The Storyteller
Banned
As every attempt I make at coming up with a timeline specifically for this Forum seems to fizzle out, usually before I get far enough to actually post something, I thought I might give the whole 'collaborative' format a go. All I ask is that we don't veer off into Dystopia, Utopia or ASB territory.
To start with, our (hopefully plausible) POD...
The Upset of the Century
15th July 1976 – Former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter secures the Democratic Presidential Nomination. Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota is chosen as the Vice Presidential nominee.
19th August 1976 – Despite a strong challenge from former California Governor Ronald Reagan, incumbent President Gerald Ford secures the Republican Presidential Nomination. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas is named Ford’s running mate, replacing Vice President Nelson Rockefeller on the Republican ticket.
23rd September 1976 – The First US Presidential Debate (the first to be held since the 1960 Election) takes place. The debate is marred by a 27-minute delay caused by a failure in the sound system on stage. President Ford performs well during the debate itself, with most subsequent polls considering Ford the winner.
6th October 1976 – The Second US Presidential Debates take place. The debate is temporarily interrupted by a brief power outage which cuts off President Ford’s microphone while he is answering a question about the Soviet Union’s involvement in Eastern Europe. Fortunately there are no further technical issues and the second debate is considered another strong performance by Ford.
15th October 1976 – The US Vice Presidential Debate (the first of their kind in US history) takes place. The debate is notable for Bob Dole’s statements concerning what he refers to as ‘Democratic Wars’ and their collective death toll being equal to the population of Detroit. These statements are subsequently considered damaging to the Republican campaign.
22nd October 1976 – The Third US Presidential Debate takes place. No technical difficulties occur during the debate and Carter is narrowly considered the victor despite another competent performance by Ford.
2nd November 1976 – The 1976 US Presidential Election takes place.
Despite the Democrats beginning the campaign with a 33-point lead in the polls, the Republicans narrowly win the election with 276 Electoral Votes to 261 (with 1 Faithless Elector in the State of Washington voting for Ronald Reagan).
The election results are also notable for the narrow margins of victory on a State level, with 20 States being won by a margin of less than 5%, the two closest being Ohio and Wisconsin, which both went Republican by less than 0.1%.
Gerald R. Ford / Bob Dole (Republican) - 276
James Earl Carter / Walter Mondale (Democratic) - 261
Ronald Reagan - 1 (Faithless Elector)
* * *
20th January 1977 – Gerald R. Ford is inaugurated for a full term as President of the United States. Due to the terms of the 22nd Amendment, he is ineligible for re-election in 1980, having already served more than half of Richard Nixon's second Presidential term.
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As you may have guessed, our PODs are Ford narrowly avoiding the "no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe" gaffe due to technical difficulties (the first debate difficulties are OTL), as well as Ohio & Wisconsin narrowly going Republican instead of Democrat (by 0.27% and 1.68% respectively OTL).
And off we go...
To start with, our (hopefully plausible) POD...
The Upset of the Century
15th July 1976 – Former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter secures the Democratic Presidential Nomination. Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota is chosen as the Vice Presidential nominee.
19th August 1976 – Despite a strong challenge from former California Governor Ronald Reagan, incumbent President Gerald Ford secures the Republican Presidential Nomination. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas is named Ford’s running mate, replacing Vice President Nelson Rockefeller on the Republican ticket.
23rd September 1976 – The First US Presidential Debate (the first to be held since the 1960 Election) takes place. The debate is marred by a 27-minute delay caused by a failure in the sound system on stage. President Ford performs well during the debate itself, with most subsequent polls considering Ford the winner.
6th October 1976 – The Second US Presidential Debates take place. The debate is temporarily interrupted by a brief power outage which cuts off President Ford’s microphone while he is answering a question about the Soviet Union’s involvement in Eastern Europe. Fortunately there are no further technical issues and the second debate is considered another strong performance by Ford.
15th October 1976 – The US Vice Presidential Debate (the first of their kind in US history) takes place. The debate is notable for Bob Dole’s statements concerning what he refers to as ‘Democratic Wars’ and their collective death toll being equal to the population of Detroit. These statements are subsequently considered damaging to the Republican campaign.
22nd October 1976 – The Third US Presidential Debate takes place. No technical difficulties occur during the debate and Carter is narrowly considered the victor despite another competent performance by Ford.
2nd November 1976 – The 1976 US Presidential Election takes place.
Despite the Democrats beginning the campaign with a 33-point lead in the polls, the Republicans narrowly win the election with 276 Electoral Votes to 261 (with 1 Faithless Elector in the State of Washington voting for Ronald Reagan).
The election results are also notable for the narrow margins of victory on a State level, with 20 States being won by a margin of less than 5%, the two closest being Ohio and Wisconsin, which both went Republican by less than 0.1%.
Gerald R. Ford / Bob Dole (Republican) - 276
James Earl Carter / Walter Mondale (Democratic) - 261
Ronald Reagan - 1 (Faithless Elector)
* * *
20th January 1977 – Gerald R. Ford is inaugurated for a full term as President of the United States. Due to the terms of the 22nd Amendment, he is ineligible for re-election in 1980, having already served more than half of Richard Nixon's second Presidential term.
-
As you may have guessed, our PODs are Ford narrowly avoiding the "no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe" gaffe due to technical difficulties (the first debate difficulties are OTL), as well as Ohio & Wisconsin narrowly going Republican instead of Democrat (by 0.27% and 1.68% respectively OTL).
And off we go...