The Cursed American Presidency

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COMING UP IN THE CURSED AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
Segment on United States Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA)

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COMING UP IN THE CURSED AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
Segment on United States Senator John V. Tunney (D-CA)

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COMING UP NEXT WEEK IN THE CURSED AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
Segment on Linda Ronstadt & how she'll play a role in Jerry's path to the White House (more on that later in the TL).

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Ronstadt
1:29 PM PST, March 18th, 1975
Somewhere in Anaheim, CA

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The most intriguing woman always at the side of CA Governor Jerry Brown (D) was the beautiful & satisfying Linda Ronstadt, whose name was skyrocketing along the musical charts with the "Heart Like a Wheel" album. But first, a look at her backstory: Born on June 15th, 1946 in Tucson, AZ as the third of four children of Gilbert Ronstadt, a prosperous machinery merchant who ran the F. Ronstadt Co., hardware store & Ruth Mary (nee Copeman) Ronstadt, a homemaker.

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Ronstadt's father was of German, English & Mexican descent, & was also a guitarist who sung Mexican songs to his children. She was raised on the family's ten-acre ranch in Tucson along with her three siblings; Linda had a pony & later a horse. As a teen, she formed a folk trio with brother Peter & sister Suzy; calling themselves the New Union Ramblers.

Briefly attending the University of Arizona, Linda left with guitarist Bob Kimmel for Los Angeles, CA., joining singer/songwriter Kenny Edwards to form the group, the Stone Poneys. The group scored a Top 20 hit in 1967-68 with the Ronstadt-led "Different Drum" & after three years, the group disbanded altogether, which set the stage for Ronstadt's solo musical career going forward.... After leaving the Stone Poneys, Ronstadt began her solo career, but faced struggling setbacks for five years, playing with various transient & backup musicians. Owning her own part in her timid nature, Linda also had a few performance & self-confidence issues in the studio & on the stage before large crowds. There was also a role in being involved with difficult romantic entanglements & some cocaine use, a period in her life that Linda sometimes referred to it as "bleak years". But not all that horrible...

One of its singles in her second solo album, Silk Purse surprisingly fared well in the music charts-----"Long Long Time", rising in late Summer 1970 to #25 on the Billboard Pop Chart. This song proved to be an opening for Ronstadt, highlighting her her voice & talents.

 

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Coming up next week: Profiles on the down-ballot statewide officeholders.

Chapter II will be worked on too.

 

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Starting early next week:
*Profiles on down-ballot statewide officeholders
* Profiles on United States Senators Alan Cranston (D-CA) & John V. Tunney (D-CA)
*National & International highlights: Spring 1975
*Reagan announces his candidacy for the GOP nomination for President in 1976

Chapter II will get started next week as well.

 

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Tidbits on the TL:
Chapter 4:
1.) National & International highlights of the Rockefeller Presidency (Fall 1975: Part I)
2.) President Rockefeller announcing his political future in regards to 1976
3.) Political ramifications of Rockefeller's announcement
4.) National & International highlights of the Rockefeller Presidency (Fall 1975: Part II)
5.) President Rockefeller visits Taiwan, Indonesia & the Philippines.

Chapter 5:
1.) 1976 State of the Union Address: President Rockefeller delivers 1st SOTU Address before Joint Session of Congress.
2.) The 1976 Presidential campaign highlights
3.) CA Governor Jerry Brown (D) makes his move in the Dem Primary for President in 1976
4.) Election results on GOP Primary & Dem Primary
5.) National & International highlights of the Rockefeller Presidency (Spring 1976: Parts I & II)

 

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Dymally
12:44 PM PST, March 20th, 1975
Lieutenant Governor's Office, CA State Capitol
Sacramento, CA.

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Things were looking up for CA Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Malcolm Dymally (D), who made history not only as the Golden State's first African American Lieutenant Governor, but also the second African American to hold statewide office following CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Wilson Riles (D), who was in his second term.

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Born on May 12th, 1926 in Cedros, Trinidad & Tobago; he received his secondary education at Saint Benedict & Naparima Secondary School in San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago. He then moved to the United States to study journalism at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO. After a semester there, Dymally moved to the greater Los Angeles area to attend Chapman University & completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from California State University-Los Angeles in 1954; he also became a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity in 1949. He first married Amentha Wilkes, but the marriage ended in divorce after several years & he later married Alice Gueno, with whom he would have two children.

In 1969, while serving in the CA State Legislature, Dymally earned a Master's degree in Government from California State University-Sacramento. He also earned his Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Human Behavior from United States International University in San Diego.

After teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for a number of years, Dymally jumped into politics by serving as field coordinator in 1960 for the successful presidential campaign of then-United States Senator (later President) John F. Kennedy (D-MA). In 1962, he was elected to the CA State Assembly representing the 53rd District & won reelection in 1964, serving four years. In 1966, he made history by becoming the first African American to win election to a seat in the CA State Senate representing the 29th District & won reelection in 1970; during his eight years in the CA State Senate, Dymally chaired a number of committees including Social Welfare, Elections & Reapportionment, Veterans Affairs & Joint Committee on Legal Equality for Women, from which he authored the legislation that eventually resulted in the Golden State's ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. He also served as chairman of the CA State Legislative Black Caucus & Senate Democratic Caucus. These hardworking efforts in both chambers of the CA State Legislature for 12 years achieved statewide acclaim, which resulted in his history-making election as CA's 41st Lieutenant Governor in 1974, where he campaigned on the state's energy & environmental problems as well as equal rights for women. On Election Night, November 5th, 1974, Dymally defeated incumbent CA Lieutenant Governor John L. Harmer (R), who was seeking a full 4-year term in a very hard-fought contest: Dymally garnered 2,986,537 votes (49.19%) to Harmer's 2,812,636 votes (46.32%) & took office on January 6th, 1975.

As the Golden State's second-highest statewide officeholder, Dymally served as President of the CA State Senate, chaired the Commission for Economic Development & the Commission of the Californias; he also served on the Board of Regents of the University of California-Berkeley; California State University Board of Trustees; Ocean Protection Council; CA Emergency Council & the CA State Lands Commission. He was heavily involved in the highest levels of state government, with responsibility for governing, education, trade & the economy, law enforcement, & the environment. He is credited with raising the visibility of the Lieutenant Governorship by significantly increasing the level of activity. Two important commissions fell under his jurisdiction, the State Commission of Economic Development (to developing & fostering economic growth) & the Commission of the Californias (developing favorable trade relations with Baja California & Mexico). He also cast the historic vote in 1975 that led to the passage of the first major LGBTQ rights legislation in the nation.

Working with members of the CA State Senate as Lieutenant Governor (including his role as President of the CA State Senate), Dymally was also focused on coordinating with the committee chairs as well as the subcommittee chairs on major hot-button issues facing Californians: the environment, public safety, getting the state budget balanced in light of the inflation crisis not only affecting California, but the entire nation, budget austerity, working with then-CA State Assembly Speaker (future CA Lieutenant Governor) Leo McCarthy (D-San Francisco) in pushing bipartisan education reform legislation, etc.,

He was also keenly aware of the ongoing national political climate surrounding CA Governor Jerry Brown (D) as a future contender for the White House; if Brown were to run for the Presidency in 1976 & be successful, it would catapult Dymally into the Governorship, therefore giving him a leg up for a full 4-year term in 1978 (more on that later in the TL).

 

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Younger
12:14 PM PST, March 27th, 1975
CA State Attorney General's Office, Los Angeles, CA.

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Having won reelection as the Golden State's Chief Law Enforcement Officer in the 1974 elections, CA State Attorney General Evelle J. Younger (R) was being talked about by many inside the CA GOP as a future contender for the Governor's Mansion: he had the law enforcement resume & experience to show for it...

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Born on June 19th, 1918 in Stamford, NE; he was a descendant of the Younger Brothers, a notable 19th Century gang of American outlaws that were often associated with with the Jesse James gang. He graduated from the University of Nebraska receiving his Juris Doctorate (JD) degree. Following graduation from law school, Younger joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation, becoming an FBI Special Agent & at the age of 24, he became one of the top agents of controversial & dictatorial FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover; he also became a member of the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency: the Office of Strategic Services, serving in the Burma-China-India Theater during World War II plus serving in the United States Army during the Second World War & later continued serving during the Korean War conflict.

Younger married the former Mildred Eberhard on July 3rd, 1942 & would become the parents of one son, Eric Younger. He served as a CA State Municipal Judge from 1953 to 1958 & later served as Superior Court Judge from 1958 to 1964, when he was elected Los Angeles County District Attorney General.

Earlier in his career on the bench, Younger hosted KTLA-TV's weekly crime drama "Armchair Detective" & was later a consultant & presiding judge on the reality TV Show, "Traffic Court" on ABC 7 KABC-TV Los Angeles; he also authored the book, 'Judge & Prosecutor in Traffic Court'. During his seven years as Los Angeles County District Attorney, Younger oversaw criminal cases which included the prosecutions of Charles Manson & Sirhan Sirhan. He was the first prosecutor in the United States & the first to be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General (Air Force Reserves) as a Special Agent in the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

His high-profile, nationally-watched prosecutions gained him national & statewide acclaim: leading to him winning statewide office as CA's 26th State Attorney General in November 1970 making him the first Republican to win the Golden State's Chief Law Enforcement Officer post in a generation ending 20 years of Democratic State Attorneys General of this office. Younger garnered 3,140,087 votes (49.28%) to Charles O'Brien (D)'s 3,053,916 votes (47.93%) & won reelection in November 1974, garnering 3,312,125 votes (55.00%) to William Norris (D)'s 2,707,998 votes (44.97%). During his tenure running the CA Department of Justice, Younger helped developed the California Environmental Quality Act; he also advocated for a broad interpretation of its applicability, filing a brief in the landmark case Friends of Mammoth vs. Board of Supervisors in 1972: the ruling in the case considered one of the most important for environmental rulings, requiring an evaluation of environmental impact prior to any public agency sanction of new construction.

 

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Fong-Eu
10:59 AM PST, March 28th, 1975
CA Secretary of State's Office, Sacramento, CA.

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CA Secretary of State March Fong-Eu (D) was a history-making trailblazer in the Golden State, having overcome many obstacles & roadblocks in her life. Born March Kong on March 29th, 1922 in Oakdale, CA in the San Joaquin Valley, where her Chinese immigrant parents Yuen Kong & Shiu Shee ran a hand-wash laundry. Her grandparents immigrated to the United States from Huaxian County (now the Huada District) in the South China province of Guangdong. The family later moved to Richmond, CA., where Fong-Eu earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Denistry from the University of California-Berkeley in 1943 & then a Master of Arts degree from Mills College. She also earned a Doctorate of Education from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education in 1954. She then became a dental hygienist, served one term as president of the American Dental Hygienist Association. In the 1950s, she served on the Alameda County School Board of Trustees.

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Intrigued by making a difference on the political front if she wanted to make real changes on how things were done, Fong-Eu was elected to CA State Assembly from the 15th District representing Oakland & Castro Valley in 1966 & was reelected in 1968, 1970 & again in 1972 for four 2-year terms. She was the first Asian American female elected to a State Legislature in the United States. She is perhaps best known for her successful campaign to ban pay toilets, arguing they discriminated against women since urinals were free. Benefiting from the Blue Wave of 1974 (amid the backlash of the Watergate Scandals, which resulted in the resignation of then-President Richard Nixon in disgrace as well as the controversial pardon of Nixon by President Gerald Ford), Fong-Eu was elected CA's 25th Secretary of State on November 5th, 1974 garnering 3,491,292 votes (57.93%) to Brian Van Camp (R)'s 2,199,516 votes (36.50%); she was easily reelected in 1978 garnering 4,104,695 votes (62.49%) to Jacob Margosian (R)'s 1,982,145 votes (30.17); Fong-Eu was victorious once again in 1982, garnering 4.586,121 votes (60.54%) to State Assemblyman Gordon Duffy (R-Hanford)'s 2,634,541 votes (34.78%); reelected overwhelmingly in 1986 garnering 4,971,230 votes (68.84%) to State Assemblyman Bruce Nestande (R)'s 1,908,864 votes (26.43%) & emerged victorious to a fifth & final term in November 1990 garnering 3,864,151 votes (51.69%) to Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores (R)'s 3,032,755 votes (40.57%).

Fong-Eu's landslide victory in the 1974 elections, put her on the history books once again: becoming the first Asian American woman ever elected to statewide office in the United States. She remained the only female to serve as CA Secretary of State until the election of Debra Bowen (D) when she won the Golden State's Chief Elections Officer post in 2006 & reelected in 2010 & the appointment of Shirley Weber (D) as CA's 31st Secretary of State in Spring 2021. In 1978 during her reelection victory, Fong-Eu swept all 58 counties including carrying even heavily Republican stronghold Orange County, making her one of only five Democrats to win the county in the last half century. Among the innovations she had introduced during her nearly 20 years in office included voter registration by mail; providing absentee ballots to anyone who requested them; posting results on the Internet & including candidate statements in ballot pamphlets.

 

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Coming up next week: Profiles on Unhru & Riles.

 

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COMING UP IN THE CURSED AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
Downfall of Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza

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COMING UP IN THE CURSED AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
Accomplishments of the Governorship of
Edmund Gerald Brown, Jr., ​

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COMING UP IN THE CURSED AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
Profile on CA State Treasurer Jesse Unruh (D)​

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COMING UP IN THE CURSED AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
Profile on CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Wilson Riles (D)

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Big Daddy Unruh
9:29 AM PST, March 30th, 1975
CA Department of the Treasury, Sacramento, CA

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CA State Treasurer Jesse Marvin Unruh (D) known as "Big Daddy Unruh", was making the CA State Treasurer's office more efficient, stabilizing & responsive to all Californian & the taxapyers overall. Unruh was also one of the most influential & powerful politicos across the entire Golden State based on his deep-knowledge of how state government works. Born on September 30th, 1922 in Newton, KS: Unruh served in the United States Navy during World War II & following an honorable discharge after the war ended, he enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) in Political Science & Journalism in 1948. It was during his military service, Unruh married Virginia June Lemon in 1943, where they would become the parents of five children.

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Interested in making a difference, Unruh got into politics & was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the CA State Assembly in 1950 & 1952. On the third attempt, he was victorious in winning a seat in the CA State Assembly representing District 65, where he served for 16 consecutive years & was reelected in 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966 & again in 1968; during this time, Unruh also served as the 54th Speaker of the CA State Assembly from September 1961 to January 1969. In 1959, he wrote the state's Unruh Civil Rights Act: which outlawed discrimination by businesses that offer services to the public & this law served as a model for later reforms enacted nationally during the 1960s & 1970s. On the national level, Unruh served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention representing the Golden State in 1960 & again in 1968. By becoming a national prominent figure for the Democratic Party, he also feuded with fellow Dems such as then-CA Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr., (D) & then-US President Lyndon B. Johnson; Unruh was a case study of James Q. Wilson's treatsie on machine politics: 'The Amateur Democrat'.

In 1970, Unruh was the Democratic Party nominee for the CA Governor's Mansion: losing to then-CA Governor Ronald Reagan (R): Reagan garnered 3,439,174 votes (52.83%) to Unruh's 2,938,607 votes (45.14%), where he only carried 12 out of 58 counties. In 1973, he ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Los Angeles: where then-Los Angeles City Councilman Thomas Bradley (D) went on to defeat the controversial three-term conservative incumbent Sam Yorty (D) in the runoff & Bradley would hold the Mayoralty for 20 consecutive years.

Not to be deterred by back-to-back setbacks, Unruh made another bid for statewide office.... running for the insignificant post of CA State Treasurer in 1974. His radio advertisements assured voters: "Make no mistake about it, I really want this job." On November 5th, 1974, Unruh emerged victorious in the Blue Wave of 1974 where Democrats across the nation were victorious: garnering 3,144,124 votes (52.48%) to John T. Kehoe (R)'s 2,565,124 votes (42.82%) & took office as the Golden State's 26th State Treasurer on January 6th, 1975. Unruh would go onto winning reelection in 1978 defeating Donald J. French (R) by garnering 3,819,563 votes (58.69%) to French's 2,298,605 votes (35.32%), he would easily defeat French once again in their 1982 rematch garnering 4,436,759 votes (59.28%) to French's 2,649,914 votes (35.41%) & again in 1986 defeating Ray Cullen (LIB) by garnering 5,589,633 votes (82.73%) to Cullen's 569,280 votes (8.43%), where Unruh swept all 58 counties securing his 4th & final term in office, making him the Golden State's second longest-serving State Treasurer with 12 years in office.

 

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The Trailblazer of Education
12:56 PM PST, March 31st, 1975
CA Department of Education, Sacramento, CA

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CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Wilson Camanza Riles (D) was another history-making, trailblazer in the Golden State when in 1970, he shocked many by being the first African American to win statewide office as CA Superintendent of Public Instruction & his upset victory would also open the door for other African Americans to hold statewide office in the Golden State: Mervyn Dymally, Kamala Harris, Tony Thurmond & Shirley Weber. Born on July 27th, 1917 in Alexandria, LA., Riles graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor's degree in 1940 & Master's degree in 1947 & also served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II from 1940 to 1945.

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He worked as a teacher & administrator in AZ public schools. His first teaching job was in a one-room schoolhouse for African American children of sawmill workers on an Apache Indian reservation near Pistol Creek, AZ. In 1941, he married the former Louise Phillips, a schoolteacher from Phoenix, AZ., who later taught with her husband at another school for African American children on the reservation. They would become parents of three sons: Michael Riles, Phillip Riles, Wilson Riles, Jr., & one daughter: Narvia Riles Bostick.

In 1954, Riles & his family moved to Los Angeles, CA., where he became executive secretary of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Quaker organization for four years. He then went to work for the CA Department of Education, where he focused on programs benefiting disadvantaged students. Over the years, Riles worked his way up to become Deputy Superintendent under then-CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Max Rafferty (R): with oversight on programs & legislation. He held the second-highest post in the CA Department of Education when--as--a political unknown---Riles announced his candidacy for the Golden State's top education job against his boss in the 1970 elections. He emerged victorious, garnering 3,254,365 votes (54.13%) to Rafferty's 2,757,616 votes (45.87%): the size of his election victory stunned political veterans because Riles was a political newcomer & because no African American had ever been elected to statewide office in CA. He took office on January 4th, 1971 & served under then-CA Governor Ronald Reagan (R) & continued under CA Governor Jerry Brown (D); during his 12 years in office, Riles successfully pushed legislation in establishing school site councils that formalized the process of bringing teachers & parents together to evaluate school programs. He also sponsored legislation that emphasized early childhood education, this program focused on establishing individual goals & objectives for students in the elementary school grades; he was also an early advocate of computers in the classroom.

Riles won reelection in 1974 garnering 2,997,884 votes (67.62%) to Warren Linville (NP)'s 362,136 votes (8.18%) & again in 1978 garnering 2,818,393 votes (52.26%) to Richard Mudgett (NP)'s 656,439 votes (12.17%), making him the second longest-serving Superintendent of Public Instruction in CA history.

 

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The Senior Senator from California.......
1:28 PM EST, March 31st, 1975
Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.

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United States Senator Alan McGregor Cranston (D-CA) was an intriguing fellow. Having served in the United States Army during World War II with the rank of Sergeant from 1944-1945: he was an opponent of nuclear weapons because he believed that it would cause total chaos throughout the entire world & devastating results. As a long-time supporter of world government, he attended the 1945 conference, which resulted in the Dublin Declaration & served as president of the World Federalist Association in 1948.

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Having co-founded the CDC: known as the California Democratic Council & serving as its chairman, Cranston fostered & gained numerous relationships & friendships of many local Democratic clubs across the Golden State ranging from GOTV efforts, coordinating electoral activities & activism throughout CA & these efforts proved very crucial & critical as Cranston won the first of multiple elections to statewide office beginning in 1958 when he was elected CA State Controller & reelected in 1962, but was defeated in his bid for a third term in 1966 during what many called "The Reagan Revolution of California" as the GOP wave resulted in many incumbents being voted out of office that year.

Not to be held back from this setback, Cranston made a comeback two years later when he defeated CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Max Rafferty (R) in 1968 for the United States Senate. Now the 1968 CA US Senate race was known for its nastiness & bitter mudslinging: for example, the Cranston campaign via Frank Capell, authored & sent out derogatory pamphlets to Californians attacking Cranston's character, even going so far as to suggest that he had ties with radicals & communists & other rogue countries. The attacks escalated when they used coded-language by questioning Cranston's patriotism to the United States. On election night, Cranston emerged victorious: garnering 3,680,352 votes (51.82%) to Rafferty's 3,329,148 votes (46.87%) & was reelected in 1974 defeating State Senator HL Richardson (R): garnering 3,693,160 votes (60.52%) to Richardson's 2,210,267 votes (36.22%).

 

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Tunney
11:16 PM PST, April 1st, 1975
Somewhere in Palo Alto, CA

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The Junior United States Senator from the Golden State: John Varick Tunney (D-CA) was something of an intriguing enigma. Before jumping into politics, Tunney was a liberal GOPer & he had been residing in the 38th Congressional District, where his home was in Riverside. After meeting with then-US President John F. Kennedy, who advised (the advice was relayed through United States Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), who was Tunney's law school classmate), Tunney to "drop the name Varick" & after switching to the Democratic Party, it took the 1964 LBJ landslide to send Tunney to the US House of Representatives, where a lot of hardworking efforts including friendly gerrymandering by the Democratic-controlled CA State Legislature in Sacramento, in order to add Dem votes, as well as aggressive campaigning put Tunney to Capitol Hill.

Tunney went on to win reelection to CA's 38th Congressional District in 1966 & again in 1968, serving three two-year terms from January 3rd, 1965 until January 1st, 1971. He also was honored by becoming an honorary member of the Phi Sigma Kappa by the fraternity's Cal State Northridge chapter in 1970; Tunney also served as a special adviser to the President's Committee on Juvenile Dependency & Youth Crime from 1963 to 1968.

Eager to increase his political talents, Tunney ran for the United States Senate in 1970 against incumbent United States Senator George Murphy (R-CA), whose staunch support of the Vietnam War was politically disastrous during the general election campaign. It also didn't help that Murphy's health problems had escalated when he underwent surgery for throat cancer, which hampered his ability to speak. Tunney used his youthful appearance & high energy in contrasting with the aging conservative Murphy. Many people had noticed the mannerisms, intriguing hairstyle with comparisons to the late United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY St). On election night in November 1970, Californians had split their statewide ticket: reelecting then-CA Governor Ronald Reagan (R) & choosing to elect Tunney to the United States Senate: garnering 3,496,558 votes (53.86%) to Murphy's 2,877,617 votes (44.33%).

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COMING UP IN CHAPTER II OF THE CURSED AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
National & International highlights of the Ford Presidency
(Spring 1975)

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