History Literature / McGoverning

If you’ve heard of [=McGovern=], it's likely because of his loss to UsefulNotes/RichardNixon in the 1972 presidential campaign. The loss was [[LandslideElection one of the most staggering landslides]] in US electoral history, in which the only state he managed to win was Massachusetts[[note]]Though he did also win the District of Columbia[[/note]]. This means that, such as it is remembered, [=McGovern=]'s legacy is heavily debated. To his supporters, he was a [[DoomedMoralVictor noble but doomed idealist]] whose sincere and principled stances were thwarted by a flawed campaign, [[WeAreStrugglingTogether antipathy from his own party]], and the cynical machinations of [[CorruptPolitician Nixon’s corrupt political machine]] as it actively sabotaged him at every opportunity. To his detractors, however, he was a [[TheFool dangerously naive and weak ideologue]] whose pandering and submission to America's enemies would have seriously weakened and even destroyed the United States. In any case, in our world, whether you love him or loathe him, it’s pretty widely agreed that [=McGovern=]'s loss was, for one reason or another, [[ForegoneConclusion practically inevitable]]. His crushing defeat is remembered as the point where the Democratic Party first clamped down on its activist wing so as to prevent a repeat of that disaster, the beginning of a long move to the political center that culminated in the Presidency of UsefulNotes/BillClinton in TheNineties.

* YoungFutureFamousPeople: UsefulNotes/BillClinton shows up on the McGovern campaign and later as Undersecretary of Agriculture for Rural Development. Additionally, a number of other people who later became famous (including Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Maine Senator George Mitchell, and Governor of Massachusetts William Weld) are briefly mentioned.

If you’ve heard of Colson, it's likely because, as a senior aide to Richard Nixon, he was knee-deep in all sorts of corrupt activities, including involvement in the Watergate break-in. What's perhaps less well known is that Colson had plenty of other ideas for sabotaging Nixon’s enemies, many of which were... less than rational. In our world, (relatively) saner heads were able to put the kibosh on his more out-there plans, but in this world Colson -- thanks to a heady and potent combination of blind fanaticism, lack of sleep, Franchise/JamesBond delusions, and an addiction to caffeine and amphetamines -- goes completely off the reservation and decides it would be a good idea to stuff a homemade firebomb into the mailbox of the left-leaning Brookings Institution and raid the files. On the same night as the Watergate break-in.

** An emotional example. After [[spoiler: being given proof that Nixon's 1968 campaign sabotaged peace talks with North Vietnam by Lyndon Johnson]], the senior staff of the [=McGovern=] campaign debate what to do next. Several staffers worry that if they expose it, they could risk backlash from the voters and accusations of playing politics with national security, and even possible criminal charges for exposing secret information. All debates about what the right thing to do is end, however, when VP candidate Phil Hart, driven to soberly reflect on his own experiences on Utah Beach during World War Two, looks up and utters only three words:

* ShoutOut: The timeline and the style used in it is a homage to the writings of Creator/HunterSThompson, particularly his famous coverage of the 1972 election.

If you’ve heard of Colson, it's likely because, as a senior aide to Richard Nixon, he was knee-deep in all sorts of corrupt activities, including involvement in the Watergate break-in. What's perhaps less well known is that Colson had plenty of other ideas for sabotaging Nixon’s enemies, many of which were... less than rational. In our world, saner heads were able to put the kibosh on his more out-there plans, but in this world Colson -- thanks to a heady and potent combination of blind fanaticism, lack of sleep, Franchise/JamesBond delusions, and an addiction to caffeine and amphetamines -- goes completely off the reservation and decides it would be a good idea to stuff a homemade firebomb into the mailbox of the left-leaning Brookings Institution and raid the files. On the same night as the Watergate break-in.

* ActionPolitician: When [[spoiler:Salvador Allende]], the President of [[spoiler:Chile]], is targeted in his presidential palace by an assassin in 1973, he picks up an AK-47 and goes on the offensive. This is especially ironic because in actual history, he used the same gun to [[spoiler:commit suicide after being deposed in coup d'état]].

If you’ve heard of [=McGovern=], it's likely because of his loss to UsefulNotes/RichardNixon in the 1972 presidential campaign. The loss was one of the most staggering landslides in US electoral history, in which the only state he managed to win was Massachusetts[[note]]Though he did also win the District of Columbia[[/note]]. This means that, such as it is remembered, [=McGovern=]'s legacy is heavily debated; to his supporters, he was a noble but doomed idealist whose sincere and principled stances were thwarted by a flawed campaign, antipathy from his own party and the cynical machinations of Nixon’s corrupt political machine as it actively sabotaged him at every opportunity. To his detractors, however, he was a dangerously naive and weak ideologue whose pandering and submission to America's enemies would have seriously weakened and even destroyed the United States. In any case, in our world whether you love him or loathe him it’s pretty widely agreed that [=McGovern=]'s loss was, for one reason or another, practically inevitable.

If you’ve heard of Colson it's likely because, as a senior aide to Richard Nixon, he was knee-deep in all sorts of corrupt activities, including involvement in the Watergate break-in. What's perhaps less well known is that Colson had plenty of other ideas for sabotaging Nixon’s enemies, many of which were... less than rational. In our world, saner heads were able to put the kibosh on his more out-there plans, but in this world Colson -- thanks to a heady and potent combination of blind fanaticism, lack of sleep, Franchise/JamesBond delusions and an addiction to caffeine and amphetamines -- goes completely off the reservation and decides it would be a good idea to stuff a homemade fire-bomb into the mailbox of the left-leaning Brookings Institute and raid the files. On the same night as the Watergate break-in.

This, naturally, goes about as well as you'd expect. And so, Charles Colson's arrest at the burning remains of the Brookings Institute leads to a much more intense and much earlier focus on Richard Nixon's corruption, a very different 1972 election, and some serious changes for the life of George [=McGovern=] and the whole world...

** George [=McGovern=], war hero and former History professor at Dakota Weslayan University.

* DomesticAbuse: It is never outright stated, but made abundantly clear, that Nixon physically takes out his frustrations out on his wife Pat. This is used as a plot-point; when it looks like the Republicans are going to expose a love-child fathered by [=McGovern=] before his military service in World War Two and use this against him, the Democrats respond by threatening to bring up all the dirt they have on every misdeed a married Republican has committed against his wife and family -- including Nixon's spousal abuse. The message is received.

** Played with; Richard Nixon's criminal activities are still exposed and he's still somewhat disgraced, but since he narrowly loses the 1972 election rather than being forced to resign in disgrace, it's implied (and confirmed by the author) that it will be a lot easier for his supporters to hand-wave what he did, leading to this trope in various circles.

* NamesTheSame: {{Invoked}} with Phil Hart, [=McGovern=]'s vice-presidential candidate and eventual VP, and Gary Hart, [=McGovern=]'s chief of staff. They weren't related in real life. Amusingly, they also have practically opposite personalities; Phil is widely respected, admired and liked, and has a rather gentle, peaceful personality, while Gary seems to piss off and antagonise almost everyone he comes into contact with.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Charles Colson is driven to destroy the enemies of Richard Nixon and secure his place in the White House and the history books. His bombing of the Brookings Institute directly leads to a world where George [=McGovern=] wins the 1972 election. Whoops.

** Charles Colson's plan to ''bomb'' the Brookings Institute.
** George Mitchell asks William Loeb, editor of the Manchester Union-Leader and staunch conservative, to sue the Nixon campaign for fraud over the "Canuck Letter". It works.
* RevealingCoverup: The Brookings Institute is bombed, in part, to allow the Watergate break-in to happen uninterrupted. It doesn't work out.
* Scandalgate: The combined Brookings Institution and Watergate incidents become known as Brookingsgate.
* ShoutOut: The timeline and the style used in it is a homage to the writings of Creator/HunterSThompson and in particular his famous coverage of the 1972 election.

** An emotional example. After [[spoiler: being given proof that Nixon's 1968 campaign sabotaged peace talks with North Vietnam by Lyndon Johnson]], the senior staff of the [=McGovern=] campaign to debate what to do next. Several staffers worry that if they expose it, they could risk backlash from the voters and accusations of playing politics with national security, and even possible criminal charges for exposing secret information. All debates about what the right thing to do is end, however, when VP candidate Phil Hart, driven to soberly reflect on his own experiences on Utah Beach during World War Two, looks up and utters only three words:
-->''People died, George.''

* WrongGenreSavvy: Colson's plan is inspired by Franchise/JamesBond, with him even referencing [[Film/Goldfinger Operation Grand Slam]] in his internal monologue. It doesn't work out like a Bond film.

** Similarly, while not exactly lionised, it is noted that the Watergate burglars tend to be overlooked in this particular version of history. Perhaps understandably, as a drugged-up political fanatic blowing up a think-tank is naturally going to attract more attention than a bunch of spooks bungling a break-in.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Played with; Richard Nixon's criminal activities are still exposed and he's still somewhat disgraced, but since he narrowly loses the 1972 election rather than being forced to resign in disgrace, it's implied (and confirmed by the author) that it will be a lot easier for his supporters to hand-wave what he did, leading to this trope in various circles.

** Nixon generally doesn’t cope very well with the aftermath of the bombing or the election, but losing the election completely unhinges him, leading to drinking, violence against his wife, and planning to drop atomic weapons on Vietnam.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: What [=McGovern=] thinks of the outgoing Nixon staff filling an office with toilet paper to convey the message that the incoming McGovern team is full of shit.

** George McGovern, war hero and former History professor at Dakota Weslayan University.

** Nixon's statement ''Blow the safe.'' inspires Colson to execute the plan that starts the plot, and later comes back to haunt him when it's found in the Watergate tapes.

* YoungFutureFamousPeople: UsefulNotes/BillClinton shows up.

* WhamLine: An emotional example. After [[spoiler: being given proof that Nixon's 1968 campaign sabotaged peace talks with North Vietnam by Lyndon Johnson]], the senior staff of the [=McGovern=] campaign to debate what to do next. Several staffers worry that if they expose it, they could risk backlash from the voters and accusations of playing politics with national security, and even possible criminal charges for exposing secret information. All debates about what the right thing to do is end, however, when VP candidate Phil Hart, driven to soberly reflect on his own experiences on Utah Beach during World War Two, looks up and utters only three words:
-->''People died, George.''

** Charles Colson has a more tantrum-y example upon being apprehended by police and firefighters after the bombing, then has a period of instability while awaiting trial due to GoingColdTurkey from his addictions, which gradually ends with him converting to born-again Christianity. This version leads to him inadvertently exposing huge amounts of Nixon's corruption, since he's just so happy to talk to anyone and take his mind off things he'll shoot his mouth off about anyone, even to a reporter who comes to visit him.

* VillainousBreakdown: Nixon generally doesn’t cope very well with the aftermath of the bombing or the election, but losing the election completely unhinges him, leading to drinking, violence against his wife, and planning to drop atomic weapons on Vietnam.

* NamesTheSame: Phil Hart, [=McGovern=]'s vice-presidential candidate and eventual VP, and Gary Hart, [=McGovern=]'s chief of staff. They weren't related in real life. Amusingly, they also have practically opposite personalities; Phil is widely respected, admired and liked, and has a rather gentle, peaceful personality, while Gary seems to piss off and antagonise almost everyone he comes into contact with.

* WhamLine: An emotional example. After [[spoiler: being given proof that Nixon's campaign sabotaged peace talks with North Vietnam by Lyndon Johnson]], the senior staff of the [=McGovern=] campaign to debate what to do next. Several staffers worry that if they expose it, they could risk backlash from the voters and accusations of playing politics with national security, and even possible criminal charges for exposing secret information. All debates about what the right thing to do end, however, when VP candidate Phil Hart, driven to soberly reflect on his own experiences on Utah Beach during World War Two, looks up and utters only three words:
-->People died, George.

* VillainousBreakdown: Nixon generally doesn’t cope very well with the aftermath of the bombing or the election, but losing the election completely unhinges him, leading to drinking, violence against his wife, and planning to drop atomic weapons on Vietnam.

If you’ve heard of [=McGovern=], it's likely because of his loss to UsefulNotes/RichardNixon in the 1972 presidential campaign. The loss was one of the most staggering landslides in US electoral history, in which the only state he managed to win was Massachusetts[[note]]Though he did also win the District of Columbia[[/note]]. This means that, such as it is remembered, [=McGovern=]'s legacy is heavily debated; to his supporters, he was a noble but doomed idealist whose sincere and principled stances were thwarted by a flawed campaign, antipathy from his own party and the cynical machinations of Nixon’s corrupt political machine as it actively sabotaged him at every opportunity. To his detractors, however, he was a dangerously naive and weak ideologue whose pandering and submission to America's enemies would have dangerously weakened and even destroyed the United States. In any case, in our world it’s pretty widely agreed that [=McGovern=]'s loss was, for one reason or another, practically inevitable.

If you’ve heard of Colson it's likely because, as a senior aide to Richard Nixon, he was knee-deep in all sorts of corrupt activities, including involvement in the Watergate break-in. What's perhaps less well known is that Colson had all sorts of ideas for sabotaging Nixon’s enemies, many of which were... less than rational. In our world, saner heads were able to put the kibosh on his more out-there plans, but in this world Colson -- thanks to a heady and potent combination of blind fanaticism, lack of sleep, Franchise/JamesBond delusions and an addiction to caffeine and amphetamines -- goes completely off the reservation and decides it would be a good idea to stuff a homemade fire-bomb into the mailbox of the left-leaning Brookings Institute and raid the files. On the same night as the Watergate break-in.

This, naturally, works about as well as you'd expect. And so, Charles Colson's arrest at the burning remains of the Brookings Institute leads to a much more intense and much earlier focus on Richard Nixon’s corruption, a very different 1972 election, and some serious changes for the life of George [=McGovern=] and the whole world...

An alternate history timeline based on Website/AlternateHistory.com, written by the user Yes. As the name suggests, it focuses primarily around former US Senator and presidential candidate George [=McGovern=].

An alternate history timeline based on Alternate History .com, written by the user Yes. As the name suggests, it focuses primarily around former US Senator and presidential candidate George [=McGovern=].

This, naturally, works about as well as you'd expect. And so, Charles Colson's arrest at the burning remains of the Brookings Institute leads to a much more intense and much earlier focus on Richard Nixon’s corruption, a very different 1972 election, and some serious changes for the life of George McGovern and the whole world...