| June 19 |  |
Editor says, what if the "Jamaica Bay" Hurricane had catapaulted New York Mayor Lindsay to national prominence? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the July 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1968, on this day Mayor John V. Lindsay's Presidential Campaign was rocked by allegations of shadey business dealings that dated back to his widely regarded leadership of the Jamaica Bay Hurricane.
West Side Story
by Ed, Chris Oakley & Stan BrinFor months his platform of Liberal Republicanism had suffered from reported whisperings originating from inside his official residence at Gracie Mansion which described him as the most bleeding heart liberal, mayor in the City's history.
But in a suprising reversal, the architect of the smear campaign was revealed as William E. Miller, an obscure Congressman from Western New York who had been the surprise selection for Vice President at the 1964 Republican at the Cow Palace in California. In fact Lindsay had not withheld his support at the Convention to build his own profile, rather he was deeply shocked by the right-wing direction that the GOP was heading in. Matters had come to a head when Ronald Reagan had pulled out through illness, and Lindsay had been invited to deliver the platform address (although he retained the title "A Time for Choosing" he rewrote the entire speech). From that day Miller had bore a grudge because Lindsay had failed to recognize his own contribution towards the leadership of the crisis. And in fact the allegations were proven baseless, with construction contracts awarded on an equitable basis that enabled the City to recover by the time that Lindsay made the step up from Gracie Mansion To Pennsylvania Avenue.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Jamaica Bay Source: Wikipedia Labels: John Lindsay, Mayor, New York, Presidency, White House. Editor says, in authoring this post we expanded an original idea conceived by guest historian Chris Oakley.
~ This would have changed more than one might think. Reagan's appearance at the 1964 convention, and the speech he gave there in support of Goldwater, helped propel him to the frnt rank of GOP politics; indeed, before the convention was over the first "Reagaan for President" signs had begun to appear on the floor. If he hadn't been there, his rise as a presidential contender might have bee delayed or even forestalled.
~ I'm not sure, though, that Lindsay could have won. Even if he had gotten the GOP nomination somehow in 1968, he wasn't really different enough from Humphrey. A lot of Republicans probably would have just stayed home, making an HHH victory more likely.
~ It's odd, but I recently heard Stephanie Miller (Bill Miller's daughter) state on a Progressive Radio talk show. She feels that Goldwater and her father would most likely be booted out of the current Republican Party for being too Liberal. If Lindsey could have somehow made this scenereo happen we could have a Republican Party that today is a bit more Centerist. And considering that when it was founded, the Republicans were the Liberals and the Democrats the Conservatives, where did this change?
~ As to the Liberal/Conservative switch, the FDR administration definitely contributed to it, bringing in Social Security while reactionaries a little later decried socialism.
~ Eric - i was at the 1964 convention, with my father, a journalist. I don't remember anyone discussing an RR candidacy, just the apparent suicide of the Republican Party as it nominated a candidate whom everyone knew, could not possibly win.
~ There might be a lot of hostility to any NYC-linked candidate in the GOP ranks. NYC's been a Democratic city since before the Civil War.
~ John -- Stephanie Miller is probably right. While Barry Goldwater's political views might still be acceptable to Republicans, his decency, good humor, and personal integrity would not. Everybody LIKED Goldwater. My dad, a confirmed Democrat, was proud that his and Goldwater's families originated in the same "shtetl" in Poland. "We're probably related."
~ Eric - Like Teddy Roosevelt? It would depend on the Republican. Actually, Teddy Roosevelt wouldn't get anywhere as a Republican today. Trust busting???? That's socialism!
~ Re Stan Brin: It wasn't a serious movement at the start, just a few hand-lettered signs that popped up--but that was the beginning.
~ Teddy Roosevelt wouldn't have made it to the presidency even in his own era if McKinley hadn't gotten shot. TR was actully promoted for VP by his ENEMIES, wh saw trapping him in that position as a way to shut him up.
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
