Puppetry

JFK, his brother Robert and other members of the Kennedy clan were involved in multiple relationships, dubious connections and so on, which only became evident to the public many years later.

In this timeline the assassination does not occur - but various groups attempt to exert influence the President by threatening to leak details of his activities to the general public.

These can include, but are not limited to, the following:


 * The military - for various reasons, including defence cuts, activities in Vietnam and nearby countries, 'standing up to the Soviets' (Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis etc) and so on.


 * The Mafia, attempting to deflect probes into their activities etc.


 * J Edgar Hoover who could have been retired on age grounds (and possibily health grounds).


 * Possibly the Teamsters and other unions that Robert Kennedy had previously taken action against.

These (and other) groups exert increasing and conflicting pressures on the President who is expected to pursue mutually contradictory goals. While this process is a normal component of government, the potential negative consequences in this case are far higher.

JFK has few allies to counter the groups who wish to treat him as their puppet, whether in the US or elsewhere. If he decides to go for re-election he has to risk details of his private life being leaked (possibly by 'someone in the know' deciding to do so of their own accord), and attempting to satisfy those who would control him - or possibly attempt to play the various sides off against each other.