... WI_DEM May 2012 #55

What you're not getting ... markpkessinger May 2012 #58

You bet. There were Republicans like Ed Brooke, Jacob Javits, hifiguy May 2012 #67

+1 n/t markpkessinger May 2012 #73

One can argue pretty convincingly that, pre-1972, Nelson Rockefeller was to the left of Carter, coalition_unwilling May 2012 #68

One can certainly make that argument, and credibly so ... markpkessinger May 2012 #72

Shows how far to the right we've slid, n'est ce pas? markpkessinger May 2012 #46

Stuart Symington. Senator from MO. trackfan May 2012 #48

That is a first rate surmise. hifiguy May 2012 #63

Excellent choice. I too had forgotten Symington, whose reputation coalition_unwilling May 2012 #69

John Connally would have been an interesting choice but probably too much of a hawk yellowcanine May 2012 #52

CONNALY had already declared independence from LBJ & by the time of the JFK trip to Dallas UTUSN May 2012 #59

The Texans were all fighting each other but they also all would make nice if it meant yellowcanine May 2012 #64

Wait a minute, the topic is WHO RFK would have picked. UTUSN May 2012 #71

RFK still needed LBJ to at least be somewhat neutral. As for Connoly, he was a political chameleon yellowcanine May 2012 #77

Bwa-ha-ha. Reminded me of an old joke about Connally's latter-day coalition_unwilling May 2012 #70

If it had been a brokered convention, it probably would have been HHH. yellowcanine May 2012 #56

My last word is that the premise of the OP is wrong. It would have been HHH/RFK had RFK yellowcanine May 2012 #65

Terry Sanford or George Smathers RFKHumphreyObama May 2012 #78

That having been said RFKHumphreyObama May 2012 #80

I'd have been thrilled with a McCarthy/RFK ticket. But, we got Humpty. Tierra_y_Libertad May 2012 #83