Superman is probably a exception to this rule anyway considering it'd be easier to destroy the planet than him, cape or no cape
Geronimo : What if Osama Bin Laden was killed prior to 9/11?
- Thread starter Iwanh
- Start date
hmm if janet jackson performs in the superbowl without the wardrobe malfunction, would youtube even still exist
the whole reason why youtube exists (or at least switched its format from a dating platform to a public streaming service) was because of that wardrobe malfunction
youtube may still exist but would possibly run off an alternate realplayer G2 version 9-19
and the channels may be more like myspace or geocities pages (kinda like how the old deviantart pages worked before the eclipse rebrand in 2018)
(also just like how video sharing worked in the late 90s)
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami was also part of the inspiration behind YouTube.
I learn something new every day. Is it because of the amateur videos that were sent to news channel after that tsunami that resulted in YouTube being created by 2005?
Well, I guess that ITTL the 9/4 attacks amateur videos could also inspire TTL Jawed Karim and Steve Chen in a similar way to OTL 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
It may be late right now, but I really want to see September 12 2001 new york time headline, it must about the new york mayor primary election. It's really interesting to imagine ATL newspapers ( My hobby )
If it’s Russia in Afghan in stead of the USA, is it possible China might send military help?
Part 43: Rising Star
Part XLIII
Rising Star
43rd President George W. Bush leaves the White House
- Excerpts from George W. Bush’s memoir: The Task I Chose, 2007
John Edwards had crested a wave, the first-term North Carolina Senator, who launched his long-shot Presidential campaign and against all odds climbed the polls from a distant fifth to a victory by focusing on kitchen table politics and successfully courting Democratic and moderate voters to his cause, and now John Reid Edwards was being inaugurated the 44th President of the United States, he was dubbed the Rising Star during the campaign by the press, who expected that he would have a strong future in the Democratic party but few of them expected his star to rise as quickly as it had.
What should have been a moment of triumph for the Edwards family was quickly soured, unbeknownst to the public, in the final days of the 2004 Presidential campaign the then candidate's wife, Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, both Edwards’s continued to campaign, but following the victory they saw a specialist who confirmed the diagnosis and through the new office subsequently informed the public. There was a swift outpouring of support for the First Lady-to-be and the President-Elect Edwards. They thanked both the public and leaders from across the globe for “The hundreds of calls and warm messages we have received, [Elizabeth] is the strongest person I’ve ever known, she will be receiving the best care, and together our family will beat this.”
(Left) Time Magazine Person of the Year President-Elect Edwards (Right) First Lady to be Elizabeth Edwards
His victory signaled a new era for Washington, the Democratic Party, and the nation, in many ways Edwards was a clear evolution from the Clinton era, his brand was nicknamed “happy populism”, he talked tough when it came to economic inequality, rising poverty, wall-street and corporate corruption all without needing to attack the top 2% or coming off as a class warrior. Criticizing free trade without threatening to cancel trade deals. The happy populism remained a theme of his inaugural address when he spoke for the first time as the 44th President.
Inauguration of John R. Edwards; January 20th, 2005
Edwards's election was close and at times contentious, especially when several right-wing Republicans refused to ratify Ohio’s electoral votes, led by a gaggle of representatives and a couple of conservative Senators, Jeff Sessions and Jim Inhofe. However, once the tensions settled, Edwards was well received by the public and initial polling following his inauguration showed that a large majority of Americans approved of Edwards with his polling in the lower-60s and were broadly optimistic about the coming administration.
The administration was certain to be a break with the past, as Edwards assembled a cabinet made up of a mix of his close accomplices from North Carolina, Clinton-era appointees, and the allies and advisers he made along the road to the White House.
Inhabiting the most important positions in government aside from President Edwards and Vice President John Kerry, the new Secretary of State George Mitchell a veteran diplomat who worked closely with President Clinton regarding Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine. Then General Hugh Shelton former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and an early Edwards supporter entered the Pentagon as the new Secretary of Defense, the General was thought to lean Republican despite serving during the Clinton years and was considered a war hawk, Steve Rattner a journalist turned investment banker who was an economic advisor on the campaign became Treasury Secretary, a sigh of relief to the financial sector worried about a radical shakeup. Other notable cabinet picks included the new Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the popular New York attorney signaling that the President intended to crack down on the financial scandals that had run wild the past 4 years and Bob Kerrey the former Nebraska Senator became the new head of the CIA. The administration spanned the ideological divide of the Democratic party.
President Edwards's cabinet and executive picks
(Left to Right) Secretary of State George Mitchell, Defense Secretary Hugh Shelton, Treasury Secretary Steve Rattner, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, and CIA Director Bob Kerrey
The process of confirmation was slow as Republicans refused to vote on nominees until the election had been fully decided in December, despite the early resignation of some of George Bush’s cabinet members. But his half-built cabinet came to congress on the 2nd of February for his joint address where he outlined the goals for his new White House. His campaign had made a lot of promises and had often been mocked on late-night television for his lofty pledges, including decreasing prescription drug costs, expanding healthcare, raising the minimum wage, revising America's tax code, strengthening labor unions, lowering the cost of college, confronting climate change, and renegotiating American trade deals.
(Left) President Edwards address to congress, (Right) Republican House Leaders Tom Delay and Roy Blunt
It was an ambitious agenda and likely too much for any administration to achieve even in two terms, but Edwards was in a decent position to make such declarations, the 2004 elections had seen Democrats keep and expand their congressional majorities, gaining four house seats and an extra Senate seat, giving them a 20-seat house majority and a 5 seat senate majority.
The new crop of legislators included Erskine Bowles who rode to office on the President's coattails inheriting his former North Carolina Senate Seat, and in Kentucky where a Republican safe seat was lost thanks to the racist and bizarre statements of former Senator Jim Bunning who lost to new Senator Daniel Mongiardo, Massachusetts Attorney General Deval Patrick was appointed the new Massachusetts Senator replacing Vice President John Kerry, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle who narrowly kept his seat in the Bush backing South Dakota and former state senator Barack Obama who won the Illinois Senate seat by a large margin who with Deval became the two sitting black Senators. While Republicans managed to flip a couple of Southern seats in South Carolina and Florida after some veteran Democrats retired they were unable to unseat incumbent Democrats, Blanche Lincoln, Zell Miller, or John Breaux.[1]
(Top Left) 2004 Senate Elections +1 Dem (Top Right) 2004 Gubernatorial Elections +1 Rep
(Bottom) 2004 House Elections +4 Dem
Incoming Democratic Senators
(Left to Right) Erskine Bowels NC, Daniel Mongiardo KY, Deval Patrick MA, Barack Obama IL
With a Democratic congress and a lot of promises made, the President intended to move fast on his agenda, keenly aware of his political capital, and he set to work on a main promise of his campaign, tackling the rising cost of prescription drugs.
During the campaign, Edwards had made big promises and had ruthlessly attacked the Bush administration for its failure to pass legislation in 2003 accusing the previous administration of being too close to insurance lobbies and drug companies “They had a choice on lowering prescription drug prices, of being with the American people or with the drug companies. They chose the drug companies; we are here to fight for the American people”.
Health care was a black hole, Presidents Carter, and Clinton had made the same effort early in their tenure only for their plans to fall apart when they came into contact with lobbying groups, harsh opposition, and detractors from the left and right. But drug prices were becoming a unique concern. Prices of the drugs were skyrocketing at the same time as the number of prescriptions also rose, the expanding cost had largely separated pharmaceuticals from the healthcare debate, with spending predicted to double over the next 4 years, accounting for nearly a fifth of Americans' spending. The President urged his former congressional colleagues to move forward with a bill. He made overtures to Senator Ted Kennedy the liberal stalwart of the Senate. “The time is now,” said Kennedy “With a Democratic president and congress, this is the best time to go for it,” he said in an interview.
The Democrats put forward their proposal a vast state-funded proposal, to pay prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients, it was a mammoth bill and the largest expansion of the government in decades with a gargantuan cost of 400 Billion Dollars, to cover most of the excessive costs, a departure from Bush’s proposition it allowed Medicare to negotiate the contracts to private entities and allowed the importation of lower-cost drugs from overseas. In a rose garden announcement President Edwards, Speaker of the House Gephardt and Senate Majority Leader Daschle rallied in support. “With this plan, Americans across the country will no longer have to make the choice between medication and food … This will bring down the cost for every American.”, and Speaker Gephardt reiterated “It’s time for Republicans to get on the right side of this issue and support the President’s plan.”
The fight quickly opened old wounds as deficit hawks, anti-government Republicans and conservative Democrats raised their suspicion, arguing the bill amounted to an overreach. “We should not be opening the door to unsafe drugs,” Said Republican Senate minority leader Bill Frist, while other Republicans like Senator Rick Santorum argued that the bill threatened the American pharmaceutical industry “Seniors will be no better off under this system” And some House Republicans used harsher language “This is obscene, I can’t believe that some people are considering this.” said Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and even some Democrats like Senator Max Baucus chafed at the cost “We all know the importance of getting prescription drug benefits for seniors," Baucus said. "But some provisions of this bill could hold up crucial reform".
(Left to Right) Democratic leadership launches Pharmaceutical Drug Act, Republican Senators Santorum, and Frist, Democratic Senator Max Baucus
The President had dived his newborn administration into the deep seas of domestic policy, while he also had to make decisions regarding the direction of the nation’s foreign policy. When it came to the President he leaned to the right of his party on most foreign policy issues, supportive of diplomatic avenues but unafraid of armed interventions, as a candidate he shied away from criticizing Bush’s foreign policy compared to his many competitors.
When he came to office he was immediately confronted with several ongoing crises, American forces were engaged in two active conflicts, in the skies of Iraq patrolling the No-fly zones and the ongoing support for the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan while a new crisis had arisen regarding the Iran republics nuclear policy.
On the first two issues, President Edwards was quick to dispel any doubt, he remained committed to continuing America's efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, going public that “It is important that our forces remain, for the sake of national security, and to prevent Saddam Hussein asserting his tyranny over his people” and reiterated his commitment to the Anti-Terror Coalition in Afghanistan (with one of his first foreign trips planned for Moscow) “Our shared goal of combatting terrorism requires continued cooperation, to dislodge the terrorists and their backers, and we must remain engaged in the region to do so”.
When it came to the new crisis in Iran the President had some harsh words, “Iran’s decision to move forward on its nuclear weapons program, is disheartening and dangerous; and I will be clear, all options are on the table to make sure and Iran armed with atomic bombs does not happen”, while also saying he was prepared to enter negotiations through the European Union, The Iranian foreign ministry responded claiming that its nuclear program was of “no international concern” asserting that Iran has not breached the Non-Proliferation Treaty “We hope a deal can be reached to suspend certain activities but there is a considerable distance to cross first”. And the Iranian President disputed the need for continued nuclear inspections “We have no obligation toward anybody other than what our interests require. We cooperate with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) only voluntarily,”
As the President prepared for his European tour it was clear to him, the old guy was right about just how heavy it all was.
44th President of the United States John Edwards
A C-Span survey of historians in 2010 ranked George W. Bush in 23rd place among the former presidents[2], sitting between Gerald Ford and Ulysses S. Grant, making him a slightly above average President, when judged the theme Bush’s presidential legacy seems to be lacking.
When asked about Bush’s legacy Presidential Historian Robert Zelig answered rather dismissively, “What legacy, Bush will be a forgotten president, he has no great accomplishments, few notable moments, his place in American History will a footnote, a titbit, the answer to the trivia question ‘Who was the second-best President called Bush?”
Former President Bush leaves Washington
[1] Edwards's victory carries Bowels, Mongiardo, and Daschle over the line, while Zell Miller and Evan Breaux don't defect/retire
[2] Ironically a lot higher than OTL by about 13 places
Rising Star
43rd President George W. Bush leaves the White House
- Excerpts from George W. Bush’s memoir: The Task I Chose, 2007
John Edwards had crested a wave, the first-term North Carolina Senator, who launched his long-shot Presidential campaign and against all odds climbed the polls from a distant fifth to a victory by focusing on kitchen table politics and successfully courting Democratic and moderate voters to his cause, and now John Reid Edwards was being inaugurated the 44th President of the United States, he was dubbed the Rising Star during the campaign by the press, who expected that he would have a strong future in the Democratic party but few of them expected his star to rise as quickly as it had.
What should have been a moment of triumph for the Edwards family was quickly soured, unbeknownst to the public, in the final days of the 2004 Presidential campaign the then candidate's wife, Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, both Edwards’s continued to campaign, but following the victory they saw a specialist who confirmed the diagnosis and through the new office subsequently informed the public. There was a swift outpouring of support for the First Lady-to-be and the President-Elect Edwards. They thanked both the public and leaders from across the globe for “The hundreds of calls and warm messages we have received, [Elizabeth] is the strongest person I’ve ever known, she will be receiving the best care, and together our family will beat this.”
(Left) Time Magazine Person of the Year President-Elect Edwards (Right) First Lady to be Elizabeth Edwards
His victory signaled a new era for Washington, the Democratic Party, and the nation, in many ways Edwards was a clear evolution from the Clinton era, his brand was nicknamed “happy populism”, he talked tough when it came to economic inequality, rising poverty, wall-street and corporate corruption all without needing to attack the top 2% or coming off as a class warrior. Criticizing free trade without threatening to cancel trade deals. The happy populism remained a theme of his inaugural address when he spoke for the first time as the 44th President.
Inauguration of John R. Edwards; January 20th, 2005
Edwards's election was close and at times contentious, especially when several right-wing Republicans refused to ratify Ohio’s electoral votes, led by a gaggle of representatives and a couple of conservative Senators, Jeff Sessions and Jim Inhofe. However, once the tensions settled, Edwards was well received by the public and initial polling following his inauguration showed that a large majority of Americans approved of Edwards with his polling in the lower-60s and were broadly optimistic about the coming administration.
The administration was certain to be a break with the past, as Edwards assembled a cabinet made up of a mix of his close accomplices from North Carolina, Clinton-era appointees, and the allies and advisers he made along the road to the White House.
Inhabiting the most important positions in government aside from President Edwards and Vice President John Kerry, the new Secretary of State George Mitchell a veteran diplomat who worked closely with President Clinton regarding Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine. Then General Hugh Shelton former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and an early Edwards supporter entered the Pentagon as the new Secretary of Defense, the General was thought to lean Republican despite serving during the Clinton years and was considered a war hawk, Steve Rattner a journalist turned investment banker who was an economic advisor on the campaign became Treasury Secretary, a sigh of relief to the financial sector worried about a radical shakeup. Other notable cabinet picks included the new Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the popular New York attorney signaling that the President intended to crack down on the financial scandals that had run wild the past 4 years and Bob Kerrey the former Nebraska Senator became the new head of the CIA. The administration spanned the ideological divide of the Democratic party.
President Edwards's cabinet and executive picks
(Left to Right) Secretary of State George Mitchell, Defense Secretary Hugh Shelton, Treasury Secretary Steve Rattner, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, and CIA Director Bob Kerrey
The process of confirmation was slow as Republicans refused to vote on nominees until the election had been fully decided in December, despite the early resignation of some of George Bush’s cabinet members. But his half-built cabinet came to congress on the 2nd of February for his joint address where he outlined the goals for his new White House. His campaign had made a lot of promises and had often been mocked on late-night television for his lofty pledges, including decreasing prescription drug costs, expanding healthcare, raising the minimum wage, revising America's tax code, strengthening labor unions, lowering the cost of college, confronting climate change, and renegotiating American trade deals.
Tom DeLay the new Republican leader in the house rebutted Edwards calling Edwards plans “dangerous, they will only further deepen our national deficit, with spending and taxes, this is not a plan towards job creation … we can’t afford a return to the bad old days of tax and spend Democrats … John Edwards agenda is unworkable”. Delay’s confirmation as the top Republican signaled that the party was not eager to compromise with Democrats, considering he was the man who spent a decade whipping Republicans into line and led congressional efforts to impeach President Clinton. While his Deputy the minority whip Roy Blunt said he needed a drink after the speech as “an antidote to the President's extreme agenda” (Left) President Edwards address to congress, (Right) Republican House Leaders Tom Delay and Roy Blunt
It was an ambitious agenda and likely too much for any administration to achieve even in two terms, but Edwards was in a decent position to make such declarations, the 2004 elections had seen Democrats keep and expand their congressional majorities, gaining four house seats and an extra Senate seat, giving them a 20-seat house majority and a 5 seat senate majority.
The new crop of legislators included Erskine Bowles who rode to office on the President's coattails inheriting his former North Carolina Senate Seat, and in Kentucky where a Republican safe seat was lost thanks to the racist and bizarre statements of former Senator Jim Bunning who lost to new Senator Daniel Mongiardo, Massachusetts Attorney General Deval Patrick was appointed the new Massachusetts Senator replacing Vice President John Kerry, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle who narrowly kept his seat in the Bush backing South Dakota and former state senator Barack Obama who won the Illinois Senate seat by a large margin who with Deval became the two sitting black Senators. While Republicans managed to flip a couple of Southern seats in South Carolina and Florida after some veteran Democrats retired they were unable to unseat incumbent Democrats, Blanche Lincoln, Zell Miller, or John Breaux.[1]
(Top Left) 2004 Senate Elections +1 Dem (Top Right) 2004 Gubernatorial Elections +1 Rep
(Bottom) 2004 House Elections +4 Dem
2005 U.S. Political Make-up | Democrat | Republican |
House Seats | 227 + 1 Ind | 207 |
Senate Seats | 54 + 1 Ind | 45 |
Governors Mansions | 28 | 22 |
Incoming Democratic Senators
(Left to Right) Erskine Bowels NC, Daniel Mongiardo KY, Deval Patrick MA, Barack Obama IL
With a Democratic congress and a lot of promises made, the President intended to move fast on his agenda, keenly aware of his political capital, and he set to work on a main promise of his campaign, tackling the rising cost of prescription drugs.
During the campaign, Edwards had made big promises and had ruthlessly attacked the Bush administration for its failure to pass legislation in 2003 accusing the previous administration of being too close to insurance lobbies and drug companies “They had a choice on lowering prescription drug prices, of being with the American people or with the drug companies. They chose the drug companies; we are here to fight for the American people”.
Health care was a black hole, Presidents Carter, and Clinton had made the same effort early in their tenure only for their plans to fall apart when they came into contact with lobbying groups, harsh opposition, and detractors from the left and right. But drug prices were becoming a unique concern. Prices of the drugs were skyrocketing at the same time as the number of prescriptions also rose, the expanding cost had largely separated pharmaceuticals from the healthcare debate, with spending predicted to double over the next 4 years, accounting for nearly a fifth of Americans' spending. The President urged his former congressional colleagues to move forward with a bill. He made overtures to Senator Ted Kennedy the liberal stalwart of the Senate. “The time is now,” said Kennedy “With a Democratic president and congress, this is the best time to go for it,” he said in an interview.
The Democrats put forward their proposal a vast state-funded proposal, to pay prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients, it was a mammoth bill and the largest expansion of the government in decades with a gargantuan cost of 400 Billion Dollars, to cover most of the excessive costs, a departure from Bush’s proposition it allowed Medicare to negotiate the contracts to private entities and allowed the importation of lower-cost drugs from overseas. In a rose garden announcement President Edwards, Speaker of the House Gephardt and Senate Majority Leader Daschle rallied in support. “With this plan, Americans across the country will no longer have to make the choice between medication and food … This will bring down the cost for every American.”, and Speaker Gephardt reiterated “It’s time for Republicans to get on the right side of this issue and support the President’s plan.”
The fight quickly opened old wounds as deficit hawks, anti-government Republicans and conservative Democrats raised their suspicion, arguing the bill amounted to an overreach. “We should not be opening the door to unsafe drugs,” Said Republican Senate minority leader Bill Frist, while other Republicans like Senator Rick Santorum argued that the bill threatened the American pharmaceutical industry “Seniors will be no better off under this system” And some House Republicans used harsher language “This is obscene, I can’t believe that some people are considering this.” said Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and even some Democrats like Senator Max Baucus chafed at the cost “We all know the importance of getting prescription drug benefits for seniors," Baucus said. "But some provisions of this bill could hold up crucial reform".
(Left to Right) Democratic leadership launches Pharmaceutical Drug Act, Republican Senators Santorum, and Frist, Democratic Senator Max Baucus
The President had dived his newborn administration into the deep seas of domestic policy, while he also had to make decisions regarding the direction of the nation’s foreign policy. When it came to the President he leaned to the right of his party on most foreign policy issues, supportive of diplomatic avenues but unafraid of armed interventions, as a candidate he shied away from criticizing Bush’s foreign policy compared to his many competitors.
When he came to office he was immediately confronted with several ongoing crises, American forces were engaged in two active conflicts, in the skies of Iraq patrolling the No-fly zones and the ongoing support for the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan while a new crisis had arisen regarding the Iran republics nuclear policy.
On the first two issues, President Edwards was quick to dispel any doubt, he remained committed to continuing America's efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, going public that “It is important that our forces remain, for the sake of national security, and to prevent Saddam Hussein asserting his tyranny over his people” and reiterated his commitment to the Anti-Terror Coalition in Afghanistan (with one of his first foreign trips planned for Moscow) “Our shared goal of combatting terrorism requires continued cooperation, to dislodge the terrorists and their backers, and we must remain engaged in the region to do so”.
When it came to the new crisis in Iran the President had some harsh words, “Iran’s decision to move forward on its nuclear weapons program, is disheartening and dangerous; and I will be clear, all options are on the table to make sure and Iran armed with atomic bombs does not happen”, while also saying he was prepared to enter negotiations through the European Union, The Iranian foreign ministry responded claiming that its nuclear program was of “no international concern” asserting that Iran has not breached the Non-Proliferation Treaty “We hope a deal can be reached to suspend certain activities but there is a considerable distance to cross first”. And the Iranian President disputed the need for continued nuclear inspections “We have no obligation toward anybody other than what our interests require. We cooperate with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) only voluntarily,”
As the President prepared for his European tour it was clear to him, the old guy was right about just how heavy it all was.
44th President of the United States John Edwards
A C-Span survey of historians in 2010 ranked George W. Bush in 23rd place among the former presidents[2], sitting between Gerald Ford and Ulysses S. Grant, making him a slightly above average President, when judged the theme Bush’s presidential legacy seems to be lacking.
When asked about Bush’s legacy Presidential Historian Robert Zelig answered rather dismissively, “What legacy, Bush will be a forgotten president, he has no great accomplishments, few notable moments, his place in American History will a footnote, a titbit, the answer to the trivia question ‘Who was the second-best President called Bush?”
Former President Bush leaves Washington
[1] Edwards's victory carries Bowels, Mongiardo, and Daschle over the line, while Zell Miller and Evan Breaux don't defect/retire
[2] Ironically a lot higher than OTL by about 13 places
Last edited:
Great stuff! My Washingtonian self definitely appreciates the irony of Dino Rossi finally winning something even though Edwards is winning the Presidency (which, I’d argue, isn’t that unrealistic - Bush II’s social conservatism and hawkishness after 9/11 did a lot of permanent damage to the WA GOP that wouldn’t have been done here. It was a swing state in the Senate in 2000 after all)
Yeah the whole idea is that the early 2000's are so far less partisan
It’s an idea well developed. As always, a tremendous credit to your writing and research
Surprised Obama still becomes a Senator here — I always thought a big reason for his victory was because he opposed Iraq, and I thought that ITTL since that’s obviously not a thing, he wouldn’t reach that position of power.
He made powerful friends, got a lot of significant endorsements and was a good campaigner his lead would be thinner but still decent. Plus ITTL he still is a part of smaller Iraq protests
Last edited:
Ah, I see. It’s going to be interesting to see how his career develops ITTL.
And it's interesting that if you look back the chapter about 2004 convention, apparently Obama didn't shine on the convention
Sounds like Edwards.
Boring, backbench, more of a Cory Booker-type Obama would actually be a pretty interesting take on the man