Of Pork & Barrel: The Ted Stevens Presidency

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    • IntellectuallyHonestRhino

    IntellectuallyHonestRhino

    "President Theodore Fulton Stevens, Sr., was one of the most influential presidents in the past fourty years of this nation's history." - Paul Krugman.

    "The trajectory of the 21st century radically changed under the helm of the Hoosier-born Alaskan titan that is President Ted Stevens." - Thomas Friedman.

    "The left loathed him. The right loved him. The right hated him. The left appreciated him. This sentiment best represents the complex and multi-layered legacy of President Theodore Stevens, of whom not even his closest biographers can fully assess." - Charles Cooke.


    @IntellectuallyHonestRhino presents:


    Of Pork and Barrel: The Ted Stevens Presidency


    Ted_Stevens.jpg



     
    Last edited:
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    • Presidential Election of 2000
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    • IntellectuallyHonestRhino

    IntellectuallyHonestRhino

    With a booming economy and stable world on the horizon of the 21st century, the legacy of President William Jefferson Clinton was one, that based on historical observation, would have been highly compelling as one to follow. Clinton's charisma certainly magnetized and mesmerized millions.

    However, with the Monica Lewinsky Scandal shocking families coast to coast, the stellar domestic and foreign accomplishments paled in comparison to the media charade of scandal and deceit. Clinton's coverup of his infidelity stole prophecy from his Vice President Al Gore's chances in becoming his successor.

    Faced with the realization of a close election, Al Gore decided it was important to have a Vice President who could boost his chances in a critical state without alienating large swaths of voters. He found this in Senator Bob Graham of Florida, who now increased Gore's chances of carrying the Sunshine State tenfold.

    He found competition in youthful and charismatic Governor George Walker Bush, son of Former President H.W. Bush. Bush, along with seasoned politician Dick Cheney of Wyoming, provided a formidable ticket, castigating at "budget responsibility" and "marital infidelity" with equal glee and vigor.


    gore.jpg

    (Vice President Gore at a rally comprised of union workers in Ohio, 2000.)


    128634-004-1E256203.jpg

    (Governor George Bush (R) of Texas greets supporters at a rally, 2000.)

    Domestic issues dominated the debate, from the budget and taxes to social welfare reforms. The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal also made headway, presenting Gore and the Democrats with a difficult choice, should Bill Clinton, a highly popular yet polarizing president, be involved in the campaign?

    The answer was no. "Keep it safe", Gore said. "The economy can speak for itself. World peace can speak for itself."

    The decision proved costly, as Clinton's infidelity and lying under oath already angered millions; Clinton's presence on the campaign trail had no bearing over that. The election turned very close and many started predicting a Bush presidency:


    genusmap.php


    Gore/Graham (D) - 292 (48.4%)

    Bush/Cheney (R) - 246 (47.9%)

    Nader/LaDuke (G) - 0 (2.74%)


    Except that didn't happen. Gore's choice of choosing Graham was a sensible one, awarding him victory in Florida even with many senior Jewish citizens in retirement homes accidently voting for Bush. What could have turned into a major scandal was merely a humorous trifle in election history. "What ifs" were presented, mostly on casual lines, for the sake of analysis amongst political and judicial wonks.

    Albert Arnold Gore Jr. had been elected as the 43rd President of the United States. Now it was time for Gore to shape his own legacy, and also be shaped by currents at both home and abroad.
     
    Last edited:
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    • Bomster

    Bomster

    IntellectuallyHonestRhino said:
    With a booming economy and stable world on the horizon of the 21st century, the legacy of President William Jefferson Clinton was one, that based on historical observation, would have been highly compelling as one to follow. Clinton's charisma certainly magnetized and mesmerized millions.

    However, with the Monica Lewinsky Scandal shocking families from coast to coast, the stellar domestic and foreign accomplishments paled in comparison to the media charade of scandal and deceit. Clinton's coverup of his infidelity stole prophecy from his Vice President Al Gore's chances in becoming his successor.

    Faced with the realization of a close election, Al Gore decided it was important to have a Vice President who could boost hi chances in a critical state without alienating large swaths of voters. He found this in Senator Bob Graham of Florida, who now increased Gore's chances of carrying the Sunshine State tenfold.


    gore.jpg

    (Vice President Gore at a rally comprised of union workers in Ohio, 2000.)


    Domestic issues dominated the debate, from the budget and taxes to social welfare reforms. The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal also made headway, presenting Gore and the Democrats with a difficult choice, should Bill Clinton, a highly popular yet polarizing president, be involved in the campaign?

    The answer was no. "Keep it safe", Gore said. "The economy can speak for itself. World peace can speak for itself."

    The decision proved costly, as Clinton's infidelity and lying under oath already angered millions; Clinton's presence on the campaign trail had no bearing over that. The election turned very close and many started predicting a Bush presidency:


    genusmap.php


    Gore/Graham (D) - 292 (48.4%)

    Bush/Cheney (R) - 246 (47.9%)

    Nader/LaDuke (G) - 0 (2.74%)


    Except that didn't happen. Gore's choice of choosing Graham was a sensible one, awarding him victory in Florida even with many senior Jewish citizens in retirement homes accidently voting for Bush. What could of turned into a major scandal was merely a humorous trifle in election history. "What ifs" were presented, mostly on casual lines, for the sake of analysis amongst political and judicial wonks.

    Albert Arnold Gore Jr. had been elected as the 43rd President of the United States. Now it was time for Gore to shape his own legacy, and also be shaped by currents at both home and abroad.
    Click to expand...
    So we have Gore as president. I wonder how he’ll react to 9/11...
     
    Dream Big, Dream High
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    • IntellectuallyHonestRhino

    IntellectuallyHonestRhino

    With a close shave in November, Al Gore knew that the only way he could be reelected was to be an ambitious president; stand on his own two feet. Bush Sr. fulfilled Reagan's "third term", and Gore, having defeated a Bush, did not want to become one.

    Reinstating former Clinton Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin, President Gore emphasized his new grand mission; developing an economy that produced wealth efficiently while benefited all of it's members.


    "There is no reason why the United States of America, the greatest nation on the face of the Earth, entering the 21st century, cannot create a productive economy that lifts up all. Secretary Rubin and I will work hard for that, and there are three main goals we have for this ambitious project, lowering corporate taxes so that American companies can compete right at home, raising income taxes to make up for lost revenue from lowered corporate taxes for both purposes relating to social welfare and the national debt, and finally instituting economic reforms that remove corruption from the process and promote honest trade over cronyism." - President Al Gore's economic reform speech, 2001.




    6448820c155aea81aecff68b8725672c.jpg

    (President Al Gore at a press conference, Washington D.C., 2001)
    ​

    While the speech had varying responses depending on the audience (raising taxes was not music to most American's ears), in general the idea of promoting American business and at the same time protecting the little guy garnered appeal across the board. However, the shift in economic policy scared many insiders, including long-time Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens.

    "He's after guys like me." thought the Alaskan leader. Having a political career spanning more than four decades, Senator Stevens had done much for the development of Alaska, however some of the deals involved were not the most honest in spirit. Pork and Barrel politics were common, but Stevens calmed himself with the known fact that this sort of politics was the usual within the Last Frontier state. "He's power hungry that Gore. He wants all of those who built this country in the previous generation, the greatest generation, dead and gone."

    Senator Stevens knew that Gore was his greatest threat yet, and that for the sake of his political survival he had to defeat the man from Tennessee in any way he could.
     
    Last edited:
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    • Bomster

    Bomster

    IntellectuallyHonestRhino said:
    With a close shave in November, Al Gore knew that the only way he could be reelected was to be an ambitious president; stand on his own two feet. Bush Sr. fulfilled Reagan's "third term", and Gore, having defeated a Bush, did not want to become one.

    Reinstating former Clinton Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin, President Gore emphasized his new grand mission; developing an economy that produced wealth efficiently while benefited all of it's members.


    "There is no reason why the United States of America, the greatest nation on the face of the Earth, entering the 21st century, cannot create a productive economy that lifts up all. Secretary Rubin and I will work hard for that, and there are three main goals we have for this ambitious project, lowering corporate taxes so that American companies can compete right at home, raising income taxes to make up for lost revenue from lowered corporate taxes for both purposes relating to social welfare and the national debt, and finally instituting economic reforms that remove corruption from the process and promote honest trade over cronyism."




    6448820c155aea81aecff68b8725672c.jpg

    (President Al Gore at a press conference, Washington D.C., 2001)
    ​

    While the speech had varying responses depending on the audience (raising taxes was not music to most American's ears), in general the idea of promoting American business and at the same time protecting the little guy garnered appeal across the board. However, the shift in economic policy scared many insiders, including long-time Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens.

    "He's after guys like me." thought the Alaskan leader. Having a political career spanning more than four decades, Senator Stevens had done much for the development of Alaska, however some of the deals involved were not the most honest in spirit. Pork and Barrel politics were common, but Stevens calmed himself with the known fact that this sort of politics was the usual within the Last Frontier state. "He's power hungry that Gore. He wants all of those who built this country in the previous generation, the greatest generation, dead and gone."

    Senator Stevens knew that Gore was his greatest threat yet, and that for the sake of his political survival he had to defeat the man from Tennessee in any way he could.
    Click to expand...
    And that, my friends, is how presidential aspirations are born.
     
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