Fear, Loathing and Gumbo on the Campaign Trail '72

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Plumber

Plumber

Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy said:
Let's not fall for Kucinich's mythologizing of his past. He got elected mayor of Cleveland by playing the ethnic card and had a term so disastrous it put an end to his political ambitions for years to come, until he reinvented himself as a liberal (and a pro-life one at first). Even if he wasn't a spent force, he's politically closer to Wallace (shock!) than Dellums.
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We're talking about Ralph Nader, who was already known for his car safety advocacy by the POD and advocacy of third parties by the late '70s.

Anyways, Kucinich's leftwards tilt probably has something to do with the fact that after being kicked out of the Mayor's Office, he sunk into debt and poverty.
 

Constantinople

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vultan said:
-Clint Eastwood? (OTL Hollywood icon and libertarian Republican, elected mayor of Carmel, California for a term)
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Yep! However, I am from carmel valley, and I can guarentee you that Carmel is not really going to help his career. Its a town of like 2,000 people. Rich old people.

Maskedpickle: how the hell do you even know Clint was mayor!? Thats impressive.
 

vultan

Constantinople said:
Yep! However, I am from carmel valley, and I can guarentee you that Carmel is not really going to help his career. Its a town of like 2,000 people. Rich old people.

Maskedpickle: how the hell do you even know Clint was mayor!? Thats impressive.
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Maybe not OTL, but we're talking this world...
 

vultan

One other pop culture idea...

December 14, 1979

The Blues Brothers, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Dan Akroyd and John Belushi, is released to great critical and commercial acclaim. George W. Bush, under his "G.W. Bush" stage name, had a small role as the leader of the "Good Old Boys" country music band who got into an altercation with Belushi's character.

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With Spielberg directing the Blues Brothers, in OTL after Close Encounters he wanted to make a a big budget comedy film. The result, 1941, was... underwhelming. However, with Landis in this timeline working on Quest 3000 AD, that allows Spielberg to take this project.

Thoughts?
 
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Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy

Banned
vultan said:
With the 25th Hour, that's based on an OTL movie starring Edward Norton that came out in the aftermath of 9/11, with the same title, and I figured the atmosphere of this alternate 1970's would allow for a film like that to appear.
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It's not based on it, it's almost identical. A one in a billion chance of something like this happening, it would instantly move the TL into ASB territory.
 
Emperor Norton I

Emperor Norton I

MaskedPickle said:
Clint Eastwood for California, Penn Jillette for Nevada (yes, you read me well)...
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I don't think Penn Jillette would care to be a politician. I watch his vlogs a lot. He doesn't seem like he'd give a fuck about that enough, and would not be happy as a politician. He also seems to feel there are a lot of people smarter than him and he may not be the smartest man (he's street smart, but not necessarily book smart). Plus, he freely tells groups (not individuals but groups) they're assholes.
 

Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy

Banned
Emperor Norton I said:
I don't think Penn Jillette would care to be a politician. I watch his vlogs a lot. He doesn't seem like he'd give a fuck about that enough, and would not be happy as a politician. He also seems to feel there are a lot of people smarter than him and he may not be the smartest man (he's street smart, but not necessarily book smart). Plus, he freely tells groups (not individuals but groups) they're assholes.
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After the 1980 census gives Nevada an additional congressional district, he might have a shot at the one that includes Las Vegas. Though he would get tired of it after one term.
 
Emperor Norton I

Emperor Norton I

Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy said:
After the 1980 census gives Nevada an additional congressional district, he might have a shot at the one that includes Las Vegas. Though he would get tired of it after one term.
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He wouldn't want it, though. I know we have the trope of "Let's All Go to Washington", but Penn Jilette is a person who definitely is not a politician.
 

vultan

And in any event, is Penn even prominent enough to win election to Congress in 1980? I'd imagine L. Neill Smith could better fit his role, and later on.
 
Emperor Norton I

Emperor Norton I

vultan said:
And in any event, is Penn even prominent enough to win election to Congress in 1980? I'd imagine L. Neill Smith could better fit his role, and later on.
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I'm not sure. Before becoming a Professional Magician celebrity, he was a Street Juggler, and graduated from the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Clown College. He met Teller in 1974 (same year as graduation), they teamed up in 1981, and it would be some time before they became big.
 

vultan

Emperor Norton I said:
I'm not sure. Before becoming a Professional Magician celebrity, he was a Street Juggler, and graduated from the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Clown College. He met Teller in 1974 (same year as graduation), they teamed up in 1981, and it would be some time before they became big.
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Then it's a moot point, at least for 1980 or the near future in the timeline.
 

vultan

Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy said:
Will we see the Reagan kids trying to get into politics and/or entertainment?
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Well, in OTL you had Maureen Reagan. She did some acting early in her life, but did make two bids for political office- in 1982, she ran in the Republican primary for the Senate seat from California, and lost in a crowded field that included Pete McCloskey, Barry Goldwater Jr., Bob Dornan, and Pete Wilson, the last of which being the one to gain the nomination and beat Jerry Brown in the general election- and in 1992, when she ran for Congress.

Ron Reagan is also an interesting choice for an entertainment career. In OTL, he delayed speaking out on his (far-left) political views until the late 80's, to avoid giving anyone the impression that he had bad relations with his father, the President. He did get a late night talk show in the early 90's, but it tanked due the competition with other high-profile talk shows of the era. Maybe in this timeline, if Ronald Reagan the Elder doesn't become President in 1980 (and therefore, would probably be off-limits for 1984), Ron Reagan could try to set himself up with a political talk show to become "the Spiro Agnew of the liberals"...
 
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