A Different Path: A History of the Kerry Administration & Beyond

[Pericles]

HILLARY CLINTON APPROVAL RATING RISES TO 47%, UNEMPLOYMENT FALLS TO 7.3%-FEBRUARY 1, 2015

FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR JIM DEMINT FORMS EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE FOR 2016 RUN-FEBRUARY 6, 2015

DONORS, ESTABLISHMENT RALLIES BEHIND THUNE, MILLIONS ALREADY GIVEN TO PROSPECTIVE THUNE CAMPAIGN

VIOLENCE WINDS DOWN IN SYRIA BUT LEADERSHIP STRUGGLES TO DEAL WITH ECONOMIC STRUGGLES

IRAN RAMPS UP NUCLEAR PROGRAM, US THREATENS TO TAKE 'ALL NECESSARY MEASURES' TO STOP IRAN GETTING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
US-IRAN NEGOTIATIONS CRUMBLE IN ACRIMONY-FEBRUARY 19, 2015

NEW SYRIZA GOVERNMENT FACES OFF AGAINST TROIKA, MARKETS FEARFUL

DONALD TRUMP: RUN FOR PRESIDENT? NO WAY!FEBRUARY 28, 2015

RAND PAUL DENIES INTENTION TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT SAYS HE WANTS TO FOCUS ON SENATE
"LET'S NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES" SAYS NEW SENATOR-MARCH 2, 2015

BANKING AND HEALTHCARE REFORM DEAD BEFORE ARRIVAL IN THIS CONGRESS​

HERMAN CAIN, PIZZA CEO, TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT
CAIN GETS 1% IN POLLS-MARCH 13, 2015

NETANYAHU LOSES 2015 ISRAELI ELECTION, ZIONIST UNION GAINS MOST SEATS, SET TO FORM GOVERNMENT-MARCH 19, 2015

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party have lost the 2015 Israeli election. The center-left Zionist Union, led by Isaac Herzog, won 26 seats while Likud won 25. Netanyahu refused to outright conceed the chances of forming a government to Herzog, but his chances are slim and the arithmetic in the Knesset(Israeli parliament) is against Netanyahu. The international community is cautiously optimistic after the results, hoping that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process can begin to go in the right direction. However there remains a deep distrust between Israelis and Palestinians, and while the Zionist Union is in the 'peace camp', they are cautious on the issue and the obstacles to peace are still very high. Netanyahu's campaign is being indicted by Israeli pundits for focusing too much on the supposed terrorist threat and tension with Iran. By contrast the opposition skewered his record on economic issues, and promises a sweeping program to produce affordable housing and address the cost of living. This has been inspired by the 2011 social justice protests. Netanyahu ultimately just could not win over the Israel of 2015, because he was stuck in an earlier Israel. And so, Israel may be on a different path.

UKRAINE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS IN TATTERS, US TO SEND MORE ARMS AND 1,000 SPECIAL FORCES TROOPS TO UKRAINE -MARCH 19, 2015

TOM KEAN JR FORMS EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE, SAYS "AMERICA NEEDS TRUE LEADERSHIP. I AM A LEADER, NOT A BICKERER"-MARCH 24, 2015

NZ NATIONAL PARTY WOUNDED AFTER WINSTON PETERS WINS UPSET VICTORY IN NORTHLAND BY-ELECTION
LABOUR STILL STRUGGLES, AROUND 30% IN POLLS-MARCH 28, 2015

IT BEGINS! JIM DEMINT LAUNCHES BID FOR PRESIDENCY!-MARCH 28, 2015

The media has been lying in wait, like impatient children, waiting for the show to begin. Well, the wait is over. The 2016 election has begun. First to announce, former South Carolina Jim DeMint announed his run for the presidency. DeMint, running for the GOP nomination, is a stuanch Minuteman, even named 'Mr Minuteman' and it has been said he was 'a Minuteman before it was cool'. DeMint served in Congress from 1999-2005, and then as Senator for South Carolina from 2005-2013, before retiring to chair the Heritage Foundation, and possibly to plan and organize a 2016 run. DeMint, described by a Democrat strategist as a "hyper-conservative" is just that. He has led efforts to stymie immigration reform and supports a 'border security' policy, calls the latest budget cuts "peeing in the lake," wants to defund Planned parenthood and supports declaring unborn fetuses people. DeMint also wants term limits for Congress, supports abolishing the IRS, wants to replace the income tax with a sales tax, is a strong proponent of free trade, has advocated for the privatization of Social Security benefits and has a foreign policy record mixed between hawkish and libertarian positions. He also has called gay marriage an infringement on religious liberty. The Republican race is heavily fractured, though so far Thune is the frontrunner.
A recent CNN/ORC poll had this result:
24 % John Thune
13% Undecided
13% Tom Kean Jr
11% Jeb Bush
10% Jim DeMint
8% Rand Paul
6% Bobby Jindal
6% Mike Huckabee
5% Rick Perry
5% Other

 

[Pericles]

I'll try get more updates in this week but real life might interrupt. The 2016 election season is already revving up. What did you think of the last update?

Thanks
Pericles

 

[Pericles]

PRESIDENT HILLARY CLINTON BOASTS 'ECONOMIC RECOVERY' AS ECONOMIC GROWTH UP TO OVER 4% -APRIL 1, 2015

FEINGOLD RULES OUT PRIMARY CHALLENGE TO HILLARY CLINTON
FEINGOLD: I ADMIRE, RESPECT AND SUPPORT HILLARY CLINTON, PERIOD. -APRIL 3, 2015

NEW POLLS SHOW HILLARY IN LEAD OVER ALL OPPONENTS
46% CLINTON-44% KEAN, 47% CLINTON-43% THUNE, 50% CLINTON-38% DEMINT, 49% CLINTON-43% JINDAL-APRIL 9, 2015

President Hillary Clinton, despite having tepid popularity, so far remains ahead of the entire Republican field, in the latest RCP polls. The closest a Republican comes to beating her is former Senator Tom Kean, who only loses by 2-points. The only candidate so far in the race, former South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, gets blown out of the water. Current fronrtunner John Thune comes close but not as good as Thune. Republicans were quick to dismiss the polls, with DeMint saying "People would bring out polls a year before the election showing Jimmy Carter in the lead. We know how well that turned out." He later added"The pundits perform no service to society. They should get a real job."

ISAAC HERZOG FORMS GOVERNMENT IN ISRAEL, NETANYAHU'S LONG CAREER COMES TO AN END-APRIL 13, 2015

TOM KEAN JR LAUNCHES PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN-APRIL 18, 2015

Former New Jersey Senator Thomas 'Tom' Kean Junior just launched his presidential campaign. Kean was elected Senator of New Jersey in 2006, defeating long-lasting incumbent Bob Menendez, who he 'swift-boated' as a corrupt sleazebag tied to John Kerry. He, by all accounts, proved an effective, bipartisan Senator who formed strong Washington connections, but he was swept away in the 2012 Democrat wave, losing his seat. Kean followed his father Tom Kean, a Governor of New Jersey and Chairman of the 9/11 Commision, into politics. Kean is a moderate to liberal Republican(by current standards), who believes in global warming and supports cap and trade, campaign finance reform, the gun control proposals of Hillary Clinton, opposes 'litmus test' for Supreme Court nominees and wants to ban abortion but with the exception of rape, incest, and life and health of the mother. Kean has more standard conservative positions on taxes, wanting to restore the Romney and Bush tax cuts, on foreign policy, in which he supported the Iraq War and now calls for more US intervention there. Kean also opposes gay marriage, marijuana legalisation, free trade and takes a strongly conservative position on illegal immigration, having accused Hillary Clinton of 'supporting amnesty' and 'encouraging law-breaking and illegal, criminal behaviour'. Kean's strategy is to win New Hampshire, where he is almost a favorite son and has a much closer connection with the state than Thune or DeMint or Jindal or whoever. New Hampshire voters also like brands like his, of the moderate, independent, bipartisan reformer. But ultimately, Kean is essentially a Rockefeller Republican. And they just don't win anymore. Perhaps 2016 would be the exception. Perhaps not.

BAGHDAD IS SAFE! ISI REPULSED FROM BAGHDAD-APRIL 25, 2015

JEB BUSH DECLINES TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT

JEB: AMERICA DOESN'T WANT ANOTHER BUSH-APRIL 26, 2015

ARKANSAS SENATOR HUCKABEE RULES OUT RUN FOR POTUS "NOT INTERESTED"-APRIL 28, 2015

TIM PAWLENTY TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT
DEMINT SLAMS PAWLENTY AS 'WASHINGTON LOBBYIST, INSIDER" AND SAYS HE "SUPPORTS FAILED POLICIES"-APRIL 29, 2015

US ECONOMY GROWS BY 4.3%, UNEMPLOYMENT SHRINKS TO 7.2%-MAY 1, 2015

HILLARY CLINTON APPROVAL RATING AT 46%-MAY 1, 2015

CONSERVATIVES WIN UPSET MAJORITY IN UK ELECTION, DEFY POLLS-MAY 7, 2015

FORMER PENNSYLVANIA SENATOR RICK SANTORUM, FORMER MINNESOTA CONGRESSWOMAN MICHELLE BACHMANN ANOUNCE CANDIDACY ON SAME DAY!-MAY 11, 2015
BACHMANN, SANTORUM BOTH IN LOW SINGLE-DIGITS, DISMISSED BY PUNDITS AS NO-SHOTS

AMTRAK TRAIN CRASHES IN PHILADELPHIA, 8 DEAD, 200 INJURED
DEMOCRATS BLAME ROMNEY CUTS TO INFRASTRUCTURE, PEOPLE POWER BLAMES 'HILLARY'S AUSTERITY'-MAY 12, 2015

JOHN THUNE ANNOUNCES HIS BID FOR PRESIDENT, STATES THE OBVIOUS-MAY 16, 2015

The race now truly starts. John Thune has announced he will run for President. Thune promised to "bring conservatism to a new generation" and to "mend and heal America" and "make America great again." Thune, despite a solidly conservative record in the Senate, is regarded as a moderate and establishment candidate. And not without reason. Thune was elected in 2004 to the Senate when he unseated Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, the leading Democrat. Thune was then picked by Mitt Romney in 2008 as his running mate, being seen as both a conservative choice who could rally the base while appealing to moderates. Thune's most famous moment as Vice-President was getting spat on. After 2012, Thune has been constantly working to his 2016 run. Yet, his weakness remains. The weakness is not him, but Mitt Romney. However, Thune also lacks charisma and as the favorite of the donor class and elites, has an unattractive smell to voters. Still, he leads the polls. For now.

 

[TimTurner]

Are party coalitions different than OTL in any significant way?

 

[Pericles]

Are party coalitions different than OTL in any significant way?

Not really. The Republicans have a few more HIspanics but now they're turbing on immigration reform and becoming more and more extreme. There are also a few more libertarians in the GOP , the minutemen are a weird combo of libertarians and social conservatives.

 

[Pericles]

I'm hopefully going to get an update in tonight or tomorrow. And soon, long forgotten divergences could return with unexpecred consequnces. Maybe not though, just some ideas I'm considering. Any predictions for overseas, butterflies and 2016?

 

[dw93]

I'm hopefully going to get an update in tonight or tomorrow. And soon, long forgotten divergences could return with unexpecred consequnces. Maybe not though, just some ideas I'm considering. Any predictions for overseas, butterflies and 2016?

My guess is the middle east is going to be even less stable than OTL, especially if military force is take to stop Iran's nuclear program. As for 2016, the GOP field is looking similar to the GOP field of 2012 OTL, so my guess is that unless a major scandal or foreign policy blunder damages her enough, Hillary will probably eek out a second term in 2016.

 

[Pericles]

My guess is the middle east is going to be even less stable than OTL, especially if military force is take to stop Iran's nuclear program. As for 2016, the GOP field is looking similar to the GOP field of 2012 OTL, so my guess is that unless a major scandal or foreign policy blunder damages her enough, Hillary will probably eek out a second term in 2016.

Perhaps. The 2016 field TTL isn't that strong. The Middle East will be unstable but given how screwed up Syria is IOTL it'll probably be a bit better.

 

[Pericles]

USA FREEDOM ACT PASSES SENATE, REPEALS PATRIOT ACT-MAY 23, 2015

The Patriot Act, the heavily controversial legislation that had expanded NSA and led to vast data collection by intelligence agencies, has been repealed. Rand Paul and Justin Amash were leaders in the effort, and the replacement USA Freedom Act accomplished many of their objectives. The NSA bulk data collection program has been ended, however civil libertarians are still disappointed in parts of the bill, saying it could have gone even further. However, this is a major reform of intelligence agencies in the US. the bill passed the House by 320 votes to 113 and got 61 votes in the Senate. President Clinton signed the bill into law, saying "We need to reform the way we safeguard our national security. This bill ensures that we can have liberty and security."

FORMER TEXAS GOVERNOR RICK PERRY DECLINES RUN FOR PRESIDENT-MAY 28, 2015

LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR, ANNOUNCES RUN FOR PRESIDENT-JUNE 1, 2015

FIFA PRESIDENT SEPP BLATTER RESIGNS AMID CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS-JUNE 2, 2015

CLINTON APPROVAL RATING AT 48%-JUNE 14, 2015

BOBBY JINDAL JOINS 2016 RACE-JUNE 20, 2015

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has announced his bid for the Presidency. Jindal is a young, solidly conservative, Indian-American Governor that many pundits have rated highly as a strong contender. Jindal however is deeply unpopular in the state he governs, and has not yet formed a clear image with voters. In fact, Jindal is so unpopular in Louisiana that new poll showed Hillary Clinton having an approval rating 4 points higher in Louisiana than Jindal's. Jindal was confident about his chances, and his campaign has expressed confidence his conservatism will win over Iowans and republican voters. Jindal is currently in single digits in the polls, but gets close to double-digits in some polls.

THUNE LEADS LATEST POLLS BUT IS WEAK IN EARLY STATES-JUNE 24, 2015​

National poll
Thune- 33%
DeMint-20%
Kean-14%
Graham-9%
Jindal-8%
Pawlnety-7%
Cain-5%
Other-4%

Iowa
Thune-31%
DeMint-26%
Jindal-10%
Graham-8%
Cain-8%
Pawlenty-7%
Kean-6%
Other-5%

New Hampshire
Thune-25%
Kean-22%
Graham--12%
DeMint-9%
Pawlenty-7%
Jindal-6%
Cain-6%
Other-6%

South Carolina
Thune-26%
DeMint-20%
Graham-20%
Kean-10%
Pawlenty-7%
Jindal-6%
Cain-5%
Other-6%

 

[dw93]

At least the people of TTL get to enjoy a world without the Patriot Act. USA Freedom may not be perfect, but it's better than what we've got OTL. Keep up the good work .

 

[Pericles]

At least the people of TTL get to enjoy a world without the Patriot Act. USA Freedom may not be perfect, but it's better than what we've got OTL. Keep up the good work .

Sorry but the Patriot Act was repealed IOTL and replaced with the https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Freedom_Act. This act is better for civil libertarians though, the Amash Amendment passed. Thanks, more is coming. Hope you're all enjoying this TL.

 

[Pericles]

HISTORIC RULING FROM SUPREME COURT! COURT RULES 7-2 THAT GAY MARRIAGE IS LEGAL IN ALL 50 STATES!-JUNE 26, 2015

The US Supreme Court has made a historic decision. Gay marriage has been legalized in al 50 states, by a thumping 7-2 margin in the Court. Chief Justice Sotomayor delivered the Court's decision, declaring that homosexuals ask for "equal dignity in the eyes of the law", which is granted by the Constitution. The White House light up in rainbow colours, and millions of Americans celebrated the historic ruling of Obergfell v Hodges. One hashtag defined the nation mood. #Love Wins.

CONGRESS REJECTS 'FAST TRACK' FOR TPPA-JUNE 28, 2015

Fast-track for the TPP(Trans Pacific Partnership) has been rejected in the US Congress, only getting 51 votes in the Senate and so being slain by a filibuster. The TPP has proven a controversial free trade agreement and drew the virulent opposition of People Power.The Democrats openly rebelled en masse against the President to stop the TPP, which labor unions and activists fear is a secret agreement that will hurt working Americans and advance corporate power. Fast-track, a mechanism designed to force Congress to vote a straight yes or no, without amendments, on the TPP. The battle in Congress is expected to go on, but this latest vote has endangered the future of the TPP.

GLOSSIP V GROSS: SUPREME COURT BANS CONTROVERSIAL DEATH PENALTY DRUG-JUNE 29, 2015

The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, banned the use of the drug midazolam in death penalty executions. The court ruled that midazolam was 'cruel and unusual punishment', due to being linked to several botched executions, and therefore unconstitutional. The Court mandated that states seek much higher standards for drugs used in executions. Sonia Sotomayor said that it “would not matter whether the state intended to use midazolam, or instead to have petitioners drawn and quartered, slowly tortured to death, or actually burned at the stake.” Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia filed a scathing dissent, accusing the Court of "consistently making, not interpreting, the law. This Court routinely oversteps its authority to trample on the Consitution it claims to defends, while basing its decisions on myths, half-truths and pseudo-science." Several Jutsices, including Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, have called for the death penalty itself to come to trial. Ginsburg said "The death penalty is highly likely to itself be unconstitutional, and needs to be carefully examined." Polls show more than 60% of Americans support keeping the death penalty in some form.

GREECE MISSES PAYMENT TO IMF AS NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE, GREECE ON THE BRINK OF GREXIT-JULY 1, 2015

OXI! GREECE REJECTS AUSTERITY IN REFERENDUM, DELIVERS SHOCK TO WORLD -JULY 5, 2015

Greece has delivered a resounding vote of 'Oxi', no, to austerity. This was after just a few days ago Greek Prime Minister Tsipras called a referendum on the troika's bailout plans as a negotiating ploy. Greece has been suffering from a debt crisis for the last few years and has been forced by the 'troika' of its creditors, the EU, and the IMF to engage in brutal austerity measures. In January, a new anti-austerity government was elected that has now rejected the austerity and is trying, but struggling, to stand up to the troika. European officials criticized the referendum as a ridiculous, ill-thought out ploy, noting that the bailout proposal in the referendum was not in fact the latest bailout proposal. Tsipras has claimed that the vote gives him a a mandate to stay in the EU but without austerity, the EU does not see things the same way.

GREECE GIVES IN, AVOIDS GREXIT BUT FORCED TO HAVE MORE SAVAGE AUSTERITY-JULY 13, 2015

PLANNED PARENTHOOD COMES UNDER ATTACK AS ANTI-ABORTION GROUP RELEASES VIDEO OF TRADE OF ABORTED FETUSES
REPUBLICANS DEMAND PLANNED PARENTHOOD BE DEFUNDED, PRESIDENT CONDEMNS ';DISGUSTING SEXISM' BY GOP-JULY 14, 2015

BUDGET IMPASSE AS PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS RY TO RAM THEIR AGENDAS DOWN THE OTHER'S THROAT

Tensions have mounted even higher between President Clinton and Congress. President Clinton proposed a budget that contained $200 billion in added stimulus, $100 billion in extra spending on infrastructure and education, paid for with tax increases on the wealthy and $100 billion in spending cuts targeted at the military and discretionary spending. The budget appealed to People Power, and passed the Senate. However the House Republicans shot down those proposals, instead passing a budget restoring the Romney and Bush tax cuts, defunding Planned Parenthood, refusing to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, and cutting $250 billion from spending, much of which was targeted at welfare and at social programs. Democrats instantly refused to pass that budget. The Minutemen and People Power have rallied behind the respective budgets and so an impasse has been created. The Minutemen have also adamantly refused to raise the debt ceiling, bringing out the specter of default. Polls show both budgets are unpopular, and neither has managed to get over 45% support in the polls, legitimizing each party's stand against the opposing budget.

DEMINT CALLS FOR BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT, DEMANDS OTHER CANDIDATES NOT BE 'COWARDS' AND ALSO SUPPORT BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT-JULY 21, 2015

SENATE MINORITY LEADER GEORGE ALLEN SAYS HE'S 'OPEN TO COMPROMISE', THEN RULES OUT MOST POSSIBLE COMPROMISES-JULY 24, 2015

TURKEY, PKK BREAK CEASEFIRE AND CONTINUE CONFLICT
FEARS INCREASE OF TURKEY-KURDISTAN WAR-JULY 27, 2015

TPP FAST TRACK REJECTED YET AGAIN-JULY 27, 2015​

FIRST REPUBLICAN DEBATE HELD-AUGUST 6, 2015

Candidates currently in the race who attended debate

• Former Vice-President John Thune
• Former South carolina Senator JimDeMint
• Former New Jersey Senator Tom Kean jr
• Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
• South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham
• Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty
• Herman Cain
• Former Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann
• Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum

The race has well and truly started now. The candidates are in the ring and the battle for the White House started. Fox News hosted the first Republican debate, with Megyn Kelly, Bret Baier and Chris Wallace. Frontrunner john Thune came under attack from the start, with Tom Kean saying "Vice-President Thune is just like Bob Menendez in New Jersey. He's an insider. If you vote for Thune, you can expect the same old failures from Washington." Jim DeMint followed up by saying "Thune is not a true conservative. He's a crony of Washington, and he won't bring the change we need. We won't get secure borders, a strong foreign policy, a thriving economy or a balanced budget with John Thune." Thune fired back, saying" My opponents are trying to smear my record but it won't work. I am the most qualified and experienced person on this stage. Senator DeMint and Senator Kean are insulting me and good Republican Presidents because they don't have a leg to stand on if we are debating based on records and on the issues." Bobby Jindal then joined in, saying "Me, and Governor Pawlenty, are the only ones here with executive experience. I am a solid conservative governor." The debate continued like this, with candidates attacking Thune and Thune returning fire. Pundits are saying Thune lost the debate, and the trophy for first place would have to be split between Kean and DeMint. An online poll showed that only 24% of respondents thought Thune won the debate, with 32% giving it to Kean and 37% giving it to DeMint.

 

[Pericles]

Thoughts and predictions? The debate over the Electoral College, after the debacles of 2000 and 2004 might just return with a vengeance. I'm going to try get updates in wherever I can and this will go to the 2016 election. Then I've got some ideas for new TLs in the back of my head, so keep an eye out even after this finishes.

 

[Deleted member 87099]

Thoughts and predictions? The debate over the Electoral College, after the debacles of 2000 and 2004 might just return with a vengeance. I'm going to try get updates in wherever I can and this will go to the 2016 election. Then I've got some ideas for new TLs in the back of my head, so keep an eye out even after this finishes.

Hmm, a Thune nomination, perhaps? I will keep my eye out.

 

[Pericles]

Hmm, a Thune nomination, perhaps? I will keep my eye out.

Maybe. By now the butterflies are abounding. For example, none of the top 3 GOP candidates ran IOTL in 2016. Btw, I like your TL.

 

[Deleted member 87099]

Maybe. By now the butterflies are abounding. For example, none of the top 3 GOP candidates ran IOTL in 2016. Btw, I like your TL.

Thanks. I'm glad that I have your support.

 

[Pericles]

Thanks. I'm glad that I have your support.

Great. It'll be pretty hard to equal OTL 2016 but the climax will still be a pretty good one. It'll be interesting, but maybe in the Chinese sense.

 

[dw93]

Thoughts and predictions? The debate over the Electoral College, after the debacles of 2000 and 2004 might just return with a vengeance. I'm going to try get updates in wherever I can and this will go to the 2016 election. Then I've got some ideas for new TLs in the back of my head, so keep an eye out even after this finishes.

I'm curious to see what happens with Greece. As for the electoral college, I personally (at least not at this point) don't see the debate over the electoral college coming back with a vengeance as I don't see 2016 TTL being as close as 2000 or 2004 OTL or TTL.

 

[Pericles]

I'm curious to see what happens with Greece. As for the electoral college, I personally (at least not at this point) don't see the debate over the electoral college coming back with a vengeance as I don't see 2016 TTL being as close as 2000 or 2004 OTL or TTL.

Greece was the same as IOTL. I thought about Grexit for a bit but decided against it, for a number of reasons. As for the EC; you might very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment.

 

[Pericles]

THUNE FALLS IN EARLY STATE POLLS, TIES DEMINT IN IOWA, TIES KEAN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE-AUGUST 8, 2015

CALLS MOUNT FOR RAND PAUL TO ENTER 2016 RACE
FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS PAUL SECOND AT 21%, THUNE AT 28%

​

JIMMY CARTER HAS BRAIN CANCER-AUGUST 12, 2015

PRESIDENT CLINTON SPEAKS ON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, LAMBASTS REPUBLICANS-AUGUST 15, 2015

The President has made her first major speech of the 2016 campaign. In a rally in New York, she laid out her case against the Republicans. "We have accomplished a lot since I first became President. America is stronger and more secure than ever before. We fixed our broken immigration system, we have an economy recovering from failed leadership of the past, we have an America where more people are prospering, more people are getting the opportunity to prosper and we are laying the foundations for that prosperity to continue. But we still have work to do." Clinton later attacked her Republican opponents, saying "The Republican field is all pretty similar. There's two types of candidates in there. There's the candidates who offer the same old failed policies of the past. And then there's the candidates who also offer the same old failed policies of the past, on steroids." Hillary then slammed 'extremist' Republicans, "who want to take us back to the 1950s and deprive women of reproductive care and choice" and who "seek rule by the minority, to pervert the democratic process because, let's face it, they're just sad they didn't win the last election!" A partisan tone, but it might just work.

IRAQI ARMY RETAKES RAMADI-AUGUST 19, 2015

RIOTS IN DAMASCUS AS DISSATISFACTION WITH GOVERNMENT MOUNTS

BUDGET IMPASSE DEEPENS, BOEHNER & CLINTON ACCUSE OTHER OF 'EXTREMISM', TRADE INSULTS-AUGUST 24, 2015

CLINTON APPROVAL RATING AT 47%-AUGUST 30, 2015

ISRAELI PM HERZOG PASSES SWEEPING PACKAGE ON SOCIAL SPENDING, COST OF LIVING-SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

CLERK KIM DAVIS ARRESTED AFTER REFUSING TO GIVE MARRIAGE LICENSES TO SAME-SEX COUPLES, DEFYING SUPREME COURT-SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS STARTS UP AGAIN, ISRAEL & WORLD HOPE TO MOVE BEYOND NETANYAHU-SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has restarted. Negotiations have begun, starting of what Israel's new prime Minister Herzog hopes will be the beginning of the path towards peace. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Herzig began tentative talks, and the two-state solution is back on the agenda. However, Herzog was quick to avoid the perception that he was giving ground to the Palestinians, saying "We are testing the waters, and we are not yet diving in." Herzog has a tricky political situation in Israel, with a very narrow victory he has no mandate to be radical or take risks, but must stick to incremental progress and even then be careful. The US still expressed hope that the negotiations would bare fruit, with the State Department saying negotiations got off to a good start

SECOND REPUBLICAN DEBATE HELD, CONFIDENT THUNE FENDS OFF ATTACKS WHILE CANDIDATES BICKER-SEPETMBER 16, 2015

After taking a beating in the first debate, John Thune was back, polished and confident. Thune, while still not charismatic, managed to deliver effective answers and counterattack when under fire. Senators DeMint and Kean both again tried to portray him as an insider, but Thune refuted them, even telling Kean "you'll have to try better than that", eliciting cheers and laughs from the crowd. Lesser candidates bickered among themselves. Jindal attacked DeMint, saying he was "unprincipled" and "clueless" on important issues(foreign affairs) and "has never been in control, been a governor." DeMint fired back, saying "Governor Jindal, you haven't been a stellar governor yourself. Your approval ratings are in the toilet, Louisiana is doing terribly. I think that shows a profound failure of leadership." Jindal and DeMint then traded back and forth, letting Thune stay above the fray. DeMint took the opportunity to appeal to Iowa evangelics, calling clerk Kim Davis "an American hero", saying "she stood up to a liberal court, a liberal elite that sneered at her and spits on her values, your values, good, wholesome, Christian, American values." Pundits rated Thune the winner, with Nate Silver saying "John Thune managed to avoid the mistakes of the last debate and both effectively counter-attack while being above the fray. A strong performance tonight from the former Vice-President."

2016: END OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE? NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE INTERSTATE COMPACT UP TO 236 EVs-SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact(NPVIC) has enjoyed surprising success in recent years. It all began in 2000, when an entire election hinged on Florida, hanging chads, and a recount, ending in a Supreme Court decision, a divided nation and a President who didn't get the most votes. America was a bit upset, but not too much. The new President Bush seemed OK, hell after 9/11 he even seemed leader-like. But then there was Iraq and Election 2004 and so it happened again. Bush won the popular vote, but John Kerry won the state of Ohio by a few hundred votes. After a month of recounts, that was confirmed, and a divided nation watched as again the loser of the popular vote became President. That clearly wasn't right. There had to be a more fundamental problem than bad luck. Somebody had a look through the history books and found out that Uncle Sam's gut was right, that the Electoral College throughout history malfunctioned and made losers winners. There were more problems. Elections were always hinging on those swing states, like Florida and Ohio. Nobody ever campaigned in New York, or Texas, or California. Those states were huge, but the winner there was always certain. So, starting in 2006, the NPVIC was founded. This was a plan where states individually would pass laws making that states electoral votes go to the winner of the nationwide popular vote, even if they lost that state. The NPVIC was designed to go into effect when it had enough states that had passed it into law so that it had 270 electoral votes or more, so therefore the winner of the popular vote would always get to be President by winning the electoral vote.
Republicans and Democrats united behind the idea, they all detested the Electoral College. It started small, but slowly and slowly, states across the country signed on. One by one, electoral vote by electoral vote, the NPVIC rose. A nationwide movement was built and grew. Polls showed the public rallying behind the idea, with opposition to the Electoral College a bipartisan cause. A poll this year found that 78% of Americans oppose the Electoral College, with 75% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans on that side of the cause. Now suddenly, it is a real threat to the Electoral College. Yesterday, Oklahoma and Maine simultaneously passed NPVIC laws. The states with NPVIC laws now add up to 236 electoral votes. It is only a few dozen away from the magic number. And only one more state, Texas, needs to sign on. Texas' legislature is about to consider just such a bill. Yet, the NPVIC is rising, but its foundations, from legality to practicality, remain in doubt. America has the chance to make a change, but would that be a good change? Uncertainty remains, but also hope.