Dark Horse Rising: Charles Manson on the Campaign trail

After Ronald Reagan disappears mysteriously, another California entertainer joins the 1980 primary: Charles Manson. In the summer of 1969, he was discovered by a music promoter and his rise to stardom began. When he turns his attention to politics, his spin doctors go into overdrive to clean up his image as conventional politicians scramble to keep up.

Will this musician with a folksy, quirky image breathe a much-needed breath of fresh air into politics? Will nagging questions about his past take the shine off of his groundswell of popularity?

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Manson's campaign manager and long-time associate Lynette Fromme released a more toned-down statement, explaining his past as the result of socioeconomic deprivation. She cited his successful career as evidence of reform, and summed up as an American success story his rise from a broken home and troubled youth, concluding that "He certainly isn't the only great musician to come from the wrong side of the tracks." Conservative commentator William F. Buckley thunderously denounced this remark as a flagrant ignoratio elenchi.