The Audacity of Opposition

NickCT

The Audacity of Opposition.

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On November 4, 2008, the United States made history when it elected Barack Hussein Obama to be the first African-American president of the United States. To become the nation's 44th chief executive, Barack Obama was forced to navigate a difficult primary campaign against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton - the woman most had assumed would be the Democratic nominee that year. A surge of grassroots support and optimism launched Barack Obama to the nomination and eventually the White House. Since then, President Obama has had a mixed record. He has achieved significant health care reform and ended the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, conservatives attack the president for supporting too large a government, and liberals attack the president for failing to fulfill all of his campaign promises. What is to follow is an alternate history of the Obama Administration, rooted in a relatively small initial point of divergence, but as the radically different Obama Administration unfolds, that initial point of divergence becomes a critical error that could bring down the presidency of Barack Obama. Our 44th President has written of the audacity of hope, but what if he was faced with the audacity of opposition?
 

Caesar Biden

Banned
NickCT said:
Any speculation and/or interest? Or is everyone waiting too see where it goes?
Click to expand...

I am definitely watching to see where this goes, don't get discouraged. Obama's presidency has left much to be desired, so I'm excited to see what could have gone worse!:)
 

NickCT

The Audacity of Opposition.
Chapter I: Offer Declined.

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Part of it was spite; part of it was stubbornness; part of it was a genuine desire to remain where she was, but when President-elect Barack Obama offered his ex-rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton the position of U.S. Secretary of State, Clinton turned the offer down. Then-Senator Obama and Senator Clinton had engaged in one of the most drawn-out and downright nasty political campaigns in modern history. Both sides had been hurt, and despite constant attempts at reconciliation, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were never fully able to put their past firmly in the pass. Now, as the president-elect, Barack Obama wanted to change that, offering Hillary a position - arguably the most prominent position - in his cabinet. Almost immediately, Hillary said no. There were a multitude of reasons for her decision. With the president promising to take up the effort to reform health care, Hillary Clinton wanted to be a member of the Senate, an opportunity for her to speak out passionately about an issue she so cared about. Being Secretary of State would mean sacrificing her right to comment on political issues facing the nation at home, which could hurt any chance of a political future. The last former Secretary of State to win the presidency was James Buchanan in 1856. Hillary had not lost sight of her ultimate goal: the White House. For Hillary, being Secretary of State was too risky a career path, and for the former First Lady, having a clear trajectory was important. Each move of her political career was carefully calculated and coordinated to ensure the optimum chance of success. Rarely was she willing to take risks, a pattern that would eventually be broken, but in 2008, fresh off the heels of defeat, Hillary was not ready to take such a plunge.

President-elect Obama was not prepared to give up. He pressed Hillary, promising her that his concentration would be on the economic crisis at home, and he would need someone of prominent status to deal with foreign affairs. Should she accept the job, Hillary would be in near complete control of the Obama Administration's foreign policy. It was quite the offer, and Hillary knew this, but unfortunately she had always been more concerned about domestic policy than foreign policy. Sure, she was worried about America's damaged appearance to the rest of the world, but she was far more concerned with investing herself into reversing the rising unemployment in the nation, addressing what she felt was a broken health care system, and helping the middle class in America - all worthy causes. Hillary would be unable to zero-in on these efforts as America's top diplomat. She declined the offer again. Instead, Hillary and her staff contemplated the possibility of challenging Harry Reid to become the Senate Majority Leader - the senator with the most real power in the body.

After repeated attempts, the president-elect was told definitively Hillary was not interested in the position. He moved on to find another Secretary of State, and Hillary Clinton rejected the notion of running for Senate Majority Leader - unsure of whether she would win, but certain a loss could taint her image. She was ready to be the de facto voice for Democrats around the nation. She started formulating legislation and strategy with her aides and top staffers, and she took on some important committee assignments, including the Committee on Armed Services, Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She returned to these posts with fervor, ready to establish a solid legislative resume to take her into a future presidential bid, presumably in 2016.

In December, President-elect Obama announced a slew of cabinet appointments. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano would serve as Attorney General. Congresswoman Jane Harman was nominated to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security. It was also announced that Bob Gates, President Bush's Secretary of Defense, would stay on in the Obama Administration for at least one more year to help stabilize efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Taking the position Hillary Clinton had declined was Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who President-elect Obama turned to after Hillary repeatedly turned down his offers. With men in the biggest three cabinet offices (Defense, State, and Treasury), Barack Obama decided to pass on the nomination of Eric Holder as Attorney General (who was his top choice) and to instead nominate Governor Napolitano. The only other nomination of significance was the president-elect's choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services. President-elect Obama offered the position to Hillary Clinton on December 2nd, but the New York senator denied it. The president-elect hoped to use the spot as a reconciliation, but when Hillary rebuffed his olive branch, Obama made public his original announcement: former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle.

Unfortunately for the Obama transition, Daschle's nomination was met with heavy scrutiny and allegations that he had failed to properly file his taxes led to a national scandal, and when allegations emerged that may be darker secrets in Daschle's financial past, the nominee withdrew himself from the nomination. Now without a nominee for the Health and Human Services Department, President-elect Obama nominated Kathleen Sebelius, the Governor of Kansas. Obama viewed Sebelius as an effective manager and was excited to have her join the administration in an important cabinet position. Typically, the HHS Secretary did not receive much attention, but President Obama intended to make health care reform a top priority for his administration, and he would need a strong HHS Secretary to help in that process.

On January 20, 2009, Hillary Clinton looked on with defeat as Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Most others in the audience and around the nation watched with an unwavering sense of optimism. Republicans and Democrats alike had put aside politics for the day in hopes that the new president would be able to repair a fractured economy. The president spoke candidly about the problems the nation faced, "That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered." President Obama further foreshadowed other priorities of his administration, "Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many -- and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet."

As Clinton sat behind him, the new president spoke with optimism about the future of the nation and of his administration, "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met." The American people responded positively to the president's inaugural address, confident that the 44th president would be ready to lead the nation forward to a newer and better age. As President Obama had long spoke of, change was possible, and the American people were inspired. After eight years of George Bush, the country looked with hope towards a new administration. President Obama had long spoken of the audacity of hope, but he had underestimated the audacity of opposition.
 

NickCT

The Audacity of Opposition.
Appendix I: Obama Cabinet.

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President of the United States: Barack Hussein Obama (2009- )
Vice President of the United States: Joseph Robinette Biden (2009- )

Secretary of State: John Forbes Kerry (2009- )
Secretary of the Treasury: Timothy Geithner (2009- )
Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates (2009- )
Attorney General: Janet Napolitano (2009- )
Secretary of the Interior: Ken Salazar (2009- )
Secretary of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack (2009- )
Secretary of Commerce: Gary Locke (2009- )
Secretary of Labor: Hilda Solis (2009- )
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Kathleen Sebelius (2009- )
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Shaun Donovan (2009- )
Secretary of Transportation: Ray LaHood (2009- )
Secretary of Energy: Ed Markey (2009- )
Secretary of Education: Arne Duncan (2009- )
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Eric Shinseki (2009- )
Secretary of Homeland Security: Jane Harman (2009-)

White House Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel (2009- )
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: Susan Rice (2009- )
National Security Adviser: James Jones (2009- )
 

NickCT

Just for clarification, the "error" is his inability to get Clinton as Sec. of State. Note that while not everything that happens differently can be attributed directly to that error, it is a catalyst for the story about to unfold.
 

Statesman

I still don't think I'm in a position to comment except to say I'm interested to see if Benghazi happens under Kerry or not.

Also, @Observer, I love the quote in your sig:cool:
 
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