Of Pork & Barrel: The Ted Stevens Presidency
- Thread starter IntellectuallyHonestRhino
- Start date
Coming Soon:
"Let us continue with the bill, Senator Schumer." - ?
"Let us continue with the bill, Senator Schumer." - ?
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Hmmm, Stevens becoming President. This will be interesting, sort of like Gore getting crushed by everything he was supposed to represent washing away in 1992. My guess is Stevens becomes his main opponent in the Senate and then Gore botches 9/11 and the resulting economic crisis
Nah nah, just a bridge here, a bridge there. It’ll be a series of tubes!
Bonus points if he tries to build a bridge to Hawaii.
Interesting...i believe he was president pro Tempe of the Senate and thus 4th in line...wonder if he gets elected or ascends thru tragedy
It had better be through election. Who'd want to miss the 2004 science & technology debate between Al Gore, Inventor of the Internet, vs. Ted Stevens and his Series of Tubes?
Nah nah, just a bridge here, a bridge there. It’ll be a series of tubes!
Watergate 21st century and Kaczynski on geopolitical steroids.
The Leahy-Schumer Act
President Gore had wanted to implement his economic vision since the day he entered office. "A grand plan" he frequently stated. "I hope to be remembered for my economic efforts."
Communicating his desires to Veteran Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont (the other Vermont Senator, Jim Jeffords, joined the Democratic party, giving the Democrats the slim majority of 50 + 1 (Vice President Graham's vote) in the Senate. With the Democratic party in charge of the Senate, and with a little bit of compromises here and there, Senators Leahy and Schumer were able to pass the Leahy-Schumer Act, which raised income taxes, lowered corporate taxes, raised punishments for tax and corporate fraud, and ended major tax loopholes in the system.
(Senators Leahy and Schumer in their later political careers, having a discussion. They were two of the three most influential voices in the new Democratic party.)
There was much anger amongst many in the upper echelons of society. "I'm fine with high corporate taxes; I could just ship the jobs elsewhere!" was a sentiment that was popular. Amongst those in high society who opposed the new Act was Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. He frequently discussed the situation on the golf courses with his friends, stating:
"Gore's administration is out to get you. We have to stop him."
Stevens knew that time was the best strategy, as time would past, presenting itself an opportunity. Unfortunately, he would not have to wait long.
Communicating his desires to Veteran Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont (the other Vermont Senator, Jim Jeffords, joined the Democratic party, giving the Democrats the slim majority of 50 + 1 (Vice President Graham's vote) in the Senate. With the Democratic party in charge of the Senate, and with a little bit of compromises here and there, Senators Leahy and Schumer were able to pass the Leahy-Schumer Act, which raised income taxes, lowered corporate taxes, raised punishments for tax and corporate fraud, and ended major tax loopholes in the system.
(Senators Leahy and Schumer in their later political careers, having a discussion. They were two of the three most influential voices in the new Democratic party.)
There was much anger amongst many in the upper echelons of society. "I'm fine with high corporate taxes; I could just ship the jobs elsewhere!" was a sentiment that was popular. Amongst those in high society who opposed the new Act was Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. He frequently discussed the situation on the golf courses with his friends, stating:
"Gore's administration is out to get you. We have to stop him."
Stevens knew that time was the best strategy, as time would past, presenting itself an opportunity. Unfortunately, he would not have to wait long.
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Could the late 2000s economic crisis come early with Gore's tax hike? And will Ted Stevens's pointless infrastructure projects solve America's unemployment woes? Tune in next update to find out!
The ominous talk about "unfortunately, he would not have to wait long" is a giveaway.
(Will the rich hide their money in Monaco, the Cayman Islands, and such? It could be a boost to their economies at least.)
The ominous talk about "unfortunately, he would not have to wait long" is a giveaway.
(Will the rich hide their money in Monaco, the Cayman Islands, and such? It could be a boost to their economies at least.)
9/11
(The 9/11 attacks; the most brutal attack on American soil in American history. It left more than 3000 people dead, and scarred the nation forever.)
The 9/11 attacks were an unexpected attack. America was not fighting a major war and had a major foe to fight. Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, & the Soviet Union had all been defeated. The perpetrators, terrorists from an organization called Al-Queda, lead by Osama Bin Laden, had the blood of thousands of Americans on their hands. Innocents, working hard for their families were brutally killed, with some jumping out of the building as an attempt to get out of the burning atmosphere that was simultaneously choking and burning them to death. Terror was committed against the American people. In this carnage came an understandably angry response, however there was unfortunate spillover. Arab (including Christians), Muslim, & even Middle eastern looking Americans (especially Sikhs) were attacked in brutal hate crime, with anti-Muslim hate crimes reaching up to 481 in the year 2000. Such a national tragedy where tensions were high and the flames of conflict highly flammable; tough and direct leadership was demanded.
And this is where President Gore's political mission collapsed. Although releasing a speech on Prime Time stating that "America will punish its enemies as it has always done" and promised to "seek justice for the victims of this national tragedy", he tried to keep enough momentum for his economic legacy and other programs. He tried to force domestic issues on the table when the momentum was in the opposite direction. And he gained the ire of many Americans, with a majority (56%) of Americans saying that President Gore "had not done enough to deal with the tragedy of 9/11". Gore had failed to understand the situation, and made a further mistake. He doubled down, stating that "we cannot let the terrorists win by getting our minds off of rebuilding our country."
Cue in Senator Stevens; eager to take down the President. On the Senate Floor, Stevens bellowed, "The President says we must rebuild our country. Why not start with the Twin Towers, mister President!". The statements earned Stevens wide approval amongst Republicans and even independents, with 95 and 75 percent's respectively. Gore's approval rating slipped to 42%
President Gore was at his weakest, and Senator Stevens sensed it.
(President Gore addressing the nation in Prime Time over the 9/11 attacks, September 12, 2001.)
(Mayor Giuliani at "ground zero". His response was hailed by political figures across the spectrum. For his work he was labelled "America's Mayor" by media mogul Oprah Winfrey, a title he cherished for the rest of his political career.)
(Senator Stevens giving his famous "rebuild the towers first, damnit" speech, September 21, 2001.)
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Did Gore receive any advance intelligence about the 9/11 attacks in this timeline? If so, did he dismiss it as merely one of many possible threats?
Not exactly dismissed it, but didn't focus on it per se.
NY Poll (2001):
Pataki: 51%
Gore 47%
Stevens: 47%
Gore: 51%
Robertson: 30%
Gore 70%
*Robertson refers to Pat Robertson
Pataki: 51%
Gore 47%
Stevens: 47%
Gore: 51%
Robertson: 30%
Gore 70%
*Robertson refers to Pat Robertson