Stan The Man
Banned
Something I whipped up using the Young Italy wikibox for an rise of nationalism in Westeros's version of the 19th Century. I'll do an write up later.
Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes V (Do Not Post Current Politics Here)
- Status
I think I'm allowed to post this here, since 2008 was almost 10 years ago.
As most of you know, these last few months I've been working as an intern as part of getting my Ed degree. I've recently been informed that I have passed, so all these months of hard work have been worth it. Now obviously that work has meant I didn't have time to work on this TL, which recently celebrated its 1 Year Anniversary, but now that I do have the time, I can begin work on it once more. So, apologies for the wait, I'm incredibly rusty at writing. I can't wait for you all to see what I have planned.
So, without further ado, please enjoy the United States presidential election, 2008. Thanks for waiting, and thanks so much for all the support!
Special shout-out to @True Grit and @lord caedus for all the help and feedback.
By their nature, national conventions are safe spaces for the party faithful, be they Republican or Democrat. Over the course of a few days, high profile politicians, former politicians, forgotten politicians, party insiders, and volunteers gather under a single roof to drink, socialize, and hopefully nominate a ticket that will usher their party to victory. Everyone leaves having had a good time, and in most cases their candidate receives a bit of a boost in the polls after they portray themselves as even remotely human. Such was the case with then Republicans. Understandably Fred Thompson had somewhat of a hill to climb, by virtue of the scandal surrounding his health. Having dispatched Congressman Ron Paul and his dissident followers, the President was set to orchestrate what his campaign inner circle bluntly hoped would be his redemption, rising from the proverbial grave ala Lazarus. After all, the GOP had only just reclaimed the White House after twelves years in the political wilderness. None, except the most ambitious few within the GOP, wished to see the party lose it after only a single term.
Momentarily delayed in order to show respect to the devastation caused by Hurricane Gustav, the Republican National Convention opened with comments from the last Republican in the White House still able to make such presentations, former Vice President Dan Quayle. With former President Bush in his mid-eighties, it was left to Quayle to champion the successes of Republican administrations past. Comparing President Thompson to both Reagan and Bush, the former Vice President conceded that the country was better led by a man who, although flawed, had been willing to concede his mistakes and improve upon himself, as opposed to a man championing policies of weakness and surrender. After more than a decade in exile from public life, some political commentators speculated that Quayle’s speech had been part of a campaign to position himself to reclaim his old seat in the Senate come 2010. After Quayle came the assorted congregation of Senators, Representatives, Governors, party insiders and defeated candidates that those who followed these sorts of things expected. Michigan Governor Mitt Romney, a former critic of the President now safely re-elected, praised Thompson’s handling of the economy. Texas Governor Kay Bailey Hutchison praised his down-to-earth spirit, common-sense conservatism, and the fact that as a loving husband, Thompson knew the importance of making a commitment. Through his keynote address, Senate Minority Whip Rick Santorum presented Thompson as the man best suited to champion family values, and criticized the Democrats and John Edwards for wanting to duck and run in the face of advancing terrorism across the world. With the President trailing his Democratic opponent by seven percentage points, Republican strategists saw energizing the base as the party’s best hope for regaining momentum. But achieving such a goal ultimately rested with Fred Thompson. After all, his name was at the top of the ticket. Only briefly alluding to his health scandal, joking that his doctor had given him the all clear to attend that evening, Thompson praised his Vice President and cabinet for their work in implementing his agenda. From bolstering the war in the Middle East to cutting taxes for Americans, the Republican nominee charged that America was making its comeback from the Clinton-Gore years, but that such progress would be reversed under John Edwards. A decidedly negative and warning speech, some pundits viewed it as a stark departure from Thompson’s more uplifting address four years earlier.
Contrasting the doom and gloom of the Republican Convention, the Democrats had designed a multiday extravaganza meant to dazzle and dispel the attacks aimed towards John Edwards’ campaign for the Presidency. But luckily the Senator from North Carolina was no longer alone on the ticket. In selecting Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Edwards hoped to heal the divide that had grown between his supporters and those who had backed former Vice President Jeanne Shaheen, as well as among women voters disappointed and left disillusioned by the latter’s defeat. A tough-as-nails brawler, Napolitano had garnered a memorable reputation during her time as a US Attorney, most notably in defending Anita Hill in the latter’s accusations of sexual harassment against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. A cancer-survivor herself, a Democrat governing in a traditional red-state, and a moderate when dealing with illegal immigration, the executive experience heavy Napolitano carried with her a degree of risk. Lacking foreign policy experience and unmarried, some Republicans questioned her suitability for the office in a time when America was at war. But Edwards liked her, and the ticket was set. The convention itself attracted a number of figures familiar to most Americans; former Presidents Bill Clinton and Al Gore, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Jeanne Shaheen, actors George Clooney and Matt Damon, and philanthropists like Bill Gates. Effectively a whose who of entertainment, at times the convention appeared to be more akin to the Oscars than a national political gathering. Still, speeches were made from the expected speakers. Bill Clinton gave his usual barn-burner, rousing Americans to reach for something better. Al Gore joked that he was surprised that after hearing the party had nominated a good looking, charming southerner, it wasn’t him. Former Vice President Shaheen pledged to do all in her power to help elect John Edwards as the next President of the United States, receiving a standing ovation from everyone in the convention, as well as a surprise appearance from Edwards himself, who embraced his former primary opponent in a show of unity. In his own speech, Edwards proclaimed that a new dawn was on the horizon, one of truth, equality, prosperity, and peace. The Democratic nominee for the presidency accused the Thompson Administration of perpetrating a climate of mistrust and abandoning the most vulnerable, the poor, the homeless, and the middle class. A touching and moving speech, it appeared to set up what seemed to be an ever growing, inevitable conclusion.
Thus the battle was set; warmongering liar versus self-absorbed socialite.
For most of the general election campaign a significant chunk of the Democrats war chest was spent criticizing the unpopular wars in the Middle East, which had grown ever the costlier in lives and in economic impact back home. Although President Thompson’s pledged to take a harsher approach to al-Qaeda and the Taliban had garnered him support in 2004, four years on many voters had become tired of the conflict. Seven years on from the terrorist attacks, most Americans had begun to move on. Besides, for all his tough talk, the President had yet to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. Senator Edwards pledged to slowly withdrawing all troops from Iraq by the end of his first term as President. Likening the conflict to America’s involvement in Vietnam, Edwards criticized what he called the Thompson doctrine as a war strategy without a proper timetable. There was also the matter of Thompson’s health. Although he had largely moved past the worst of it, the Democrats were quick to remind voters of the President’s decision to lie about his health, typically as a means to energize their base.
The other major issue of the campaign, unsurprisingly, centered around the economy. Oil prices had begun to rise since early 2007, and economists had been warning that some of the Republicans policies had threatened the once strong housing market. By 2008 it appeared as though the situation in the housing market had caused banks to make questionable investments. Most of these risks took the form of credit-default swaps and other unregulated derivatives. Throw in the fact that more and more homeowners had begun to default on their mortgages, the American financial system began to feel the symptoms of banker’s dirty tricks. As expected, the growing uncertainty around the economy did little to benefit the sitting occupant of the Oval Office, who seemed generally disinterested in getting the government involved with the economy. He was, after all, the second coming of Ronald Reagan, and anything that smelled of regulation involving the economy would be considered treasonous by many Republicans, as well as the party’s base. That’s not to say it did the Democrats any favours. John Edwards had prided himself in his promises to end poverty in thirty years, specifically through the creation of housing vouchers, strengthening labour unions, and raising the minimum wage to $8.40. His other promise, to make college essentially free for everyone, seemed equally unreasonable once the economic forecast turned sour. Republicans charged that the Democratic nominee’s promises would plunge the country into recession, forcing the Edwards’ campaign to back away from the policies.
As expected from a presidential election, the only real moment when the candidates would drop the more over-the-top attacks and actually attempt to deal with policy came with their only face-to-face meetings; the three presidential debates. Held at the University of Mississippi on September 25, the first debate focused on foreign policy and national security. President Thompson promoted his experience, charging that Edwards, by virtue of what Thompson labelled as a policy of surrender, was ill-equipped to make the tough decisions needed of a commander-in-chief. Edwards pushed back, highlighting his time on the Select Committee on Intelligence, while at the same time criticizing the President for surrounding himself with foreign-policy hawks, such as Defence Secretary John McCain. Although Thompson’s arguable greatest strength, despite the unpopularity of the war, a CNN poll conducted immediately after only gave the President the narrowest of victories, thirty-eight to thirty-five who felt that Edwards had prevailed. Americans conceded that the President was superior when it came to foreign policy and world affairs, but the main issue of the campaign had slowly become the economy, which was the focus of the second debate.
Unfortunately, only days before the debate, disaster would strike the U.S. economy. On October 4, 2008, the investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, sending shockwaves throughout the global financial system. With countless other banks expected to follow Lehman Brothers into bankruptcy, the Thompson administration was forced to sign off on an $80 billion bailout. In what could only be described as the perfect storm for economic ruination, housing and real-estate prices plummeted, and the US stock market exchange nose-dived more than seven hundred points, the worst showing since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Analysists and doomsayers began predicting that evictions, foreclosures, increased unemployment, the collapse of countless businesses, not to mention a decline in America’s credit rating, would be quick to follow. The chaos even caused President Thompson to cancel all immediate campaign events and return to Washington to mediate negotiations between Republicans and Democrats, and work towards developing a strategy to deal with the immediate fallout of the crisis. Although reportedly against the notion of a bailout, telling his advisors that it was a flawed “spending your way to prosperity” philosophy, the lack of any alternative left the President with little choice. Unfortunately, matters would only get worse for President Thompson. It was soon discovered that during his primary against Congressman Ron Paul, who had charged that America had already entered into a recession by late 2007, Thompson had offhandedly told reporters that he saw no reason to believe that the country was headed towards an economic downturn. The quote would haunt the President for the remainder of the campaign as it became a centre-piece of most Democratic television and online attack ads.
Despite Republican ads arguing that changing Presidents in such chaotic times could potentially worsen the crisis, it appeared that voters had begun to make up their minds. John Edwards had waged a campaign of appealing to Americans hopes and dreams. The campaign slogans of “Tomorrow starts Today”, while cliché, and Edwards’ blue collar façade played well with the average American voter, who increasingly saw the sitting President as out of touch and at fault for the current economic crisis. On Election Night it quickly became apparent that John Edwards would be elected the 45th President of the United States, relegating Fred Thompson to being the second-continuous President to lose his bid for re-election. Making matters worse for the Grand Old Party, the Democrats had improved upon their midterm results in both the House and Senate, further cementing their control on both houses on Congress. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, found himself among the loses. Only four years earlier the Democrats found themselves outside the White House and in the opposition. Now they controlled everything. Their opponents were left shocked and divided, in search of new leadership, with future prospects looking bleak.
For the fifth time since the election of George H.W. Bush of Texas, the United States found itself with a President from the south. Young, charming, and coming off a landslide victory, it seemed that nothing could stop John Edwards as he began to plot the intricacies of his administration.
Unfortunately, the best laid plans often find roadblocks in Washington.
Presidents of the United States of America:
Richard Nixon (R-California) 1969-1974
Gerald Ford (R-Michigan) 1974-1977
Jimmy Carter (D-Georgia) 1977-1981
Ronald Reagan (R-California) 1981-1989
George Herbert Walker Bush (R-Texas) 1989-1993
Bill Clinton (D-Arkansas) 1993-2001
Al Gore (D-Tennessee) 2001-2005
Fred Thompson (R-Tennessee) 2005-2009
John Edwards (D-North Carolina) 2009-
Vice Presidents of the United States of America:
Spiro Agnew (R-Maryland) 1969-1973
Gerald Ford (R-Michigan) 1973-1974
Nelson Rockefeller (R-New York) 1974-1977
Walter Mondale (D-Minnesota) 1977-1981
George Herbert Walker Bush (R-Texas) 1981-1989
Dan Quayle (R-Indiana) 1989-1993
Al Gore (D-Tennessee) 1993-2001
Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) 2001-2005
John Kasich (R-Ohio) 2005-2009
Janet Napolitano (D-Arizona) 2009-
House of Representatives
Democratic: 262 (+35)
Republican: 173 (-35)
Speaker before Election
Nancy Pelosi (California-8th)
Speaker after Election
Nancy Pelosi (California-8th)
Senate
Democratic: 58 (+7)
Republican: 40 (-7)
Connecticut for Lieberman: 1 (-0)
Independent: 1 (-0)
Majority Leader before Election
Harry Reid (Nevada)
Majority Leader after Election
Harry Reid (Nevada)
*Changes to OTL include Alaska at Large, California 4th, California 44th, Louisiana 4th, Minnesota 6th, and the US Senate Election in Kentucky
Gubernatorial
Delaware: Lt. Governor John Carney (D) defeats former Superior Court Judge William Swain Lee (R)
Indiana: Governor David McIntosh (R) defeats former U.S. Representative Jill Long Thompson (D)
Missouri: Attorney General Jay Nixon (D) defeats U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof (R)
Montana: State Representative David Wanzenried (D) defeats Governor Bob Brown (R)
New Hampshire: Governor John Lynch (D) defeats State Representative Jim Coburn (R)
North Carolina: Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue (D) defeats Mayor Pat McCrory (R)
North Dakota: Governor John Hoeven (R) defeats State Senator Tim Mathern (D)
Utah: Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr. (R) defeats Businessman Bob Springmeyer (D)
Vermont: Governor Jim Douglas (R) defeats Vermont House of Representatives Speaker Gaye Symington (D) and State Senator Anthony Pollina (I)
Washington: Former Attorney General Christine Gregoire (D) defeats Governor Dino Rossi (R)
West Virginia: Governor Joe Manchin (D) defeats former State Senator Russ Weeks (R)
<- Previous Update
As most of you know, these last few months I've been working as an intern as part of getting my Ed degree. I've recently been informed that I have passed, so all these months of hard work have been worth it. Now obviously that work has meant I didn't have time to work on this TL, which recently celebrated its 1 Year Anniversary, but now that I do have the time, I can begin work on it once more. So, apologies for the wait, I'm incredibly rusty at writing. I can't wait for you all to see what I have planned.
So, without further ado, please enjoy the United States presidential election, 2008. Thanks for waiting, and thanks so much for all the support!
Special shout-out to @True Grit and @lord caedus for all the help and feedback.
By their nature, national conventions are safe spaces for the party faithful, be they Republican or Democrat. Over the course of a few days, high profile politicians, former politicians, forgotten politicians, party insiders, and volunteers gather under a single roof to drink, socialize, and hopefully nominate a ticket that will usher their party to victory. Everyone leaves having had a good time, and in most cases their candidate receives a bit of a boost in the polls after they portray themselves as even remotely human. Such was the case with then Republicans. Understandably Fred Thompson had somewhat of a hill to climb, by virtue of the scandal surrounding his health. Having dispatched Congressman Ron Paul and his dissident followers, the President was set to orchestrate what his campaign inner circle bluntly hoped would be his redemption, rising from the proverbial grave ala Lazarus. After all, the GOP had only just reclaimed the White House after twelves years in the political wilderness. None, except the most ambitious few within the GOP, wished to see the party lose it after only a single term.
Momentarily delayed in order to show respect to the devastation caused by Hurricane Gustav, the Republican National Convention opened with comments from the last Republican in the White House still able to make such presentations, former Vice President Dan Quayle. With former President Bush in his mid-eighties, it was left to Quayle to champion the successes of Republican administrations past. Comparing President Thompson to both Reagan and Bush, the former Vice President conceded that the country was better led by a man who, although flawed, had been willing to concede his mistakes and improve upon himself, as opposed to a man championing policies of weakness and surrender. After more than a decade in exile from public life, some political commentators speculated that Quayle’s speech had been part of a campaign to position himself to reclaim his old seat in the Senate come 2010. After Quayle came the assorted congregation of Senators, Representatives, Governors, party insiders and defeated candidates that those who followed these sorts of things expected. Michigan Governor Mitt Romney, a former critic of the President now safely re-elected, praised Thompson’s handling of the economy. Texas Governor Kay Bailey Hutchison praised his down-to-earth spirit, common-sense conservatism, and the fact that as a loving husband, Thompson knew the importance of making a commitment. Through his keynote address, Senate Minority Whip Rick Santorum presented Thompson as the man best suited to champion family values, and criticized the Democrats and John Edwards for wanting to duck and run in the face of advancing terrorism across the world. With the President trailing his Democratic opponent by seven percentage points, Republican strategists saw energizing the base as the party’s best hope for regaining momentum. But achieving such a goal ultimately rested with Fred Thompson. After all, his name was at the top of the ticket. Only briefly alluding to his health scandal, joking that his doctor had given him the all clear to attend that evening, Thompson praised his Vice President and cabinet for their work in implementing his agenda. From bolstering the war in the Middle East to cutting taxes for Americans, the Republican nominee charged that America was making its comeback from the Clinton-Gore years, but that such progress would be reversed under John Edwards. A decidedly negative and warning speech, some pundits viewed it as a stark departure from Thompson’s more uplifting address four years earlier.
Contrasting the doom and gloom of the Republican Convention, the Democrats had designed a multiday extravaganza meant to dazzle and dispel the attacks aimed towards John Edwards’ campaign for the Presidency. But luckily the Senator from North Carolina was no longer alone on the ticket. In selecting Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Edwards hoped to heal the divide that had grown between his supporters and those who had backed former Vice President Jeanne Shaheen, as well as among women voters disappointed and left disillusioned by the latter’s defeat. A tough-as-nails brawler, Napolitano had garnered a memorable reputation during her time as a US Attorney, most notably in defending Anita Hill in the latter’s accusations of sexual harassment against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. A cancer-survivor herself, a Democrat governing in a traditional red-state, and a moderate when dealing with illegal immigration, the executive experience heavy Napolitano carried with her a degree of risk. Lacking foreign policy experience and unmarried, some Republicans questioned her suitability for the office in a time when America was at war. But Edwards liked her, and the ticket was set. The convention itself attracted a number of figures familiar to most Americans; former Presidents Bill Clinton and Al Gore, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Jeanne Shaheen, actors George Clooney and Matt Damon, and philanthropists like Bill Gates. Effectively a whose who of entertainment, at times the convention appeared to be more akin to the Oscars than a national political gathering. Still, speeches were made from the expected speakers. Bill Clinton gave his usual barn-burner, rousing Americans to reach for something better. Al Gore joked that he was surprised that after hearing the party had nominated a good looking, charming southerner, it wasn’t him. Former Vice President Shaheen pledged to do all in her power to help elect John Edwards as the next President of the United States, receiving a standing ovation from everyone in the convention, as well as a surprise appearance from Edwards himself, who embraced his former primary opponent in a show of unity. In his own speech, Edwards proclaimed that a new dawn was on the horizon, one of truth, equality, prosperity, and peace. The Democratic nominee for the presidency accused the Thompson Administration of perpetrating a climate of mistrust and abandoning the most vulnerable, the poor, the homeless, and the middle class. A touching and moving speech, it appeared to set up what seemed to be an ever growing, inevitable conclusion.
Thus the battle was set; warmongering liar versus self-absorbed socialite.
For most of the general election campaign a significant chunk of the Democrats war chest was spent criticizing the unpopular wars in the Middle East, which had grown ever the costlier in lives and in economic impact back home. Although President Thompson’s pledged to take a harsher approach to al-Qaeda and the Taliban had garnered him support in 2004, four years on many voters had become tired of the conflict. Seven years on from the terrorist attacks, most Americans had begun to move on. Besides, for all his tough talk, the President had yet to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. Senator Edwards pledged to slowly withdrawing all troops from Iraq by the end of his first term as President. Likening the conflict to America’s involvement in Vietnam, Edwards criticized what he called the Thompson doctrine as a war strategy without a proper timetable. There was also the matter of Thompson’s health. Although he had largely moved past the worst of it, the Democrats were quick to remind voters of the President’s decision to lie about his health, typically as a means to energize their base.
The other major issue of the campaign, unsurprisingly, centered around the economy. Oil prices had begun to rise since early 2007, and economists had been warning that some of the Republicans policies had threatened the once strong housing market. By 2008 it appeared as though the situation in the housing market had caused banks to make questionable investments. Most of these risks took the form of credit-default swaps and other unregulated derivatives. Throw in the fact that more and more homeowners had begun to default on their mortgages, the American financial system began to feel the symptoms of banker’s dirty tricks. As expected, the growing uncertainty around the economy did little to benefit the sitting occupant of the Oval Office, who seemed generally disinterested in getting the government involved with the economy. He was, after all, the second coming of Ronald Reagan, and anything that smelled of regulation involving the economy would be considered treasonous by many Republicans, as well as the party’s base. That’s not to say it did the Democrats any favours. John Edwards had prided himself in his promises to end poverty in thirty years, specifically through the creation of housing vouchers, strengthening labour unions, and raising the minimum wage to $8.40. His other promise, to make college essentially free for everyone, seemed equally unreasonable once the economic forecast turned sour. Republicans charged that the Democratic nominee’s promises would plunge the country into recession, forcing the Edwards’ campaign to back away from the policies.
As expected from a presidential election, the only real moment when the candidates would drop the more over-the-top attacks and actually attempt to deal with policy came with their only face-to-face meetings; the three presidential debates. Held at the University of Mississippi on September 25, the first debate focused on foreign policy and national security. President Thompson promoted his experience, charging that Edwards, by virtue of what Thompson labelled as a policy of surrender, was ill-equipped to make the tough decisions needed of a commander-in-chief. Edwards pushed back, highlighting his time on the Select Committee on Intelligence, while at the same time criticizing the President for surrounding himself with foreign-policy hawks, such as Defence Secretary John McCain. Although Thompson’s arguable greatest strength, despite the unpopularity of the war, a CNN poll conducted immediately after only gave the President the narrowest of victories, thirty-eight to thirty-five who felt that Edwards had prevailed. Americans conceded that the President was superior when it came to foreign policy and world affairs, but the main issue of the campaign had slowly become the economy, which was the focus of the second debate.
Unfortunately, only days before the debate, disaster would strike the U.S. economy. On October 4, 2008, the investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, sending shockwaves throughout the global financial system. With countless other banks expected to follow Lehman Brothers into bankruptcy, the Thompson administration was forced to sign off on an $80 billion bailout. In what could only be described as the perfect storm for economic ruination, housing and real-estate prices plummeted, and the US stock market exchange nose-dived more than seven hundred points, the worst showing since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Analysists and doomsayers began predicting that evictions, foreclosures, increased unemployment, the collapse of countless businesses, not to mention a decline in America’s credit rating, would be quick to follow. The chaos even caused President Thompson to cancel all immediate campaign events and return to Washington to mediate negotiations between Republicans and Democrats, and work towards developing a strategy to deal with the immediate fallout of the crisis. Although reportedly against the notion of a bailout, telling his advisors that it was a flawed “spending your way to prosperity” philosophy, the lack of any alternative left the President with little choice. Unfortunately, matters would only get worse for President Thompson. It was soon discovered that during his primary against Congressman Ron Paul, who had charged that America had already entered into a recession by late 2007, Thompson had offhandedly told reporters that he saw no reason to believe that the country was headed towards an economic downturn. The quote would haunt the President for the remainder of the campaign as it became a centre-piece of most Democratic television and online attack ads.
Despite Republican ads arguing that changing Presidents in such chaotic times could potentially worsen the crisis, it appeared that voters had begun to make up their minds. John Edwards had waged a campaign of appealing to Americans hopes and dreams. The campaign slogans of “Tomorrow starts Today”, while cliché, and Edwards’ blue collar façade played well with the average American voter, who increasingly saw the sitting President as out of touch and at fault for the current economic crisis. On Election Night it quickly became apparent that John Edwards would be elected the 45th President of the United States, relegating Fred Thompson to being the second-continuous President to lose his bid for re-election. Making matters worse for the Grand Old Party, the Democrats had improved upon their midterm results in both the House and Senate, further cementing their control on both houses on Congress. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, found himself among the loses. Only four years earlier the Democrats found themselves outside the White House and in the opposition. Now they controlled everything. Their opponents were left shocked and divided, in search of new leadership, with future prospects looking bleak.
For the fifth time since the election of George H.W. Bush of Texas, the United States found itself with a President from the south. Young, charming, and coming off a landslide victory, it seemed that nothing could stop John Edwards as he began to plot the intricacies of his administration.
Unfortunately, the best laid plans often find roadblocks in Washington.
Presidents of the United States of America:
Richard Nixon (R-California) 1969-1974
Gerald Ford (R-Michigan) 1974-1977
Jimmy Carter (D-Georgia) 1977-1981
Ronald Reagan (R-California) 1981-1989
George Herbert Walker Bush (R-Texas) 1989-1993
Bill Clinton (D-Arkansas) 1993-2001
Al Gore (D-Tennessee) 2001-2005
Fred Thompson (R-Tennessee) 2005-2009
John Edwards (D-North Carolina) 2009-
Vice Presidents of the United States of America:
Spiro Agnew (R-Maryland) 1969-1973
Gerald Ford (R-Michigan) 1973-1974
Nelson Rockefeller (R-New York) 1974-1977
Walter Mondale (D-Minnesota) 1977-1981
George Herbert Walker Bush (R-Texas) 1981-1989
Dan Quayle (R-Indiana) 1989-1993
Al Gore (D-Tennessee) 1993-2001
Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) 2001-2005
John Kasich (R-Ohio) 2005-2009
Janet Napolitano (D-Arizona) 2009-
House of Representatives
Democratic: 262 (+35)
Republican: 173 (-35)
Speaker before Election
Nancy Pelosi (California-8th)
Speaker after Election
Nancy Pelosi (California-8th)
Senate
Democratic: 58 (+7)
Republican: 40 (-7)
Connecticut for Lieberman: 1 (-0)
Independent: 1 (-0)
Majority Leader before Election
Harry Reid (Nevada)
Majority Leader after Election
Harry Reid (Nevada)
*Changes to OTL include Alaska at Large, California 4th, California 44th, Louisiana 4th, Minnesota 6th, and the US Senate Election in Kentucky
Gubernatorial
Delaware: Lt. Governor John Carney (D) defeats former Superior Court Judge William Swain Lee (R)
Indiana: Governor David McIntosh (R) defeats former U.S. Representative Jill Long Thompson (D)
Missouri: Attorney General Jay Nixon (D) defeats U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof (R)
Montana: State Representative David Wanzenried (D) defeats Governor Bob Brown (R)
New Hampshire: Governor John Lynch (D) defeats State Representative Jim Coburn (R)
North Carolina: Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue (D) defeats Mayor Pat McCrory (R)
North Dakota: Governor John Hoeven (R) defeats State Senator Tim Mathern (D)
Utah: Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr. (R) defeats Businessman Bob Springmeyer (D)
Vermont: Governor Jim Douglas (R) defeats Vermont House of Representatives Speaker Gaye Symington (D) and State Senator Anthony Pollina (I)
Washington: Former Attorney General Christine Gregoire (D) defeats Governor Dino Rossi (R)
West Virginia: Governor Joe Manchin (D) defeats former State Senator Russ Weeks (R)
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The United States presidential election of 1880 was the 24th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 1880. The voter turnout rate was one of the highest in the nation's history.
Incumbent President Rutherford B. Hayes did not seek re-election, keeping a promise made during the 1876 campaign. After the longest convention in the party's history, the divided Republicans chose the son of former President Abraham Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln, as their standard-bearer. The Democratic Party chose General Winfield Scott Hancock of Pennsylvania as their nominee. The dominance of the two major parties began to fray as an upstart left-wing party.
Lincoln and Hancock each took just over 48 percent of the popular vote. The election of 1880 was the sixth consecutive presidential election won by the Republicans, the second longest winning streak in American history after the Democratic-Republican Party during the period 1800–1824.
Incumbent President Rutherford B. Hayes did not seek re-election, keeping a promise made during the 1876 campaign. After the longest convention in the party's history, the divided Republicans chose the son of former President Abraham Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln, as their standard-bearer. The Democratic Party chose General Winfield Scott Hancock of Pennsylvania as their nominee. The dominance of the two major parties began to fray as an upstart left-wing party.
Lincoln and Hancock each took just over 48 percent of the popular vote. The election of 1880 was the sixth consecutive presidential election won by the Republicans, the second longest winning streak in American history after the Democratic-Republican Party during the period 1800–1824.
The 1932 UK general election in @Techdread et. al.'s Where the World Will Lead, an Anglo-American tale now reaching the third millennium!
Communist – 4 seats (+2)
Independent Liberal – 4 seats (±0)
Independent – 1 seat (-3)
Nationalist – 1 seat (-2)
Conservatives include Ulster Unionists and Scottish Unionists
The 1932 general election is generally considered to have been a forgone conclusion by the summer of 1930. The relatively popular measures that the Conservatives had been able to enact that oversaw the last years of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ were a distant memory as they had been eschewed for austerity cuts and government-sponsored aid to business owners. Few would have considered that Baldwin could have been in any position to see himself retain any kind of governing majority following the election, however the final result was still a surprise to many within the establishment.
Resentment and anger with the government over their apparent lack of concern for ordinary, working people was the key issue that Labour had tapped into and their new leader, the radical socialist James Maxton, used his own keen & passionate oratory skills to put forward the measure of a better future for Britain under a socialist government. Whilst he was decried by the pro-government press, such as Lord Rothermere’s Daily Mail, Labour soon found itself at the forefront of a wave of support. The final results would make history: not only had the Conservatives suffered their greatest loss since the 1906 general election, but Labour had attained a strong majority government for the first time in history.
Communist – 4 seats (+2)
Independent Liberal – 4 seats (±0)
Independent – 1 seat (-3)
Nationalist – 1 seat (-2)
Conservatives include Ulster Unionists and Scottish Unionists
The 1932 general election is generally considered to have been a forgone conclusion by the summer of 1930. The relatively popular measures that the Conservatives had been able to enact that oversaw the last years of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ were a distant memory as they had been eschewed for austerity cuts and government-sponsored aid to business owners. Few would have considered that Baldwin could have been in any position to see himself retain any kind of governing majority following the election, however the final result was still a surprise to many within the establishment.
Resentment and anger with the government over their apparent lack of concern for ordinary, working people was the key issue that Labour had tapped into and their new leader, the radical socialist James Maxton, used his own keen & passionate oratory skills to put forward the measure of a better future for Britain under a socialist government. Whilst he was decried by the pro-government press, such as Lord Rothermere’s Daily Mail, Labour soon found itself at the forefront of a wave of support. The final results would make history: not only had the Conservatives suffered their greatest loss since the 1906 general election, but Labour had attained a strong majority government for the first time in history.
Gentleman Biaggi
Banned
Read this before reading
The 2017 Vermont Gun Control Riots followed president Chuck Schumer's attempts to restrict gun sales due to Vermont's Independence attempts. The attempts were hated by the people of Vermont, and gun sales rose massively before the act took place. Following the act's impanation, hundreds of Vermonters took to the streets and protested the act. Governor Bernie Sanders called it "The Beginning of rightful revolution" and following the protests, declared Vermont Independent without a referendum saying "We will secede, and fight for our rightful freedom." The Vermont riots and declaration of independence shocked the world, and only sped the world to the beginning of the Second North American War. However, one final moment would have to happen before North America fell into war again...
The 2017 Vermont Gun Control Riots followed president Chuck Schumer's attempts to restrict gun sales due to Vermont's Independence attempts. The attempts were hated by the people of Vermont, and gun sales rose massively before the act took place. Following the act's impanation, hundreds of Vermonters took to the streets and protested the act. Governor Bernie Sanders called it "The Beginning of rightful revolution" and following the protests, declared Vermont Independent without a referendum saying "We will secede, and fight for our rightful freedom." The Vermont riots and declaration of independence shocked the world, and only sped the world to the beginning of the Second North American War. However, one final moment would have to happen before North America fell into war again...
lord caedus: Jerome Bettis, Chief Representative for the First Nations, Mesabi-Superior (X-in Canada)
Now that I have a new keyboard, I can get around to getting the last few batches of new X-in-Canada infoboxes up. To get to the politics stuff, you got to go through the big old sports infobox first.
Jerome Bettis is a retired Canadian football fullback who set numerous professional football rushing records during his professional career. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his ability to carry multiple opponents on his back, Bettis has frequently been considered one of the greatest Canadian Football League (CFL) players of all-time and is frequently listed as among the greatest players to never play a down in the American National Football League (NFL).
Growing up in Detroit to middle-class parents, Bettis originally was originally a bowler, competing in tournaments all around the Motor City before becoming a football player. Despite being clearly talented, Bettis nearly destroyed his career before he began, selling crack cocaine during that drug's epidemic in the 1980s alongside his brother, and shooting at rival sellers after disputes (hitting no one). With the intervention of his high school coach, Bettis shaped up and got a full scholarship to Wilfrid Laurier University. There, "the Bus" helped the Golden Hawks win the Vanier Cup in his sophomore year, and took the unusual step of getting his degree early and thus becoming eligible for the CFL draft a year ahead of schedule.
Taken with the number two pick in the draft by the Dakota Bisons, Bettis immediately had an impact on the league. In his first year, he shattered the CFL's one-year rushing record by picking up 2,556 yards and setting his first professional football record by running for an astonishing 337 yards in a game against the Portland Thunder. Among the accolades the Bus picked up in his first season: the Most Outstanding Rookie Award, named to both the CFL West (first of eight times in his career) and the CFL All-Star (first of five) teams, and led the league in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. His next two seasons with the Bisons were not as spectacular, with Dakota under-utilizing Bettis, and his 1995 performance of 1,148 yards and only 5 rushing touchdowns would be the lowest of his career before his final season.
In the off-season, Bettis was traded to the BC Lions after making it clear that he would not be re-signing with the Bisons once his rookie contract expired. The trade, perhaps one of the worst in CFL history, paid dividends for the Lions, who refused any offers on Bettis for the remainder of the Bus' ten years as a player. In the 1996 season, he would top his own single-season record with 2,560 yards, beginning a six-year streak of leading the league in rushing yards and also led the league with 17 rushing touchdowns, winning his first Most Outstanding Player Award. His 1997 season, where Bettis missed one game due to injury, is considered one of the greatest by any running back in gridiron football history: setting a professional record with 451 carries, Bettis became the only running back in professional history to rush for 3,000 yards in a single season, hitting 3,003 at the end of the season (an average of 176.6 yards per game). The following season would see his performance dip slightly, picking up 2,135 yards. In 1999, Bettis would lead the Lions to the Grey Cup, where they bested his former team, Dakota, to win the only Grey Cup of his career.
At the start of the new millennium, the Bus would rush for his fifth and final 2,000-yard season (topping out at 2,399) and led the Lions back to the Grey Cup, where they fell to the Minnesota Vikings, 35-28. His 2001 season seemed like it was destined to be a repeat of his 1997 performance, but a season-ending hip injury during the Lions' 12th game of the season ended his total yardage at 1,859 (still good enough to lead the league). Bettis would miss three games the following year as well, and for the first time since he was a Bison, failed to lead the CFL in rushing yards. His 2003 season was similar to his 2002 performance, and Bettis considered retirement when his contract expired in 2004. That year, however, he returned to form, leading the league one last time in rushing yards (1,696) and rushing touchdowns (with a career-high 21). The Lions made it to the Grey Cup for a third time with Bettis, but lost to the Toronto Argonauts, 27-19. Buoyed by another Grey Cup appearance, Bettis signed a one-year contract with the Lions and spent his final season in a short-yardage running back role, running for a career-low 683 yards but racking up 15 rushing touchdowns. Bettis' final game was the Western Division final, where the Lions were beaten by the eventual-champion Thunder, 35-23. After the game, Bettis announced his retirement.
Bettis' career record of 24,497 rushing yards stands at over 6,000 more than the next closest professional football player (former NFL player Emmitt Smith), and alongside his other daunting accomplishments (the only person to run for 3,000 yards in a single season as well as the only person to run for 2,000 yards in one season more than once), has been compared to another Canadian superstar, Wayne Gretzky, in terms of sheer dominance over his peers. Since his retirement, Bettis served as a studio commentator for CFL on CBC for the 2006 and 2007 seasons before moving to the American state of Georgia, where he currently resides.
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The Chief Representative for the First Nations is a position in the government of Maine. Unique to Maine's provincial government, the Chief Representative serves as an advocate of, and for, the First Nations bands in Maine. An ex officio member of the Cabinet, the Chief Representative is appointed by the premier for a five-year term, with the constitutional convention having the position rotate between the three First Nations tribes in the province: the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Penobscot. The Chief Representative is typically not considered part of a member of the government, and by constitutional convention not a member of the Legislative Assembly nor do they formally affiliate with a political party while in office.
Originating as part of the then-colony of Maine's effort to keep the voices of the First Nations bands there heard, the position of Chief Representative was inaugurated with responsible government. Prior to 2012, the position alternated between the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot, with the Legislative Assembly not viewing the Maliseet's enrollment numbers as high enough to justify their inclusion in the rotation. The incumbent Chief Representative, Henry John Bear, is the first Maliseet to assume office. Bear assumed office after his predecessor Wayne T. Mitchell (a member of the Penobscot) resigned in 2015 after protracted disputes with the government of Premier Bruce Poliquin on First Nations issues. Both the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy withdrew from participation in the provincial government, although the Passamaquoddy returned following the 2016 provincial election.
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Mesabi—Superior is a federal Canadian electoral district in Minnesota, Canada that has been represented in the House of Commons since 1882. Composed of most of the northeastern part of Minnesota, including most of the Iron Range region of iron ore deposits and mining, the district (or riding) is one of the largest in area in the province of Minnesota. The riding contains all or parts of three First Nations reserves and two counties. With the strong labour movement still existing to a large extent in the riding, despite increasing environmental concerns about ore mining in the region, it is one of the safest New Democratic (NDP) seats in the province.
Although always containing the Minnesota portion of Lake Superior's shoreline (with the exception of Duluth), the riding's boundaries have shifted since its creation, and at various points it was known as Mississippi—Superior (1882-1892), St. Louis—Superior (1914-1947), and Mesabi (1988-2004). Its current Member of Parliament (MP) is Tony Sertich, who was first elected in the 2011 general election. Sertich, who was the NDP's last opposition critic for Natural Resources while it was the Official Opposition, is one of only three Minnesota MPs who are members of the NDP, down considerably from the 15 the province elected in 2011.
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X-in-Canada
Minnesota
Dakota
Alaska
Wisconsin
Maine
Oregon
Montana
New Hampshire
Michigan
----
Bhutan (joke)
----
Canadian federal election, 2015; Next Canadian federal election
Senate of Canada; Prime Ministers of Canada
United States presidential elections, 1876 and 1880
Robert La Follette Sr.; United States presidential elections, 1924 and 1968
George McGovern; Gerald Ford; United States presidential elections, 1972 and 1976
United States presidential elections, 1984; Dick Cheney; Sarah Palin
Mitt Romney; United States presidential elections, 2012; Three River Highway
Joe Mauer; JJ Watt; Grey Cup winners
Ben Carson; Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016; United States presidential elections, 2016
Sitting Bull; Ted Bundy; Charlottetown Accord referendum
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List of United States Presidents & Vice Presidents
List of Prime Ministers of Canada, Governors-General of Canada and federal party leaders
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Jerome Bettis is a retired Canadian football fullback who set numerous professional football rushing records during his professional career. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his ability to carry multiple opponents on his back, Bettis has frequently been considered one of the greatest Canadian Football League (CFL) players of all-time and is frequently listed as among the greatest players to never play a down in the American National Football League (NFL).
Growing up in Detroit to middle-class parents, Bettis originally was originally a bowler, competing in tournaments all around the Motor City before becoming a football player. Despite being clearly talented, Bettis nearly destroyed his career before he began, selling crack cocaine during that drug's epidemic in the 1980s alongside his brother, and shooting at rival sellers after disputes (hitting no one). With the intervention of his high school coach, Bettis shaped up and got a full scholarship to Wilfrid Laurier University. There, "the Bus" helped the Golden Hawks win the Vanier Cup in his sophomore year, and took the unusual step of getting his degree early and thus becoming eligible for the CFL draft a year ahead of schedule.
Taken with the number two pick in the draft by the Dakota Bisons, Bettis immediately had an impact on the league. In his first year, he shattered the CFL's one-year rushing record by picking up 2,556 yards and setting his first professional football record by running for an astonishing 337 yards in a game against the Portland Thunder. Among the accolades the Bus picked up in his first season: the Most Outstanding Rookie Award, named to both the CFL West (first of eight times in his career) and the CFL All-Star (first of five) teams, and led the league in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. His next two seasons with the Bisons were not as spectacular, with Dakota under-utilizing Bettis, and his 1995 performance of 1,148 yards and only 5 rushing touchdowns would be the lowest of his career before his final season.
In the off-season, Bettis was traded to the BC Lions after making it clear that he would not be re-signing with the Bisons once his rookie contract expired. The trade, perhaps one of the worst in CFL history, paid dividends for the Lions, who refused any offers on Bettis for the remainder of the Bus' ten years as a player. In the 1996 season, he would top his own single-season record with 2,560 yards, beginning a six-year streak of leading the league in rushing yards and also led the league with 17 rushing touchdowns, winning his first Most Outstanding Player Award. His 1997 season, where Bettis missed one game due to injury, is considered one of the greatest by any running back in gridiron football history: setting a professional record with 451 carries, Bettis became the only running back in professional history to rush for 3,000 yards in a single season, hitting 3,003 at the end of the season (an average of 176.6 yards per game). The following season would see his performance dip slightly, picking up 2,135 yards. In 1999, Bettis would lead the Lions to the Grey Cup, where they bested his former team, Dakota, to win the only Grey Cup of his career.
At the start of the new millennium, the Bus would rush for his fifth and final 2,000-yard season (topping out at 2,399) and led the Lions back to the Grey Cup, where they fell to the Minnesota Vikings, 35-28. His 2001 season seemed like it was destined to be a repeat of his 1997 performance, but a season-ending hip injury during the Lions' 12th game of the season ended his total yardage at 1,859 (still good enough to lead the league). Bettis would miss three games the following year as well, and for the first time since he was a Bison, failed to lead the CFL in rushing yards. His 2003 season was similar to his 2002 performance, and Bettis considered retirement when his contract expired in 2004. That year, however, he returned to form, leading the league one last time in rushing yards (1,696) and rushing touchdowns (with a career-high 21). The Lions made it to the Grey Cup for a third time with Bettis, but lost to the Toronto Argonauts, 27-19. Buoyed by another Grey Cup appearance, Bettis signed a one-year contract with the Lions and spent his final season in a short-yardage running back role, running for a career-low 683 yards but racking up 15 rushing touchdowns. Bettis' final game was the Western Division final, where the Lions were beaten by the eventual-champion Thunder, 35-23. After the game, Bettis announced his retirement.
Bettis' career record of 24,497 rushing yards stands at over 6,000 more than the next closest professional football player (former NFL player Emmitt Smith), and alongside his other daunting accomplishments (the only person to run for 3,000 yards in a single season as well as the only person to run for 2,000 yards in one season more than once), has been compared to another Canadian superstar, Wayne Gretzky, in terms of sheer dominance over his peers. Since his retirement, Bettis served as a studio commentator for CFL on CBC for the 2006 and 2007 seasons before moving to the American state of Georgia, where he currently resides.
-------------------------------------------------
The Chief Representative for the First Nations is a position in the government of Maine. Unique to Maine's provincial government, the Chief Representative serves as an advocate of, and for, the First Nations bands in Maine. An ex officio member of the Cabinet, the Chief Representative is appointed by the premier for a five-year term, with the constitutional convention having the position rotate between the three First Nations tribes in the province: the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Penobscot. The Chief Representative is typically not considered part of a member of the government, and by constitutional convention not a member of the Legislative Assembly nor do they formally affiliate with a political party while in office.
Originating as part of the then-colony of Maine's effort to keep the voices of the First Nations bands there heard, the position of Chief Representative was inaugurated with responsible government. Prior to 2012, the position alternated between the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot, with the Legislative Assembly not viewing the Maliseet's enrollment numbers as high enough to justify their inclusion in the rotation. The incumbent Chief Representative, Henry John Bear, is the first Maliseet to assume office. Bear assumed office after his predecessor Wayne T. Mitchell (a member of the Penobscot) resigned in 2015 after protracted disputes with the government of Premier Bruce Poliquin on First Nations issues. Both the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy withdrew from participation in the provincial government, although the Passamaquoddy returned following the 2016 provincial election.
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Mesabi—Superior is a federal Canadian electoral district in Minnesota, Canada that has been represented in the House of Commons since 1882. Composed of most of the northeastern part of Minnesota, including most of the Iron Range region of iron ore deposits and mining, the district (or riding) is one of the largest in area in the province of Minnesota. The riding contains all or parts of three First Nations reserves and two counties. With the strong labour movement still existing to a large extent in the riding, despite increasing environmental concerns about ore mining in the region, it is one of the safest New Democratic (NDP) seats in the province.
Although always containing the Minnesota portion of Lake Superior's shoreline (with the exception of Duluth), the riding's boundaries have shifted since its creation, and at various points it was known as Mississippi—Superior (1882-1892), St. Louis—Superior (1914-1947), and Mesabi (1988-2004). Its current Member of Parliament (MP) is Tony Sertich, who was first elected in the 2011 general election. Sertich, who was the NDP's last opposition critic for Natural Resources while it was the Official Opposition, is one of only three Minnesota MPs who are members of the NDP, down considerably from the 15 the province elected in 2011.
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[*] Bettis' stats are his OTL ones adjusted by factors derived from the NFL and CFL performance of the person who replaced him in St. Louis ITTL, Lawrence Phillips.
[*] Bettis really did sell crack and shoot at people.
[*] Unlike OTL, Bettis left school without his degree and has not completed the coursework to graduate.
[*] The Chief Representative role is an analog of the OTL Maine House of Representatives' non-voting tribal members.
[*] Mesabi—Superior would be the riding I'm represented in if I lived in this ATL, which is why I did it as an infobox instead of another ATL one.
[*] No, I'm not doing another infobox of an ATL riding, so don't even ask.
[*] Bettis really did sell crack and shoot at people.
[*] Unlike OTL, Bettis left school without his degree and has not completed the coursework to graduate.
[*] The Chief Representative role is an analog of the OTL Maine House of Representatives' non-voting tribal members.
[*] Mesabi—Superior would be the riding I'm represented in if I lived in this ATL, which is why I did it as an infobox instead of another ATL one.
[*] No, I'm not doing another infobox of an ATL riding, so don't even ask.
X-in-Canada
Minnesota
Dakota
Alaska
Wisconsin
Maine
Oregon
Montana
New Hampshire
Michigan
----
Bhutan (joke)
----
Canadian federal election, 2015; Next Canadian federal election
Senate of Canada; Prime Ministers of Canada
United States presidential elections, 1876 and 1880
Robert La Follette Sr.; United States presidential elections, 1924 and 1968
George McGovern; Gerald Ford; United States presidential elections, 1972 and 1976
United States presidential elections, 1984; Dick Cheney; Sarah Palin
Mitt Romney; United States presidential elections, 2012; Three River Highway
Joe Mauer; JJ Watt; Grey Cup winners
Ben Carson; Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016; United States presidential elections, 2016
Sitting Bull; Ted Bundy; Charlottetown Accord referendum
----
List of United States Presidents & Vice Presidents
List of Prime Ministers of Canada, Governors-General of Canada and federal party leaders
The United States presidential election of 1884 was the 25th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 1884.
Incumbent President Robert Todd Lincoln defeated Governor Grover Cleveland of New York
Incumbent President Robert Todd Lincoln defeated Governor Grover Cleveland of New York
Gentleman Biaggi
Banned
First update of my TL: Twists and Turns: an alternate 1952
“McCarthyism, Nukes, and integration, that’s what’s at stake.”
*Audible sigh*
“At least it’s better than 1932”
“You say that every year”
-Conversation between Earl Warren and Margaret Chase Smith November 3, 1952
General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s announcement that he wasn’t going to run for president in 1952 sent waves through the Republican Party. Several Moderates and Liberals in the Republican Party tried to get Eisenhower to run, mainly because he’d be an effective resource in defeating the popular Robert Taft. When he announced that he wasn’t going to run, Taft’s nomination was all but secured. Liberal Republicans then tried to get popular Liberal Republicans like Thomas Dewey or even Wendell Willkie to run, just to stop Taft. In the end, only Earl Warren and Harold Stassen ran as Liberal/Moderate Republicans. Neither were successful in defeating Taft.
While the Liberal and Moderate Republicans were unable to defeat Taft they were able to defeat his first choice for running mate. Taft originally wanted to choose Douglas MacArthur as his running mate, but a coalition of big-name Liberal and Moderate Republicans including Earl Warren, Wayne Morse, Margaret Chase Smith, Harold Stassen, Merlin Hull, Wendell and Philip Willkie, Thomas Dewey, and the La Follette brothers stopped him.MacArthur’s support for McCarthyism, his conservatism, his feud with Truman, and the general conservatism of the potential ticket caused much controversy with moderates. After the moderate/liberal faction blocked MacArthur Taft decided to nominate Charles Halleck and he was accepted.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party was having a nomination process of its own, despite the intense media attention on the Republicans. Originally Estes Kefauver was favored due to his domination of the Democratic Primaries. However, reformist and popular governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson announced his candidacy. Stevenson won after three ballots due to support from all kinds of well-known Democrats. Stevenson was moderately sure that he’d win the south due to support from politicians like John Sparkman and Richard Russell. So, he decided to branch out and choose a less well-known running mate. In the end he chose Mike Monroney, in hopes that he’d appeal to more western areas of the south.
The election was extremely hard-fought. Stevenson attacked Taft on his isolationism (calling him “as dangerous as Henry Wallace”), support for McCarthy (although he did say he opposed Communism), and conservative economic views. Taft fired back, but it was clear that he was losing ground in the polls. In fact, many said that the only thing keeping Taft ahead was personal popularity, and even then things didn’t look so good. This was mainly due to Taft’s isolationism, which was growing very unpopular.
While Stevenson still won, it was by less than what polls expected. Most polls expected him to win Massachusetts, and some expected a New York or Rhode Island win. However, little campaigning in the Northeast caused him to lose all three. While Stevenson’s win was less than expected, it was still a win, and the Democrats prepared themselves for four more years.
“McCarthyism, Nukes, and integration, that’s what’s at stake.”
*Audible sigh*
“At least it’s better than 1932”
“You say that every year”
-Conversation between Earl Warren and Margaret Chase Smith November 3, 1952
General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s announcement that he wasn’t going to run for president in 1952 sent waves through the Republican Party. Several Moderates and Liberals in the Republican Party tried to get Eisenhower to run, mainly because he’d be an effective resource in defeating the popular Robert Taft. When he announced that he wasn’t going to run, Taft’s nomination was all but secured. Liberal Republicans then tried to get popular Liberal Republicans like Thomas Dewey or even Wendell Willkie to run, just to stop Taft. In the end, only Earl Warren and Harold Stassen ran as Liberal/Moderate Republicans. Neither were successful in defeating Taft.
While the Liberal and Moderate Republicans were unable to defeat Taft they were able to defeat his first choice for running mate. Taft originally wanted to choose Douglas MacArthur as his running mate, but a coalition of big-name Liberal and Moderate Republicans including Earl Warren, Wayne Morse, Margaret Chase Smith, Harold Stassen, Merlin Hull, Wendell and Philip Willkie, Thomas Dewey, and the La Follette brothers stopped him.MacArthur’s support for McCarthyism, his conservatism, his feud with Truman, and the general conservatism of the potential ticket caused much controversy with moderates. After the moderate/liberal faction blocked MacArthur Taft decided to nominate Charles Halleck and he was accepted.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party was having a nomination process of its own, despite the intense media attention on the Republicans. Originally Estes Kefauver was favored due to his domination of the Democratic Primaries. However, reformist and popular governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson announced his candidacy. Stevenson won after three ballots due to support from all kinds of well-known Democrats. Stevenson was moderately sure that he’d win the south due to support from politicians like John Sparkman and Richard Russell. So, he decided to branch out and choose a less well-known running mate. In the end he chose Mike Monroney, in hopes that he’d appeal to more western areas of the south.
The election was extremely hard-fought. Stevenson attacked Taft on his isolationism (calling him “as dangerous as Henry Wallace”), support for McCarthy (although he did say he opposed Communism), and conservative economic views. Taft fired back, but it was clear that he was losing ground in the polls. In fact, many said that the only thing keeping Taft ahead was personal popularity, and even then things didn’t look so good. This was mainly due to Taft’s isolationism, which was growing very unpopular.
While Stevenson still won, it was by less than what polls expected. Most polls expected him to win Massachusetts, and some expected a New York or Rhode Island win. However, little campaigning in the Northeast caused him to lose all three. While Stevenson’s win was less than expected, it was still a win, and the Democrats prepared themselves for four more years.
Remember when Hogan "retired" and announced he was running for President on the tonight show in 1998? What if he had ran for president?
Turquoise Blue: Alfalfa Bill's Misfortune or How an ornery Oklahoman helped the GOP back on their feet. (W3L)
Alfalfa Bill's Misfortune
or
How an ornery Oklahoman helped the GOP back on their feet.
Right, so story here is that McAdoo is elected President in 1932 by a somewhat narrower victory than expected because of his running mate 'Alfalfa Bill' Murray alienating Catholics into the Republican camp and a good chunk of left-wing voters being alienated enough to vote Norman Thomas. Thus you get Rhode Island which voted Democratic in 1928, voting Republican in 1932.
And then of course McAdoo is shot before he's inaugurated, so Murray becomes president. Unsurprisingly, his first term is kind of a disaster, with the economy's recovery being extremely sluggish, his authoritarian manner disturbing a lot of people [including his ordering the troops to shoot the Bonus Army] and ultimately, his uncaring attitude to the Dust Bowl and to urban workers who cry for butter and beans.
Enter the philanthropist Herbert Hoover, who gave food out at his rallies and promised to do something about the farming crisis. Thankfully for Murray, he's paired up with a Catholic by the name of Hugh Johnson [who's an 'Ironist', aka meme-ish fascism] and this allows the Dems to reclaim states such as Massachusetts. One hung electoral college later, Johnson is Acting President, and manages to wreck the fragile economy leading Hoover to withdraw from congressional negotiations and call for Murray's re-election.
Put back in the Oval Office, Murray leads the economy back to a sluggish recovery, but by 1940 the nation haven't entirely recovered from the Depression or Johnson's 'Golden Recession' [so called because it started with him taking America off the gold standard, leading to a rush on the dollar]. The main issue in 1940 is foreign policy, and Lindbergh successfully wins as an isolationist.
So ends the presidency of Alfalfa Bill. Much shouting and hollering, few things genuinely done and the economy enters 1941 sluggish. Eight years of missed opportunities and the Republicans bounce back far, far earlier than they did in OTL, thanks to Murray being no Roosevelt, and instead merely shrinking the Democratic coalition.
[All of this takes place in @Statesman et. al.'s Where the World Will Lead, which is up to 2000!]
or
How an ornery Oklahoman helped the GOP back on their feet.
Right, so story here is that McAdoo is elected President in 1932 by a somewhat narrower victory than expected because of his running mate 'Alfalfa Bill' Murray alienating Catholics into the Republican camp and a good chunk of left-wing voters being alienated enough to vote Norman Thomas. Thus you get Rhode Island which voted Democratic in 1928, voting Republican in 1932.
And then of course McAdoo is shot before he's inaugurated, so Murray becomes president. Unsurprisingly, his first term is kind of a disaster, with the economy's recovery being extremely sluggish, his authoritarian manner disturbing a lot of people [including his ordering the troops to shoot the Bonus Army] and ultimately, his uncaring attitude to the Dust Bowl and to urban workers who cry for butter and beans.
Enter the philanthropist Herbert Hoover, who gave food out at his rallies and promised to do something about the farming crisis. Thankfully for Murray, he's paired up with a Catholic by the name of Hugh Johnson [who's an 'Ironist', aka meme-ish fascism] and this allows the Dems to reclaim states such as Massachusetts. One hung electoral college later, Johnson is Acting President, and manages to wreck the fragile economy leading Hoover to withdraw from congressional negotiations and call for Murray's re-election.
Put back in the Oval Office, Murray leads the economy back to a sluggish recovery, but by 1940 the nation haven't entirely recovered from the Depression or Johnson's 'Golden Recession' [so called because it started with him taking America off the gold standard, leading to a rush on the dollar]. The main issue in 1940 is foreign policy, and Lindbergh successfully wins as an isolationist.
So ends the presidency of Alfalfa Bill. Much shouting and hollering, few things genuinely done and the economy enters 1941 sluggish. Eight years of missed opportunities and the Republicans bounce back far, far earlier than they did in OTL, thanks to Murray being no Roosevelt, and instead merely shrinking the Democratic coalition.
[All of this takes place in @Statesman et. al.'s Where the World Will Lead, which is up to 2000!]
The 2004 election if Hogan had actually ran for President
Pierre Wieczor (born 1958) is a Polish-French actor, producer, and director. He is an Academy Award and European Film Award winning director, having won both for his work on his film La pièce, the former for Best Foreign Film and the latter for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor. Wieczor is the sole person to have won all three European Film Academy awards.
Pierre was born Tomasz Wieczor in Poznan, Poland, living there for sixteen years before he was involved in a construction accident and resolved himself to following his aspirations and becoming involved in the film business. Wieczor defected to West Germany in 1974 and quickly traveled to Paris, where he made a living by selling bird toys to children. He was nicknamed Oiseau, the French word for bird, and started referring to himself as Pierre. He was spotted by a French film casting agent and was offered a job to play Dracula in an upcoming horror film. Though initially apprehensive, Pierre decided to take the offer and become an actor. Pierre would slowly work his way up through French film productions, eventually being wealthy enough to finance his own film project, La pièce. Upon its release, the film was critically acclaimed and has been described as a French film masterpiece.
Wieczor is famous for his appearances as Dracula in the French film Dracula (1985) and as Jean in La pièce (1991). In 2006, Pierre criticized police brutality, revealing his own experiences after being traumatized by a wrongful drug arrest. He has been named as a potential candidate in the upcoming 2022 French Presidential election.
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D. B. Cooper is a media epithet popularly used to refer to the hijacker of a Boeing 727 aircraft in Washington, on November 24, 1971. Utilizing knowledge that was virtually unique to the CIA, he escaped by parachute with over a million dollars at current values. A massive search found his mangled corpse hanging from a tree, however he was never identified as anyone else at the time.
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot at by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a presidential motorcade in Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was riding with his wife Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally's wife, Nellie. A ten-month investigation by the Warren Commission from November 1963 to September 1964 concluded that Oswald acted alone in shooting at Kennedy, and that Jack Ruby also acted alone when he killed Oswald before he could stand trial.
Gentleman Biaggi
Banned
@Yes
Dakota's history in Agraria has been one of repression and attempts at independence. In the beginning of Dakota's time as a state, it had a massive Native population, and was lead by popular governor Theodore Roosevelt. However, the state diversified with a growing European immigrant population, largely from Germany and Scandinavia. With a growing and diverse population, the people of Dakota began to feel like an Independent nation and began to make pushes towards independence. During the 1922 Agrarian Communist Revolution, Dakotans fought to overthrow the government, hoping that a new one would let them become independent, a position that would become depressingly familiar to any Dakotan during future regime changes. However, the new Communist government refused their Independence bid, they then supported the other regime changes. No government would allow them to be free, despite Dakota's support of all revolutions. By the beginning of the second Communist Government of Agraria, Dakotan hopes had held on by a string, however the new government would allow them to have an independence referendum. Optimism reigned throughout Dakota, as they finally had a chance to make their own decisions as a nation. However, the Communist government heavily rigged the referendum, and then spent years taking Dakota's resources away from them. Dakota's support for national revolution went to intensely angry support for Revolutionary Independence, with riots seemingly occurring once a week. However, things didn't fully escalate until Illinois got involved.
The nation of Illinois and Agraria have never had a good relationship. During the First Great North American War, they fought each other, and during the first communist government Illinois felt that it was the defender of democracy in middle North America, while Agraria would enforce tyranny all over North America. Under Lafollette's Agraria, the relations between the nations warmed, but the second Communist government brought a massive shift to the warmth. It got so bad that the Illinoisans did everything to refuse the Agrarian government from entering the North American Union in 2001. By 2017, with tensions colder than ever between the two nations, the Illinois government decided to give weapons to Dakotan militias. The June attacks and Riots shook the Agrarian government, as the revolutionaries had already taken most of West Dakota. In an official government investigation, the Agrarian Government found the Illinois government had assisted Dakotan Nationalists. Following the investigation, the Second Great North American war sparked. Agraria and Illinois declared war on each other in July, and their allies followed suit soon thereafter. The attacks began the biggest conflict in North American history. Only time will tell who decides the winner of this war, and what the losers will receive.
Dakota's history in Agraria has been one of repression and attempts at independence. In the beginning of Dakota's time as a state, it had a massive Native population, and was lead by popular governor Theodore Roosevelt. However, the state diversified with a growing European immigrant population, largely from Germany and Scandinavia. With a growing and diverse population, the people of Dakota began to feel like an Independent nation and began to make pushes towards independence. During the 1922 Agrarian Communist Revolution, Dakotans fought to overthrow the government, hoping that a new one would let them become independent, a position that would become depressingly familiar to any Dakotan during future regime changes. However, the new Communist government refused their Independence bid, they then supported the other regime changes. No government would allow them to be free, despite Dakota's support of all revolutions. By the beginning of the second Communist Government of Agraria, Dakotan hopes had held on by a string, however the new government would allow them to have an independence referendum. Optimism reigned throughout Dakota, as they finally had a chance to make their own decisions as a nation. However, the Communist government heavily rigged the referendum, and then spent years taking Dakota's resources away from them. Dakota's support for national revolution went to intensely angry support for Revolutionary Independence, with riots seemingly occurring once a week. However, things didn't fully escalate until Illinois got involved.
The nation of Illinois and Agraria have never had a good relationship. During the First Great North American War, they fought each other, and during the first communist government Illinois felt that it was the defender of democracy in middle North America, while Agraria would enforce tyranny all over North America. Under Lafollette's Agraria, the relations between the nations warmed, but the second Communist government brought a massive shift to the warmth. It got so bad that the Illinoisans did everything to refuse the Agrarian government from entering the North American Union in 2001. By 2017, with tensions colder than ever between the two nations, the Illinois government decided to give weapons to Dakotan militias. The June attacks and Riots shook the Agrarian government, as the revolutionaries had already taken most of West Dakota. In an official government investigation, the Agrarian Government found the Illinois government had assisted Dakotan Nationalists. Following the investigation, the Second Great North American war sparked. Agraria and Illinois declared war on each other in July, and their allies followed suit soon thereafter. The attacks began the biggest conflict in North American history. Only time will tell who decides the winner of this war, and what the losers will receive.
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Cross posting from Hail, Britannia:
The State of Acadiana, occasionally referred to as the Principality of Acadiana or the Cajun State, is a state of the Union of Louisiana, covering the southernmost part of the country along the Gulf Coast, bordered by the Free State of Florida and the Carolinian state of Mississippi to the east, South Arkansaw to the north, the Republic of Texas to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Acadiana is the only part of Louisiana, and the only region of Southern British America, where Francophones make up a majority of the population.
Modern Acadiana was inhabited by Native American for millennia prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, and their legacy can be seen in many place names that are transliterations of those used in various Native American languages, as well as the First Nation reserves located across the state. Spain became the first European nation to visit the mouth of the Mississippi in 1528, although Spanish interest in the region faded in favour of Central America. French interest began in the late 17th century, when they established settlements along the Mississippi and the Red River of the South. Natchitoches, in the northwest of the state, was established in 1714 and is the oldest permanent European settlement in the modern state of Acadiana, its strategic location as a river port and crossroads resulted in rapid development and soon other settlements were established, including the capital New Orleans. After the Seven Years' War, France ceded its territory west of the Mississippi to Britain, although it was able to retain the control of the colony of Louisiana, which covered much of what is now Louisiana and Missouri. In the 1760s, several thousand Acadian refugees made their way to the region after being expelled from their homelands, they settled across the south and southeast of the colony, establishing themselves in what would become known as Acadiana. During the 1790s and early 1800s immigrants also came from the colony of Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean, and over the years thousands of ethnic Europeans, free people of colour and African slaves arrived in Acadiana. The influx of Francophones reinforced the prevalence of the French-language in the area, whilst intermarriage between the groups of new immigrants, colonial settlers and Acadian refugees gave rise to the modern language of Cajun French and the Cajun people. Africans, both freed and slave, also brought with them their cultural traditions, which has given rise to a unique Cajun culture.
A bastion of French royalist support, colonial Louisiana initially resisted overtures from the revolutionary French government to join the new republic, and although the authorities publicly declared themselves opposed to the French Revolution, they did not attempt to declare independence due to a fear of the response in Britain's American colonies. However Napoleon's victory in the War of the Third Coalition led to a shift in the mood in colonial Louisiana, and in early 1806 Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Rochambeau, who had escaped the British at Saint-Dominigue into exile in New Orleans became the colonial governor and declared Louisiana's allegiance to the First French Empire. On 30 April 1806, British American forces launched an attack across the Mississippi to capture the settlement of Saint-Louis, beginning another theatre in the Napoleonic Wars that would be referred to as the Conquest of Louisiana. Lacking a significant military presence, and facing the unlikelihood of reinforcements from Europe, due in part to British naval dominance, the conquest of Louisiana lasted eight months and culminated with the Battle of New Orleans. During the battle de Rochambeau was killed and Pierre Clément de Laussat, his deputy, surrendered the city to British forces. On 18 January 1807, the French tricolore was lowered and the British Union flag raised in its place, although British control would not be formally recognised by France until the 1814 Congress of Vienna formally ceded the territory to Britain. The invasion of Louisiana had seen French royalists take up arms against their neighbours by fighting alongside the British, and in the post-conquest years tensions were high both between Cajuns themselves, and newly arrived immigrants from Britain and Europe. In an effort to ensure the loyalty of his new French-speaking subjects, as well as to repeat the success of the hereditary position of Lord Governor of Quebec, King-Emperor George III granted Louis de Noailles, an exiled French nobleman who led French royalists during the war, the title of Prince of Acadiana as palatine of the territory of Acadiana.
At the time of the Emancipation Crisis (1834-1839), nearly 40% of the state's total population was enslaved, but despite the strong economic interests of the white elite in preserving the institution of slavery, full emancipation was enacted across the state. During the Republican Rebellion (1848-1851), Acadiana saw some of the worst fighting, particularly urban warfare within the major cities of New Orleans and Vermilionville, as the secessionist Cajun Republic led by Alexandre Mouton attempted to secede from British control. A major fact in the Cajun uprising was the emancipation of the slave a decade previous, and the economic impacts it had had on state. The republic was quickly defeated in 1849 when Vermilionville was recaptured by British forces, although its leaders fled into exile in South Haiti, where they established a government-in-exile that persists to this day. In 1861, Acadiana was united with the Arkansaws and the Indian Territory to form the Union of Louisiana. Under imperial law, freed men and people of colour were granted full citizenship and voting rights, however the white-dominated legislature passed laws effectively disenfranchising blacks and peoples of colour, a situation that would continue until the late 20th century.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly following the 1876 Acts of Union, Acadiana was dominated politically by various populist movements, whilst the rights of the black and creole population were reppressed. During the First World War, coastal Acadiana suffered bombing raids from Mexican air and naval forces, and parts of New Orleans were devastated when a Mexican warship bombarded the city. The interwar period saw the controversial tenure of Huey Long as Louisiana First Minister, and the rise to prominence of the Labour Party, led to an increase in anti-Catholic sentiment and laid the origins of the later Troubles. The Second World War created many jobs in the state, with the rise of the defence industry, whilst the post-war period saw many Cajuns migrating to other parts of the Empire to escape social oppression. The decades long ethnic and sectarian conflict, known as the Louisiana Troubles, began in the 1960s as a result of a civil rights campaign to end discrimination against blacks, aboriginals and Catholics. The conflict has shaped modern Cajun society, seeing the creation of paramilitary groups like the Cajun Republican Army and deployment of the British Army across the state. Sectarian violence and terrorism characterised the state's history until the late 1990s, when the Good Friday "Saint-Louis" Agreement led to a ceasefire between the paramilitary groups and British security forces.
Modern Acadiana is a region characterised by a diverse multicultural population, having been influenced by a mixture of French, English, Native American and African cultures, making it unique within the Empire. Acadiana remains dominated by Catholics, with a significant Baptist population, and recent decades has seen the rise of nationalist and sovereignist movements, such as the Parti de la Nation Cajun, that advocate for Cajun secession from the Union. The economy of Acadiana is heavily dominated by the agricultural industry, with a growing tourism and film industry, the latter centred around Tremé in New Orleans. Due to the state's location along the Gulf Coast , it has regularly suffered the effects of tropical storms and hurricanes, with one of the worst being Hurrican Katrina that hit in August 2005 and caused extensive damage and flooding in New Orleans and other low lying parts of the state.
The 2015 Acadiana legislative election was held on 7 December 2015 to elect, under the jackpot majority bonus system, the 141 members of the National Assembly, 86 from single-member districts and 55 from a statewide party list. Under the Acadiana electoral system, the party that wins a plurality of the popular vote receives an additional seat bonus from the party list to give them 72 seats overall, thus ensuring a functioning majority, whilst the second-largest party received the remaining party list seats.
The incumbent centrist Union Populaire (UP) government, led by Chief Minister Charlie Melançon, was forced to call an early election after several backbenchers threatened to vote with the opposition against the government's proposed budget, partially in opposition over the lack of funding for renewable energy and flood defences. Despite overtures from the centre-left Parti Socialiste (PS), who offered to support the government in exchange for concessions on minimum wage and worker rights, the UP were unable to secure a majority in the National Assembly, and Melançon requested that the Prince dissolve the legislature in preparation for an early election.
In a tight and hard fought election campaign, the UP narrowly polled ahead of the opposition centre-left Parti de la Nation Cajun (PdlNC), but the PdlNC and their focus on infrastructure spending, improved flood defences and continued redevelopment of areas affected by Hurricane Katrina led to significant gains amongst all voters. The UP led a campaign centred around continuity, and focused on diversifying the state economy with increased investment in the growing technology industry. As election day approached, the polls narrowed, with many predicting the two parties to be tied in the popular vote. However a late surge in support for the PdlNC came after leader Jacques Roy pledged not to focus on the independence issue for his first time, resulted in many undecideds to back his party. The results on election night saw the PdlNC secure a majority, whilst the UP were reduced to 45 seats.
Of the other opposition parties, the moderate conservative Alliance Nationale (AN) under Wilbert Tauzin saw a decline in seats and overall votes, largely attributed to the UP's shift to the right on certain issues attracting support away from the AN. The PS saw their support almost double, primarily amongst inner city black creoles, although this didn't translate into a significant gain in seats, whilst the centre-right Avenir Démocratique (AD) managed to hold their four seats dispute losing votes. A major surprise in the results came when Marie Hébert, leader of the Démocrates Indépendants (DI), unseated former Chief Minister Charles Auradou from his seat in Saint-Rose—Lafreniere, doubling her party's representation in the National Assembly.
On election night, Melançon conceded the result and announced his intention to step down as party leader when a successor had been elected. Roy was sworn in as the next Chief Minister of Acadiana the following day.
The Prince of Acadiana (French: Prince d’Acadiane) is the hereditary viceregal palatine of Acadiana, acting as the viceroy of the state for the British Crown. The title, along with quasi-independent jurisdiction over modern-day Acadiana and the Arkansaws, was first granted to Louis de Noailles, an exiled French nobleman who led French royalist forces to fight with the British during the Conquest of Louisiana. For services rendered to the Crown, and in an effort to ensure the loyalty of his new French-speaking subjects in the conquered territories of colonial Louisiana, King-Emperor George III granted de Noailles the titles Prince of Acadiana and Duke of New Orleans. At the same time de Noailles was created Vicomte de Noailles in the Peerage of America, although this title separated from the Princedom in 1835, and remains extant.
Although historically enjoying special authority and autonomy from the rest of the British colonial possessions in North America, the influence and power of the prince declined significantly following the Republican Rebellion (1848-1851) when much of Acadiana erupted into full-scale rebellion against the Crown. Although the 3rd Princess of Acadiana, Anne-Marie de Noailles, swayed many to the side of the loyalists, her power, and that of other palatines, was curtailed by the signing of the Anglo-American Compromise and the creation of the Union of Louisiana in 1861 further reduced their position to that of ceremonial figureheads. Concerns over her marriage to Jérôme Bonaparte-Patterson, nephew of the French Emperor Napoleon, also contributed to the decline in political power for the family, and upon his succession in 1888 their son, Jérôme I de Bonaparte-Noailles, inherited a relatively powerless position.
The incumbent prince is Jérôme IV de Bonaparte-Noailles, who inherited the position upon the death of his father on 16 December 2017.
Cajuns, also known as Cadiens, are an ethnic group predominantly living in the state of Acadiana, although smaller populations exist in neighbouring South Arkansaw, Florida and Texas. Although in its strictest definition, "Cajun" refers to those individuals descended from Acadians, French-speakers exiled from Acadia in what are now the New England provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Great Upheaval during the Seven Years' War saw the mass deportation of Acadians from their homelands to the French colony of Louisiana, where many resettled in modern Acadiana and intermarried with the established Francophone colonists. Many Cajuns fought with the French during the Conquest of Louisiana, a theatre of the Napoleonic Wars that resulted in Britain occupying the French colony, and throughout the 19th century they resisted British rule through both passive and armed resistance.
Today Cajuns make up a majority of the population of the state of Acadiana, and are one of the three recognised cultural, ethnic and linguistic groups within Louisiana, along with Arkansawyers and Aboriginals. Having been repressed and heavily impacted by Anglophone dominance before and during the Louisiana Troubles, Cajuns now enjoy equal representation within the Louisiana General Assembly and the Louisiana Federal Government. The British imperial government also recognises them as a minority ethnic group.
Cajun French is a variety of the French language spoken primarily in Acadiana, specifically in the southern, central and eastern parishes, though substantial minorities exist across Louisiana and southeast Texas as well. Cajun French is derived from the intermingling of the dialect brought by the Acadian exiles with the original Colonial French dialect spoken by soldiers and settlers in French Louisiana prior to the arrival of the Acadians in the 1760s. The language also incorporates elements and words of African, Spanish, Native American and English origin, further distinguishing from the extant dialect of Acadian French still spoken in parts of New England. Considered a single language, there is still considerable regional variation across Acadiana, and even between neighbouring parishes.
Although spoken by most inhabitants of Acadiana, regardless of ethnic origin, some Black Creoles speak Kreyol, a distinct creole language that is a mixture of pre-Acadian colonial French, Spanish, African and Native American languages, and the northern parishes along the Red River of the South have significant English-speaking populations.
The State of Acadiana, occasionally referred to as the Principality of Acadiana or the Cajun State, is a state of the Union of Louisiana, covering the southernmost part of the country along the Gulf Coast, bordered by the Free State of Florida and the Carolinian state of Mississippi to the east, South Arkansaw to the north, the Republic of Texas to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Acadiana is the only part of Louisiana, and the only region of Southern British America, where Francophones make up a majority of the population.
Modern Acadiana was inhabited by Native American for millennia prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, and their legacy can be seen in many place names that are transliterations of those used in various Native American languages, as well as the First Nation reserves located across the state. Spain became the first European nation to visit the mouth of the Mississippi in 1528, although Spanish interest in the region faded in favour of Central America. French interest began in the late 17th century, when they established settlements along the Mississippi and the Red River of the South. Natchitoches, in the northwest of the state, was established in 1714 and is the oldest permanent European settlement in the modern state of Acadiana, its strategic location as a river port and crossroads resulted in rapid development and soon other settlements were established, including the capital New Orleans. After the Seven Years' War, France ceded its territory west of the Mississippi to Britain, although it was able to retain the control of the colony of Louisiana, which covered much of what is now Louisiana and Missouri. In the 1760s, several thousand Acadian refugees made their way to the region after being expelled from their homelands, they settled across the south and southeast of the colony, establishing themselves in what would become known as Acadiana. During the 1790s and early 1800s immigrants also came from the colony of Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean, and over the years thousands of ethnic Europeans, free people of colour and African slaves arrived in Acadiana. The influx of Francophones reinforced the prevalence of the French-language in the area, whilst intermarriage between the groups of new immigrants, colonial settlers and Acadian refugees gave rise to the modern language of Cajun French and the Cajun people. Africans, both freed and slave, also brought with them their cultural traditions, which has given rise to a unique Cajun culture.
A bastion of French royalist support, colonial Louisiana initially resisted overtures from the revolutionary French government to join the new republic, and although the authorities publicly declared themselves opposed to the French Revolution, they did not attempt to declare independence due to a fear of the response in Britain's American colonies. However Napoleon's victory in the War of the Third Coalition led to a shift in the mood in colonial Louisiana, and in early 1806 Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Rochambeau, who had escaped the British at Saint-Dominigue into exile in New Orleans became the colonial governor and declared Louisiana's allegiance to the First French Empire. On 30 April 1806, British American forces launched an attack across the Mississippi to capture the settlement of Saint-Louis, beginning another theatre in the Napoleonic Wars that would be referred to as the Conquest of Louisiana. Lacking a significant military presence, and facing the unlikelihood of reinforcements from Europe, due in part to British naval dominance, the conquest of Louisiana lasted eight months and culminated with the Battle of New Orleans. During the battle de Rochambeau was killed and Pierre Clément de Laussat, his deputy, surrendered the city to British forces. On 18 January 1807, the French tricolore was lowered and the British Union flag raised in its place, although British control would not be formally recognised by France until the 1814 Congress of Vienna formally ceded the territory to Britain. The invasion of Louisiana had seen French royalists take up arms against their neighbours by fighting alongside the British, and in the post-conquest years tensions were high both between Cajuns themselves, and newly arrived immigrants from Britain and Europe. In an effort to ensure the loyalty of his new French-speaking subjects, as well as to repeat the success of the hereditary position of Lord Governor of Quebec, King-Emperor George III granted Louis de Noailles, an exiled French nobleman who led French royalists during the war, the title of Prince of Acadiana as palatine of the territory of Acadiana.
At the time of the Emancipation Crisis (1834-1839), nearly 40% of the state's total population was enslaved, but despite the strong economic interests of the white elite in preserving the institution of slavery, full emancipation was enacted across the state. During the Republican Rebellion (1848-1851), Acadiana saw some of the worst fighting, particularly urban warfare within the major cities of New Orleans and Vermilionville, as the secessionist Cajun Republic led by Alexandre Mouton attempted to secede from British control. A major fact in the Cajun uprising was the emancipation of the slave a decade previous, and the economic impacts it had had on state. The republic was quickly defeated in 1849 when Vermilionville was recaptured by British forces, although its leaders fled into exile in South Haiti, where they established a government-in-exile that persists to this day. In 1861, Acadiana was united with the Arkansaws and the Indian Territory to form the Union of Louisiana. Under imperial law, freed men and people of colour were granted full citizenship and voting rights, however the white-dominated legislature passed laws effectively disenfranchising blacks and peoples of colour, a situation that would continue until the late 20th century.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly following the 1876 Acts of Union, Acadiana was dominated politically by various populist movements, whilst the rights of the black and creole population were reppressed. During the First World War, coastal Acadiana suffered bombing raids from Mexican air and naval forces, and parts of New Orleans were devastated when a Mexican warship bombarded the city. The interwar period saw the controversial tenure of Huey Long as Louisiana First Minister, and the rise to prominence of the Labour Party, led to an increase in anti-Catholic sentiment and laid the origins of the later Troubles. The Second World War created many jobs in the state, with the rise of the defence industry, whilst the post-war period saw many Cajuns migrating to other parts of the Empire to escape social oppression. The decades long ethnic and sectarian conflict, known as the Louisiana Troubles, began in the 1960s as a result of a civil rights campaign to end discrimination against blacks, aboriginals and Catholics. The conflict has shaped modern Cajun society, seeing the creation of paramilitary groups like the Cajun Republican Army and deployment of the British Army across the state. Sectarian violence and terrorism characterised the state's history until the late 1990s, when the Good Friday "Saint-Louis" Agreement led to a ceasefire between the paramilitary groups and British security forces.
Modern Acadiana is a region characterised by a diverse multicultural population, having been influenced by a mixture of French, English, Native American and African cultures, making it unique within the Empire. Acadiana remains dominated by Catholics, with a significant Baptist population, and recent decades has seen the rise of nationalist and sovereignist movements, such as the Parti de la Nation Cajun, that advocate for Cajun secession from the Union. The economy of Acadiana is heavily dominated by the agricultural industry, with a growing tourism and film industry, the latter centred around Tremé in New Orleans. Due to the state's location along the Gulf Coast , it has regularly suffered the effects of tropical storms and hurricanes, with one of the worst being Hurrican Katrina that hit in August 2005 and caused extensive damage and flooding in New Orleans and other low lying parts of the state.
The 2015 Acadiana legislative election was held on 7 December 2015 to elect, under the jackpot majority bonus system, the 141 members of the National Assembly, 86 from single-member districts and 55 from a statewide party list. Under the Acadiana electoral system, the party that wins a plurality of the popular vote receives an additional seat bonus from the party list to give them 72 seats overall, thus ensuring a functioning majority, whilst the second-largest party received the remaining party list seats.
The incumbent centrist Union Populaire (UP) government, led by Chief Minister Charlie Melançon, was forced to call an early election after several backbenchers threatened to vote with the opposition against the government's proposed budget, partially in opposition over the lack of funding for renewable energy and flood defences. Despite overtures from the centre-left Parti Socialiste (PS), who offered to support the government in exchange for concessions on minimum wage and worker rights, the UP were unable to secure a majority in the National Assembly, and Melançon requested that the Prince dissolve the legislature in preparation for an early election.
In a tight and hard fought election campaign, the UP narrowly polled ahead of the opposition centre-left Parti de la Nation Cajun (PdlNC), but the PdlNC and their focus on infrastructure spending, improved flood defences and continued redevelopment of areas affected by Hurricane Katrina led to significant gains amongst all voters. The UP led a campaign centred around continuity, and focused on diversifying the state economy with increased investment in the growing technology industry. As election day approached, the polls narrowed, with many predicting the two parties to be tied in the popular vote. However a late surge in support for the PdlNC came after leader Jacques Roy pledged not to focus on the independence issue for his first time, resulted in many undecideds to back his party. The results on election night saw the PdlNC secure a majority, whilst the UP were reduced to 45 seats.
Of the other opposition parties, the moderate conservative Alliance Nationale (AN) under Wilbert Tauzin saw a decline in seats and overall votes, largely attributed to the UP's shift to the right on certain issues attracting support away from the AN. The PS saw their support almost double, primarily amongst inner city black creoles, although this didn't translate into a significant gain in seats, whilst the centre-right Avenir Démocratique (AD) managed to hold their four seats dispute losing votes. A major surprise in the results came when Marie Hébert, leader of the Démocrates Indépendants (DI), unseated former Chief Minister Charles Auradou from his seat in Saint-Rose—Lafreniere, doubling her party's representation in the National Assembly.
On election night, Melançon conceded the result and announced his intention to step down as party leader when a successor had been elected. Roy was sworn in as the next Chief Minister of Acadiana the following day.
The Prince of Acadiana (French: Prince d’Acadiane) is the hereditary viceregal palatine of Acadiana, acting as the viceroy of the state for the British Crown. The title, along with quasi-independent jurisdiction over modern-day Acadiana and the Arkansaws, was first granted to Louis de Noailles, an exiled French nobleman who led French royalist forces to fight with the British during the Conquest of Louisiana. For services rendered to the Crown, and in an effort to ensure the loyalty of his new French-speaking subjects in the conquered territories of colonial Louisiana, King-Emperor George III granted de Noailles the titles Prince of Acadiana and Duke of New Orleans. At the same time de Noailles was created Vicomte de Noailles in the Peerage of America, although this title separated from the Princedom in 1835, and remains extant.
Although historically enjoying special authority and autonomy from the rest of the British colonial possessions in North America, the influence and power of the prince declined significantly following the Republican Rebellion (1848-1851) when much of Acadiana erupted into full-scale rebellion against the Crown. Although the 3rd Princess of Acadiana, Anne-Marie de Noailles, swayed many to the side of the loyalists, her power, and that of other palatines, was curtailed by the signing of the Anglo-American Compromise and the creation of the Union of Louisiana in 1861 further reduced their position to that of ceremonial figureheads. Concerns over her marriage to Jérôme Bonaparte-Patterson, nephew of the French Emperor Napoleon, also contributed to the decline in political power for the family, and upon his succession in 1888 their son, Jérôme I de Bonaparte-Noailles, inherited a relatively powerless position.
The incumbent prince is Jérôme IV de Bonaparte-Noailles, who inherited the position upon the death of his father on 16 December 2017.
Cajuns, also known as Cadiens, are an ethnic group predominantly living in the state of Acadiana, although smaller populations exist in neighbouring South Arkansaw, Florida and Texas. Although in its strictest definition, "Cajun" refers to those individuals descended from Acadians, French-speakers exiled from Acadia in what are now the New England provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Great Upheaval during the Seven Years' War saw the mass deportation of Acadians from their homelands to the French colony of Louisiana, where many resettled in modern Acadiana and intermarried with the established Francophone colonists. Many Cajuns fought with the French during the Conquest of Louisiana, a theatre of the Napoleonic Wars that resulted in Britain occupying the French colony, and throughout the 19th century they resisted British rule through both passive and armed resistance.
Today Cajuns make up a majority of the population of the state of Acadiana, and are one of the three recognised cultural, ethnic and linguistic groups within Louisiana, along with Arkansawyers and Aboriginals. Having been repressed and heavily impacted by Anglophone dominance before and during the Louisiana Troubles, Cajuns now enjoy equal representation within the Louisiana General Assembly and the Louisiana Federal Government. The British imperial government also recognises them as a minority ethnic group.
Cajun French is a variety of the French language spoken primarily in Acadiana, specifically in the southern, central and eastern parishes, though substantial minorities exist across Louisiana and southeast Texas as well. Cajun French is derived from the intermingling of the dialect brought by the Acadian exiles with the original Colonial French dialect spoken by soldiers and settlers in French Louisiana prior to the arrival of the Acadians in the 1760s. The language also incorporates elements and words of African, Spanish, Native American and English origin, further distinguishing from the extant dialect of Acadian French still spoken in parts of New England. Considered a single language, there is still considerable regional variation across Acadiana, and even between neighbouring parishes.
Although spoken by most inhabitants of Acadiana, regardless of ethnic origin, some Black Creoles speak Kreyol, a distinct creole language that is a mixture of pre-Acadian colonial French, Spanish, African and Native American languages, and the northern parishes along the Red River of the South have significant English-speaking populations.
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