This is a great “what if” question! What a difference it would have made for both if the order of their election had been reversed. Nixon was superb at foreign affairs. He would have ended our involvement in Vietnam. He would have entertained resuming relations with China. He would have used China as a check on the Soviet Union.’
If Nixon were elected on 1960 there would have been no Watergate, resignation and ignominy that followed. Nixon’s legacy would have been bright and he would have been considered one of the better Presidents of the 20th Century.
With no Vietnam, no Chicago riots. But by 1968 the Republicans would have been in the White House for 16 years and the public would have been ready for a change. Kennedy would have been older and wiser. The one question is would he still be married. If divorced his chances of being elected would be diminished.
If JFK lost in 1960, he would not have been assassinated. Bobby would not have been assassinated. Bobby would still be available to run the campaign and prepare himself to run after JFK stepped down.
JFK would have faced the issues presented by OPEC and oil shortages. JFK was very pragmatic and would have explored other sources of oil and expanded domestic drilling, opened more federal land to drilling and provided more incentives for drilling. There would have been no Vietnam war to end as Nixon did.
It should be noted that JFK and Nixon were good friends and would have no doubt supported and give advice to each other.
In many ways both Nixon and JFK would have been better off if Nixon had won in 1960 and JFK had won in 1968.
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