Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes V (Do Not Post Current Politics Here)

[Goweegie2]

From my Führerreich TL

Robert James "Bob" Foley Jr. is an Aotearoan politician who served as Prime Minister of Aotearoa from 2007 to 2019, being the third-longest serving Prime Minister of Aotearoa or any of its predecessor states, as well as the longest serving Prime Minister under the title of "Prime Minister of Aotearoa". He was ousted in a leadership spill by his deputy PM, Alan Davis, in early 2019

 

[Anarcho-Occultist]

Ambition Meets Ambition
Considering the polarizing times and the fact the candidates came from completely different states (urban, cosmopolitan New York and agriculture-heavy, traditionalist Nebraska), the 2040 presidential election pitted two remarkably similar presidential candidates against each other. Both Senator Payton Hobart and Governor Tracy Flick had been politically engaged from a young age, being elected president of both their high school classes. Both had, even at this time, been illegally targetted by their opponents (a disgruntled teacher attempted to rig Flick's election against her and Hobart was deliberately given sepsis by the boyfriend of his ex-running mate). Despite these setbacks, both Flick and Hobart had managed to make successful forays into politics in college and used the successes they had there to build up to higher and higher office-ultimately coming to vie with each other for the White House. According sources close to both, becoming president had been a lifelong dream both of them possessed. In the end, however, only one of them could win it and it was Hobart-the younger of the two-to make it over the finish line.

Spoiler: In Case You Don't Get It...

Payton Hobart (played by Ben Platt) is the lead character of the recently released Netflix series The Politician, a comedy-drama about a teenager who aspires to become president one day and is seeking to lay the groundwork for that goal. Tracy Flick (played by Reese Witherspoon) is the central antagonist in the film Election, where she is an ambitious, cunning teenager running for student body president, to the ire of one of her teachers who blames her for getting a colleague fired. Said teacher goes on to recruit a challenger to her campaign and things escalate from there. Basically the two works explore a similar central conceit (teens who are planning long-term political rises starting with serving as student body president) in different ways (Hobart being a largely sympathetic character in a late 2010's series, Flick a more openly amoral figure who is from a late 90's film).

 

[RoxyLikeAPuma]

2012 Dixie Presidential Election

In the 2012 Dixie Presidential Election Virginia Senator Jim Webb defeated National Senator Newt Gingrich by 1.2% the closest presidential election since 1988. Webb who was fairly unknown before the election defeated vice-president Mike Espy, who was appointed VP by Sam Nunn following John Edward’s resignation from the presidency in 2009, in the primaries. Following the Edwards scandal, the Unionist Party became deeply unpopular with the National Party leading the Unionists in almost every poll. Once Webb and Gingrich won their respective primaries however, the gap in the polls between the parties began to shrink. Webb was on the more conservative end of the senate Unionists and was a critic of Edwards. Gingrich was one of the loudest voices calling for Edwards to be removed from office but has garnered attention as a strong conservative firebrand. Webb ended up winning by a narrow margin and became the first Unionist President to with without winning Kentucky.

In the 2012 vice presidential election Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor defeated former Virginia governor Bob McDonnel. While Gingrich was seen as too controversial, McDonnel was seen as too boring and uncharismatic. McDonnel was also criticized for running for VP despite not being a Senator, something that has become an expected qualification for the President of the Senate. Pryor became well known as a close supporter of Nunn both when he was VP and President.

 

[Charlie950]

Ambition Meets Ambition

Good box
I just wish the show took place in college and not high school. Platt is 26 years old and he's playing, what, a 16, 17 year old?
That and student politics in college is way more...interesting than a high school's student council, imo

McDonnel was also criticized for running for VP despite not being a Senator, something that has become an expected qualification for the President of the Senate. Pryor became well known as a close supporter of Nunn both when he was VP and President.

So I might be late to this TL's party, but why do the President and VP not run jointly? What's the rationale for it ITTL?

 

[InfernoMole]

@CapitalistHippie, very cool, but

urban, cosmopolitan New York and agriculture-heavy, traditionalist Nebraska)

wasn't Tracy Flick from New Jersey and Payton Hobart from California?

 

[Anarcho-Occultist]

Good box
I just wish the show took place in college and not high school. Platt is 26 years old and he's playing, what, a 16, 17 year old?
That and student politics in college is way more...interesting than a high school's student council, imo



So I might be late to this TL's party, but why do the President and VP not run jointly? What's the rationale for it ITTL?

To be fair, Platt is supposed to play Hobart in multiple later elections for higher and higher office. So it helps he’s not actually a teenager because it’ll be easier for him to play 40-something Payton within like five years.

 

[Anarcho-Occultist]

@CapitalistHippie, very cool, but



wasn't Tracy Flick from New Jersey and Payton Hobart from California?

The movie Election is set in Omaha, Nebraska and Flick works for/has a relationship with Nebraska’s Senator at the end. Hobart is from California originally, but

Spoiler: Spoilers for the season finale

By the end, he’s attending college at NYU and running for state senate in New York

 

[InfernoMole]

The movie Election is set in Omaha, Nebraska and Flick works for/has a relationship with Nebraska’s Senator at the end. Hobart is from California originally, but

Spoiler: Spoilers for the season finale

By the end, he’s attending college at NYU and running for state senate in New York

Oh.

Okay then.

 

[RoxyLikeAPuma]

Good box
I just wish the show took place in college and not high school. Platt is 26 years old and he's playing, what, a 16, 17 year old?
That and student politics in college is way more...interesting than a high school's student council, imo



So I might be late to this TL's party, but why do the President and VP not run jointly? What's the rationale for it ITTL?

The vice presidency is not a mostly ceremonial position as it is in OTL. It has quite a bit of power in the Senate. Henry Clay the first VP advocated for the VP to be elected on different tickets to keep power more separated.

I also based it off of the way many southern states elect governor and lt. governor separately.

 

[krinsbez]

Good box
I just wish the show took place in college and not high school. Platt is 26 years old and he's playing, what, a 16, 17 year old?

I presume that's part of the joke?

 

[LumineVonReuental]

Experimental Wikiboxes for Twilight of the Valkyries, some events from the first half of Part One:

 

[AlternateMan]

Wonderful creatures of the country of death part 3
Part 1: Dropbears
Part 2: Bunyips and British Weather

"Hello, I'm Tom Scott and I'm in Central Australia though the name is a bit controversial, I have another video about that but what I'm talking about today is an animal that explodes. I am near the habitat of the 'Boom turtle', one of the worse known weird creatures of this land because they're rarer than other creatures (due to their unique traits) and easier to spot so less deadly. Not because of their size, they are quite a small turtle but they can be heard chirping sounds usually a 'hello', 'Konichiwa' or one of many Aboriginal words for 'hello'. They're a lot like parrots in their limited speech repetition, they used to be used in circuses and freak shows until rules about explosives were brought in.

That brings us to the interesting thing about Boom turtles, why they are low in numbers and why they have that name. They have a protrusion from their shell looking like a button and when even a small amount of pressure is applied on, a mix of chemicals flood into each other causing a, well, boom. Due to this volatile nature, they are low in numbers. This makes reproduction difficult and when it's been observed it's either ended with an explosion if not done very carefully. It's thought that most of these turtles must come from the portal or hole in space near here. Droppers and bunyips are very careful around the turtles, in fact, they're one of the few animals droppers won't drop on. So, I'm Tom Scott and this is something you might not have known unless you are from one of the few countries around here."

Wikipedia having illustrations is probably more improbable than the hole in existence creating impossible creatures.

 

[KingCrawa]

Fear Nothing But God
Part One: The Great Revolution​

Fear Nothing But God:
i.The Great Revolution and the Fraternal Commonwealth
​

Would I be right in thinking that the Friends Church is a sort of reformed Puritan Presbyterian thing, while the Old Anglicans hold a position similar to the Roman Catholics in the UK of OTL?

 

[The Professor]

Would I be right in thinking that the Friends Church is a sort of reformed Puritan Presbyterian thing, while the Old Anglicans hold a position similar to the Roman Catholics in the UK of OTL?

It'll be a version of OTL Friends - the "Quakers" - who started out as sort of egalitarian puritans before spearheading liberal nonconformist protestantism.

 

[KingCrawa]

It'll be a version of OTL Friends - the "Quakers" - who started out as sort of egalitarian puritans before spearheading liberal nonconformist protestantism.

That was my initial thought as well. But I would think some Puritanism would fit better with the idea of a Commonwealth

 

[The Professor]

That was my initial thought as well. But I would think some Puritanism would fit better with the idea of a Commonwealth

The Quakers were sort of puritan, just not puritanical like the Puritans were.

 

[KingCrawa]

The Quakers were sort of puritan, just not puritanical like the Puritans were.

I mean yes I'm aware of this.

It could easily be the Quakers. But as this is a second Commonwealth and the first was insanely Puritan it makes more sense for it to be that. To me anyway.

It could be Quakers. But I can't see a logical route to Quakerism becoming the largest religious denomination where as there is one for a different nonconformist group with a similar name.

 

[The Professor]

I mean yes I'm aware of this.

It could easily be the Quakers. But as this is a second Commonwealth and the first was insanely Puritan it makes more sense for it to be that. To me anyway.

It could be Quakers. But I can't see a logical route to Quakerism becoming the largest religious denomination where as there is one for a different nonconformist group with a similar name.

The Puritans themselves were a small group and they've been discredited by the W3K hence their move to the Americas.
Here it looks like High Church Anglicanism is also discredited and the more egalitarian less puritanical puritan Friends could fit right in with the more Presbyterian Low Church given support from the State. Though why the name takes over seems a tad odd I agree.

 

[RoxyLikeAPuma]

2019 Maryland Provincial Election

In 2019, the Labor Party held its majority in its strongest continental province. Labor Premier Nancy Pelosi is the longest serving current premier in the Commonwealth of America and in Commonwealth history serving in that position for 17 years so far since 2002. The Labor Party lends its strength in Maryland to the high proportion of African-Americans that live in the province (which has the highest proportion of African-Americans in the Continental Commonwealth).

Spoiler: Map

 

[Major Crimson]

That was my initial thought as well. But I would think some Puritanism would fit better with the idea of a Commonwealth

The Quakers were sort of puritan, just not puritanical like the Puritans were.

I'm going to do a deep dive into Religion in the FC in a later box but yes the Friends are a development of OTL Quakers, who are in some ways puritanical. The Church and State are separated in the 18th century and Quakerism (which has diverged and differs from OTL) begins to grow rapidly. Old Anglicans are followers of the Church of England which still exists but is no longer officially the state church, although they keep the name. The box does actually have a mistake in it by not mentioning Catholics, which is something I will go back and fix.

Whilst the First Commonwealth was defined by Puritan religious dominance, this one actually comes to embrace religious toleration to some degree. The two men who end up dominating its politics are Sydney and Locke, the former an Anglican and the later a weird sort of-Calvinist. Both, however, believe in religious toleration (of protestants at the very least). Remember at this point Commonwealth doesn't immediately just mean Cromwell and Puritan Dictatorship (which most Whigs and reformers would know instead as the Protectorate) , it often meant republic and in the OTL formulation of John Locke means what we would today call a representative democracy.

I realise the names may be confusing but I'm hoping to flesh all of this out as time goes on!