SovietAmerika: JFK had been in the Senate since 1953 when he ran in 1960 (on top of his stint in the House). Goldwater in this universe has been in the Senate since 1957, so he could run in 1964 if I wanted him to.
Interesting side note about James Bond. The Bond novels in the early 1960s saw a big boost in sales after President Kennedy said he was a Bond fan. Since Scoop doesn't appear to be a fan of spy novels, I don't think the Bond novels will get the same boost TTL. It might not make a huge difference in the long run but it is interesting to see the extent the butterflies go.
Dr. Gonzo: Believe it or not, there's a cottage industry in this country about exactly how "conservative" Reagan was and whether or not he could be elected in today's Republican Party.
Who is Michael Foot?
Andreios II: Churchill comes to mind on the last sentence. As for how long Reagan will last at the Labor Department, I give him a year or two. He's there more to appease the right, so I think he'll resign if the liberals push him too much out of principal.
SovietAmerika: And he never looked back after that.
c0d5579: My answer is that it is possible. I have no interest in getting into this topic but considering that the government always seems to have a spending scandal of some sort, I think it is possible that some military procurement somewhere would be problematic.
I have a mini-update to post as a prelude to the next update, which will be an HOI overview of January 1961.
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The Supreme Court
President Sparkman made one appointment to the Supreme Court during his second term. On February 25th, 1957, Roosevelt-appointed Associate Justice Stanley F. Reed retired from the Supreme Court after nineteen years due to old age. Sparkman appointed Ernest McFarland to succeed him on the High Bench. This is the composition of the Supreme Court at the time of the Presidential inauguration in January 1961:
- Chief Justice Curtis Shake (1941-1978; Willkie appointment)
- Associate Justice Hugo Black (1937-1971; Roosevelt appointment)
- Associate Justice Felix Frankfurter (1939-1962; Roosevelt appointment)
- Associate Justice William O. Douglas (1939-1975; Roosevelt appointment)
- Associate Justice Nathaniel L. Goldstein (1945-1981; Dewey appointment)
- Associate Justice Charles D. Breitel (1946-1986; Dewey appointment)
- Associate Justice Earl Warren (1949-1969; Dewey appointment)
- Associate Justice Herbert Brownell, Jr. (1949-1989; Dewey appointment)
- Associate Justice Ernest McFarland (1957-1968; Sparkman appointment)
There will be one Supreme Court opening during the 1961-1965 Presidential term. On August 28th, 1962, Roosevelt-appointed Associate Justice Felix Frankfurter will retire from the Supreme Court after twenty-three years due to suffering a stroke. That means Jackson will have one appointment to the High Bench.