alternatehistory.com
Cevolian - GOTTERDAMMERUNG
1983-1985: Tip O'Neill/none (Democratic)
1985-1989: Alexander Haig/Jeanne Kirkpatrick (National Union -- "War" Republicans--"War" Democrats)
1984 Def: Tip O'Neill/Walter Mondale (Democrats for Peace)
1989-1993: Jerry Brown/Ralph Nader ("Peace" Coupon --- Independents-"Peace" Democrats-"Peace" Republicans)
1988 Def: Alexander Haig/Jeanne Kirkpatrick (National Union), Various "Revanchist" Tickets
1993-1997: Jerry Brown/Ralph Nader (Independent-Peace)
1992 Def: Clint Eastwood/Dan Quayle (Independent)
1997-2005: Ralph Nader/Bernie Sanders (Peace)
1996 Def: Colin Powell/John McCain (Moderate), Ross Perot/Donald Trump (National), Ron Paul/Garry Johnson (Independent), Pat Buchannan/Alan Keyes (Independent)
2001 Def: JohnMcCain/Jeb Bush (Moderate), Pat Buchanan/Donald Trump (America First), Ron Paul/Garry Johnson (Liberty), Various "Christian" Tickets
2005-2009: Bernie Sanders/William Clinton (Peace-Moderate)
2004 Def: /Rand Paul (Peace), Jeb Bush/William Clinton (Moderate), Rick Perry/Betsy Devos (League for a Christian Restoration of America), Garry Johnson/Paul Ryan (Liberty), Various "America First" Tickets
2009-2013: Jeb Bush/Al Gore (Moderate)
2008 Def: Rick Santorum/Mike Huckabee (Christian Nation), Bernie Sanders/William Clinton (Peace-Independent), Paul Ryan/Scattered (Freedom)
2013-20---: Mike Pence/Mike Huckabee (Christian Nation)
2012 Def: Jeb Bush/Al Gore (Moderate), Cornel West/Zephyr Teachout (Socialist), William Clinton/Dennis Kuinich (New Democratic)
2016 Def: Martin O'Malley/Lincoln Chafee (Moderate), Bernie Sanders/none [Jill Stein was arrested after nomination] (Socialist)
2020 Def: Jim Webb/Lincoln Chafee (National Opposition), Tulsi Gabbard/Scattered (National Renewal)
(This isn't new, it's just a refinement of an old list, but honestly I don't care because I think this version is better).
In 1983 Able Archer leads to total conventional warfare in Eastern and Central Europe, but only limited Nuclear War with only Chicago and Washington DC hit in the US (other missiles being intercepted) and a handful of Russian cities. The war grinds to a halt as the Soviet reach Paris after a Blitz attack and Margaret Thatcher's National Government makes the decision to raze the Norman Coast with firebombing and a tactical nuclear blast at the "Battle of Calais". The war ends with both sides battered and China totally destroyed as a Civil War breaks out between Soviet backed hardline Marxists, Maoists, and reformers. The Civil War goes nuclear, and China ends up as a huge version of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge under the Maoists, whilst Taiwan occupies much of the southern Coast, Japan and South Korea have a joint mandate over North Korea, and the Soviets encroach on Manchuria. Much if the country is ruled by warlords.
Under the Independent administration of Jerry Brown, the US ends the war that Haig had perpetuated and reaches a White Peace with the collpaosinf Soviet Union and retreats into isolation. The nation grows more internally divided and bitter as the Northeast recovers rapidly with high government spending, whilst the South and West suffer with higher casualty rates and less federal recovery aid. The collapse of the old two party system allows all sorts of crazies to pop up, whilst the centre ground of American politics coalesces into the "Moderate" Party after years of unopposed "Peace" rule. A hung college in 2004 brings the Moderates into government, but William Clinton is quickly exiled from the party, whilst Sanders' disastrous policy of "Neo-Detentism" with the "National" government in Brazil leads to the Peace party being thrown out and Sanders/Clinton relegated into third place as a generation of articulate Conservative Christians emerge, promising an anti-establishment reversal of positions and a return to a "Strong" America, far from the isolationism preached by the Liberty party - once the only game on the right.
When it is revealed that George H. Bush and Ronald Reagan had deliberately provoked the Soviets, purusuing a policy they hoped would lead to a costly arms race, just in time for the 2012 election, Jeb Bush (who had already secured the nomination) loses any chance of winning. The Peace Party implodes as those on the left walk out over Clinton getting the nomination amongst allegations of voter fraud. The emminence grise of the Moderate Party Hillary Rodham destroys Clinton with allegations that he had harassed her as a young woman in the 1970s (which proved to be false when she admitted in her sensational autobiography twenty year skater that they hadn't in fact dated prior to the Exchange) and any chance of his "New Democratic" Party winnning dissipates as they bleed votes to the Socialists. The authoritarian Christian Nation party wins in a landslide as turnout slips below 40%.
Under Pence the nation slides into authoritarianism, with the 22nd Amendment repealed mid way through his second term, political opponents (including Vice Presidential nominee Jill Stein during the 2016 election and then former President and candidate Bernie Sanders in 2018). In 2019 the Moderate and Socialist parties are outlawed as "Pro-War" and "Pro-European" (referring to Macron's League of European Radicals and Socialists, a supranational entity quickly replacing the dying USSR as the first amongst equals in the Communist world). The new "National Opposition" party is little more than a front and a token opposition, and Gabbard's party of "Neo-Brownites" are on the extreme anti-capitalist nationalist fringe.
It is twilight in America.
GOTTERDAMMERUNG
1981-1983: Ronald Reagan/George H. Bush (Republican)1983-1985: Tip O'Neill/none (Democratic)
1985-1989: Alexander Haig/Jeanne Kirkpatrick (National Union -- "War" Republicans--"War" Democrats)
1984 Def: Tip O'Neill/Walter Mondale (Democrats for Peace)
1989-1993: Jerry Brown/Ralph Nader ("Peace" Coupon --- Independents-"Peace" Democrats-"Peace" Republicans)
1988 Def: Alexander Haig/Jeanne Kirkpatrick (National Union), Various "Revanchist" Tickets
1993-1997: Jerry Brown/Ralph Nader (Independent-Peace)
1992 Def: Clint Eastwood/Dan Quayle (Independent)
1997-2005: Ralph Nader/Bernie Sanders (Peace)
1996 Def: Colin Powell/John McCain (Moderate), Ross Perot/Donald Trump (National), Ron Paul/Garry Johnson (Independent), Pat Buchannan/Alan Keyes (Independent)
2001 Def: JohnMcCain/Jeb Bush (Moderate), Pat Buchanan/Donald Trump (America First), Ron Paul/Garry Johnson (Liberty), Various "Christian" Tickets
2005-2009: Bernie Sanders/William Clinton (Peace-Moderate)
2004 Def: /Rand Paul (Peace), Jeb Bush/William Clinton (Moderate), Rick Perry/Betsy Devos (League for a Christian Restoration of America), Garry Johnson/Paul Ryan (Liberty), Various "America First" Tickets
2009-2013: Jeb Bush/Al Gore (Moderate)
2008 Def: Rick Santorum/Mike Huckabee (Christian Nation), Bernie Sanders/William Clinton (Peace-Independent), Paul Ryan/Scattered (Freedom)
2013-20---: Mike Pence/Mike Huckabee (Christian Nation)
2012 Def: Jeb Bush/Al Gore (Moderate), Cornel West/Zephyr Teachout (Socialist), William Clinton/Dennis Kuinich (New Democratic)
2016 Def: Martin O'Malley/Lincoln Chafee (Moderate), Bernie Sanders/none [Jill Stein was arrested after nomination] (Socialist)
2020 Def: Jim Webb/Lincoln Chafee (National Opposition), Tulsi Gabbard/Scattered (National Renewal)
(This isn't new, it's just a refinement of an old list, but honestly I don't care because I think this version is better).
In 1983 Able Archer leads to total conventional warfare in Eastern and Central Europe, but only limited Nuclear War with only Chicago and Washington DC hit in the US (other missiles being intercepted) and a handful of Russian cities. The war grinds to a halt as the Soviet reach Paris after a Blitz attack and Margaret Thatcher's National Government makes the decision to raze the Norman Coast with firebombing and a tactical nuclear blast at the "Battle of Calais". The war ends with both sides battered and China totally destroyed as a Civil War breaks out between Soviet backed hardline Marxists, Maoists, and reformers. The Civil War goes nuclear, and China ends up as a huge version of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge under the Maoists, whilst Taiwan occupies much of the southern Coast, Japan and South Korea have a joint mandate over North Korea, and the Soviets encroach on Manchuria. Much if the country is ruled by warlords.
Under the Independent administration of Jerry Brown, the US ends the war that Haig had perpetuated and reaches a White Peace with the collpaosinf Soviet Union and retreats into isolation. The nation grows more internally divided and bitter as the Northeast recovers rapidly with high government spending, whilst the South and West suffer with higher casualty rates and less federal recovery aid. The collapse of the old two party system allows all sorts of crazies to pop up, whilst the centre ground of American politics coalesces into the "Moderate" Party after years of unopposed "Peace" rule. A hung college in 2004 brings the Moderates into government, but William Clinton is quickly exiled from the party, whilst Sanders' disastrous policy of "Neo-Detentism" with the "National" government in Brazil leads to the Peace party being thrown out and Sanders/Clinton relegated into third place as a generation of articulate Conservative Christians emerge, promising an anti-establishment reversal of positions and a return to a "Strong" America, far from the isolationism preached by the Liberty party - once the only game on the right.
When it is revealed that George H. Bush and Ronald Reagan had deliberately provoked the Soviets, purusuing a policy they hoped would lead to a costly arms race, just in time for the 2012 election, Jeb Bush (who had already secured the nomination) loses any chance of winning. The Peace Party implodes as those on the left walk out over Clinton getting the nomination amongst allegations of voter fraud. The emminence grise of the Moderate Party Hillary Rodham destroys Clinton with allegations that he had harassed her as a young woman in the 1970s (which proved to be false when she admitted in her sensational autobiography twenty year skater that they hadn't in fact dated prior to the Exchange) and any chance of his "New Democratic" Party winnning dissipates as they bleed votes to the Socialists. The authoritarian Christian Nation party wins in a landslide as turnout slips below 40%.
Under Pence the nation slides into authoritarianism, with the 22nd Amendment repealed mid way through his second term, political opponents (including Vice Presidential nominee Jill Stein during the 2016 election and then former President and candidate Bernie Sanders in 2018). In 2019 the Moderate and Socialist parties are outlawed as "Pro-War" and "Pro-European" (referring to Macron's League of European Radicals and Socialists, a supranational entity quickly replacing the dying USSR as the first amongst equals in the Communist world). The new "National Opposition" party is little more than a front and a token opposition, and Gabbard's party of "Neo-Brownites" are on the extreme anti-capitalist nationalist fringe.
It is twilight in America.
- Cevolian
- Word Count: 870