The Second Choice is Now First: A Stuart Symington Presidency

[Gajah_Nusantara]

Prologue
Harry’s Favorite President

KENNEDY LOSES WEST VIRGINIA!​

- THE NEW YORK TIMES, 1960

“Of course Kennedy lost West Virginia! He ran as a Catholic in fu&@ing West Virginia!”

- Senator Lyndon B. Johnson on Kennedy’s loss

The loss of West Virginia for Senator Kennedy proved fatal as it proved to both the general populace and the democratic upper echelons that a catholic cannot win in America, especially religious and traditionalist America.

When news came that Kennedy lost West Virginia, Humphrey and another candidate whom was afraid of getting into the primary thanks to Kennedy, Senator Stuart Symington jumped into race.

Symington, the popular Missouri Senator and one time opponent of the infamous Joseph McCarthy was running under the support of the other famous Missourian, former President Truman. He ran as the alternative choice for liberals, an experienced senator, popular but bipartisan and so would contrast with the young and often time inexperienced Kennedy and the radical Humphrey while Symington himself was a bit of Humphrey as he wholeheartedly supported civil rights to the point that he wouldn’t speak to segregated audiences but still he was rising in the polls and became the popular second choice or compromise nominee.

Humphrey and Symington quickly took over momentum and won several states while Kennedy too won several but with less momentum and less energy than before West Virginia. In the end, after the defeat in West Virginia, Kennedy won only Maryland but barely thanks to Symington while he won Oregon and Humphrey won South Dakota while the rest were won by favorite sons, like Pat Brown in California and George Smathers in Florida.

The dying momentum of Kennedy was quickly taken over by Symington whom entered the convention as the favored second or third choice and thanks to the quock time endorsement by former President Harry Truman, a fervent supporter and whose decision to go to the convention helped his chances at winning.

Kennedy, who still had a quite large number of delegates saw his campaign as a dying one and with the persuasion of his brother, Bobby Kennedy, he and Humphrey, who saw a liberal hope in Symington quickly coalesced behind the Missouri Senator as the favored liberal candidate.

Two-time presidential nominee and former governor of Illinois, Adlai Stevenson II had a loyal following of liberals but his streak of losses had made the party bosses distrust Stevenson and so he needed a proxy that would carry on his torch and after Kennedy’s lost momentum, he saw a torchbearer in Symington as his support of medicare, civil rights and other liberal causes quickly peeked his attention and after persuasion by Symington proxy, former President Truman and recently converted pro-Symington campaigner, Bobby Kennedy, Stevenson agreed to endorse the Missourian.

As whispers gathered that Kennedy, Humphrey, and even Stevenson had quietly endorsed and stacking up delegates in favor of Symington, the southern choice for President and current front runner, Senator Lyndon Johnson was furious and quickly met with Stevenson and Truman separately that they were supporting Symington over Johnson, with Truman declaring to the Majority Leader,

“To be frank.... He’s better at everything than you, both in health, looks and politics.”​

Johnson quickly tried to rouse up his delegates and even tried to persuade other delegates to support him but in vain as he only gathered additional support from Arizona and New Jersey and nothing else. The Majority Leader knew that defeat was near and so on the day of the nomination, he himself met with Symington and made a deal, his support of the senator but with three conditions, first a support for Johnson’s plans which would become the “Great Society”, second name a southerner as the VP and three, be neutral on civil rights.

Symington accepted the two conditions easily as he respected Johnson enough to see a new path for America with his planned Great Society ideas and the second was of course accepted with Symington’s civil rights record as too radical for some and he needed a neutralizer but the third condition he rejected and made a counter offer, pro-civil rights in public relations but neutral in legislation or at least until the midterms, Johnson agreed knowing that he couldn’t budge more than he could.

Symington and his new campaign team which consisted of former President Truman, Bobby Kennedy and John Connaly would gather to find a Vice President which would be both acceptable to the southern delegation and the northern liberal delegates. In this, they had gathered around three names, Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, Senator George Smathers of Florida and Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. They decided that Johnson was better served as the Democratic leader in the senate while Smathers and Fulbright were both segregationists but Smathers was closer politically to Symington and personally close to the Kennedy’s which in the end benefited both groups as Smathers would be a close ally on economic and welfare while also serving as the Kennedy’s gateway man to the white house.

- THE SECOND TRUMAN, John Quert, 1999

“This is a man that we could trust, that Americans could trust, a leader in this dire times and a shining beacon for not only the Democratic Party but for all Americans, no matter your creed nor riches! The next President of the United States and my friend, Senator Stuart Symington!​

- Former President Harry Truman introducing Democratic Nominee Stuart Symington

“Let it be known that my America, no, Our America will be that of liberty, freedom, and justice for all! No matter your background, riches nor creed, you’re all welcome in Symington’s America, a land of love and freedom!

The Fathers and Mothers of our great nation risked their own safety and well being in the hopes that their children and their children’s children would live not under tyranny but under the banner of freedom for they have crossed their frontier into a new horizon but while many would think that the last frontier have been breached by our forefathers, let it be known that we are in the brinks of a new frontier, a New Horizon not of the lands above us but around us as Americans of all!

For these reasons and so many others, I humbly accept the nomination for the Presidency of the United States!”
​

- Senator Stuart Symington’s nomination speech

​

 

[Gajah_Nusantara]

Chapter I
1960​

The victory of Symington in Los Angeles marked a different approach for the presumptive Republican nominee, Vice President Richard Milhouse Nixon. He had expected the elite, fresh faced Senator from Massachusetts, Jack Kennedy as his main opponent but the Democrats had rallied themselves behind an unexpected candidate, the likable and bipartisan Senator from Missouri, Stuart Symington and the liberal but moderate enough George Smathers as his vice presidential candidate.

Nixon wanted a difference to dynamically shift the race and so came up with an unexpected vice presidential candidate, one that reflected bipartisanship but also a change within the party.

PHILIP WILKIE, SON OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WENDELL WILKIE CHOSEN AS VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE FOR THE REPUBLICANS!​

- THE WASHINGTON POST, 1960

The shocking decision by Nixon to choose Wilkie, only a state senator of Indiana but in his choosing Nixon was bringing a new message, that of bipartisanship and unity as Wilkie, the son of one Wendell Wilkie, whose image was that of uniting the country and bringing one message was now being brought into his son whose speeches brought the same notes of unity and bipartisanship and he famously said, mimicking his father,

“Freedom is an indivisible word. If we want to enjoy it, and fight for it, we must be prepared to extend it to everyone, whether they are rich or poor, whether they agree with us or not.”

The consequences were of course profound on Nixon whose choice was of controversy as the party bosses wanted an experienced man to be the second fiddle for Nixon and conservatives hated Wilkie for his moderate and often time liberal leanings and Nixon’s moderate views also hurt them as they now lacked representation.

Many historians were also baffled as to why Nixon chose the inexperienced Wilkie as VP unlike others on his list such as, Ambassador to the UN, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Senator Everett Dirksen, the Minority Leader or even Gerald Ford, a house rising star. But according to two historians, Indiana State University President Herman B. Wells and Gerald Ford historian concluded that the decision to name Philip Wilkie as VP was thanks to the efforts of another candidate in the running, Gerald Ford.

Nixon, during the convention met with the prospective candidates for VP and he met Gerald Ford twice, once during an interview and second inside the convention itself. Ford, once asked if he wanted to be VP, outright objected and immediately named Philip Wilkie as a good choice. Nixon asked, why? Ford explained the power of a Wilkie, they all had the charisma, the power and often not Wendell Wilkie was brought us an example of great unity and bipartisanship and he himself had saw Philip had what his father had, still Nixon was unconvinced.

Next again Ford met with Nixon, even though on accident and they chatted again about Wilkie with Ford saying that he had talked with Wilkie and unexpectedly he was a smart man, capable on financial relations, moderately respected on race and have some experience on foreign policy thanks to Wendell’s travels and his connections, especially with the UN and the Orient. This time, Nixon raised his eyebrow and told the future Speaker, “I appreciate your suggestion, Congressman.”

The next day, Nixon announced on the convention that he had chosen Philip Wilkie as his VP.

- THE UNEXPECTED RISE OF ONE PHILIP WILKIE, Peter Moore, 1980

KENNEDY: “Do you want to know why Nixon lost?”

RATHER: “Why is that so, Secretary Kennedy?”

KENNEDY: “Four words, Eisenhower, Debate and 50.”

- former Secretary of State and 1980 Democratic Presidential Candidate Jack Kennedy being interviewed by Dan Rather

Nixon was the vice president of a popular president but still he lost the general election to a often argued, mediocre personality in the form of Stuart Symington and to know why he lost we must first see the pledges that Nixon and Symington brought forward.

Nixon pledged that he would campaign in fifty states and to bring about a continuation of Eisenhower administration while Symingnton sticked to the norm of the day and campaigned in swing states while bringing up the damages and defeats of the Eisenhower administration by looking at the failure of NASA, a growing communist influence in Vietnam, Cuba and everywhere else, and a weaker military in America.

Nixon also was hurt by the comments of his boss, President Eisenhower made that was said after a reporter asked what was Nixon’s contribution to his administration which was answered controversially, “If you give me a week, I might think one.” Another oof made by the president was clearly his lack of presence in the campaign which hurt Nixon as Eisenhower was very popular during the last year of his presidency. Many argued that he had done this to preserve his own independence from the president but it seemed to backfire as it hurt Nixon until election day.

While Symington campaigned in the swing states, Nixon as pledged in the convention would campaign in fifty states. Wilkie and his campaign disagreed to the Vice President’s tactics but in the end he was too stubborn and continued his fifty states campaign while Wilkie, popular in the midwest continued his campaign there and into the industrial center of America. The fifty states tactic quickly backfired on Nixon as he was injured during an event in North Carolina and was sick for two precious weeks but even though it hurt him it also became a sort of weapon for him as he campaigned in strong Democratic states, such as Georgia and eroded Symington’s popularity down there but he quickly entered the state and campaigned hard for it.

As for Symington, he was rolling twelves with dice as he was supported by the whole of the party, from the Dixiecrats to the Kennedy elitist in the northeast and they gave him their entire machine to Symington. Johnson, Smathers and the Dixiecrats kept the south in check and when Florida was leaning Republican, Smathers used his popularity to flip the state back and when a anti-Symington campaign started in the south thanks to his timid support for civil rights, Johnson kept the states in line except Alabama who later defected and went independent. The Kennedy’s quickly used their wealth and personalities to their advantage as they campaigned in the Midwest and Northeast to fight Wilkie and to bring into the fold the Catholics.

He was also gaining steam thanks to the active campaigning by former President Truman which gave him a popularity boost in and near Missouri. He also gained an advantage when Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Georgia, Symington, a through and through civil rights supporter gave a letter to the Georgia governor, local politicians and even the Reverend’s father and wife which boosted his credibility while Nixon sat it out even though he wanted to go in and help the reverend. Symington himself was almost buoyed out of the arrangement when in a rarity, Bobby Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson agreed not to help King as it would hurt Symington with the Dixiecrats but Symington disagreed and helped him in the end. This led to the reverend and his family to endorse Symington and increased African-American turnout in the favor of the Democrats.

To refer to an interview in 1980 by Jack Kennedy that said that Nixon lost because of the debate which in the opinion of the writer and the general public would bode true as it became both a turning point in American history and political history.

1960 produced the first debate in a hundred years since the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 but this was to be the first presidential debate. Symington and Nixon only agreed to one debate which was to the case because of Symington’s lack of youth and charisma while Nixon feared his looks during it and this was further added because of Jack Kennedy’s want of one debate.

Symington prepared more for the debate as he was coached by the TV centric Kennedy and helped his looks and performance while Nixon came into the debate still recovering from his stay at the hospital and looked tired which in the end gave Symington an edge during the debate as he was looking more prepared with good looks and steady hands compared to the shaky and tired Nixon. This of course would impact the general election as people were now more interested in Symington in comparison to Nixon and many would consider Symington the winner of the only debate during the election.

Come November, these reasons and some others made favorable winds to Symington and resulted in a win for Stuart Symington both electorally and popularly even though the popular vote would be closer than thought it still gave the candidate an edge in the end.

Even though Nixon was defeated, his coalition grew in thanks to his VP nominee, Philip Wilkie who grew the votes in the midwest and the great plains and even convinced some liberals and labor to side with Nixon which four to eight years later would prove an important block of voters for the liberal moderate wing of the party.

- THE ELECTIONS WHICH DEFINE AMERICA, Peter Jenkins, 2021

SYMINGTON/SMATHERS (D) : 327 EV
NIXON/WILKIE (R) : 201 EV
BYRD : 11 EV

SYMINGTON DEFEATS NIXON IN ELECTORAL LANDSLIDE!​

- THE WASHINGTON POST, 1960

Even though coming out of the election defeated and wounded, Philip Wilkie would emerge out of the election as one of the leaders of the moderate liberal wing of the party and he would capitalize his popularity in 1962.

While Nixon would also be defeated, he would retire from politics until being bit by the bug again and being convinced by the party to run once again with his former running mate in 1962.

- WHAT HAPPENS TO ELECTION LOSERS? Al Pennyworth, 2011

 

[Gajah_Nusantara]

Chapter II
Inauguration & a Change of Scenery in Washington
​

His heart pounded as he neared the podium and suddenly all of his life, both political and personal flashed through his eyes, from his younger years when he was named the first Secretary of the Air Force to when his father-in-law, the former Republican Senator James Wolcott Wadsworth wanted him to run for Senate and finally when former President Truman encouraged him to run for president.

How it all ended here? he asked, heart still pounding and faster and faster until he reached the podium to face the Chief Justice of the United States, Earl Warren. He seemed smiling, he thought. But again I did beat Nixon. It was fact that Warren didn't want the moderate to conservative Nixon in the White House and rumors had spread that the Chief Justice had secretly supported the Democrats that year.

“I, William Stuart Symington do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

My fellow citizens, we are all standing here under the shining symbol of our liberty, our freedom, that of the capitol. Our nation was forged on the ideals that every man and woman deserve equality, both in law and land. We should strive not for the status quo or for what is now set in stone but we should strive for change and a difference in life. Should we not become the symbol of democracy and civilization by embracing change and equality for all? Yes, of course!

Citizens, is it not the duty of every American to achieve the impossible? To achieve more than what your father and his father before him? For I to achieve more than what my father and my predecessor in this great office? Yes, all yes! I hope, in the coming administration that we will achieve the impossible, to achieve what none in the world had achieved! For that is the American dream, to achieve the impossible and making it possible!"
​

- Excerpt of the inauguration speech of Stuart Symington, 35th President of the United States of America.

The election of Symington, in the eyes of Americans both liberal and conservative nor Democrat or Republican symbolized the continuation of the New Deal Coalition and by the time that he had announced the names of his cabinet, it would be so.

Symington had agreed to a compromise in the cabinet, both northerners and southerners, Kennedyites and Johnsonites would serve in it. He also pounced in on his allies in good positions such as Justice, Interior and Treasury to name a few.

The Symington Cabinet
​

President: Senator William Stuart Symington Jr.
Vice President: Senator George Armistead Smathers
Secretary of State: Senator John F. Kennedy
Secretary of Treasury: Businessman John D. Rockefeller III
Secretary of Defense: Mr. Robert McNamara
Attorney General: Representative Emmanuel Celler
Postmaster General: Mr. W. Marvin Watson
Secretary of the Interior: Representative Stewart Udall
Secretary of Agriculture: former Vice President Henry Wallace
Secretary of Commerce: Mr. John Kenneth Galbraith
Secretary of Labor: Mr. Arthur Goldberg
Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare: former Governor Adlai Stevenson II
Ambassador to the United Nations: Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Ambassador to South Vietnam: Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker

The cabinet itself is mostly a bipartisan agreement and passed the Senate easily each of Symington's nominees but to the keen eyes they would see two peculiar names in the cabinet, that of John D. Rockefeller III and former Vice President Henry Wallace.

The naming of the brother of the Republican Governor of New York as the Secretary of Treasury was both political and economical calculations as it provided a backroom deal with Symington knocking out a prospective Republican candidate in the form of Nelson Rockefeller and providing a new economic agenda in the form of a more pro-asian economic field and a boost of support for economic support in fragile democracies in the form of South Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea.

While the naming of Wallace as Secretary of Agriculture was just plain economics and expertise. The former VP was already accepting his status as an outcast when he was unexpectedly offered the same job 30 odd years ago because he was undoubtedly one of the leading experts in agriculture and the need to reform it. His home state of Iowa also factored into the choice as Symington wanted a cabinet member near from his home state as they shared mostly common politics and goals and he saw this in Wallace plus his undoubted expertise also helped. The choice was controversial in the eyes of the southern democrats as Symington named a pro-civil rights and closeted communist as a cabinet official but Leader Johnson silenced them and Wallace also silenced his critics by saying,

“I regretted my previous support for the Soviet Union but now and almost a decade of reflection, I have agreed that the Soviets are just that, evil, authoritarian and just plain wrong. As for the southern critics saying that I am a negro lover, I don’t deny my support for the equal rights of every man, woman and children no matter their race and it may influence my policies during my tenure but in that I say that my policies are that for all Americans, rich or poor, white or black, it is for all Americans.”
​

The senate confirmed him by a vote of 57-43. Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, a Republican and radical anti-Communist would remark later about the confirmation of Wallace, “A disgrace to American democracy!”

Meanwhile in the Justice Department, the naming of Representative Emmanuel Celler of New York, a liberal and hardened politician poised to be an effective weapon as he presented to him as a case for his pro-civil rights agenda to continue and the proposals by both Kennedy and Johnson presented otherwise and so his choice stayed.

The influence of Johnson and Kennedy could be seen in Jack Kennedy’s own appearance in the cabinet as Secretary of State while Johnson used his powers as Majority Leader as close enough to the president and the appointment of his own lackey in the form of Postmaster General W. Marvin Watson as a way to the ear of the President and oddly enough Watson became close to both the president and Johnson and his role became that of unofficial advisor for the president and the middle man between Leader Johnson and the President thus him becoming one of the most powerful cabinet members and the most powerful Postmaster General in American history.

Downballot, the Democrats suffered thanks to the long Democratic control of both houses but still they easily retained the majority with the house losing a few seats in the midwest and the Senate suffered with the lost of Delaware and Wyoming but they still gained North Dakota and Iowa thus settling the senate with 65-35 and the house with 266-171. The death of Speaker Sam Rayburn also affected house politics as it gave way for John McCormack, a northeastern Massachusetts liberal having the gravel of the house and leading Symington to have a new powerful ally in the house. Another addition to the list of Symington allies were Harry S. Truman, former president whom was appointed to Symington’s seat.

The early months of the Symington White House would marred by her neighbor, a recently fallen ally, Cuba.

 

[Gajah_Nusantara]

So.....

This is the first three chapters of the Symington White House TL!

I got inspired when reading about Symington being everyone’s second choice and a question asked by myself, What If Kennedy lost West Virginia? And this led to that and becomes a Symington TL

Inputs and critics are welcome (even though i’ll fight you if you criticize)