alternatehistory.com

Bob Graham
The Cracker Man
1989-1993​

Even when George Bush had come out of nowhere people had heard of him. The same was not true of Pat Schroeder, the modern women from Colorado who managed a surprise second place in Iowa. The pundits dismissed this as western charm, never mind the distances involved. Then she pulled off a second-place finish in New Hampshire. Suddenly she was the underdog in the race, and she was determined to win. In a democratic field left divided Dale Bumpers and Gary Hart refused to run (the latter’s career in taters after adultery allegations) there were a lot of White Men, and Pat Schroeder stood apart from them (so did Jesse Jackson but insulting the largest city in the country never ends well). She picked up steam and endorsements, including from one Bob Graham. His endorsement helped her in Florida and he became a valuable advisor as her star rose to the top of the field. Graham was a national name with a national presence, loyal followers, and the ability to deliver the sunshine state.​

Graham’s father had been a failed Gubernatorial candidate in Florida, and Graham followed his dad into politics. As a state legislator he had worked in various jobs his constituents held in what was either a hands-on bit of legislating or a cynical political ploy depending on who you asked. It paid off in 1978 when he was elected Governor of Florida, on tbe backs of enthusiastic supporters who dubbed themselves "Graham crackers". He reformed education and instituted new environmental policies, all while successfully bringing new investment to the state. He was reelected easily and in 1988 he boasted an 87% approval rating. He was mid-Senate campaign when Pat Schroeder tapped him as Vice President. It was an effective match, pundits lauded Graham’s experience compared to Schroeder (She had been in Congress longer then he had been governor, a fact that had not eluded that studying sexism in politics). Far more important was geography, he was a southerner to her westerner and while he was no raging conservative that calmed concerns about a candidate who had literally worked at Planned Parenthood.​

On the campaign trail Graham was a force to be reckoned with, drawing crowds across the south and bringing Florida’s newfound business money into the race. On the debate stage Graham managed to enflame the right wing of the GOP by getting Walter Rudman to come across as being so liberal that the media nicknamed the debate “the agreement”. The performance enflamed the Pro-Life Insurgency that had faded after Buchanan’s poor performance at the first Presidential debate. The vote splitting from the Pro-Life Ticket cannot be totally be granted to Graham, but it did ensure a Democratic victory in the fall.​

Bob Graham played a major role in the Schroeder administration, throwing himself into legislation with gusto. Newer environmental regulations, technology development, and new funding for public universities were all backed by Graham’s force of will. Just as Walter Mondale had been to Carter Graham was an important advisor to President Schroeder, especially on domestic policy. Graham headed commissions on college loans and the environment, becoming fast friends with Tennessee Senator Al Gore. Graham’s approval ratings always remained high and he was commonly assumed to be the heir presumptive in 1996. Defenders of the administration always point to domestic policy as a high point. But it was foreign policy that the world looked towards.​

The Soviet Union fell. Romania crumbled into civil war. The eastern block fled towards the west. Neither Schroeder nor Graham were very experienced in foreign policy, and it showed. They had barely crafted a response to the Chinese Revolution when it all came tumbling down and Orthodox Maoism set back the clock. The Gulf War improved their polling numbers some, as Iraqi forces were pushed out of Saudi Arabia, and then Kuwait. But as Schroeder fell under criticism for not deposing Hussein the economy also began to dip.​

The Republicans were energized after a strong midterm in 1990 and came roaring back at the Schroeder administration. They attacked the “liberal weakness” that they alleged was holding the economy back and that had prevented America from exploiting their victory in the Cold War. Graham preformed well again at the debates, but it was not enough to save the incumbents from being lost in what would later be termed the 1992 Republican Revolution. Graham met the expectations of the party and was nominated in 1996 as a stalwart liberal as “New Democrats” watched their hopes flail amongst Bill Clinton’s affairs, which drew comparison to Gary Hart. Graham united with Bob Miller from Nevada to form what was mockingly called “Bob Squared” ticket. Graham poured his heart into the race, and Pat Schroeder provided enthusiastic support. But by now he seemed a relic of a more liberal age. His defeat led to an intense amount of soul searching in the Democratic Party about how conservative the country needed to be. The Republicans had already found their answer: very. Everyone was charging headlong to the right.​

Everyone it seemed, except the Vice President​