WI Walter Cronkite, POTUS?

[Magniac]

In memorium of the broadcast great who just passed away.

How can he get to the White House? Off the top of my head the best POD I can think of is if JFK offers him the directorship of the US Information Agency in '61, instead of Ed Murrow (he'd accept: Cronkite was of the generation that showed deference to the Commander in Chief). This gets him into a sub-cabinet equivalent post before he becomes anchor of the CBS Evening News, so he isn't a television legend at this time. (Interesting fact: Murrow as USIAD was a member of the National Security Council, and participated in planning the Kennedy administrations black-ops against Cuba after the Bay of Pigs.)

I can see him as an assistant secretary of state by the end of Johnson's administration, then who knows--senator from Maryland, Connecticut in the seventies?

I don't think he could have entered political life after he become a major news anchor in '62, even though RFK challenged him to do just that in an interview in '68.

Then we get to the observation of the Mondale speechwriter who, when asked what kind of Democratic candidate could have defeated Reagan in '84, responded, "Walter Cronkite or Robert Redford."

Maybe if a post-Nixon Republican has the misfortune to be prez between '76 and '80 then Cronkite becomes the Democratic Reagan?

 

[Mike Stearns]

I have to admit that Cronkite Presidency would be interesting to watch. One thing's for sure, you couldn't have a more media savy President if you tried.

 

[AmIndHistoryAuthor]

I recall at the time he was going to retire there was some speculation he should go into politics, run for senator, governor, pres. If he'd ran in 1980, he would've probably appealed to the same groups that voted for Carter in 76, those who wanted an outsider who was honest.

In 84 it certainly would be interesting to watch two meda savvy candidates debate, Reagan vs Cronkite.

Found this.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-bohrer/senator-cronkite_b_238870.html
....It was probably the Tet editorial that led Robert Kennedy to invite Cronkite to lunch later that February of 1968. Sure, they were there to discuss whether or not he would run for president, but as all of Kennedy's interaction with journalists, he was interviewing them as much as they were interviewing him. At one point the Senator asked whether Cronkite was registered to vote at his home in Connecticut.... New York, actually.... "Then you aren't registered as a Democrat."... An independent.... "Well that doesn't matter," Kennedy said. "We want you to run for Senate this year." Republican Jacob Javits was up for reelection and Kennedy didn't have a decent candidate to oppose him. He explained what kind of support Cronkite could expect, but it wasn't enticing.

When Cronkite returned from lunch, he found out that Roger Mudd had uncovered a big story on Kennedy holding presidential powwows with his top political advisers. The piece had to air but Cronkite was afraid Kennedy would think he violated his trust. So he called the office and told press secretary Frank Mankiewicz what was happening. Frank relayed Kennedy's reply for that evening's broadcast: 'Senator Kennedy said that he was contemplating running for the presidency just as Walter Cronkite is contemplating running for the Senate from New York.'

In all likelihood, Kennedy knew that Jacob Javits wasn't going to be defeated that November. He was sizing Cronkite up to be his replacement were he to run for and win the presidency.... Even if that had happened, it's doubtful Cronkite would have taken him up on the offer. He would never have been that influential in the Senate, nor was he the type of transactional politician you have to be in order to keep your job in a state like New York....

 

[Magniac]

I recall at the time he was going to retire there was some speculation he should go into politics, run for senator, governor, pres. If he'd ran in 1980, he would've probably appealed to the same groups that voted for Carter in 76, those who wanted an outsider who was honest.

In 84 it certainly would be interesting to watch two meda savvy candidates debate, Reagan vs Cronkite.

Found this.
-------------------
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-bohrer/senator-cronkite_b_238870.html
....It was probably the Tet editorial that led Robert Kennedy to invite Cronkite to lunch later that February of 1968. Sure, they were there to discuss whether or not he would run for president, but as all of Kennedy's interaction with journalists, he was interviewing them as much as they were interviewing him. At one point the Senator asked whether Cronkite was registered to vote at his home in Connecticut.... New York, actually.... "Then you aren't registered as a Democrat."... An independent.... "Well that doesn't matter," Kennedy said. "We want you to run for Senate this year." Republican Jacob Javits was up for reelection and Kennedy didn't have a decent candidate to oppose him. He explained what kind of support Cronkite could expect, but it wasn't enticing.

When Cronkite returned from lunch, he found out that Roger Mudd had uncovered a big story on Kennedy holding presidential powwows with his top political advisers. The piece had to air but Cronkite was afraid Kennedy would think he violated his trust. So he called the office and told press secretary Frank Mankiewicz what was happening. Frank relayed Kennedy's reply for that evening's broadcast: 'Senator Kennedy said that he was contemplating running for the presidency just as Walter Cronkite is contemplating running for the Senate from New York.'

Good cite. I'd always thought RFK challenged him in an on-air interview, but it appears it was a well-crafted piece of spin--Kennedy taking the opportunity to continue to refrain from declaring his run for the White House by joking about Uncle Walter who everyone knew wouldn't dream of entering politics.

In all likelihood, Kennedy knew that Jacob Javits wasn't going to be defeated that November. He was sizing Cronkite up to be his replacement were he to run for and win the presidency.... Even if that had happened, it's doubtful Cronkite would have taken him up on the offer. He would never have been that influential in the Senate, nor was he the type of transactional politician you have to be in order to keep your job in a state like New York....

Cronkite would never have run against Javits--that was one progressive Republican who was close to Cronkites own nonpartisan liberal sentiments. I think Cronkite entering politics would have been like Jim Webb's 'reluctant citizen candidate' posturing, but it could have happened; as long as Cronkite never gets the CBS Evening News job in '62.

If he never becomes a national, nightly host, then he remains the relatively famous anchor of CBS' election night broadcasts and of that networks first breakfast news show*.


*Wiki doesn't mention his job on the original CBS morning show. In his memoirs Cronkite mentions with some enbarrassment that his co-host was a puppet--if he becomes prez after a POD dating from '60-'62 then I can see his opponents mocking him for having been a 'kids show host'. That would be a similar misrepresentation to 'Reagan was only ever a B-grade actor!'

 

[Dilvish]

Hmm, I was wondering the same thing this weekend. What if Walter Cronkite was President? I'm thinking this wouldn't happen till sometime after his retirement from CBS News. Walter Cronkite was promised a continuing role at CBS News after his retirement, but it turned out that there wasn't any room for him.

Perhaps he becomes Secretary of State? Then we have the line of succession fun. Or he is asked to step in for a senator or representative who died or resigned unexpectedly. Leading to an interest in being an officeholder.

 

[Douglas]

Your best shot is in '72, when McGovern considered asking him to be his vice-presidential nominee. He never asked, but, IIRC, Cronkite stated in an interview that he would have accepted the nomination had it been given.

Then you have to get McGovern to beat Nixon in '72. You need a Southern state's rights candidate to leach southern votes, and for the dirt on Watergate to break out as an October surprise.

And Nixon still might win, so it might be best to have Nixon assassinated before '71 or '72, and have Agnew running the show...with all of his opponents trying to unseat him in a messy '72 convention in Miami.

Good luck...you will need it!

 

[Magniac]

Your best shot is in '72, when McGovern considered asking him to be his vice-presidential nominee. He never asked, but, IIRC, Cronkite stated in an interview that he would have accepted the nomination had it been given.

Do you have a source for this? I'm not saying Cronkite never thought about accepting an offer from McGovern (though he never mentioned anything in his autobiography), but if he ever said such a thing it sounds like a reaction to Watergate, '74, and all that .

 

[Derek Jackson]

I had always wondered what might have happened had the anti War movement in 1968 had decided and more or less united on the third party approach.

Cronckite might have been the strongest possible candidate for such a movement

With the pro war movement being split between Nixon, George Wallace and the Democrat (probably Johnson) well I wonder....

 

[Douglas]

Do you have a source for this? I'm not saying Cronkite never thought about accepting an offer from McGovern (though he never mentioned anything in his autobiography), but if he ever said such a thing it sounds like a reaction to Watergate, '74, and all that .

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,920887,00.html

That Cronkite would have accepted is on the bottom of the page of the next link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-felsenthal/how-mcgovern-picked-his-v_b_122421.html

 

[Magniac]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,920887,00.html

That Cronkite would have accepted is on the bottom of the page of the next link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-felsenthal/how-mcgovern-picked-his-v_b_122421.html

Eight years ago, he was one of ten possible vice-presidential running mates listed by Democrat George McGovern. Last week the New Republic quoted him as saying he would be honored if asked to accept a similar spot on Republican John Anderson's independent ticket... Cronkite, off on a sailing holiday, said he had been "misinterpreted."

He was a hedger.

McGovern recalls that "Mankiewicz ...said with a wry smile: `Walter Cronkite was just named the most admired man in America. How about him?' We let this intriguing possibility pass as too unrealistic. I later learned from Walter that he would have accepted. I wish we had chosen him."

I wonder. Like I said above, this sounds like Uncle Walter was outraged enough after Watergate to tell McGovern, "Yes, of course I would have accepted your offer to help beat Satan." Otherwise I find it hard to see Cronkite ending his career as an anchor to run in what didn't look like a very promising campaign. (Also, the Time article from the early eighties says he was a registered Independent, which may have made it impossible for him to accept a major party nomination even if he wanted to suddenly enter politics.)