Unlucky as Hell
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Joe Heck
Unlucky as Hell
2009-2013
Like Trent Lott before him Sam Brownback wanted a more moderate running mate to appease the center, and he found Joe Heck, who like Lamar Alexander was only moderate by the standards of the times.​

Heck was not initially from Nevada. He was born in Queens and raised in Pennsylvania. He obtained a medical degree and would serve as a reservist in the Army. Heck founded the Specialized Medical Operations group in Maryland, specializing in assisting EMTs, military personnel, and police in medical practice and research. Heck would later move to Las Vegas, where he volunteered as a medical coordinator for various local law enforcement groups, including the Las Vegas SWAT group. He continued his affiliation with the armed forced, including a time in Pakistan assisting in training combat medics. In 2004 he parlayed this into a political career.​

Heck was elected to the Nevada State Senate from Clark County. As a practicing Doctor he sat on various Committees dedicated to Medicine and Healthcare. And although Heck would later be seen as a moderate he was strongly right wing in the legislature, calling for large tax cuts and an end to many environmental protections. He gained nationwide attention, and praise from the right, for a blistering speech attacking the idea of Nationalized Healthcare. In 2006 he used this momentum, and a general record of diligent, if conservative, service into a run for Governor of Nevada. Having not even finished his first term in the legislator he was seen merely as a token opposition for US Representative Jon Porter’s nomination. However just a month before the primary Porter was tragically killed in a Car accident in Carson City. This propelled Heck into the leading position for the nomination, on a staunchly conservative platform. Heck took advantage of the general support in 2006 for the GOP to win the general election, taking a more moderate course then in the primary.​

As Governor Heck proved much more moderate then his tone as a legislator would have suggested. He did relax environmental regulations, and taxes were cut. Yet he resisted efforts for more draconian laws regarding illegal immigrants, perhaps seeing the way the winds were blowing and fearing for the future of the Nevada Republican Party. His wife having once been a victim of domestic violence, Heck pushed for and received a major bill aiming to end violence against women and providing aid to victims, although it was mute on the issue of abortion which enraged both sides of the debate. This was all achieved in 2 years, a fact that earned Heck the title (from Republicans) “Most Productive Governor in America”.​

Still he had only 4 years in elected office by 2008, a fact that most felt left him out of the Vice-Presidential selection. But Sam Brownback was no ordinary candidate and felt that Heck would be moderate enough to placate worried swing voters, but not so moderate to disagree with his conservative vision too much. Despite still mainly being known nationally as “that state legislator guy who hates universal healthcare” Joe Heck was hitting the national campaign trail.​

Joe Heck was not an utter disaster on the campaign trail, but that is the best that can be said of him. He was a decent speaker, but nothing to write home about. He had never won a major election without a wave behind him or an opponent dying, and his inexperience showed. With no major gaffes this would not have been a problem in normal years, but against the firestorm that was Rahm Emmanuel he was at best anemic. At the Vice-Presidential debates Rahm Emmanuel dances circles around him, and he was widely caricatured as a punching bag. A memorable Saturday Night Live Sketch compared him effectively to Charlie Brown. As the drought declaration hit Heck made his mark made in a series of speeches hitting the Celeste administration. Then election night came and went, and Joe Heck was no longer the sympathetic tail to the Brownback campaign.​

As it became apparent that the Brownback/Heck ticket had won thanks to narrow victories in Nevada and Colorado attention turned towards Heck’s Nevada. Liberal websites would site any number of issues in rural counites (issues that in all honesty could be found in urban ones as well”, all of them run by Heck allies. Reports of attempted voter suppression in Latino districts. Suddenly Joe Heck was as hated by the left as Sam Brownback himself.​

For all his trouble Joe Heck found himself isolated from the Brownback White House. As the economy stuttered Brownback found himself dealing with a defiant Democratic Senate who disagreed with his assessment that the economy needed much less in the way of regulation. Efforts to restructure Medicare floundered, and his push for massive corporate tax cuts never got off the ground. Brownback, perhaps unfairly, took it out on Heck, blaming him as President of the Senate for the failures. Heck was able to help wrangle some tax cuts out of the Congress, but Brownback’s dreams of a Lott like push to the right were dead. The Administration now looked to be floundering as the economy began to collapse. A small uptick in 2009 caused hope in the GOP for midterm success, but by summer Goldman Sachs was falling to pieces, GM was declaring bankruptcy and the recession returned with full force. After the midterms Brownback no longer had any excuse to blame Heck for failing to get anything through the Senate, not with the House painted blue as well.​

Heck had little to no influence on foreign policy, playing no part in the Singapore Joint Protocols for Peace in Kashmir, an achievement that most consider the high point of the Brownback administration. However not being involved in foreign policy, as he was not involved in the Timor Crisis that led to Indonesian withdrawal from the Columbo Pact.​

As 2012 dawned it was apparent to all that the Brownback administration was doomed to reelection failure, and it was obvious who would be the one to defeat them. Heck preformed better then in 2008, but he was the only one to do this and he was defending a sinking ship. Brownback was verbally beaten around the debate stage, just as Heck had been 4 years prior. Heck also faced a fiery opponent, one who had refused to even attend Brownback’s inauguration. The Vice President did his best, but again lost the debates, coming across as in awe of his opponent rather then as against him. Election Day came and went, and there were no miracle rallies this time.​

Heck went to the inauguration and smiled and waved. Then he returned home to Nevada and his medical practice. There has been some speculation about a return to politics for Heck, but after the long four years there is little love for anyone from the Brownback administration.​
 
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The Indomitable
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John Lewis
The Indomitable
2013-Present
John Lewis was a titan even before he became Vice President. A Civil Rights icon whose moral standing was near unimpeachable, which is exactly what Rahm Emmanuel was in need of in 2012.

Lewis was born in Troy Alabama and grew up in the segregated South. He would attend college in Nashville, and there he would begin his career as a Civil Rights activist. He was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Comitee (SNCC) and helped plan and initiate student sit ins around Tennessee. In 1960 he was one of the original Freedom Riders, facing bombings and beatings in order to integrate Interstate Busing. By 1963 he was the head of SNCC and one of the "Big 6" leaders at the heart of the Civil Rights movement. He was the youngest speaker during the March on Washington. In 1964 he coordinated massive voter registration drives across the South and participated in the Selma Marches, receiving head injuries that scarred him for life. From then he continued his activism throughout the 60s and 70s, eventually settling in Atlanta.

In 1977 he made his first run for office, running in a special election for Georgia's 5th Congressional district, but lost to an incumbent Atlanta City Council Member. He then served in the Carter administration as an Accociate Director of ACTION, working to alleviate poverty in America. In 1981 Lewis was elected to the Atlanta City Council. In 1998 Lewis again ran for the Georgia 5th, winning the Democratic Primary, and thus the election, narrowly and (somewhat ironically) with the support of the White Community in Atlanta. This, combined with attacks he made on his opponent (a fellow veteran of the Civil Rights Movement) which included allegations of drug use, made Lewis the target of criticism from some in the African American community of Atlanta. However Lewis would remain popular in his district and would never face a difficult reelection for his seat.

In the House Lewis carved out a position as a staunch liberal, opposing the Bush and Lott era tax cuts as well as Welfare Reform. When Trent Lott was seriously considering giving Strom Thurmond the Presidential Medal of Freedom Lewis was unflinching in attacking the President and the Senator's record in opposition to zcivil Rights. A strong supporter of Human Rights, Lewis was supportive of efforts to support countries like India and Japan against Communism. However Lewis also condemned the support given to the Dictatorship in Myanmar and voted against sending Millitary advisors to the Philippines, calling it "an invitation to another Vietnam". His true focus however remained on domestic issues and legislation that would help the everyday American. He announced his support for a massive expansion of welfare and a return of control to the federal government. Lewis served as floor manager for the Children's Healthcare initiatives of the Bradley, which saw him appointed Democratic Whip in 2007. When Brownback's congressional supporters tried to repeal the bill Lewis gave impassioned defenses of the program and although the repeal passed the House it fell apart in the Senate. It was during 2009 that Lewis seriously stepped up his support for Universal Healthcare (although he had spoken in favor of it previously), which is likely what brought Lewis to the attention of the Emmanuel Campaign.

Rahm Emmanuel had been more or less openly running for President since December 2008 and had been the frontrunner since Dick Celeste refused to pull a Grover Cleveland. But something was different. He had shifted far to the left, sensing the wave of anger at the Brownback administration. Suddenly he was calling for regulation of wall street, for gay rights, and for universal healthcare. He had swept aside Senator Kucinich in the primaries after his opponent’s campaign was bogged down in accusations of anti-Semitism. The angry moderate was now the angry liberal. But some were still skeptical of Emmanuel's leftward turn, and he still had trouble connecting with African American voters, who still remembered his issues with race relations as Illinois Governor. So, the campaign tapped John Lewis as their Vice-Presidential nominee. To their surprise Lewis was initially opposed to the idea, he was old, happy being a liberal warrior in the House, and had no desire to be used as a token to fill in gaps in Rahm Emmanuel’s resume. But eventually he was convinced to accept a place on the ticket.

On the campaign trail he was slightly hampered by his age, but he made up for it with a strong presence and stumping ability. He drew huge crowds across the south, foreshadowing the ticket’s victories in the Southeast. Lewis brought to the ticket a “moral center” that pundits lauded as a contrast in to Emmanuel’s harsh style and flip-flops. At the debates he proved a force to be reckoned with, easily seeing off Joe Heck. Victory was achieved, but tragedy struck Lewis as Lillian, his wife of 44 years, died in late December before his inauguration.

Despite this Lewis forged ahead, working with Congress during Emmanuel’s First 100 Days in Office, which saw Medicare For All rammed through the Senate via the nuclear option, an LGBTQ+ Anti-Discrimination law passed, bailouts to failing companies (which Lewis begrudgingly stayed silent on), and sweeping new environmental laws to bring America up to the standards set at the San José Conference (boycotted by Brownback). When the backlash from the right inevitably came Lewis pulled a Celeste and did a circuit of town halls that, while failing to stop the incoming wave, did send a right sort of message to the American people. Despite the blowback the Democrats narrowly retained both Houses of Congress, enabling the administration to continue to plow forward. Lewis favored education pushes, particularly more federal support for college payments, and debt relief for student loans. Emanuel favored new Gun Control laws. In a surprising twist Emanuel’s political staff sided with Lewis, citing the danger posed by Gun Control to already weakened rural Democrats. The votes were simply not there, so Emanuel, feeling a bit like a dog being wagged by his tail, signed on. The Democrats simply could not find the votes in the Senate for Publicly Funded College, but substantial debt relief bills did clear the Senate.

In 2012 there was some talk of dropping Lewis from the ticket, he was old and he had fought the President more then any Vice President for years. Emmanuel was having none of it, for all his struggles he still liked John Lewis for his zeal and energy. Again, Lewis won the debates, Rob Portman coming across as a bit too stiff against the Vice President. Meanwhile Ileana Ros-Lehtin’s (the only Brownback appointee who was viable) campaign floundered, her strong foreign policy chops failing to pay off in an election centered on the recovering economy.

Emmanuel’s Second Term started with Gun Control legislation, Semi-Automatic Weapons being heavily restricted was his major push. Lewis still favored education funding, or perhaps police reform, but the post-election zeal had given Emmanuel free reign. This, and voter fatigue, has been one of the reasons given for the polls that show many Democrats in Congress being swept out of office in 2018. Meanwhile John Lewis continues to blaze his own path, speaking and We Want to Live Rallies as the White House tries to sidestep the issue of police brutality, and remaining silent as Emmanuel tries to sell increased American involvement in the Republic of the Congo.

Speculation of course is rampant about Lewis. Some say he wants to run for President, despite the fact that he will be 80 years old by then. Others say he wants to retire. Others say he wants to return to his House seat and live out his days as a Left-Wing Warrior. No one is certain.

What is certain is that John Lewis has had an impact on American life. He has reformed the Vice-Presidency into a tool for those who will hold the office in the future. But he is not the only one to do so. The role of President can be fluid, but it does have some strict restraints. The Vice President has no such restraints Constitutionally. Older Vice Presidents might have said that the limits on the office were placed by how little anyone cared about the position.

John Lewis would say that the only thing holding those older men back was a lack of a will to change the world.

FIN

 
Great work and a great ending. Lots of interesting choices. I liked Brock and Lewis the best, and Rahm and Lewis work great as a ticket.
 
Here is a list of all the tickets from 1976 onward.

1977-1981: Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia/Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota (Democratic)
1976 def. President Gerald Ford of Michigan/Senator Bob Dole of Kansas (Republican)

1981-1989: Former CIA Director George HW Bush of Texas/Former Senator Bill Brock of Tennessee (Republican)
1980 def. President Jimmy Carter of Georgia/Vice President Walter Mondale of Minnesota (Democratic)
1984 def.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale of Minnesota/Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas (Democratic)

1989-1993: Congresswomen Pat Schroeder of Colorado/Governor Bob Graham of Florida (Democratic)
1988 def. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas/Senator Warren Rudman of New Hampshire (Republican) and Activist Pat Buchanan of Virginia/Activist John Willke of Ohio (Pro-Life)

1993-2001: Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi/Former Governor Lamar Alexander of Tennessee (Republican)
1992 def. President Pat Schroeder of Colorado/Vice President Bob Graham of Florida(Democratic)
1996 def. Former Vice President Bob Graham of Florida/Governor Bob Miller of Nevada (Democratic)


2001-2007: Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey/Governor Dick Celeste of Ohio (Democratic)
2000 def. Senator Orrin Hatch/Congressman John Kasich of Ohio (Republican)
2004 def. Governor Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin/Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina (Republican)


2007: Vice President Dick Celeste of Ohio/VACANT (Democratic)

2007-2009: President Dick Celeste of Ohio/Governor Rahm Emanuel of Illinois (Democratic)

2009-2013: Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas/Governor Joe Heck of Nevada (Republican)

2012 def. President Dick Celeste of Ohio/Vice President Rahm Emanuel of Illinois (Democratic)

2013-present: Former Vice President Rahm Emanuel of Illinois/Congressman John Lewis of Georgia (Democratic)
2012 def. President Sam Brownback of Kansas/Vice President Joe Heck of Nevada (Republican)
2016 def. Former Secretary of State Ileana Ros-Lehtin/Governor Rob Portman of Ohio (Republican)
 
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