Smith would likely be running in Airdrie and Shotts. Monklands East was abolished as a constituency by the 1997 election.
Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes IV (Do not post Current Politics Here)
- Thread starter Glide08
- Start date
- Status
This is curious, as SF on a good night in 1997 really could have only won three seats - West Belfast and Mid Ulster as they did OTL and West Tyrone - though that would be hard when it seemed that Nationalists were more prepared to vote SDLP in a bid to stop the UUP's William Thompson (who nonetheless surprisingly won a seat after decades of trying due to the Nationalist vote being in effect split 50:50 between the SDLP and the Shinners.)
In all honesty, I have very little knowledge of Northern Irish politics so I wasn't entirely sure what seats Sinn Fein could/couldn't have won.
Quality box, as always George! I really dig that flag. So what's going on in the greyed out areas on the Indiana border, around Cincy, Mariettta, and Cleveland?Cross-party conference nominates Tarrington to run for 5th term, opposition 'remains divided and confused'
-Ohio Chronicle
Special Report: Ron Lal the 'Hebraic, dark money candidate'; Port Liberty 'a nest of vipers'
-Hammer and Pen
Tarrington: More Jobs, More Justice!
(Domestic hooligans threaten district elections, see page five)
-Fatherland Forward!
Dr. Lal denies allegations of sex trafficking at Port Liberty, renews demand for independence plebiscite
-The New Freedom Journal
I suppose so, yes. Major's 92–97 ministry goes a lot more smoothly, he manages to keep a lot of his backbench rebels quiet. John Smith doesn't die, as in OTL, and he isn't as attractive to Middle England as Blair was. Labour sit high up in the polls throughout the term, but when it comes down to the voting booth, they don't do enough to persuade the floating voters. Major is still in trouble though, as he has an almost unworkable majority. Just 3 rebellions would grind his government to a halt.
I didn't really think too much into this as I just made it this morning, but I tried to imagine a scenario where Labour doesn't win '97. I think with Blair at the helm, Labour would have won no matter what, but I think Smith would probably have a harder time. If there's no Black Wednesday and Major actually appears pretty competent throughout, then I could definitely see a scenario where they hang on.
So no joining the ERM then? Or it works properly? I do wonder how Maastricht gets handled though.
Congratulations. You are the latest to get an Official Warning for not reading the title of the bloody thread before posting.
Since you had a clear record to this point it is just a warning. Had you ever had any action this would be a kick.
Very much my bad here. I appreciate the fact this is a warning and not a kick. You may not believe me, but it was legitimately my intention to post this in the chat forum thread, but I misread the thread title. I was in a hurry to go and did not check before posting.
The post has been deleted and I apologize for the trouble.
I created wikiboxes for the U.S. presidential elections in A Giant Sucking Sound: a President Perot TL by @MaskedPickle. The POD is Ross Perot not ending his 1992 presidential campaign, and selecting former California Governor Jerry Brown as his running mate. Perot is elected President of the United States, leading to dramatic changes at home and abroad...
Presidents of the United States
1989-1993: George Bush / Dan Quayle (Republican) [1]
1988: Michael Dukakis / Lloyd Bentsen (Democratic)
1993-1997: Ross Perot / Jerry Brown (Independent/Freedom) [2]
1992: Bill Clinton / Al Gore (Democratic), George Bush / Dan Quayle (Republican)
1997-2003: Ann Richards / Bob Kerrey (Democratic) [3]
1996: Ross Perot / David Boren (Freedom), Carroll Campbell / Jim Edgar (Republican)
2000: Jeb Bush / John Kasich (Republican), Angus King / Arlen Specter (Freedom), Pat Buchanan / Alan Keyes (Constitution), Jerry Brown / Bernie Sanders (Green)
2003-2005: Bob Kerrey / Bob Graham (Democratic) [4]
2005-2007: Donald Trump / Hill Harper (Freedom) [5]
2004: Bob Graham / Patty Murray (Democratic), Clarence Thomas / Richard Lugar (Republican)
2007-2009: Nancy Pelosi / Tom Vilsack (Democratic) [6]
2009-2013: Russ Feingold / Kathleen Sebelius (Democratic) [7]
2008: Mike Huckabee / John Thune (Republican), Ralph Nader / Jesse Ventura (Freedom)
2013-present: Jeb Bush / J. C. Watts (Republican) [8]
2012: Russ Feingold / Kathleen Sebelius (Democratic), Jesse Ventura / Buddy Roemer (Freedom)
[1] George Bush’s presidency was the same as in OTL, except he lost to Ross Perot instead of Bill Clinton. He was assassinated a few months after leaving office: while visiting Kuwait for a ceremony honoring the anniversary of the end of the Persian Gulf War, he was murdered by agents of the Iraqi security services (this was attempted in OTL). This led to a U.S. intervention in Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein.
[2] Ross Perot’s presidency had mixed results. His accomplishments included establishing the Freedom Party, dismantling NAFTA, adding a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, enacting campaign finance reform and anti-lobbying legislation, accelerating the development of the Internet, intervening to stop the Rwandan Genocide, deposing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, and preventing the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis from escalating into a war between China and Taiwan. However, he was forced to deal with a wave of terrorism across the world, including right-wing domestic terrorism by Stormfront (an alliance of white supremacists and the militia movement), Algerian Islamic terrorists crashing a hijacked airliner into the Eiffel Tower (leading to a European Union military intervention in Algeria), and Aum Shinrikyo detonating a stolen Russian nuclear warhead in Nagoya, Japan, killing 2 million people. Ultranationalists rose to power in Russia, with Vladimir Zhirinovsky getting elected president in 1996. Perot also did not get along with Vice President Jerry Brown and dropped him from the Freedom Party ticket in 1996. His paranoia intensified in the wake of continuous terrorist attacks, including an unsuccessful attempt on his life by Stormfront. His reputation also suffered greatly when he and his administration were accused of taking bribes from Chinese businessmen in the “Chinagate” scandal. Perot ultimately had a public meltdown during the third presidential debate and stormed off stage, effectively giving up on his reelection campaign and the presidency. Despite the mixed results of his tenure, Ross Perot is considered one of most consequential presidents in United States history, and his presidency is considered the unofficial beginning of the 21st century, for better or worse.
[3] Ann Richards became the Democratic presidential nominee in 1996 after Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, the presumptive nominee, was assassinated by Stormfront; Richards was the runner-up in the primaries. She went on to become the first female President of the United States. She dealt with her liberal agenda being obstructed by a Republican-Freedomite coalition in Congress, as well as continued terrorism from Stormfront. She cracked down on Stormfront, passing draconian anti-terrorism legislation and presiding over the capture, trial, and execution of Stromfront’s leaders. Tensions on the international stage were no better, with Iraq descending into civil war, Russia under President Zhirinovsky pursuing a belligerent foreign policy, and the EU bogged down in a War on Terror against Islamic terrorists. In 2000 Richards’ prospects for reelection were in jeopardy due to backlash against her policies and governance. The Asia-Pacific attacks in October 2000, carried out by al-Qaeda, caused a rally-round-the-flag effect that allowed Richards to be reelected. She focused her second term on combating the Taliban and Islamic terrorism, which led to Osama bin Laden being killed in Tora Bora in 2002. Richards and Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke also prevented a war between India and Pakistan from going nuclear. The Middle East meanwhile spiraled out of control, while Vladimir Zhirinovsky oppressed Russian Muslims and the EU militarily intervened in Serbia to topple Slobodan Milošević. Richards died in office in 2003 from lung cancer, a consequence of her escalated smoking habit due to the stresses of her presidency.
[4] Vice President Bob Kerrey succeeded the late Ann Richards in the White House. He selected Senate Majority Leader Bob Graham to serve as his VP. Kerrey declined to run for election in 2004 after his alleged war crimes during the Thanh Phong raid in the Vietnam War were exposed to the public. His presidency coincided with the Arab Spring (which occurred earlier than in OTL, and with different effects, such as Saudi Arabia collapsing into civil war) and a global economic meltdown in 2004. Kerrey spent his short presidency continuing America’s fight against Islamic terrorists, including a military intervention in the Philippines. The U.S. also ratified the Kyoto Protocol under Kerrey’s watch.
[5] Donald Trump, billionaire businessman and former Governor of New York, united the Freedom Party behind him as he won a contested election that had to be decided by Congress. As president he embraced economic protectionism and expanded domestic energy production. He launched a U.S. invasion of Cuba after Fidel Castro’s death, followed by a U.S. invasion of North Korea after it tested a nuclear bomb; both wars were very controversial. He established a mutual defense pact between the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Quebec (which gained independence in 1995). Trump also presided over the return of American astronauts to the Moon. The globe remained chaotic: Russia invaded eastern Ukraine, the Muslim world remained torn by conflict and civil unrest, an Indian Pope was elected, and the European Union adopted a constitution (which led to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU). Trump eventually went insane, threatening to start a nuclear war with Russia, which was only averted when Vice President Hill Harper resigned and convinced the U.S. military to remove Trump from office in a coup.
[6] Nancy Pelosi, as Speaker of the House, was next in the line of succession after Trump’s removal from office, since Vice President Harper had resigned (to avoid being accused of ousting Trump to seize power for himself). She served as a caretaker president and declined to seek election in 2008. The world calmed down somewhat; Vladimir Zhirinovsky was ousted from power in Russia.
[7] Russ Feingold, the first Jewish U.S. President, presided over an “American Glasnost,” which saw the dismantling of draconian anti-terrorist laws and surveillance measures; investigations of military and intelligence operations from the previous presidential administrations; and a renewed commitment to civil liberties. He also instituted universal healthcare in the United States and presided over renewed unionization. The world further calmed down: the United Kingdom rejoined the EU, a joint recognition treaty between Israel and Palestine was instituted, and Russia, now ruled by Alexander Lebed, was less authoritarian than under the Zhirinovsky years. Despite Feingold’s accomplishments, he was defeated for reelection in 2012.
[8] Jeb Bush was the first Republican president since his father twenty years earlier. He campaigned on a “return to normalcy,” a message that resonated with many Americans after two decades of political, economic, and social upheaval at home and abroad. Voter fatigue with Democratic and Freedomite presidents also helped him achieve victory.
1989-1993: George Bush / Dan Quayle (Republican) [1]
1988: Michael Dukakis / Lloyd Bentsen (Democratic)
1993-1997: Ross Perot / Jerry Brown (Independent/Freedom) [2]
1992: Bill Clinton / Al Gore (Democratic), George Bush / Dan Quayle (Republican)
1997-2003: Ann Richards / Bob Kerrey (Democratic) [3]
1996: Ross Perot / David Boren (Freedom), Carroll Campbell / Jim Edgar (Republican)
2000: Jeb Bush / John Kasich (Republican), Angus King / Arlen Specter (Freedom), Pat Buchanan / Alan Keyes (Constitution), Jerry Brown / Bernie Sanders (Green)
2003-2005: Bob Kerrey / Bob Graham (Democratic) [4]
2005-2007: Donald Trump / Hill Harper (Freedom) [5]
2004: Bob Graham / Patty Murray (Democratic), Clarence Thomas / Richard Lugar (Republican)
2007-2009: Nancy Pelosi / Tom Vilsack (Democratic) [6]
2009-2013: Russ Feingold / Kathleen Sebelius (Democratic) [7]
2008: Mike Huckabee / John Thune (Republican), Ralph Nader / Jesse Ventura (Freedom)
2013-present: Jeb Bush / J. C. Watts (Republican) [8]
2012: Russ Feingold / Kathleen Sebelius (Democratic), Jesse Ventura / Buddy Roemer (Freedom)
[1] George Bush’s presidency was the same as in OTL, except he lost to Ross Perot instead of Bill Clinton. He was assassinated a few months after leaving office: while visiting Kuwait for a ceremony honoring the anniversary of the end of the Persian Gulf War, he was murdered by agents of the Iraqi security services (this was attempted in OTL). This led to a U.S. intervention in Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein.
[2] Ross Perot’s presidency had mixed results. His accomplishments included establishing the Freedom Party, dismantling NAFTA, adding a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, enacting campaign finance reform and anti-lobbying legislation, accelerating the development of the Internet, intervening to stop the Rwandan Genocide, deposing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, and preventing the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis from escalating into a war between China and Taiwan. However, he was forced to deal with a wave of terrorism across the world, including right-wing domestic terrorism by Stormfront (an alliance of white supremacists and the militia movement), Algerian Islamic terrorists crashing a hijacked airliner into the Eiffel Tower (leading to a European Union military intervention in Algeria), and Aum Shinrikyo detonating a stolen Russian nuclear warhead in Nagoya, Japan, killing 2 million people. Ultranationalists rose to power in Russia, with Vladimir Zhirinovsky getting elected president in 1996. Perot also did not get along with Vice President Jerry Brown and dropped him from the Freedom Party ticket in 1996. His paranoia intensified in the wake of continuous terrorist attacks, including an unsuccessful attempt on his life by Stormfront. His reputation also suffered greatly when he and his administration were accused of taking bribes from Chinese businessmen in the “Chinagate” scandal. Perot ultimately had a public meltdown during the third presidential debate and stormed off stage, effectively giving up on his reelection campaign and the presidency. Despite the mixed results of his tenure, Ross Perot is considered one of most consequential presidents in United States history, and his presidency is considered the unofficial beginning of the 21st century, for better or worse.
[3] Ann Richards became the Democratic presidential nominee in 1996 after Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, the presumptive nominee, was assassinated by Stormfront; Richards was the runner-up in the primaries. She went on to become the first female President of the United States. She dealt with her liberal agenda being obstructed by a Republican-Freedomite coalition in Congress, as well as continued terrorism from Stormfront. She cracked down on Stormfront, passing draconian anti-terrorism legislation and presiding over the capture, trial, and execution of Stromfront’s leaders. Tensions on the international stage were no better, with Iraq descending into civil war, Russia under President Zhirinovsky pursuing a belligerent foreign policy, and the EU bogged down in a War on Terror against Islamic terrorists. In 2000 Richards’ prospects for reelection were in jeopardy due to backlash against her policies and governance. The Asia-Pacific attacks in October 2000, carried out by al-Qaeda, caused a rally-round-the-flag effect that allowed Richards to be reelected. She focused her second term on combating the Taliban and Islamic terrorism, which led to Osama bin Laden being killed in Tora Bora in 2002. Richards and Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke also prevented a war between India and Pakistan from going nuclear. The Middle East meanwhile spiraled out of control, while Vladimir Zhirinovsky oppressed Russian Muslims and the EU militarily intervened in Serbia to topple Slobodan Milošević. Richards died in office in 2003 from lung cancer, a consequence of her escalated smoking habit due to the stresses of her presidency.
[4] Vice President Bob Kerrey succeeded the late Ann Richards in the White House. He selected Senate Majority Leader Bob Graham to serve as his VP. Kerrey declined to run for election in 2004 after his alleged war crimes during the Thanh Phong raid in the Vietnam War were exposed to the public. His presidency coincided with the Arab Spring (which occurred earlier than in OTL, and with different effects, such as Saudi Arabia collapsing into civil war) and a global economic meltdown in 2004. Kerrey spent his short presidency continuing America’s fight against Islamic terrorists, including a military intervention in the Philippines. The U.S. also ratified the Kyoto Protocol under Kerrey’s watch.
[5] Donald Trump, billionaire businessman and former Governor of New York, united the Freedom Party behind him as he won a contested election that had to be decided by Congress. As president he embraced economic protectionism and expanded domestic energy production. He launched a U.S. invasion of Cuba after Fidel Castro’s death, followed by a U.S. invasion of North Korea after it tested a nuclear bomb; both wars were very controversial. He established a mutual defense pact between the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Quebec (which gained independence in 1995). Trump also presided over the return of American astronauts to the Moon. The globe remained chaotic: Russia invaded eastern Ukraine, the Muslim world remained torn by conflict and civil unrest, an Indian Pope was elected, and the European Union adopted a constitution (which led to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU). Trump eventually went insane, threatening to start a nuclear war with Russia, which was only averted when Vice President Hill Harper resigned and convinced the U.S. military to remove Trump from office in a coup.
[6] Nancy Pelosi, as Speaker of the House, was next in the line of succession after Trump’s removal from office, since Vice President Harper had resigned (to avoid being accused of ousting Trump to seize power for himself). She served as a caretaker president and declined to seek election in 2008. The world calmed down somewhat; Vladimir Zhirinovsky was ousted from power in Russia.
[7] Russ Feingold, the first Jewish U.S. President, presided over an “American Glasnost,” which saw the dismantling of draconian anti-terrorist laws and surveillance measures; investigations of military and intelligence operations from the previous presidential administrations; and a renewed commitment to civil liberties. He also instituted universal healthcare in the United States and presided over renewed unionization. The world further calmed down: the United Kingdom rejoined the EU, a joint recognition treaty between Israel and Palestine was instituted, and Russia, now ruled by Alexander Lebed, was less authoritarian than under the Zhirinovsky years. Despite Feingold’s accomplishments, he was defeated for reelection in 2012.
[8] Jeb Bush was the first Republican president since his father twenty years earlier. He campaigned on a “return to normalcy,” a message that resonated with many Americans after two decades of political, economic, and social upheaval at home and abroad. Voter fatigue with Democratic and Freedomite presidents also helped him achieve victory.
The timeline did not include the popular vote totals or the turnout for U.S. elections, so I made some guesses as to what they would be. I assumed turnout would generally be higher than in OTL due to having a viable third party to vote for.
The 2000 election map was missing in the timeline, so I made an educated guess as to which states were won by each candidate based on the electoral vote totals, the political allegiances of the states in this TL, and some hints from the text. I included Pat Buchanan and Jerry Brown in the wikibox (even though they each received less than 5% of the popular vote) because they were included in TTL’s presidential debates.
For the 2004 election, the popular vote percentages were missing in the timeline, so I made some educated guesses. I assumed it was a close election, but that Trump would probably win the popular vote against Graham and Thomas because of his media-savvy. I also made a guess regarding the map for the House contingent election (which would have occurred after the new Congress convened in January 2005). Since the Freedom Party did not have a majority, I assumed that some Democrats and Republicans in the House voted to elect Trump as part of some tripartisan deal.
For the 2008 election, all we know from the timeline is that Russ Feingold was elected. It may have been hinted that Mike Huckabee ran in the GOP primaries as well, so I made him the GOP nominee. Ralph Nader seemed like a good candidate for the Freedomites to nominate in 2008 given his anti-establishment nature and lack of ties to the Trump administration (and of course he ran for POTUS multiple times in OTL on third-party tickets). I assumed the Freedomites would suffer a shellacking in 2008 due to Trump’s controversial presidency.
For the 2012 election, all we know from the timeline is that Jeb Bush was elected, defeating the incumbent Russ Feingold. I figured that Jesse Ventura would be an appropriate Freedomite candidate. Ventura’s running mate Buddy Roemer would probably join the Freedom Party in this TL; I imagined him being elected Governor of Louisiana in 2007, winning by distancing himself from Trump and because I assumed the incumbent David Vitter (elected in 2003) would probably have a sex scandal like in OTL.
I believe that in this TL, there would be increased support in the United States for the abolition of the Electoral College. Both Democrats and Republicans got screwed out of the presidency (in 1992 and 2000, respectively) because of the EC, and one election (2004) had to be decided by Congress because no candidate won a majority of electoral votes. The U.S. Constitution would probably be amended to abolish the Electoral College and institute direct popular vote for the presidency. Due to having a three-party system, I imagine there would also be increased support for alternatives to first-past-the-post voting, such as ranked-choice voting or a runoff system, which would be more appropriate for a multi-party system.
The 2000 election map was missing in the timeline, so I made an educated guess as to which states were won by each candidate based on the electoral vote totals, the political allegiances of the states in this TL, and some hints from the text. I included Pat Buchanan and Jerry Brown in the wikibox (even though they each received less than 5% of the popular vote) because they were included in TTL’s presidential debates.
For the 2004 election, the popular vote percentages were missing in the timeline, so I made some educated guesses. I assumed it was a close election, but that Trump would probably win the popular vote against Graham and Thomas because of his media-savvy. I also made a guess regarding the map for the House contingent election (which would have occurred after the new Congress convened in January 2005). Since the Freedom Party did not have a majority, I assumed that some Democrats and Republicans in the House voted to elect Trump as part of some tripartisan deal.
For the 2008 election, all we know from the timeline is that Russ Feingold was elected. It may have been hinted that Mike Huckabee ran in the GOP primaries as well, so I made him the GOP nominee. Ralph Nader seemed like a good candidate for the Freedomites to nominate in 2008 given his anti-establishment nature and lack of ties to the Trump administration (and of course he ran for POTUS multiple times in OTL on third-party tickets). I assumed the Freedomites would suffer a shellacking in 2008 due to Trump’s controversial presidency.
For the 2012 election, all we know from the timeline is that Jeb Bush was elected, defeating the incumbent Russ Feingold. I figured that Jesse Ventura would be an appropriate Freedomite candidate. Ventura’s running mate Buddy Roemer would probably join the Freedom Party in this TL; I imagined him being elected Governor of Louisiana in 2007, winning by distancing himself from Trump and because I assumed the incumbent David Vitter (elected in 2003) would probably have a sex scandal like in OTL.
I believe that in this TL, there would be increased support in the United States for the abolition of the Electoral College. Both Democrats and Republicans got screwed out of the presidency (in 1992 and 2000, respectively) because of the EC, and one election (2004) had to be decided by Congress because no candidate won a majority of electoral votes. The U.S. Constitution would probably be amended to abolish the Electoral College and institute direct popular vote for the presidency. Due to having a three-party system, I imagine there would also be increased support for alternatives to first-past-the-post voting, such as ranked-choice voting or a runoff system, which would be more appropriate for a multi-party system.
I meant my original quote within the context of winning the party's nomination. Even if Lieberman ran for the nomination, he still lost to Kerry.
The Poarter
Banned
I created wikiboxes for the U.S. presidential elections in A Giant Sucking Sound: a President Perot TL by @MaskedPickle. The POD is Ross Perot not ending his 1992 presidential campaign, and selecting former California Governor Jerry Brown as his running mate. Perot is elected President of the United States, leading to dramatic changes at home and abroad...
Presidents of the United States
1989-1993: George Bush / Dan Quayle (Republican) [1]
1988: Michael Dukakis / Lloyd Bentsen (Democratic)
1993-1997: Ross Perot / Jerry Brown (Independent/Freedom) [2]
1992: Bill Clinton / Al Gore (Democratic), George Bush / Dan Quayle (Republican)
1997-2003: Ann Richards / Bob Kerrey (Democratic) [3]
1996: Ross Perot / David Boren (Freedom), Carroll Campbell / Jim Edgar (Republican)
2000: Jeb Bush / John Kasich (Republican), Angus King / Arlen Specter (Freedom), Pat Buchanan / Alan Keyes (Constitution), Jerry Brown / Bernie Sanders (Green)
2003-2005: Bob Kerrey / Bob Graham (Democratic) [4]
2005-2007: Donald Trump / Hill Harper (Freedom) [5]
2004: Bob Graham / Patty Murray (Democratic), Clarence Thomas / Richard Lugar (Republican)
2007-2009: Nancy Pelosi / Tom Vilsack (Democratic) [6]
2009-2013: Russ Feingold / Kathleen Sebelius (Democratic) [7]
2008: Mike Huckabee / John Thune (Republican), Ralph Nader / Jesse Ventura (Freedom)
2013-present: Jeb Bush / J. C. Watts (Republican) [8]
2012: Russ Feingold / Kathleen Sebelius (Democratic), Jesse Ventura / Buddy Roemer (Freedom)
[1] George Bush’s presidency was the same as in OTL, except he lost to Ross Perot instead of Bill Clinton. He was assassinated a few months after leaving office: while visiting Kuwait for a ceremony honoring the anniversary of the end of the Persian Gulf War, he was murdered by agents of the Iraqi security services (this was attempted in OTL). This led to a U.S. intervention in Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein.
[2] Ross Perot’s presidency had mixed results. His accomplishments included establishing the Freedom Party, dismantling NAFTA, adding a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, enacting campaign finance reform and anti-lobbying legislation, accelerating the development of the Internet, intervening to stop the Rwandan Genocide, deposing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, and preventing the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis from escalating into a war between China and Taiwan. However, he was forced to deal with a wave of terrorism across the world, including right-wing domestic terrorism by Stormfront (an alliance of white supremacists and the militia movement), Algerian Islamic terrorists crashing a hijacked airliner into the Eiffel Tower (leading to a European Union military intervention in Algeria), and Aum Shinrikyo detonating a stolen Russian nuclear warhead in Nagoya, Japan, killing 2 million people. Ultranationalists rose to power in Russia, with Vladimir Zhirinovsky getting elected president in 1996. Perot also did not get along with Vice President Jerry Brown and dropped him from the Freedom Party ticket in 1996. His paranoia intensified in the wake of continuous terrorist attacks, including an unsuccessful attempt on his life by Stormfront. His reputation also suffered greatly when he and his administration were accused of taking bribes from Chinese businessmen in the “Chinagate” scandal. Perot ultimately had a public meltdown during the third presidential debate and stormed off stage, effectively giving up on his reelection campaign and the presidency. Despite the mixed results of his tenure, Ross Perot is considered one of most consequential presidents in United States history, and his presidency is considered the unofficial beginning of the 21st century, for better or worse.
[3] Ann Richards became the Democratic presidential nominee in 1996 after Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, the presumptive nominee, was assassinated by Stormfront; Richards was the runner-up in the primaries. She went on to become the first female President of the United States. She dealt with her liberal agenda being obstructed by a Republican-Freedomite coalition in Congress, as well as continued terrorism from Stormfront. She cracked down on Stormfront, passing draconian anti-terrorism legislation and presiding over the capture, trial, and execution of Stromfront’s leaders. Tensions on the international stage were no better, with Iraq descending into civil war, Russia under President Zhirinovsky pursuing a belligerent foreign policy, and the EU bogged down in a War on Terror against Islamic terrorists. In 2000 Richards’ prospects for reelection were in jeopardy due to backlash against her policies and governance. The Asia-Pacific attacks in October 2000, carried out by al-Qaeda, caused a rally-round-the-flag effect that allowed Richards to be reelected. She focused her second term on combating the Taliban and Islamic terrorism, which led to Osama bin Laden being killed in Tora Bora in 2002. Richards and Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke also prevented a war between India and Pakistan from going nuclear. The Middle East meanwhile spiraled out of control, while Vladimir Zhirinovsky oppressed Russian Muslims and the EU militarily intervened in Serbia to topple Slobodan Milošević. Richards died in office in 2003 from lung cancer, a consequence of her escalated smoking habit due to the stresses of her presidency.
[4] Vice President Bob Kerrey succeeded the late Ann Richards in the White House. He selected Senate Majority Leader Bob Graham to serve as his VP. Kerrey declined to run for election in 2004 after his alleged war crimes during the Thanh Phong raid in the Vietnam War were exposed to the public. His presidency coincided with the Arab Spring (which occurred earlier than in OTL, and with different effects, such as Saudi Arabia collapsing into civil war) and a global economic meltdown in 2004. Kerrey spent his short presidency continuing America’s fight against Islamic terrorists, including a military intervention in the Philippines. The U.S. also ratified the Kyoto Protocol under Kerrey’s watch.
[5] Donald Trump, billionaire businessman and former Governor of New York, united the Freedom Party behind him as he won a contested election that had to be decided by Congress. As president he embraced economic protectionism and expanded domestic energy production. He launched a U.S. invasion of Cuba after Fidel Castro’s death, followed by a U.S. invasion of North Korea after it tested a nuclear bomb; both wars were very controversial. He established a mutual defense pact between the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Quebec (which gained independence in 1995). Trump also presided over the return of American astronauts to the Moon. The globe remained chaotic: Russia invaded eastern Ukraine, the Muslim world remained torn by conflict and civil unrest, an Indian Pope was elected, and the European Union adopted a constitution (which led to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU). Trump eventually went insane, threatening to start a nuclear war with Russia, which was only averted when Vice President Hill Harper resigned and convinced the U.S. military to remove Trump from office in a coup.
[6] Nancy Pelosi, as Speaker of the House, was next in the line of succession after Trump’s removal from office, since Vice President Harper had resigned (to avoid being accused of ousting Trump to seize power for himself). She served as a caretaker president and declined to seek election in 2008. The world calmed down somewhat; Vladimir Zhirinovsky was ousted from power in Russia.
[7] Russ Feingold, the first Jewish U.S. President, presided over an “American Glasnost,” which saw the dismantling of draconian anti-terrorist laws and surveillance measures; investigations of military and intelligence operations from the previous presidential administrations; and a renewed commitment to civil liberties. He also instituted universal healthcare in the United States and presided over renewed unionization. The world further calmed down: the United Kingdom rejoined the EU, a joint recognition treaty between Israel and Palestine was instituted, and Russia, now ruled by Alexander Lebed, was less authoritarian than under the Zhirinovsky years. Despite Feingold’s accomplishments, he was defeated for reelection in 2012.
[8] Jeb Bush was the first Republican president since his father twenty years earlier. He campaigned on a “return to normalcy,” a message that resonated with many Americans after two decades of political, economic, and social upheaval at home and abroad. Voter fatigue with Democratic and Freedomite presidents also helped him achieve victory.
The timeline did not include the popular vote totals or the turnout for U.S. elections, so I made some guesses as to what they would be. I assumed turnout would generally be higher than in OTL due to having a viable third party to vote for.
The 2000 election map was missing in the timeline, so I made an educated guess as to which states were won by each candidate based on the electoral vote totals, the political allegiances of the states in this TL, and some hints from the text. I included Pat Buchanan and Jerry Brown in the wikibox (even though they each received less than 5% of the popular vote) because they were included in TTL’s presidential debates.
For the 2004 election, the popular vote percentages were missing in the timeline, so I made some educated guesses. I assumed it was a close election, but that Trump would probably win the popular vote against Graham and Thomas because of his media-savvy. I also made a guess regarding the map for the House contingent election (which would have occurred after the new Congress convened in January 2005). Since the Freedom Party did not have a majority, I assumed that some Democrats and Republicans in the House voted to elect Trump as part of some tripartisan deal.
For the 2008 election, all we know from the timeline is that Russ Feingold was elected. It may have been hinted that Mike Huckabee ran in the GOP primaries as well, so I made him the GOP nominee. Ralph Nader seemed like a good candidate for the Freedomites to nominate in 2008 given his anti-establishment nature and lack of ties to the Trump administration (and of course he ran for POTUS multiple times in OTL on third-party tickets). I assumed the Freedomites would suffer a shellacking in 2008 due to Trump’s controversial presidency.
For the 2012 election, all we know from the timeline is that Jeb Bush was elected, defeating the incumbent Russ Feingold. I figured that Jesse Ventura would be an appropriate Freedomite candidate. Ventura’s running mate Buddy Roemer would probably join the Freedom Party in this TL; I imagined him being elected Governor of Louisiana in 2007, winning by distancing himself from Trump and because I assumed the incumbent David Vitter (elected in 2003) would probably have a sex scandal like in OTL.
I believe that in this TL, there would be increased support in the United States for the abolition of the Electoral College. Both Democrats and Republicans got screwed out of the presidency (in 1992 and 2000, respectively) because of the EC, and one election (2004) had to be decided by Congress because no candidate won a majority of electoral votes. The U.S. Constitution would probably be amended to abolish the Electoral College and institute direct popular vote for the presidency. Due to having a three-party system, I imagine there would also be increased support for alternatives to first-past-the-post voting, such as ranked-choice voting or a runoff system, which would be more appropriate for a multi-party system.
Excellent. Excellent
I would say more of a 21st century Warren Harding who was too low-energy to have a mistress to write smutty love letters to.
In A Giant Sucking Sound Jeb Bush was elected Governor of Florida in 1994 (defeating Lawton Chiles) and reelected in 1998. He was later elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, then ran for the Republican nomination again in 2012 and was elected president. I would say he would be closer to Richard Nixon, if Nixon had won the 1962 California gubernatorial election (and hopefully less crooked and jaded).
@BlackentheBorg Hill Harper ITTL becomes an Iowa Senator, and is actually the one who ends the Trump administration by resigning and exposing his actions with Zhirinovsky's Russia.
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