no one that the public would identify with. similarly those in the midlevel staff and some in the lower-cabinet but household names? no.
King Bill: The Third Term of William Jefferson Clinton
- Thread starter NickCT
- Start date
no one that the public would identify with. similarly those in the midlevel staff and some in the lower-cabinet but household names? no.
Hyperion
Banned
I figured that no major people would have been killed, but I didn't know if some Assistant Secretary of State or some Deputy Assistant Secretary of State might have been killed. Someone high up enough that it would have some internal ramifications for the State Department, but nothing crippling or nobody in the Presidential Line of Succession.
The reason Bill Clinton is looked upon so fondly nowadays is because the shit hit the fan after Bush became President.
The surplus vanished, Bin Laden escaped death, Enron crashed, and the economy began to slow down...
With Bill still President, the surplus will shrink, perhaps vanish, it will be proven that Clinton missed a chance to take out Bin Laden, the economy will naturally slow, perhaps enter a recession, and presumably Enron will still go bankrupt.
Therefore Clinton will not escape blame for many things that his presidency led to, because many of them had their origins in what he did during his tenure in office.
I predict Clinton will still be popular post presidency, but probaly wont have an approval rating of about 65% to 70% that he has now. It will be about 50% or parhaps 55%.
Wishing you well, his majesty,
The Scandinavian Emperor
The surplus vanished, Bin Laden escaped death, Enron crashed, and the economy began to slow down...
With Bill still President, the surplus will shrink, perhaps vanish, it will be proven that Clinton missed a chance to take out Bin Laden, the economy will naturally slow, perhaps enter a recession, and presumably Enron will still go bankrupt.
Therefore Clinton will not escape blame for many things that his presidency led to, because many of them had their origins in what he did during his tenure in office.
I predict Clinton will still be popular post presidency, but probaly wont have an approval rating of about 65% to 70% that he has now. It will be about 50% or parhaps 55%.
Wishing you well, his majesty,
The Scandinavian Emperor
Paul V McNutt
Banned
I am looking to 2004. If Whitman is the Republican nominee, there will be a social conservative third party and it will split the Republican vote. Of course that means that a Democrat will be president when the economy collapses in 2008, oh well.
Only if the economy collapse is not butterflied away. And it is very likely that it is butterflied away because the whole economy policy of the Bush administration is not possible with a Democrat administration and because two certain wars will also not happen.
Absent the 22nd amendment, which amendment I do not personally support, would the 'no third term' thing be a big feature of the campaign, it is hard to argue that in November 2000 there were equivalant crises to November 1940
A Woman, Three Wars, and Three More Terms
To the surprise of no one Rick Santorum and Bill Bradley were declared the victors on the night of the Iowa Caucuses. Mike Huckabee withdrew from the race, failing to endorse one of his competitors on the Republican side. After a Whitman/Dodd win in New Hampshire Republican Bob Smith exited the race, jumping behind Whitman and one the Democratic side Mark Warner announced he was suspending his presidential ambitions. The primary season continued with Brownback winning three conservative states, but dropping out a week or so after Super Tuesday. Meanwhile the Democratic nomination was quickly wrapped-up by Vice President Dodd after victories in Florida, Michigan, California, and Nevada. The momentum toppled all of his opponents. When Brownback withdrew he endorsed Whitman, much to the surprise of everyone. Though few Brownback voters went to Whitman, the Kansas Senator hoped to throw enough support to the former New Jersey Governor for her to win.
The plan succeeded and with only several more contests to go Christine Todd Whitman emerged the winner of the Republican Primaries in 2004. With Whitman and Dodd preparing to battle it out the two candidates began vetting for running mates. The Whitman team decided on Sam Brownback while Dodd decided to pick California Senator Dianne Feinstein. The Dodd/Feinstein ticket was boring and failed to get off the ground. By September they were 3% behind the Republicans.
With President Clinton preparing to enter the retired life he made a final trip to China where he met with the leader there. They talked and when he returned home Clinton said he was confident that the “Chinese human rights conditions would turn around.” Since February 2000 the President had been obsessed with using his final year in office to increase the U.S. image on the international stage, largely by sending aid to Africa and fighting for Chinese workers’ rights. By the end of his presidency Clinton was well regarded as a peacemaker and left office respected on the international stage. The domestic stage was a different story altogether. In early-October the U.S. economy collapsed with schisms created by the .com burst opening into large fault lines. Whitman promised recovery as Dodd clumsily tried to distance himself from the President with little success. On Election Day 2004 Whitman was declared the winner with over 300 electoral votes and over 54% of the popular vote.
As President Whitman immediately got to work, quickly working to fix the .com burst from spreading. Lack of oversight by the Clinton Administration had let the problem grow out of control and she dedicated her first year in office to solving the problem by increasing the number of technological grants and defying the wishes of her party by pumping record amounts of money into the economy, by this point a balanced budget was simply not possible. When the entire collapse was over by March 2006, only 5% of the .com companies remained. Whitman spent the rest of the year fighting for significant victories in the MidTerm elections. While it was likely she would lose seats, the Republicans were expected to maintain majorities. Finally her administration began drafting serious environmental overhauls. While this was happening her Administration suffered behind the curtains with Vice President Brownback becoming increasingly displeased with the lack of conservatism being displayed by the Whitman White House. He submitted his resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell in October of 2006. The lack of unity in the Republican Party led to crushing defeats in the 2006 MidTerm Elections, though the GOP remained in control of both houses the majorities were not expected to last until 2008.
In December 2006, John Edwards announced a second candidacy for presidency with Massachusetts Senator Thomas Reilly following suit several days later. With Reilly and Edwards in the race things were beginning to heat up. January 20, 2007, two years after leaving office, President William Jefferson Clinton was pronounced dead after a heart attack. People all over the nation turned out to pay their respects for the former President as the grieving Hillary Clinton stood solemn-face throughout nearly every funeral event. In February 2007 New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced his presidential campaign in Santa Fe only to be followed by Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. The Democratic Race against President Whitman was heating up.
In March, former Vice President Brownback announced that he was running against Whitman in the Republican primaries, overshadowing the fact she had named Mitch McConnell as her Vice Presidential appointment the day before. McConnell would go on to be confirmed unanimously by both the House and Senate. All of her work on the economy and environment had been overshadowed by the resignation of Brownback and Whitman’s approval rating stood at 51%. Unfortunately it was only 38% within her own party, forcing her to play to the left by passing across-the-board tax cuts on the rich.
In April, Tennessee Governor Al Gore announced he would be running for President as well. The forgotten candidate quickly gained former supporters to his movement and pushed his way to the front of the pack in polling.
On the night of the Iowa Caucuses Al Gore and Sam Brownback were declared the winners, though Whitman still had enough support to call her campaign breathing. With Gore taking the New Hampshire Primary only one week later (as well as Whitman) Richardson and Reilly withdrew and endorsed Gore, making it a race between Wellstone, Gore, and Edwards. A deeper look into his past as Vice President revealed that Sam Brownback had advised President Whitman to appoint friends to key positions in the State and Defense Departments in exchange for political favors. The Brownback Campaign was ultimately unsuccessful in surviving allegations of cheating and fraud and he withdrew from the race the night after losing the South Carolina Primary.
The night of the South Carolina Primary was also the last day of Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s life. The Chief Justice was declared dead and after a state funeral President Whitman announced that Samuel Alito would be the new nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. After a brutal confirmation Alito was confirmed on a purely partisan divide. The appointment pleased conservatives and attracted them back to Whitman. After winning eight out of the first ten contests, Al Gore was the presumptive nominee when Minnesota Senator Wellstone and North Carolina Senator Edwards withdrew from the campaign. It was a race between Gore and Whitman until the end.
With the resignation of Sandra Day O’Connor from the Supreme Court in late-June, Whitman was faced with another judicial appointment in a critical election year. She decided to appoint Texas Senator John Cornyn who was ultimately confirmed by the senate.
At the Democratic Convention in Miami, the party outlined their agenda to return America to prosperity, but they were well aware that with 40% of Democrats approving of the Whitman Presidency they had an uphill battle ahead. Her middle class tax cuts, environmental legislation, and salvage of the U.S. economy made her an appealing candidate too many in the opposing party and 65% of Independents also had a favorable rating. With this Gore picked another more moderate Democrat, former Senator Mary Landrieu, to help him to victory by appealing to disenfranchised Republicans and Independent voters. The strategy did better than expected and as a result Gore won 232 Electoral Votes and Christine Todd Whitman became the first Republican to win the presidency without winning Ohio with upset wins in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Her second term was going to be a very difficult one.
The Clinton Administration had left growing issues in terms of Al Qaeda and the Whitman Administration was too busy with the economic disaster to worry about national security. On September 11, 2009, the U.S. Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and the Statue of Liberty were destroyed. Though the death count was small compared to the original 9/11 attacks (and the Capitol had been evacuated in time) the symbolism of the attacks was enough to enrage President Whitman. She addressed the nation and scolded the terrorists that they would suffer the full wrath of President Whitman. She returned to Congress a week later and demanded a Declaration of War against Afghanistan and Pakistan, both were approved. Some felt Whitman was simply trying to prove a woman could handle being Commander-in-Chief, but the wars were widely supported.
Within months of fighting it became clear that there was no real mission in either war. Whitman assured the nation that as soon as terror cells were properly destroyed the troops would come home. By September 2010 not a single terrorist of significance within groups had been killed and public support for the wars waned. In 2010 the Democrats took control of both the house and the senate in about 20 years and used the newfound power to lead the crusade against the wars.
In her 2011 State of the Union, Whitman pleaded with Congress to send her additional troops for the fight, eventually they agreed to end the War in Pakistan and focus fighting on Afghanistan. With the focused operation in place several Al Qaeda training camps were liquidated and several high-ranking members we killed, the public began to support the war and its mission again. And so on April 15th, 2011, President Whitman announced she was running for a third term. No one in the Republican Party challenged her. By June the Democratic field was clear: Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, former Senator Mary Landrieu, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, and Nevada Senator Harry Reid. The candidates were off and touring the nation. Quickly McAuliffe emerged as the front runner with a successful time as Virginia’s Chief Executive boding well for him.
McAuliffe won the Iowa Caucuses while Reid won the New Hampshire Primary. Eventually, with a Landrieu win in South Carolina, Senator Obama withdrew and endorsed Reid. By Super Tuesday the momentum had shifted to McAuliffe definitively and he walked away with the nomination. He selected former Governor Bill Richardson as his running mate.
With public support for the war continuing to grow in 2012, Whitman seemed prepared to cruise to victory with McAuliffe promising the “education reform we were promised twelve years ago” and healthcare coverage for all Americans. The campaign was a bloodbath with McAuliffe throwing mud at Whitman like he was being paid to do it and Whitman’s new running mate, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, attacking McAuliffe for his healthcare position. In the end Whitman won with 274 Electoral Votes and 52.4% of the popular vote. With her third term beginning Whitman hoped to establish an end to the War in Afghanistan.
In her third inaugural address delivered on January 20, 2013, she promised America a change, a new path to prosperity. With the War in Afghanistan undergoing its second troop surge, Whitman was happy at the progress being made. They’d successfully removed any connections between the Afghanistan Government and Al Qaeda and hoped to bring about some kind of peace in the Middle East. In August 2013, Secretary of Defense Lindsey Graham approached Whitman and told her that troop levels could be brought down and the Administration announced a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan with the first reductions being made in November 2013 and the final reduction being completed in May 2015, it was a slow plan of action, but Whitman didn’t want to rush out of the war. Public support for Whitman grew as she continued to talk about her successes as Commander-in-Chief.
In January 2014 the death of John Paul Stevens allowed Whitman to make her third appointment to the Supreme Court, she chose John Roberts, a conservative, to replace Stevens. Republicans loved the nomination and he was someone Democrats felt they could support as well. Four months later the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg presented Whitman with yet another opportunity to appoint someone to the Supreme Court; this would give Whitman her fourth judicial appointment and allow her to create nearly half the court in her favor. She decided to appoint Eugene Scalia, son of the current justice Antonin Scalia to the bench. Though Scalia had no experience on the bench he had been a solicitor for the Department of Labor for numerous years. The appointment was heavily controversial and some feared a conflict of interest may arise, but ultimately the conservative Senate was able to pass Scalia.
In the 2014 MidTerm Elections Republicans clung on to majorities in the House and Senate, though they’d lost key battleground states. In December 2014 Whitman shocked the political establishment and Washington inner circles by announcing she would not run for President again in 2016. Immediately Vice President Gingrich, Senator Rick Santorum, and California Senator Debra Wong Yang announced campaigns for President. However the resignation of Antonin Scalia from the bench in January 2015 forced Whitman to nominate Wong Yang, removing her from the Presidential race. With the Republican side growing to include Connecticut Senator Linda McMahon, the 2016 race was off and running.
The Democrats had several rising stars of their own with Illinois Senator Barack Obama and former Governor Bill Richardson forming exploratory committees. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine also made their intentions to run for the nomination known. With three Republicans and four Democrats the 2016 race was small, but well-fought. For many first-time voters the only presidents they’d known were Clinton and Whitman and the chance to choose another candidate brought droves of young Democrats to Obama, O’Malley, and Kaine: all viewed as new blood within the Democratic Party. Many young Republicans were drawn to McMahon and propelled her to the front of the pack in early polling. Ultimately Kaine and Gingrich won the Iowa Caucuses. O’Malley and Gingrich took New Hampshire while Santorum and Obama won in South Carolina. For the Democrats the race was wide open, but Republicans were expected to rally behind Gingrich shortly.
Gingrich and Kaine took Florida with McMahon and O’Malley taking Michigan. On both sides the competition was heavy and eventually another Gingrich victory in Nevada forced McMahon to pull out of the race and endorse him. Kaine also took Nevada and finally Bill Richardson got the hint: his political career was over. Obama, Kaine, and O’Malley fought for remaining states while Gingrich walked away with the nomination. Finally it was Kaine and O’Malley who took the nomination to the very last contest where Kaine was declared the victory. Gingrich tapped McMahon to be his running mate while Kaine chose Obama; both tickets were ready for a grueling November campaign.
In early-September news broke that North Korea was potentially weeks away from a nuclear weapon nearly fifteen years of work. Though there wasn’t strong evidence to back up the claims, South Korea panic and violated the cease fire along the 38th Parallel with both sides entering war in the D.M.Z. Pressure mounted for President Whitman to get involved by both sides, but it wasn’t until North Korea pulled ahead in the fighting that Whitman sent aid to the South Koreans, forever tarnishing relations with the nation. China announced in late-October they would be sending aid to North Korea and so President Whitman called Gingrich and Kaine to the White House where she explained she was sending troops to the Korean Peninsula. In his private memoirs she recalls the conversation, “I looked at them and I said, ‘I hate to do this, but I’m burdening one of you with a war.’ After that I left them alone in the Oval.”
Korean War II was escalated when Whitman sent more American troops to the Korean Peninsula and ultimately handed the election to Kaine who said that the Whitman/Gingrich Administration was “too slow” and that they “could’ve prevented everything from blowing out of control.” Kaine and Obama cruised to victory, getting 387 electoral votes.
Finally Korean War II was ended when Kaine approved a series of air attacks on North Korea. The attacks did nothing to alienate the North Koreans and so Kaine publicly declared that he would use a nuclear missile to attack Korea if they did not cease fire within a week. Furthermore, using the increase in American manufacturing under Clinton and Whitman, Kaine further announced that he would cease all trade relations with China. Both threats were a bluff, but both worked and the conflict drew to a second cease fire.
To the surprise of no one Rick Santorum and Bill Bradley were declared the victors on the night of the Iowa Caucuses. Mike Huckabee withdrew from the race, failing to endorse one of his competitors on the Republican side. After a Whitman/Dodd win in New Hampshire Republican Bob Smith exited the race, jumping behind Whitman and one the Democratic side Mark Warner announced he was suspending his presidential ambitions. The primary season continued with Brownback winning three conservative states, but dropping out a week or so after Super Tuesday. Meanwhile the Democratic nomination was quickly wrapped-up by Vice President Dodd after victories in Florida, Michigan, California, and Nevada. The momentum toppled all of his opponents. When Brownback withdrew he endorsed Whitman, much to the surprise of everyone. Though few Brownback voters went to Whitman, the Kansas Senator hoped to throw enough support to the former New Jersey Governor for her to win.
The plan succeeded and with only several more contests to go Christine Todd Whitman emerged the winner of the Republican Primaries in 2004. With Whitman and Dodd preparing to battle it out the two candidates began vetting for running mates. The Whitman team decided on Sam Brownback while Dodd decided to pick California Senator Dianne Feinstein. The Dodd/Feinstein ticket was boring and failed to get off the ground. By September they were 3% behind the Republicans.
With President Clinton preparing to enter the retired life he made a final trip to China where he met with the leader there. They talked and when he returned home Clinton said he was confident that the “Chinese human rights conditions would turn around.” Since February 2000 the President had been obsessed with using his final year in office to increase the U.S. image on the international stage, largely by sending aid to Africa and fighting for Chinese workers’ rights. By the end of his presidency Clinton was well regarded as a peacemaker and left office respected on the international stage. The domestic stage was a different story altogether. In early-October the U.S. economy collapsed with schisms created by the .com burst opening into large fault lines. Whitman promised recovery as Dodd clumsily tried to distance himself from the President with little success. On Election Day 2004 Whitman was declared the winner with over 300 electoral votes and over 54% of the popular vote.
As President Whitman immediately got to work, quickly working to fix the .com burst from spreading. Lack of oversight by the Clinton Administration had let the problem grow out of control and she dedicated her first year in office to solving the problem by increasing the number of technological grants and defying the wishes of her party by pumping record amounts of money into the economy, by this point a balanced budget was simply not possible. When the entire collapse was over by March 2006, only 5% of the .com companies remained. Whitman spent the rest of the year fighting for significant victories in the MidTerm elections. While it was likely she would lose seats, the Republicans were expected to maintain majorities. Finally her administration began drafting serious environmental overhauls. While this was happening her Administration suffered behind the curtains with Vice President Brownback becoming increasingly displeased with the lack of conservatism being displayed by the Whitman White House. He submitted his resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell in October of 2006. The lack of unity in the Republican Party led to crushing defeats in the 2006 MidTerm Elections, though the GOP remained in control of both houses the majorities were not expected to last until 2008.
In December 2006, John Edwards announced a second candidacy for presidency with Massachusetts Senator Thomas Reilly following suit several days later. With Reilly and Edwards in the race things were beginning to heat up. January 20, 2007, two years after leaving office, President William Jefferson Clinton was pronounced dead after a heart attack. People all over the nation turned out to pay their respects for the former President as the grieving Hillary Clinton stood solemn-face throughout nearly every funeral event. In February 2007 New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced his presidential campaign in Santa Fe only to be followed by Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. The Democratic Race against President Whitman was heating up.
In March, former Vice President Brownback announced that he was running against Whitman in the Republican primaries, overshadowing the fact she had named Mitch McConnell as her Vice Presidential appointment the day before. McConnell would go on to be confirmed unanimously by both the House and Senate. All of her work on the economy and environment had been overshadowed by the resignation of Brownback and Whitman’s approval rating stood at 51%. Unfortunately it was only 38% within her own party, forcing her to play to the left by passing across-the-board tax cuts on the rich.
In April, Tennessee Governor Al Gore announced he would be running for President as well. The forgotten candidate quickly gained former supporters to his movement and pushed his way to the front of the pack in polling.
On the night of the Iowa Caucuses Al Gore and Sam Brownback were declared the winners, though Whitman still had enough support to call her campaign breathing. With Gore taking the New Hampshire Primary only one week later (as well as Whitman) Richardson and Reilly withdrew and endorsed Gore, making it a race between Wellstone, Gore, and Edwards. A deeper look into his past as Vice President revealed that Sam Brownback had advised President Whitman to appoint friends to key positions in the State and Defense Departments in exchange for political favors. The Brownback Campaign was ultimately unsuccessful in surviving allegations of cheating and fraud and he withdrew from the race the night after losing the South Carolina Primary.
The night of the South Carolina Primary was also the last day of Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s life. The Chief Justice was declared dead and after a state funeral President Whitman announced that Samuel Alito would be the new nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. After a brutal confirmation Alito was confirmed on a purely partisan divide. The appointment pleased conservatives and attracted them back to Whitman. After winning eight out of the first ten contests, Al Gore was the presumptive nominee when Minnesota Senator Wellstone and North Carolina Senator Edwards withdrew from the campaign. It was a race between Gore and Whitman until the end.
With the resignation of Sandra Day O’Connor from the Supreme Court in late-June, Whitman was faced with another judicial appointment in a critical election year. She decided to appoint Texas Senator John Cornyn who was ultimately confirmed by the senate.
At the Democratic Convention in Miami, the party outlined their agenda to return America to prosperity, but they were well aware that with 40% of Democrats approving of the Whitman Presidency they had an uphill battle ahead. Her middle class tax cuts, environmental legislation, and salvage of the U.S. economy made her an appealing candidate too many in the opposing party and 65% of Independents also had a favorable rating. With this Gore picked another more moderate Democrat, former Senator Mary Landrieu, to help him to victory by appealing to disenfranchised Republicans and Independent voters. The strategy did better than expected and as a result Gore won 232 Electoral Votes and Christine Todd Whitman became the first Republican to win the presidency without winning Ohio with upset wins in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Her second term was going to be a very difficult one.
The Clinton Administration had left growing issues in terms of Al Qaeda and the Whitman Administration was too busy with the economic disaster to worry about national security. On September 11, 2009, the U.S. Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and the Statue of Liberty were destroyed. Though the death count was small compared to the original 9/11 attacks (and the Capitol had been evacuated in time) the symbolism of the attacks was enough to enrage President Whitman. She addressed the nation and scolded the terrorists that they would suffer the full wrath of President Whitman. She returned to Congress a week later and demanded a Declaration of War against Afghanistan and Pakistan, both were approved. Some felt Whitman was simply trying to prove a woman could handle being Commander-in-Chief, but the wars were widely supported.
Within months of fighting it became clear that there was no real mission in either war. Whitman assured the nation that as soon as terror cells were properly destroyed the troops would come home. By September 2010 not a single terrorist of significance within groups had been killed and public support for the wars waned. In 2010 the Democrats took control of both the house and the senate in about 20 years and used the newfound power to lead the crusade against the wars.
In her 2011 State of the Union, Whitman pleaded with Congress to send her additional troops for the fight, eventually they agreed to end the War in Pakistan and focus fighting on Afghanistan. With the focused operation in place several Al Qaeda training camps were liquidated and several high-ranking members we killed, the public began to support the war and its mission again. And so on April 15th, 2011, President Whitman announced she was running for a third term. No one in the Republican Party challenged her. By June the Democratic field was clear: Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, former Senator Mary Landrieu, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, and Nevada Senator Harry Reid. The candidates were off and touring the nation. Quickly McAuliffe emerged as the front runner with a successful time as Virginia’s Chief Executive boding well for him.
McAuliffe won the Iowa Caucuses while Reid won the New Hampshire Primary. Eventually, with a Landrieu win in South Carolina, Senator Obama withdrew and endorsed Reid. By Super Tuesday the momentum had shifted to McAuliffe definitively and he walked away with the nomination. He selected former Governor Bill Richardson as his running mate.
With public support for the war continuing to grow in 2012, Whitman seemed prepared to cruise to victory with McAuliffe promising the “education reform we were promised twelve years ago” and healthcare coverage for all Americans. The campaign was a bloodbath with McAuliffe throwing mud at Whitman like he was being paid to do it and Whitman’s new running mate, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, attacking McAuliffe for his healthcare position. In the end Whitman won with 274 Electoral Votes and 52.4% of the popular vote. With her third term beginning Whitman hoped to establish an end to the War in Afghanistan.
In her third inaugural address delivered on January 20, 2013, she promised America a change, a new path to prosperity. With the War in Afghanistan undergoing its second troop surge, Whitman was happy at the progress being made. They’d successfully removed any connections between the Afghanistan Government and Al Qaeda and hoped to bring about some kind of peace in the Middle East. In August 2013, Secretary of Defense Lindsey Graham approached Whitman and told her that troop levels could be brought down and the Administration announced a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan with the first reductions being made in November 2013 and the final reduction being completed in May 2015, it was a slow plan of action, but Whitman didn’t want to rush out of the war. Public support for Whitman grew as she continued to talk about her successes as Commander-in-Chief.
In January 2014 the death of John Paul Stevens allowed Whitman to make her third appointment to the Supreme Court, she chose John Roberts, a conservative, to replace Stevens. Republicans loved the nomination and he was someone Democrats felt they could support as well. Four months later the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg presented Whitman with yet another opportunity to appoint someone to the Supreme Court; this would give Whitman her fourth judicial appointment and allow her to create nearly half the court in her favor. She decided to appoint Eugene Scalia, son of the current justice Antonin Scalia to the bench. Though Scalia had no experience on the bench he had been a solicitor for the Department of Labor for numerous years. The appointment was heavily controversial and some feared a conflict of interest may arise, but ultimately the conservative Senate was able to pass Scalia.
In the 2014 MidTerm Elections Republicans clung on to majorities in the House and Senate, though they’d lost key battleground states. In December 2014 Whitman shocked the political establishment and Washington inner circles by announcing she would not run for President again in 2016. Immediately Vice President Gingrich, Senator Rick Santorum, and California Senator Debra Wong Yang announced campaigns for President. However the resignation of Antonin Scalia from the bench in January 2015 forced Whitman to nominate Wong Yang, removing her from the Presidential race. With the Republican side growing to include Connecticut Senator Linda McMahon, the 2016 race was off and running.
The Democrats had several rising stars of their own with Illinois Senator Barack Obama and former Governor Bill Richardson forming exploratory committees. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine also made their intentions to run for the nomination known. With three Republicans and four Democrats the 2016 race was small, but well-fought. For many first-time voters the only presidents they’d known were Clinton and Whitman and the chance to choose another candidate brought droves of young Democrats to Obama, O’Malley, and Kaine: all viewed as new blood within the Democratic Party. Many young Republicans were drawn to McMahon and propelled her to the front of the pack in early polling. Ultimately Kaine and Gingrich won the Iowa Caucuses. O’Malley and Gingrich took New Hampshire while Santorum and Obama won in South Carolina. For the Democrats the race was wide open, but Republicans were expected to rally behind Gingrich shortly.
Gingrich and Kaine took Florida with McMahon and O’Malley taking Michigan. On both sides the competition was heavy and eventually another Gingrich victory in Nevada forced McMahon to pull out of the race and endorse him. Kaine also took Nevada and finally Bill Richardson got the hint: his political career was over. Obama, Kaine, and O’Malley fought for remaining states while Gingrich walked away with the nomination. Finally it was Kaine and O’Malley who took the nomination to the very last contest where Kaine was declared the victory. Gingrich tapped McMahon to be his running mate while Kaine chose Obama; both tickets were ready for a grueling November campaign.
In early-September news broke that North Korea was potentially weeks away from a nuclear weapon nearly fifteen years of work. Though there wasn’t strong evidence to back up the claims, South Korea panic and violated the cease fire along the 38th Parallel with both sides entering war in the D.M.Z. Pressure mounted for President Whitman to get involved by both sides, but it wasn’t until North Korea pulled ahead in the fighting that Whitman sent aid to the South Koreans, forever tarnishing relations with the nation. China announced in late-October they would be sending aid to North Korea and so President Whitman called Gingrich and Kaine to the White House where she explained she was sending troops to the Korean Peninsula. In his private memoirs she recalls the conversation, “I looked at them and I said, ‘I hate to do this, but I’m burdening one of you with a war.’ After that I left them alone in the Oval.”
Korean War II was escalated when Whitman sent more American troops to the Korean Peninsula and ultimately handed the election to Kaine who said that the Whitman/Gingrich Administration was “too slow” and that they “could’ve prevented everything from blowing out of control.” Kaine and Obama cruised to victory, getting 387 electoral votes.
Finally Korean War II was ended when Kaine approved a series of air attacks on North Korea. The attacks did nothing to alienate the North Koreans and so Kaine publicly declared that he would use a nuclear missile to attack Korea if they did not cease fire within a week. Furthermore, using the increase in American manufacturing under Clinton and Whitman, Kaine further announced that he would cease all trade relations with China. Both threats were a bluff, but both worked and the conflict drew to a second cease fire.
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[slowly claps, then gets louder and more quick with claps, entire audience then bursts into applause with tears in their eyes]
Not my favourite TL, because events still happened which were most likely butterflied away with Clinton's thrid term. Among those is 9/11, because of Clinton's interest (and Bush's complete desinterest) in terrorism.
It's coming along nicely. I'm doing a huge promotional drive to drum up readers.