Just for a little fun, here is a Wikibox of the 2100 United States Presidential Election in the same world as the cyberpunk Greenland (and yes, before you ask, I
am such a nerd that the tiny flag at the top has 53 stars, not 50):
Things have changed quite a bit from 2016, obviously. The election was not exactly an upset, but it was still a bit of a surprise. While not the first election to be won without California or Texas, it was the first election in ages to be won without California, Texas,
or New York. Rather, the Moderate Worker's Party has gone to great lengths to attract a powerbase throughout the New South and working classes of the Midwest and Appalachians to form their primary base, as well as in the Dakotas (South Dakota was an upset) and Colorado. Alabama and Indiana were narrow defeats as well, and the WMP was the first party in quite some time to get close to tipping New York. Despite a few upsets, though, the leadership of Guillermo Castro held strong and he, along with Vice President and Georgia native Maria Toussiant, is headed to the White House in 2101. To get an idea of how the parties are in 2100, here is a quick overview:
Moderate Worker's Party:
One of the relatively newer parties, the MWP was born out of the "New South": a period of economic prosperity in the southern states during the 2030's and 2040's as climate controls began to take effect and a new generation of younger minorities eager for a new beginning as well as educated whites headed for Georgia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas in waves. With the total failure of the two-party system and passing of laws that allowed for a win without a majority of electoral votes, many parties arose and the MWP was the strongest of them. Based out of Atlanta, the MWP has stood for progressiveness on social issues while taking a moderate tack on economic and foreign policy issues. It is a party that has attracted large numbers of middle-class, lower middle-class, and lower-class voters over the years due to the ability to appeal to beneficial conservative economic policies without sacrificing a progressive bent on social issues of the day. Would be considered roughly similar to the Democratic Party of today, though due to the shifting political landscape of the United States are often classified as Center or Center-Right.
New Christian Democratic Party:
The NCDP (quite a mouthful!) was born directly out of the downfall of the old Republican Party and Democratic Party in the early 2030's. The NCDP was created for the specific purpose of giving a place for people who were socially conservative without going totally overboard and moderates on economic policy a place to go. With the parties increasingly splitting to the far left and far right in that tumultuous time of massive climate change decay and market crashes, it was a very broad appeal. Though the party began in Missouri, it, at first, blossomed throughout the Midwest on the other side of the Mississippi, and for a number of years spread from Pennsylvania to Minnesota and up from Michigan all the way down to Tennessee. Over time, the party has changed and now appeals more those on the other side, particularly moderate Texans and Westerners, but it still has a few holdouts across the river. While they lost the most recent election, the NCDP recently enjoyed 8 good years under the leadership of Lillian Tan (2093-2101) and looks eagerly to the next election, particularly with only narrow losses in the Senate and House. Often positioning themselves as the Voice of Reason and Moderation in these times, the Minneapolis-based party still finds great popularity across the United States as the de-facto Conservative Party, though by definition of 2016's world they'd be RINOs at best, Democrats at worst.
Democratic Party:
Technically still the same party of Jackson, Cleveland, Wilson, Roosevelt, Kennedy, and the Clintons, the Democratic Party has changed in the intervening century. Following the effective downfall of the Democratic Party as it was in the 2036 election with an even tie and tied House that went with a third party candidate for President, the Democratic Party underwent a time of change and development into what it is today. While its days of winning the Presidency seem to be long over, the New York City-based party no longer minds. With the new breed of American politics has come new opportunities for parties to focus on local politics rather than national. The Democratic Party has spent decades fostering its power in Greater New England (besides Vermont, long a Liberal stronghold) and has made New Jersey into more or less a single-party state under the Democrats. However, as of late, their strategy has shifted to California where a very challenged primary and sour voters allowed the Democrats to squeak by in a massive upset in traditionally-liberal California; perhaps as part of a new strategy due to Maine and New Hampshire swinging back toward their more conservative roots. While certainly not as far down the socialist road as the Liberals, the Democrats continue to be a leftist party that would, in 2100, not be out of place in Europe today or in 2100. They also tend to be the most financially-focused party of the bunch, attracting a diverse crowd from the disaffected Northeast working class to Wall Street bankers.
Liberal Party:
From, as FDR called it, the Soviet of Washington comes the Liberal Party, the socialist-democratic alternative to the Democratic Party. From humble beginnings, this party rose to challenge the hold Democrats had on a number of states in the late 2030's and 2040's and for a time was a real contender in major politics. Those days are past, but the Liberals continue to be a strong local party with influential chapters all over the nation. They see themselves as the party of the workers (despite the MWP's name), the immigrants, the needy, and the listless and have done well on that platform for years, despite typically only carrying the Western states and Vermont. Recent upsets, however, have begun to change the face of the party. With unexpected wins in D.C. and Puerto Rico and an upsetting loss in California, the Liberal Party may be on course for a new strategy, particularly as their socialist-democratic message, which once would have scared away Americans, now seems to be more and more appealing. While moderation and centrism carries the day for now, the Liberal Party is hoping to grow and provide their own upsets in the new century.
Green Alliance Party:
Technically, the Green Alliance were not supposed to be a national political party. Following devastating defeats in 2016 and 2020, the Green Party fractured and the Green Alliance arose as a local-based alternative to connect people and ideas rather than fruitlessly fight for the Presidency. Then the Southwest Collapse happened. With Las Vegas, Phoenix, Flagstaff, and even parts of Albuquerque emptying as people began to flee en masse from drought and devastation, those that were left behind turned to the Green Alliance for help. Those were hard times, ones without plenty or, really, much sustenance of any kind. It was only through the breakthrough in air well technology and massive new conservation programs that the Southwest was saved at all, though continues to be a shadow of what it once was. While the Green Alliance has not sought to win the Presidency seriously (with candidates like Jorge Badillo using the platform as a way to keep Green-based measures in the public eye), they still have considerable power and respect both in the states most affected by the new policies and those outside. In many ways, they are more politically neutral from the other parties and seek only policies that will benefit both Americans and the environment. Far from their grandfathers' Green Party, this one seems here to stay and, hopefully, will be able to one day see the Southwest returned to even a little bit of its former glory. Based in an office in Alaska overlooking a new growth forest where logging companies now fear to tread, they can safely say that they have already done much.
