Turquoise Blue - Lady Liberty's Lasting Lamp: Presidents of the Union of Independent States in The Dying of the Light.
Lady Liberty's Lasting Lamp: Presidents of the Union of Independent States in The Dying of the Light.
2143-2151: Jack Ripper (Military)
Ripper's coup d'etat to remove President Buchanan was intended to save the Union. It merely ended up damning it to oblivion as the General saw power escape their hands, much to their frustation. The "Reconquest" ended up a failure as the President was left with the Techno-Belt and nothing else. In 2151, they resigned the office of President of the United States, an office that most of "America" refused to recognise.
2151-2153: Marcus Jones (Military)
The military regime continued under President Jones, who proved a hardliner and cracked down on dissent, much to the UN's condemnation and North America's concern. Assassinated by "Another Way Is Possible", a terrorist group. This would delay democracy for another decade as public opinion turned against the reformists.
2153-2165: Abigail Edwards (Military)
President Edwards oversaw a slow transition from a hardline military regime to some form of liberalisation. The granting to states the right to elect governors in 2164 led to a wave of pro-democracy protests that ended up bringing down President Edwards as the military tried to keep their control over the country.
2165-2167: Quentin Lee (Military)
Lee was a hardliner fit for the 2150s, but by the relatively-liberal 2160s, he was a very much unwelcome leader, and despite the crackdowns the protests became more intense. With UN pressure and explicit support of the protests from surrounding states, the military buckled. Lee was dismissed and Edwards brought back.
2167-2169: Abigail Edwards (Military/Transitional Council/Independence)
President Edwards brought in the leader of the protests and formed a Transitional Council that would turn the rump USA into a "new democratic union of independent states". By the 2160s, the people in the USA increasingly saw themselves as not the rump of a once-greater whole, but a distinct country of their own. Opposition to the rebranding led to an attempted coup that failed and the establishment of the Strong America Party, a neo-Ripperite party. President Edwards declined to run for a democratic term of her own, arguing that the UIS needed "a fresh start".
2169-2177: William Springfield (Independence)
2168: def. Thomas Dell (Farmer-Labor), Quentin Lee (Strong America)
2172: def. Jenny Johnson (Farmer-Labor), Martin Young (Strong America), Skylar Luther (Alternative)
President Springfield was the first democratic president in the area of the UIS for twenty-four years, and he, by all accounts, was a capable one. A liberal and intellectual, he was one of the chief architects of the pro-democracy protests and with President Edwards' endorsement easily won the election.
As President, he worked to connect the UIS with other nations, something the insular militarism of past decades lacked. His foreign policy was distinctly Canada-focused, as they were the UIS' closest trading partner. Kekonia, a similarly insular militaristic republic, imploded into civil war in 2175, leading to President Springfield's attempt at a defense line to protect America. In this, he was criticised by Governor of Michigan Robert U. Sillanpaa, who championed invading Kekonia and absorbing it into the UIS.
Domestically, the government's chief focus was turning the infrastructure the military relied on to keep order into a more civil infrastructure, something it managed to do, thanks to a more co-operative military with more democratic-minded generals at the helm. For President Springfield's re-election, he promised to push ahead with a more libertarian second term. In this, he managed to deregulate several nationalised industries, which resulted in an economic boom.
2177-2181: Zooey Quackenbush (Independence)
2176: def. Kathryn Collins (Farmer-Labor), Eliza Levering (Alternative), Martin Young (Strong America)
The Quackenbush surname is a weird one, but one with great prestige. General Quentin Quackenbush VII was the Liberator of Britain from its fascist regime and later on President of the USA. His son Quentin Quackenbush VIII was a relatively-successful general and failed presidential candidate. Quentin Quackenbush VIII only had one child, a daughter, Zooey Quentin Quackenbush.
This Quackenbush would go into the military, same as countless Quackenbushes before her. She was one of the reformists arguing for liberal democracy and ended up in the Transitional Council, before being chosen as Springfield's vice-president. Campaigning on continuing the boom, she won the 2176 election.
Unfortunately, the boom would bring with it growing economic inequality, and the bubbling cauldron that was Kekonia started to overflow, destroying the defense line. It was the President who authorised a full war against the Kekonia factions, but even this wouldn't save her from being defeated in her bid for re-election to a second term by the person who was seen as being right all along about Kekonia.
2181-218_: Robert U. Sillanpaa (Farmer-Labor)
2180: def. Zooey Quackenbush (Independence), Yvonne Glass (Alternative), Paul Teller (Strong America)
To truly understand President Sillanpaa, you have to understand the UIS. From the Rust Belt of the late 20th century and early 21st, it transitioned to the Techno-Belt in the mid-21st century with a whole new industry developed around technology. This brought wealth and development to a region previously dismissed by many as "rusting up". However, the Jerryist regime brought with it intense protectionism which led to the Techno-Belt faltering.
By the time the Jerryist regime was over, the Techno-Belt was worse off for the wear, and the "democratic moment" that was the fifty years of chaotic democracy led to not that much development. And being under an insular militaristic regime didn't help either. Sillanpaa grew up under the military regime and was told by his parents times when the lands were full of prosperity. This put in him a strong desire for economic prosperity for every citizen.
President Sillanpaa is a cagey man, always analysing the situation and on the look out for potential dangers to the country and its people's welfare. In a sense he's fatalistic, believing that his people will one day be kicked down again by outside events beyond their control. But his aim is to make sure that kick is far away in the future and that the UIS is strong enough to take it. His critics say he's too paranoid and distrustful to be leader, but clearly the people see something of themselves in him.
2143-2151: Jack Ripper (Military)
Ripper's coup d'etat to remove President Buchanan was intended to save the Union. It merely ended up damning it to oblivion as the General saw power escape their hands, much to their frustation. The "Reconquest" ended up a failure as the President was left with the Techno-Belt and nothing else. In 2151, they resigned the office of President of the United States, an office that most of "America" refused to recognise.
2151-2153: Marcus Jones (Military)
The military regime continued under President Jones, who proved a hardliner and cracked down on dissent, much to the UN's condemnation and North America's concern. Assassinated by "Another Way Is Possible", a terrorist group. This would delay democracy for another decade as public opinion turned against the reformists.
2153-2165: Abigail Edwards (Military)
President Edwards oversaw a slow transition from a hardline military regime to some form of liberalisation. The granting to states the right to elect governors in 2164 led to a wave of pro-democracy protests that ended up bringing down President Edwards as the military tried to keep their control over the country.
2165-2167: Quentin Lee (Military)
Lee was a hardliner fit for the 2150s, but by the relatively-liberal 2160s, he was a very much unwelcome leader, and despite the crackdowns the protests became more intense. With UN pressure and explicit support of the protests from surrounding states, the military buckled. Lee was dismissed and Edwards brought back.
2167-2169: Abigail Edwards (Military/Transitional Council/Independence)
President Edwards brought in the leader of the protests and formed a Transitional Council that would turn the rump USA into a "new democratic union of independent states". By the 2160s, the people in the USA increasingly saw themselves as not the rump of a once-greater whole, but a distinct country of their own. Opposition to the rebranding led to an attempted coup that failed and the establishment of the Strong America Party, a neo-Ripperite party. President Edwards declined to run for a democratic term of her own, arguing that the UIS needed "a fresh start".
2169-2177: William Springfield (Independence)
2168: def. Thomas Dell (Farmer-Labor), Quentin Lee (Strong America)
2172: def. Jenny Johnson (Farmer-Labor), Martin Young (Strong America), Skylar Luther (Alternative)
President Springfield was the first democratic president in the area of the UIS for twenty-four years, and he, by all accounts, was a capable one. A liberal and intellectual, he was one of the chief architects of the pro-democracy protests and with President Edwards' endorsement easily won the election.
As President, he worked to connect the UIS with other nations, something the insular militarism of past decades lacked. His foreign policy was distinctly Canada-focused, as they were the UIS' closest trading partner. Kekonia, a similarly insular militaristic republic, imploded into civil war in 2175, leading to President Springfield's attempt at a defense line to protect America. In this, he was criticised by Governor of Michigan Robert U. Sillanpaa, who championed invading Kekonia and absorbing it into the UIS.
Domestically, the government's chief focus was turning the infrastructure the military relied on to keep order into a more civil infrastructure, something it managed to do, thanks to a more co-operative military with more democratic-minded generals at the helm. For President Springfield's re-election, he promised to push ahead with a more libertarian second term. In this, he managed to deregulate several nationalised industries, which resulted in an economic boom.
2177-2181: Zooey Quackenbush (Independence)
2176: def. Kathryn Collins (Farmer-Labor), Eliza Levering (Alternative), Martin Young (Strong America)
The Quackenbush surname is a weird one, but one with great prestige. General Quentin Quackenbush VII was the Liberator of Britain from its fascist regime and later on President of the USA. His son Quentin Quackenbush VIII was a relatively-successful general and failed presidential candidate. Quentin Quackenbush VIII only had one child, a daughter, Zooey Quentin Quackenbush.
This Quackenbush would go into the military, same as countless Quackenbushes before her. She was one of the reformists arguing for liberal democracy and ended up in the Transitional Council, before being chosen as Springfield's vice-president. Campaigning on continuing the boom, she won the 2176 election.
Unfortunately, the boom would bring with it growing economic inequality, and the bubbling cauldron that was Kekonia started to overflow, destroying the defense line. It was the President who authorised a full war against the Kekonia factions, but even this wouldn't save her from being defeated in her bid for re-election to a second term by the person who was seen as being right all along about Kekonia.
2181-218_: Robert U. Sillanpaa (Farmer-Labor)
2180: def. Zooey Quackenbush (Independence), Yvonne Glass (Alternative), Paul Teller (Strong America)
To truly understand President Sillanpaa, you have to understand the UIS. From the Rust Belt of the late 20th century and early 21st, it transitioned to the Techno-Belt in the mid-21st century with a whole new industry developed around technology. This brought wealth and development to a region previously dismissed by many as "rusting up". However, the Jerryist regime brought with it intense protectionism which led to the Techno-Belt faltering.
By the time the Jerryist regime was over, the Techno-Belt was worse off for the wear, and the "democratic moment" that was the fifty years of chaotic democracy led to not that much development. And being under an insular militaristic regime didn't help either. Sillanpaa grew up under the military regime and was told by his parents times when the lands were full of prosperity. This put in him a strong desire for economic prosperity for every citizen.
President Sillanpaa is a cagey man, always analysing the situation and on the look out for potential dangers to the country and its people's welfare. In a sense he's fatalistic, believing that his people will one day be kicked down again by outside events beyond their control. But his aim is to make sure that kick is far away in the future and that the UIS is strong enough to take it. His critics say he's too paranoid and distrustful to be leader, but clearly the people see something of themselves in him.
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