Actually yeah... before CalBear closes my thread
Agreed, let him go with his thread, keep current politics out of it.
A Rainbow Fades: How Jesse Jackson Brought Down the Democratic Party - A Wikibox TL
- Thread starter Katarn
- Start date
Agreed, let him go with his thread, keep current politics out of it.
Fred Phelps ran for office as a Democrat. With that, I'm done.
Yeah, when I read that, I was confused. No wonder he lost the nomination of his party so hard because he was so far out of tune. Also, David Duke ran as a Republican.
But yeah, it's wrong to associate the GOP with them. Yes, the terrorists who bombed the abortion clinics were Republicans, but they did not represent general Republican thought.
Agreed. In a nation of 320 million people, there will be insane crackpots. With two major political parties there is a good chance that they will divide evenly
Komodo ran an election game where the AIP becomes a major power. The Democrats were reduced to DC and bevame the "Democratic-Statehood" party.
1988 Democratic Convention
In the last few months of the primaries, Dukakis and Biden held on in the hopes that they could block Jackson from gaining a majority. They couldn't. Jackson managed to win 1,904 delegates by the end of the primaries, nearly 100 less delegates than he would need to gain the nomination, but his overwhelming popular vote lead had left few Super Delegates willing to vote against him. He would win a majority on the first ballot. Biden and Dukakis officially withdrew soon after the end of the primaries, knowing they had both lost their chance this time around.
The party leadership weren't exactly pleased with their nominee either. Once Jackson had become the presumptive nominee, the media instantly turned their full attention towards him. They attacked him for his inexperience, his radical platform (which drew comparisons to Mondale), though they purposefully downplayed his skin color. On top of the criticism of Jackson himself from the media, rumors had been spread around that he couldn't find a running mate. This was partially true as Jackson himself was very picky about his choice and both Dukakis and Biden had refused the position (though only Dukakis was actually offered the position). Neither of them had any particular desire to be connected to the ticket, out of the worry that it would end their careers.
Many prominent Democratic politicians had the same complaint as Dukakis and Biden and had dismissed themselves from the vetting process. Jackson was quickly running out of choices, especially if he wanted a candidate who could still energize the Democratic base. Then he was recommended an interesting name: Lane Kirkland. Kirkland had been the head of the AFL-CIO since 1979 and had never held elected office, though leading a union of that size and prominence left him with quite a bit of political experience. He also had a unique vision that could inspire the Democratic base. Kirkland was a staunch internationalist and had championed human rights across the globe, he was also currently embroiled in a battle to bring Democracy to Poland. Jackson felt that with Kirkland's credentials in fighting for Democracy he could convince the party that he wasn't a radical. He could surprise the nation and unite the union vote just like he had in the primaries. The experience question would still be a problem, but he might actually have a chance of turning things around and uniting the party behind him. To his delight, Kirkland accepted the offer.
However, when it came to actually announcing his choice, Jackson almost immediately regretted it. When Kirkland was announced at the convention, the whole stadium was quiet. Applause could be heard among a few of the delegates, but most remained silent. He had picked his running mate based solely on what they promised, with no experience to back it up. Jackson had chosen a mirror of his own flaws, but he had made his choice and he'd have to stick with it (or face inevitable comparisons to McGovern/Eagleton). He was however, beginning to get the nagging feeling that he'd lose in November.
In the last few months of the primaries, Dukakis and Biden held on in the hopes that they could block Jackson from gaining a majority. They couldn't. Jackson managed to win 1,904 delegates by the end of the primaries, nearly 100 less delegates than he would need to gain the nomination, but his overwhelming popular vote lead had left few Super Delegates willing to vote against him. He would win a majority on the first ballot. Biden and Dukakis officially withdrew soon after the end of the primaries, knowing they had both lost their chance this time around.
The party leadership weren't exactly pleased with their nominee either. Once Jackson had become the presumptive nominee, the media instantly turned their full attention towards him. They attacked him for his inexperience, his radical platform (which drew comparisons to Mondale), though they purposefully downplayed his skin color. On top of the criticism of Jackson himself from the media, rumors had been spread around that he couldn't find a running mate. This was partially true as Jackson himself was very picky about his choice and both Dukakis and Biden had refused the position (though only Dukakis was actually offered the position). Neither of them had any particular desire to be connected to the ticket, out of the worry that it would end their careers.
Many prominent Democratic politicians had the same complaint as Dukakis and Biden and had dismissed themselves from the vetting process. Jackson was quickly running out of choices, especially if he wanted a candidate who could still energize the Democratic base. Then he was recommended an interesting name: Lane Kirkland. Kirkland had been the head of the AFL-CIO since 1979 and had never held elected office, though leading a union of that size and prominence left him with quite a bit of political experience. He also had a unique vision that could inspire the Democratic base. Kirkland was a staunch internationalist and had championed human rights across the globe, he was also currently embroiled in a battle to bring Democracy to Poland. Jackson felt that with Kirkland's credentials in fighting for Democracy he could convince the party that he wasn't a radical. He could surprise the nation and unite the union vote just like he had in the primaries. The experience question would still be a problem, but he might actually have a chance of turning things around and uniting the party behind him. To his delight, Kirkland accepted the offer.
However, when it came to actually announcing his choice, Jackson almost immediately regretted it. When Kirkland was announced at the convention, the whole stadium was quiet. Applause could be heard among a few of the delegates, but most remained silent. He had picked his running mate based solely on what they promised, with no experience to back it up. Jackson had chosen a mirror of his own flaws, but he had made his choice and he'd have to stick with it (or face inevitable comparisons to McGovern/Eagleton). He was however, beginning to get the nagging feeling that he'd lose in November.
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Yes, but Biden was behind him by 14 points and just under 4 million votes and Dukakis by 19 points and just over 4 million votes. It would be political suicide to support either of them as a super delegate.
Well, Jesse Jackson is a bit too radical. Oh well.
By the way, this would make him the first nominee without any government/military experience since Wendell Willkie (R-NY) in 1940. Just an interesting fact.
By the way, this would make him the first nominee without any government/military experience since Wendell Willkie (R-NY) in 1940. Just an interesting fact.
*twists knife*
It's pretty much the same as OTL. His victory in the primaries ITTL is a lot more due to Biden than Jackson himself. Biden steals Gore, Gephardt and even Dukakis voters to varying extents allowing Jackson to sweep nearly the entire south and grab a few other important states as well, allowing Jackson to become the front runner. His momentum skyrockets from there, and further vote stealing from Biden doesn't exactly hurt.