Interesting picks for his cabinet. I like Powell as Secretary of Defence. Hope you'll take my ideas for world leaders that I PM'd you into consideration.
A Giant Sucking Sound: a President Perot TL
- Thread starter MaskedPickle
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Awesome, Can't wait to see what a Perot led '90's looks like and im flattered that you think Jerry Brown would have made an excellent coice of a running mate for Perot as I did in OTB(Why the Perot campaign couldn't figure that out IOTL '92 beats the hell out of me lol)...Keep it comming MP
Understood. I'm glad that Jack Kemp at least got to stay on, him being one of my favorite Presidents that we never had.
Great update MP!
Have you thought about whether the 30% of Perot voters are going to affect the balance of the '92 elections? ITTL, most Perot voters were anti-Bush, and thus likely to lean Democratic (so long as the Dem is reasonably centrist).
At least three Democrats were reasonably close in '92 that you could argue might benefit from Perot's coattails: Wyche Fowler in GA (lost by 1% to Paul Coverdell), Robert Adams in NY (lost by 1% to Al D'Amato), and possibly Terry Sanford in GA (lost by 4% to Lauch Faircloth).
On the other hand, you have John Rauh in NH (who lost by 3% to Judd Gregg) and Lynn Yeakel in PA (who lost by 3% to Arlen Specter); I think Gregg and Specter are the kind of moderate Republicans who are likely to pick up Perot voters.
+3 additional seats gives the Democrats a 60-seat majority, which isn't nearly as useful under President Perot. But those '94 mid-terms will be interesting....
Have you thought about whether the 30% of Perot voters are going to affect the balance of the '92 elections? ITTL, most Perot voters were anti-Bush, and thus likely to lean Democratic (so long as the Dem is reasonably centrist).
At least three Democrats were reasonably close in '92 that you could argue might benefit from Perot's coattails: Wyche Fowler in GA (lost by 1% to Paul Coverdell), Robert Adams in NY (lost by 1% to Al D'Amato), and possibly Terry Sanford in GA (lost by 4% to Lauch Faircloth).
On the other hand, you have John Rauh in NH (who lost by 3% to Judd Gregg) and Lynn Yeakel in PA (who lost by 3% to Arlen Specter); I think Gregg and Specter are the kind of moderate Republicans who are likely to pick up Perot voters.
+3 additional seats gives the Democrats a 60-seat majority, which isn't nearly as useful under President Perot. But those '94 mid-terms will be interesting....
Constantinople
Banned
How does VP Brown change things, he's perceived to be rather left wing on many issues, ie Single Payer...
Also, forgive me for replying to myself, but two more things:
1. I love the malapropism of Quayle referring to the "late" President Bush; that's a great touch.
2. On Paul V. McNutt's point, you might want to look at Jesse Ventura's term as Governor of Minnesota for a bit of a blueprint for the problems that a well-meaning centrist without any political allies in the legislature is likely to face.
Perot's just run an anti-Bush campaign, so his natural allies ought to be centrist Democrats (and a handful of iconoclastic Republicans, like Specter and Judd), but you've set him up for a pretty rough showdown with those folks.
This could get ugly quickly.
1. I love the malapropism of Quayle referring to the "late" President Bush; that's a great touch.
2. On Paul V. McNutt's point, you might want to look at Jesse Ventura's term as Governor of Minnesota for a bit of a blueprint for the problems that a well-meaning centrist without any political allies in the legislature is likely to face.
Perot's just run an anti-Bush campaign, so his natural allies ought to be centrist Democrats (and a handful of iconoclastic Republicans, like Specter and Judd), but you've set him up for a pretty rough showdown with those folks.
This could get ugly quickly.
MULRONEY RESIGNS ; KIM CAMPBELL TAKES OVER AS PM
-The Globe and Mail, January, 25 1993
« The election of Mr. Perot in the United States and his immediate dismantlement of the NAFTA negotiations have definitely proved that the American people was against this so-called free trade treaty, and that’s why the Prime Minister has stepped down immediately. It’s a clear call to the Canadian people to speak out and to vote in october against NAFTA ! »
-Leader of the Opposition Jean Chrétien (Liberal), interviewed on CBC, January, 26 1993
« President Perot has formed today by decree the Presidential Task Force on the Development of Informatics and Information Networks, shortened on Task Force DIIN, which would employ various personalities and executives from informatic engineering ; Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Microsoft Executive Vice President Steve Ballmer and Dell CEO Michael Dell have already been confirmed as part of the panel, although they will remain in their business assignements. The goals of the Task Force DIIN, according to President Perot who gave a press conference from the White House, will be to speed up computer equipment of US governmental agencies and departments, to format an information database of coordination between US facilities throughout the world and to raise public awareness and access to the Internet technology. »
-CNN, February, 3 1993
Ross Perot with NeXT CEO Steve Jobs, 1987
SALINAS TO PROPOSE LATIN AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT DURING NEXT SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
-La Prensa, February, 5 1993
« How can you define the Internet ? Is it like a series of tubes ? »
-Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), during confirmation hearings of members of Task Force DIIN, February 1993
-« Who could claim property of the Internet ? In other words, who invented it ? »
-Senator Al Gore (D-TN), during confirmation hearings of members of Task Force DIIN, February 1993
« The President has contacted his Russian colleague, Mr. Boris Yelstin, and renewed the pledge of everlasting peace between our two countries : President Perot agreed with Mr. Yelstin on speeding up the nuclear disarmement process, and will soon travel to Russia to establish the basis of new START treaties. »
-Press Secretary James Squire, February, 13 1993
The first hundred days are the defining moment for a presidency, and President Perot used them well : his first measure was to announce American withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement, which rendered it null and void and trigerred a minor political crisis in Canada ; he also paved the way for his growing interest in the Internet, his tough on crime laws and his nuclear disarmement efforts. The latter was the only part of foreign policy on which he was eager to move on : he let Secretary of State Kirkpatrick deal with current business, not willing to spend more money abroad when he believed the country needed internal reforms. He pushed for handing the Somalia intervention to the United Nations as soon as possible and withdrawing from the Middle East once Saddam Hussein would accept the disarmement process. The only travels he signed for were a visit to Canada, in order to better know Leader of the Opposition Jean Chrétien, who was already assured to become the next Canadian Prime Minister, with Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari to address the drug trafficking issue, Moscow to initiate the START III talks and also a tour of Europe to test the waters for NATO.
The main focus of his presidency was the Balanced Budget Amendment, and he hoped that they were enough proponents on both sides to push for a bipartisan effort. Vice President Brown, who was among the first supporters of a balanced budget back in the Seventies, pointed out the people in favor within Congress. Among the congressmen who received the most phone calls and invitations from the White House during the month of February 1993 were of course Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah and Pete Dominici of New Mexico, but also Representative Joseph Patrick Kennedy II from Massachusetts. His renowned uncle was also in favour of the measure, but he was too identified with Democratic Senate leadership to speak out, and it was his nephew who came under the spotlights. The son of Bobby Kennedy had been in Congress for six years, had made lots of friends across the aisle and was looking for a second wind in his career ; he was initially eager to launch a bid for the governorship of Massachusetts, but was worried by the consequences of his divorce and his attempt to nullify it officially by the Catholic Church.
Congressman Kennedy found an attentive ear and a new friend in President Perot…
-From The President’s Son-in-Law : Memoirs from Washington, by former White House Counsel Clay Mulford
« …A reasonable citizen cannot accept that his money be spent on useless goals and without any result. Oh, yes, I must admit there could be a result : abandoning the control of our economy to foreign assets by irresponsibly raising our debt. That’s… (boos from the audience) That’s why I’m introducing these few measures for a bill that would force the Congress to agree into a balanced budget in the future… »
-Representative Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (D-MA-8) in Congress, February, 23 1993
« The gentleman from Massachusetts’ proposal is, with all due respect, utterly ridiculous. We cannot risk to decrease the power of the United States of America to spend his money as it pleases and enhance an economic stagnation that would only damage our country more than helping it. »
-House Majority Whip David Bonior (D-MI-10) in Congress, February, 23 1993
BOMB TRUCK EXPLODES BELOW WTC NORTH TOWER : 7 DEAD, HUNDREDS INJURED, IMPORTANT DAMAGE
-New York Times, February, 26 1993
« I can assure you that all everything will be put in motion in order to find the truth on this despicable attack. The people who wanted to destroy this symbol of American industry will be found, wanted, targeted and captured ; and in the end, we will be strong and standing, as these two towers. »
-Press conference of President Ross Perot at Gracie Mansion, surrounded by Mayor of New York City David Dinkins and NYPD Comissionner Raymond Kelly, February, 27 1993
RPR WINS FRENCH LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS ; BALLADUR SWORN IN PRIME MINISTER
-Washington Post, February, 28 1993
SEARCH WARRANT ON SECT RANCH NEAR WACO DEGENERATES INTO POLICE STANDOFF
-Houston Chronicle, Febuary, 28 1993
« Sen. ROCKEFELLER : So, your investigation pointed out quickly the role of Ramzi Yousef in the 1993 World Trade Center terrorist attack.
FREEH : Yeah.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : Why haven’t you pushed further your investigation ?
FREEH : My office received orders from the White House, more precisely National Security Advisor Woolsey to search for contacts between the perpetrators and Iraqi intelligence. We immediately turned to this lead.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : Haven’t you insisted on the Ramzi Yousef lead ?
FREEH : Yes, but the orders from the White House were clear.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : Were the evidences for Iraqi involvement credible ?
FREEH : We should have pushed further, but it seemed so.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : So what happened to Ramzi Yousef ?
FREEH : He successfully eloped to Pakistan.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : And you continued to follow the Iraqi lead ?
FREEH : Yeah, but it was from being our only concern back then. There was the Waco siege, and later the Kuwait attacks… »
-Testimony of former FBI Director Louis Freeh before the Senate Committee on Intelligence, March, 27 2010
-The Globe and Mail, January, 25 1993
« The election of Mr. Perot in the United States and his immediate dismantlement of the NAFTA negotiations have definitely proved that the American people was against this so-called free trade treaty, and that’s why the Prime Minister has stepped down immediately. It’s a clear call to the Canadian people to speak out and to vote in october against NAFTA ! »
-Leader of the Opposition Jean Chrétien (Liberal), interviewed on CBC, January, 26 1993
« President Perot has formed today by decree the Presidential Task Force on the Development of Informatics and Information Networks, shortened on Task Force DIIN, which would employ various personalities and executives from informatic engineering ; Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Microsoft Executive Vice President Steve Ballmer and Dell CEO Michael Dell have already been confirmed as part of the panel, although they will remain in their business assignements. The goals of the Task Force DIIN, according to President Perot who gave a press conference from the White House, will be to speed up computer equipment of US governmental agencies and departments, to format an information database of coordination between US facilities throughout the world and to raise public awareness and access to the Internet technology. »
-CNN, February, 3 1993
Ross Perot with NeXT CEO Steve Jobs, 1987
SALINAS TO PROPOSE LATIN AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT DURING NEXT SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
-La Prensa, February, 5 1993
« How can you define the Internet ? Is it like a series of tubes ? »
-Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), during confirmation hearings of members of Task Force DIIN, February 1993
-« Who could claim property of the Internet ? In other words, who invented it ? »
-Senator Al Gore (D-TN), during confirmation hearings of members of Task Force DIIN, February 1993
« The President has contacted his Russian colleague, Mr. Boris Yelstin, and renewed the pledge of everlasting peace between our two countries : President Perot agreed with Mr. Yelstin on speeding up the nuclear disarmement process, and will soon travel to Russia to establish the basis of new START treaties. »
-Press Secretary James Squire, February, 13 1993
The first hundred days are the defining moment for a presidency, and President Perot used them well : his first measure was to announce American withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement, which rendered it null and void and trigerred a minor political crisis in Canada ; he also paved the way for his growing interest in the Internet, his tough on crime laws and his nuclear disarmement efforts. The latter was the only part of foreign policy on which he was eager to move on : he let Secretary of State Kirkpatrick deal with current business, not willing to spend more money abroad when he believed the country needed internal reforms. He pushed for handing the Somalia intervention to the United Nations as soon as possible and withdrawing from the Middle East once Saddam Hussein would accept the disarmement process. The only travels he signed for were a visit to Canada, in order to better know Leader of the Opposition Jean Chrétien, who was already assured to become the next Canadian Prime Minister, with Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari to address the drug trafficking issue, Moscow to initiate the START III talks and also a tour of Europe to test the waters for NATO.
The main focus of his presidency was the Balanced Budget Amendment, and he hoped that they were enough proponents on both sides to push for a bipartisan effort. Vice President Brown, who was among the first supporters of a balanced budget back in the Seventies, pointed out the people in favor within Congress. Among the congressmen who received the most phone calls and invitations from the White House during the month of February 1993 were of course Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah and Pete Dominici of New Mexico, but also Representative Joseph Patrick Kennedy II from Massachusetts. His renowned uncle was also in favour of the measure, but he was too identified with Democratic Senate leadership to speak out, and it was his nephew who came under the spotlights. The son of Bobby Kennedy had been in Congress for six years, had made lots of friends across the aisle and was looking for a second wind in his career ; he was initially eager to launch a bid for the governorship of Massachusetts, but was worried by the consequences of his divorce and his attempt to nullify it officially by the Catholic Church.
Congressman Kennedy found an attentive ear and a new friend in President Perot…
-From The President’s Son-in-Law : Memoirs from Washington, by former White House Counsel Clay Mulford
« …A reasonable citizen cannot accept that his money be spent on useless goals and without any result. Oh, yes, I must admit there could be a result : abandoning the control of our economy to foreign assets by irresponsibly raising our debt. That’s… (boos from the audience) That’s why I’m introducing these few measures for a bill that would force the Congress to agree into a balanced budget in the future… »
-Representative Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (D-MA-8) in Congress, February, 23 1993
« The gentleman from Massachusetts’ proposal is, with all due respect, utterly ridiculous. We cannot risk to decrease the power of the United States of America to spend his money as it pleases and enhance an economic stagnation that would only damage our country more than helping it. »
-House Majority Whip David Bonior (D-MI-10) in Congress, February, 23 1993
BOMB TRUCK EXPLODES BELOW WTC NORTH TOWER : 7 DEAD, HUNDREDS INJURED, IMPORTANT DAMAGE
-New York Times, February, 26 1993
« I can assure you that all everything will be put in motion in order to find the truth on this despicable attack. The people who wanted to destroy this symbol of American industry will be found, wanted, targeted and captured ; and in the end, we will be strong and standing, as these two towers. »
-Press conference of President Ross Perot at Gracie Mansion, surrounded by Mayor of New York City David Dinkins and NYPD Comissionner Raymond Kelly, February, 27 1993
RPR WINS FRENCH LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS ; BALLADUR SWORN IN PRIME MINISTER
-Washington Post, February, 28 1993
SEARCH WARRANT ON SECT RANCH NEAR WACO DEGENERATES INTO POLICE STANDOFF
-Houston Chronicle, Febuary, 28 1993
« Sen. ROCKEFELLER : So, your investigation pointed out quickly the role of Ramzi Yousef in the 1993 World Trade Center terrorist attack.
FREEH : Yeah.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : Why haven’t you pushed further your investigation ?
FREEH : My office received orders from the White House, more precisely National Security Advisor Woolsey to search for contacts between the perpetrators and Iraqi intelligence. We immediately turned to this lead.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : Haven’t you insisted on the Ramzi Yousef lead ?
FREEH : Yes, but the orders from the White House were clear.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : Were the evidences for Iraqi involvement credible ?
FREEH : We should have pushed further, but it seemed so.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : So what happened to Ramzi Yousef ?
FREEH : He successfully eloped to Pakistan.
Sen. ROCKEFELLER : And you continued to follow the Iraqi lead ?
FREEH : Yeah, but it was from being our only concern back then. There was the Waco siege, and later the Kuwait attacks… »
-Testimony of former FBI Director Louis Freeh before the Senate Committee on Intelligence, March, 27 2010
historybuff, Historico, Cathcon1 - Thanks a lot!
Constantinople - Perot ITTL despises Brown for his Moonbeam side and his leftist positions, but picking him was some sort of moment of lucidity, as he had the executive experience credentials that definitely lacked to Perot, and they were coherent in their populist platforms.
Andrew T - For the narration and also by laziness, 1992 Congress is the same than OTL; I tend to consider that Perot voters were anti-establishment voters, middle class and sensible to populist tones; so they classify, according to me, a French history student, as Republican voters, more on the moderate side though, or southern Democratic conservatives. There were no Perot-sponsored candidates in the 1992 election, as he was busy with the presidential election, but this is gonna change soon.
Constantinople - Perot ITTL despises Brown for his Moonbeam side and his leftist positions, but picking him was some sort of moment of lucidity, as he had the executive experience credentials that definitely lacked to Perot, and they were coherent in their populist platforms.
Andrew T - For the narration and also by laziness, 1992 Congress is the same than OTL; I tend to consider that Perot voters were anti-establishment voters, middle class and sensible to populist tones; so they classify, according to me, a French history student, as Republican voters, more on the moderate side though, or southern Democratic conservatives. There were no Perot-sponsored candidates in the 1992 election, as he was busy with the presidential election, but this is gonna change soon.
Wow. So far, so good.
Wonder what's up with Stockdale?
OTL in the VP debate, there's this bit he'll never live down.
Moderator: Admiral?
Stockdale: Who am I? Why am I here?
Wonder what's up with Stockdale?
OTL in the VP debate, there's this bit he'll never live down.
Moderator: Admiral?
Stockdale: Who am I? Why am I here?
Orville_third
Banned
Great, James Woolsey leading us on a wild goose chase in Iraq. Let's hope he gets forced out after Hussein Kamil defects...
Before making any further updates, I will post directly the cabinet list for Perot, as some have not read completely my updates...
President – Ross Perot
Vice President – Jerry Brown
Secretary of State – Jeane Kirkpatrick
Secretary of the Treasury – Felix Rohatyn
Secretary of Defense- Colin Powell
Attorney General - Tom Barr
Secretary of the Interior – Morton H. Meyerson
Secretary of Agriculture – Hamilton Jordan
Secretary of Commerce – Warren Rudman
Secretary of Labor – Ernesto Cortes
Secretary of Health and Human Services –Kern Wildenthal
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development – Jack Kemp
Secretary of Transportation - Robert Crandall
Secretary of Energy – Lena Guerrero
Secretary of Education – John Silber
Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs- James Stockdale
White House Chief of Staff –Tom Luce
White House Communications Director – Gerald Rafshoon
Press Secretary – James Squire
Director of OMB – John P. White
Federal Reserve Chairman – Hugh McColl
UN Ambassador – Katherine Graham
National Security Advisor – R. James Woolsey, Jr.
CIA Director- James R. Clapper
FBI Director – Louis Freeh
President – Ross Perot
Vice President – Jerry Brown
Secretary of State – Jeane Kirkpatrick
Secretary of the Treasury – Felix Rohatyn
Secretary of Defense- Colin Powell
Attorney General - Tom Barr
Secretary of the Interior – Morton H. Meyerson
Secretary of Agriculture – Hamilton Jordan
Secretary of Commerce – Warren Rudman
Secretary of Labor – Ernesto Cortes
Secretary of Health and Human Services –Kern Wildenthal
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development – Jack Kemp
Secretary of Transportation - Robert Crandall
Secretary of Energy – Lena Guerrero
Secretary of Education – John Silber
Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs- James Stockdale
White House Chief of Staff –Tom Luce
White House Communications Director – Gerald Rafshoon
Press Secretary – James Squire
Director of OMB – John P. White
Federal Reserve Chairman – Hugh McColl
UN Ambassador – Katherine Graham
National Security Advisor – R. James Woolsey, Jr.
CIA Director- James R. Clapper
FBI Director – Louis Freeh
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Very interesting Cabinet. I like that Ernesto Cortes, Colin Powell, and Jack Kemp are all in the same Cabinet. Talk about a Team of Rivals! Of course, the downside is that there would likely be very many heated debates between the Cabinet members, specifically between members of the opposite political parties.
Oh, and I forgot to say this earlier: I'm subscribed to this, of course. I look forward to seeing where this is going.
Oh, and I forgot to say this earlier: I'm subscribed to this, of course. I look forward to seeing where this is going.
John Fredrick Parker
Donor
Interesting that Hugh McColl's now in the public sector (sort of) -- wondering if this will work for or against bank consolidation...
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