What if RFK . . . ?

[Magnetic Poles]

Inspired by the Goldwater thread, here's another.

What do you think would have transpired if Robert F. Kennedy had not been assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan at LA's Ambassador Hotel in 1968, and went on to be elected President instead of former VP Richard M. Nixon?

 

[Alcott]

Nixon would never have had to resign.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

Nixon would never have had to resign.

:laugh: No doubt! I also think it is possible that Castro and the Soviets may have felt like testing the younger Kennedy President by creating another geopolitical crisis rivalling the Cuban Missile Crisis.

 

[KenH]

I wonder if RFK would have gotten us out of Vietnam sooner and perhaps we would have avoided the stagflation of the 1970s caused by Johnson's guns and butter policy and Nixon's ill-advised price controls?

 

[Ivon Denosovich]

I doubt we'd be such good trading partners with China. Dems tend to be protectionists because of heavy handed organized labor's opposition to free trade.

 

[swaimj]

If the question is "If RFK had not been assasinated, would he have defeated Nixon?", I think the answer is "no". Kennedy was advocating a withdrawal from Vietnam. While the press was on board with this and the war protesters wanted it, the American public was not in favor of this strategy. Neither Humphrey nor Nixon advocated this in the general election and the vote was very close. If the Democrats had nominated a candidate advocating withdrawal he would have been soundly trounced. In fact, in the next election, the Dems did nominate a withdrawal candidate, McGovern, and he was soundly trounced.

If the question is "If RFK had not been assasinated, but had beaten Nixon, what would have happened?" Nixon, who felt he had been beaten by dirty tricks in the election of 1960, and who was willing to engage in dirty tricks (unlike in 1960) would have had Kennedy's sex life exposed for all the world to see. I just can't see Kennedy being elected. But, once again I am begging the question. If Kennedy had won he would have withdrawn from Vietnam and the communists would have murdered thousands earlier than they actually did. The US would have been demoralized and the Reagan revolution would have kicked in 12 years earlier than it did.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

I doubt we'd be such good trading partners with China. Dems tend to be protectionists because of heavy handed organized labor's opposition to free trade.

And thus, many American manufacturing jobs would not be filled by slave labor in China today.

 

[Bro. James Reed]

And thus, many American manufacturing jobs would not be filled by slave labor in China today.

This is actually the one area where I seem to be fairly liberal. Must come from having a Teamsters President as an uncle.

I am not in support of free international trade at the expense of American jobs.

Color me pink-o, that's how I was raised to believe, and it has pretty well stuck.

Thank goodness it's about the only thing from the liberal side of the family that did.:thumbs:

 

[KenH]

I am not in support of free international trade at the expense of American jobs.

I agree with you there. I am afraid that things will only get worse with the restrictions on carbon emissions that the Congress will probably pass at some point. I am all for less pollution but it has to be done carefully so as not to chase even more jobs out of these United States.

And I think that Bobby Kennedy would be a supporter of what the Congress is working on.

 

[just-want-peace]

And thus, many American manufacturing jobs would not be filled by slave labor in China today.

I agree, but not necessarily for the same reason.

I see the unions partially responsible, BUT also the Ds (primarily) hunger for Peter's dollar to reassign (thru all sort of give-away programs) to Paul;
the penchant of the feds to micromanage the business dealings of the USA; and
the govt need to keep some folk as underlings, that are fed the idea that the FED.GOVT. is the teat that never runs dry.

And last ,but certainly not least, the growing disregard of both parties to adhere to constitutional principles and limits as regards the interference with all aspects of life.

 

[betterthanideserve]

Inspired by the Goldwater thread, here's another.

What do you think would have transpired if Robert F. Kennedy had not been assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan at LA's Ambassador Hotel in 1968, and went on to be elected President instead of former VP Richard M. Nixon?

]

Are you absolutely sure that Robert Kennedy was killed by Sirhan Sirhan?

 

[Magnetic Poles]

]

Are you absolutely sure that Robert Kennedy was killed by Sirhan Sirhan?

Actually, it was the bullet that accomplished that.