Gingrich

I'm thinking of an overhaul for this TL. Perhaps a tone change with pictures added. What does everyone think? Is the current style ok, or would some pictures and dialogue make this more lively?
 
I'm thinking of an overhaul for this TL. Perhaps a tone change with pictures added. What does everyone think? Is the current style ok, or would some pictures and dialogue make this more lively?

Without a doubt, pictures and bits of dialogue/excerpts from memoirs or history books would make it more lively. I wouldn't go so far as an overhaul though, you could just start the new updates with that format.
 
Without a doubt, pictures and bits of dialogue/excerpts from memoirs or history books would make it more lively. I wouldn't go so far as an overhaul though, you could just start the new updates with that format.

Would the sudden transition be too much though? It would start with these snippets of info and then a sudden burst into the new format.
 
Correct me if I am wrong but didn't I read on this thread that Marriane Gingrich died in 2000? So is that interview that is going to air tonight a seance?
 
Would the sudden transition be too much though? It would start with these snippets of info and then a sudden burst into the new format.

Oh, no. Now, if you were further along in the timeline, then I'd agree that it might be too much.

Don't get me wrong, the current style is fine. But maybe a picture or two here or an excerpt from someone's memoirs there would definitely be welcome.

A question: What is Colin Powell doing at this time?
 
Senator John Kerry announced today that he is officially suspending his campaign for President of the United States. The Senator says that, after much discussion with his advisors and consultation with his family, he feels that there is no longer a clear road forward for his campaign. Kerry also announced his intention to endorse Ted Kennedy for President and to campaign on Kennedy's behalf. This marks Senator Kerry as the first casualty of the Presidential race.

-Associated Press, March 20th, 1999, 9:45 a.m. EST



Mitt Romney, the current CEO of Bain Capital and the presumptive Republican nominee for the Massachusetts senate race against Ted Kennedy, commented on John Kerry's decision to drop out of the Democratic primary. "I think it's wonderful that Senator Kerry is coming back home here to Massachusetts; the people of this state deserve at least one elected official that's focused on representing them. Now I only wish that I could say the same about Ted Kennedy." Mr. Romney's campaign has attempted to paint Senator Kennedy as overly-ambitious and out of touch with the people of Massachusetts. In the candidate's own words, "Ted Kennedy has moved on from Massachusetts. He wants to go back to Washington, I can tell you that, but this time he wants to go to the White House instead of the Senate chamber." The latest polls show Kennedy with a slight lead over Romney, but the CEO is catching up fast, with his portrayal of a Ted Kennedy that is no longer interested in serving the people of Massachusetts catching on. Senator Kennedy, who was at a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa today, has yet to respond to Mr. Romney.

-C-Span, March 20th, 1999, 10:00 a.m. EST



Massachusetts Senate Race

Ted Kennedy- 52%

Mitt Romney- 46%

Other/Undecided- 2%

-Gallup, March 20th, 1999, 10:32 a.m. EST
 
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Some in the media have not stopped their speculation on other potential Democratic, and even potential Republican, candidates for President despite an already crowded Democratic field, with six already openly-declared candidates (down from seven after Senator Kerry's withdrawal earlier today) actively seeking the nomination, and even one Republican challenger to President Gingrich, who inherited the office after the death of his predecessor, Bill Clinton. Among the possible candidates touted by various media organizations include former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, former First Lady Hillary Clinton (who many suspect harbors her own political ambitions), current US Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and former California Governor Jerry Brown. When asked about their opinion on seeking the presidency, all except Jerry Brown and Jesse Jackson immediately declined. Jerry Brown, who is currently serving as the mayor of Oakland, California, paused for a full fifteen seconds before saying that he currently had no plans to do so. This has led some to wonder if Jerry Brown will indeed attempt to make a run for the Presidency. Opinion polling of a potential Brown candidacy taken in February showed him tied with, and in some cases leading, Ted Kennedy. While Brown has given no indication that he will change his mind, the media is still keeping an eye out for any sign that he will throw his hat into the ring once again. As for Jesse Jackson, the former Democratic Presidential candidate says that he has been seriously considering another run since late January. Jackson has said that he still has some soul searching to do, and says that the American people will know by the beginning of April whether or not they can expect to see his name appear on the ballot. Also speculated on the Republican side was former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell, whose entry into the race could make things very difficult for President Gingrich to secure his party's nomination. Powell has said repeatedly that he has no interest in seeking the Presidency, but has refused to endorse anyone for President at this time.

-Associated Press, March 20th, 1999, 11:27 a.m. EST
 
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Iowa Caucuses (Democratic)

Ted Kennedy- 44%


Bill Bradley- 24%

Bob Kerrey- 13%

Paul Wellstone- 12%

Joe Lieberman- 6%

Bob Graham- 1%


New Hampshire Primary (Democratic)

Ted Kennedy- 46%

Bill Bradley- 18%

Paul Wellstone- 17%

Bob Kerrey- 15%

Bob Graham- 3%

Joe Lieberman- 1%

-Gallup, March 21st, 1999, 8:08 a.m. EST
 
Richard Holbrooke announced in Brussels today that the ongoing peace talks with the Serbian Government have failed, and has handed the situation to NATO for further deliberation on what to do.

-Associated Press, March 23rd, 1999, 21:30 UTC




The Secretary General of NATO, Javier Solana, has instructed US General Wesley Clark, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, to begin military operations against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Air strikes are set to begin in the Kosovo region tomorrow.

-Associated Press, March 23rd, 1999, 22:17 UCT




President Gingrich came out today with a statement publicly condemning the current leader of Serbia, Slobodan Milošević, as a brutal dictator that “is guilty of the massacre of a large number of his own people.” President Gingrich called for the Serbian leader to step down from power as well as accusing him of being guilty of crimes against humanity, the top one among them being genocide. Further, the President has set a deadline for Milošević to step down. Gingrich said, “we’re very serious about this. The United States has stood on the sidelines and allowed this madman to conduct a holocaust on his own people for too long. As far as my Administration is concerned, Slobodan Milošević is a sponsor of terrorism in Kosovo, and my Administration does not take kindly to terrorists, or those that support them.” The President vowed to take “drastic measures” if his demands were ignored.

-Associated Press, March 25th, 1999, 3:14 p.m. EST




Senator Ted Kennedy, the current frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, responded to President Gingrich’s announcement accusing Serbian leader, Slobodan Milošević, of crimes against humanity, among other things, as well as the current NATO bombing campaign. The Senator said that the NATO intervention in the Kosovo region was “unfortunate, but understandable,” and that he had hoped for a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to the situation. He also cautioned President Gingrich against over-reacting to the ongoing Kosovo conflict.

-C-Span, March 25th, 1999, 5:55 p.m. EST
 
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When does Ted Kennedy keel over and die from exhaustion during the campaign?:rolleyes: He may be younger (68) than Reagan was, but he's an OLD 68! Where is he suddenly getting all this energy? Addiction to speed? Well, based on past performance...:D This will be only his second really challenging election is his life.

Just because Newt broke off with Callista, what's to keep her quiet ITTL?:confused:
 
When does Ted Kennedy keel over and die from exhaustion during the campaign?:rolleyes: He may be younger (68) than Reagan was, but he's an OLD 68! Where is he suddenly getting all this energy? Addiction to speed? Well, based on past performance...:D This will be only his second really challenging election is his life.

Kennedy is old at this point, but not too old. He was still very active at this stage of his life, and I think that a Presidential campaign wouldn't be too much of a strain on him. Just look at McCain. If he can do it, so can Kennedy.

Just because Newt broke off with Callista, what's to keep her quiet ITTL?:confused:

Now who ever said anything about that? :D
 
Kennedy is old at this point, but not too old. He was still very active at this stage of his life, and I think that a Presidential campaign wouldn't be too much of a strain on him. Just look at McCain. If he can do it, so can Kennedy.

I must admit you have me there.;) BTW, what's keeping W from throwing his hat in? Waiting for a better year? Ditto Jeb?

kevvy2010 said:
Now who ever said anything about that? :D

:D:D:D

kevvy2010, I don't know how old you are, or if you were politically aware during the Clinton Wars (?), but believe me when I tell you that while Gingrich himself may not have been a card carrying member of the Vast Right Wing Conspriracy[SIZE=-4](tm)[/SIZE] he was very close to quite a few of them.

And when Impeachment came to the House he was one of the biggest supporters of it. He openly boasted that once Clinton was removed, Gore would pardon Clinton, Congress would remove Gore for THAT, and HE, Gingrich, would be sworn in as POTUS!:eek:

All this is still fresh in the public's memory. So if Callista comes forward anytime prior to the 2000 Election, this TL could start to look like BlairWitch749's Clinton TL in reverse!:eek::eek::eek:

This is a great TL.:) But just remember this: Saddam didn't try to kill Newt's daddy. Or mommy. Or whatever.:rolleyes:
 
Kennedy is old at this point, but not too old. He was still very active at this stage of his life, and I think that a Presidential campaign wouldn't be too much of a strain on him. Just look at McCain. If he can do it, so can Kennedy.

I agree with this. However I don't think Kennedy would have run in the first place. Nevertheless, this is a crazy fun timeline :).
 
I must admit you have me there.;) BTW, what's keeping W from throwing his hat in? Waiting for a better year? Ditto Jeb?



:D:D:D

kevvy2010, I don't know how old you are, or if you were politically aware during the Clinton Wars (?), but believe me when I tell you that while Gingrich himself may not have been a card carrying member of the Vast Right Wing Conspriracy[SIZE=-4](tm)[/SIZE] he was very close to quite a few of them.

And when Impeachment came to the House he was one of the biggest supporters of it. He openly boasted that once Clinton was removed, Gore would pardon Clinton, Congress would remove Gore for THAT, and HE, Gingrich, would be sworn in as POTUS!:eek:

All this is still fresh in the public's memory. So if Callista comes forward anytime prior to the 2000 Election, this TL could start to look like BlairWitch749's Clinton TL in reverse!:eek::eek::eek:

This is a great TL.:) But just remember this: Saddam didn't try to kill Newt's daddy. Or mommy. Or whatever.:rolleyes:

As King Nazar suggested, the Bush brothers likely don't want to challenge a very popular - at the moment - sitting president of their own party. HOWEVER, that could change drastically before the end of 1999.

It certainly could. Gingrich is still riding high right now - and I believe that his initial 90% poll ratings are amply justified under the circumstances (after all, we're talking about a nation in a nearly catatonic state of shock from the brutal assassination of its President and Vice-President which is desperately looking for a return to normality; and as has been pointed out before, Bush the younger jumped from under 50% to 90% under even more shocking circumstances). However, we're really only about four months into his administration, and I think his ratings are going to drop like a stone once he really gets into mixing it up again with the Democrats. There are already signs of the Democratic presidential candidates getting ready to call him out over various issues (e.g., Kennedy on Kosovo).

And if/when Callista speaks out, that will definitely open a huge ol' can of worms for Newt, what with the memory of the whole Monicagate fiasco so fresh. The public is willing to let bygones be bygones right now, but when Newt gets around to his confrontational ways again, and when the story of his affair breaks, wellllllll........
 
I don't know if Callista would come out, honestly. By this time (1999-2000) that's a seven year relationship that is obviously mutual on both sides. I don't think you can really compare Monica to Callista, but I could be wrong. Callista may indeed follow Newt to the WH, or Newt could divorce his wife early (Newt's smart enough to know that divorcing her before an affair became public would be in his best interest; OTOH, that's one hell of a high profile divorce.)

Plus, I don't think Newt would try to lie about it, especially after watching Clinton get impeached for perjury. Would it affect the 2000 Presidential election? Of course, but remember that Ted Kennedy (who's likely to be the Dem nominee) has personal issues of his own and can hardly take a stand on righteousness against Gingrich.

No, I see Newt winning the 2000 election, unless I'm underestimating the impact of the affair becoming public.
 
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