Kentucky Fried Politics: A Colonel Sanders Timeline

PNWKing

Banned
Barry Goldberg is the brother from The Goldbergs, IOTL he is a radiologist. Lisa J. Simpson is, in addition to a funny joke, a real person. IOTL she married a guy named Brown and was a candidate for the 5th District of Washington running as a Democrat, and was later named Washington Secretary of Commerce by Gov. Jay Inslee.
 
Barry Goldberg is the brother from The Goldbergs, IOTL he is a radiologist. Lisa J. Simpson is, in addition to a funny joke, a real person. IOTL she married a guy named Brown and was a candidate for the 5th District of Washington running as a Democrat, and was later named Washington Secretary of Commerce by Gov. Jay Inslee.
I see. Very interesting. Thanks!
 
Great updates. Sad to see Jack Kemp and Medgar die. Nice to see Grammer put VP Davidson in his place. Also liked seeing Grammer welcome the King of Laos to the White House. I can't believe Michael Moore is running for President! And Aaron Sorkin as well! Also nice to see former President Dinger chance his mind over drugs. Also I do have a question what are Jordan Peterson and Candace Owens doing in this TL? I really liked learning about serial killer culture in this TL btw :)
 
Chapter 111: December 2015 – June 2016
Chapter 111: December 2015 – June 2016

“The most important things are the hardest to say.”

– Stephen King (OTL/TTL)



LOCKE STEPS DOWN AS SENATE MINORITY LEADER TO BETTER FOCUS ON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

The Washington Post, 12/1/2015



SENATOR INOUYE IS DEAD AT 91

Washington, D.C. – Longtime US Senator Daniel K. Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii and a highly decorated World War Two combat veteran who used his status as a powerful D.C. politician and one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history to send billions of dollars to his home state, died yesterday evening at his home in Honolul, Hawaii. He was 91. A spokesperson for Inouye said the cause of death was natural causes. …From 2005 to 2011, Inouye was the Senate’s president pro tempore, which put him third in the line of succession for the presidency. This was because he was the longest-serving incumbent Democrat, having entered the US Senate nearly 53 years ago in January 1963. Republican Bob Dole, another World War Two veteran and a longtime friend of Inouye, succeeded him as Senate’s president pro tempore, after Republicans took back the Senate in the 2010 midterms. …He is survived by his son Ken, his second wife Irene, and five grandchildren…

The Washington Post, 12/2/2015



GOVERNOR CHIN APPOINTS INOUYE’S WIDOW TO SENATE SEAT

…Irene Hirano Inouye, b. 1948, will be sworn into her late husband’s seat next week…

– The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaiian newspaper, 12/5/2015



“Diversity of thought and culture and religion and ideas has been the strength of America.” [1]

– US Senator Gary Locke (D-WA), declared candidate for President, 12/6/2015 stump speech




ISRAELI FIRM IN GAZA EXTRACTS DRINKING WATER FROM THE AIR

…the densely populated Gaza Strip has long lacked sufficient drinking water, but a new project is helping to ease the shortage with a solar-powered process to extract potable water straight from the air. …The joint Israeli-Palestinian project is the brainchild of a Russian-Israeli billionaire, Michael Mirilashvili. The company he heads, Watergen, has developed the atmospheric water generators that can produce 5,000 to 6,000 liters (1,300 to more than 1,500 gallons) of water that can then be treated via sanitation plants to make it all drinkable… [2]

The Daily Telegraph, 12/7/2015




ROSS TOSSES BRUSH INTO RING

…“It seems people want me to run, and I don’t ever like to disappoint so many people,” said the former Vice President today in the speech with which he has launched an official late-entry campaign for President in response to a massive draft effort…

The Washington Post, 12/8/2015



LOCKE: I’m really surprised that Ross jumped in. I thought he was going to give a Shermanesque statement.

KIM: It’s going to upend the field composition significantly. Already there’s talk of two of Ross’s biggest supporters, Denise Juneau and Kwame Raoul, dropping out to get behind his candidacy.

LOCKE: Well, we’re not going to be doing that. Jumping into this race was a big decision for me and my family. I’m not going to just bow out after all that contemplation, all those nights sitting around the table weighing the risks and everything. I got in to win.

– audio-recorded conservation, Locke’16 campaign HQ in Seattle, WA; recorded 12/8/2015 (leaked 2/15/2017)



Ross – 28%

Locke – 19%

Moore – 18%

Franklin – 9%

Goldberg – 7%

Sorkin – 5%

Simpson – 2%

Others – 4%

Undecided – 8%

– Gallup poll for the 2016 Democratic Presidential nomination, published 12/11/2015



RODHAM-CLINTON BLAMES IMMIGRATION FOR SPAIN’S RIOTS, CHURCH BOMBING

…US Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton was caught on a hot mic claiming that the wave of riots that plagued Spain in 2013 and 2014, highlighted by the bombing of a historic “megachurch” in Barcelona, was due to that country’s open borders policy. “Europe must curb immigration to stop rightwing populists,” [3] the center-left politician said in a conversation with an unidentified intern or assistant. The surprisingly conservative comment came shortly after Rodham-Clinton appeared at a private fundraiser for Kelsey Grammer’s re-election bid, where other attendees also raised the suggestion that the civil disobedience and rioting that immediately followed the Unlucky Recession were due to a rise populism in Europe connected to the continent’s open-borders immigration policy more so than due to poor regulation of fiscal policies...

The Washington Post, 12/12/2015



…The White House’s grounds more recent architectural additions include expanding two hallways with wider areas for art collections under First Lady Joan Mondale in 1974, a part of the primary basement being converted into a bowling alley in 1997 for Dinger, which was in turn converted into a gym under President Jesse Jackson in 2003. Furthermore, President Denton’s controversial “mini-chapel” constructed near the East Wing in 1983 was converted in 1989 to a medical center/digital computer hub for the White House staff...

– clickopedia.co.usa



COOKING IN THE WHITE HOUSE: An American Tradition 240 Years In The Making

…While First Lady Marissa Joan Hart-Grammer releasing a cook book covering the favorite foods of the First Family this week was not a groundbreaking publication, it does remind one of other famous cooking that has occurred at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…

…The White house actually has three kitchens: a large one for the main staff, the “executive” one on the second “residential” floor, and a small auxiliary kitchen on the side, near the main kitchen. In fact, the aux kitchen was built out of a butler’s pantry in 1965 in order to allow then-President Colonel Sanders the ability to make himself a bucket of his own Kentucky Fried Chicken without bothering staff of dirtying a kitchen that was closed for the night.

But the larger private kitchen in the upstairs residence was not built by the chicken-loving Colonel – it was actually built by Mondale. It is, surprisingly, a very little-known fact that Sanders was succeeded into office by another passionate cook. While not a professional, Mondale did cook, often with his wife, to relieve stress of the office of the US President.

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[pic: imgur.com/48x1UCC.png ]

Above: President Mondale cooking a turkey in the White House auxiliary kitchen, photo undated but c. 1970s

Even now, 36 years after leaving office, Mondale's second-favorite hobby, after fishing, is cooking. As President, he would write down recipes on scraps of paper or backs of envelopes and then stuff them into a card file; now he saves it all on digital files.

“His first gastronomic success was fried fish, which he mastered while on fishing trips. Fritz loves to cook as a form of relaxation because it's so consuming," former Frist Lady Joan Mondale said in a 2012 interview. "Fran comes over with bags of groceries and they sort of go to work," she said of Mondale and his fishing partner and culinary mentor, Duluth, Minn., television station owner Fran Befera. "When the men are cooking they're on their own. It's much better that way. It's really a pleasure because it's a nontraditional activity, but more and more men are finding it a pleasure."

Joan also claimed that, as President, Walter liked to whip up a little "Fettucine a la Pimento Mondale" or "Minnesota Wild Rice" for himself, and some "Brunch Eggs a la Stan" and "Granny Mondale's Cinnamon Rolls" for their son, William.

Sometimes others joined in on Mondale’s kitchen activities in the Upstairs Residence. Second Lady Muriel Humphrey made beef soup, Betty Friedan made garlic soup, the wife of then-US Secretary of State Jimmy Carter's " 'Plains Special' Cheese Ring" and Mondale campaign chairman James A. Johnson's classic, "Hot Dogs and Tab" were all reportedly made and served to small collections of guests on the White House’s second floor by their aforementioned creators…

[snip]

…However, cooking must be done carefully. Walter Mondale has a history of hypertension and his father had heart problems. During press conferences held in the 1970s and 1980s, Joan Mondale often said was trying to steer him toward healthy food, but that she did not always succeed.

"I tried once with salt," she
explained once in 1977, "and my great secret weapon was not to put salt and pepper on the dinner table. So the first night I tried that, he said, 'Where is the salt?'

"And so I said, 'You're not supposed to have salt.' So he left the table, went to the kitchen and got it and came back. So that's how he responded to that."

Mondale has been actively involved with food for many years.

"One of the first ways that Fritz exhibited his cooking skills was, I guess, about 15 years ago when Thanksgiving came around and I was so tired I could hardly move. And he said, 'Let me make Thanksgiving dinner
,'" Joan Mondale explained at the press conference in 2011. [4]

– betterliving.co.usa, 12/19/2015 article




“Grammer For Ex-President”

“Bob’s The Best”

“Let’s Get Crazy” [5]

“Ross The Boss”

“Happy Little Times Are Here Again”

– unofficial Ross’16 slogans, c. December 2015



RENHO WINS! New C.D. Takes Control In Alliance, Trouncing S.D. Majority And Ousting PM Mizuho Fukushima

The Asahi Shimbun, Japanese newspaper, 1/2/2016



The Three Stooges


(2016 film)

Premiered: January 3, 2016

Genre(s): comedy/satire/slapstick

Directed by: Tom Hooper

Written by: James Bachman, Abigail Burdess and Tariq Anwar

Produced by: United Kingdom Film Council (UKFC) and Momentum Pictures

Distributed by: Momentum Pictures (UK, Australia and NZ) and Paramount Pictures (US and other territories)

Cast:

John Oliver as Moe

Andy Zaltzman as Larry

Al Murray as Curly

David Mitchell as Shemp

See Full List Here

Synopsis:

A British interpretation/version of/take on the beloved American comedy team from the 1940s sees Moe, Larry and Curly are ex-soldiers dishonorably discharged during World War Two, but upon going from trying to find jobs to inadvertently stumbling across a Nazi spy scheme, Moe sees the chance to redeem themselves and save England – and make some money along the way.

Reception:

The film opened to lukewarm reviews from critics and “fair” replies from audiences. As it barely made just over the amount of money the production company was hoping it would, it was considered a box office success, but those who worked on the film declined any interest in making any sort of sequel.

– mediarchives.co.usa



“Our government is completely illiterate when it comes to cyber security. We are twenty years behind the Chinese, who, if provoked into a cyber war with us, would devastate us, at a scale so vast that it’s unimaginable to present-day us.”

“Privacy and security are not mutually exclusive. Privacy is fundamental right. It is what keeps the glue of society together. Without it, our society would crumble. Without the ability to keep our honest thoughts and our secrets to ourselves, we would become the hostile and judgmental creatures without friends or allies that we were in caveman times. Human nature leads to self-censorship; we do not need any kinds of governments adding to it with red tape.”

“As President, I would privatize the space race, modernize the American cyber warfare department, and improve cyber security for infrastructure by hiring young hackers so that they will be on our side instead of on the side of the Chinese.”

– John McAfee, 1/5/2016 rally



As 2016 dawned, KFC’s push into African nations continued, with an increasing awareness of the notion that it could make for stronger ties to the western world in those countries. Finance Prof. Murray Sabrin commented on these efforts in a January 2016 NYT article praising the company for its ambition, saying that it reminded him of American trade deals that US President Jesse Jackson had signed with the African nation of Ghana to promote the Kantanka Automobile car company, in that it could help Africa’s economy. In fact, it is very likely that FLG Inc. greenlit expanding into Africa because of previous business and trade deals with Africa yielding mutually-beneficial results in the preceding years…

– Marlona Ruggles Ice’s A Kentucky-Fried Phoenix: The Post-Colonel History of Most Famous Birds In The World, Hawkins E-Publications, 2020



…McAfee public denounced Grammer’s populist handling of the post-recession economy, but found most if not all the non-interventionists in the party rallying behind him to protests US involvement in Sudan. Their claims that Grammer was “playing the role of a dictator” were made in spite of the fact that the President had kept US troops out of Botswana despite politicians in nations such as France calling for him to intervene in military-related way.

Focusing more on domestic issues, McAfee also accused Grammer of being responsible for outsourcing American jobs despite that going against his own libertarian policy of open borders and free trade, leading to him later saying he wanted “American libertarianism for America, not for other countries.” Furthermore, McAfee pointed to incidents such as the ratification of the Cairo Protocol to claim that Grammer was making too many concessions to the Democrats… [6]

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022




CODEY EXITS PRESIDENTIAL RACE

…the former Governor had been failing to gain traction for months…

The Star-Ledger, New Jersey newspaper, 1/10/2016



BUSTAMANTE SUSPENDS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AMID LOW POLLING AND EVEN LOWER FUNDRAISING

The Sacramento Union, 1/13/2016



GRAMMER RESUMES U.S. RELATIONS WITH ERITREA

…despite the African nation’s leadership being accused of suppressing political opposition, financial advisors believe that resuming normal diplomatic US-Eritrea relations – which were suspended in 1996 after Eritrea’s government allied with that of the former nation of North Korea in the first days of the Second Korean War – will encourage American businesses to invest over there…

The Wall Street Journal, 1/16/2016



“…The World Health Organization has declared that the spread of poliomyelitis in several countries to be a major ‘Worldwide Health Emergency’ – not a pandemic but a Worldwide Health Emergency – and recommends anyone who has recently visited the nations of Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and Indonesia to seek medical testing to ensure they do not have this infectious viral disease, which attacks the central nervous system. The WHO also recommends anyone who has been on a cruise ship in the last three months to get themselves tested as well, just in case…”

– Ahmad Rashad, CBS Breaking News, 1/21/2016 broadcast



PRAISING AUSSIE P.M. PUTS STEVE IRWIN IN A SNAKE PIT OF P.R. PROBLEMS

oR7t5oK.png

[pic: imgur.com/oR7t5oK.png ]

…Steve Irwin is everyone's favourite Aussie crocodile hunter. And while he was never feted in his homeland like he is in the US, he was widely regarded with benign condescension. That is until last month, when he made the deadly error of alienating Australia's cultural establishment.

When Prime Minister
Jim Varvaris dropped in on Irwin's Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast on December 14, the naturally ebullient Irwin introduced him to the crowd as "the greatest leader Australia has ever had" and the "greatest leader in the entire world."

"I get to meet some extraordinary people and extraordinary leaders," Irwin said, "but meeting the Prime Minister is the proudest moment of my life."

Crikey! Irwin has wrestled crocodiles, snakes and spiders, but nothing could compare with the nest of vipers he had just strayed into.

Suddenly Irwin the likeable
wildlife wonder became Irwin the greedy "millionaire" Varvaris-lover. For some people, this was unforgivable.

The letters pages of newspapers exploded with venom and journalists sharpened their poison quills.

"After his public comment to the effect that
Jim Varvaris is the greatest prime minister this country has ever had, I no longer take him seriously as an apolitical or intelligent wildlife advocate," says one Canberra resident.

“I grew up watching his long-running show. I wouldn’t be surprised if his newest show sees a ratings drop after this,” suggests a younger resident.

A week later, one reporter from The Guardian questioned why Irwin had turned down an invitation to American President Kelsey Grammer’s inauguration in 2013, possibly due to the then President-Elect belittling him (calling him a “lovable digeridoo-drumming lunkhead”) in a controversial radio interview over a year beforehand. "Does it tell us more about Steve Irwin than he might want us to know?" he wrote. Irwin had "thick skin," the article went on to say. "There's no getting through to the heart or the soul. And let’s not make the mistake of going for the head."

Then there are the snide stories about Irwin's invitation to Canberra for a fancy "partisan barbecue" that Prime Minister Jim Varvaris hosted for visiting former US President Larry Dinger, complete with snaky references to the $25,000 cost.

And in the past there have been several stories attacking Irwin's character. "For crocodile hunter Steve Irwin charity really does begin at home, with the millionaire 'donating' $175,000 to himself," began one story in The Courier-Mail in Brisbane. This $364 a minute of taxpayers' money was supposedly for "one day's work" shooting a quarantine awareness TV ad in 2002, at the height of the SARS pandemic. The Federal Opposition and ABC Radio tried to whip up a crocodile-cash-for-comment scandal, linking the payment to Irwin's praise of Michael Ignatieff, who was the Prime Minister at the time. Irwin was forced to defend himself, issuing a statement explaining the money was for a whole year's work on the quarantine campaign, not one day, and that he had given every cent to a new koala hospital at his Queensland zoo.

In Tanzania, filming the latest episode of his latest reality TV show “Croc Chases,” Irwin went to bed early yesterday while his long-time manager and friend John Stainton, speaking from a crowded bar on his mobile phone, said he wasn't really surprised by the controversy.

"It's what happens in Australia. You stick your head up and you've got 10,000 shotguns pointed at you," Stainton said. Irwin is not a Liberal or Labor supporter. "He's just not political. I don't have a clue how he's going to vote and he probably doesn't either.
When Prime Minister Varvaris decided to pay an impromptu visit to his zoo, Steve was overwhelmed and proud, and talked in superlatives because that is the way he always talks.

The vilification of Irwin is a textbook lesson in how anti-conservative forces combine to denounce anyone suspected of holding unorthodox (in their eyes) views. And since the majority of Australians hold those "unorthodox" views, most of them have learnt to keep their mouths shut.

An unnamed (for obvious reasons) writer/director of my acquaintance says he and other actors, musicians and dancers he knows have to pose as left-wing
Varvaris vilifyers, or at least keep any conservative views hidden, in order to stay in work.

"The truth is we are politically a more eclectic bunch than most realise.
[sic] But God forbid that we'd 'come out' and support Jim Varvaris, our own Prime Minister, over anything, for to do so is instant isolation – no, persecution ...the self-appointed bullies who run the industry preclude from expressing [our] views, for fear of being labelled and ostracised. [sic] In many ways it's 1930s Germany, 1950s USA and Soviet Union all over again, minus the violence ...the arts Stasi are not to be underestimated," he said.

Chances are Steve Irwin won't be sipping green tea at Judy Davis's place in Birchgrove any time soon. But then, he probably prefers the crocodile farm
. [7]

– thenewdailymirror.co.uk, 1/22/2016




“…the Viking Cruises vessel the ‘Forward’ has been ordered to not stay dockside for two weeks at Isle of Wright after the infectious disease poliomyelitis was reported to have broken out on cruise ship; the ship is receiving medicine and emergency supplies by helicopter, and people onboard in need of hospitalization are being carefully airlifted out…”

– Michael Strahan, NBC News, 1/24/2016 broadcast



CO-ANCHOR 1: “In his defense, Steve Irwin is a conservationist, not a politician.”

CO-ANCHOR 2: “But he’s even faced criticism when it comes to him being a conservationist, too. He’s in the past been accused of having an unsophisticated view of conservatism that’s closer to tourism than facing actual issues, and while those criticisms have subsided in recent years, his critics still persist that he does not full understand the complexities of conservation efforts in relation to Global Climate Disruption.”

CO-ANCHOR 1: “That is true. Back when we had him on this program in 2008, we asked him about overgrazing, salinity and erosion, and he commented, and I quote, ‘Cows have been on our land for so long that Australia has evolved to handle those big animals,’ end-quote.” [8]

CO-ANCHOR 2: “Hmm, and it’s comments like that coming back into public consciousness is probably why he’s been silent on this controversy since it started. He’s possibly trying to wait it out…”

– Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1/29/2016 broadcast



GRAMMER APPEALS TO THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT IN NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST SPEECH

…The National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event held at the Washington Hilton in Northwestia, Potomac, consists of a series of meetings, luncheons and dinners is a day-long forum for political, social, and business elites assembled for discussion and prayer…

The Washington Post, 2/2/2016



FINNISH GREENS HOLD ONTO POWER AS HAAVISTO WINS PRESIDENCY

...After finishing in second place in the first round of voting on 16 January, State Minister Pekka Haavisto (b. 1958) was elected President of Finland earlier tonight. A member of the Green party, Haavisto is a former member of Finnish Parliament and former Environment Secretary under President Puska; he won over Laura Huhtasaari in an election closely watched by the rest of Europe. Laura Huhtasaari (b. 1979), a 35-year-old parliament member and nationally famous conservative radio show host of the conservative Finns Party, had defeated early anti-Pekka favorite Alexander Stubb (b. 1968), former PM, of the National Party, to advance to the runoff election. Incumbent President Pekka Puska, with his popularity at an all-time high, was term-limited. Haavisto won the election by a margin of roughly 14% of the vote...

The Guardian, UK newspaper, 6/2/2016



WELLSTONE JOINS ROSS CAMPAIGN IN ADVISORY ROLE

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[pic: imgur.com/J94DzbG.png ]

Above: Wellstone at his Wellstone’12 re-election campaign headquarters in St. Paul, c. 2012

– The Duluth News Tribune, Minnesota newspaper, 2/11/2016



MODERATOR: “This next question is for all the candidates, and we will begin on the left side of the debate stage. Governor Moore, the first 100 days of a US Presidency is a major benchmark for success for modern Presidents/ What would the first 100 days of your Presidency look like?”

MOORE: “In my first 100 days, I would pass legislation to stop US corporations from using cheap labor in other countries to make themselves rich. Outsourcing and corrupt billionaires are killing this country by taking money from their fellow Americans to line their already-deep pockets. It is horrendous, it is immoral, and it should be illegal. …The justice department will not be lazing about under the Moore Presidency.”

[snip]

ROSS: “When it comes to cap and trade, we have to focus more on the cap and less on the trade. Moving around the emissions is like moving around broken glass instead of gathering it all up and carefully throwing it out. If you just leave it there, people are going to get hurt. We have to move on to a new and better way of making energy to run the planet. As President, I would start this off with the Globally Reducing Emissions to Empower Nature Deal, or the GREEN Deal, for short. We also must introduce a wide range of public works projects to eliminate poverty and unemployment. I’m talking about a wide range of public works projects like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, but with an emphasis on renewable energy and environmental protection. A movement to improve our transportation, health, and communities. These would be the projects I would implement as President. I’d called them the ‘Empowering People to Improve their Communities’ Projects, or EPIC Projects, for short.”

[snip]

LOCKE: “I have overseen and supervised effective responses to KW2 refugees and subsequent race riots in Seattle, massive earthquakes, major floods and forest fires. I just try to be as even-keeled and calm as possible. After all, that works fine for Bob, here, doesn’t it?” [9]

[snip]

SESTAK: “I for one am very concerned by this current administration’s willingness to turn a blind eye to several countries so unstable that it should be troubling to more people. Tajikistan is in the throes of a militant dictatorship. The Ka-Ren people of Myanmar have been experiencing ethnic genocide for decades. Eritrea is a barely-functioning dictatorship no matter what the President says about it. Sierra Leone is a lawless wasteland, and Saudi Arabia is an oppressive anti-labor, anti-women country and we should be ashamed of our connections to them. As President, I would take a strong stance against these violators of human rights, with military forces if necessary…why are you booing? I’m speaking the truth here!”

[snip]

ROSS: “We have reach out to the people. As President, I would follow the diplomatic advice of Harland Sanders – it is the people, not the leaders, that are innocent, because leaders always influence people. But dictators go too far, they want their people to live in a bubble. But by exposing the benefits of democracy and freedom to the people, we can pop that bubble from the inside out.”

SESTAK: “Ma’am, can I comment on that?”

MODERATOR 1: “30 seconds, sir.”

SESTAK: “Bob, the only time in recent modern history that we truly popped a dictatorial bubble, as you call it, was almost exactly 20 years ago with KW2. Your idea of peacefully ending dictators cannot work.”

ROSS: “What about the Soviet Union? Didn’t it collapse not because of a nuclear war but because the Russian people came to realize that without democracy and liberty, they were getting a raw deal?”

SESTAK: “That was different, Bob. And it was a different time.”

[snip]

LOCKE: “China’s own recent history proves that when it opens itself, there is nothing its people cannot accomplish. A more open China will lead to a more prosperous and stable China. That’s good for China, the United States and, indeed, the entire world.” [9]

[snip]

ROSS: “I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I think I’m probably the most pacifist candidate on this stage tonight.”

[snip]

MOORE: “I differ from the other candidates up here by understanding the regulations cannot be applied to every single thing in existence. You can’t regulate child labor. You can’t regulate slavery. Some things are just wrong. Those things can’t be regulated because they must be eliminated!”

[snip]

ROSS: “I can’t think of anything more rewarding than being yourself to others through painting. Exercising the imagination, experimenting with talents, being creative; these things, to me, are truly the windows to your soul. It’s why I care so much about funding early education programs – so the next generation of children can have the ability to reach their true and full potential, and achieve the kind of possibilities that past generations could only write about in sci-fi and fantasy books.” [10]

[snip]

MOORE: “Since we’re on the subject of electability, let me just point out that unlike Bob here, who hasn’t won an election on his own since 1990, 26 years ago, and unlike Gary here, who comes from a safely Democratic state, I have repeatedly won elections in the increasingly Republican-leaning state of Michigan. In fact, I was one of the first 18-year-olds in the United States elected to public office, shortly after 18-year-olds got the right to vote under President Sanders. I ran for the Board of Education and I haven’t lost an election since.” [11]

[snip]

ROSS: “I have often said that talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you’re willing to practice, you can do. And I have practiced politicking for almost 28 years now.” [10]

[snip]

MOORE: “I made it so people who work in my state get paid parental leave. That’s not called capitalism, that’s called being a Christian and someone who believes in democracy and that everyone should get a fair slice of the pie.” [11]

[snip]

ROSS: “Anytime you learn you gain. So be bold. Be brave. Go out on a limb – that’s where the fruit is! That’s life. It’s interesting. It’s fun!” [10]

– snippets from the Democratic Primaries Presidential debate, 2/16/2016




Anchor ANDERSON COOPER: “So how negative do you think this campaign is going to get, when compared to past Presidential elections?”

Contributor JANIC FINE: “Oh, it certainly can get more vitriolic, but most of that would likely come from McAfee, as Grammer, Locke and especially Ross seem very reluctant to do any mudslinging. With that in mind, I don’t think we’re going to be seeing anything as bitter as the 2004 primaries. And, while we’re on the subject, McAfee’s current methods and tactics for attacking his former boss actually reminds me of when Republicans tried to tie Wellstone to ‘The Corg,’ short for the ‘Cooperative Organization’ a Maoist/Marxist-Leninist political group was briefly existed in Minneapolis and Sati Paul in the 1970s [12] back during the election cycle of 2007 and early 2008…”

– CBS News, roundtable discussion, 2/17/2016



Disapprove: 53%

Approve: 41%

Uncertain: 6%

– Aggregate approval rating for Australian PM Varvaris, 2/19/2016



“If I don’t win this primary season, I will cut off, cook, and eat my own left pinky toe and livestream it. Why? Because I can! Because in this country, you can, or at least you should be allowed to, do whatever you want to do with your own body.”

– John McAfee, 2/22/2016 rally



“…The federal government tonight announced that it will allow small drones owned and operated by individual citizens and private businesses to fly over streets at night, but not over private homes or residential property of any sort except when making a delivery to that property. The head of the F.A.A. says that this shift in federal policy is a significant step toward widespread commercial deliveries made with drones. The remotely-manned aerial vehicles, or objects or devices – whichever term you prefer, really – has been the source of security concerns for many private citizens worried of privacy violations. Furthermore, delivery labor unions oppose the widespread use of drones over employment concerns, while others have voiced worry over light pollution at night. These and air traffic concerns are the likely reasoning behind the new federal rules calling for drones to stay above roads only, as drones must obtain a certain altitude to no longer be considered above one’s home – a height that, at the moment, most drone models cannot fly up to.

Naturally, the F.A.A.’s new operation rules and requirements are being challenged by several governors and state governments who claim that airway regulation should stay at the state level, and that the F.A.A. cannot impose regulations on private businesses and individual activities, which the Lieutenant Governor of Colorado saying yesterday, quote, ‘If we do not stay vigilant, the F.A.A. will soon outlaw kite-flying,’ end-quote. The comments come after several members of the F.A.A. also suggested that remote pilots, also known as drone pilots or drone operators, should require licenses, even if drones are used for private use, much like a license for a car, a speedboat, or a forklift, in adherence to the principle of one requiring licensing to confirm that one can use complex and potentially-dangerous machinery...”

– CBS Evening News, 2/24/2016 broadcast



“Remember – You never stop to switch motorcycles when you’re in the middle of a bike race! And we’re in the middle of one hell of a bike race right now!”

– Vice President Harley Brown campaigning for Kelsey Grammer in Manchester, New Hampshire, 2/26/2016



CANDIDATES IN DISARRAY IN LAST-MINUTE SCRAMBLE TO WIN THE GRANITE STATE

…on the eve of the New Hampshire primary, candidates on both sides of the political party are filling up their schedules with more stump speeches, more photo-ops and more vidcall fundraising drives…

– 273towin.co.usa, 2/27/2016 e-alert



WINNERS AND LOSERS OF THE 88TH ACADEMY AWARDS CEREMONY

…the Oscar for Best Picture went to Steven Spielberg’s The Pyongyang Diaries, a coming-of-age drama centered on a young girl from Seoul who moves with her family to The Former North in the immediate aftermath of the Second Korean War…

The Hollywood Reporter, 2/28/2016



“I still can’t believe American Overdrive 3 was snubbed by those snobs. It’s one of the greatest works of cinema ever put to film, but it didn’t get a single Oscar nomination. The system is rigged against action films, people! I tell you, it’s rigged!”

– real estate developer/filmmaker Donald Trump, 2/29/2016



MOORE WINS NEW HAMPSHIRE, MCAFEE OVERPERFORMS IN “SHOCKINGLY” NARROWLY LOSS!

…In the Republican column, President Grammer received 54% of the vote, with 35% going to McAfee, 5% to Gramm, 3% to local politician Mary Maxwell, 2% to an obscure candidate named Walter Iwachiw, and the remaining 1% to several other candidates.

“This is more a loss for Grammer than a win for McAfee,” says one political analyst. “For an incumbent President to get only 54% in the first-in-the-nation primary suggests a lack of unity in the party, at least in the libertarian wing of the party. I think Grammer needs to address that immediately, because Presidents who face serious primary challengers typically do not win re-election”…

The Boston Globe, 3/1/2019



GRAMMER GOES TO GEORGIA IN HAIL MARY EFFORT TO SAVE HIS CANDIDACY

…desperate to keep his job in the face of a formidable primary opponent, the White House today revealed that the President has gotten onto a tour bus and has headed on down to the Peace State ahead of the Georgia primary on March 8. …The President must be feeling the heat now – already, one anonymous member of the White House staff has claimed that Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary results have been “a wake-up call” to President Grammer…

The New York Post, 3/3/2019



“…We weren’t concerned about the loss in the Granite State because our focus was connecting to minority voters in Nevada, Georgia and Maryland. We knew that even if we won just one of those states, we could gather enough momentum going into April to make it through. We were getting endorsements from all over the Democratic establishment, from Walter Mondale to John Glenn, but we knew weren’t the same as actual votes…”

– freshman US Rep. Alessandra Rose Biaggi (D-NY), Deputy National Operations Director for the Locke’16 campaign, KNN interview, 5/4/2019



…Even as the President stumped across Georgia, he could not shake off the fear that the momentum was on the side of McAfee. Indeed, at least three post-NH ontech polls suggested that McAfee could actually win the Peach state by a 5% margin…

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



VOhScZZ.png

[pic: imgur.com/VOhScZZ.png ]

– Bob Ross in a crowd of supporters in Atlanta, GA, 3/7/2016



…On March 8, Grammer proved those polls wrong by edging out McAfee by a 7% margin. Nevertheless, this margin marked the closest an incumbent President had come to losing a primary in nearly 30 years. The last time a President had faced such a serious challenge was in 1988, when Jack Kemp lost a bid for a term of his own, and, for an elected President, in 1964, when LBJ lost a few primaries to candidates Wayne Morse and John Patterson.

Bob Ross, meanwhile, narrowly edged out Locke and Moore in the state by highlighting his Floridian roots…

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



SHIRLEY FRANKLIN DROPS WHITE HOUSE BID AFTER HOME STATE LOSS

The Washington Post, 3/9/2016



“…Minnesota Governor Alex Kozinski has been impeached by the state House for misuse of state funding to pay of business loans and to attempt to cover up improper sexual conduct claims…”

– Kennedy News Network, “Breaking News” segment, 3/10/2016 broadcast



BREAKING NEWS: Phil Gramm Has Ended His Long-Shot White House Bid

…the former US Congressperson received less than 5% of the vote in GOP primary held in Georgia on Tuesday…

– 273toWin.co.usa, 3/11/2016 “e-alert”



MCAFEE: “I think it’s really telling that, during these efforts to amend the process for electing the President, politicians in D.C. are backing Congressional District Allocation. It’s because they gerrymander the congressional districts, and both of the major parties are shamelessly guilty of gerrymandering.”

WILSON: “Yeah, I get that, and that’s why I back the Direct Popular Vote and Runoff proposal. It’s very easy to understand.”

MCAFEE: “Yes, but the two-round system could lead to more media attention placing emphasis on just the one election, the second round. That would again block out third-party candidates.”

WILSON: “Well isn’t that because the popular vote is not the only problem with the Electoral College.”

MCAFEE: “Yes, that’s why I back the Ranked Choice proposal that has the closest shot of actually getting passed. Because that venue for democracy has instant runoff, so you don’t have to have people vote more than once.”

– John McAfee and journalist Amy Wilson, TON interview, 3/12/2016



WELLSTONE EXITS HOSPITAL AFTER SURGERY FOR M.S.-RELATED LEG SWELLING

…in recent years, the former US President has occasionally been seen using a cane or other people’s shoulders in order to stand up or walk…

The Star Tribune, Minnesota newspaper, 3/13/2016



“Grammer hasn’t done enough to defend our recreadrug rights. Yes, he’s upheld Jesse Jackson’s decriminalizing of all recreadrugs at the federal level, but since taking office, the former Dr. Frazier Crane has just passively allowed the states to make up their own Mary Jane laws. Only 22 states have many recreational marijuana completely legal. I’m all for the tenth amendments and allowing the states to have the right and the freedom of self-determination, but not for policies that affect all the states like recreadrugs does.”

– John McAfee, rally in Las Vegas, NV, 3/14/2016



…While the March 15 Nevada contest was a decisive victory for Locke, with Ross coming in second place and Moore in a close third, Grammer secured a comfortable margin of victory over McAfee with a whopping 65%. Using his massive war chest to zigzag across the state had paid off – momentum was returning to the President’s campaign.

However, some in Grammer’s campaign still feared that their efforts to paint McAfee as a radical would be fruitless due to the former NASA Director embracing such comments. For example, McAfee proudly admitting to experimenting with hard drugs for decades, but saying he did so “smartly and responsibly,” appealed to young people tuning in the politics for the first time and being intrigued by his campaign themes of space exploration, drug legalization and the elimination of as much government red tape as possible.

Grammer was conservative-libertarian, but McAfee was even more libertarian, with a base of followers that was almost entirely Caucasian. As a result, Grammer, ironically, had to rely on an ad hoc coalition of social conservatives and minority conservatives to win in Nevada, and on that same coalition heading in April…

– Tim Alberta’s The Modern Republican Party, Harper Collins Publishers, 2022



“All Aboard the Grammer Gravy Train!”

– comment on usarightnow.co.usa article on President Grammer’s rising re-election odds, 3/15/2016



BEN RAY LUJAN BOWS OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL BID

– The Carlsbad Current-Argus, New Mexico newspaper, 3/16/2016



REVIEW: SORKIN “CRUSHED” IN TONIGHT’S DEMOCRATIC DEBATE

…the writer-director flubbed on several questions concerning tax reform, attempting to give genetic comments and catchy one-liners only for the moderators to press him to actually answer the detail-oriented questions...

– usarightnow.co.usa, 3/17/2016



PRC CONDEMNS JAPAN’S PM FOR CALLING TAIWAN “ITS OWN COUNTRY” IN U.N. SPEECH

…Japan’s newest PM, the mononym-using Renho, is of Taiwanese descent on her father’s side, and has visited the island several times since becoming the leader of the opposition in 2013, and twice already since becoming PM in January. Renho [13] has lambasted her predecessors for not being “tough enough” on confronting the “increasingly oppressive” Chinese government on the world stage…

The Asahi Shimbun, Japanese newspaper, 3/18/2016



SESTAK DROPS 2016 BID, CITING LOW POLLING NUMBERS

– The Beaver County Times, side article, 3/19/2016



TWENTY YEARS LATER: One Generation After KW2, United Korea Has Moved On But Cannot Forget

…March 21 marked the 20-year anniversary of the official conclusion of the War of Reunification, and with it came a range of mixed emotions. Mostly ebullient reflections and celebrations of the reuniting of long-lost family members came concurrent with somber vigils honor the thousands killed on both sides of the conflict. Views of the demise of Kim Il-Sung reached a record-breaking number on OurVids.co.can, while veterans from both sides of the conflict, linked arm in arm, march proudly down city streets in the capital of Seoul and the redeveloped city of Pyongyang. SK veterans grin at their liberating off the North, while NK veterans grin at their de-brainwashing and ability to now live in a land that, while imperfect, is wildly superior to the life he once knew… The war ravaged the peninsula for less than three months but nevertheless resulting in life-changing ramifications for the Korean people…

– Time Magazine, 3/21/2016



PRIMARIES UPDATE: Locke, Grammer Sail To Victories In Maryland

…Locke has received a comfortable plurality, while President Grammer has won roughly 80% of the vote in the GOP contest…

– knn.co.usa, 3/22/2016



“…I favor legalizing most recreadrugs, but I also favor opening up more recreadrug addiction clinics. They go hand and hand, like more cars and more car repair shops and car service stations. But McAfee looks like he’s taken too many drugs and not enough visits to rehab clinics. Past employees have described him as erratic, maniacal, paranoid and sometimes delusional. If the Stardust Scandal had not broken out, President Grammer would have definitely fired him anyway, it just would have been a few weeks or months later than he did…”

– Former Gov. Kelley Ashby (R-NH), Grammer surrogate, 3/24/2016



“..If I’m so unstable, why did Grammer have just great things to say about me when he nominated me to head NASA? Doesn’t that suggest that Ol’ Kelsey has poor decision-making skills, that he put someone as allegedly crazy as me in charge of NASA? Are we sure that chick didn’t just endorse me?”

– John McAfee, 3/25/2016 rally



Black Woman Kicked Out Of McAfee Rally: “There’s So Many Racists In His Camp”

…her claims join others accusing the McAfee candidacy of attracting bigots, racists, sexists, and “dangerous radicals like perverts and sadists,” reported one former McAfee campaign worker...

– tumbleweed.co.usa/news, 3/28/2016 article



ROSS, GRAMMER WIN VERMONT PRIMARIES WITH EASE

The Boston Globe, 3/29/2016



LOCKE: “China’s history is marked by thousands of years of world-changing innovations: from the compass and gunpowder to acupuncture and the printing press. No one should be surprised that China has re-emerged as an economic superpower. I don’t blame Colonel Sanders for opening up to China, I blame the Chinese government for using unfair practices to oppress their own people and to try to hold the world economy hostage. Now, again, I am not appealing to the Chinese government when I say that we should try to promote people-to-people exchanges so that China and the United States can really join together, not just to solve the problems of China or the United States, but some of the big problems facing the entire world as well, from climate change to famine. I am saying that nobody will benefit from being unable to find a non-military way of resolving the issue regarding China’s increasingly discerning actions.” [14]

[snip]

MOORE: “Here’s what I don’t think works: an economic system that was founded in the 16th century and another that was founded in the 19th century. I’m tired of this discussion of capitalism and socialism; we live in the 21st century; we need an economic system that has democracy as its underpinnings and an ethical code.” [15]

ROSS: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend. I guess I’m a little weird. I like to talk to trees and animals. That’s okay though; I have more fun than most people!” [16]

[snip]

MODERATOR: “Governor Moore, in 1996, you said, and I quote, ‘I don’t support the troops being in Korea,’ unquote, and in 2007, you made similar comments about U.S. forces in the DRC. How can American voters be certain you will protect and defend the U.S. as President in light of decades of criticism of American foreign services, from the Libyan War to the US-led intervention in Sudan?”

MOORE: “I still stand by those misleading statement. I did not support the troops in Korea, I supported them coming home. I supported them being treated well.”

[snip]

ROSS: “I support vocational programs in grade schools coast-to-coast because of the fact that there’s nothing in the world that breeds success like success, especially success, any kind of success, that is achieved at an early age.” [16]

[snip]

ROSS: “If we’re going to have animals around, we all have to be concerned about them and take care of them.” [16]

[snip]

ROSS: “Yes, I would support another Freedom of Information Act, and I hope everybody on this stage, and everybody in the GOP would support such an act because that is a bipartisan issue. It is not a good sign if your government has more secrets than the hanger seen at the end of the first Indiana Jones movie.”

MODERATOR: “Governor Moore?”

MOORE: “I believe that when you provide information to people, they become less fearful and they will engage more in their democracy if they are empowered with information. So yes, of course I’d back another Freedom of Information Act.” [15]

[snip]

ROSS: “Ooh, if you have never been to Alaska, go there while it is still wild. My favorite uncle asked me if I wanted to go there, Uncle Sam. He said if you don't go, you're going to jail. That is how Uncle Sam asks you.” [17]

[snip]

LOCKE: “While I dislike with the Balanced Budget Amendment and the havoc that it continually brings about, I will concede that as it is the law of the land, it must be followed, and under a Locke administration, it will be. …The federal budget for the 2017 fiscal year would put more money aside for Social Security and infrastructure, as opposed to the Grammer administration, which keeps allotting federal funds to the military, to union-busting, to gathering foreign intel, and away from the national safety net that is Social Security.”

[snip]

ROSS: “From all of us here up on this debate stage tonight: God Bless, everybody.”

– snippets from the Democratic Primary Presidential debate, 3/30/2016



Ross – 34%

Locke – 29%

Moore – 21%

Sorkin – 5%

Simpson – 3%

All Others – 2%

Undecided – 6%

– Gallup poll for the 2016 Democratic Presidential nomination, published 4/2/2016



BELLAMY ENDORSES ROSS!: Praise Of VP Could Play A Decisive Role In The Upcoming Primaries

The Boston Globe, 4/3/2016



“If we want peace, why are we the most war-loving nation on the planet? Because instead of industries making weapons for war, we are making war for the weapon-making industry. If we have to build things and sell things to keep the capitalist system healthy, we have to build healthy things. …We need to direct our creative talents away from destructive industries towards constructive industries that benefit all, like medical research, and the space race. …If we build a permanent base on Mars, we won’t have the money to kill people overseas!”

– John McAfee, 4/4/2016 rally



...The first April Tuesday “Cluster” of primaries hosted a whopping ten contests on each side of the political aisle. Often proving vital for campaigns, this year’s First Cluster was no exception. On the Republican side, the closest McAfee got to a victory was in Arkansas, where he received 40% of the vote. For this sweep, Grammer later credited the surrogate campaigning of Vice President Brown, who helped convince socially conservative and religious voters to turn out for Grammer in droves, as McAfee made Grammer’s more libertarian views look downright hard-c conservative by comparison!

For the Democrats, election night was more complicated. Governor Moore won South Carolina, Alabama and Virginia with his populist rhetoric, while Gary Locke won Potomac over Senator Sharon Sayles-Belton, but only came in second place in most of the other contests of the night. Lisa J. Simpson’s campaign won Massachusetts, while Sayles-Belton secured her home state of Minnesota. This left Ross with victories in Arkansas, Iowa, Colorado, and Oklahoma…

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



MCAFEE ACCUSED OF RAPE!

…the former NASA intern claims she was stalked, roofied and raped in 1979 by a man, wearing a custom-made boar mask, who had the same shape and build of McAfee. She says she now recognizes McAfee as the man who attacked her after that same mask allegedly appeared in the background of a VidCall interview McAfee held in his home in Memphis, Tennessee...

The New York Times, 4/8/2016



MCAFEE DENIES RAPE ALLEGATION, CLAIMS ACCUSSER IS EITHER “MISTAKEN” OR “A LIAR”

– The Chicago Tribune, 4/9/2016



“We are taking this claim very seriously and hope that McAfee complies with the investigation into this allegation.”

– Chief of Police for Memphis, Tennessee, 4/10/2016



“…The objective – the ultimate goal of the Ark Waves – was to make it so whenever an allegation of sexual pestering, sexual assault, or rape, is made, it makes the headlines and leads to consequences for the assailant every time. The rate of sexual pestering reports making it to the front pages has slowly dropped since the 1990s, either because such things are not tolerated like they were before the Ark Waves or because of something more nefarious in nature. But the fact remains that whenever someone is accused, nowadays, they are expected to resign, or withdraw from whatever it is they are doing, and most always do. Now McAfee wants to defy this social progress by staying in this race, but guess what? If he is guilty, it will not end well for him either way. If he is guilty, and I believe the ex-intern who says he is guilty, then he will be facing serious consequences…”

– Prof. Janice Fine, a prominent member of the Second Ark Wave, NBC interview, 4/11/2016



…In tonight’s presidential primaries, the Democratic Party saw Senator Gary Locke gather momentum by sweeping the contests held in American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands, with former Vice President Bob Ross winning his home state of Alaska. Concurrently tonight, Republicans held Presidential primaries in those same states; President Grammer has been declared the winner of all five of them…

– CBS Evening News, 4/12/2016 broadcast



KOZINSKI FOUND GUILTY OF FUNDS MISUSE IN SENATE TRIAL; Lt. Gov. Michelle Bachmann Ascends to Governor’s Seat

– The St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota newspaper, 4/14/2016



50% OFF PRESIDENTIAL CANDY CIGARETTES – Vintage But Still Good!

Price: $22.99 or Best Offer

Condition: Mint, Like-New

Seller: Ms.WondersheilaSupreme137

These Candy Cigars/Cigarettes replaced the real cigars offers to guests on board Air Force One in 1976 by President Walter Mondale to discourage smoking (and promote his re-election campaign at the same time).

Q6CESfn.png

[pic: imgur.com/Q6CESfn.png ]

These treats were in turn replaced by Jolly Ranchers under President Kemp in 1988, but due to passengers wanting something chewable (and after President Bellamy expressed concern about the off-chance of a hard candy becoming lodged in someone’s throat during turbulence), those were replaced in 1989 by bags of dried fruit and trail mix, with President Jesse Jackson adding potato chips and skittles to the cupboards on board as well.

> Comment 1:

Do you have any more of those misprinted Doozybot action figures from the early 90s? I tried to get one from you before but I think you sold out. PrivTalk me please.

> Comment 2:

How are they packaged, bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts?

> Comment 3:

Will I get into trouble if I bring some of those to school?

– globalgaragesale.co.usa, ontech shopping site, 4/15/2016 listing



LOCKEMENTUM: Gary Locke Rising In Polls As Critics Attack Ross’s “Dangerous Pacifism”

– The New York Times, 4/16/2016



…On April 19, Locke won the primary contests held in Puerto Rico and Oregon, along with the contest for the “Democrats Abroad” delegation slate. That same night, Ross secured a majority of delegates in Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Kentucky, while Moore won Louisiana via a plurality. Senator Sharon Sayles-Belton withdrew from the race and endorsed Locke the next day…

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



GRAMMER CLINCHES THE G.O.P. NOMINATION

…With challenger John McAfee losing momentum after failing to win a single primary, the latest batch of winner-take-all contests has edged the President over the minimum number of delegates needed to win the GOP nomination at this summer’s RNC outright…

The Washington Post, 4/19/2016



…When McAfee was locked out of winning the nomination by RNC delegates, many technetters were quick to remind him of his “promise” to eat his own pinky toe on a live technet stream. McAfee responded by refusing to acknowledge the primary losses, suggesting voter fraud, and claiming he would challenge Grammer at that summer’s Republican National Convention…

– Tim Alberta’s The Modern Republican Party, Harper Collins Publishers, 2022



LOCKE KEEPS UP MOMENTUM IN SWEEP OF TONIGHT’S PRIMARY CLUSTER

…While Moore predictably secured his home state of Michigan, Ross’s only victory of the night was in his birth state of Florida. Locke won the remaining three state contest of the night, adding Texas, Maine, and Pennsylvania to his accumulated delegate count…

Meanwhile, on the Republican side of the night, Kelsey Grammer once again secured victory in all of the GOP primary contests, with challenger John McAfee’s best performance being in Florida, where the former Director of NASA received 21.7% of the vote…

The Boston Globe, 4/26/2016



Bob’s surprise loss of the delegate-rich state of Texas shifted the momentum of the race back to Locke. In fact, Bob was so certain that Locke was now a shoo-in for the nomination that he told his inner circle that he was considering withdrawing from the race.

“I don’t want to divide the party,” he reportedly said bluntly. “I think we’ll just be burning up money if we keep going.”

However, Ross’s inner circles of advisors convinced him to stay in the race until at the May 3 primaries, arguing that it would be unfair to the voters in the upcoming primaries to withdraw so close to the election date…

– Julie Martinez’s Bob’s World: Stories of The Happy Painter, Sunrise Books, 2021



MOORE BOWS OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE

…in his concession speech, Moore made no endorsement, instead claiming that both Locke and Ross are too “establishment-friendly” and that he will endorse whoever is “for the people.”

However, but in the past, Moore has praised former Vice President Ross. “He may be very bitter right now,” argues political analyst Bob Beckel. “His campaign’s depleted funds had him running on empty at the end. Last week’s victory in Michigan was more due to his home state popularity than resurgence in general interest in his candidacy.”

Indeed, it seems that Moore’s victory in Michigan on the 26th was not reflective of his campaign’s deflating polling and fundraising numbers on the national level. Despite Moore’s best efforts, his overall poor debating style, and public arguments with US Senator Hanson Clarke (D-MI) over who was responsible for Michigan’s post-recession recovery efforts, bogged down his campaign...

The Chicago Tribune, 4/27/2016



ROSS: “My first act as President would be to cancel all the current student debt out there. All the colleges, all of it. Then I would focus on building up education at the grade school level, starting with vocational programs and improving the salary and working conditions of teachers. Vocational education is very personal to me because I worked as a carpenter before I joined the military, and I lost my one half a finger because I wasn’t careful. We need to teach our children the skills they want and the skills they need, and they need to get that education in a safe and supportive educational environment. When you have 30 or 40 students in one class, it’s too chaotic. Not everyone gets the help they need. We need to cut down classroom sizes by hiring more teachers, and paying teachers much more than they get paid right now. Vouchers aren’t enough. Our children deserve the best. We need to stop tying school districts to parental income. We need to get all children to have the same kind of education – high-quality education.”

LOCKE: “As President, I would expand student vouchers for private schools and colleges, significantly reduce the rate ceiling on student loans, significantly improve the quality found in public schools, which under this administration are abandoning the poor and growing the class divisions by punishing certain children just for being born into poor families! That is not right in the slightest, it is abhorrent, it has to end, and it will end under a Locke administration.”

– Education-themed Town Hall-style Democratic primary debate, Springfield, IL, 4/30/2016



LOCKE INCREASES DELEGATE TOTAL WITH LATEST PRIMARY CLUSTER

…In tonight’s Democratic primary contests, Ross won Tennessee, while Locke won Illinois and Missouri... Also tonight, on the Republican side of the political aisle, McAfee received 28% in his home state of Tennessee and less than 10% in Illinois and Michigan n another round of easy wins for incumbent President Grammer…

The Columbus Dispatch, 5/3/2016



“I WON’T WANT TO FIGHT A FRIEND”: Ross Quits Race, Endorses Locke

…Ross said, “I’ve known Gary for many years now. We’ve worked on many legislative ideas, many programs and many proposals over the years, especially when I was Vice President for fours, one of the greatest honors of my lifetime.” After describing Locke’s candidacy as “historic and welcoming,” Ross concluded, “Gary Locke is a good man, and good family man, someone I’m happy to call my friend, and someone I’m happy to endorse”...

The Washington Post, 5/4/2016



…The only other candidates left in the race were Aaron Sorkin and Gary Larson, both of whom were still there seemingly for the publicity. For Larson, it was to simply prime the attention pump ahead of releasing a new collection of Far Side comics in March 2017. For Sorkin, it had been a vanity, which was now losing its credibility in the debates, where he came off as an out-of-touch idealist so caught up in own TV shows of yesteryear that he seemed oblivious to the complexities behind governing and passing laws in real life. However, Ross supporters nevertheless accused both of these two remaining candidates of siphoning votes away from the former VP...

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



“…The Prime Ministers of Greece and Bulgaria today signed a major bilateral trade and defense treaty. Talks on strengthening ties between the nations – whose governments have had a mutually icy relationship ever since the 1971 Coup Plot damaged Bulgarian-Greek and Bulgarian-Turkish relations – began shortly after the overthrown of Bulgaria’s short-lived junta led by Volen Siderov, with the reinstated Bulgarian government blaming all the trouble in their capital on militants whom capitalized on the Bulgarian middle-class angry at declining life quality conditions in urban clusters across the Balkan country. The Prime Ministers of both nations are now vowing to promote collaborative trade enterprises, with the Prime Minister of Greece noting, quote, ‘bickering makes for many minds full of hatred and very few stomachs full of food,’ unquote…”

– BBC World News, 5/9/2016 broadcast



“...And finally, in political news, the states of North Carolina, Ohio, Arizona, Indiana and West Virginia all held Presidential primaries tonight for both the Democratic and Republican primaries, with presumptive nominees Gary Locke and Kelsey Grammer winning all of them against very minor opposition from lingering candidates such as Aaron Sorkin on the Democratic side and somebody named Walter Iwachiw on the GOP side…”

– Kennedy News Network, 5/10/2016 broadcast



“…With the Presidential primaries essentially over for both of the major parties, with President Grammer already clinching the GOP nomination and Senator Gary Locke just a dozen delegates away from having done the same in the Democratic primaries, the Grammer and Locke campaigns are shifting focus to the general election in November…”

– CBS Evening News, 5/12/2016 broadcast



SOCIAL DEMOCRATS RETAKE POWER IN BELARUS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

…With incumbent President Sergei Gaidukevich of the Liberal Democratic party being constitutionally term-limited, the race to succeed him was wide open, but from start to finish, the favorite to win was Alyaksandr Kazulin (b. 1955), a longtime Social Democratic politician who began his career as a peace activist in the closing years of the Soviet era, even being imprisoned from 1981 to 1984 for peacefully protesting in Minsk. In tonight’s election, Kazulin easily defeated two major challengers, Independent businessperson Mikola Statkevich, and Tatsiana Karatkevich of the Transparency party, along with several minor candidates…

The Guardian, UK newspaper, side article, 15/5/2016



…The May 17 primaries were largely uneventful. In Idaho, about 10% of the voters wrote in the VPs name, pushing the descending McAfee to third place, while the President won Utah and Hawaii unopposed. On the Democratic side, Larson and Sorkin were again non-entities, while the Ross campaign posthumously won the Hawaiian primary in a major upset…

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



…global-averaged temperatures in 2015 were 1.72 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the mid-20th century mean …and the year’s temperatures continued a long-term warming trend, according to analyses by top climate scientists at the Goddard Institute in New York… [18]

– climate.nasa.gov/news, 5/18/2016 article




PM REHNO REVERSES FOREIGN WORKER LAW

…PM Renho has successfully implemented a wider visa program for unskilled foreign workers that critics in the Diet claim will “open the floodgates” a lead to a rise in unemployment. …Renho is also focusing on reversing her predecessor’s deregulating of regional banks but not his lowering of lar phone charges, along with “digital transformation” and reforming supply-chain regulations harmful to small businesses…

– The Kyodo News Plus, 5/19/2016



GRAMMER DENIES CLAIMS HE IS MULLING DROPPING BROWN FROM THE TICKET

…the President claimed, “Harley has proven himself to be a very valuable team player”…

The Idaho Press-Tribune, 5/20/2016



“Grammer/Brown – The Winning Team”

"Kelsey and Harley – The Winning Team"

“Tried And True”

– unofficial Grammer’16 slogans, c. May 2016



“A New Start”

“Gary for Glory, Greatness, and Greenery”

– unofficial Locke’16 slogans, c. May 2016



MISSISSIPPIANS VOTE FOR FORMER CANDIDATE BOB ROSS IN LATEST PRIMARY CLUSTER

…Tonight’s Democratic primaries saw Locke come in first place in Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Rhode Island, but not in Mississippi, where locals tonight voted for Bob Ross – who withdrew his bid weeks ago – by a 2% margin. This marks the former VP’s second post-withdrawal primary victory…

The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi newspaper, 5/24/2016



“The President will see you now,” I said to the freshman N.A.M. as I pressed the button opening the doors to the Presidential Inner Office.

“Um, thank you, ma’am.” As he entered the room, the political neophyte gulped, “Um, Mr. President? Uh, it’s an honor to meet with you.” The man approached the new Presidential desk in the center of the room. It was a large piece of furniture fashioned entirely out of Siberian timber, but contained a sleek, modern design – four flat sides void of any detail work or patterns. It matched the rest of the room – minimalist, bare-walled, almost cold to the eye. A rather fitting workroom for Vladimir Nikolayev.

Watching through the doorway from my desk seat, I could see that Roman Starovoit, age 44, a National Assembly Member still in his first term, was nervous, but was unwilling to let it dictate his actions. Not knowing what to do, he approached the wall-facing armchair from which he was certain the voice originated. “Sir?” Pushing the chair an inch, it swiveled enough for him to realize it was empty.

“Roman!” his name came from right behind him.

Starovoit made a flinch-like jolt and turned around to see the President of Russia standing less than two feet behind him. He must have wondered where in the room he had come from, for he looked curious and confused as well as startled.

“Sit down, Roman,” said Nikolayev as he made his way over to his armchair, sat down, and watched as his appointee took his place across from him.

“Mr. President, I was told you wanted to see me in this office ahead of the vote next week.”

Nikolayev looked at him. His searing light blue eyes seemed to gaze right into his soul. “Yes,” the leader of Russia answered. “I have to make sure everything is working out fine for you here. I want all the NAMs to feel comfortable working under my Presidency.”

“Um, everything’s alright, Mr. President.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that, Roman. You see, a little birdie told me that you are planning on voting in favor of a new bill to establish tighter regulations for the timber industry. Now, that’s a bit problematic, Roman.”

“Um, how so, sir. I’ve read the bill. It will crack down on wage theft and –”

“It will crack down on free enterprise!” He snapped. “That bill is nothing but bourgeois garbage meant to prohibit businesses from doing what needs to be done to grow their companies.”

“It-it protect workers.”

“It stifles growth, Roman! I will not tolerate such dictatorial legislation. Not during my administration!” Calming down a bit, the President flashed a smile and stood up. Walking over to a panel, a slight push popped out a handle, which, when turned, opened a small door containing old-fashioned glass cups and a selection of parlor drinks. “Care for anything?”

“Um, Vodka?”

“Don’t be so stereotypical, Roman. Have a shot of whiskey. Canadian. Very good stuff.” Nikolayev handed him a pour glasses, and with a clink, took a sip from his own before sitting on the edge of his desk and continuing. “You know, I have many friends in the timber industry. And many friends who are friends of the timber industry. And I know for a fact that in the timber industry, I worker can choose to leave anytime he wants to. Nobody forces a worker to work. If someone doesn’t want to work for minimum wage or less, what is stopping them from taking their skills elsewhere.”

With either stupidity or naivete, Starovoit answered, “The lack of any other jobs in town, blackmail, threats, and if the workers are immigrants, the threat of arrest or deportation. This bill would tighten their hiring and worker treatment policies and –”

“And create a police state, you idiot!” The President bellowed, prompting Starovoit to stumble out of his chair. “Oh,” Nikolayev switched back to his calm voice, “My apologies, let me help you up.” With his drink still in his hand, the President picked up the NAM by his arm but did not let go until after saying. “Listen, Roman, you are the deciding vote on that committee. If that bill passes, a lot of people connected to Russian timber will be very upset, and after meeting with me, they’ll be very upset with you. That is, unless you do the right thing here. And if you do, you can have any committee chair you want. How about that?”

“Y-you don’t have to be so rough on me, sir.”

“Heh. I didn’t build up the biggest seafood, meat processing and timber firms in Siberia by being a nice guy, Roman.”

Starovoit was either brave or foolish I picking that moment to stand up for himself. “You are not a businessman anymore, sir. The people of Russia will not tolerate a President who makes threats. The people didn’t elect that. The people –”

“The people elected me!” Nikolayev smashed his glass onto the hardwood floor with a crash that sent the remaining sips of whisky and multiple glass pieces flying about. The President lunged over to the National Assembly Member, grabbed the front of his shirt, and slammed him up against the wall. The President then held out his letter opener and lifted it right up to between their faces. Switching to a quieter, almost guttural voice, Nikolayev stared down Starovoit, a member of his own political party, and concluded, “They elected me. Get that through your head before this goes through your head. And get that bill killed in committee, Roman. Your country needs you to.”

He released his grip on the NAM, who hesitantly inched away before hurriedly scurrying over to the door.

Holding up the letter opener like a fencing instructor holds up his sword, the President ordered one last time, “Remember – that if the bill fails, you can expect the committee chair of your choice. But if you f#@k up this bill vote, I’ll want to see you in this office again.” He then motioned to the door, allowing Mr. Starovoit, scared for his life, to finally leave the room.

He did so with the speed of a marathon winner, stopping only when he saw the door had fully closed behind him. Then he stood at my desk, and muttered “The rumors are true. He is in bed with the mafia, isn’t he?” before walking away with a face paler than snow. I’m not sure if he had said the comment to himself or if he had asked it to me, but I would not have answered him if he had pressed me on it. I feared the repercussions of telling him any of what little I actually knew about my employer at the time.

– Marina Lebedev’s tell-all memoir My Time In The Nation of Nikolayev, Perspective Publishers, 2022



UK RAISES TARIFF ON US BEEF AFTER HITTING IMPORT LIMIT

…the UK’s import limit for American beef was reached early this month, and as a result, PM Ed Balls has agreed to raise their national tariff by roughy 10% in exchange for more of his signature policies to be passed by parliament…

Associated Press, 5/28/2016



LOCKE, GRAMMER WIN NY, CT, DE PRIMARIES ESSENTIALLY UNOPPOSED

– 273towin, 5/31/2016 news “e-alert”



“…In a surprising turn of events, the Russian National Assembly has narrowly rejected a timber regulation law…”

– BBC World News, 2/6/2016 broadcast



“…This year’s Presidential primary season at last came to a close tonight, with the five states of North Dakota, California, Montana, New Jersey, and New Mexico all voting for President Grammer and Senator Locke, the nominees-in-waiting of the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively…”

– CBS Evening News, 6/7/2016 broadcast



witetO1.png

[pic: imgur.com/witetO1.png ]

[snip]

Gary Locke – 15,150,923 (44.9%) – 2,848 delegates – 33 contests

Bob Ross – 7,187,409 (21.3%) – 1,624 delegates – 15 contests

Michael Moore – 3,306,884 (9.8%) – 145 delegates – 6 contests

Lisa J. Simpson – 1,653,442 (4.9%) – 75 delegates – 1 contest

Sharon Sayles-Belton – 1,518,467 (4.5%) – 51 delegates – 1 contest

Aaron Sorkin – 2,058,365 (6.1%) – 16 delegates – 0 contests

Gary Larson – 742,362 (2.2%) – 4 delegates – 0 contests

Marcy Kaptur – 641,132 (1.9%) – 1 delegate – 0 contests

Shirley Franklin – 371,181 (1.1%) – 1 delegate – 0 contests

Joe Sestak – 303,693 (0.9%) – 0 delegates – 0 contests

J. P. Sarbanes – 269,950 (0.8%) – 0 delegates – 0 contests

Ben Ray Lujan – 168,719 (0.5%) – 0 delegates – 0 contests

Harvey Gantt – 134,975 (0.4%) – 0 delegates – 0 contests

All others – 236,206 (0.7%) – 0 delegates – 0 contests

Total: 33,833,706 (100%)

– clickopedia.co.usa [19]



…The Democratic primaries had not unfolded as initially expected. Prior to 2015, most pundits were certain that Ross would enter the race and win the nomination with ease. Instead, he jumped in at the last minute, at a time when Senator Gary Locke was already reaching out to donors and voters, and then withdrew in May, paving the path for Gary Locke to become the Democratic party’s first Asian-American presidential nominee…

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



XoWRayx.png

[pic: imgur.com/XoWRayx.png ]

Grammer – 20,059,755 (87.7%) – 2,524 delegates

McAfee – 2,104,329 (9.2%) – 27 delegates

Gramm – 297,350 (1.3%) – 0 delegates

Iwachiw – 114,366 (0.5%) – 0 delegates

Maxwell – 45,747 (0.2%) – 0 delegates

Jones – 22,963 (0.1%) – 0 delegates

All others – 228,641 (1.0%) – 0 delegates

Total – 22,873,152 (100%) – 0 delegates

– clickopedia.co.usa



PETERSON, “I’m a professional, ma’am. I started out as a corporate lawyer and became the youngest partner at my law firm before launching one of my own. I have handled so many high-profile cases from across Canada for decades now, and I am not kidding when I say that I will prove that my client, Mr. Darrel Stinson, had every right to evict the Patel family, and that their race had nothing at all to do with it.”

REPORTER: “Mr. Peterson, have you, by any chance, ever read The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell?”

PETERSON: “No. [20] I read books on law, ma’am.”

REPORTER: “You could learn a thing or two from it, is all.”

PETERSON: “And you could learn how to ask more professional questions.”

– exchange between controversial Canadian corporate lawyer Jordan Peterson and a Toronto Star reporter, 6/22/2016 [21]



Host KRYSTAL BALL: “We now welcome Cris Ericson onto the program for this evening. Ericson is a political activist and documentary filmmaker who is insisting that her latest project is not biased like many are claiming it is. Ericson, welcome to the show.”

ERCISON: “Thank you having me on.”

BALL: “So tell us a little about this latest controversial documentary of yours, which I believe is called ‘Feathers and Blood: The Myth of Colonel Sanders,’ if that is correct.”

ERICSON: “Yeah, that’s right. It’s the story of how a crude hillbilly who couldn’t hold down a job cheated his way into the Presidency.”

BALL: “And this is not a biased documentary?”

ERICSON: “Of course not! I interviewed people who had good things to say about Harland Sanders – I refuse to call him Colonel Sanders because he was not a real Colonel – and so I covered both sides of the argument. Thus, the film is unbiased.”

BALL: “Technically, but critics are claiming you speak negatively of The Co-uh, of Mr. Sanders, and challenge his supporters in every interview.”

ERICSON: “That’s what an investigator or journalist or reporter does, they challenge their subject to learn about them and get them to defend their views.”

BALL: “I see. Now, you said that, uh, President Sanders cheated his way into the White House. How did he do that?”

ERICSON: “I believe he is the one who began the ‘Draft Sanders’ campaign at the 1964 Republican National Convention. It was a contested convention because no candidate won a majority of delegates, but Barry Goldwater held a plurality. The nomination was rightfully his, only for some fake Colonel to conveniently swoop in a take it from him.”

BALL: “And how does your documentary prove this?”

ERICSON: “I interviewed dozens of people who knew people who attended the RNC or voted in the early primaries and none of them could tell me how the Draft Colonel movement started.”

BALL: “Because it was a grassroots movement that grew organically out of the national prominence of KFC at the C-of Harland Sanders being a nationally visible Republican figure.”

ERICSON: “Exactly! That is all too convenient!”

BALL: “Really? Huh! I thought it was the result of the RNC needing a compromise candidate who was willing to go up against a war-time President.”

ERICSON: “Everyone thinks that is the case, but nope!”

– TumblweedTV interview, 2/26/2016 broadcast



LIST OF DNC VENUES SINCE {1960}

1960: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California (Johnson/Humphrey nominated)

1964: Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey (Johnson/Humphrey re-nominated)

1968: International Amphitheater, Chicago, Illinois (Kennedy/Sawyer nominated)

1972: Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida (Mondale/Gravel nominated)

1976: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York (Mondale/Gravel re-nominated)

1980: The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia (Jackson/Butcher nominated)

1984: The Forum, Inglewood, California (Gravel/Jones nominated)

1988: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York (Bellamy/Litton nominated)

1992: Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio (Bellamy/Litton re-nominated)

1996: United Center, Chicago, Illinois (Glenn/Green nominated)

2000: Richmond Convention Hall, Richmond, Virginia (Jackson/Wellstone nominated)

2004: Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas (Jackson/Wellstone re-nominated)

2008: Hosea Williams Memorial Convention Hall, Atlanta, Georgia (Wellstone/Ross nominated)

2012: Kwame Kilpatrick Memorial Sports Arena, Detroit, Michigan (Wellstone/Ross re-nominated)

2016: Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona (Locke/TBD to be nominated)

LIST OF RNC VENUES SINCE {1960}

1960: International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois (Nixon/Judd nominated)

1964: Cow Palace, Daly City, California (Sanders/Scranton nominated)

1968: Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida (Sanders/Scranton re-nominated)

1972: Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri (Scranton/Stepovich nominated)

1976: Hilton Milwaukee City Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Reagan/Westmoreland nominated)

1980: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan (Denton/Alexander nominated)

1984: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York (Denton/Alexander re-nominated)

1988: Centennial Park & Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Reagan/Lugar nominated)

1992: The Astrodome, Houston, Texas (Iacocca/Dinger nominated)

1996: Harland Sanders Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky (Dinger/Meredith nominated)

2000: Vikings Megadome, St. Paul, Minnesota (Dinger/Meredith re-nominated)

2004: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada (Goetz/Bargewell nominated)

2008: Alamo Megastadium, San Antonio, Texas (Snowe/Johnson nominated)

2012: Lee Iacocca Memorial Convention Center, St. Louis, Missouri (Grammer/Brown nominated)

2016: Colonel Sanders Lexington University Stadium, Lexington, Kentucky (Grammer/Brown re-nominated)

– knowledgepolitics.co.usa, c. 2016



RNC UPDATE: GRAMMER/BROWN RENOMINATED

…Tonight, during the fourth and final day of the Republican National Convention here in Louisville, the GOP Grammer/Brown ticket was formally renominated. A possible movement to draft McAfee for the nomination did not unfold, nor did an effort to remove Brown from the VP spot, given his popularity among the conservative bases of the party. …The DNC will be held next month; Senator US Gary Locke expected to announce his selection for running mate either at the convention or shortly beforehand…

The Louisville Courier, 6/28/2016



…Tellingly, McAfee lost more supporters over refusing to eat his pinky toe, as “promised,” than over the rape accusation. By the end of June, the calls ontech for McAfee to mount a third-party bid for President had subsided considerably as well…

– Tim Alberta’s The Modern Republican Party, Harper Collins Publishers, 2022



“We’ve wasted too much time already. We should have at least finalized the shortlist by now,” grumbled his Campaign Manager.

“We still have time,” Locke assured her, “We’ll pick a running mate soon enough.”

She reviewed the criteria one more time. “Someone from east of the Rockies who can appeal to progressives and can perform very well against Harley Davidson Brown. Getting along well with the administration, too. We can’t consider Moore because he’s too much of an attention hog.”

“And he burned several bridges too many in those debates,” Locke reminded her.

“Maybe we should pick a white person, maybe a white woman, because a ticket of two non-whites may scare off suburban voters.”

Locke nodded, “I suppose that makes the most sense.”

“Too bad Charlotte Pritt’s not available,” chimed in Kim, now the head of the VP vetting process, who was having trouble of her own in her efforts to find a suitable candidate. “She’s running for re-election.”

“How about Burwell, she’s like a discount Pritt,” replied the Campaign Manager.

“Maybe,” Kim answered. “There’s also US Rep. Roberta Achtenberg of California, age 66 – the Mayor of San Francisco from 2000 to 2008 and a member of Congress since 2009. She’s got deep pockets and is openly gay.”

The Campaign Manager shook her head, “She’s basically an unknown and she couldn’t really contribute much to the ticket, would she? There is a more visible option in Congresswoman Alexandra Lugaro, though. She just turned 35, so she’s eligible, and as a major ‘progressive darling’ or whatever they’re calling her, to could unite the party and bring in younger voters. Plus, ‘Locke/Lugaro’ has a nice ring to it.”

“Yes,” Locke replied, “But she’s too young and inexperienced. Like you said, she just turned 35.”

“Alright,” Kim offered another candidate, “Then how about Denise Juneau? She’s progressive and she’s gay; that’s very intersectional!”

“But too regionally close,” the Campaign Manager dismissed the suggestion. “Picking her would give up the South, the Rust Belt, the Hispanic South, and much of the Suburbs.”

“Janet Napolitano, the Head of West Point, in Virginia?” Kim asked.

“She’s an unknown,” answered the Campaign Manager.

“I’ll say,” added Locke, “I was about to say ‘who?’ before you described her bio.” The presumptive nominee for President sighed. “I’m not sure if we should pick someone connected to the Jackson and Wellstone administrations, seems the people want to move on from those hectic days.” Locke then made the same claim he had made behind closed doors before: that Republican obstructionism in the 110th and 112th Congresses was due to the inability too many progressive Democrats to compromise.

With Mayor Jimmy McMillan declining interested alongside Lisa J. Simpson of Washington, J. P. Sarbanes of Maryland, and several others, Kim was correct, if not a bit obvious, when she then observed, “Picking the right running mate is quite the conundrum this time around.” [22]

– Anna Garcia-Franklin’s Decision 2016: Grammer vs. Locke, Barnes & Noble, 2017




NOTE(S)/SOURCE(S)

[1] This quote is from OTL, and it can be found here: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes

[2] Most passages here were pulled from this article: https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2045871/israeli-firm-in-gaza-extracts-drinking-water-from-air

[3] An OTL statement!: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-curb-immigration-stop-populists-trump-brexit

[4] All italicized bits are from OTL!: https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...ampaign/28324db0-44ca-47cb-980f-c6072cb9087c/

[5] OTL Bob Ross quote! https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/102372.Bob_Ross

[6] Thank you @Kennedy Forever for helping me with this paragraph

[7] All of the italicized pieces of all of these passages were pulled from this OTL article: https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/crikey-praise-for-pm-puts-you-in-a-snake-pit-20031109-gdhqvg.html

[8] This is an OTL quote, found on his wikipedia page!: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Irwin#Controversies

[9] The italicized part(s) of this passage found here: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes

[10] The italicized part(s) of this passage found here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/102372.Bob_Ross

[11] The italicized part(s) of this passage found here: https://www.inspiringquotes.us/author/5250-michael-moore

[12] This was an OTL thing!: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_O_(political_group)

[13] Japans’ 2nd female PM ITTL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renhō

[14] The italicized part(s) of this passage found here: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes

[15] The italicized part(s) of this passage found here: https://www.inspiringquotes.us/author/5250-michael-moore

[16] The italicized part(s) of this passage found here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/102372.Bob_Ross

[17] This Bob Ross quote is from here: http://www.bobrossquotes.com/quotes.shtml

[18] It was 1.78 degrees Fahrenheit for 2016 in OTL, according to: https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2537/nasa-noaa-data-show-2016-warmest-year-on-record-globally/#:~:text=Globally-averaged temperatures in 2016,the mid-20th century mean.&text=The 2016 temperatures continue a,(GISS) in New York. Which means that here, earlier and more effective efforts to curb climate change has already lead to a difference from OTL of about .06 degrees Fahrenheit!

[19] Based on the results of the last chapter’s Democratic primaries poll, as they were on Sunday evening, E.S.T.

[20] Peterson’s political views were shaped by him reading this book while studying to be a corporate lawyer during his time in college, which began in 1979, roughly 47 years after this TL’s POD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Peterson#Education

[21] Also @Kennedy Forever: Candace Owens was born in 1989 IOTL, so wouldn’t the odds be heavily against her being born in TL with a POD of 1932?



[22] Speaking of which, I made a poll concerning who Locke should pick to be his running mate: https://www.poll-maker.com/poll3526659x7d794022-106

And here’s a breakdown of the 20 candidates on said poll (results should appear on the next “page” after you click the “vote” button):

Gov. Hector Luis Acevedo of Puerto Rico, age 69 – A left-leaning centrist exiting office in 2017 after two successful terms, the former Mayor of San Juan has backed expanding education access and electoral reform throughout his lengthy lifelong political career; his selection could win over Hispanic voters.

US Rep. Roy E. Barnes of Georgia, age 68 – In office since 2005, Barnes has maintained a moderate voting record, opposing government corruption and Chairing several House Committees; a championed debater, he could “run circles” around VP Brown; his selection could win over suburban voters.

US Sen. Sherrod C. Brown of Ohio, age 64 – Serving in the Senate since 2007, the gravelly-voiced former Governor of Ohio (2003-2007) stayed out of the primaries but low-key preferred Ross to Locke; although his state’s Governor is a Republican who would appoint a Republican to his seat, Brown’s selection could win over progressive voters and former backers of Moore and Ross, and possibly help the party hold onto the increasingly Republican Rust Belt as well.

US Sen. Sylvia Mary Mathews Burwell of West Virginia, age 51 – The Greek-American former US Secretary of Health and Humane Services and former OMB Director won election in a “red” state in 2014; this “rising star” in the Democratic Party could appeal to immigrant voters, female voters, and the Rust Belt.

US Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania, age 56 – In office since 2000, this popular moderate-populist politician has an impressive voting record and, if selected for the position of running mate, could appeal to former Michael Moore voters, win over suburban voters, and keep the Rust Belt in the Democratic column.

Fmr US Sec. of Transportation Rick Codey of New Jersey, age 70 – After serving as Governor of the Garden State on four nonconsecutive occasions and overseeing immediate cleanup efforts to Hurricane Sandy in the closing days of the Wellstone administration, Codey could appeal to Rust Belt voters.

Mayor of Detroit George Cushingberry Jr. of Michigan, age 64 – Entering office in 2010, Cushingberry has been credited with plateauing crime rates, albeit through some controversial methods, and was praised for peacefully quelling a riot concerning failing local banks in 2013; he could appeal to Black voters.

Gov. Shirley C. Franklin of Georgia, age 71 – While her Presidential campaign ended before the first Primary Cluster, Franklin would bring executive experience to the ticket; she could win over female voters, young voters, Black voters, and possibly help the ticket win some states in the South.

Gov. Barry N. “Big Tasty” Goldberg of Pennsylvania, age 47 – The young, energetic, bombastic and highly popular Governor of Pennsylvania could “destroy” Brown in the Vice Presidential debate, according to Locke’s optics team; he could win over Jewish voters, young voters, and Rust Belt voters.

US Sen. Christopher C. “Chris” John of Louisiana, age 56 – With many connections to donors, this wealthy legislator has maintained a moderate voting record since entering the US Senate; his selection would have the potential to win over voters in the South as well as voters in the suburban regions of the US.

US Rep. Monica S. Lewinsky of California, age 43 – With John McAfee’s rape accusation still on some people’s minds, one of the leading women’s rights advocates of the US House could help energize and mobilize female voters; her selection for running mate could also bring in younger voters as well.

DNC Chair Benjamin M. McAdams of Potomac, age 42 – A state senator from 2009 to 2011, then a US Representative from 2011-2013, this unsuccessful 2012 candidate for the US Senate took won the DNC Chair position in 2013 and was instrumental in Locke winning this nomination; the Democratic Utahn with the highest national profile could win over western voters and help the campaign make the necessary donor connections to achieve victory in the fall.

US Postmaster Gen. Ralph Nader of Connecticut, age 82 – After almost 50 years in various public offices, from EPA Administrator to US Labor Secretary to US Senator, maybe 2016 is the year that Nader finally joins a Presidential ticket; officially independent, he could appeal to independent and undecided voters.

Fmr Gov. Vincent B. Orange Sr. of Potomac, age 59 – During his successful time in office, from 2007 to 2015, Orange oversaw the reforming of his state’s parks and pursued efforts to address housing issues, which could win over the support of NYC Mayor Jimmy McMillan (I-NY); he could win over Black voters.

US Sen. Kwame Raoul of Illinois, age 52 – A former Bob Ross surrogate, this Haitian-American lawmaker has upheld a progressive record focused on civil justice, early childhood education, domestic violence prevention, voting accessibility and political reform; he could improve minority voter turnout.

US Sen. Sharon Sayles-Belton of Minnesota, age 65 – With a campaign style similar to Locke, and the two lawmakers having an amicable working relationship in the Senate, her selection could win over those to the left side of Locke who are concerned about community development, women’s rights, and education.

Gov. Adelaide A. “Alex” Sink of Florida, age 68 – In office since 2015, Sink served as the Chief Financial Officer of Florida from 2007 to 2015, and has focused on child protection and financial reform; by selecting a fellow Asian-American to be his running mate, Locke could put the state Florida into play.

Fmr Gov. Les Steckel of Virginia, age 70 – An NFL Quarterback for the Virginia Cavaliers before entering the state senate, Steckel was in office from 2010 to 2014, and is best known for his aggressive but effective management style, which could make him a formidable opponent in the VP debate against Brown.

Mayor of Chicago Deval L. “Al” Wintersmith of Illinois, age 60 – Hailed for getting the Chicago Spire built, the reform-and-development-minded Wintersmith (born with the surname Patrick, he changed it to his mother’s maiden name after his father left them) could win over Black voters and Midwestern voters.

US Rep. Shelli Renee Yoder of Indiana, age 48 – The former Miss America 1993 First Runner-Up has called for increasing recreadrug addiction treatment and reforming UHC to make elective surgery more affordable ever since entering office in 2013; she could appeal to female voters and young voters.

Please vote!



The next chapter’s E.T.A.: March 31 (hopefully)
 
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Great update! Thank you so much for answering my question about Jordan Peterson and Candace Owens. I'm also happy you used my suggestion for that paragraph. Happy to help mate :) Wasn't expecting Bob Ross to decide to just give up. He really is too nice. I liked that whole section about Steve Irwen. I kinda feel bad for him coping all that criticism. I really liked Moore in the debates. Ross mentioning being friends with trees x'D I can imagine people watching the debate hearing him say that would have rolled their eyes. As for the running mate candidates hmmm a lot to choose
 
Wasn't expecting Bob Ross to decide to just give up. He really is too nice.
I have a sneaking suspicion gap80 rigged the vote because Locke has more usable presidential looking photos then Ross (I'm kidding of course....or am i? ;))
Burnwell and Casey seem like the best choice for VP but Locke/Lewinsky does have a certain appeal
 
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I have a sneaking suspicion gap80 rigged the vote because Locke has more usable presidential looking photos then Ross (I'm kidding of course....or am i? ;))
Burnwell and Casey seem like the best choice for VP but Locke/Lewinsky does have a certain appeal
Actually I was kind of rooting for Ross TBH! :) but hey the people wanted Locke, so the people got Locke!
 
Not sure what surprised me more - Ross ultimately bowing out, or Grammer winning the primaries virtually unanimously (I mean, I figured he'd win regardless, but not by that much).
 
Host KRYSTAL BALL: “We now welcome Cris Ericson onto the program for this evening. Ericson is a political activist and documentary filmmaker who is insisting that her latest project is not biased like many are claiming it is. Ericson, welcome to the show.”

ERCISON: “Thank you having me on.”

BALL: “So tell us a little about this latest controversial documentary of yours, which I believe is called ‘Feathers and Blood: The Myth of Colonel Sanders,’ if that is correct.”
ah we have finally reached it
 
Holy crap, do I have catching up to do.
Anyway, some people to mention, if you haven't already.
James Patterson.
Brittany Pressley. Ali Ahn.
Sergey Lavrov.
OTL, an author and a few actors/audio book narrators, one the current Russian Foreign Minister.
 
Chapter 112: July 2016 – January 2017
Chapter 112: July 2016 – January 2017

“The most successful people I know believe in themselves almost to the point of delusion. …If you don’t believe in yourself, it’s hard to let yourself have contrarian ideas about the future. But this is where most value gets created.”

– CEO Sam Altman of Open A.I. (OTL)



…Looking back on his numbers among progressive voters, Locke reflected, “I think that people always just assumed that I was liberal because I came from Southeast Seattle,” [1] when the truth of the matter that Locke was actually to the right of progressives such as Wellstone, Jackson and even Bellamy. But the moderate-leaning Senator appeared to be liberal in the eyes of the public. As a result of the continuing misunderstanding among those outside of The Beltway, his selection of a fellow moderate would appear to be him reaching out to moderate voters, when he would actually be doubling down on his own campaign; conversely, his selection of a progressive would be perceived as him doubling down instead of the uniting of the party that it would truly be. Thus, picking a progressive running mate would not be as affective – for neither the campaign nor for a Locke administration – as picking a moderate would be.

With this line of thinking, Locke again vetted the top two candidates for running mate – the progressive Monica Lewinsky and the moderate Bob Casey Jr. – and chose the latter.

Casey came from the Rust Belt, while Lewinsky, a fellow West Coast resident, would not geographically balance the ticket. Casey had served in the Senate from a Red State since 2000, while Lewinsky had served in the House from a Blue State since 2011. Lewinsky basked in limelight, while Casey was comfortable leading from “behind the scenes.”

The decision, while satisfying uninformed voters with the illusion of unity, was disquieting for party members who had backed the likes of Ross and Moore in the primaries, with former President Wellstone being the most critical. Former President Mondale and former Vice President Jerry Litton, however, considered Casey’s selection to be a “smart” move. Lewinsky’s speech at the DNC receiving more applause than Casey’s VP nomination acceptance speech, though, should have been seen as a sign that their road to the White House was going to be even tougher than they were expecting it to be.

The DNC’s platform contributed to this by allegedly lacking ambition, calling for higher government regulations to protect the environment and essentially continuing most of the policies of the Jackson and Wellstone administration, with the notable exemption of low military budgets. Considered more moderate than those of Jackson and Wellstone overall, Ross delegates were upset that the platform failed to fully embrace environmentalist polices; while Ross’s proposed G.R.E.E.N. Deal became a plank, the former VP’s proposed E.P.I.C. Projects did not…

– Tiffany Taliaferro’s Decision 2016: Grammar vs. Locke, Penguin Publishing, 2017



I just wanted to show you all what a real Seattle native sounds like! …I’m so proud of my Chinese ancestry, but I was born and raised in America, and I really believe in American values, our American system, our freedom, our liberties. …My dad, of course, like a lot of Asian parents, wanted me to be an engineer or doctor and never could understand why I would want to be a lawyer. And then, when I first said I wanted to run for office, he thought that was absolutely insane. …The constant influx of new cultures, new ideas and new ways of looking at old problems is a big part of the reason why America has been the most dynamic economy in the world for well over a century. …The U.S. tries to provide immigrants who grow up here with a world-class education and imbue them with the can-do attitude that has long defined American innovation.” [2]

– Gary Locke, accepting his party’s nomination for President, 7/7/2016




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[pic: imgur.com/KGqq4rG.png ]

– The Balloon Drop, the final night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, 7/5-8/2016



ZBUKAHN.png

[pic: imgur.com/ZBUKAHN.png ]

– DNC Chair Tony Villar (D-CA) rubbing his hands at the 2016 DNC, 7/8/2016; The Herring Network was quick to use this image often in its broadcasting



…The campaign to re-elect President Kelsey Grammer seemed to be fairly straightforward. An administration presiding over a successful time of prosperous economic growth and expansion with low unemployment and no troops overseas? It should have been a cakewalk. But the problem rested in the internal political world of the GOP, as tacit support from some members of the Religious Right and McAfee diehards threatened to tear the Republican Party apart in a rather self-destructive manner…

– Former White House Chief of Staff Susan Kennedy’s autobiography No Easy Task, Borders Books, 2019



NYC MAYOR MCMILLAN ANNOUNCES THIRD-PARTY BID FOR PRESIDENT!

…the officially-Independent Mayor said that he came to this decision after being dissatisfied with DNC platform for 2016, which he believes does not adequately address the nation’s rent problems…

The New York Times, 7/11/2016



...The Mayor’s actions on Rent Control in 2014 and 2015 had yielded mixed-to-positive results. Despite businesses not being friendly to his administration, McMillan was able to pass laws without their support. He had limited vacancy increases passed, he reduced permanent rent increases in buildings of 35 units or more for individual apartment improvements, and he set the maximum rent for a standard one-bedroom apartment to $2,000, but acknowledged that this maximum rent should be subject to change with adjustments for inflation. To ensure this, the Rent Maximum Price Bill, which McMillan signed into law in early 2015, established that the rent cap would be adjusted for inflation every two years...

– Maria Stevenson and John Capozzi’s TRITDH: The Jimmy McMillan Story, Vagabond Books, 2021



>MOTHER-POST: Just Announced: Milica Jovovich To Star In Jerrie Cobb Mini-Series

>REPLY 1:
Another Space Show? I thought those went out of style. This isn’t the 2000s decade!

>REPLY 1 to REPLY 2:
To be fair, this decade’s pop culture has more or less been all over the place. Unless Globalization itself is a theme, you can blame globalization and the technet for every theme, idea and culture being on the landscape making for a lack of any one singular pop-culture “image” dominating the rest.

>REPLY 2:
Looks good!

– euphoria.co.usa, a public pop-culture news-sharing and chat-forum-hosting netsite, 7/19/2016 posting



SMALL STATE PASSES BIG MILESTONE IN SWITCHING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY

…Governor John Carney of Delaware today announced that 50% of the state government’s electricity is now captured via renewable energy by arrays across the state, in a plan finally realized after over a decade of work. Begun under his predecessor, Governor Ruth Minner, the Clean Delaware Initiative project is the largest completed solar commitment by any state government in the United States and could serve as a reference point for similar statewide projects in the years ahead…

The Boston Globe, 7/21/2016



IT’S RANKING TIME?:

…Efforts to implement Instant-Runoff Ranked Choice Voting at the federal level are on the rise, but some experts believe that the system is too complicated for a majority of Americans to understand. These statement come despite RCV having already been implemented in several U.S. states at the city level.

Prove the critics wrong and educate yourself for a few minutes:

[video: youtube.com /watch?v=8Z2fRPRkWvY ]

– usarightnow.co.usa, 7/22/2016



ALL THE REASONS WHY GRAMMER WILL WIN

…under his leadership, the economy has significantly improved from the Unlucky Recession of 2013. …and most Americans approve of his handling of these subsequent economic windfalls…

– National Review, late July 2016 issue



…Virtual medical checkups became possible during the SARS Pandemic, when safezoning measures prevented many people from being closer than five feet to one another. As access to the technet and “technet literacy” rose, so did the use of virtual checkups. In 2016, an extensive study revealed that the rise in VMCs had contributed considerably to cutting down on UHC costs. This is because virtual work required far less real estate and renting of office space (due to there being, for example, no need for a corporeal waiting room, or other amenities…)...

– clickopedia.co.usa



CLAIM: Gary Locke was born in China and thus is not constitutionally eligible for the Presidency

Source of claim: several conservative radio shows and multiple conservative netsites, beginning in late 2015

VERDICT: 100% False

EXPLANATION:

Gary Locke is eligible for the United States Presidency because he was born in the United States. More specifically, he was born in Seattle, Washington on January 21, 1950. His campaign has already released his birth certificate, found here. His father was born in the Republic of China (better known as Taiwan and not to be confused with the People’s Republic of China) with ancestral roots in Shanghai, PRC; his mother was born in Taiwan as well, with ancestral roots in Hubei (central PRC). Rumors claiming that he is not eligible for the Presidency are supported by people opposed to his campaign and aim to deceive voters away from his candidacy for a variety of reasons which are discussed in further detail here.

ADDITIONAL FACTOID: Gary Locke’s wife’s father’s half-sister is the granddaughter of Sun Yat-sen, who was the “father of the nation” of Taiwan and served as the 1st President of Taiwan in 1912.

– factorfiction.co.can, 7/28/2016 entry



LOCKE: 45%
GRAMMER: 42%
MCMILLAN: 3%
OTHER: 1%
UNDECIDED: 9%

– Gallup poll, 7/29/2016



ITALIAN P.M. LOSES POWER AS VOTERS VIEW POST-RECESSION POLICIES “UNNECESSARY”

…In tonight’s Italian parliamentary elections, the NSA party, and with it, incumbent PM Bobo Craxi, lost majority control amid conservative backlash to Craxi’s allegedly “overreaching” large-government policies, with criticism focusing on emergency policies implemented at the height of the 2013 recession. The new Prime Minister of Italy is expected to be opposition leader Gianfranco Fini of the CAN party. …Italy took longer to recover from the 2013 recession than other nations such as the U.K., France and Germany, but their country market growth has nurtured criticisms of Craxi’s policies in recent months…

The Daily Telegraph, 7/30/2016



…Contrary to western media speculation, the main focus of China’s leadership in 2016 was not on the ascension of Gary Locke, the US’s first Taiwanese-American major-party nominee for President, but on a rising internal issue. The decades of lackluster environmental protection for the sake of manufacturing was beginning to clash with technet-based reports linking the nation’s pollution rates to health issues and a “deplorable” quality of life for those at the bottom rungs of Chinese society. The Green Marble Movement, a grassroots technet-based call for the PRC to reform its environmental policies such as join the Cairo Protocol, was small but rising in both prominence and popularity as the country’s environmental damage appeared to reach levels that could no longer be ignored, by neither the people nor their government. PRC Premier Yang Gang (b. 1953) oversaw the state respond to the GMM by tightening technet activities, allowing information to be released to the public concerning scientific data but censoring and prosecuting those who published editorials, “biased” articles, or even simplified descriptions of the scientific data, often accusing these “dissenters” of spreading anti-government misinformation…

– Carl Krosinsky’s Modern China: A Complex Recent History, Borders Books, 2020



“…Russian President Vladimir Nikolayev today signed legislation to deregulate his nation’s meat processing industry, claiming that the government red tape was, to quote the controversial leader, ‘communism in disguise,’ end-quote…”

– BBC World News, 3/8/2016 broadcast



…For running mate, McMillan doubled down and selected John James Capozzi Jr. of Potomac, another back of rent control efforts. A shadow member of the U.S. House for Washington, D.C. from 1995 to 1997, Capozzi won an actual US House seat from Potomac in 2008, and served from 2009 to 2011, losing re-election in 2010 and later mounting an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Potomac in 2014.

Capozzi worked with several key members of the Mayor’s Presidential campaign. Sabrina Sojourner, a BLUTAGO-American activist, was the campaigns communications director, while Sekou Biddle and Veronica O. Davis worked on strategizing, fundraising, and volunteer mobilizing. All three of them were originally from Potomac as well...

…The “third party” banner of McMillan campaign had no official name; appeared in advertising as the “Rent Is Too Damn High” Party but appeared on the ballot as either the “Rent Control” Party, the “Rent Cap” Party, or even simply as just the “Rent” Party. In other cases, McMillan managed to win the ballot line of a state-level party, such as in Vermont, where he was the Liberty Union party’s nominee, and in other places still, McMillan was listed as an independent. Also on some tickets was a different running mate. The Liberty Union party selected one of their own for the bottom of the ticket, while in the state of Illinois, McMillan’s initial “placeholder” running mate (Steve Rauschenberger (R-IL), a former state senator (1993-2007) and two-time nominee for the U.S. House) appeared in the VP slot instead of Capozzi…

– Maria Stevenson and John Capozzi’s TRITDH: The Jimmy McMillan Story, Vagabond Books, 2021



A FIVE-RING CIRCUS: How To Watch The NYC Olympics

New York City, NY – Every four years, a certain section of the American population will become obsessed with a particular quadrennial event – the President race, the World Cup, maybe Cobain and Love’s latest spat or health crises. And then there’s the Olympics, those globally-watched measurements of mankind’s physical abilities, accomplishments and limitations. This time around, the games kicked off at 7:30 PM tonight with a grand Opening Ceremony at the Big Apple’s new Olympic stadium… Mayor McMillan did not attend the festivities…

The Grand Rapids Press, 8/5/2016



“Under Jesse Jackson, the Democrats got to expand the union from 50 states to 52 states. Now it’s the GOP’s turn. Now it’s the time to make new states out of places like American Samoa, the Virginia Islands, the conservative half of California, Cuba, Jamaica, whichever, you know what I mean.”

– political analyst Bill Kristol, Grammer supporters, conservative radio interview, 8/9/2016; the comment was widely ridiculed by technetters on many ontech social media platforms



MOTHER-POST: Query: What’s with all the American nutjobs in Mexico and other places?

I’ve lived in Sonora, Mexico all my life and one trend I’ve noticed lately is that over the past many years the number of white people in town has steadily risen. They’re almost all either one of two kinds of Americans. They either are polite professionals who have moved here for a business project, or are annoying proudly-American nut-jobs walking around with useless weaponry, often times making true locals uncomfortable, especially when they butcher the Spanish language. Am I alone in witnessing this influx of Caucasians?

>REPLY 1:
I’m aware of this trend, friend. Lots of gun-happy American nut-jobs are moving to Mexico because it’s much easier to get a gun down. In most of the US’s states, it’s actually not too hard to get your hands on a .22 caliber, revolver, single shot weapon, pistol, taser, bow/arrow, or crossbow for either self-defense or animal hunting. All you have to do is pass a background check and have an unexpired license, and after what is typically a two-week waiting period, you’re all set. But some Americans want to have and own semi-autos and even autos, full-on machine guns, cannons, and even grenade launchers. For those they need to go outside the US, and if you can afford buying that kind of weaponry, you can afford the relocating that can now come with it.

>REPLY 2:
You’re not alone. I live in Mexico City. There were never so many whites around here twenty years ago – they are everywhere it seems nowadays.

– friendtechtalk.co.mex, a Mexico-based chat-forum-hosting netsite, 8/15/2016 posting (translated)



AUSTRALIA’S FIRST HYDROGEN TRUCKS COME TO PORT KEMBLA AS PART OF LANDMARK “GO GREEN” PROJECT

The first heavy vehicles to be powered by hydrogen in Australia have just become publicly available to own, rolling out of production in Port Kembla after the New South Wales government approved funding for the landmark project under the final Ignatieff government. The largest producer of hydrogen in the country, Coregas, is behind the plan to harness the power of two acquired hydrogen-powered prime movers and build a hydrogen refueling facility at its Port Kembla plant. Coregas’ ambitious project was green-lit in 2004, after it received half-a-million dollars in backing from the state government in a generous round of the Port Kembla Community Investment Fund

– abc.net.au/news, 8/20/2016 [3]



WITH OLYMPICS OVER, NYC ASKS: “NOW WHAT?”

…The city if left with Olympic-sized stadiums and other facilities that will now have to be repurposed in order for them to remain economically beneficial to New Yorkers…

The New York Post, 8/21/2016



THE SWEET SIDE OF THE HOUSE: A Brief History of the Decades-Long Tradition of the U.S. House Candy Desks

Washington, D.C. – Inside the United States House of Representatives is a mother lode that to a young child is far greater than any treasure chest full of gold. It is the house Candy Desks, two traditional 19th-century pedestal desks found on the floor of the House chamber. Both desks – one manned by a Republican, the other by a Democrat – are filled with various sweets and confections, though the exact contents depend on their “holders,” the congresspersons assigned to the desks and tasked with keeping them full to the brim with tasty goodies, in order to supply their fellow lawmakers with what are known as sweets in the UK and lollies in Australia.

The tradition of the US House Candy Desks was begun by George Murphy in 1967, after the former song-and-dance man was elected to the House in 1966, after initially trying to enter politics by running for the US Senate in 1964. With the official US House rules and regulations forbidding food to be eaten on the House floor, the sweet-toothed Murphy began to sneak in candy and hide it in his desk, stealthily taking one now and again, before beginning to hand them out to his friends in the GOP. Murphy’s “desk of surprises” became an open secret within the House GOP until in 1968, when freshman Republican Congressman Philip G. Bixler of Illinois switched to the Democratic Party, and brought the secret to the other side of the aisle, which had long suspected of shenanigans by the occasional crinkling sounds candy wrappers and congregating of Republican staffers and lawmakers around George Murphy’s desk. With the House GOP’s secret revealed, House Democrats, reportedly “angry” of the Republicans for keeping the candy to themselves, conceived their own House Candy Desk.

The sweets then remained an open secret on Capitol Hill until 1986, when, in an effort to distance themselves from President Denton amid his possible impeachment, House Republicans publicly acknowledged the no-food “rule bending,” with House Democrats, not to be undone, releasing a similar statement a few days later.

However, the desks are not always a symbol of DC partisan division. In fact, one can tell how united the Congress is by how many House members walk around the room to reach the other party’s candy desk. For example, when President Iacocca was killed, both desks – typically placed randomly around the room every two years, at the beginning of each new congress – were pushed together and made open to all members. However, during the congressional gridlock against President Wellstone in 2011, not a single Democrat or Republican was reported to have crossed the aisle for 22 straight months.

The tradition of the Candy Desks has stayed alive and well over these many years due to its reported positive effects on lawmakers. Most notably, the inclusion of sugary sweets allegedly helped US House members stay awake and focused during the long hours of the investigations into Denton’s connection to the Lukens Hush money Scandal and the subsequent impeachment proceedings.

Filled with goodies to satisfy the taste buds of sweet-toothed lawmakers and energize them during long work hours, the Candy Desks reminds us all that the millionaire politicians sent to Washington can often behave like children in more ways than one.

– Time Magazine, late August 2016 issue



LIST OF HOLDERS OF THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN CANDY DESK

1967-1977: 1) George L. Murphy (CA, 1902-1992) – retired
1977-1985: 2) William L. “Bill” Dickinson (AL, 1925-2008) – lost re-election
1985-1993: 3) James M. “Jim” Ramstad (MN, b. 1946) – resigned to join Iacocca administration
1989-1999: 4) Hawkins H. Menefee Jr. (TX, b. 1945) – lost re-election
1999-2005: 5) Richard J. “Dick” Santorum (PA, b. 1958) – lost re-election
2005-2007: 6) Richard G. “Rick” Renzi (AZ, b. 1958) – relinquished duties
2007-2008: 7) William H. “Bill” Hudnut III (IN, b. 1932) – relinquished duties
2008-2011: 8) Eugene Clay (Clay) Shaw Jr. (FL, 1939-2013) – relinquished duties
2011-2015: 5) Richard J. “Dick” Santorum (PA, b. 1958) – lost re-election
2015-present: 9) Ramona Gail McIver Phillips (AK, b. 1944) – incumbent

Murphy passed the custom on to an ally of his, starting the tradition of the outgoing Candy Desk holder having sway over their successor. With a rich history of making puns, Menefee carved the motto “Cavity Emptor” onto the GOP Candy Desk in 1991 (and then purportedly called for a “move to filling-bustering”) [4]. Santorum’s ascension to the position led to the Hershey’s candy company of his home town of Pennsylvania to donate culinary supplies to the desk, leading in turn to congresspersons tied to candy companies gaining preference when selecting the next Candy Desk Holder.

LIST OF HOLDERS OF THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CANDY DESK

1968-1979: 1) Joseph David “Joe D.” Waggoner, Jr. (LA, 1918-2007) – retired
1979-1991: 2) George Thomas “Tom” Turnipseed (SC, b. 1936) – lost re-election
1991-1999: 3) Robert Douglas “Bob” Bullock Sr. (TX, 1929-1999) – died in office
1999-2005: 4) Juanita Millender (CA, 1938-2007) – retired
2005-2009: 5) Jeffrey A. “Jeff” Merkley (OR, b. 1956) – resigned to join the Wellstone administration
2009-present: 6) Ronald I. Buxton (PA, b. 1949) – incumbent

While Waggoner filled the Democratic Desk strictly with hard candies, Turnipseed diversified its contents with gummy candies, jelly beans, M&Ms, and, after 1986, donations from candy stores from his home state, sparking a trend. Bullock diversified its contents even further by handing out cookies; according to an unconfirmed rumor, this led to US Representatives meeting behind closed doors to determine whether or not a cookie could be treated as a “candy” in this particular context; their inclusion was approved by an overwhelming majority, according to the rumor. Like the GOP’s Santorum, Buxton accepts donated sweets from Hershey to supply the Democrats’ Desk with chocolates.

– knowldgepolitics.co.usa, c. August 2016



LEADERS OF CUBA AND GUATEMALA SIGN “LANDMARK” TRADE DEAL

Associated Press, 8/29/2016



GRAMMER: 45%
LOCKE: 43%
MCMILLAN: 5%
OTHER: 1%
UNDECIDED: 6%

– Gallup poll, 8/30/2016



…DNC Chair Benjamin “Benjy” McAdams worked enthusiastically to get the Locke campaign to appeal to libertarians by emphasizing his western roots when meeting with wealthy potential donors from places such as Texas and Nevada. McAdams also sought to improve Locke’s standing among minority voters in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, states won in 2008 but lost in 2012…

– Tiffany Taliaferro’s Decision 2016: Grammar vs. Locke, Penguin Publishing, 2017



“A LITTLE NOW OR A LOT LATER”: PM Balls Implements Controversial Plan To Combat Post-Recession Deflation Concerns

The Daily Telegraph, UK newspaper, 4/9/2016



BEST LEADERS WE NEVER HAD

Here’s a thread for discussing political figures who are underused, underrated, and underutilized in our TLs. People with unique personalities, positions, histories, etc., who, under the right circumstances, could have been interesting leaders in their respective countries. This thread could help new AH writers avoid clichéd figures in favor of unsung figures from history.

> POST 1:
How about Tony Blair for UK PM – he served in several cabinet positions under Lennon, but he feuded with him a lot. He’s an interesting and somewhat charismatic man in his own right, and he supported immediately joining the coalition forces at the start of KW2; if he was PM during that time, he could have been in office for as long as Lennon, if not longer even!
For the UK’s first PM, you could go for a better experienced MP like Barbara Castle, Margaret Thatcher, Mary McAlister or even Margaret Beckett.

> POST 2:
At some point, Mary Scranton could have run for President. She was the wife of the Vice President of Colonel Sanders, William Scranton, but she served in several high-profile positions, and ran for a US Senate seat in the late 1970s and again in the early 1980s. Had she won her first try, she could have ended up as a (somewhat old) President, or at least Vice President, in 1985, 1989 or 1993.

>> REPLY 1 to POST 2:
Didn’t she die recently?

>>> REPLY 1 to REPLY 1 to POST 2:
Yes, she died on December 26, 2015 at age 97.

> POST 3:
Four off the top of my head:
Jacob Coxey – a progressive Ohioan who lived from 1854 to 1951. He was sort of ahead of his time and jumped around from one political party to another, and apart from serving as the Mayor of Massillon, Ohio for the year of 1931, he was pretty much a perennial candidate for his entire life, but, man, what a candidate! A real missed opportunity.
George McGovern – not a relative of the heavily unappreciated Jim McGovern, this is the father of US Senator Teresa McGovern (actually, she would be a pretty interesting alternate President, too, but I digress). George here ran twice for the US Senate and lost, then served two two-year terms as Governor, from 1971 to 1975, before losing re-election. According to his clickopedia article he was a really progressive guy considering when he was most prominent
Gerald Ford – an alternate Jack Kemp? He was a US Congressman who got his start playing football. He ran for GOP House leader in 1965 but lost in the wake of The Colonel’s unexpected victory in 1964 and the GOP regaining many seats under the leadership of GOP leader Halleck. Then he lost a bid for higher office. Not too charismatic, but he could have gone places had things gone his way.
Jimmy Carter – arguably the best President we never had! He played a key role in ushering in the era of “Our Delicate Peace” in the Middle East; if he was able to do that as Secretary of State, imagine what he could have done as President!

>> REPLY 1 to POST 3:
I doubt Ford would have become President. He wanted to be House Speaker and only ran for the Senate because he was “cast out” – Halleck basically blacklisted him from his preferred committees to “punish” him for challenging him in ’65. The House Speakership is not a launchpad for the Presidency, or at least, it hasn’t been since 1844.

> POST 4:
Fulwar Skipwith (1765-1839) – the first, last and only leader of the short-lived Republic of West Florida in 1810, he was a distant cousin of Thomas Jefferson who married into Flemish aristocracy. His name alone merits more use!

>> REPLY 1 to POST 4:
JSYK (just so you know), there’s already an entire site to devoted to political leaders based solely on their unusual names: https://politicalstrangenames.blogspot.co.usa/

> POST 5:
American dynasties are kind of hard to come by. How about, instead of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, some TL has Ambassador Joe Kennedy and his son Jack, or Florida governor LeRoy Collins and his son LeRoy Jr., or the aforementioned George and Terri McGovern?

– counterfactual.co.usa, 9/9/2016 thread



…Fundraising efforts for President Grammer received a boost after the RNC. A one R. Randolph “Randy” Brinson (b. 1957), a Republican physician and activist from Alabama, was leading a regional “get out the vote” drive across the South, getting young people and conservative people registered to vote ahead of election day, to the point of Brinson backing legislation to make registration automatic upon turning 18. The doctor’s efforts were proving to be very successful as the weeks went on. In September, Rev. Dale Huckabee gave Brinson’s efforts a boost by helping to get 12.1million people registered at churches across the Bible Belt…

– Tiffany Taliaferro’s Decision 2016: Grammar vs. Locke, Penguin Publishing, 2017



THIRTY YEARS AFTER MULLIGAN

…this month marks the 30-year anniversary of the High Court of Australia’s landmark 1986 decision of Mulligan vs. Western Australia. Often referred to as simply the Mulligan Decision, the Mulligan High Court Decision overturned previous decisions that had declined to recognize native land claims, reversing decades-long policy and recognizing that some Indigenous Australians do have property rights and can claim them with a new legal term of “native title”…

Frankie, Australian magazine, September 2016 issue



Anchor Alisyn CAMEROTA: “The upcoming debates between Locke and Grammer are most likely going to focus on foreign intervention, renewable infrastructure projects, and the size and role of government, with less focus on social issues unless the moderators care to touch on Grammer’s pro-life views on abortion.”

Prof. Janice FINE: “If this was a debate between Ross and Grammer, it would not just be a debate over the size and role of government due to there being a lot of overlap on some points there. It would have been a sort of ‘Battle of Personalities.’ Grammer is charismatic, while Ross is personable, uplifting, and optimistic. Grammer’s supporters view him as reliable and charming, while Ross has this almost-infectious ability to see the best in everyone. Both men have witty senses of humor and quick with the retort and the sound bite, but Ross has that sunny disposition as well.”

CAMEROTA: “So what do you expect from the grammar-Locke debates.”

FINE: “I’ll be blunt – I fear the President will mop the floor with Locke. He’s personable and charming, but not at the level that Kelsey Grammer is at. Both men are good debaters – Locke’s much better, actually – he can easily defend his positions – but I’m looking at this from an optics point of view. And that view does not look pretty for Locke, but it does look pretty for the President.”

– Kennedy News Network roundtable discussion, 9/14/2016 broadcast



MELTING FLOWERS: The Nuking of El Dorado

Premiered: September 15, 2016
Genre(s): sci-fi/religious/hidden-history/fantasy

Directed by: Greg Sestero
Written by: Neil Breen and Jeff Nathanson
Produced by: Neil Breen

Cast:
Manuel-Ramos Ruiz as Hupi
Yalitza Gutierrez as Ruha
Maria-Anna Melendez as Daya
See Full List Here

Synopsis:
The City of Gold is located deep in the jungles of the Amazon. Hupi, an adolescent native, has no friends because he does not understand the ways of his generation; everyone is becoming increasingly greedy, selfish, and immoral. He decides to leave the city during the night after seeing his sister, Ruha, drunkenly enter the bed-hut of someone other than her fiancé. That night, their Gods (revealed to be aliens) detonate a nuclear device over the entire city to “clean off” the land, leaving nothing alive in its wake. The crater in the Earth left behind is then filled in by water from the nearby river. Hupi, with Daya, a girl who followed him out of the city, are the only survivors. Hupi determines that the Gods punished the City of Gold for their greed and decides to make a new life for himself with Daya in another village, marry, anachronistically converting to a Christianity-like religion, and deciding to tell their children the story of the loss of their once glorious home, the city made almost entirely out of gold.

Development:
Breen covered the cost of the film’s production; it remains Breen's most expensive film to make. The movie was filmed near Flagstaff, Arizona over the course of six weeks, with reshoots being extensive and production being put on hold twice due to food poisoning. Gutierrez later sued Breen for labor violations; the conflict was settled out of court.

Reception:
The film was universally disliked. Nearly all critics panned it, and almost all audiences disliked its awkward combination of contradicting sci-fi and religious elements and themes at its "atrociously bad" special effects, with even fans of Breen’s previous films expressing disappointment in it.

– mediarchives.co.usa



KELLY N. HILLENBURG JR., 80

…the father of businessman and SpongeBob’s Undersea Cuisine founder Stephen Hillenburg died at Robert King High Memorial Hospital yesterday afternoon at the age of 80 from undisclosed cause. Hillenburg was born on July 16, 1936, in Roanoke, Virginia, to Kelly N. Hillenburg Sr. and Anna Mae (Vest) Hillenburg. Kelly served his country in the US Army, attended the Virginia Military Institute, and was employed by Hughes Aircraft for many years. A member of several local community groups and organizations in his home town of Youngstown, Ohio, Hillenburg and his wife often spent the summers with their children in Florida, and had many great memories with friends and family. Hillenburg is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Nancy (Dufour) Hillenburg; sons, Stephen Hillenburg and wife Carol of Miami, FL and Bryan Hillenburg and wife Isabel of New Smyrna Beach, FL; grandchildren, Clayton, Emma, James, Marcy and Hazel; a brother, Gregory Hillenburg and wife, Martha, of Perryman, MD; and several nieces and nephews. [5]

The Miami Herald, obituary section, 9/18/2016




…There is a world of difference between an incumbent running for re-election and his opponent trying to claim their office, other than the starkly different campaign war chest sizes, of course. An opponent only discusses action, while an incumbent can actually take action on something. An example of this phenomenon came about when the 2016 Democratic nominee claimed that he would be tougher on China’s government. White House officials soon reminded people, via a flurry of ads on TV and ontech, that the President had already had officials file an Unfair Trading case against the PRC at the World Trade Organization over allegations of wage theft back in June of 2016...

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



KFC TO BEGIN SELLING EDIBLE NAIL POLISH TO PROMOTE THEIR “FINGER LICKIN’ GOOD” OFFERINGS [6]

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…The global company’s latest gimmick was announced today in a major presentation of the new products, available for a limited time only…

Comments Section:

>COMMENT 1:
Has it really come to this? I thought these guys were the best, you know? Like they were the top-quality brand?

>REPLY 1 to COMMENT 1:
Their food is still top-notch, but the same just can’t be said about their advertising department. Well, at least not anymore anyway. Not since The Colonel passed away.

>COMMENT 2:
#BringBackTheCartoonColonel

>REPLY 1 to COMMENT 2:
(sitcom mom overacting, hands on hips, overly enthusiastic smile) Oh, is that you, Randy Quaid? Oh, you character you! :p

– usarightnow.co.usa, 9/22/2016



Political analyst BILL KRISTAL: “It is imperative that Grammer wins re-election. The economy cannot afford another four-term President.”

Anchor ANDERSON COOPER: “Okay, care to explain that?”

KRISTAL: “Studies and financial trends prove that politicians losing re-election over and over promotes instability, first political instability then economic instability. Kemp losing a bid for his own term in 1988 was followed by the early 1990s recession. Bellamy losing re-election in 1992 led to economic trouble for Lee Iacocca, Dinger losing re-election in 2000 led to all kinds of instability in the early 2000s, and Wellstone losing in 2012 may have contributed to the effects of the Unlucky Recession. But Grammer has to win re-election for reasons beyond politics. Grammer is leading this country’s culture toward a new a better direction that views small government more favorably because people are seeing that it is working. And regarding the 22nd Amendment, you know, what’s the point of having two terms if a President can’t win re-election?[7]

COOPER: “Hm, I see. Mr. Reich, you counterpoint?”

Former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich: “Bill, I’m impressed. You got the thesis right, but all the supporting facts were wrong. Yes, frequently changing governments can impede progress – you can see that sort of thing happen in many countries both nowadays and throughout history – but the early 1990s recession was due to the irresponsible fiscal policies of the Denton administration, the economic trouble under Iacocca was due to Iacocca’s trade wars, and the instability of the early 2000s was due to the recession of 1999 combined with the SARS pandemic!”

KRISTAL: “Well, um, that just shows what you know!”

REICH: “Yes. On that note, I agree with you.”

– CBS News, roundtable discussion, 9/24/2016 broadcast



MCMILLAN FAILS TO QUALIFY FOR PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES

The New York Times, 9/25/2016



“…hundreds of Southern Australians are without power as storms continue to roll across the region…”

– Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 9/26/2016



EX-WH STAFFER REVEALS: VP Brown Was “Inches Away” From Being Dropped From The 2016 Ticket

…President Grammer and his team of advisors and analysts were seriously contemplating replacing Brown with a less controversial nominee that would still appeal to conservatives while being much easier to work with while in the White House.” Being able to work with other conservatives, the names of US Senator Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Governor David Woods (R-AL) and US Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton (R-TN) were all floated for a possible “replacement” situation more than once…

The New York Times, 9/27/2016 exposé



“My fellow Americans ain’t dumb enough to fall for lies and garbage not even good enough for a third rate tabloid, so of course it ended up in the Times.”

– VP Harley Brown, claiming a recent NYT article’s claims are false, 9/29/2016



LOCKE: 46%
GRAMMER: 44%
MCMILLAN: 4%
OTHER: 1%
UNDECIDED: 5%

– Gallup poll, 9/30/2016



POPE PATRICK I MOURNS PASSING OF ALLY CARDINAL

…Catholic Church Cardinal Peter Leo Gerety (born July 19, 1912 in California) was the oldest living Catholic cardinal in the world at the time of his passing, on September 20 at the age of 104. A revered former reverend and archbishop had been a strong ally of the Pope for decades. Pope Patrick I today honored him in a speech at the Vatican, praising his contributions to the church, beginning with his time as the Bishop of Portland, Maine…

The Boston Globe, 10/1/2016



The first Presidential Debate, which focus almost entirely on domestic issues, was held on October 4, and was considered to be cordial, but intense. Grammer was initially put on defense by Locke over his tax plan and social views, only for Grammer to counter with his record, stating that his handling of the 2013 recession was responsible for the economy being in a state of healthy growth at the time. When the moderators brought up the proposed E.P.I.C. Projects Program and G.R.E.E.N. Deal, Locke was hesitant to question the viability of the former being able to work, but praised the push to globally reduce emissions. Grammer gave a similar response that focused more on the private business side of things, saying that he would support variation of both proposals if he was certain that they would not curb “independent innovation” in both the power industries and the private sector.

[snip]

Grammer replied, “Ending fossil fuel subsidies outright would kill the coal industry, at a time when it still employs thousands of American workers. It’d be like demolishing a condemned building before all the people can get out. The subsidies need to be weaned out to give coal workers ample time to find new jobs in the growing renewable energy industries.”

[snip]

Grammer called for the national Inheritance Tax to be again lowered, this time by implementing a ratio rate of just 2% across the board, while Locke wanted more rich inheritors to pay a “much higher” rate than low-income inheritors. Locke took an even more assertive stance, however, on Corporate Tax rates and top Income Tax rates, which would be raised under Locke’s proposed economic plan.

[snip]

Grammer was seen as the victor of the night by a majority of polls, and this was understandable – the economy was on the rise, Grammer appeared willing to work with Democrats to pass legislation that would benefit both parties as well as most Americans, and while military bases overseas were re-opening, the U.S. was not at war with a single country.

– Tiffany Taliaferro’s Decision 2016: Grammar vs. Locke, Penguin Publishing, 2017



…The Vice Presidential debate on October 11, between Bob Casey Jr. and Harley Davidson Brown, was viewed as a missed opportunity both beforehand and retrospectively. While Casey got some jabs in by condemning the VP for past comments and “jokes” for their ability to offend, Brown got in more cuts by lambasting Casey’s voting record, which, after 25 years in the Senate, was extensive and sometimes contradictory. Post-debate polls showed that undecided voters had found Brown’s assertiveness and defense of his own positions to be more encouraging of his leadership abilities than Casey’s arguably milquetoast praising of Locke while shying away from the most conservative parts of his voting record; as a result, Brown was declared the “winner” of the debate.

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Pictured: Vice President Brown explains his "plan of attack" for addressing natural disasters; the "President" half of the "Vice President" label on his iconic biker jacket is visible from under his left arm

Casey’s lackluster debate performance revealed that Casey was a good candidate for the long-term goal of Vice President, but a poor candidate for the short-term position of running mate. While someone more dynamic like Governor Goldberg, a progressive firebrand like Monica Lewinsky, for even a “middle lane” politician like Sylvia Burwell, could have allegedly “run circles” around Harley Brown, Casey failed to leave an impact. Another reason for this was partially due to the debate highlighting more similarities between the two men than differences. For example, during the debate, Brown pointed out that he supported “responsible fracking,” while Senator Casey had voted against a ban on hydraulic fracking in 2006 and again in 2010 before shifting to an anti-fracking stance in 2012; the prodding reinforced the reservations that some progressive Democrats had had about supporting Casey for running mate back when his selection was announced earlier that year…

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



MCCAIN TALKS FAMILY VALUES DURING RE-ELECTION BID AS POLLLS TIGHTEN

…Governor Barack “Rocky” McCain running on a more culture-based campaign theme this time around, touting his accomplishment in office but also backing socially conservative talking points such as “a strong country starts at home.” In one stump speech, McCain stated “if…we are honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that…too many fathers are…missing from too many lives and too many homes.” [8]

Comments Section:

>COMMENT 1:

Such a sellout smh

– themontanastandard.co.usa, 10/14/2016



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– Gary Locke on the campaign trail, 10/15/2016



LOCKE: “I understand that the potential for any additional expense is never welcomed by American businesses no matter how well the economy is performing. But in long run, the expansion of worker rights will cut employment costs for U.S. businesses, not expand them.”

[snip]

LOCKE: “Every year, some 12,000 high school students – many of them star students and leaders in their communities – are unable to go to college or get a good job because they have no legal status. We have to fix that.”

[snip]

GRAMMER: “This administration has taken a strong stance on the world stage, refusing to ignore the human rights violations that were unfolding in Sudan and helping Europe recover from the 2013 recession. If you re-elect me, the last four years of successful foreign policy will be followed by four more years of successful foreign policy.”

MODERATOR: “Thank you. Senator Locke, same question.”

LOCKE: “China must play by the international rules, the international trading system from which they’ve benefited so much. But the President’s tough act will not benefit anyone when the inevitable time comes for him to fully address the issue of jobs being outsourced to places like China and India. If the Chinese can’t buy U.S. products, they’ll buy them from European countries and then develop stronger economic ties with France and Germany and perhaps side more with those countries when international issues flare up. That is why we need a foreign policy that is welcoming to international collaboration and trade, and only firm when American and Global interests and benefits are directly at risk.”

[snip]

LOCKE: “We need the private sector to succeed, because if the private sector succeeds, America succeeds. Because it’s not the government that produces jobs, it’s the private sector. The Federal Jobs Guarantee program is not enough in ensure that the next generation is as innovative as the last several. There needs to be a balance of federal job creation and the federal government supporting the job creation found in the private sector.”

MODERATOR: “Mr. President, your response please.”

GRAMMER: “Gary, your policy makes no sense. You can’t support the private sector while at the same time suppressing it with red tape because that just doesn’t make any sense. Being pro-jobs and anti-business is like being pro-egg and anti-chicken!” [9]

[snip]

LOCKE: “If it means bringing democracy to China, we should welcome Chinese investment in the United States with open arms.”

CROWD: [mix of cheers and jeers]

– snippets from the Second Locke-Grammer Presidential Debate, 10/18/2016 [10]



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– President Kelsey Grammer standing at his podium during the Second Grammer-Locke debate, 10/17/2016



“Senator Gary Locke has the experience, the ideas, and the drive to make a great President – one that we can all be proud of!”

– former US President Walter Mondale, surrogate campaigner for the Locke/Casey’16 ticket, Charlotte, NC rally, 10/19/2016



Attendee Gavin CATO: “Mr. President, as someone who is of Guyanese descent, I have experienced racism and have twice survived attacks on my life because of the color of my skin. Since Senator Locke became a prominent figure in this race in January, hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased 11%. How would you address hatred during a second term?”

GRAMMER: “There is no acceptable level of violence, not a bit. If one moves the barrier of inactivity a bit each time a small transgression – a sneer, a dirty look – it welcomes a bit more aggressiveness – slurs, threats – and then more aggressions until someone ends up hurt or worse. It must be nipped in the bud, and I believe it can be. All of us must take seriously even small hints of hate, because slurs can lead to threats can lead pestering can led to assault. My administration has been actively opposing rumors against my opponent’s racial background from the start, and has always promoted the American principle of equality, and that will continue into a second Grammer administration, if that is what the voters want. This wave of attacks is part of a larger, more deeply seated issue, and so it requires a united front among all groups, liberal and conservative, young and old, all the faiths, all the classes, all the races, and businesses and schools. Now, Gary has confronted this issue as well and I commend his efforts to create healthy relationships with anti-hatred groups, and as President I have urged such groups to work with law enforcement, including the US Justice Department, and with prevention groups. We all must resolve our differences with discussion and reason, through words, through understanding, and expose and denounce hate crimes by getting to the press and telling them what’s what, by getting the word out. Do not give in to apathy or fear, stand strong for your neighbors, stay united for your community. Because, for all of their alleged flag-waving, true freedom-loving Americans fight hatred and violence, not their fellow Americans. My administration denounces and is ashamed of anyone spreading lies about Gary here, or about anyone with Asian ancestry, because this isn’t about this one election, this is about common decency. Mistreatment begets mistreatment. We are not barbarians, we are not haters, we are Americans. And we are better at getting along than the haters hope we are.”

LOCKE: “May I also say something?”

MODERATOR: “The President referred to you in his answer, so yes.”

LOCKE: “Thank you. I just want to say that the President’s efforts to curb the rise in hate crimes is commendable. The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks hundreds of active hate groups consisting of only a handful of people with just technet access to spread their vitriol, but the fact remains that roughly 95% of hate crimes are from not groups but from individuals, people driven by propaganda and misinformation. People forgotten or rejected, people who suffer from feelings of isolation or from mental illness. They need to know that hatred is not the answer. They need to know this because we cannot accept the unraveling of America’s rich culture. And we need to promote that culture at the community, state and national levels, because we all need to stay vigilant. We need to move from ‘thoughts and prayers’ to bolder action. When a hate crime occurs and nobody speaks up, then you have to speak up. Don’t make excuses for ignoring another’s misery; don’t say you’re too busy with your own life to care about someone else’s, because that doesn’t help; if anything, that worsens the problem. One great promotion that I have seen work in many places across this great country of ours is dinner clubs where there are no speakers but there is one and only one rule – sit next to someone you don’t know. It encourages people of different backgrounds to learn something that haters want people to be blind to: that we all want the same thing – to do what’s right, to do best by our families, to try to have good lives, to have liberty, and to pursue happiness.”

[snip]

Attendee Kevin Michael KOWALCYK: “Um, Mr. Senator, I will not be old enough to vote on Election Day, but will turn 18 on December 10, just 33 days afterwards, and before this election’s winner enters office. My home state of Wisconsin is holding a voter initiative this November; if passed, it will lower the voting age for state-level elections to 17. As President, would you support an adjustment to the 25th Amendment to allow people like me, who will turn 18 before the inauguration but not before the election, to vote in said election?”

LOCKE: “I would, because in America, the circumstances of your birth should never be held against you. In America, it should not matter where you were born or into what class you were born, or even when you were born. If you are an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, then a technicality like that should not inhibit your ability to participate in the democratic process.”

– snippets from the Locke-Grammer Presidential Debate/Town Hall Event, Saturday, 10/22/2016



POLL: Grammer Considered The “Winner” Of Yesterday’s Town Hall Debate, 48%-45%, 7% Unsure

– Gallup, 10/23/2016



FUNDRAISING SPECS: Locke, Closing In On Grammer, Still Lags Behind

– nationalreview.co.usa, 10/25/2016 e-report



LATEST FISCAL QUARTERS HIGHLIGHT MARKET REBOUND

…with the economy going strong and seemingly getting stronger, investors are returning to the stock market…

The Wall Street Journal, 10/26/2016



TULSI: Running For U.S. President To Break Up The U.S.?

…Tulsi Gabbard, the 35-year-old daughter of former Hawaiian Governor Mike Gabbard, is a usually-Republican perennial candidate from Hawaii who is of Samoan ancestry. For some reason, she is running for President this year on a pro-Samoa statehood ticket. Running almost exclusively in Hawaii and the west coast, where Samoan population is highest, Tulsi may be hoping to deadlock the Electoral College in order to play kingmaker in a contingent election, and give the Presidency to whichever candidate will pledge to hold a referendum on the subject. However, such trouble would probably all be for naught, as the latest poll concerning A.S. independence (taken in 2013, at the height of the Unlucky Recession) showed that only 17% of American Samoans supported the idea of independence. So perhaps she is running to try and increase those numbers...

– minorpartiesmatter.co.usa, 10/27/2016



GRAMMER: 46%
LOCKE: 45%
MCMILLAN: 3%
OTHER: 1%
UNDECIDED: 4%

– Gallup poll, 10/28/2016



HOME STRETCH: Candidates Touring Several Swing States In Election’s Final Days

Associated Press, 10/29/2016



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[pic: imgur.com/FGflAzU.png ]

– American voters wait in line at dusk at a polling station in Little Rock, Arkansas to vote in the 2016 elections, 11/8/2016



“…As the first handful of states begin to close their polling stations, the US national voter turnout is projected to be about the same as it was in 2012, with an expected increase in Asian-American voter turnout likely cancelling out the many libertarians, progressives, and hardline sitting out the race. Both parties are hoping for this election to not end up having another 'second-place winner' situation…”

– CBS Evening News, 11/8/2016 broadcast



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…one state elector from New York publicly attempted to vote for the McMillan/Capozzi ticket but was not allowed to do so due to a state law…

Tickets:

Pres. A. Kelsey Grammer (CA) / VP Harley Davidson Brown (ID) (Republican) – 74,652,995 (49.21%)

US Sen. Gary F. Locke (WA) / Robert Patrick “Bob” Casey Jr. (PA) (Democratic) – 68,235,963 (44.98%)

NYC Mayor Jimmy McMillan (NY) / Fmr US Rep. John J. Capozzi Jr. (PO) (various) – 4,323,533 (2.85%)

Fmr Nat. Green Party Chair Richard “Rich” Whitney (IL) / Fmr state rep. Della Coburn (AK) (Green (endorsed by Natural Mind)) – 2,472,757 (1.63%)

Fmr US Rep. Steve Stockman (TX) / Ms. Joy Waymire (IA) (replaced Dr. Marc Allen Feldman (OH)) (Liberty (endorsed by Boulder)) – 1,016,409 (0.67%)

Dr. Bruce Maccabee (VT) / Dr. Steven Earl Jones (UT) (Bigfoot (Truth on 3 state ballots) (endorsed by Defense/Exposure)) – 394,428 (0.26%)

Fmr state Lands Dir. Walt Bayes (ID) / Mr. Tom Hoefling (IA) (Values-Salvation fusion ticket (endorsed by Country)) – 288,236 (0.19%)

Fmr state rep. Tulsi Tamayo (HI) / Mr. Patrick Anthony Ockander (TX) (American Samoan Independence) – 182,043 (0.12%)

All other votes – 136,537 (0.09%)

Total Votes – 151,702,896 (100.0%)

– clickopedia.co.usa [11]



"Huh. Maybe I should have picked Monica Lewinsky for Running Mate after all."

– Gary Locke, 11/9/2016 (allegedly)



…While some Democratic figures blamed Moore’s lack of enthusiasm for the Locke/CODEY ticket for its loss in Michigan, Moore blamed the collapse of Democratic support among the Midwestern states on Locke’s uninspiring campaign, which he claimed “was more about keeping things business-as-usual than about any actual improvements.” The Overmyer Network’s Kevin Jeys reported that the high turnout for third party candidates was the result of the ballot access reforms of the past decade combined with media outlets covering the more “catchy” elements of their campaigns…

…The distribution of former Goetzite voters was scattered across several candidates (primarily Bayes, Stockman, Grammer and even McMillan), while former Ross backers and Moore supporters who refused to vote for Locke and instead voted for McMillan and Whitney. This voting trend resulted in making this election the first in US history to see the top five candidates for President each receive at least 1million votes...

…Down ballot, the election night saw more state referendums favor voter reform, allowing RCV to inch closer to becoming a reality. However, the clear and decisive win that Grammer had received made EC Reform backers fear that momentum would be lost, with the aforementioned Jeys observing that “the process of the Electoral College did in fact work this time. …Never underestimate the sheer raw power of American Forgetfulness”...

– researcher Ed Romano’s debut book Defending Democracy: The Grammer Years, Borders Books, 2022



THE STRANGE CASE OF THE “BIGFOOT” POLITICAL PARTY

…Of the many “also-runs” covered on this site, perhaps the most peculiar one is The Bigfoot Party, a fringe spin-off of Jason Buck’s conservative Strong Party ticket from the 2012 Presidential election cycle. The Strong Party, which was itself a branch-off of the Boulder Party founded by former US Senator and Boulder, Colorado-based businessman Bernie Goetz founded in 2008, acquired the nickname “the party of Bigfoot” due to Buck’s running mate claiming to have spotted a UFO in 2006. In early 2016, after the collapse of the Strong Party in 2015, 29 former Buck supporters convened in Hurricane, West Virginia to establish a political party that fully embraced and politicized the paranormal in the hopes of raising awareness of what they called “troubling theories” of the world, such as “chemtrails,” UFO sightings, ontech rumors alleging China’s government was planning to take over the world, and the global power of the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food franchise allegedly being linked to The Illuminati through the Freemasons.

The Bigfoot Party, named after the iconic humanoid creature allegedly roaming around in the American Pacific Northwest, contained a platform calling for the complete disclosure of all government and military secrets, the establishing of open trade relations with hospitable inhabited planets, and the funding of expeditions to remote locations on Earth, including the North and South Poles and the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to search for a variety of alleged lost items and places. Listed as the Truth ticket on three state ballots, the Bigfoot Party founders knew they would not win the White House, so they defined “victory” by the number of people they could reach and influence. A party fit for any conspiracy theorist, Bigfooters relied heavy on the technet for media attention and gathering donations.

Amid obtaining ballot access (ultimately in 23 states, with official write-in access being obtained and recognized in an additional 17 states) the party searched for a Presidential candidate and a Vice President candidate. Prominent ufologist and conspiracy theorist James Farrell Marrs Jr. of Texas endorsed the party but declined interest in running on either part of their ticket, citing a decline in health. With deadlines fast approaching, the lack of any prominent takers ultimately led to the party selecting its two most prominent co-founders – doctors Bruce Maccabee of Vermont and Steven Earl Jones of Utah – as their Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominees, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, the party did not do well in the general election, receiving less than .5% of the vote. While some supporters of the party claimed that the low results were due to voter suppression, most dismissed these notions due to the Maccabee/Jones having made some appearances on some news outlets in September, when their campaign advertisements went fervid ontech…

– minorpartiesmatter.co.usa



November United States Senate election results, 2016

Date: November 8, 2016
Seats: 34 of 104
Seats needed for majority: 53

New Senate majority leader: Webb Franklin (R-MS)
New Senate minority leader: Midge Osterlund (D-PA)

Seats before election: 52 (R), 51 (D), 1 (I)
Seats after election: 58 (R), 45 (D), 1 (I)
Seat change: R ^ 6, D v 6, I - 0

Full List:

Alabama: Young Boozer (R) over incumbent Doug Jones (D)

Alaska: incumbent J. R. Myers (R) over Jacob Seth Kern (D)

Arizona: incumbent Jan Brewer (R) over Gary Swing (D/Green) and Kelli Ward (Bigfoot)

Arkansas: Adrienne Elrod (R) over Dan Whitfield (D); incumbent F. Winford Boozman III (R) retired

California: incumbent Mike Gravel (D) over Sarah Elizabeth Cupp (R) and James “Kamala” Harris (Green)

Colorado: Penfield Tate III (D) over Peggy Littleton (R); incumbent Mark Udall (D) retired

Connecticut: incumbent William Tong (D) over August Wolf (R)

Florida: incumbent Gus Bilirakis (R) over Bolley L. “Bo” Johnson (D)

Georgia: incumbent Herman Cain (R) over Robby Wells (D)

Hawaii: Colleen Hanabusa (D) over Cam Cavasso (R) and Joy Allison (Country); incumbent appointee Irene Hirano Inouye (D) retired

Idaho: incumbent Carlos Bilbao (R) over Walt Minnick (D)

Illinois: incumbent Sheila Simon (D) over Judy Koehler (R)

Indiana: Brian C. Bosma (R) over incumbent Evan Bayh (D)

Iowa: incumbent Robert Lee Vander Plaats (R) over Rob Hogg (D) and Ray Zirkelbach (I)

Kansas: incumbent Bob Dole (R) over Patrick Wiesner (D)

Kentucky: Charles Merwin “Trey” Grayson III (R) over Tom Recktenwald (D); incumbent Daniel Mongiardo (D) retired

Louisiana: Charles E. “Chas” Roemer IV (R) over incumbent Chris John (D)

Maryland: Rand Beers (D) over Kathy Szeliga (R); incumbent Barbara Mikulski (D) retired

Missouri: David A. Catania (R) over Susan Montee (D); incumbent Wayne Cryts (D) retired

Nevada: incumbent Dina Titus (D) over Tyrus O. “Ty” Cobb (R)

New Hampshire: incumbent Ted Gatsas (R) over Carol Shea-Porter (D)

New York: incumbent Allyson Schwartz (D) over Larry Kudlow (R) and Vito Russo (I)

North Carolina: incumbent Rand Paul (R) over Deborah Ross (D)

North Dakota: incumbent Kelly Schmidt (R) over Joel C. Heitkamp (D)

Ohio: incumbent Randy Brock (R) over Joyce Beatty (D)

Oklahoma: incumbent Evelyn Rogers (R) over Mike Workman (D) and Dax Ewbank (Liberty)

Oregon: incumbent Walter Leslie “Les” AuCoin (D) over Faye Stewart (R) and Shanti Lewallen (Working Families)

Pennsylvania: incumbent Bob Casey Jr. (D) over Lou Barletta (Country) and William Scranton III (R)

South Carolina: incumbent Sherry Sealy Martschink (R) over Laurie Funderburk (D)

South Dakota: Gordon K. Howie (R) over Bernie Hunhoff (D); incumbent Teresa McGovern (D) retired

Utah: Shawn Bradley (R) over Jonathan Swinton (D); incumbent Lyle Hillyard (R) retired

Vermont: incumbent William Sorrell (D) over H. Brooke Paige (R) and Cris Ericson (I)

Washington: incumbent Gary Locke (D) over Steve Litzow (R)

Wisconsin: incumbent Bronson La Follette (D) over Dick Linenkugel (R)

– knowledgepolitics.co.usa



United States House of Representatives results, 2016

Date: November 8, 2016
Seats: All 441
Seats needed for majority: 221

New House majority leader: H. Dargan McMaster (R-SC)
New House minority leader: Ed Markey (D-MA) (incumbent Barbara B. Kennelly (D-CT) retired)

Last election: 225 (R), 216 (D)
Seats won: 232 (R), 209 (D)
Seat change: R ^ 7, D v 7

– knowledgepolitics.co.usa



United States Governor election results, 2016

Date: November 8, 2016
Number of state gubernatorial elections held: 12

Seats before: 25 (R), 25 (D), 1 (I), 1 (G)
Seats after: 29 (R), 21 (D), 1 (I), 1 (G)
Seat change: R ^ 4, D v 4, I - 0, G - 0

Full list:

Delaware: Stephanie Hansen (D) over Lacey Lafferty (R); incumbent Jack Carney (D) retired

Indiana: incumbent John R. Gregg (D) over Allen Lucas Messer (R) and Thomas McDermott Jr. (Rent Regulation)

Missouri: Thomas A. “Tom” Schweich (R) over Chris Koster (D); incumbent Perry B. Clark (D) retired

Montana: incumbent Barack “Rocky” McCain (R) over Bill McChesney (D)

New Hampshire: Darryl W. Perry (R) over Andrew Hosmer (D); incumbent Rushern L. Baker III (D) retired

North Carolina: incumbent Helen Elizabeth “Beth” Garrett (D) over Clyde Robert Brawley (R)

North Dakota: Jasper Schneider (R) over Ryan Taylor (D); incumbent Heidi Heitkamp (D) retired

Puerto Rico: Raul Labrador (R) over David Bernier (D) and Manuel Cidre (I); incumbent Hector Luis Acevedo (D) retired

Utah: incumbent Robert Wood Young (R) over James “Jimmy The Greek” Dabakis (D)

Vermont: incumbent Jeffrey “Jeff” Weaver (D) over Bruce Lisman (R) and Bill “Spaceman” Lee (Liberty Union)

Washington: Krist Novoselic (D) over Susan Hutchison (R); incumbent Lisa J. Simpson (D) retired

West Virginia: incumbent Charlotte Pritt (D) over Erikka Lynn Storch (R)

– knowledgepolitics.co.usa



INCOMING FRESHMAN U.S. CONGRESPERSONS HAVE BIG PLANS FOR “RESHAPING” AMERICA

…Colorado’s Mary Lou Makepeace (R) will be the US’s oldest-ever freshman Representative, entering office in January at the age of 76. …Robert Portman is returning to congress after losing re-election in 2014; he won his first term back in 2004, best incumbent Bob Taft in the GOP primary due to Taft facing years of financial scandals. …Voters in Oregon elected new Representatives: Gail R. Shibley (D), an openly BLUTAG progressive lawmaker; Rod Monroe (D), having staged an impressive political comeback; Steve Novick (D), a “New Jersey ex-pat” strongly backing RCV reform; and Vicki Walker (D), who won in an even greater landslide than expected. …In Indiana, the state’s next youngest Representative, Eddie Melton (D, age 35) is succeeding the oldest lawmaker in the House. Joe Newman (D, b. 1913), who turns 104 on January 13, 2017, was a champion of schools for the mentally ill who “directly assisted with the initial launch of…Social Security” and lived through the Great Depression; he leaves office after serving for 15 terms/30 years, having maintained a record of opposing “special interests,” defending Medicare and then UHC, and fighting to eliminate poverty for the wealthiest nation on Earth. …outgoing Mayor and former Public Safety Advocate Scott Lindsay (R) of Seattle wants to see higher-quality recreadrug addiction facilities nationwide…

The Washington Post, 11/15/2016



FRITZ’S FOODS: Mondale Family Publishes Family Recipes

The man loves to cook. It all started on fishing trips where his buddies taught him how to pan-fry his catch. He progressed onward and upward to such heights as Turkey Dressing and Pumpkin Bread for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fritz says that for him cooking is a way to relax. The Mondale's winter holidays are traditional family affairs

The former President still, as always, makes the Turkey Dressing for these holiday get-together. It's an old-fashioned dressing of traditional style, and with some familial renown, mind you. His secret to stuffing greatness is dry, day old, hot dog buns. The buns are very important. Fritz says regular bread simply won't do.

Fritz's Turkey Dressing

1 1/2 doz. day old hot dog or hamburger buns
1 cup (two sticks) butter
3 medium onions, chopped
3 cups celery with tops, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 to 3 tbsp. leaf sage, crumbled
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups boiling water
2 eggs

The buns should be quite dry. Leave them out overnight or dry them in a very slow oven at about 250 degrees. Crumble the buns into a large bowl, there should be about twelve cups. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the onions and the celery. Saute slowly until tender, about fifteen minutes. Add to the crumbled buns, along with the salt, pepper and sage. Add the bouillon cubes to the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl and stir into the dressing. Add enough of the chicken broth to make a moist mixture. Stuff the turkey cavity lightly with the dressing. Spoon any extra dressing into a buttered casserole. Spoon a little extra chicken broth over the top and bake uncovered or covered with the turkey during the last half hour of roasting.

Fritz's Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
1 2/3 cups flour, sifted
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup chopped dates

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the sugar, soda baking powder, spices, salt, and pre-sifted flour. Add the eggs, oil, pumpkin, and water and mix with a beater. Stir in the nuts and dates. Pour into two greased nine-by five inch pans and bake for about one hour and thirty minutes. Start testing after one hour. Loaves may be frozen up to two months.

– betterliving.co.usa, 11/18/2016 article [12]



MARY KAY BERGMAN REVEALS WHO ELSE CAMEOS IN UPCOMING DISNEY FLICK!

…Disney’s “Stoneflight” hits theaters June 30, 2017…

The Hollywood Reporter, 11/21/2016



MEET THE LINCOLN LOG REPUBLICANS HEADING TO CONGRESS

…Representative-Elect Paul Babeu (R-MA), age 47, was elected to North Adams, MA City Council at the age of 18, then served as Berkshire County MA commissioner from 1992 to 1996, when he resigned to successfully run for a state senate seat in that year’s “red wave” of GOP victories. After roughly a decade in the state senate, he served as the Mayor of North Adams from 2006 to 2014. Babeu supports the movement to use the NIA to hold a national vote on implementing RCV in all 50 states for use in US Presidential elections… …Christopher R. Barron (R-ME), age 43, is the conservative political lobbyist who cofounded “GOProud” in 2009; he supports using congressional districts for the allocating of Electoral College votes in US Presidential elections…

The Huffington Post, 11/29/2016



“Americans are very easygoing people. If the added attention and great visibility that I have been able to generate can help open doors and expose more Chinese to American values and the American way of life, that is great.” [13]

– US Senator Gary Locke (D-WA) at the US-China Forum on Arts and Culture, Asia Society Center, Potomac, 12/7/2016




LANDSLIDE CRUSHES BALLS!

…PM Ed Balls, in office since 10 October 2015, was defeated in a landslide election tonight, with the Labour party losing majority and the Tories returning to majority control. This means that our next Prime Minister will be our former Prime Minister, Tory leader Alastair Goodlad. Goodlad led his party to victory over Balls as well as over Wera Hobhouse (leader of the Liberal Democrats), Blair Jenkins (leader of the Scottish People’s party), and Caroline Lucas (leader of the Green party), with all four of those parties losing seats…

The Guardian, 12/12/2016



…In international news, the incumbent President of United Turkestan has lost re-election amid underwater approval ratings. Roza Otunbayeva of the Social Democratic party, who entered office in 2011, lost her bid for a third three-year term to Muhammad Salih of Uzbekistan of the Prosperity party over growing disapproval of her subjectively high taxation policies. Salih, upon entering office on the fifth of January 2017, will be the nation’s first president from the region of Uzbekistan since would-be dictator President Islam Karimov served from 2006 until his assassination in 2008. However, in stark contrast to Karimov, and according to all major international election fraud watchdog groups who observed the election process, Salih ran a legitimate campaign and, for safe measure repeatedly, distanced himself from Karimov by condemning the former leader’s oppressive government multiple times while on the campaign trail…

– BBC World News, 14/12/2016 broadcast



MIKE STEPOVICH, FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR, DIES AT 98

…the moderate Republican was the GOP’s 1972 nominee for Vice President of the United States… …Stepovich passed away less than a month after his 98th birthday from natural causes [14]

The New York Times, 12/15/2016



GRAMMER WELCOMES PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES TO THE US

…Dr. Luis A. G. Tagle (b. 1957), the President of the Philippines since 2015, will be taken on a tour of several agricultural and industrial centers across the United States…

The Washington Post, 12/18/2016



…The Sanders family reunion of Christmas 2016 was one of our more memorable get-togethers because on Christmas Eve, Cousin Darrell from the Winger side of the family finally proposed to his girlfriend-turned-fiancé, making Christmas more jubilant and exciting than usual for the adults. …Naturally, Josephine Wurster, the “head” of the family, was overjoyed with the union…

– Tabitha Louisa Sanders’ Growing Up Under Chicken, Sunrise Publishers, 2021



The Family Tree of Harland David Sanders

COL. HARLAND DAVID SANDERS (1890-1990), m. Josephine King (1909-1947, div.), then Claudia Price (1948-his death)

> Margaret Josephine Sanders (1910-2001), m. James Trigg Adams (1930-1975, div.)

> > Col. Harland Morrison Adams (1932-2014), m. Donna Smith (1954-his death)

> > > Tiffany Donna Adams (b. 1956), m. Winthrop Paul “Win” Rockefeller (1980-his death, 2006)

> > > > Jonathan Harmon Rockefeller (b. 1981), m. Pamela Ashley Brown (2008-present)

> > > > > Beverley David Thomas Rockefeller (b. 2009)

> > > Rhett James Adams (b. 1958), m. Isabella Gutierrez (1978-present)

> > > > Rockerby Buzzsaw Adams (b. 1979), m. Grace Bullock (1996-present)

> > > > > Thatch Yarborough Adams (b. 1997)

> > > > > > Grace Harmony Adams (b. 2015)

> > > > Eleanor Buttercup Adams (b. 1981)

> > Josephine Frances Adams (b. 1936), m. Col. John Joseph Wurster Sr. (1955-his death, 2011)

> > > Cindy Wurster Sjogren (b. 1955)

> > > John Joseph Wurster Jr. (b. 1957), m. Melissa Jackson (1985-present)

> > > > John Joseph Wurster III (b. 1987)

> > > Cynthia Josephine Wurster (b. 1959), m. Hal Heiner (1980-present)

> > > > Claudia Heiner (b. 1981)

> > > > > Sunshine Heiner (b. 2002)

> > > Harland James Wurster (b. 1961), m. Holly Garmen (1979-present)

> > > > Harland James Wurster Jr. (b. 1980)

> > > Christopher Francis Wurster (b. 1971), m. Brittany Murphy (1997-present)

> > > > Apollo Court Wurster-Murphy (b. 1999)

> > > > Artemis Fowl Wurster-Murphy (b. 2001)

> > James Trigg Adams III (b. 1939), m. Geraldine Brown (1963-her death, 2014)

> > > Maryanne Gladys Adams (b. 1964)

> > > William Scranton Adams (b. 1966), m. Sally Darrin

> > > > William Scranton Adams Jr. (b. 1991) m. Arista Newson

> > > > > Katherine Jasmine Adams-Newson (b. 2015)

> > > > Margaret Hillary Adams (b. 1994), m. John McKinney

> > > > Joan Marianne Adams (b. 1996), m. Ernest van der Poole

> Col. Harland David “Harley” Sanders Jr. (1912-2007), m. Evelyn Smith (1935-1949, div.), then Venus Ramey (1952-his death)

> > Harland David “Lando” Sanders III (b. 1939), m. Candy Smith

> > > Col. Harland David (“Lando Jr.,” later “Davey”) Sanders IV (b. 1959), m. Stella Haynes

> > > > Marlene Maureen Sanders (b. 1984), m. Joseph Patrick “Joe” Kennedy III (2006-present)

> > > > > Harland Sanders Kennedy (b. 2008)

> > > > > Mildred Marie Kennedy (b. 2011)

> > > > Harland David “Vinnie” Sanders V (b. 1985), m. Maria Gomez (2014-present)

> > > > > Harland David “Lando III” Sanders VI (b. 2014)

> > > Anna Mae Francis Sanders (b. 1961)

> > > Tabitha Louisa Sanders (b. 1964), m. Peter Huntsman (1989-present)

> > > > John Paul Huntsman (b. 1990), m. Sheila Smalls (2007-present)

> > > > > Jonathan Huntsman II (b. 2008)

> > > > > Jefferson Huntsman (b. 2011)

> > > > > Allen Davidson Huntsman (b. 2013)

> > April Sanders (b. 1940), m. Jefferson Davis Johnson (1967-2011, div.)

> > > May Donna Johnson (b. 1968), m. John Albert Chandler (2002-present)

> > > > June Frances Chandler (b. 1971), m. Nicholas Cage (1993-1997, div.), then Christopher Charles Cuomo (2001-present)

> > > > > Lois Lane Cage (b. 1994), m. Thomas Miller (2015-present)

> > > > > > John Wayne Miller (b. 2016)

> > > > > July Matilda “Julie” Cuomo (b. 2003)

> > > > > Lawrence Wetherby Cuomo (b. 2005)

> > > > John Albert Chandler Jr. (b. 1973), m. Holly Thompson (b. 1998)

> > > > > John Albert Chandler III (b. 1999)

> > Clarice Augustine Sanders (b. 1942), m. Marvin Winger (1967-his death, 2002)

> > > Chelsea Rachel Winger (b. 1968), m. Marcus LeMarr Allen (1992-2010, div.)

> > > > Tiberius Noonian Allen (b. 1993), m. Leslie Wall (m. 2013)

> > > > > LeMarr Colonel Allen (b. 2014)

> > > James Jones Winger (b. 1970), m. Martha Frank (m. 2011)

> > > > Harland Price Winger (b. 2012)

> > > Darrell Harvey Winger (b. 1977)

> Mildred Marie Sanders (1919-2010), m. John F. Ruggles Jr. (1937-1983, div.)

> > Marlona Ruggles Ice (b. 1938), m. Daniel Ice (1962-present)

> > > Harland Ice (b. 1964), m. Teresa Mayfield (1989-1995, div.)

> > > > Josephine Daytona Mayfield Ice (b. 1991)

> > > Samantha Matilda Ice (b. 1966), m. August Laffoon (1992-present)

> > > > David Denney Laffoon (b. 1993), m. Katherine Hardin (2015-present)

> > > > Sally Beatrice Laffoon (b. 1995)

> > > > Michelle Eliza Laffoon (b. 1998)

> > John F. Ruggles III (1942-2015), m. Vivian Rickman Whalen (1972-his death)

> > > Elizabeth Ruggles Murl (b. 1974), m. John Pitchford (1995-present)

> > > > Caetlyn Sistrunk Christian Pitchford Paz (b. 1997)

> > > > Katherine Grace Pitchford (b. 2000)

– lineage.co.usa, c. December 2016 [15]



When the Pinnacle was launched in 2008 during the christening ceremony the bottle of champagne that they christen a ship with during the launching bounced off of her side. The snipe had been in numerous smaller collisions such as going too fast in port and getting caught in a gust and scraping on another ship. What happened between Corsica and Sardinia was nasty due to it happening on January 13th, 2017. It was a Friday the 13th.[16]

– Marjorie Hollis, former passenger of the Pinnacle, BBC segment, 1/13/2022 anniversary report




…The strait of Bonifacio lies between the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia. At 11km, or 6.835 miles in width, it was large enough for even the world’s largest shipping vessels to not have to pass through one at a time. And yet, just after 1:20 P.M. of January 13, 2017, two cruise ships from rival cruise line companies – the Carnival Pinnacle mega-ship, and a slightly smaller cruise ship, Spain’s Pullmantur Cruises Sirena – each attempted to do a “sail-by salute” (a ceremonial activity in which a boat sails very close to a shoreline to honk its horn in a tradition pleasing to cruise-takers) off the coast of Santa Teresa Gallura, Sardinia, at the same time. The Pinnacle was sailing from east, and the Sirena was sailing west.

Wanting to get in front of the Sirena for a “clear” salute, the Captain instructs the helmsman to get 457 meters, or 1,500 feet, close to the shoreline. Concurrently, the Sirena’s Captain, not wanting to be outdone by a rival company out of fear that he could be reprimanded for costing the passengers a traditional salute, orders his ship’s helmsman to get in front of the Pinnacle…

…The Captain of the Pinnacle had previously worked on a fishing trawler for a company based in Somalia before joining the ship’s crew in 2010, and then quickly rose in rank, while its helmsman had initially worked in the engine room of a smaller vessel just five years earlier...

– Georgina Giannacoli’s Playing Cruise Chicken, Borders Books, 2020



FIRST OFFICER: “They’re trying to get in front of us. Slow our speed!”

CAPTAIN: “No, increase speed.”

SECOND OFFICER: “Captain, we could just do a drive-by at Porto Cervo; it’s the next coastal city we’re sailing past anyway!”

CAPTAIN: “And deny this snapshot moment to the ticket-paying people onboard? Think of the complaints, man!”

HELMSMAN: “Uh, aren’t ships supposed to pass each other on the right?”

SECOND OFFICER: “We’re coming in too fast and we’re getting too close to the coastline!”

NAVIGATOR: “Captain, we’re getting dangerously close to the shallow water line.”

FIRST OFFICER: “Slow our speed!”

CAPTAIN: “They’re really refusing to get out of our way. This is a game of chicken to them, isn’t it?”

SECOND OFFICER: “No Captain, they can’t get out of the way just like we can’t.”

CAPTAIN: “Yes we can! Alright, we’ll let them pass. Turn to 335! A Sharp turn to the left!”

HELMSMAN: “Left?”

CAPTAIN: “Right.”

HELMSMAN: “Right, okay.”

FIRST OFFICER: “No!”

[grinding sound]

HELMSMAN: “Wait, our right or their right?”

FIRST OFFICER: “We’re about to hit them!”

SECOND OFFICER: "Brace for impact!"

CAPTAIN: “Starboard, you fool!”

HELMSMAN: “Starboard?”

[inaudible dialogue, shouting]

[Crashing sound]

HELMSMAN: “Whoops.”

– audio recording from security device onboard The Pinnacle, installed on the main deck in 2015 after an undisclosed incident, recorded 1/13/2017 (released 7/5/2020)



…Although they collided into each other at a slow speed, the impact significantly damaged both vessels. Almost immediately, the ships’ engine rooms reported that gigantic proportions of water were pouring into the lower decks from the impact zones (for each vessel, it was the starboard side of the bow that had practically scraped its way into that of the other vessel), and were soon followed by reports of engine failure.

Less than sixty seconds after a “double-header” collision in shallow rock-filled waters, damage to the lower decks causes incoming seawater to paralyze the engines, shutting down all power in both ships, including lights, water pumps and rudder control. The Pinnacle was taking on water in three compartments, the Sirena in four. They were sinking.

Both captains tacitly gave out the orders to abandon ship.

What happened in the minutes and hours that followed are filled with contradictory reports, which will be studied this book. The general themes of this infamous day, however, were panic, fear, chaos, and blame. Half the crew of the Pinnacle wanted to coordinate with the crew of the Sirena, while the Captain and others blamed the Sirena for the collision and refused to work with them during the crisis…

– Georgina Giannacoli’s Playing Cruise Chicken, Borders Books, 2020



CRUISE SHIPS CRASH OFF SARDINIAN SHORE

…already, one of the ships is tilting slightly as it sinks to the bottom of the coastal waters. …Neither ship is small enough or far enough out to sea to sink below the water level…

– usarightnow.co.usa, 1/13/2017 “breaking news” e-alert



…with the Harbor Master of Santa Teresa Gallura stepping in to oversee the hectic and uncoordinated evacuation procedures on both vessels, nearly all of the passengers and crew departed the ships before both began to list. The Pinnacle would become stuck in the seabed at an almost perfect 45% angle, while the listing of the Sirena, which was 60% underwater, was to a notably less severe angle. Out of 3,300 Pinnacle passengers and 2,100 Sirena passengers, 12 died, all by drowning, and 71 suffered non-fatal injuries.

The Pinnacle-Sirena Collision was the largest cruise ship disaster since the Titanic. By the dawn of January 14, the crisis itself was over, but the investigations into the actions of the crew before, during and after the collision and evacuations were only beginning…

– Georgina Giannacoli’s Playing Cruise Chicken, Borders Books, 2020



“By making the present bright, we make the vision of the future an even brighter reality. …With a clear mandate from the people of America, it appears that our work in Washington, D.C. is only half-way done!”

– US President Kelsey Grammer, 1/20/2017 inauguration



THE KELSEY GRAMMER ADMINISTRATION AT {THE START} OF {2017}

Vice President: former Governor Harley Davidson Brown (R-ID)

CABINET

Secretary of State: campaign advisor and former Dean of Stanford University’s Institute for International Studies Richard L. Morningstar (R-NY)

Secretary of the Treasury: former US Senator William Floyd “Bill” Weld (R-MA)

Deputy Secretary of the Treasury: former Democratic Party of Maryland Treasurer Osman “Oz” Bengur (D-MD)

Secretary of Defense: USAA Chairman, US Air Force Colonel (ret.), retired NASA astronaut and former US Air Force test pilot Eileen Collins (I-TX)

Deputy Secretary of Defense: Lawyer and general counsel for the US Veterans’ Affairs Department Ivan Kenneth Fong (I-PO)

Attorney General: former state Attorney General, former District Attorney and former Assistant District Attorney Susana Martinez (R-NM)

Deputy Attorney General: lawyer and state attorney general Boyd Rutherford (R-MD)

Postmaster General: former US Attorney General, former US Senator, former Administrator of the National Roadways Safety Administration, former US Transportation Secretary, former EPA Administrator and former US Labor Secretary Ralph Nader (I-CT)

Secretary of the Interior: former Governor Gary Johnson (R-NM)

Secretary of Agriculture: former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and former US Representative Martha Bueno (R-FL)

Secretary of Commerce: US Senator and former Governor Hillary Rodham-Clinton (R-TN)

Deputy Secretary of Commerce: state Attorney General and former state Inspector General Timothy L. DeFoor (R-PA)

Secretary of Labor: former US Representative Steven Craig Gunderson (R-WI)

Secretary of Education: former Dean of Texas A&M and former state Secretary of Education Margo Spellings (R-TX)

Secretary of Health and Humane Services: former US Representative Michelle Eunjoo Park Steel (R-CA)

Secretary of Transportation: US Representative Tim Scott (R-SC)

Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs: Dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine Dr. Julie Story Byerley (I-NC)

Secretary of Energy and Technology: outgoing US Ambassador to United Korea, historian and former Oberlin College professor Sheila Miyoshi Jager (I-OH)

Secretary of Community Development: physician and former Marstronaut Patricia Consolatrix Hilliard “Doc” Robertson (R-PA)

CABINET-LEVEL POSITIONS

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): Deputy CIA Director and former CIA operations officer Evan McMullin (R-UT)

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): outgoing CIA Director and US Marine Corps Commander (ret.) Winsome Sears (R-VA)

US Trade Representative: US Representative Allen Fung (R-RI)

Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA): former Governor Dave Ramsey (R-TN)

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Administrator of the California Environmental Protection Agency Terry Tamminen (D-CA)

Administrator of the Overwhelming Disaster Emergency Response Coordination Agency (ODERCA): former Gov. Martha Rainville (R-MS)

THE PRESIDENT’S EXECUTIVE OFFICE

White House Chief of Staff: Deputy WH Chief of Staff and former gubernatorial Deputy Chief of Staff Patricia Clarey (R-CA)

Deputy White House Chief of Staff: Counselor to The President and former campaign Chief of Staff Paul Wachter (I-PO)

Counselor to the President: former US Representative and attorney Nancy Lord (R-SC)

Chief Domestic Policy Advisor: healthcare advocate and former nurse Renee Amoore (R-NY)

Chief Economic Policy Advisor: venture capitalist and former securities analyst Mary Meeker (I-IN)

Chief Foreign Policy Advisor: Kansas-born Iranian-American energy lecturer Rob Sobhani (R-MD)

Chief National Security Advisor: Seattle Chief of Police, former Los Angeles Chief of Police, and former Boston Police Commissioner William J. Bratton (D-WA)

Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Harvard University economics professor Kenneth Rogoff (I-CT)

Director of the Domestic Policy Council: former US Deputy HHS Secretary and former Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Claude Allen (R-PA)

Other Counselors, Advisors, and Key Personnel: speechwriter Peter Grigsby and John Decker; finance professor Murray Sabrin (R-NJ); political advisor, newspaper columnist/publisher, and former US Senator Ron Paul (R-TX); attorney Jason Ravnsborg (R-SD); economist Frederic Mishkin; staffers Mona Mohammadi, Karen Baker, Daniel Zingale, and Gary Delsohn

White House Communications Director: campaign communications director Amy Michaels (I-PO)

Deputy White House Communications Director: campaign communications deputy director Roberta Sussman (I-PO)

White House Appointments Secretary: campaign appointments secretary and hemophilia awareness advocate Ryan Wayne White (R-IN)

White House Press Secretary: campaign Chief of Protocol Charlotte Schultz (I-CA)

OTHER MEMBERS

Solicitor General (representative of the Federal Government before the Supreme Court): attorney and constitutional law professor Pasquale Cipollone (R-KY)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: former US Secretary of the Army and former Governor Hudson Holliday (R-MS)

US Navy Admiral and Commander of the US Pacific Fleet Derwood Clayiborne “D.C.” Curtis (I-IL)

Secretary of the Army: Governor David Woods (R-AL)

Secretary of the Navy: US Navy Admiral James George Stavridis (I-PO)

Federal Reserve Chairman: outgoing Solicitor General and former US Representative Tom Campbell (R-CA)

Director of NASA: Deputy NASA Director Jeffrey Bezos (I-AZ)

NOTABLE AMBASSADORS

To the United Nations: outgoing US Ambassador to Russia, former Los Angeles Chief of Police and libertarian political activist Norma Jean Almodovar (L-CA)

To Argentina: former Treasurer of the US Bay Buchanan (R-VA)

To Australia: former US Representative and former Crabb, TX Mayor Brian Christopher Zimmerman (R-TX)

To Brazil: former RNC Chair Ralph Reed (R-GA)

To Canada: former Chair of the US President’s Auto Industry Task Force Harry J. Wilson (R-NY)

To China: former Federal Reserve Chair, former US Representative, and former Chair of the US International Trade Commission John Kasich (R-OH)

To Cuba: outgoing US Ambassador to the UN, former US Ambassador to Belgium and US Navy Commander (ret.) Theodore Roosevelt IV (R-FL)

To Egypt: US Senator Don Stenberg (R-NE)

To France: former President of the Minaret of Freedom Institute libertarian think tank Imad-ad-Dean “Dean” Ahmad (R-MD)

To Germany: former Governor Mary Starrett (R-OR)

To India: former US Ambassador to China and former US Assistant Secretary of State Winston Lord (R-NY)

To Iran: former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan and husband of Zeyno Baran Matthew James Bryza (I-PO)

To Italy: former US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)

To Japan: former Governor Kenneth James Fanning (Liberty-AS)

To Korea: outgoing US Deputy Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs and former US Representative Rodney Alexander (R-LA)

To Mexico: businessman, inventor, entrepreneur and professional survivalist John Ellis “Jeb” Bush (R-FL)

To New Zealand: businessman, political activist, former US House nominee and US Army Brigadier General (ret.) Keith Russell Judd (R-AZ)

To Poland: former FBI Director, former IRS Commissioner and former state Lieutenant Governor Wilford V. Oveson (R-UT)

To Russia: outgoing US Secretary of Energy and Technology and former businessman Harold Glenn Hamm (R-OK)

To South Africa: addiction treatment advocate and former Deputy Director for the Office of Nation Recreadrug Policy Andrea Barthwell (R-IL)

To Spain: former Governor Kelley Ashby (R-NH)

To Turkey: scholar, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank, and wife of Matthew James Bryza Zeyno Baran (I-PO)

To the U.K.: investment bank director, lecturer, and former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence George John Tenet (R-NY)

To Yugoslavia: outgoing US Ambassador to South Africa Jenean Michelle Hampton (R-MI)

– KelseyGrammerPresidentialLibraryAndPerformingArtsCenter.org.usa/cabinet_composition/2017



NOTE(S)/SOURCE(S)
[1] OTL Quote! https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes Also: The selection of Bob Casey as running mate was based on the previous chapter's poll results as of yesterday morning (Friday, roughly 7:00 A.M. EST; Casey had a plurality while Lewinsky was in a close second place)
[2] All non-italicized passages are OTL statements made by Gary Locke and are found here: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes
[3] Italicized parts pulled from this OTL article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-19/port-kembla-first-hydrogen-truck-gets-green-light/13263384
[4] Puns taken from here: https://news.google.com/newspapers?...NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1712,670042&dq=candy-desk+senate
[5] He passed away roughly a decade earlier in OTL.
[6] This is an OTL thing!: http://thehigherlearning.com/2016/05/23/kfcs-new-nail-polish-is-finger-lickin-good/
[7] This punchline is provided by @Kennedy Forever
[8] OTL Quote: https://www.politico.com/story/2008/06/text-of-obamas-fatherhood-speech-011094
[9] This is a variation of a line used by Tim Pawlenty in the first GOP Presidential debate back in 2011 in OTL!
[10] All of the italicized bits in this segment are OTL quotes: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes
[11] This is not at all meant to look like a parallel to OTL’s 2016 election, btw; it just unintentionally turned out similarly in regards to popular vote share
[12] The recipes, and the italicized passages above them, were all pulled verbatim from here: https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/...es-recipe-turkey-dressing-pumpkin-bread-1184/
[13] OTL quote, pulled from here: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/gary-locke-quotes
[14] In OTL, he died on 2/14/2014 from a head injury after a fall; something as random as that would definitely be butterflied away, right?
[15] Per @GrandMaster ’s request “I want to see what Colonel Sanders’ family tree looks like in this timeline”; most names are real, though some dates for OTL births/marriage are only rough estimates given the lack of public information available concerning these private families; most marriages are not shown/visible; not all siblings/children are visible, either.
[16] Passage written by @ajm8888 ; thanks for the contribution, dude!



The next Chapter’s E.T.A.?: Not sure, but April 10 at the very latest!

Not sure I buy Virginia being Democratic and Pennsylvania Republican in this election.
VA has twice as many Asian-Americans as PA, both in TTL and in OTL; VA's GOP is not as strong as PA's is; VA has reliably voted Democrat for the past several election cycles, but the same can not be said for PA at some levels; PA is a bit more conservative than VA in this TL as well due to butterflies (the POD was 84 years ago at this point; notice the electoral college has not stayed identical to OTL's for decades now).
 
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