OK, on the third month after this thread quietly slipped away, and now that The City is finished (go read it! Girl shoots guy in face!), I'm going to just compile the best ideas from this thread, and work them into something vaguely timeline-ish. I'll do a dot point summary of everything devised so far, as well as some ideas of my own. This is just the first part, covering to the midterms in 1998.
Due credit to TheMann, David bar Elias, Merry Prankster, and Corbell Mark IV.
The Campaign
1993
·Point of Departure: John Breaux decides to vote against the 1993 Budget in the Senate. As one of Congress' most influential moderate Democrats, this leads to a substantial segment of the Blue Dog Coalition declaring against the budget. Although Clinton avoids the humiliation of a direct defeat of the budget, his capitulation is seen as the start of a series of crises.
1994
·Republicans take back Congress in 1994. Whereas in OTL only Dick Shelby switched parties afterwards, three senators and a dozen Congressmen from the south switch to the new majority in TTL. This further weakens Clinton.
1995
·Paula Jones becomes a major scandal in 1995, with the press taking advantage of Clinton's political weakness to 'pile on'.
·Alan Keyes decides not to run for president, instead endorsing Pat Buchanan early, as Buchanan, taking advantage of NAFTA (Clinton's sole legislative triumph), ascends in the polls.
·Bob Kerrey announces an exploratory committee to run for president; he is persuaded to withdraw a few days later, but the abortive run contributes to Clinton's image as a lame duck.
1996
·The OTL Keyes vote in Iowa goes to Buchanan, allowing him to win the Iowa caucuses.
·A congressional investigation into Paula Jones gains momentum. More alleged affairs emerge from the woodwork.
·Buchanan wins New Hampshire, as in OTL.
·Forbes wins Delaware; Dole wins North and South Dakota; Buchanan wins Arizona.
·Buchanan secures Pete Wilson’s endorsement, with the implicit promise of the vice presidency. This allows him to be seen as a ‘legitimate’ contender, not merely a protest candidate.
·Dole wins the more moderate New England primaries; Buchanan wins South Carolina. Buchanan sweeps the South on March 12, giving him a significant lead in the delegate count.
·Steve Forbes endorses Buchanan, granting him further delegates. Buchanan polls well in the Rust Belt on March 19, but Dole recovers some momentum. Dole stakes all his chips on California, on March 26.
·Buchanan pips Dole, by a narrow margin of 3000 votes, in California. Dole withdraws from the race, making Buchanan the de facto nominee.
·Clinton, still battling congressional opposition and investigations, manages to pass the substantially altered 1996 Budget through negotiation with a hostile Congress. This merely contributes to his image as a lame duck, as it is perceived as ‘Gingrich’s Budget’.
·Moderates in the GOP continue to resist Buchanan; Dole publicly moots re-entry into the race leading up to the April Pennsylvania primary, as northeastern Republicans refuse to endorse Buchanan.
·After an exhausting and depressing first term, Clinton begins his ‘fight back’ in April 1996. The collapse of the congressional investigation into Paula Jones’ allegations is a major factor in this. Trying to seize the agenda, he makes welfare reform, in collaboration with moderate Republicans (disaffected from Buchanan), a major part of his agenda. This assuages moderates but infuriates liberals. Jesse Jackson refuses to endorse Clinton for re-election (in OTL, he publicly speculated about a third party run)
·Ralph Nader declares his intention to run for the presidency, and to run an active campaign (unlike in OTL, where he was reluctantly drafted for a half-hearted run in 1996)
·Clinton’s shift to the right, to counter Buchanan’s attacks, includes measures to reduce affirmative action for federal jobs. This increases his lead in polling over Buchanan (a 10% lead in May 1996) but allows support to leak to Ralph Nader, polling at 6%.
·Buchanan, although not actively campaigning, wins the Reform Party’s nomination, as a ‘fusion’ candidate. Ross Perot endorses him.
·Clinton, continuing his campaign as a ‘Third Way’ candidate, launches a reshuffle of his cabinet (as he did after winning in 1996 in OTL). Reich, Reno, and Shalala are out. Again, this increases Nader’s support, while not cutting into Buchanan’s base.
·Buchanan, funded by donations from the grassroots base of the party (its corporate donors have not yet come around), begins savage advertising against Clinton in swing states, on the theme ‘Who Do You Trust?’ The ‘trust’ issue proves to be a major issue in the coming months.
·The largely-defunct committee investigating Paula Jones discovers the case of Juanita Broaddrick (not publicised until 1998 in OTL)
·Broaddrick is brought before the committee. Her allegations of sexual assault appear credible. Democratic attempts to discredit her are universally condemned. The actual truth, or lack thereof, of the allegations is considered less important than the blaze of publicity.
·Buchanan’s next swing state ad features footage of him with his loving family, and talk of ‘family values’. The advertisement is considered the most effective of the campaign.
·The Republican National Convention is focused on the theme of ‘party unity’. Bob Dole releases his substantial count of delegates to Buchanan; they embrace on the San Diego stage. Pete Wilson is selected as the vice presidential candidate.
·The Democratic National Convention, by contrast, is bitter and focused on the continuing allegations surrounding Bill Clinton. Despite Clinton facing no opposition in the primaries, former Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey launches a challenge from the floor, gaining more than 300 delegate votes.
·Polling at the end of August: Buchanan 43, Clinton 37, Nader 10, undecided 10.
·Negative advertising begins after the Democratic Convention. Clinton’s negative researchers unearth extensive negative comments by Buchanan in the past; his approval rating plunges. However, Buchanan’s campaign is saved from disaster by the ‘opening of the spigots’, with corporate donors recognising Buchanan as a possible victor against Clinton.
·First Debate: Buchanan makes no gaffes, and makes an effective populist pitch against Clinton. By appearing reasonably sane, he is held to have ‘won’ the debate, despite Clinton’s pitch for the moderate vote.
· Congressman Bob Barr, in light of Broaddrick’s allegations, begins impeachment proceedings against Clinton. The issue is once more unearthed, and prevents Clinton’s attacks on Buchanan from gaining any traction. Clinton’s campaign appears doomed.
·In a Newsweek poll in late September, Nader gains 15% of the vote, against Buchanan’s 41% and Clinton’s 35%. He is hence invited to the next presidential debate.
·Second Debate: A clear win for Clinton. Buchanan is attacked fiercely over his economic proposals, with ‘domestic issues’ (education, health and housing) capitalised on by Clinton. With Buchanan to the right, and Nader to the left, Clinton appears moderate and reasonable. Buchanan’s attempts to capitalise upon Clinton’s personal scandals are taken to be in the worst of taste. Nader is largely marginalised.
·The Election: Clinton wins the popular vote, with 46%, to Buchanan’s 45%. However, Nader, with 7%, proves decisive in splitting the liberal vote; Buchanan narrowly wins Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida, and hence triumphs in the Electoral College.
·Buchanan is inaugurated as the 43rd President on January 20, 1997.
The Administration
1997
·Buchanan assembles his cabinet. Jeane Kirkpatrick becomes Secretary of State, returning from retirement as a ‘distinguished elder’ in the administration. Steve Forbes is placed as head of a task force on tax cuts, effectively sidelining the Treasury Secretary.
·The most publicised appointment is that of Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur as Labor Secretary, who had endorsed Buchanan in the general election and been expelled from the caucus as a result. She becomes the public face of Buchanan’s first policy initiative: ending NAFTA.
·The Industry Restoration Act, abolishing NAFTA and installing new tariffs on imports, is steered through Congress in the first months of the administration, against resistance from free-trade Republicans and Democrats. Buchanan, in a legislative coup, secures the support of House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, allowing for its narrow passage through the House. Vice President Wilson is widely viewed as responsible for its success in the Senate, despite his personal opposition to the bill. Signed into law on May 16, 1997, it is the defining triumph of the administration. Briefly, Buchanan’s approval rating rests above 60%.
·Buchanan’s administration is never ‘slow’; rather, he attempts to introduce new measures constantly, sometimes disregarding the political needs of the moment. In the early months, when all goes well, this leads to a popular and vigorous administration; in later years, it merely alarms the public and leads to drastically declining relations with the legislature.
·The first Buchanan budget is a moderate, pragmatic compromise, evidence of the continued influence of moderates (such as Wilson and Health Secretary Tommy Thompson) over the administration. Tariffs are restored, and extensive tax cuts, devised by Forbes, are implemented (although not a flat tax). Although federal spending is cut, many of Buchanan’s campaign promises – to abolish the Department of Education, to leave health care to the states, and to cut foreign aid – are not implemented.
·By late 1997, however, the tone of the administration begins to change. The turning point, in retrospect, is seen as being the replacement of E. D. Hirsch as Education Secretary. Hirsch, a distinguished academic but with no experience in public service, had quarrelled with Buchanan’s plans to cut funding to the Department and allow for school prayer. His replacement is much more ideologically conservative.
·United Nations
·Buchanan’s brief honeymoon is diminished, however, by his politically foolish attempt to withdraw from the UN, which would persist throughout his administration. The 1997 Helms Act, which blocks the payment of overdue revenue to the UN, leads to threats of suspension of the US seat in the General Assembly.
·The UN, after negotiations with Kirkpatrick, withdraws the United States’ right to sit in the General Assembly. In response, Buchanan devotes large amounts of political capital to steering the Free Nation Bill – withdrawal from the UN – through Congress. Republican Senators Arlen Specter and John Chafee lead the fight against the bill in the Senate.
·After an all-night debate, including extensive filibusters by, ironically, both sides (as the whips try to drum up votes), the Free Nation Bill is defeated, 57 to 43, on October 9, 1997.
·Buchanan’s approval rating dips below his disapproval rating for the first time.
·Buchanan, at first, is determined to re-introduce the Bill. Only by threatening to resign does Kirkpatrick, who recognises the political folly of the move, convince him to relent.
·Buchanan, seeking to rebuild his political standing, decides to focus on his domestic reform agenda in 1998.
·The first year of the Buchanan Administration is consumed by two epic, months-long political battles, over NAFTA and the UN. Buchanan manages to restore protective tariffs and to abolish NAFTA, but the UN battle costs him political standing. In the year to come, the government focuses on a wider range of issues.
1998
·Education Issues
·Buchanan is unable to muster sufficient political support to abolish the Department of Education. Instead, his efforts turn towards curriculum reform: requiring teachers, in order to gain federal funding, to teach ‘values education’, and to give a ‘balanced view’ of historical events.
·This proves controversial: Buchanan’s plans are lampooned as revisionist, and resistance from teachers and states forces the plan to be curtailed. Buchanan does, however, succeed in granting greater powers to local school districts, and in cutting federal expenditure on education.
·Health Issues
·Buchanan launches a spirited attack on HMOs and medical corporations, vowing to reduce the costs of prescription drugs. Part of his economic agenda includes subsidies for these medicines; however, constraints on the budget limit the effectiveness of this. In early February, when he focuses on this debate, his popularity rises above 50%, restoring his standing after the UN debacle.
·However, Buchanan dissipates this popularity after cancelling federal support for anti-AIDS programs. Tommy Thompson threatens to resign over this; in order to prevent more cabinet instability, Buchanan is forced to cancel plans to slash department funding.
·The Environment
·Buchanan is iconoclastic on the environment. He implements consumer legislation to protect animals from factory farming and to protect the rights of factory workers. Although this is largely a populist gesture against corporations, he briefly surfaces as an unlikely environmentalist hero.
·He abolishes the Endangered Species Act, and plans to lease public land to private owners as a source of revenue.
·Free Trade and Industry
·It becomes something of a standard of Buchanan’s administration: whenever he suffers a political setback in another area, he focuses once more upon free trade and corporate policy as a source of public support.
·Secretary Kaptur, as the most experienced official in Buchanan’s administration, emerges as his closest advisor – a source of tension with Vice President Wilson.
·The Industrial Protection Act re-creates a range of tariffs and protective subsidies on American industries. Passed in May with support from Democrats and Republicans, it places extensive sanctions on outsourcing and overseas manufacturing.
·Mexico, in particular, is treated harshly, with tariffs on Mexican products so extensive as to significantly reduce trade between the neighbouring nations.
·Federal affirmative action laws are abolished, with the reluctant acquiescence of Republican moderates. This leads to a compromise: Buchanan will be allowed carte blanche on affirmative action, if he refuses to enact his planned immigration reforms until 1999. Buchanan accepts the compromise, hoping that, by then, he will have the majority necessary in Congress to work around moderates.
·New worker protection laws are introduced. Buchanan, although opposed to unions, acquiesces in Kaptur’s reforms to the Wagner Act, allowing for stringent enforcement of labour rights.
·The Workers Rights Act 1998 is enacted as a legislative triumph towards the end of the year: it enacts specific protections against unfair dismissal and unsafe working conditions, accompanied by increases in wages and conditions. This Act represents the triumph of Kaptur’s faction in the administration over Wilson’s.
·His success in this field diminishes, however, with the economic slowdown; Buchanan’s policies are increasingly blamed for the slowing world economy.
·Foreign Policy
·Foreign aid is cut almost to the point of abolition.
·American troops serving in Europe, Japan, and Africa are withdrawn. Americans cease to participate in UN peacekeeping missions.
·America is perceived, abroad, as xenophobic and increasingly isolated. The axing of free trade deals leads to a slowing of trade, and a declining world economy. This is not evident, however, until next year.
·Economic Policy
·Buchanan’s 1998 Budget is his first budget developed outside the influence of moderates. It implements the largest tax cuts in history, approaching a flat tax in some instances. To pay for this, federal spending is decimated. The Department of Education is, if not abolished, emasculated; health spending and HUD are massively reduced; and defence assignments abroad, including much of the American commitment to NATO, are ended.
·The Budget is perceived as the signifier of the administration’s new, radical bent. Democrats, while studiously avoiding (one might say imitating) Buchanan’s stance on trade, campaign against its spending cuts and perceived neglect of public schools and hospitals.
·Immigration
·Buchanan, although forced to a conciliatory posture by his compromise on affirmative action, abolishes access to public schools for illegal immigrants. Although the gesture is almost unenforceable, its symbolism is apparent. This accompanies a general restriction of social welfare services, although ironically these have been largely cut in the Budget.
·The Border Patrol receives an infusion of funding. Plans are made for the construction of a wall along the border.
·Buchanan briefly moots the abolition of dual citizenship, but is convinced by advisors that such a measure could never survive Congress.
·The Mid-Terms
·Democrats re-take the Senate, with Arlen Specter (effectively deprived of funding by a vengeful president) amongst vulnerable northeastern Senators. Former Democrats-turned-Republicans Richard Shelby and John Breaux are both defeated. The House remains Republican.
·Taking stock of the loss, Buchanan blames his compromise and loss of political momentum, attributed to moderate Republicans in the Senate. In order to restore his fortunes, he needs to appeal to popular sentiments against immigration and the erosion of American national identity.
Due credit to TheMann, David bar Elias, Merry Prankster, and Corbell Mark IV.
The Campaign
1993
·Point of Departure: John Breaux decides to vote against the 1993 Budget in the Senate. As one of Congress' most influential moderate Democrats, this leads to a substantial segment of the Blue Dog Coalition declaring against the budget. Although Clinton avoids the humiliation of a direct defeat of the budget, his capitulation is seen as the start of a series of crises.
1994
·Republicans take back Congress in 1994. Whereas in OTL only Dick Shelby switched parties afterwards, three senators and a dozen Congressmen from the south switch to the new majority in TTL. This further weakens Clinton.
1995
·Paula Jones becomes a major scandal in 1995, with the press taking advantage of Clinton's political weakness to 'pile on'.
·Alan Keyes decides not to run for president, instead endorsing Pat Buchanan early, as Buchanan, taking advantage of NAFTA (Clinton's sole legislative triumph), ascends in the polls.
·Bob Kerrey announces an exploratory committee to run for president; he is persuaded to withdraw a few days later, but the abortive run contributes to Clinton's image as a lame duck.
1996
·The OTL Keyes vote in Iowa goes to Buchanan, allowing him to win the Iowa caucuses.
·A congressional investigation into Paula Jones gains momentum. More alleged affairs emerge from the woodwork.
·Buchanan wins New Hampshire, as in OTL.
·Forbes wins Delaware; Dole wins North and South Dakota; Buchanan wins Arizona.
·Buchanan secures Pete Wilson’s endorsement, with the implicit promise of the vice presidency. This allows him to be seen as a ‘legitimate’ contender, not merely a protest candidate.
·Dole wins the more moderate New England primaries; Buchanan wins South Carolina. Buchanan sweeps the South on March 12, giving him a significant lead in the delegate count.
·Steve Forbes endorses Buchanan, granting him further delegates. Buchanan polls well in the Rust Belt on March 19, but Dole recovers some momentum. Dole stakes all his chips on California, on March 26.
·Buchanan pips Dole, by a narrow margin of 3000 votes, in California. Dole withdraws from the race, making Buchanan the de facto nominee.
·Clinton, still battling congressional opposition and investigations, manages to pass the substantially altered 1996 Budget through negotiation with a hostile Congress. This merely contributes to his image as a lame duck, as it is perceived as ‘Gingrich’s Budget’.
·Moderates in the GOP continue to resist Buchanan; Dole publicly moots re-entry into the race leading up to the April Pennsylvania primary, as northeastern Republicans refuse to endorse Buchanan.
·After an exhausting and depressing first term, Clinton begins his ‘fight back’ in April 1996. The collapse of the congressional investigation into Paula Jones’ allegations is a major factor in this. Trying to seize the agenda, he makes welfare reform, in collaboration with moderate Republicans (disaffected from Buchanan), a major part of his agenda. This assuages moderates but infuriates liberals. Jesse Jackson refuses to endorse Clinton for re-election (in OTL, he publicly speculated about a third party run)
·Ralph Nader declares his intention to run for the presidency, and to run an active campaign (unlike in OTL, where he was reluctantly drafted for a half-hearted run in 1996)
·Clinton’s shift to the right, to counter Buchanan’s attacks, includes measures to reduce affirmative action for federal jobs. This increases his lead in polling over Buchanan (a 10% lead in May 1996) but allows support to leak to Ralph Nader, polling at 6%.
·Buchanan, although not actively campaigning, wins the Reform Party’s nomination, as a ‘fusion’ candidate. Ross Perot endorses him.
·Clinton, continuing his campaign as a ‘Third Way’ candidate, launches a reshuffle of his cabinet (as he did after winning in 1996 in OTL). Reich, Reno, and Shalala are out. Again, this increases Nader’s support, while not cutting into Buchanan’s base.
·Buchanan, funded by donations from the grassroots base of the party (its corporate donors have not yet come around), begins savage advertising against Clinton in swing states, on the theme ‘Who Do You Trust?’ The ‘trust’ issue proves to be a major issue in the coming months.
·The largely-defunct committee investigating Paula Jones discovers the case of Juanita Broaddrick (not publicised until 1998 in OTL)
·Broaddrick is brought before the committee. Her allegations of sexual assault appear credible. Democratic attempts to discredit her are universally condemned. The actual truth, or lack thereof, of the allegations is considered less important than the blaze of publicity.
·Buchanan’s next swing state ad features footage of him with his loving family, and talk of ‘family values’. The advertisement is considered the most effective of the campaign.
·The Republican National Convention is focused on the theme of ‘party unity’. Bob Dole releases his substantial count of delegates to Buchanan; they embrace on the San Diego stage. Pete Wilson is selected as the vice presidential candidate.
·The Democratic National Convention, by contrast, is bitter and focused on the continuing allegations surrounding Bill Clinton. Despite Clinton facing no opposition in the primaries, former Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey launches a challenge from the floor, gaining more than 300 delegate votes.
·Polling at the end of August: Buchanan 43, Clinton 37, Nader 10, undecided 10.
·Negative advertising begins after the Democratic Convention. Clinton’s negative researchers unearth extensive negative comments by Buchanan in the past; his approval rating plunges. However, Buchanan’s campaign is saved from disaster by the ‘opening of the spigots’, with corporate donors recognising Buchanan as a possible victor against Clinton.
·First Debate: Buchanan makes no gaffes, and makes an effective populist pitch against Clinton. By appearing reasonably sane, he is held to have ‘won’ the debate, despite Clinton’s pitch for the moderate vote.
· Congressman Bob Barr, in light of Broaddrick’s allegations, begins impeachment proceedings against Clinton. The issue is once more unearthed, and prevents Clinton’s attacks on Buchanan from gaining any traction. Clinton’s campaign appears doomed.
·In a Newsweek poll in late September, Nader gains 15% of the vote, against Buchanan’s 41% and Clinton’s 35%. He is hence invited to the next presidential debate.
·Second Debate: A clear win for Clinton. Buchanan is attacked fiercely over his economic proposals, with ‘domestic issues’ (education, health and housing) capitalised on by Clinton. With Buchanan to the right, and Nader to the left, Clinton appears moderate and reasonable. Buchanan’s attempts to capitalise upon Clinton’s personal scandals are taken to be in the worst of taste. Nader is largely marginalised.
·The Election: Clinton wins the popular vote, with 46%, to Buchanan’s 45%. However, Nader, with 7%, proves decisive in splitting the liberal vote; Buchanan narrowly wins Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida, and hence triumphs in the Electoral College.
·Buchanan is inaugurated as the 43rd President on January 20, 1997.
The Administration
1997
·Buchanan assembles his cabinet. Jeane Kirkpatrick becomes Secretary of State, returning from retirement as a ‘distinguished elder’ in the administration. Steve Forbes is placed as head of a task force on tax cuts, effectively sidelining the Treasury Secretary.
·The most publicised appointment is that of Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur as Labor Secretary, who had endorsed Buchanan in the general election and been expelled from the caucus as a result. She becomes the public face of Buchanan’s first policy initiative: ending NAFTA.
·The Industry Restoration Act, abolishing NAFTA and installing new tariffs on imports, is steered through Congress in the first months of the administration, against resistance from free-trade Republicans and Democrats. Buchanan, in a legislative coup, secures the support of House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, allowing for its narrow passage through the House. Vice President Wilson is widely viewed as responsible for its success in the Senate, despite his personal opposition to the bill. Signed into law on May 16, 1997, it is the defining triumph of the administration. Briefly, Buchanan’s approval rating rests above 60%.
·Buchanan’s administration is never ‘slow’; rather, he attempts to introduce new measures constantly, sometimes disregarding the political needs of the moment. In the early months, when all goes well, this leads to a popular and vigorous administration; in later years, it merely alarms the public and leads to drastically declining relations with the legislature.
·The first Buchanan budget is a moderate, pragmatic compromise, evidence of the continued influence of moderates (such as Wilson and Health Secretary Tommy Thompson) over the administration. Tariffs are restored, and extensive tax cuts, devised by Forbes, are implemented (although not a flat tax). Although federal spending is cut, many of Buchanan’s campaign promises – to abolish the Department of Education, to leave health care to the states, and to cut foreign aid – are not implemented.
·By late 1997, however, the tone of the administration begins to change. The turning point, in retrospect, is seen as being the replacement of E. D. Hirsch as Education Secretary. Hirsch, a distinguished academic but with no experience in public service, had quarrelled with Buchanan’s plans to cut funding to the Department and allow for school prayer. His replacement is much more ideologically conservative.
·United Nations
·Buchanan’s brief honeymoon is diminished, however, by his politically foolish attempt to withdraw from the UN, which would persist throughout his administration. The 1997 Helms Act, which blocks the payment of overdue revenue to the UN, leads to threats of suspension of the US seat in the General Assembly.
·The UN, after negotiations with Kirkpatrick, withdraws the United States’ right to sit in the General Assembly. In response, Buchanan devotes large amounts of political capital to steering the Free Nation Bill – withdrawal from the UN – through Congress. Republican Senators Arlen Specter and John Chafee lead the fight against the bill in the Senate.
·After an all-night debate, including extensive filibusters by, ironically, both sides (as the whips try to drum up votes), the Free Nation Bill is defeated, 57 to 43, on October 9, 1997.
·Buchanan’s approval rating dips below his disapproval rating for the first time.
·Buchanan, at first, is determined to re-introduce the Bill. Only by threatening to resign does Kirkpatrick, who recognises the political folly of the move, convince him to relent.
·Buchanan, seeking to rebuild his political standing, decides to focus on his domestic reform agenda in 1998.
·The first year of the Buchanan Administration is consumed by two epic, months-long political battles, over NAFTA and the UN. Buchanan manages to restore protective tariffs and to abolish NAFTA, but the UN battle costs him political standing. In the year to come, the government focuses on a wider range of issues.
1998
·Education Issues
·Buchanan is unable to muster sufficient political support to abolish the Department of Education. Instead, his efforts turn towards curriculum reform: requiring teachers, in order to gain federal funding, to teach ‘values education’, and to give a ‘balanced view’ of historical events.
·This proves controversial: Buchanan’s plans are lampooned as revisionist, and resistance from teachers and states forces the plan to be curtailed. Buchanan does, however, succeed in granting greater powers to local school districts, and in cutting federal expenditure on education.
·Health Issues
·Buchanan launches a spirited attack on HMOs and medical corporations, vowing to reduce the costs of prescription drugs. Part of his economic agenda includes subsidies for these medicines; however, constraints on the budget limit the effectiveness of this. In early February, when he focuses on this debate, his popularity rises above 50%, restoring his standing after the UN debacle.
·However, Buchanan dissipates this popularity after cancelling federal support for anti-AIDS programs. Tommy Thompson threatens to resign over this; in order to prevent more cabinet instability, Buchanan is forced to cancel plans to slash department funding.
·The Environment
·Buchanan is iconoclastic on the environment. He implements consumer legislation to protect animals from factory farming and to protect the rights of factory workers. Although this is largely a populist gesture against corporations, he briefly surfaces as an unlikely environmentalist hero.
·He abolishes the Endangered Species Act, and plans to lease public land to private owners as a source of revenue.
·Free Trade and Industry
·It becomes something of a standard of Buchanan’s administration: whenever he suffers a political setback in another area, he focuses once more upon free trade and corporate policy as a source of public support.
·Secretary Kaptur, as the most experienced official in Buchanan’s administration, emerges as his closest advisor – a source of tension with Vice President Wilson.
·The Industrial Protection Act re-creates a range of tariffs and protective subsidies on American industries. Passed in May with support from Democrats and Republicans, it places extensive sanctions on outsourcing and overseas manufacturing.
·Mexico, in particular, is treated harshly, with tariffs on Mexican products so extensive as to significantly reduce trade between the neighbouring nations.
·Federal affirmative action laws are abolished, with the reluctant acquiescence of Republican moderates. This leads to a compromise: Buchanan will be allowed carte blanche on affirmative action, if he refuses to enact his planned immigration reforms until 1999. Buchanan accepts the compromise, hoping that, by then, he will have the majority necessary in Congress to work around moderates.
·New worker protection laws are introduced. Buchanan, although opposed to unions, acquiesces in Kaptur’s reforms to the Wagner Act, allowing for stringent enforcement of labour rights.
·The Workers Rights Act 1998 is enacted as a legislative triumph towards the end of the year: it enacts specific protections against unfair dismissal and unsafe working conditions, accompanied by increases in wages and conditions. This Act represents the triumph of Kaptur’s faction in the administration over Wilson’s.
·His success in this field diminishes, however, with the economic slowdown; Buchanan’s policies are increasingly blamed for the slowing world economy.
·Foreign Policy
·Foreign aid is cut almost to the point of abolition.
·American troops serving in Europe, Japan, and Africa are withdrawn. Americans cease to participate in UN peacekeeping missions.
·America is perceived, abroad, as xenophobic and increasingly isolated. The axing of free trade deals leads to a slowing of trade, and a declining world economy. This is not evident, however, until next year.
·Economic Policy
·Buchanan’s 1998 Budget is his first budget developed outside the influence of moderates. It implements the largest tax cuts in history, approaching a flat tax in some instances. To pay for this, federal spending is decimated. The Department of Education is, if not abolished, emasculated; health spending and HUD are massively reduced; and defence assignments abroad, including much of the American commitment to NATO, are ended.
·The Budget is perceived as the signifier of the administration’s new, radical bent. Democrats, while studiously avoiding (one might say imitating) Buchanan’s stance on trade, campaign against its spending cuts and perceived neglect of public schools and hospitals.
·Immigration
·Buchanan, although forced to a conciliatory posture by his compromise on affirmative action, abolishes access to public schools for illegal immigrants. Although the gesture is almost unenforceable, its symbolism is apparent. This accompanies a general restriction of social welfare services, although ironically these have been largely cut in the Budget.
·The Border Patrol receives an infusion of funding. Plans are made for the construction of a wall along the border.
·Buchanan briefly moots the abolition of dual citizenship, but is convinced by advisors that such a measure could never survive Congress.
·The Mid-Terms
·Democrats re-take the Senate, with Arlen Specter (effectively deprived of funding by a vengeful president) amongst vulnerable northeastern Senators. Former Democrats-turned-Republicans Richard Shelby and John Breaux are both defeated. The House remains Republican.
·Taking stock of the loss, Buchanan blames his compromise and loss of political momentum, attributed to moderate Republicans in the Senate. In order to restore his fortunes, he needs to appeal to popular sentiments against immigration and the erosion of American national identity.