UrbanRedneck
Banned
How about economic issues like the Enron scandal and the fall of the dotcom boom?
I'm loving the feedback guys. Next post is on deck.
Looks interesting. May I please see a list of cabinet members?
Understandable. Gore is actually a pretty emotional guy in private, and I think he would take a similar rhetorical tact that Obama and Clinton have on the tax cuts.I think the rhetoric Gore used is bit unrealistic in it's emotional nature (rather then numbers, facts, Gore..) and a bit left for him as well, but that said, I'm really enjoying the timeline.
Fair point.I don't think a bill of that magnitude could be ready for the president by March, probably late-April at the earliest
Secretary of Health and Human Services: John Kitzhaber
"$500 million tax break"? "$1 billion tax giveaway to the wealthy?" I had no idea the budget would be so small potatoes...
Sure. It's not a big part of the bigger narrative, so I didn't chose to include it
President: Al Gore
Vice-President: Joe Lieberman
Secretary of State: Richard Holbrooke
Secretary of the Treasury: Lawrence Summers
Secretary of Defense: John Hamre
Attorney General: Jamie Gorelick
Secretary of the Interior: Gary Locke
Secretary of Agriculture: Charlie Stenholm
Secretary of Commerce: Norman Mineta
Secretary of Labor: Alexis Herman
Secretary of Health and Human Services: John Kitzhaber
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Dennis Archer
Secretary of Transportation: Steven LaTourette
Secretary of Education: Jim Hunt
Secretary of Energy: Bill Richardson
Secretary of Veterans' Affairs: Togo D. West, Jr.
Understandable. Gore is actually a pretty emotional guy in private, and I think he would take a similar rhetorical tact that Obama and Clinton have on the tax cuts.
Fair point.
The closest election to date. Al Gore becomes President thanks to 108 Democratic-voting Floridians.
Fascinating. Good TL so far.
One key detail (assuming that everything else has stayed the same) is that the Dems no longer have the tie in the Senate, since Lieberman will be VP, and the Governor of Connecticut at the time was a Republican (John Rowland), who would appoint a Republican replacement (possibly even himself). The GOP will then have a 51-49 majority, giving them control (However slim) of both chambers. Might be interested to see how that plays out (Or if someone switches parties either direction).
Senator Jim Jeffords of New Hampshire may still leave the GOP and caucus with the Democrats as he did IOTL. That would give the Democrats a 51-49 vote majority, but after the recount I doubt the Republicans are going to be in the mood to play ball when it comes to passing any of Gore's more significant legislation. It'll be interesting to see how that develops as both hands are going to want to do some creative things with the surplus.
Now, ITTL, since Lieberman will be departing the Senate, that vacancy will have to be filled, and the Governor of Connecticut at the time was John G. Rowland, a Republican, who will fill the vacancy with another Republican (Some states, like Arizona, require that the Governor appoint a Senator from the same political party as the one who is resigning/dead/expelled to fill the seat, but I've seen no indication that Connecticut is one of those(1)), which gives the GOP a 51-49 seat majority in the Senate.
It's not out of the question that Jeffords switches parties, but there would have to be a big reason for him to do so, (2) and all it would do would provide the Democrats with a 50-50 tie (Which they would win due to Lieberman's tiebreaker, but that's neither here nor there).
9/11 getting stopped just by the virtue of gore being president is the biggest, most irritating cliche of this site and revisionist liberals (3)
the fbi and cia had horrible interagency and cross agency communication throughout the clinton era, (4) and considering much of the national security aparatus would carry over if gore won, why the hell would it possibly improve in any measurable way within 8 months
the fbi and cia didn't have enough dots to connect them even if magic Gore told them to starting connecting dots for all terrorist activities with triple their otl resources and manpower on jan 20 2001 (5)
9/11 was a very thoroughly planned, highly compartmentalized operation, constructed in rigid secrecy, just because the fat hypocrite (6) is in the white house doesn't magically change shit
From my research Governor Rowland would either appoint himself (7) as Senator or possibly appoint Lieberman's opponent in 2000, Philip Giordano. I'm not sure on who would become Senator.
1) Richard Clarke, prior to 2001, was a registered Republican. (I don't know if he's since changed his party affiliation.) He was an intern for Richard Nixon, and was appointed to his first job in the Defense Department by Ronald Reagan. He then served under Reagan and the first President Bush before being kept on by Bill Clinton. Not exactly the resume of a wild-eyed lefty. (8)
2) It's a documented fact that Clarke was obsessed with Al-Qaeda as a potential threat under both Presidents Clinton and Bush. Now you might have argued that Clarke was so vociferous in his warnings about Al Qaeda that he would have been tuned out by President Gore as well -- I don't think that's true, mind you, but it's at least an argument that one might have made. (9)
Well, IOTL, none because Clarke's memo -- you know, the one entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US" -- was dismissed by Bush's national security team. (10) I think we all know how well that turned out. My argument is that Clarke wouldn't have been marginalized by a President Gore, (11) so, you know, more intel might have actually made it to the executive branch. I might suggest reading the 9/11 Commission Report as a starting point.
Well, one measurable way would be that Clarke wouldn't have been marginalized....
It's also an incredibly unlikely operation to pull off. Note that IOTL, one-fourth of 9/11 was essentially stopped by one dude in the men's room, so, you know, it's not particularly far-fetched to think that the entire U.S. Government might have stopped the other three-fourths. (12)
Oooh, fat! That's a good one. Hint: you'd better get all those fat jokes out now before next Wednesday, when Chris Christie's 2016 campaign starts in earnest. (13)
As a left-winger and nominal Democrat in most races, I can say with confidence I think the idea of 9/11 being avoided because Gore was president is nonsense. Bush was a proper hawk and it has always been Republicans who backed more intensive "security" measures. (14)
Agreed and to pretend that Gore was ever anything but a center-right politician is foolish. (15) You compare him to FDR, essentially the symbol of the left, and Reagan, the same for the right, and he's much closer ideologically to the latter. That said I also don't think a "greener" Republican Party is that impossible. In Britain Cameron ran on a very green platform. (16)
Great ExpectationsClouds covered the sky as the President-elect took the Oath of Office. He was flanked by his wife, a vibrant smile across her face. The expression on Chief Justice William Rehnquist was much more sober. (17) He had voted to end the Florida recount just over a month earlier, and understood the new President would not look to the Court as a strong ally. (18)
Until Rowland heads for the pokey for his actions as governor. Would Jodi Rell appoint herself?
For those debating Gov. Rowland's appointment, he chose Waterbury Mayor and Lieberman's 2000 challenger, Philip Giordano. However, Giordano was forced to step down in May due to an FBI investigation about prostitution. He was then replaced by Lieutenant Governor M. Jodi Rell. This isn't crucial at all to the narrative, but I think it adds some degree of plausible controversy to the timeline.
Outstanding choice. She was a VERY popular governor in her two terms as governor, and would have been one of the last surviving progressive Republicans left in DC. Whether she would have survived the 2000s, IDK. Up to you, Good Luck!