DBWI: Elvis doesn't run for Congress

samcster94

Banned
OOC: This is in a timeline where Elvis lives longer but politics are mostly the same.
Elvis tried running for Congress as a Republican in Mississippi in 1984, the same year Reagan won reelection. His campaign was publicized and was embarrassing to watch as he made so many gaffes and seemed ignorant of so many basic things. The election had him lose by a 2-1 ratio after a financial scandal broke out in September 1984. He lived until 1998 until he was killed in a car accident.
 

GeographyDude

Gone Fishin'
I think Elvis’s “mistakes” actually helped contribute to a conversation about the then decline of the American middle class that we did need to have in the mid ‘80s. :D

But things would have shaken out the same anyway.

The Republicans are going to be in favor of lower taxes on investments and promoting small business loans, and moderate on unions, infrastructure, and education (even though they really beat the drum that they’re pro-education!). The Democrats are big on union rights, education, and infrastructure, and rather moderate on small business loans (8 out of 10 new businesses fail, really!) and investment tax breaks and/or credits. Two parties both in favor of good jobs and a vibrant middle class.

You know, I’ve seen some timelines where the whole country shifts to the right with a politics that follows. Never found them believable. :p
 

samcster94

Banned
GeographyDude said:
I think Elvis’s “mistakes” actually helped contribute to a conversation about the then decline of the American middle class that we did need to have in the mid ‘80s. :D

But things would have shaken out the same anyway.

The Republicans are going to be in favor of lower taxes on investments and promoting small business loans, and moderate on unions, infrastructure, and education (even though they really beat the drum that they’re pro-education!). The Democrats are big on union rights, education, and infrastructure, and rather moderate on small business loans (8 out of 10 new businesses fail, really!) and investment tax breaks and/or credits. Two parties both in favor of good jobs and a vibrant middle class.

You know, I’ve seen some timelines where the whole country shifts to the right with a politics that follows. Never found them believable. :p
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Reaganism was denounced in 1988 and the Dems just walked in. That rightward shift thing was a bit ASB, and was an exaggerated version of what the Coalition's(Liberal+ Country Party) policies were. Prime Minister Pauline Hanson's policies were a disaster though and made Australia a laughing stock but her party lost in a snap election badly.
 
ennobee

ennobee

I think the biggest looser would be 'Saturday Night Live'. I mean, Octavio Saenz impersonating 'Elvis impersonating a congressman' gave the show their greatest ratings ever...
 

Edward IX

Banned
The Congressional Dining room does not serve friend peanut and banana sandwiches!

On a serious note, his famous speech "you sure got a lot of nerve Mr. Speaker" never happens. Locally Harold Ford Sr. Keeps the Memphis seat in Congress for the Democrats.
 

GeographyDude

Gone Fishin'
and dystopia is just more interesting, I’m sorry , but it is! :)

Remember in the late Reagan era, there was the movie Wall Street and then for about a year or two the phrase “Gekko talk” meant overblown corporate rhetoric. For example, the phrase “pre-owned car” got laughed out of the court of public opinion. I mean, if you want to say a quality used car, just say so!

Well, anyway, someone wrote a dystopian novel where in the early ‘90s, the right-wingers started using the charge of “political correctness” against liberals and the left! Not sure how realistic, but it was a lot of fun. Kind of an obscure book, probably only some of us have heard of it.

========

Anyway, Elvis as a rich guy talking about the importance of blue collar jobs and jobs for the common person, well, I don’t want to completely dismiss him, for he was modestly important. But he was not hugely important.
 

samcster94

Banned
GeographyDude said:
and dystopia is just more interesting, I’m sorry , but it is! :)

Remember in the late Reagan era, there was the movie Wall Street and then for about a year or two the phrase “Gekko talk” meant overblown corporate rhetoric. For example, the phrase “pre-owned car” got laughed out of the court of public opinion. I mean, if you want to say a quality used car, just say so!

Well, anyway, someone wrote a dystopian novel where in the early ‘90s, the right-wingers started using the charge of “political correctness” against liberals and the left! Not sure how realistic, but it was a lot of fun. Kind of an obscure book, probably only some of us have heard of it.

========

Anyway, Elvis as a rich guy talking about the importance of blue collar jobs and jobs for the common person, well, I don’t want to completely dismiss him, for he was modestly important. But he was not hugely important.
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They put Donald Trump as President, and that was a terrible idea.
 

GeographyDude

Gone Fishin'
samcster94 said:
They put Donald Trump as President, . . .
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That’s that other dystopian novel! :D

They basically took Trump who had made an ass of himself as a big shot owner of an USFL team and made him president. And then they had Congress not address middle-class job loss for something like 35+ years (!) (?) (!)

Just too much.

What I’m trying to say, for a dystopian book to work, you’ve got to maintain the sweet spot between what’s way out and what’s plausible. And yes, this sweet spot will hit different people at different points as the story goes along, so you can get more wild as the book goes on . . . but this is ridiculous.
 

MadDog

Banned
Hillary,Bernie, Donald Trump. Freaking Mattis or Even Bolton(I think this one is just blatantly What would GoT Roose Bolton do even if we cant call him that) Winning Presidency, What is it with those Obscure Candidates dystopia ?
 

samcster94

Banned
GeographyDude said:
That’s that other dystopian novel! :D

They basically took Trump who had made an ass of himself as a big shot owner of an USFL team and made him president. And then they had Congress not address middle-class job loss for something like 35+ years (!) (?) (!)

Just too much.

What I’m trying to say, for a dystopian book to work, you’ve got to maintain the sweet spot between what’s way out and what’s plausible. And yes, this sweet spot will hit different people at different points as the story goes along, so you can get more wild as the book goes on . . . but this is ridiculous.
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Exactly. There was a two term Reagan in OTL, but he was more moderate and his wins were less one sided. That book kept using the Electoral College to elect Republicans too.
 

GeographyDude

Gone Fishin'
samcster94 said:
. . . more moderate . . .
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I remember Reagan having major populist strains (maybe because one of my parents is a paleo-conservative and I’m not!)

Yes, Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. But he also made clear to his Justice Department, Hey, when a company’s not following the law in a labor dispute, we need to do our duly assigned role and enforce that law.

The 1986 Tax Reform Law removed the fiction of real estate depreciation. Instead, you could deduct any repairs or maintenance that year.

And plus, around 1987 (?) was it, President Reagan supported and signed legislation which increased the threshold to $50,000 that, even if a person is classified as salary, they still get time-and-a-half for overtime. I think that threshold is now just shy of $200,000. And plus, Reagan’s own work habits I think helped to establish the norm, wow, if you’re working overtime on a regular basis, it’s kind of a sign you’re in over your head. Both the law and the informal social norm helped spread out available jobs.

===

How helpful was Elvis? As a southerner with a wonderfully deep voice talking about the common man and common woman from a conservative perspective, I’m going to say helped some. Of course, the vast majority of this would have happened without him.
 

samcster94

Banned
GeographyDude said:
I remember Reagan having major populist strains (maybe because one of my parents is a paleo-conservative and I’m not!)

Yes, Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. But he also made clear to his Justice Department, Hey, when a company’s not following the law in a labor dispute, we need to do our duly assigned role and enforce that law.

The 1986 Tax Reform Law removed the fiction of real estate depreciation. Instead, you could deduct any repairs or maintenance that year.

And plus, around 1987 (?) was it, President Reagan supported and signed legislation which increased the threshold to $50,000 that, even if a person is classified as salary, they still get time-and-a-half for overtime. I think that threshold is now just shy of $200,000. And plus, Reagan’s own work habits I think helped to establish the norm, wow, if you’re working overtime on a regular basis, it’s kind of a sign you’re in over your head. Both the law and the informal social norm helped spread out available jobs.

===

How helpful was Elvis? As a southerner with a wonderfully deep voice talking about the common man and common woman from a conservative perspective, I’m going to say helped some. Of course, the vast majority of this would have happened without him.
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Reagan probably would have been nearly identical if Elvis did not run or even was dead. I was surprised he had Dole as his VP though.
 
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