TLIAW: For Want Of A Challenger

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Who are you?

Hi! I'm Statesman. Formerly AegonVI. I've changed my name. Part of a re-branding effort to make a name for myself on AH.com

AegonVI? Didn't you have that one TL that had Johnson win in 1960 and make Kennedy his Secretary of State?

Yes I did. Why?

And that other one where you tried to make an Irish-influenced Republic of California?

Yeah... Why?

You didn't finish them!

I didn't like the direction they were heading. Plus, I thought they were veering too much into the realm of improbability for my own personally liking.

So this is supposed to be realistic?

I'm going to try. But I shall retain my artistic license.

This certainly looks a lot like another TLIAW going on right now, AegonVI.

Statesman. And Meadow's TLIAW was partial inspiration for this, yes. I highly recommend it. Plus, aren't you supposed to try to mimic that which you seek to be like, or something? Why wouldn't I want to be like the giants on this forum like Meadow and Lord Roem and Thande?

For one you're American. And quit trying to make excuses for being a copycat.

Hey, shut up, why don't you!? This isn't even about British politics!

So it's some alternate American Presidential Election, then?

Scroll back up to the title image.

Okay.

Now tell me what you think it's about.

Eric Cantor doesn't get a strong primary challenger in 2014.

Bingo.

So...?

Yes?

You're trying to make a name for yourself. Why on earth have you chosen to write a TL about Eric Cantor keeping his House Seat in 2014? That can't possibly have far reaching consequences until several years down the road. You expect to get a readership with such a recent POD that causes so little change? Maybe this is why you aren't well known, kiddo. This is such an amateur mistake you're making. Why the f-

It does have big consequences!

Enlighten me.

Read the TL and find out.

If you're trying to get a good reputation, maybe you should be less passive aggressive.

Maybe.

So what is this about? Give me a hint.

I have three words for you.

And they are?

Read the TL.

Such a great hint.

So can I get on with the story?

About time.

It's Christmastime. Cheer up a little.

Bah Humbug.

Not So Long Ago, In a City on the Potomac River...
 
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Justin Amash sat back and sipped on the whiskey Kevin McCarthy had poured for him earlier. He had just finished explaining to Kevin and Eric his plan to oust Speaker Boehner and place Eric Cantor, the current Majority Leader, into the position. It was risky explaining to them his plan, but he didn't have all that much to lose as a backbench congressman from a wing of the party the Establishment already held in contempt.

“And in return,” Cantor asked him bluntly, setting his own glass of whiskey on the desk, “What do you want? Kevin's spot as Whip?”

“Not quite,” Justin hesitated, “Your spot, Eric. Majority Leader.”

“And why am I supposed to support this?” Kevin demanded from him.

“I don't want to stay in the House forever,” he said, raising his hand to calm the Majority Whip's temper, “Just keep me on as Majority Leader until I announce a Senate bid – I plan on running in twenty-eighteen – and I will support you to replace me.” Justin offered a reassuring smile, “Eric becomes Speaker ten years ahead of schedule, you become Majority Leader a half dozen years ahead of schedule, and I build a platform to make my way into the Senate. But beyond that, you quiet a very vocal opposition faction within the party, and that will make governing a whole lot smoother process. Particularly with the GOP holding the House and Senate next for the next two years or more.”

“I could get behind that,” Kevin replied, relaxing as he did so. “I'm no fan of the Tea Party, but if giving them an insider for four years will bring them into the fold... Hell, why not, Eric?”

“You do know I couldn't outwardly support you to succeed me, right?” Eric asked Justin. “Not with the caucus you lead being my core of support. The people would hate it. I've spent a long time trying not to look like I would do something like this. If I am, I need to appear above this, to say the least.

“But I could,” Kevin cut Justin off. “If you become Speaker, people will look at me to replace you. I could endorse Justin and no one would be the wiser.”

“Until Justin endorses you to replace him,” Eric commented.

“That's three years down the road, however, and not only will the intra-party politics that got me elected Majority Leader be forgotten, but I could play it off as having formed a good working relationship with Kevin.”

There was a moment of silence between the three of them. “So we go through with this?” Eric asked, taking another sip of his drink.

“I think so,” Justin told them. But I'm not the one with something to lose, he thought.

“I think I could add a sizable amount of support to the House Liberty Caucus,” Kevin told them.

“And we can pull in more than just our members into this effort,” Justin offered.

“Let's call it what it is, please,” Eric told them, “This is a coup. Is it enough support?”

“With a little under two months to plan? We might be able to pull it off,” Kevin told him. “Just keep the lid on this thing very tight.”

“So it's decided, then?” Justin asked. “We make Eric the Speaker, push Boehner to the sidelines, I get the Majority Leader position with Kevin's endorsement, and I endorse Kevin when I resign from the leadership to run for Senate in 2018.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Kevin replied.

“Do you think the public will be behind us?” Eric asked, finishing his drink.

“Everyone is sick of Boehner,” Kevin insisted. Justin agreed with him. “The base is tired of his games and everyone else is upset with the gridlock in Congress. With the possibility of a shutdown next month, sacking Boehner will help the GOP in the public eye, and 2016 is going to be the best shot to turn the White House red that we'll get for a while. We need the public to like us to win, though.” Justin saw Eric was nodding at the logic Kevin had just laid out.

This is going to be a big win for conservatives. We're finally going to make major inroads into the party leadership.

“Justin,” Eric asked him, “What are you aiming for beyond that Senate seat?”

President, he thought. Of course, all he said was, “You're a smart man, Eric. I'm sure you have some ideas.”

“Justin,” Kevin said, “I never thought you'd be one to scheme. You always seemed to care more about ideology.”

“And I do. But all three of us are fiscal conservatives. And seeing what Paul has been able to do... Well I think the Senate is a better platform for my ideology. So you help me and I'll help you.”

“If we're doing this in the name of making the GOP liked by the public again and fiscal conservatism,” Eric started. “No, never mind. I'm not sure what I was going for there,” he finished.

Justin tried to think of what Eric meant to say. “You want to know who I plan on supporting in 2016, don't you?”

Eric smiled at him, “Yes.”

“Rand Paul,” he said plainly. “He is the only one that could win us the White House again. I plan on endorsing him whether I am Majority Leader or not, however.” Justin finished his glass and set it down. Kevin moved to get him another – it was in the Whip's office that they decided it would look least suspicious for them to meet – but Justin motioned that he didn't want any more.

“I wouldn't say he is the only one,” Eric said, “Two years is a long time in politics, Justin. And there are plenty of horses lining up for this race.”

“And which horse are you backing?” Justin asked.

“We're doing this for fiscal conservatism, yes, but also to make the party have broader appeal. We need women, in my opinion.”

“But you won't tell me who you're backing?”

“I've yet to fully decide. But I suppose if I was Speaker, it would put me in a pristine position to help draft a candidate that could win over a wide range of demographics.”

Does he want to draft Governor Martinez? I didn't think she'd ever run.

“That doesn't necessarily mean it has to be a woman, Eric,” Kevin said with a chuckle. “They don't all vote as a block.”

“Fair enough,” Eric conceded, adding his own laugh to Kevin's and Justin's.

“If I may bring us back to the original intent of the meeting,” Justin said, bringing silence back to the room, “Move carefully in finding who you can draft to vote for you, Eric, on January 3rd.”

“Of course,” Eric said, standing. Kevin and Justin quickly followed suit. “If you would excuse me, however, I have a late lunch meeting with Speaker Boehner.” The three laughed at the irony of Eric Cantor's situation and shook hands as he departed.

Kevin McCarthy was putting away the glasses they had used and the bottle of whiskey into a drawer in his desk. Justin Amash handed him the glass he had used, saying, “I was very worried you wouldn't go along with this plan, Kevin. It's so nice to see you join in.”

“And it's nice to know you won't be as vocal against the leadership with you on the inside,” he laughed. “In all seriousness, though, I'd like to be Speaker one day, and I think Eric is angling for a cabinet position with the next Republican administration. But I think he'd wait at least until the 20's before he took one. You know, he'd wait until he has a few years as Speaker under his belt. And by that time, I'll be in a pristine position to take his place.”

“It's been a pleasure working with you, Kevin.”

“And the same to you, Justin,” the two shook hands and Justin left the Majority Whip's office.
 
Justin Amash leading a coup, as the first step of him running for the Presidency, very interesting.

His desire for the Presidency is a part of this TL, yes, but this TL shall really only span the course of a few months. It's more about the coup than Presidential ambitions.

And I mentioned Meadow's TLIAW as partial inspiration. The reason being was that it brought back to my mind thoughts of this article (LINK). I recommend at least skimming through it.
 
Interesting. One wonders how it will help in November. Also, one wonders how it may affect other things, like Syria or Ukraine...
 
Interesting. One wonders how it will help in November. Also, one wonders how it may affect other things, like Syria or Ukraine...

Well, the story picks up the day after the elections. Every other election happened as it did IOTL. It's just that McCarthy has stayed as Majority Whip and Cantor has stayed as Majority Leader. Very few butterflies thus far.
 
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Well, no matter what you call yourself, it is good to see you back in action. And for what it's worth, I thought Heart of Gold had awesome potential, and your Kennedy TL was extremely good.

As for this, count me in on this intrigue! Subscribed.
 
Well, no matter what you call yourself, it is good to see you back in action. And for what it's worth, I thought Heart of Gold had awesome potential, and your Kennedy TL was extremely good.

As for this, count me in on this intrigue! Subscribed.

Well thank you for your kind words, but I'm still more than a little embarrassed about them... :eek:

Anyone up for a Game of Thrones? :p
 
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Eric Cantor was worried. He was worried that someone he let in on his plan would leak it to Speaker Boehner for their own gain. He was worried that the plan would fail after he had crossed the Rubicon. He was worried about a lot of things, but that Sunday morning at brunch, he was mostly worried about where Cathy McMorris Rodgers would feel about what he was planning. He looked to his friend on his right, Paul Ryan, for reassurance.

“She should be here in a few minutes,” he told him, “It'll go smoothly. I have faith she'll join us. We're doing this for the Party, remember? It's nothing personal to Speaker Boehner.”

He wanted to be Speaker, that much was true. But when he made the deal with Justin Amash to get the Speakership in return for letting him take his spot as Majority Leader, he had no intention of following through with his side of the bargain. He wanted someone he could trust as Majority Leader, but more than that, he wanted someone that would help the Republican Party in the public eye.

Presumed by all to be next in line for Majority Leader, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy fit the first half of that, but another white, heterosexual male was not what the public would enjoy seeing coming from the Republican Party. But a woman? That would help the party image. And that was exactly what Paul had suggested to Eric when he went to talk to him about it. It was Paul who had suggested Cathy, already the highest ranking Republican woman in the House, to become Majority Leader.

And Kevin will have to be left behind, Eric thought. Eric wouldn't even be able to bring Kevin in on the plan to outmaneuver Amash. He knew Kevin would never back it. He had only agreed to back Justin Amash because he knew he'd get the Majority Leader spot in a relatively short amount of time. With McMorris Rodgers, the time frame became indefinite. The Young Guns will be no more.

“Yes,” Eric said, taking a sip of orange juice. “We cannot stay the party of old, white, Christian men.”

“We'll have the first Jewish Speaker of the House and a woman as Majority Leader,” Paul said. “I think that's an accomplishment to be proud of.”

Just then, Cathy joined them. “Eric,” she said with a smile as she sat down to his left. “Paul. To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting with such big names?”

“Cathy, your flattery is misplaced,” Eric told her. “We are the ones who should be honored, meeting with the highest ranking woman the Republican Party has in the House.”

“Yet still I get to have brunch with our latest Vice Presidential Nominee and the Majority Leader in the House. I suspect this is more than just a friendly meeting. Tell me, what is on the agenda?”

“Cathy, where you think this party is headed. On its current trajectory,” Eric asked her.

“Into ruin, to put it plainly.”

“So the three of us all agree that we need a re-branding?”

“I suppose we do,” she said, with a glance to Paul.

“Paul and I think that needs to start with bringing female Republicans more to the forefront.”

“I think that would be a very smart move. But you aren't asking me to do what I think you are, are you?”

“What do you think I'm asking you to do?” Eric asked quickly, his heart rate picking up.

“I like Kevin. I won't challenge him to be Whip.”

“Everyone like's Kevin,” Paul told her, “He isn't the one the public is fed up with.”

There was a pause. Eric saw her piecing together what had been said so far until her face had a flash of realization, “Boehner?”

“Yes,” Eric answered.

“You want the Speakership?”

“Yes.” Keen instincts. No wonder she's climbed so high thus far.

“Kevin takes your spot, and I take Kevin's?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“In order for me to get the Speakership, I made a deal that involves Justin Amash getting the Majority Leader position. However, I don't want Justin as Majority Leader. It needs to be a woman, as we've previously mentioned.”

“And you want me to be that person?”

“Skip Kevin and keep him as Whip,” Eric told her.

“Is Kevin on board with this plan?” she asked.

“Is Kevin here?” he responded, pausing. “Kevin is going to be backing Amash. Justin's plan involves him running for Senate in 2018 and handing off the Majority Leader position to Kevin, so he thought he saw his chance to accelerate his career.”

“And you're going to use both of them to become Speaker and put me in the spot you hold now?”

“We seem to be on the same page,” Eric smiled. She seems to be on board.

“Okay. How can I help?”

Excellent. “I need you and Paul to get as much support as possible to vote for me instead of Boehner when the Speaker election is held. Until then, however, this is to be kept private. We aren't going to challenge him until the third of January.”

“I already have a few people in mind. Do I have permission to offer favors from the future Speaker?”

“Within reason, yes,” Eric told her. “But I should mention I won't be able to publicly back you to replace me until the last minute. You'll look like an underdog and you'll need to fight hard; Kevin will be backing Amash very early on. If I back any candidate too early on, it will look like a bargain was made, and we can't have that, Cathy.”

“I understand, Eric.”

“So you're on board?”

“Yes. We need to repair our public image if we want to take back the White House in 2016.”

“Hopefully this coup planning will stop some of the Tea Party Republicans from trying to derail the budget next month,” Paul added. “I'd rather not have to confront another shut down.”

“May God be so kind,” Eric laughed. “So what are your plans for the future, Cathy?” It was a question he asked in large part so he could eat some of the food in front of him, picking up his knife and reaching for the butter.

“I had been thinking about running for Senate in 2016, actually,” she told him, “Wanted to convince Reichert to try for the Governorship instead and together try to make the state purple. But I guess that won't be happening anymore. I suppose I'll stay in the House. Maybe push for more women in prominent Republican positions. Senator Ayotte and Governor Martinez are already considered strong potential Vice Presidential Candidates. Maybe McConnell could bring a woman into the leadership in the Senate.”

“President?” he asked. “I know that I'm looking at female candidates to draft into the Presidential Race.”

“Sure, I would get in on that. Especially with the field as open as it is; I'm still doubting that Bush will run. Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Oh, not really. I've just been thinking about it recently. Ayotte and Martinez would be the big names, I suppose. The House isn't the best launching pad for a Presidential Candidacy, but it is still a good place to influence those kinds of things, wouldn't you say?”

“Hold on, now, Eric,” Paul interrupted. “I was picked as a Vice Presidential Nominee from the House and now people are talking about the possibility of me running for President.” He laughed, “Not that I would ever want that.”

“Do you expect Boehner will retire if we oust him?” Cathy asked.

“I would think he might not stand for reelection in 2016, but he strikes me as the kind of person who would stay on for the rest of his term,” Eric told her. And then he saw him out of the corner of his eye.

“John!” he said, standing. Speaker Boehner came up to the table and offered a handshake. Uh oh.

“What are you up to?” he joked.

Eric forced a laugh to think about what to say. “Just was talking to some of our best and brightest about the future of the party. It's going to be a big year for us, John,” Eric told him. “And Cathy was telling me she had been considering running for Senate in 2016.”

“But let's keep it a secret,” she winked.
 
For some reason I see this all collapsing down around them.

Around who? Amash and his play for Majority Leader or around Cantor playing both sides of the field?

It could since Eric Cantor isn't sticking to the original plan.

It was never his intention to let Amash or any of his ilk into the leadership, though. His plan was to pretend to do that while actually supporting a more establishment alternative to take his place as Majority Leader.
 
Positively delightful. I see the caucus dividing and allowing for the election of Pelosi. It would require the implementation of a plurality doctrine, and I don't know how that would happen, though. Hmm, I'm very excited.
 
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