Rally for the Farmers! Willie Nelson and the late 20th century populist movement

[Baconheimer]

Recently, I've begun work on a new TL. Unlike past timelines, I have quite a bit written so far and hope that I can get fairly far into this world.

I admit the idea is fairly improbable, but I hope it is interesting. A lot of credit goes to @Gonzo and @Oppo whose excellent timelines have inspired me.

EDIT: Also @MaskedPickle whose 'Giant Sucking Sound' TL with its rise of a Freedom Party.

'15,000 Farmers Angrily Protest Reagan Policies'

'Lange, Spacek, Fonda: 3 Hollywood Actresses Relate Farmers' Plight'

- Los Angeles Times Headlines, early 1985 *

"I hope that some of the money that's raised for the people in Africa, maybe they could just take a little bit of it, maybe … one or two million … to pay the mortgages on some of the farms,"
- Bob Dylan at Live Aid, July 13th 1985 **

‘Concert to Benefit Farmers to be Held in Chicago - Dylan, Young, Mellencamp, Nelson to Perform’
- The New York Times, August 10th 1985

"They're calling for heavy rain today John.

Bad? Do you think we oughta cancel it?

Not a chance! It's what we've been working towards - this show must go on."
- Conversation between Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp at the Silversmith Hotel Chicago, September 22nd 1985

'Farm Aid a Massive Success - Dylan, Mellencamp, Nelson, Young perform to rain-drenched crowd of 78,000'
- New York Times, September 23rd 1985

"Well sure I'm happy, we made a whole lot of money and it'll do some real good.

[...]

I guess I'm not totally happy with this thing, a little more rain coulda shut us down and you know where that'd put us.

[...]

Yeah, well maybe we've got to fight a little harder. What if we did more than donate money?"
- Phone Conversation between Willie Nelson and Neil Young, September 29th 1985

'Willie Nelson announces run for Governor - Famed Country Singer Pledges to Fight for Farmers'
- Chattanooga Times Free Press, January 12th 1986

'Nelson Calls for Debate With Tenn. Democratic Opponents'
- The New York Times, April 9th 1986

"I'm not in this life for power, just look at my past. I like to make music, which is why I've spent the last while doing what I've done - I must've traveled every road in this country and seen most everything there is to see. We've got a great land here, a bit of everything, but what I really noticed everywhere I went is people struggling. On every farm from California to North Carolina I saw people sad and poor. It didn't used to be this way and I aim to bring it back to how it was for the common man.'
- Excerpt from a campaign speech by Willie Nelson, Murfreesboro, April 29th 1986

'Dem Candidates Trade Shots at Debate in Nashville - Nelson Claims Opponents Have "Lost Their Way"'
- Daily Herald (Columbia, TN), May 12th 1986

Fulton - 38.78%
Nelson - 37.91%
Eskind - 21.73%
Jacox - 0.93%
Crichton - 0.65%
- Results of the Tennessee Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, August 7th 1986

'Y'know, y'all fought a good fight. I'd hoped the message of reclaiming America for the common man would have more appeal, but it seems like we'll have to wait a little longer. I'll talk to Mayor Fulton later this week and hopefully we can come to some sort of understanding...'
- Singer Willie Nelson at a concession speech in Nashville TN, August 8th 1986

"It looks like Pat Buchanan is running for President next year. I'd sure like to take a stab it going for it, but with both of us in the running we'd just split support in half. Well, we've always got 1992..."
- Evangelist Pat Robertson to his wife, Adelia, August 25th 1986

'...and it's a good thing Willie Nelson didn't take the nomination for Governor. Sure, he has some decent music, but we don't need a brainless, druggie representing Tennessee on the national stage. Can you imagine what they'd say when he...'
- Freshman Senator Albert Gore Jr., overheard at a Washington DC bar, September 5th 1986

'Sen. Gore torches Willie Nelson - Singer Fires Back Saying has a Legitimate Platform'
- Washington Post, September 8th 1986

"I'm sick and tired of being disrespected by those Washington eggheads, I've got to do something about it or we’ll never have people that represent us."
- Willie Nelson to his wife Connie, September 25th 1986

Democratic: 52 (+7)
Republican: 48 (-7)
- United States Senate Election Results, November 4th 1986

Democratic: 258 (+5)
Republican: 177 (-5)
- United States House of Representatives Results, November 4th 1986


* - As OTL
** - As OTL, taken from a Time article.

 

[Baconheimer]

'As the days count down until the next Presidential election, nearly a dozen Democrats are jockeying for position going into the primaries. Rev. Jesse Jackson, who received third place in the 1984 primaries is set to be the early favorite, as national polls show him with a decisive lead. If Mr. Jackson is able to hold the high level of support he currently has among middle class Southern and Western farmers, he will surely have a good chance of taking the Democratic nomination and perhaps the Presidency.'
- The New York Times, January 28th 1987

'Farmers to Testify Before Congress - Family Farms Bankrupt at Unprecedented Rates'
- Washington Post, February 5th 1987

"...this is the greatest issue facing our generation. The American heartland cannot survive without farming. At this rate, our grandchildren will be forced out of the land of their forefathers."
- Larry Kallem, President of Practical Farmers of Iowa testifies before Congress, February 24th 1987

"And what do you reckon'll come of all this.

Jack shit. That's all they ever do up here."
- Two unidentified farmers, overheard at the exit to the United States Capitol, February 24th 1987

"If you go along with this you're gonna be burning all your bridges, Willie. Is that something you're willing to do?

Someone's got to, and I guess it'll be me."
- Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, Kansas City, March 17th 1987

‘Hart to Try Again’
- Houston Chronicle, April 9th 1987

'Dole Announces Second Run For Presidency'
- The Washington Post, April 20th 1987

"Someone's got to stand for the farmers, and as I look around, no one is taking that job, so I guess it's me. I am forming a new political party, which we'll call Rally for the Farmers to show our commitment to simple folks. Setting up a political party is a hard task, of course, so I don't intend to have candidates all the time, and I've got no problem with endorsing worthy Democrats and Republicans."
- Willie Nelson in Houston, May 22nd 1987

"I hereby announce my intention to seek the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 1988. We need to take America back from those who seek to turn it into a Soviet satellite state and dictate our lives from Capitol Hill!"
- Former White House Communications Director Pat Buchanan, May 27th 1987

"Of course I'm running! What do you think I'm doing here?"
- Representative Jack Kemp in a bizarre interview in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 1st 1987

'Haig: I am Not Running For President'
- New York Times, June 2nd 1987

"Lee, I'd like you to look into Jesse Jackson. If I go up against him next November, I'd sure feel a lot better knowing he isn't squeaky clean."
- Vice President George Bush to Lee Atwater, June 14th 1987

"Let's make a better America, together!"
- New Mexico Senator Pete Dominici announcing his run for the Presidency, June 23rd 1987

'Penny to Leave Democrats, Join Rally For the Farmers'
- Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin, July 2nd 1987

‘Ar. Governor Clinton Will Run for President - Announces Support for “New Order of Things”’
- Boston Globe, July 9th 1987

'Rally For the Farmers Announce Endorsement of Sturdivant for Governor'
- Jackson (Mississippi) Clarion-Ledger, July 19th 1987

"I am here today to announce that I will be running for Governor of the Commonwealth of Missouri. While I identify myself with the aims of Willie Nelson and the Rally for the Farmers Party, because of undemocratic ballot access laws in this state, I am unable to be listed as a member of that party, so I will run as an independent. However, know that I am endorsed by Willie Nelson and the farmers of America!"
- Gatewood Galbraith at a speech in Lexington KY, July 25th 1987

"You know, I like Jesse Jackson."
- Willie Nelson, August 2nd 1987

'Businessman Sturdivant wins Miss. Democratic Primary - Endorsed for Governor by Willie Nelson'
- New York Times, August 4th 1987

"It's great to be back in Louisiana - I sure do love this state - 'course I could do with a little less heat right about now. I hope you'll vote for Jim, he'll fight for the common man and won't be a sellout to big companies like..."
- Willie Nelson, stumping for Democratic candidate for Governor James Brown Jr., September 5th 1987

‘Moynihan Announces Bid For Democratic Nomination’
- New York Times, September 14th 1987

“No more will your lives be dictated from corporate boardrooms! The day of the hegemony of the executive is drawing to a close, and the time for prosperity and equality is on the horizon.”
- Reverend Jesse Jackson announces his candidacy for President outside the Ford Lorain Assembly Plant, Lorain Ohio, October 10th 1987

“And how do you intend to provide money for family farms?

Look, the state of Mississippi makes a whole lot of money. We can find a little bit to give out to those in need. And besides, I’d much rather give a little bit more to people that need it than keep it in the treasury for a few people that are already rich to ogle at. {UPROARIOUS APPLAUSE}”
- An exchange between businessmen Jack Reed (R) and Mike Sturdivant (D) at the Mississippi Gubernatorial Debate, October 11th 1987

"I'm running for President."
- Vice President George Bush, October 15th 1987

"While Nelson-supported candidates for the Governorship in Kentucky, and Mississippi are garnering significant support, the new Rally for the Farmers Party has experienced a surge in interest in downballot state legislative and local races. In Virginia, where the State Senate and House of Delegates are up for election this year pro-Nelson candidates are attracting significant support. In Louisa County..."
- John Chancellor, NBC Nightly News, October 29th 1987

‘Edwards Withdraws From Second Round - Endorses Tauzin for “Party Unity”’
- Times-Picayune, November 2nd 1987

"We fought a good fight here. We gave the Democrats and Republicans a run for their money, but unfortunately it just wasn't enough. But never doubt for one moment that I'll stop fighting!"
- Gatewood Galbraith's concession speech, November 4th 1987

"Sure, I'm a bit disappointed by what happened in Kentucky and Louisiana, but look at what happened in Mississippi - Mike Sturdivant got more votes than any Democrat since 1979. I don't mean to brag, but this is what it looks like when the people get behind a candidate. Gatewood and Jim both did pretty well and, who knows, in a coupla years we could have Rally Party Governors there."
- Willie Nelson, November 5th 1987

Jesse Jackson - 26%
Gary Hart - 18%
Daniel Patrick Moynihan - 15%
Bill Clinton - 11%
Lloyd Bentsen - 8%
Al Gore - 4%
Paul Simon - 3%
Joe Biden - 2%
Other/Undecided - 13%
- Polling for the Democratic nomination, mid-November 1987

Thanks to @Gonzo for these wonderful infoboxes. While this TL gets a bit implausible right around here, hopefully it's still enjoyable.

 

[Baconheimer]

“We will be running candidates at all levels during next year’s general election. Depending on the results of certain primary races, we may endorse candidates of other parties, including for the Presidency.”
- Russ Verney, Rally for the Farmers Party Chairman, December 1st 1987

“Democratic frontrunner Reverend Jesse Jackson was hit yesterday by allegations that he fathered a child with a white Detroit woman, Mary Anderson. While these claims are as of yet unsubstantiated, the Jackson campaign has taken a significant hit.”
- John Chancellor, NBC News, December 5th 1987

“This is nothing but a hit job intended to prey on racial prejudices. I have had no extramarital relationships with anyone of any race.”
- Reverend Jesse Jackson, December 8th 1987

Bush - 32%
Buchanan - 28%
Dominici - 11%
Dole - 9%
Kemp - 9%
Du Pont - 2%
Undecided/Other - 15%
- Bush Campaign Internal Polling for the Michigan Primary, December 20th 1987

"Lee, it looks bad right now. We're neck and neck with Pat in Michigan and he's ahead all over the place. We've got to do something about it or we won't be here to fight him in two months."
- The White House, December 23rd 1987

‘Pat Buchanan has stated that his three heroes are Joe McCarthy, Douglas MacArthur, and Francisco Franco. Do you really want a man that idolizes a fascist dictator as President?’
- Pro-Bush campaign ad aired nationally, January 3rd 1988

‘Jackson Campaign in Freefall - Claims of Affair Still Unsubstantiated’
- New York Times, January 10th 1988

Bush - 48%
Buchanan - 29%
Dominici - 8%
Kemp - 7%
Du Pont - 4%
Dole - 2%
- Results of the Michigan Primary, January 14th 1988

“We may have lost in Michigan, but there are still 49 other states in the union. I will continue the fight against Sovietism, Atheism, and Abortionism there!”
- Pat Buchanan, January 15th 1988

‘Dole Wins Kansas - Bush Makes Strong Showing’
- New York Times, February 8th 1988

‘Hart Sweeps Iowa Caucus - Biden Suspends Campaign’
- Chicago Tribune, February 9th 1988

‘Hart Takes New Hampshire’
- Washington Post, February 17th 1988

“Gary Hart won in New Hampshire with a hefty lead of 45%. When you consider that he went up against six other candidates and got such a large percentage of the vote, you have to ask: is Gary Hart inevitable?”
- Eleanor Clift on the McLaughlin Group, February 20th 1988

“Jesse Jackson’s poor performance in the February 23rd primaries was the nail in the coffin for his 1988 campaign. Despite support from elder statesmen in the Twin Cities area that would normally have carried the state, Jackson failed to take even third place in the Minnesota primary. If Jesse Jackson couldn’t win over traditionally Democratic white liberals, there was no chance of him taking the nomination. It was little surprise to party insiders when the Reverend Jackson announced that he would suspend his campaign the next day.”
- From Sweat and Tears: the Jesse Jackson Story, published 2007

‘Bush Wins Maine! Buchanan Behind in Polls’
- Boston Globe, February 29th 1988

'It's Bush! - Buchanan Drops Out, Endorses the Vice President'
- Washington Post, March 9th 1988

'Hart Sweeps Super Tuesday - Bentsen, Moynihan Withdraw'
- New York Times, March 9th 1988

"The Democrats look like they're going to nominate Gary Hart. Gary won't be too good a friend to the farmers of the United States, and, frankly, I'm not especially interested in supporting him for President. The Republican options at the moment aren't worth a dime. Seeing all this, I can't help but ask, who will stand up for the heartland? I figure I'll take the job."
- Willie Nelson announces his run for the Presidency, March 21st 1988

‘Soviets Begin Withdrawal From Afghanistan’
- Washington Post, May 1st 1988

'Nelson Announces Running-Mate - Jennifer Alden Wesner, Former Penn. Mayor - Once Posed Topless for Magazine'
- New York Times, July 12th 1988

"...In retrospect, Jenn Wesner wasn't exactly the best choice in 1988. But at the time, it wasn't an especially hard decision. We had dozens of minor singers clamoring for a chance at the spot, but Willie wasn't too fond of picking one of them. Sure, we had elected representatives across the country, but none of them were especially willing to jeopardize their positions for a doomed national race. The fact she [Jennifer Wenser] wanted the spot was near-miraculous. She took the job very seriously and was a tireless campaigner. Unfortunately, she had a bit of an independent streak, and every time she spoke it seemed like Willie had to apologize for something. I recall there was this one time back in, Fargo I think it was..."
- 1988 Nelson Campaign Manager Angus King in a 2009 interview with CBS News

'Democrats nominate Mass. Gov Michael Dukakis for VP'
- Los Angeles Times, July 21st 1988

“I ah like Willie Nelson. We don’t agree on everything, but I truly believe that he will fight for the American people as hard as he can.”
- Former Democratic Presidential Aspirant Rev. Jesse Jackson, July 29th 1988

"I accept this party’s nomination for Vice President of the United States of America!"
- Representative Jack Kemp at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 18th 1988

“Believe it or not, I think Willie Nelson is the best option for America right now. George Bush is a warmonger - never forget that his father aided the rise of the Nazis in Germany - and Gary Hart is a blowhard that will do whatever his donor overlords say. Willie Nelson may have the wrong ideas on some things, but he is his own man and we can’t forget that.”
- Former Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) stumping for Willie Nelson in Pittsburg, TX, September 1st 1988

Bush - 39%
Hart - 36%
Nelson - 16%
Undecided - 9%
- Gallup Polling, September 7th 1988

“Mr. Nelson, how do you respond to allegations that you frequently smoked marijuana while a guest of Former President Jimmy Carter while at the White House?

Look, I may have smoked a few joints in my time. A lot of America has. Marijuana does not make you a bad person, and you ain’t a bad person if you smoke a bit. Marijuana has a number of number of medicinal benefits that I’m sure you’d be able to see if it was legalized.

Are you suggesting that you would legalize marijuana if elected President?

Well, I’d try. I imagine it’d be hard to get Congress on board with it, but I see no reason why something that don’t hurt anyone should be banned.”
- An exchange between Moderator Robert MacNeil and Willie Nelson at the first Presidential Debate, University of South Carolina, September 18th 1988

‘EXCLUSIVE: REAGAN ADMINISTRATION SOLD ARMS TO IRAN’
- New York Times, September 23rd 1988

‘I Knew Nothing - Bush Speaks on Iran Arms Scandal’
- Washington Post, September 26th 1988

“This deal was made by rogue elements within the White House. I was completely unaware of this and, if it is necessary I will take action against those responsible.”
-Vice President George Bush in a campaign speech in Columbus, Ohio, October 1st 1988

“That son of a bitch thinks he can throw me under the bus!? He’ll pay for this, you know.

Don’t be too hasty, Ollie. Who knows what might happen if you go against Bush right now.

The fucker is going to pay for this.”
-USMC Colonel Oliver North to Secretary of State and Former National Security Advisor Bud McFarlane, October 2nd 1988

“Can we trust George Bush? I say no. Look, George Bush practically has run the White House for the last few years. Does anyone honestly believe he didn’t know about selling arms to one of our greatest enemies? I cry foul, George Bush must have known.”
- Democratic Presidential Nominee Gary Hart in Kansas City, Missouri, October 3rd 1988

‘Kemp and Dukakis Battle to Draw - Wesner Appears Indecisive, Confused’
- The New York Times on the Vice Presidential Debate, October 6th 1988

“I’ll say again that I have no knowledge of any arms deals with Iran - I was as shocked as anyone to hear these allegations.”
- Vice President George Bush during the Second Presidential Debate at Sam Houston State University, October 13th 1988

“This just goes to show the two-facedness of our politicians today. We need somebody honest in the White House, someone that won’t sell guns to people that he criticizes at home. Willie Nelson is that man. He’ll do what he says.”
- Jennifer Wesner in Marshall, Texas October 14th 1988

‘Hart Ahead in Polls’
- Orlando Sentinel, October 14th 1988

“The race really tired me out. I wasn’t expecting it to be easy, but it was a lot harder than I’d thought. In the early stages, I was actually hoping to make a run for the Senate or House later on, but after all that...well, I just wanted some peace and quiet.”
-Jennifer Wesner in an interview with NBC, 2010

Democratic: 57 (+6) [Robb wins VA, Melcher holds MT, Al Swift takes WA]
Republican: 43 (-6) [Pete Dawkins wins NJ]
- United States Senate Election Results, November 8th 1988

Democratic: 259 (+3)
Republican: 175 (-3)
Rally for the Farmers: 2 (+1) [Tim Penny, Collin Peterson wins election]
- United States House of Representatives Results, November 8th 1988

“We did it!”
- President-Elect Gary Hart’s Victory Speech in Denver, Colorado November 8th 1988

‘Hart Beats Bush - Democrats Make Gains Downballot - Nelson Gets 8% of the Vote’
- The New York Times, November 9th 1988

“The 1988 election was a watershed moment for the party. We had our hopes pinned on Willie, and really needed him to perform well. Before 1988 we didn’t have ballot access in every state. Our candidates ran on names like “Pro-Nelson”, “Willie Nelson Party”, and just “independent”. In some places, we had to resort to endorsing Democrats or running as members of minor parties, like Peace and Freedom. It was a real mess, and we avoided a lot more headaches by registering in every state as a serious party. We really were lucky that Willie reached the criteria to have the Rally accredited everywhere. A few million votes here and there, and we could have been a footnote.”
- Rally for the Farmers Party Chairman Russ Verney, 2010

‘Bush: “I Was Set Up”’
- Washington Post, November 11th, 1988

“If Gary Hart wants to talk to me, I’ll go and meet him. But - I doubt he wants to see me.”
- Willie Nelson, November 14th 1988

“Do you really expect me to meet to with him? He’s a crazy fool. I’m sure he has lots to say, but I’m not sure how much of it I want to hear.”
- President-Elect Gary Hart in a leaked conversation with Campaign Manager William Dixon, December 5th 1988

‘I Ain’t No Fool - Willie Nelson - Calls Hart “Confused”’
- New York Times, December 7th 1988

Again, thanks to @Gonzo for the infobox.

 

[Baconheimer]

I've decided to create a list of Senators for my ease. Because of that, I'm revising some numbers I've already thrown out.

Start of 100th Congress (January 1987)
Democrats: 54 (+7)
Republicans: 46 (-7)

Start of 101st Congress (January 1989)
Democrats: 59 (+6)
Republicans: 41 (-6)

This should help me keep track of Rally Senators and generally be more helpful. If you have questions, please ask!

 

[Baconheimer]

“It’s time for a change! We’re going to get an America that works for all of us.”
- President Gary Hart gives his inaugural address, January 20th 1989

President: Gary Hart (D-CO)
Vice President: Michael Dukakis (D-MA)

Secretary of State: Lee Hamilton (D-IN)
Secretary of the Treasury: Robert Rubin (D-NY)
Secretary of Defense: W. Graham Claytor (D-VA)
Attorney-General: Amalya Kearse (D-NJ)
Secretary of the Interior: Bill Clinton (D-AR)
Secretary of Agriculture: Bruce Babbitt (D-AZ)
Secretary of Commerce: Al From (D-IN)
Secretary of Labor: Neil Goldschmidt (D-OR)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Gerald “Jerry” Austin (D-OH)
Secretary of Transportation: Roy West (D-VA)

Chief of Staff: Oliver “Pudge” Henkel

“What’s the future of the Rally Party?

We’ll see- if the Democrats make the right choices, I’ll vote with them, but if they keep on trying to pass neoliberal policies, I have no interest in associating with them again.”
- Representative Tim Penny (RftF-MN), February 3rd, 1989

“I’m not especially pleased with the Hart Administration so far. The President is not as supportive of organized labor as I hoped he would be.”
- Former Vice President Walter Mondale, March 12th 1989

“We’ve got candidates lined up to run for Governor in New Jersey and Virginia. The party is attempting to gain ballot access in all 50 states, as it looks like President Hart isn’t going to do all we hoped he might.”
- Rally for the Farmers Party Chairman Russ Verney, March 21st 1989

‘Little Change in Hart Fed Policy - Insiders Say Hart Not Especially Different From Reagan’
- Wall Street Journal, June 28th 1989

“I’ve got no plans to pack up my bags anytime soon. I’ll keep this party going until Washington gets it through their head that we’re going to fight until we can get good protection for American farmers.”
- Willie Nelson in an interview with NBC News, July 8th 1989

“In Washington, allegations of improper conduct by several members of Congress, including Senators Cranston, McCain, DeConcini, and Glenn and Speaker Wright have come out. Reportedly, they had ties to embattled Savings and Loans Associations, and may have used their government positions to protect their financial interests. House Minority Leader Michel has…”
- CNN Moneyline Host Lou Dobbs, August 4th 1989

“I doubt these trusted representatives of the American people had any involvement in these supposed acts of corruption. I suppose there will be an investigation, but I can’t imagine they will find evidence of any wrongdoing.”
- President Gary Hart, August 9th 1989

“Look at the corruption within the American government. Can an honest person really hope to prosper when our leaders. I urge all Americans to vote against dishonesty and immorality whenever they can.”
- Evangelist Pat Robertson speaking on the 700 Club, August 15th 1989

‘SPEAKER WRIGHT RESIGNS! - Denies Any Wrongdoing, But Insists on Resignation to Protect the Democratic Party’
- Washington Post, August 17th 1989

- Results of the August 16th election for Speaker of the House of Representatives

“I call on the Senate to investigate the alleged wrongdoing by its members. At the same time, to prevent any further improprieties by Savings and Loans organizations, I propose a new bill that will protect American citizens from predatory financial tactics.”
- Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) speaks on the steps of the Capitol, August 21st 1989 shortly before the resignations of Senators McCain, DeConcini, Cranston, and Glenn *

“Mister President, what do you have to say regarding your previous remarks on the so-called Senators on Loan given that they have resigned in the last several days?

I stand by my words. I was then under the impression that they were innocent of all allegations levelled against them. I’d like to remind the American people that these charges have not yet been brought to trial and that guilt has not yet been proven.”
- An exchange between Ann Compton of CNN and President Gary Hart on August 22nd 1989

Approve: 43% (-8)
Disapprove: 48% (+6)
Don’t Know: 9% (+2)
- Approval Ratings of President Hart following the infamous East Room Press Conference of August 22nd 1989

‘Mr Nelson, there have been claims that your party’s positions are inconsistent, what do you have to say to this?

Sure, we are a bit inconsistent, but that’s because we don’t try to tell everyone what they can and cannot do. We have some general rules, but each individual candidate can decide exactly what they believe and we let them talk about what interests them.”
- From an interview with Willie Nelson, September 10th 1989

‘Civil Rights Act Passed - Bill Makes it Easier To Prove Workplace Discrimination - Bill Flew Under the Radar’
- Washington Post, September 12th 1989

‘Financial Reform and Consumer Protection Act Passed - Bill Creates Regulatory Board to Watch Over Savings and Loans Associations, Credit Unions’
- Washington Post, October 3rd, 1989

‘Trible wins Governorship - Edwards and Rally Split Vote with Diamonstain’
- Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 8th 1989 **

‘Cardinale Wins - Sciarra Racks Up 10%’
- Newark Star-Ledger, November 8th 1989 ***

“As votes are done being counted throughout the country, it seems clear that the Democrats have suffered, probably as a result of the embattled President Hart, who faces a lackluster economy and allegations of corruption. Notably, Willie Nelson’s Rally Party has garnered large margins and won seats in local governments nationwide…”
- Jessica Savitch , NBC News, November 12th 1989

‘Mandela Freed From Prison - Major Anti-Apartheid Activist Imprisoned Since 1964’
- February 12th, 1990

“The so-called State of Kuwait is a rightful part of Iraq. The ‘Emir’ of Kuwait was only put in charge there through the machinations of Britain.”
- From an Iraqi propaganda broadcast, March 1990

‘Iraq Invades Kuwait’
- Washington Post, August 18th 1990

“President Hart has advised me that If Iraq does not withdraw its forces from Kuwait within three weeks, the United States is committed to any actions necessary to protect the sovereignty of the State of Kuwait.”
- American Ambassador to the United Nations Charles H. Price II, September 1st 1990

“The deadline we gave Iraq has come and gone. Saddam Hussein has refused to move his troops from rightful Kuwaiti territory. I am forced to commit American forces to action in defense of our loyal ally.”
- President Hart in a televised address from the Oval Office, late evening September 8th 1990

‘Iraqi Forces Forced From Kuwait - Coalition Forces Push Into Iraq’
-New York Times, September 13th 1990

“I’m here with the First Brigade of the Third Armored Division, currently some eight miles south of Al Hillah. Since the breakout from the Kurdish border last week, Allied forces have come to be involved in a race towards Baghdad, capital of Iraq. The mood is cautious, yet somewhat celebratory among the men of the Third Armor, as there has been little resistance against the our well-supplied troops in days. Sixty miles away, in Baghdad, there are rumors that Saddam Hussein has fled for the…”
- Mike Boettcher, reporting for CNN in Iraq, September 27th 1990

“At the direction of the President of the United States, I have issued orders to create a new organization that will oversee Iraq between its liberation and the time when democratic institutions are suitably established. Harold H. Saunders, former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs will be tasked with the leadership of the Iraq Transitional Authority for Democracy.”
- Secretary of State Sam Nunn, September 29th 1990

“The Iraq War was the first major conflict of the Electronic Age. We had a field day with new technology: satellites that could give us live transmission from equipment that just kept getting better - and more compact, too. We could get shots that the people ate right up. Watching American tanks speeding down highways and our boys posing next to captured Iraqi buildings, well, it made viewers think they were in on the action, and that they shared in the victory against Iraq. Of course, those very same techniques came back to bite us in the ass after Baghdad fell and we got Saddam and the war became a whole lot more complex.”
-An interview with Former CBS News CEO Les Moonves for the 100 Years of CBS documentary series, 2027

‘West and East Germany Unify’
- Washington Post, October 5th 1990

‘British and American forces entered Baghdad today. While there was heavy fighting on the outskirts, Allied forces entered the town with minimal resistance, despite small pockets of from the fanatical Republican Guards, who have reportedly taken an oath to die before letting their leader fall into enemy hands. While members of the Revolutionary Command Council and upper level military leaders have been rounded up, there is no sign of Saddam Hussein and his immediate family, who are believed to have fled to the safety of their tribe, which is centered around the northern town of Tikrit. President Hart has…”
- A BBC radio broadcast, October 8th 1990

‘Saddam Hussein Captured’
- New York Daily Post, October 19th 1990

‘Iraq Fully Occupied’
- Daily Mirror, October 25th 1990

‘Iraq War a Boon For Democrats - Republicans, Rally Still Expected to Make Gains’
-The New York Times, October 28th 1990

Democratic: 53 (-6)
Republican: 46 (+5)
Rally for the Farmers: 1 (+1) [Paul Wellstone]
- United States Senate Election Results, November 8th 1990

Democratic: 241 (-16)
Republican: 188 (+12)
Rally for the Farmers: 6 (+4) [James Boren in OK, Angus King in ME-02]
- United States House of Representatives Results, November 6th 1990

* - By 1991 McCain replaced by James Francis McNulty, Deconcini by James Shumway, Glenn by Don Pease, and Cranston by Bob Dornan.
** - John S. Edwards, a Virginia State Senate member IOTL
*** - Michael C. Sciarra, a candidate for the New Jersey governorship in 1989 IOTL

 

[Baconheimer]

‘Colorado Woman had Sexual Relationship With Hart - Affair Lasted Three Years’
- Boston Herald, December 9th 1990

“Shit! Why didn’t we get news of this earlier? A month ago and the Senate could have been ours!”
- Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), December 11th 1990

“President Hart has done very little for American farmers. I had hoped he would take steps to solve the serious issue that is the decline of American family farming, yet he has done nothing. I cannot stand idly by while millions of Americans sink into depression and poverty.”
- Secretary of Agriculture Bruce Babbitt (D-AZ) announces his resignation, December 19th 1990

‘Jello Biafra Announces Run for Mayor - Biafra Headman of Dead Kennedys - Molinari Expresses Surprise’
- San Francisco Chronicle, January 21st 1991

“I’ve had enough.”
-Representative Jim Traficant (D-OH) to Majority Whip William Gray (D-PA) shortly before announcing a switch to the Rally for the Farmers, February 14th 1991

“Casualties are up 175% in the last two months. We’ve got to do something: it’s hard to tell who we’re fighting and who our allies are.”
- White House Chief of Staff Gary Bachula to President Gary Hart, February 27th 1991

‘Iraqi Transitional Authority to Try Saddam Hussein For Crimes Against Humanity - No Mention on When Trial To Occur’
- Washington Post, March 6th 1991

‘Missouri Ratifies 27th Amendment - Congressional Pay Raises will not Take Effect Until next Session’
- Washington Post, March 10th 1991

‘Harold Washington Party Appeal Successful in Federal Courts’
- Chicago Tribune, March 22nd 1991

“I’ll say now that Gary Hart was not everything I hoped he would be when I endorsed him for President of the United States. The Hart administration has not done all it can to assist the African-American community in the United States, and I’d urge African-American voters to keep this in mind in the future. Don’t vote for someone simply because of the ‘Dee’ next to their name, vote for someone because their policies will help you.”
- President Emeritus Ralph Abernathy of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, April 4th 1991

“Former Vice Presidential nominee Jack Kemp is widely seen as the early frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Though Kemp has not yet officially announced his candidacy, surrogates are already canvassing early primary states in hopes of raising Kemp’s profile even further. Meanwhile, sources within the White House have related that the embattled President fears a primary challenge from the liberal wing of his party. Senator…”
- Lynne Russell, CNN News, May 17th 1991

‘Saddam Hussein has first Hearing - Hussein to be tried for Crimes Against Humanity’
- Chicago Tribune, July 14th 1991

“I run against the excesses of both parties. I am for America first - it is our time to shine and I won’t let politicians greed and debauchery get in our way!”
- Televangelist Pat Robertson announces his bid for the Republican nomination flanked by Oliver North and Jerry Falwell, August 5th 1991

‘Sen. Bill Bradley Announces Primary Challenge to Hart - Bradley Decries Hart As ‘Ineffective Blowhard’
- Washington Post, August 26th 1991

‘Dole - I’ll Give it Another Shot’
- New York Times, September 5th 1991

‘Dominici Announces Second Run for President - Portrays Himself as Conservative Champion’
- Santa Fe New Mexican, October 2nd 1991

“My fellow Chicagoans, what has Richard Daley done for you? Can you say your life has got any better since Daley came to be Mayor? Our city has gone deeper into debt and jobs continue to flow out, to Indiana, to China. We can’t continue on this path, join me, and we’ll take Chicago back from the politicians.”
- Harold Washington Party Nominee for Mayor of Chicago R. Eugene Pincham, October 14th 1991

“Look at what’s happening in Chicago and San Francisco - there’s serious backlash to your policies, Mr. President. The old left economic wing doesn’t seem too happy with you, and then there’s Chicago. Look, the black community there voted against Richard Daley three to one, we need to make peace with the African-American wing or there’s no way we can win next year. You’ve got to tread lightly, sir.”
- Hart reelection campaign manager Rahm Emanuel, November 15th 1991

‘Robertson, Dominici Compete for Evangelical Vote’
- Washington Post, December 7th 1991

“If elected President, I will remove American soldiers from Iraq within three years. Defending our allies is important, but Americans should not die overseas for no purpose. I ask you, what are we doing in Iraq? Is it worth it?”
- Pat Robertson in a campaign speech, December 11th 1991

“Governor Scranton may have done some good things for the people of Pennsylvania, but look at him now. He’s a practicing Buddhist and there is strong evidence that he has participated in drug use in the-

Mr. Robertson! This is hardly-
-in the past. Is this really the man you want representing our country to the world?”
- Pat Robertson and William Scranton at a Republican Presidential Debate, January 15th 1992

Robertson - 42%
Kemp - 31%
Dole - 8%
Dominici - 7%
Scranton - 5%
Wilson - 4%
Alexander - 2%
Other - 1%
- Results of Republican Iowa Caucuses, February 3rd 1992

‘Hart Takes Iowa’
- Washington Post, February 11th 1992

“Brothers, we must face the reality that the Americans may not be the best thing to ever come to this country. While I do not say that we should take up arms against them as the most radical of our countrymen do, we must keep wary lest they leave all power in the hands of Baghdad again.”
- Idris Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) to the Eleventh Congress of the PDK, February 14th 1992

‘Connie Francis Announces Run For Senate - “If Willie Nelson Can Get Into Politics, So Can I”’
- Orlando Sentinel, February 15th 1992

“Shockingly, Senator Bradley won the state of New Hampshire in last night’s primary by a razor-thin margin. Both candidates will walk away with nine delegates, but Bradley’s popular vote victory over the President has sent shockwaves through the Hart campaign.

On the Republican side of the race, Pat Robertson has come from behind to take the Granite State. Senator Dominici has already suspended his campaign and endorsed Robertson. Establishment Republicans are speculated to rally behind a single candidate to prevent Pat Robertson from winning the nomination.”
- Essex Porter, KIRO Morning News, February 19th 1992

‘Can Bradley Replicate New Hampshire Successes?’
- Time Magazine, March 2nd 1992

“While Senator Bradley was able to capture Maryland and Minnesota in yesterday’s Super Tuesday primaries, the President secured six other states by comfortable margins. Hart now has a sizable delegate lead and is very much favored for renomination.”
- CNN News, March 11th 1992

“I see no path forward for victory. I am hereby suspending my campaign in the interest of party unity.”
- Senator Bill Bradley suspends his campaign after the April 7th primaries

‘Bradley Wins New Jersey Despite Dropping Out’
- New York Times, June 3rd 1992

‘Kemp Drops Out, Endorses Robertson - Scranton Remains in Race, Vows to Fight Robertson at Convention’
- Washington Post, June 3rd 1992

‘Hussein sentenced to death’
- New York Times, August 5th 1992

‘Robertson Nominated on First Ballot - Picks Penn. Senator Heinz for VP’
- New York Daily Post, August 18th 1992

“Wake up America! It’s our time.”
-Keynote Address at the 1992 Republican National Convention given by Senator Pete Dominici in Philadelphia, August 18th 1992

‘Nelson Renominated For President - Rally Chooses Former Agriculture Sec. Babbit for VP’
- August 27th, 1992

“We all knew it would be Nelson again. Sure, he didn’t have much political experience, but the Rally Party of 1992 was really very much a Willie Nelson cult of personality. Nominating anyone else would probably have alienated many of our voters, and who knows what would’ve happened if we’d done that at such a crucial point.”
- Ted Weill, Rally for the Farmers National Committeeman, 1991-1997

“We were all shocked when William Proxmire threw his hat into the ring. Bill Bradley gave us quite a shock, but we assumed that after he dropped out it would be smooth sailing. Sure, there was the possibility that Lee [Atwater] might throw some sort of scandal our way, but something like what Proxmire did? We never saw that coming.”
- Jim Carville, Hart campaign advisor in a 2011 interview for Ken Burns’ ‘The Nineties' *

Robertson - 34%
Hart - 28%
Nelson - 16%
Proxmire - 7%
Undecided/Other - 15%
- Polling on Labor Day (September 7th) 1992

“Looking back, what we did with William Proxmire wasn’t right. Al [Franken] portrayed him as a bumbling, dementia patient with almost no understanding of the political situation of the nineties. I mean, sure, we had Hart as an idiotic womanizer and Robertson as a fanatically devout redneck, but those were a lot closer to the truth than with what we did about William Proxmire. Like it or not, he did have some good ideas and was as bright a mind at eighty as he ever was.”
- Robert Schneider, Saturday Night Live Cast member speaks in a 2017 interview on his role on the show

‘Proxmire Collapses at Rally in Detroit’
-Washington Post, September 16th 1992

“Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I suffered a little bout of pneumonia, but thankfully, I am recovering. A little ill health won’t push me out of this race.”
-William Proxmire speaks publicly for the first time since his collapse four days earlier, September 19th 1992

“Crime doesn’t pay if you’re a farmer, but it does if you’re a Senator. A vote for Nelson is a vote for clean government.”
-An RftF campaign ad from the 1992 presidential race referencing a popular saying from several years before

“Willie Nelson seems big on spending, but doesn’t seem to know where the money for that spending will come from. I support the American farmer as much as the next man, but the things he’s proposing are just unreasonable. Willie Nelson would only be able to get money to the farms by draining everywhere else dry.”
- Pat Robertson at a Presidential debate, October 12th 1992

‘Poll: Robertson Ahead’
- Washington Examiner, October 19th, 1992

‘Perhaps one of the oddest events in an campaigning season full of oddities was the Charleston debate of October 1992. In an interest to get on the map, then-President of the College of Charleston Richard Morrill devised a scheme to host a Presidential debate on the campus. Pat Robertson and Gary Hart were shoe-ins, and were sent invitations without thought. In the interest of completeness, invitations were also extended to Willie Nelson and Bill Proxmire as well as Libertarian Richard Boddie. This was a crucial moment for the Proxmire campaign, as the Wisconsinite had been excluded from all previous debates. Upon learning of Proxmire’s acceptance, Hart dropped out. Pat Robertson stated that he would not participate in a debate without Hart. This left Nelson, Proxmire, and Boddie. The College considered cancelling the debate, but decided against it as numerous stations confirmed they were still willing to broadcast it. The debate itself, held on Friday, October 23rd, turned out to be a slaughter. Willie Nelson got the best of both his opponents, and though weak on policy, Nelson was able to get the crowd entranced. Boddie, the first African-American nominee of the Libertarian Party, proved a tireless attack dog and went mercilessly after the aged Proxmire. The Charleston debate proved inconsequential, as Proxmire’s standing in the polls continued their slide downwards and Nelson’s continued up. In the end, the debate proved to be a gigantic money drain for the College, and President Morrill resigned in disgrace shortly after.”
- Fire, Brimstone, and F-16s: Decision 1992

“It’s time for a change - but first we need Gary Hart out of the White House. Get out and vote for Pat Robertson. A vote for Robertson is a vote for America.”
- A campaign ad aired primarily in the northeast in October and early November 1992

Republican: 52 (+6)
Democratic: 45 (-8)
Rally for the Farmers: 3 (+2) [Russ Feingold, Harry Lonsdale]
- United States Senate Election Results, November 3rd 1992

Democratic: 219 (-22)
Republican: 200 (+12)
Rally for the Farmers: 14 (+6) [Joseph Brennan ME-01, Dick Lamm CO, John Hickenlooper CO, Jim Hightower TX]
Harold Washington Party: 1 (+1)
Independent: 1 (+1)
- United States House of Representatives Results, November 3rd 1992 **

‘Sen. Graham Unseated by Francis - Francis, singer, has not held previous office’
- Miami Herald, November 4th 1992

‘Protests Across Country - Opposition to President-Elect Robertson Escalates’
- Washington Post, November 5th 1992

“We need calm. This nation has held strongly to the peaceful transition of power since its very beginning, and I don’t think we should end that now. I urge all who are violent to ask themselves: does America deserve this?”
- President Gary Hart, November 9th 1992

“Sure, calm is good, but Pat Robertson is perhaps the most dangerous thing to ever come to America. We need to be vigilant and maintain the separation of church and state that I fear may come to be eroded under the Robertson administration.”
- Senator Howard Metzenbaum, November 10th 1992

“The consensus view in the early nineties among the Democratic leadership was that Rally for the Farmers was one of those ephemeral political movements in America that shines for a few years, then fades into obscurity. We all figured ‘92 would be the end of them, but then Willie Nelson outperformed what anyone could have even dreamed of. It must have been early December, just about a month after the election that John Marino, party chair at the time, called a couple of the party’s top strategists in. We formed what was called the December Committee, and our goal was to bring the plains and Rally voters back into the fold. We had it all wrong, and attacking Willie Nelson wasn’t the right choice, but that’s what we did and it’s no surprise it all blew up in our faces. If we’d just done a little more research, I might not be a-”
- Jim Carville, then a Democratic strategist, speaks on the aftermath of the failed Hart re-election campaign

“Saddam Hussein, former dictator of Iraq, was executed several hours ago by representatives of the provisional government. Hussein had appealed an August decision to execute him, but a judge recently ruled against Hussein. Reportedly, Hussein’s last words were ‘Death to America, Long Live Iraq’”
- CNN news, November 18th 1992

‘Iraqi Constitutional Convention Ends - Convention Delegates Vote to Ratify Document’
- Wall Street Times, December 12th 1992

“A day before the inauguration of Pat Robertson, Washington DC has swelled to several million times its normal population. Inaugural Committee Head Marion Edwyn Harrison has said that nearly one and a half million people are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony on the National Mall. There is no lack of opposition to the president-elect, however. Many protests are planned in the next week, and figures as diverse as Jesse Jackson and Eugene McCarthy have announced they will be present at these rallies. The Secret Service has announced they will be…”
- a local news anchor, January 19th 1993

* - Proxmire's running mate was former Carter-era Ambassador to Algeria Ulrich Haynes.
** - Independent is Bernie Sanders in Vermont, Harold Washington Party is Bobby Rush, who defeated incumbent Charles Hayes.

As usual, many of the infoboxes are made by @Gonzo

 

[Baconheimer]

‘The Natural Law Party (NLP) was an international political party and a political outgrowth of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) Movement. The first branch of the NLP was founded in Britain in the spring of 1991 under the orders of the Maharishi. The platform drafted focused on the implementation of Transcendental Meditation practices in the government to reduce crime and violence. The platform also included strict bans on pollution and advocacy for renewable energy. Branches were founded in other countries soon after and most modelled their platforms and structure on the British party. Up to 75 states had NLP branches at the movement’s height in the 1990s, though the British branch experienced the most electoral successes. Natural Law candidates stood in Parliamentary by-elections in 1990 and early 1991, but most lost their deposits as they received far less than 5 percent of the vote. Shortly after Parliament was dissolved in June 1991, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, both of the Beatles and practitioners of Transcendental Meditation, opted to stand in the upcoming election. While skeptical of becoming involved in politics, both were swayed by the strong performance of fellow singer Willie Nelson in the 1988 United States Presidential Election. The popularity of Harrison and Starr brought the party five seats in the election and nearly 1.5 percent of the vote nationally. Starr, elected Party Leader in the House of Commons, quickly was sidelined in actual policy-making by Party Whip Christopher Barwood, as Starr and Harrison showed little political ability. Private correspondence between the Maharishi and Harrison recovered after Harrison’s death show he contemplated resigning from Parliament throughout 1991, but was dissuaded from doing so. Natural Law’s next major stepping stone was the by-election to the European Parliament triggered by the death of Birmingham West Labour MEP John Tomlinson in a motor vehicle accident in May 1992. Attempts at recruiting Paul McCartney to stand for the seat fell through, and Ringo Starr was persuaded to give up his Parliamentary seat. In a shocking upset, Starr beat Labour opponent Theresa Stewart and Alan Sked of the newly formed British Alliance. Natural Law MPs were especially important in Parliament in advocating for clean energy and government subsidies for its expansion. In the 1994 Parliamentary election, George Harrison declined to stand again, and Natural Law ended with only three MPs and a significantly smaller share of the popular vote as many of its 1991 voters defected to Mandelson’s Labour Party. 1994 signalled the start of the decline of the Parliamentary Natural Law Party, as their share of MPs fell to just one, Martin Creese, by the time of the party’s merging with the Greens to form the Ecological Alliance in 2006. The Natural Law Party experienced more successes in European Parliament elections, however. Ringo Starr proved a much more astute MEP than MP, and retained his seat until XXXXXXX’X XXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXX XX XX 2009 though after the foundation of the Ecological Alliance, Starr identified himself as a member of the Continuity Natural Law Party. The pro-European Union Natural Law Party had as many as six MEPs in the Fifth Session of the European Parliament, but their numbers gradually fell afterwards. Both the Ecological Alliance and Continuity Natural Law parties hold several local Scottish Assembly and local government seats today but are more or less defunct on the national scale.

Branches of the Natural Law Party in other countries proved much less successful than in Britain. An American division fielded dozens of candidates in the 1992 election to the House of Representatives, but had no success. Interestingly, future Rally for the Farmers Presidential contender and Governor of Hawaii Jim Channon stood in California, but garnered less than three percent of the votes cast in his district. As the Rally for the Farmers grew, many Natural Law voters transferred their support to the new Rally Party. The American branch recruited candidates for every major election up until its dissolution in 2002, but excepting a single Iowa State House of Representatives member, experienced no electoral success. A Canadian arm also fielded candidates, but dissolved in XXXX XXXXXX in the wake of XXXXXX’X 2004 XXXXXXXX. A Quebec branch managed to hold on, and currently holds several seats in the legislature there.

The Natural Law Party fared better in continental Europe than North America, and parties have managed to hold on in the European Union. They currently hold a single EU Senate seat and three Parliamentary constituencies as well as numerous subnational legislative seats. Natural Law candidate and former MEP Notker Schweikhardt recently came in second place in the contentious 2016 Berlin Mayoral election, barely falling to Ursula Von Der Leyen.

The Natural Law Party also currently is active in India and several African countries, but has had very few victories in elections there. Outside of the European Union, the international Natural Law Party has much declined from its heyday in the early 1990s.’
- From ‘Natural Law Movement’ in the Encylopædia Britannica, retrieved 2018 *

* - Heavily influenced by the Wikipedia article on the Natural Law Party.

 

[Baconheimer]

The Soviet Union of the 1980s was in a horrific state. A losing war in Afghanistan and decades of mismanagement by incompetent bureaucrats had led to a stagnant economy, with few seemingly few prospects for revitalization. The ascendance of Mikhail Gorbachev to CPSU Leader brought hopes that the Soviet Union might be able to reform itself. The second half of 1985 was spent in talks with the highest ranking officials throughout the USSR. Gorbachev was in favor of the liberalization of both the Soviet economic and political systems, while various factions opposed both or either of those principles. The aging Vice Premier, Andrei Gromyko, famed in the West for his hardliner anti-capitalist attitudes, famously gave this advice to Gorbachev: “The economy can be changed. We can survive like this, but give Russia freedom - no, it cannot happen.” Despite his own hopes, Gorbachev followed the advice of these hardliners (possibly down the barrel of a gun, as newly-acquired suggests), and opted to head the USSR down a path of economic liberalization, while retaining much of the police state that had severely restricted freedom since the days of Stalin.

In February 1986, Gorbachev released his plan for the Soviet Union. The two central tenets: ‘Uborka’ and ‘Perestroika’ (‘cleaning’ and ‘restructuring’, respectively) proved to a flashy, popular way to discuss the reforms. Simply put, Gorbachev would clean house, ridding the bureaucracy of its most troublesome corrupt members. Youthful figures like Eduard Shervardnadze and Hayk Kotanjian, people Gorbachev believed uncorrupted, were invited to Moscow to serve as lieutenants in this campaign. At the same time, a series of privatizations of agricultural land went forward. To prevent new landowners from being buried in financial troubles, the Gorbachev regime implemented a stringent system that would ensure predatory businessmen were unable to defraud the less financially literate farmers.
Of course, the Gorbachev era reforms took several years to become noticable. The old guard, the ones that had forced Gorbachev to embark only on a campaign of economic reforms, instead of political ones, were slowly sidelined. Their wishes were kept in the mind of Party Leadership, and the threat of a coup was always a strong reason not to become too hasty to change the Soviet system. By 1990, the Soviets had withdrawn from Afghanistan (“with honor”, as Gorbachev said following a major bombing campaign - of course, this campaign is commonly cited as a primary reason for the rise of Islamic opposition in the Central Asian republics), while state-owned corporations had sprung up in every corner of the Union.

The forward-thinking Gorbachev was able to salvage parts of the Warsaw Pact. While its westernmost states: the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, and Poland were written off as lost to capitalism, Gorbachev was able to provide material aid to Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary as well as a comprehensive model of economic liberalization to appease the people there. Owing partly to the worse situations in these Soviet satellites, the governments there also implemented policies of social liberalization. Romania left the Warsaw Pact in 1992, with a semi-democratic system, while Bulgaria and Hungary maintained their ties to the USSR. The Soviets also extended an olive branch to the Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Soviets offered advantageous trade deals and support for the Yugoslav federal army. Amidst this backdrop, the ruling Serbian clique in Belgrade were able to keep a tenuous hold over their multiethnic federation.

Liberalization of the economy was popular throughout the Soviet Union, but in many of the peripheral Republics, people wanted more. Starting in the late 80s, there was a protest in the capital of some Republic at any given time. Other than a conscript on police duty or student shot now and then, the protests were relatively bloodless. This came to an end in August of 1992 when a relatively routine protest against a local professor’s imprisonment at Riga’s Pēteris Stučka Latvian State University turned violent and ten students were gunned down by police. The following insurgencies became the first test of New Sovietism. Fighting in Latvia was quickly followed by the outbreak of violence in the other Baltic states, then Central Asia, then the Caucasus. The Soviet Civil War lasted from 1992 to 1995, when Gorbachev relinquished the Baltic Republics, creating independent states in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Though fighting was primarily between ethnic minority insurgents, there was a noticeable anti-war movement in Russia and “loyalist SSRs” (Byelorussia, Ukraine) and a hardliner, traditionalist Communist faction (interestingly aligned with an ultranationalist Russian faction with ties to US Ambassador Alan Keyes) that opposed Gorbachev and advocated for expanding the war. A plot revealed after Mikhail Gorbachev’s death in 2012 shows that hardliners within the military and much-reduced KGB strongly considered a coup in the winter of 1993-4, and the installation of a junta led by Admiral Ivan Kapatinets (who was unaware entirely unaware of the plot even until his death in 2008) to pursue a more aggressive stance towards separatists. Ultimately, the coup was called off as planners decided it might turn many against the war effort. Gorbachev resigned from office in 1996, exhausted from years of war and conflict against his own government. His successor and close ally, Arkady Volksy took power soon after despite the opposition of the Old Soviets.

 

[Baconheimer]

President: Pat Robertson (R-VA)
Vice President: John Heinz (R-PA)

Secretary of State: Pete Dominici (R-NM)
Secretary of the Treasury: Harry F. Byrd Jr. (I-VA)
Secretary of Defense: William Hawkins (R-TN)
Attorney-General: Jim Jones (R-ID)
Secretary of the Interior: Aubrey Dunn (D-NM)
Secretary of Commerce: Gary Bauer (R-KY)
Secretary of Labor: Robert Williams Daniel Jr. (R-VA)
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Louis Wade Sullivan (R-GA)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Morry Taylor (R-MI)

White House Chief of Staff: Lee Atwater (R-SC)

‘Liberty Union Votes to Disband, Join Rally for the Farmers’
- Burlington Times-News, February 8th 1993

“In the last two weeks before the first free elections in Iraq the country is facing heavy violence. Islamist, Ba’athist, and Kurdish paramilitaries are active in the streets against government forces and their American advisors as well as each other. The incumbent Victory party, which advocates for a moderate, secular republic is expected to win a majority of seats in the Congress of the new republic.”
- Tom Brokaw, NBC News, March 28th 1993

- Results of the 1993 Iraqi Presidential election

‘Widespread outrage in Iraq - Opposition to President-elect Al-Jaafari’s lack of vote majority’
- New York Times, April 15th 1993

“In Texas today, ATF agents and local police raided a cult compound. The Branch Davidians, who believe the end of the world is imminent and have stockpiled hundreds of guns under the command of their leader, David Koresh, were cited for their unlawful possession of the weapons. The raid turned into a bloodbath as cult members fought back, and at least five of the ATF agents are confirmed dead. We go now to John McPherson, live at the Davidians complex in Waco…”
- Tom Brokaw, NBC News, May 14th 1993

“This just goes to show the immorality that has infected much of America. We must ensure anti-American atheism is stopped dead in its tracks. If we cannot do this, scenes of carnage like Waco might appear all over this country.”
- President Pat Robertson, May 16th 1993

“President Robertson’s statements show his disdain for the values of American democracy. As citizens of this great country, we must repudiate the inappropriate comments of our President.”
- Former Governor Jerry Brown, May 19th 1993

‘Strom Thurmond Dies Suddenly - 1948 Presidential Contender Longest-Serving Senator’
- New York Times, May 19th 1993

“I would never forget my promise to the American people, and will never put American boys in danger unless it is absolutely necessary. Many of you may ask why, six months into my Presidency, we still have soldiers in Iraq. Well, I admit I was somewhat ignorant before I came to Washington. While i said then that I would withdraw our troops within a year of my election, I know more now. We cannot leave Iraq in a state of anarchy, lest an Islamist regime arise that can threaten America with its hordes of suicide bombers and hijackers. I still can say this: I will bring our soldiers back from Iraq as soon as it is safe, and not one second later.”
-President Pat Robertson in one of his Sunday Afternoon Public Addresses, June 6th 1993

“The President’s recent remarks on Iraq are entirely unacceptable. Mr. Robertson has shown that he has not matured enough to recognize the essential goodness of all people, regardless of their faith. To characterize all Muslims as criminals and terrorists is despicable, and is entirely unbecoming of a President or the United States. I urge any citizen that can to protest, and show the White House that hatred and bigotry is no longer allowed in this country.”
-Mayor Charles Bilal (D-TX) on President Robertson’s previous statement, June 8th 1993

“Sometimes I wonder if Pat Robertson’s vision of America includes us. Maybe we’d be better off without him. I’ve heard talk of splitting from the Republicans and creating our own party, and I’ll take that into consideration.”
- Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) at a private dinner with Utah Republican Mormons, July 1st 1993

‘National Muslim March Held in Washington- Spearheaded by Farrakhan, march aimed to raise awareness of Islam in America - 500,000 estimated to have attended’
- New York Times, August 6th 1993

‘Rep. Hefley Proposes Amendment Banning Gay Marriage’
- Washington Post, September 23rd 1993

‘Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment Fails in House Vote’
- Los Angeles Times, November 8th 1993

‘White House Chief of Staff Atwater Announces Challenge to Interim Senator Ravenal’
- Post and Courier (Charleston SC), November 15th 1993

‘Who is Ross Perot?

Ross Perot, a Plano-based businessman, has recently announced that he will run for the Rally for the Farmers nomination for Governor. Perot enters a field currently dominated by former Democratic Land Commissioner Bob Hightower, but while Hightower exudes an air of folksy charm, Perot has fiery populist rhetoric that has proven to draw large crowds in East Texas. Perot hails from Texarkana. A young Perot attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and served a modest tour in the Navy after graduation. He went to work for IBM for five years before going at it alone, and founding Electronic Data Systems (EDS), which exploded from a single-room operation to a publicly traded company in just half a decade. Perot’s first involvement in politics began in the 1970s, when he developed an interest in the cause of American POWs held in Vietnam after the wars end. Perot mulled runs for various office since the beginning of the 1980s, but has never taken the leap until today.”
- Dallas News January 25th, 1994

“It’s time for us to end this little experiment. I’d hoped that there would be a spot in Illinois politics for a party to focus on combating corruption and the needs of Chicago’s black community, but it looks like I was wrong. I urge fellow Harold Washington Party members to return to the Democrats, and together, we can take that party over from the inside.”
- Harold Washington Party Head David Reed announces the party’s disbanding, March 1st 1994

‘Rush Refuses to Join Democrats - Will Register as Independent’
- Chicago Tribune, March 6th 1994

“The Rally for the Farmers Executive Committee voted last night to hold primaries to select our nominee for next year’s presidential election.
- Rally for the Farmers Party Chairman Jack Gargan, April 15th 1994

‘Gov. Tauzin Switches Parties - Announced at Rally with President Robertson’
- The Advocate, August 6th 1994

‘Polling Shows Republican Edge - Democrats and RFTF Performing Moderately’
- Boston Globe, September 1st 1994

“I’m running for President in 1996. It’s imperative we do something about do-nothing Democrats and radical Republicans and restore common sense to Washington. Beam me up.”
- Representative Jim Traficant (RftF-OH), September 8th 1994

Republican: 53 (+3)
Democratic: 34 (-10)
Rally for the Farmers: 11 (+7)
Independent: 2 (-) [Ed Koch, Arlen Specter]
- United States Senate Election Results, November 8th 1994

Republican: 229 (+28)
Democratic: 156 (-61)
Rally for the Farmers: 48 (+35) [Walter Jones Jr. NC, Russ Verney NH-2]
Independent: 2 (-) [Bobby Rush IL, Bernie Sanders VT]
- United States House of Representatives Election Results, November 8th 1994

‘That’s not supposed to happen! None of this is supposed to happen!”
- A statement commonly attributed to House Majority Leader Tom Foley upon learning that he had loss reelection, November 8th 1994

‘Vote-splitting has become a serious issue for Democrats since the rise of the Rally Party. Maybe it’s time for electoral reform, so we can ensure only candidates with the support of the majority win elections.”
- A notable liberal commentator, November 10th 1994

“Lee Atwater’s victory in 1994 seemed was a victory for Robertsonism. The sort of nationalistic, semi-religious rhetoric that won Pat Robertson the Presidency was considered a fluke in the days following the election. If Gary Hart hadn’t had that affair, or Willie Nelson hadn’t performed so well, surely the Democrats would’ve kept control. We all hoped that, but when Lee Atwater announced his challenge to Arthur Ravenel for Strom Thurmond’s old Senate seat, well, we knew otherwise. Lee came out swinging and accused Ravenel of being insufficiently supportive of the President. Well that was a bunch of nonsense - Ravenel had only been in Washington a few months and if you look at his voting record, it was just as conservative as any other Republican in Congress. That didn’t seem to matter, though, as Lee crisscrossed the state. He portrayed himself as an ultraconservative alternative to Ravenel. Pat Robertson even flew down for a few rallies. It was a crazy race, and probably the most ferocious in South Carolina history. Lee came right out of the primary swinging. He criticized Mendel Davis as a ‘crypto-communist’, and, you should’ve heard the things he said about poor Cecil Williams. Lee really appealed to the worst tendencies of South Carolinians. I recall one rally, he practically told the crowd to lynch Cecil. Back then, Lee’d tell you that you’d got it all wrong and that he really wasn’t advocating for anything like that, but ask him now, and he’ll say that he ran a racist campaign.”
- Future Secretary of Education Inez Tenenbaum in an interview with C-SPAN on her experiences in 1990s South Carolina, 2018

“If 1992 was when the dam spring a few leaks, 1994 was when it burst. There was a belief that the party was salvageable, and that 1992 was just a bad year. Looking back, the reports of defections we saw every few weeks or so should have tipped us off, but we were too stubborn to believe the oldest party in American politics could break apart. After the ‘94 elections, rural Democrats, the ones that had held on against the Rally and Republican wave, were running scared. They were politicians, so we should’ve known they’d jump ship. And they did. Between 1994 and 1996 upwards of 150 major elected officials and party elders left. Registered Democrats dropped astronomically throughout the plains and white south. It was a party-killing catastrophe, and the fact that we held on is nothing short of a miracle.”
- Donna Brazile on the 1994 midterm election results, 2014

“Campaigning on neoliberalism didn’t seem too bad a choice, even after 1992. Look, Gary Hart may have lost reelection, but that was just a fluke, right? I mean, he won renomination pretty easily so we assumed the base would keep backing him. We just never expected Willie Nelson and the Rally to prove such great campaigners.”
- Rahm Emanuel, Gary Hart’s 1992 campaign manager on that campaign

‘Robertson Vulnerable - Democrats Eager to Challenge Him

Speculated contenders for the Democratic nomination include Jerry Brown, Mario Cuomo, Bill Clinton, Paul Tsongas, and Al Swift. There is talk in some circles of renominating former President Hart, in hopes that voters will repudiate their 1992 choice of Pat Robertson. ’
- Washington Post, December 3rd 1994

“I’m not running for President in any party in 1996. I said many times in the campaign that it was my last run and I’m going to stand by those words, unlike many of the politicians in Washington.”
- Willie Nelson, December 18th 1994

 

[Baconheimer]

“But what first motivated me wasn’t anything I read. I just got mad seeing the machines ripping up the woods.” - Rep. Theodore Kaczynski Phd. (RftF-MT) on why he initially became involved in politics

The life of the single oddest American politican of the 20th century began inauspiciously, in a Chicago hospital as the child of two working-class Polish-Americans. A genius, Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski was admitted to Harvard College at 16 and graduated with an above-average grade point average. Within six years, Kaczynski had acquired Masters and Doctorates in mathematics from the University of Michigan. Kaczynski taught at Berkeley for two years, but resigned his post due to discomfort teaching and hostility from students. His Berkeley Assistant Professorship proved to be the last conventional job Kaczynski would have for several decades. Unhappy with industrialization and the destruction of wildernesses worldwide, Kaczynski became a hermit, and settled outside the town of Lincoln, Montana, where he lived in a self-made cabin and acquired a reputation for being an eccentric, anti-development activist.

Kaczynski first learned of the Rally for the Farmers shortly before the 1988 Presidential Election on one of his visits to town to acquire provisions and materiel. According to diaries, Kaczynski was not especially impressed with Willie Nelson himself, writing the singer off as simply in search of publicity. Despite that, Kaczynski was optimistic that some sort of changes could come if Nelson was able to harness a significant wave. After Nelson’s loss and, seeing the continued existence of the party, Kaczynski packed up and moved into Lincoln, and became a local activist for the party. Rural Montana proved to be ripe for the Rally’s message, and, despite his eccentricities, Kaczynski was able to become a respected member of the community and highly-regarded among Rally political circles. Political allies urged Kaczynski to run for a seat in Montana’s legislature, but Kaczynski constantly refused.

Theodore Kaczynski finally decided it was his time in December of 1993. Incumbent Republican Ron Marlanee held Montana’s at-large House Seat, and prior to redistricting that restricted the Treasure State to a single seat, had represented western Montana since 1977. In light of his support for Pat Robertson and staunch opposition to environmental reforms proposed by Democrats and the Rally for the Farmers, Marlanee was unpopular, especially in the east, which had voted against him in both the Republican primary and general elections. Kaczynski entered the race with very little fanfare, yet crisscrossed the state, often eschewing motor vehicles in favor of horse or even walking. Impassioned speeches against corporate overreach and the growing power of the Religious Right in the Federal Government quickly propelled Kaczynski to frontrunner in the Rally primaries, which he easily swept in April. His opponents were the unpopular incumbent Marlanee and perennial candidate Bob Kelleher, who had won a primary for the first time, breaking a string of defeats that stretched back to the 1960s. Marlanee campaigned on support for Robertson, which had significant draw in some parts of the state, while Kelleher gave a somewhat disjointed message advocating for drug legalization, universal healthcare, and the abolition of the Presidency. Kaczynski’s style of populist campaigning and focus on small towns proved just as popular as it was during the Rally primaries. It was no surprise when Kaczynski unseated Marlanee during a Republican Wave Year.

Though the national media overlooked Kaczynski during his campaign in Montana, he instantly became a celebrity upon arriving in Washington. Partially owing to his name, strong support for environmentalism, and advocacy for trust-busting, Kaczynski was rather favorably compared to Theodore Roosevelt. Kaczynski proved a somewhat poor legislator, introducing only a single bill of his own in his Congressional tenure, yet he had significant clout among Plains Rally Congressmen and was something of a celebrity, making speeches nationally and appearing alongside Rally candidates. Alongside Dick Lamm of Colorado and the eccentric former hatmaker John “Shorty” Barnett of Oklahoma, Kaczynski founded what became known as the Ogllala Caucus, a group for Plains Congressmen to focus their efforts on legislating to protect smallholders from conquest by corporations and advocate for their water rights. A significant movement arose in his adopted state of Montana and the Dakotas to draft Kaczynski for the Rally for the Farmers Presidential nomination in 1996, but Kaczynski ruled out a run in July of 1995 stating that he would rather represent Montana, which he was familiar with. Despite that, there was significant support for selecting Kaczynski as a running-mate for the victor of the primary. Ross Perot reportedly had Kaczynski on his short-list.

No one ever seriously doubted Kaczynski would win reelection in 1996. Republican opponent, former Treasurer Andrea “Andy” Bennett garnered a meager 38% of the vote, while Kaczynski received an absolute majority in a three-man race. In his second term in Congress, Kaczynski ramped up his media appearances while his Congressional roll call percentage dropped, something that right-wing opponents in Montana harped on mercilessly. While Kaczynski had criticized the Iraq War as a product of the military-industrial complex, foreign affairs had not been his primary fixation. This all changed in the run-up to the 1997 Invasion of Libya. Kaczynski became increasingly angry in media appearances, something that culminated in a twenty minute rant against Wall Street with ABC’s Bill O’Reilly. At roughly the same time, Montana became the target of a spree of bombings, which were quickly attributed to the long-dormant Unabomber.

Kaczynski became something of a pariah to the moderate wing of the Rally for the Farmers, though his cache with the more radical section only grew. Though Kaczynski’s attendance in Congress declined, his increasingly fiery rhetoric actually made his popularity grow in Montana. Nevertheless, Republicans were emboldened by their gains in Montana in 1996/7 elections and viewed Kaczynski as vulnerable. Former Lieutenant Governor and 1996 House nominee Denny Rehberg was popular within the state, and there was hope that Kaczynski’s miserable attendence and alienation of some moderate Rally voters would be able to bring them victory. RNC Strategist Ed Gillespie was dispatched to Montana to assist Rehberg in unseating Kaczynski. Republican investigators found what they were looking for in early September of 1998. It turned out that Kaczynski was in fact the Unabomber who had recently targeted Montana and killed seven there from 1997-8. While Gillespie and his staff were somewhat troubled by using the fact their opponent was a murderer as a campaign strategy, in the end, this hardly mattered. A native Montanan unhappy with the delay released the news through Montana’s largest newspaper, the Billings Gazette. The outrage was instant.

The evidence laid out in the exposé was undeniable. Governor Natelson, Senators Mudd and Racicot, and the heads of all three major parties in Montana called for Kaczynski’s resignation. Police converged on Representative Kaczynski’s home in Silver Spring, Maryland - and found it empty. It soon emerged that Kaczynski had been tipped off by a political admirer printer within the Gazette and Kaczynski had fled. A three day manhunt ensued. America held its breath. What would Kaczynski do? It seemed likely that he might continue his murders. Rumors came that the Capitol had been bombed, that Kaczynski had been seen entering the Soviet Embassy, or crossing the border into Canada. Then came the news on September 15th that Kaczynski had been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in his car in Columbia, Maryland. Beside him was a suicide note simply stating: “I have lost. We can do no more. It is the end.”

Ted Kaczynski’s name remained on the ballot, however. Despite the protests of citizens of Montana and the government, the election commission would not change the law, and Kaczynski was still technically up for election. The Rally in Montana suggested voters write-in former State Senator Bill Yellowtail. Denny Rehberg used the Rally’s nomination of Kaczynski as an attack against the Montana Rally, a strategy that resonated well with the state and allowed him to be sworn in the following January. Traditionally Democratic voters caused the Democrats to experience a surge, as many cast their ballot for former Attorney General Mike Greely. Another small faction backed Kaczynski to the end, believing him to have been framed by the Republican establishment. Despite this, write-ins for Yellowtail outnumbered votes for Kaczynski fourfold. Nationally, the Rally Party faced a massive backlash. Angry citizens around the country wondered exactly how a felon could have come so high in government without any investigation, which surely would have uncovered his criminal past. Clearly voters remembered this in the midterm elections, held just under two months later. The Rally performed much worse than expected, likely costing them control of the House, while the Democrats and Republicans surged. Interestingly, despite the outcry, reforms to vet nominees were not passed by any party, though a repeat of this unfortunate saga has been prevented by voters as Kacyznski continues to hold the rather dubious distinction of being the only member of Congress to murder his own constituents while in office.

 

[Baconheimer]

‘Chirac Ill - Will Not Run For President’
- Le Monde, January 3th 1995

‘Cheney Takes Office as House Speaker - Cheney First Republican to Hold Position Since 1955’
- New York Times, January 5th 1995

“It’s unfortunate that I can no longer serve the French nation, but I know of a worthy man. We are entered an uncertain time in world history, and we must have a leader that can fight for France. I know just the man: Michel Roquejeoffre has given his life to France since 1952, and has done admirably in the streets of Lebanon and fields of Kuwait. I throw my entire weight behind Michel Roquejeoffre and hope that France will elect him President.”
- French President Jacques Chirac, January 28th 1995

“I am hereby declaring my intention to run for the Rally for the Farmers nomination for President of the United States in 1996. I had hoped to make this announcement from the steps of the government mansion, but the machinations of the political class, both Democratic and Republican, have stopped me from doing such. I will fight against corruption and government privilege wherever it rears its ugly head.”
- Former Gubernatorial Nominee Ross Perot (RftF-TX), February 5th 1995

“I’m running for President of the United States.”
- Former Secretary of the Treasury and Senator Paul Tsongas (D-MA), March 9th 1995

‘Phil Crane Introduces an Amendment to Outlaw Flag Burning’
- New York Times, April 13th 1995

‘Roquejeoffre and Rocard proceed to runoff’
- Le Figaro, April 24th 1995

‘WALTER MONDALE TO RUN FOR RALLY FOR THE FARMERS PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION’
- New York Times, May 3rd 1995

‘Un Nouveau Napoléon?’
- La Grosse Bertha, May 10th 1995 *

“Frankly, General Roquejeoffre is a threat to democracy. Does a military administrator truly have the temperament necessary to run a republic. I am confident the French people will rise up and reject militarism at the polls.

Monsieur Bialski, your allegations that the General is a would-be dictator are insulting, and I would hope you retract them. General Roquejeoffre has the utmost commitment to French democracy and the institutions that protect the sovereignty of its citizens. If elected, he will be no different than any other President in his respect for our constitution and laws.”
-From a televised debate between Socialist Senator Jacques Bialski and Roquejeoffre advisor Marie-France Garaud, May 12th 1995

“Perot: Mondale? That guy’s even still around? We should be able to take him down no problem. After he lost to Reagan, who’d vote for him again. Frankly, I’m more worried Willie Nelson will decide he wants to run after all.

Unidentified aide 1: After that stuff about tax evasion came out, I don’t think Willie Nelson has much of a chance.

Unidentified aide 2: I think you underestimate him: there’s a good chunk of the party that’ll get behind him. I’m sure Willie’d spin it as big government framing him.

Perot: He has a point, but I’m not sure people would eat it up. He might be out of runs.”
- Overheard in the Perot ‘96 campaign headquarters, Frisco TX

‘Donald Trump Announces Primary Challenge to Robertson’
- Washington Post, June 4th 1995

‘House Approves Flag Desecration Amendment 335-93-7’
- Washington Post, June 9th 1995

“We’ve done our part. Now I hope you can do yours.”
- House Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) to Senate Majority Leader Dan Quayle (R-IN), June 11th 1995

“Are you sure running is so wise? After all, a divorcee has never won the Presidency and I’m not sure we’ll get one anytime soon.

Are you kidding? Donald Trump is running, and that guy’s like the King of Divorces. What’s he on, his fifth?

Bill-

No, but seriously though, Hillary will be back. She just needs a few months to think it over It’s not that uncommon. I’m sure people will accept it.”
- A conversation between Dick Morris and Former Secretary of the Interior and Governor Bill Clinton (D-AR), June 28th 1995

‘Bill Clinton Announces Presidential Campaign’
- Washington Post, July 11th 1995

“For far too long, the American political system has been focused on the needs of rural areas, while leaving the cities and its millions of occupants by the wayside. I’m running to give a voice to those unseen people.”
- Mayor Marion Berry (D-DC) announcing a run for the Presidency, August 8th 1995

“What the fuck is he doing?! Isn’t being emperor enough for him.

The guy must be on crack -

Paul, that was never proven.

Sure, but we all know he did it. The fact the feds never got him is a miracle.”
- Washington Post journalist Sari Horwitz and City Councilman Paul Strauss (D-DC) in a private conversation shortly after Marion Berry announced his presidential campaign

'Adelia Robertson To Sue National Lampoon for Libel - Show Spitting Image Portrayed First Lady in "Scandalous Light"'
- New York Times, August 23rd 1995

"My wife was portrayed with a grotesque rubber mask. She's absolutely right to sue. If this had happened to anyone else the detractors would surely be silent."
- Pat Robertson, August 27th 1995

"This is nothing more than an attempt at shutting down outlets that oppose the President. It is behavior not fitting of any decent administration."
- Democratic Presidential hopeful Al Swift on Adelia Robertson's lawsuit, September 3rd 1995

"My wife was portrayed with a grotesque rubber mask. She's absolutely right to sue. If this had happened to anyone else the detractors would surely be silent."
‘Throughout the summer of 1995, Donald Trump was perhaps the most active man in American politics. Trump launched his primary challenge to Pat Robertson in the first week of June, and by the end of the month, he had visited the early primary states of Alaska, Louisiana, and Iowa at least ten times. It’s still unclear exactly what Trump is getting out of this campaign; while the President holds very low approval ratings among Democrats, Rallyists, and independents, he is still fairly popular among Republicans. When coupled with name-recognition statistics, Trump faces a hard, uphill battle if he really wants to primary the President. Polling does indicate that Trump has significant support on the East Coast, particularly around his stomping-grounds of New Jersey and New York. If the Donald has any path to victory, it’s sure to start somewhere on the Jersey Shore.”
- Playboy, October 1995

“We need someone to stand up to Pat Robertson. This President has endorsed anti-American sentiments: hatred has no place in American society. Too many of our representatives seem to be willing to let Pat Robertson trample over the Constitution with no recourse. These people, like Bill Clinton, are little better than the President. I urge you to vote for me, because I will fight both the Republicans and their enablers in the Democratic Party.”
- Former Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA), October 17th 1995

‘Ross Perot’s fiery anti-establishment rhetoric has catapulted him to the top of the Rally for the Farmers presidential field. While it is true most of the party’s contenders are relative unknowns outside their own state, it’s worth noting that only residents of the Lone Star state and the most devoted political fanatics would have recognized Ross Perot’s name a year ago. The fact that Perot has managed to outpoll a figure with as much name recognition and such a large warchest as former Vice President Walter Mondale goes to show the power of the Perot campaign. If Perot can manage to fight off his fellow Rally members, his insurgent, populist campaign stands a good chance of putting this Texan in the White House.’
- George Will, in the Washington Post, November 3rd 1995

‘Al Swift - Last of the New Deal Democrats’
- New York Times, November 18th 1995

‘Senate Votes to Pass Flag Burning Amendment 68-32 - States Have 4 Years to Approve It’
- Washington Post, December 5th 1995

“What the fuck, Zell. We aren’t fascists.”
- Senate Minority Leader Harold Lonsdale to the Junior Senator from Georgia in the aftermath of the Senate’s approval of the 28th Amendment

“This bill is, frankly, anti-American. Our country was founded on the rights of the people, not the rights of the state, and I intend to do everything in my power to prevent such a horrendous amendment from soiling our Constitution.”
- Former Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA), December 8th 1995

‘Allegations of impropriety continue to haunt the Clinton campaign. The youthful, optimistic face put on by the Arkansas Governor does not appear to be fooling anyone, as even die-hard supporters are defecting to other Democratic candidates.’
- Washington Post, December 10th 1995

“I know how to get things done. I’ve run a successful business from startup to having it be a publicly traded company. I know America as well as anyone.

With respect, Mr. Perot, you know nothing of politics. I’d like to think that I do. Two successful elections to the United States Senate tend to agree with me.”
- An exchange between Ross Perot and Walter Mondale at the Rally for the Farmers Presidential Debate, December 13th 1995

Tsongas - 20%
Brown - 18%
Kerrey - 14%
Swift - 12%
Clinton - 6%
Berry - 4%
Wilder - 4%
Schroeder - 2%
Other/Undecided - 20%

Robertson - 60%
Trump - 27%
Stassen - 2%
Other/Undecided - 11%

Perot - 42%
Mondale - 34%
Traficant - 8%
Other/Undecided - 16%
- Opinion polling for the Democratic, Republican, and Rally for the Farmers Presidential nominations, mid-December 1995

‘UTAH RATIFIES 28TH AMENDMENT - Becomes first state to do so’
- New York Times, December 16th 1995

“Jim Traficant was perhaps the most eccentric candidate in modern history. Traficant seemed to be able to connect with Rust Belt farmers, but few else seemed to be especially interested in his campaign. Old trucks adorned with bumper stickers, most with the popular slogan of ‘Traficant 1996 - Beam Him Up to Washington’ became a common site on country roads in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Looking back, it’s hard to see why Jim Traficant ever garnered significant support in a presidential campaign, but despite his personality quirks; a penchant for quoting Star Trek and a graying pile of hair styled in a dated pompadour cut, Traficant was able to portray himself as an everyman and get through to blue-collar, Midwestern men concerned with the loss of their livelihoods overseas.”
-George Will

“Donald Trump is an idiot. Why anyone would vote for him is beyond me.

[...]

No, I’m not endorsing Pat Robertson for President. I’m just weighing in on someone I used to know.”
- NAFA founder and Tampa Bay Bandits Owner John F. Bassett in a January 1996 press conference

‘The momentum the Trump campaign had in late 1995 had dropped significantly by the beginning of 1996. As a prime example, Trump flew in his personal Boeing-727, commonly referred to as “Trump Force One” from his home in New York to Des Moines, where Trump was scheduled for a weekend of campaigning. When Trump landed, there were only 130 of the planned-for 3,000 Iowans in attendance. This frosty welcome did not bode well for that weekend’s rallies, where Trump was barely able to fill high school auditoriums. Trump performed better in more favorable East Coast states, yet it was no surprise when he suspended his campaign after the disastrous March 5th contests.”
- From To Make Men Free, a History of the Republican Party by Heather Cox Richardson, 2014

“We’ve got this in the bag. Who in their right mind would vote for a losing candidate or a hopped up Star Trek fan?”
- Ross Perot on the Rally for the Farmers primaries, January 3rd 1996

‘Brown Wins Ohio - Traficant Ekes Out Win’
- Washington Post, January 12th 1996

Pat Robertson - 75.20%
Donald Trump - 22.58%
Other - 2.21%
- Results of the Republican Alaska Caucus, January 29th 1996

“In the Rally Alaska caucus, also held yesterday, Ross Perot won out, but Walter Mondale secured a significant percentage of the vote. Perot campaign strategist Bert Lance has made a statement that he is happy with the results, but is somewhat surprised by the surge for Mondale. Other analysts attribute Perot’s smaller than expected victory to Mondale’s superior ground game and focus on local organization in lieu of large speeches by the candidate himself.”
- C-SPAN, January 30th 1996

‘KERREY CLAIMS IOWA’
- Chicago Tribune, February 6th 1996

“Big news out of Iowa. Ross Perot has long been considered the favorite to win the caucuses in this midwestern state. Seemingly out of the blue, Walter Mondale has come from behind, something that Perot campaign officials were unable to foresee even despite Mondale’s strong showing in Alaska. State Rally party officials and pundits are universally surprised.”
- Dan Rather, February 7th 1996

‘Jerry Brown Ekes Out Win in New Hampshire - Tsongas performs well’
- Washington Post, February 21st 1996

‘MONDALE CARRIES NEW HAMPSHIRE’
- Star Tribune, February 21st 1996

“The Trump campaign continues to suffer setbacks. Yesterday, Trump narrowly lost the New Hampshire primary to the President. New Hampshire, in Trump’s backyard of New England was considered a must-win state for the businessman to deny renomination to Pat Robertson. Trump has not yet spoken on his defeat in the Granite State, but sources close to him say Trump intends to stay in the race.”
- Gary Shepard, NBC News February 21st 1996

‘Trump Scores First Primary Win! - Takes Delaware’
- New York Daily Post, February 25th 1996

‘Wilder Victory in South Carolina - Wilder Far Behind in Polling Elsewhere’
- New York Times, February 29th 1996

‘Lost in yesterday’s results which proved great for Former Vice President Mondale, Representative Traficant managed to sweep caucuses held in Puerto Rico. The eccentric Ohio Representative is the only major candidate to campaign in Puerto Rico, promising statehood in the event of his victory.’
- New York Times, March 5th 1996

Robertson - 47.72% (46,505, 17)
Trump - 25.27% (24,627, 10)
Stassen - 24.89% (24,256, 8)
Other - 2.12% (2,066, 0)
- Results of the Republican Minnesota Caucuses on Super Tuesday (voters and delegates allocated listed in parentheses), March 6th 1996

‘Super Tuesday Battle Between Brown, Tsongas, Kerrey - Swift takes North Dakota, Rhode Island - Clinton, Swift Drop Out’

‘Trump Wins 5 of 8 Super Tuesday States’
- New York Times, March 6th 1996

“It’s a temporary setback. We always knew Trump had an advantage here. We need to pump a little more money into the coasts, but I’m confident you will be reelected.”
- Overheard at the Robertson campaign headquarters, March 8th 1996

‘Perot drops out’
- Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 30th 1996

“They say victory is mathematically impossible. I say nothing is impossible. With enough heart, we can still nominate someone who really understands the needs of American workers and farmers.”
- Jim Traficant, April 5th 1996

‘Tsongas Drops Out, Endorses Brown - Narrow Loss in Puerto Rico Final Straw for Tsongas’ Campaign’
- Washington Post, April 6th 1996

“Word has come that today, Bob Kerrey, the last major competitor with Jerry Brown for the Democratic nomination has dropped out and endorsed the former California Governor. This makes Jerry Brown the presumptive Democratic nominee as he currently has enough delegates to clinch the nomination, provided he does well in upcoming contests, as he is expected to do. However, Washington Mayor Marion Berry, who scored victories in the District of Columbia and Maryland remains in the race, but he is trailing Jerry Brown by double-digits in every poll.”
- Bernard Shaw, CNN News May 28th 1996

“I wonder what Geraldine is up to? I might have a job opening she’d be interested in.”
- Candidate-designee Walter Mondale to Rally for the Farmers Chairwoman Janice Miller shortly before the latter suffered a heart attack, June 18th 1996

‘28th Amendment Part of Constitution - West Virginia 38th State to Ratify’
- New York Times, June 23rd 1996

‘Traficant Weighing Independent Run’
- New York Times, July 3rd 1996

“Dude, what if we got the Amish?

What? Like those guys with the beards and horses and stuff? What would they do for us?

Yeah, them. What if we got them to vote for us? They like farms and stuff so they’d totally dig what Mondale’s putting down.

Man, how baked are you?”
- Overheard in a St. Louis hotel with many RftF delegate guests, July 29th 1996

‘RFTR nominate Mondale - Select Texas Representative Jim Hightower for VP’
- New York Times, July 31st 1996

“In a scene eerily reminiscent of the troubled 1968 Democratic Convention in this same city, there are fears the presumptive renomination of President Pat Robertson will set off a firestorm of rioting among the large black community in Chicago. Democrats, Rallyites, as well as Anti-Robertson Republicans have flocked to Chicago to protest the renomination of a president critics decry as a ‘theocrat’ and ‘fascist’. We go now to a protest opposite McCormick Place, where the convention is being held. There, Steve Fong, leader of the Log Cabin Republicans speaks…”
- Dan Rather, CBS News, August 11th 1996

‘Robertson, Heinz Renominated’
- Washington Post, August 14th 1996

Pat Robertson - 7,225,176 (75.28%)
Donald Trump - 2,051,036 (21.37%)
Harold Stassen - 148,765 (1.55%)
Tom McLaughlin - 88,299 (0.92%)
Arthur Fletcher - 23,034 (0.24%)
- Final Results of the 1996 Republican Primaries

“I can’t believe we just nominated a fucking hippie. I’m off to the bar if anyone cares.”
- A popular anecdote popularly attributed to former DNC Chair and Tsongas Superdelegate Paul Kirk, August 29th 1996

“I pledge to fight neo-fascism wherever it rears its ugly head. Let all supporters of bigotry and indecency know that the United States does not stand for those values, and that it will fight to preserve dignity!”
- from Jerry Brown’s 1996 acceptance speech

‘Democrats Choose Brown/Kerrey’
- New York Times, August 30th 1996

Note: candidates arranged in order of delegates allocated. Because of this Kerrey, who won fewer states than Tsongas is ahead. Similarly with Berry and Swift.

As usual, thanks to @Gonzo for the infoboxes that make this TL bearable.


* - La Grosse Bertha, an ephemeral anti-establishment French weekly established in reaction to the Gulf War, survives ITTL and takes the place of Charlie Hebdo.

 

[Baconheimer]

1996 Presidential Election: Final Tickets

Ballot Access in 50 states+DC
President Pat Robertson / Vice President John Heinz III (Republican)
Former Governor Jerry Brown / Senator Bob Kerrey (Democratic)
Former Vice President Walter Mondale / Representative Jim Hightower (Rally for the Farmers)
Writer Harry Browne / Activist Jeffrey Diket (Libertarian)

Access to 400-532 electoral votes
Businessman John Hagelin / Activist Terry Nevas (Natural Law)

Access to 301-400 electoral votes
Activist Joel Kovel / Activist Robert Marston (Green)
Hippie Stephen Gaskin / Activist Annette Larson (New Alliance)

 

[Baconheimer]

I am Reverend Pat Robertson
Vote for me to forgive your sins
God says I shall be president
1st amendment will soon go away
I will be your messiah today
Now I command all of you
Now your gonna pray in school
I'll make sure they're Christian too

Armageddon über alles
Armageddon über alles
Über alles Armageddon
Über alles Armageddon

Theocrats will control you
Still you think it’s biblical
Crusades in the holy land
Don’t forget to nuke Kazakhstan
Close your eyes can’t happen here
The KKK is coming near
Slavery won’t come back you say?
Bow to me or you will pay!
Bow to me or you will pay!

Armageddon über alles
Armageddon über alles
Über alles Armageddon
Über alles Armageddon

Now it is 1994
Knock knock at your mosque door
It’s the CIA secret police
You’re a terrorist, so is your niece
You’ll go quietly to conversion camp
They’ll shoot you dead, make you a man
Don’t you worry it’s for a reason
Trigger the end times or it’s treason
Die in a Liberian prison camp
Or the holocaust of Jerusalem

Wiping out civilization
Wiping out civilization
Punish you for homosexual cravings

Armageddon über alles
Armageddon über alles
Über alles Armageddon
Über alles Armageddon

- Armageddon Über Alles as performed by Jello Biafra and R.F. O'Rourke, late 1996

Written by @Oppo

 

[Baconheimer]

“Jerry Brown’s selection of Bob Kerrey as his running-mate was a masterful choice. It had the entire Rally Party running scared. There was a good reason Nebraska’s Senate delegation was an island of blue in a sea of red. Both Bob Kerrey and Jim Exon were strong campaigners and knew how to be popular in the plains at a time when Democrats were nearly wiped out there. Jerry Brown wasn’t too much of a threat, we figured. He hadn’t even broken 40% of the primary vote and had only won because of vote-splitting. He was wholly unpopular outside several coastal enclaves, but Bob Kerrey, he could remind voters of a time when the Democrats stood for the common man and that’s why he scared us so much.”
- Jim Hightower in an interview, June 2011

‘Henry Hyde proposes anti-marijuana amendment’
- Chicago Tribune, September 4th 1996

“Why are you doing this? The Democrats and Rally are going to have a field day with this shit..”
- House Majority Whip Newt Gingrich (R-GA) to Henry Hyde, September 6th 1996

“Willie, please don’t do this. You’ll tank our party’s chances.”
- Walter Mondale attempting to convince Willie Nelson not to smoke a joint in front of the White House in protest of the “Anti-Reefer Amendment”, September 8th 1996

‘Our party is unsatisfied with the choices available to us in the upcoming Presidential election. Nevertheless, we feel that we must endorse a candidate to avoid wasting our votes. The National Faith Movement will nominate Walter Mondale for the Presidency. Pat Robertson is simply too divisive and his past statements show that he is not a friend to the Jewish community, and though our party agree that many parts of the Republican are correct, we are unable to put our support behind such an anti-Jewish candidate.”
- Simcha Felder, Spokesman for the National Faith Movement, September 9th 1996

“It’s like we’re living in some liberal’s caricature of a conservative dream world. An anti-marijuana amendment? Whatever your view on its legalization, there’s no reason it needs to be outlawed in the constitution.”
- Jay Leno, the Tonight Show, September 10th 1996

“And I’ll tell you, Pat Robertson ah, will do anything to try to get black votes. Take last week when he hosted that, ah, ‘African-American Faith Summit’ Pat found twenty conservative black preachers and lined them up in the Oval Office. Then he goes off to Louisiana and tries to tell everyone there’s some sort of black conservative movement on the horizon. The white crowd eats it up, but I tell you, that’s simply not true. America’s a big place, you can find twenty or thirty people of any sort of description no matter how little sense it makes. The President is no friend of anyone that’s not a fundamentalist, white Protestant. Did you ever look at stills from when Pat had those preachers in the White House? Every time he shakes one of their hands, he looks physically ill. But what can you expect of a guy whose father signed the Southern Manifesto when he was Senator and wouldn’t even meet with President Johnson. I really hope the nation wakes up in November and votes Pat Robertson out of the White House.”
- Rev. Jesse Jackson on President Pat Robertson’s meeting with two dozen African-American preachers including J.C. Watts in the White House on September 12th 1996

“Pat -

What did I tell you? Never call me that. I’m the President you psychopath!

I’ve got news you’ll like. It looks like Bob Kerrey might have killed a few children in Vietnam.

Ohhh… I like this.

I’ll have my sources get in touch with you.

(PAUSE)

Bye, Pat.

(ATWATER QUICKLY HANGS UP)”
- A conversation between Former Chief of Staff Lee Atwater and President Robertson, late September 1996

‘BOB KERREY KILLED WOMEN, CHILDREN IN VIETNAM’
- New York Daily Post, October 3rd 1996

“It’s horrible what they’re doing to Bob Kerrey. I can tell you myself that he’s a good guy and he didn’t do these things they say he did. I’d like to do something, but it sure would be nice with him out of the race…”
- Walter Mondale in his campaign headquarters, October 4th 1996

“I stand behind Bob Kerrey one-hundred percent. I’m convinced these allegations are nothing more than a smear job against an honorable man that has served his country for decades. The fact that Pat Robertson and his henchmen would stoop to slandering the reputation of a veteran and labeling him as a war criminal is despicable and I hope the American people see through this dirty campaigning.”
- Jerry Brown, October 6th 1996

“The Senate Select Committee on Ethics has begun an investigation into the allegations leveled against the Senator from Nebraska.”
- Chairman Bob Smith (R-NH), October 6th 1996

“The time has come for me to leave the Democratic ticket for the Presidency. I had hoped that the American people would be able to separate the lies from my record, and I still hold out hope that the majority of this country can see through Republican mudslinging, but after long thought, I have come to the conclusion that the Democratic ticket will be harmed by my presence. I introduce the man that will take my spot, Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. Schmoke is an honorable man, and I hope that lies and false allegations will not convince you otherwise.”
- Senator Bob Kerrey, October 10th 1996

“Bob Kerrey will tell you he’s not guilty, but look, he resigned from the ticket. Clearly he has something to hide. I think it says something about Jerry Brown that he even chose a war criminal. If he can’t even figure out that the man that’s supposed to succeed him to the Presidency is a murderer, how can we trust him to pick Cabinet Secretaries that won’t lie down to lesbian and communist interest groups? The fact Jerry Brown has the nerve to keep running for President after changing his mind three times in one week might be the most ridiculous thing in the history of American politics.”
- President Pat Robertson, October 14th 1996

“Why would the American people elect a pothead hippie as President. This is the same people that said ‘No’ to Bill Scranton, and for all of his failings, Bill Scranton was a much better man than Jerry Brown. I don’t even think Jerry Brown is a Christian, anyway.”
- President Pat Robertson at a campaign rally, October 18th 1996

‘VOTE ON NOVEMBER 12TH’
- From an infamous flyer distributed by Robertson-affiliated groups

“I am the most anti-Robertson candidate in this race. I promise that I will fight for real American values, like freedom, equality, and the rule of law, not the things Pat Robertson passes of as the hallmarks of our country. I earnestly hope that you will consider not just yourselves, but all generations of future Americans when you go to the polls next Tuesday.”
- Jerry Brown, October 28th 1996

Republican: 56 (+3)
Democratic: 30 (-4)
Rally for the Farmers: 12 (+1)
Independent: 2 (-)
- United States Senate Election Results, November 5th 1996

Republican: 241 (+17)
Democratic: 103 (-51)
Rally for the Farmers: 87 (+36)
Independent: 4 (-2)
- United States House of Representatives Results, November 5th 1996

“We really had high hopes in ‘96. Knocking off Robertson seemed to like it’d be a pretty easy task. In retrospect, it’s pretty amazing how overconfident we were. Sure, Robertson was disliked by nearly half of Americans, but the economy wasn’t so bad and even if you disapproved of his performance, there wasn’t really anything he’d actually done that affected the lives of the average American. I wish I could go back and tell myself all that - the shock of losing was perhaps the worst moment of my adult life.”
-Jerry Brown Presidential Campaign Manager Stephen Berger in a 2011 interview for Ken Burns’ ‘The Nineties’

 

[Baconheimer]

Incumbent moderate Republican Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas declined to run for reelection, citing her advanced age. The state Republican Party narrowly chose to nominate archconservative Lieutenant Governor Gary Sherrer, who, since the start of the Robertson administration had becoming increasingly abrasive and openly hostile towards the state’s small gay community. In opposition, Former Governor Mike Hayden, a moderate within the party opted to run an independent campaign that received the endorsement of soon-to-be former Senator Kassebaum. The Kansas branch of Rally for the Farmers, despite attempts by organizers, had never taken off as had happened in other states, so the presence of a Rally candidate, State Senator Docking and Former State Treasurer Thompson as a Democrat created a situation in which the left-wing vote was irreparable split. Despite a four-way race on paper, the real battle was between Sherrer and Hayden. Despite Hayden’s superior name recognition and initially high polling numbers, donors pumped millions into the Sherrer campaign and, in the end, the Lieutenant Governor was was triumphant as he managed to hold the evangelical, conservative base against Mike Hayden.

Mark Hatfield, one of the most senior Senate Republicans, and head of the anti-Robertson wing of the party in Congress was indeed old, but was undecided on running for reelection as he hoped he might be able to continue to stop Robertson’s agenda if he remained in office. However, Robertsonite elements within the state GOP planned a campaign for Joe Lutz, a firebrand evangelical preacher, who had previously challenged former Senator Packwood. As polls showed Lutz as increasingly popular, Hatfield made the decision to not seek reelection, throwing a wrench into the campaign season. Fearing the outspoken, gaffe-prone Lutz would jeopardize the seat, the Republicans then recruited Representative Denny Smith to run against Lutz. While sufficiently conservative, Smith was much more polished and not as prone to making statements about praying for a tsunami to smash Portland, which in Lutz’s eyes was comparable to Gomorrah. Smith beat Lutz and faced Democrat Jerry Rust and Rallyite Michael Donnelly in the general election, who he beat handily.

John Chafee sat as the last liberal Republican in New England after William Cohen defected to the Democrats. Because of this northeastern Republicans considered him Public Enemy No. 1. This was further inflamed by the fact that after losing his seat in 1988, Chafee had come back to capture Rhode Island’s other Senate seat in 1990. Several conservative activists entered the race (as well as Log Cabin Republicans of Rhode Island Chairman William Henry), but all failed to gain traction. Meanwhile, an independent conservative campaign was being organized by out of state interests, particularly White House Chief of Staff Gordon Humphrey. They had attempted to recruit various figures within the State National Guard, but this failed, leading to their picking of Former Warwick Mayor J. Michael Levesque, who had acquired a reputation as a staunch supporter of the President and enemy of Islam. Though Levesque had little support, it was still enough to take the wind from the Chafee campaign’s sails. It was little surprise to anyone when Francis Flaherty, the Democratic candidate won the seat and became the Senate Democrats only freshman in 1997.

In Delaware, incumbent Republican Dale Wolf has long been expected to run for a second term. The state Democratic Party had been in disarray since the 1994 defection of at-large Representative Tom Carper to the Rally for the Farmers. Wolf and Republican strategists expected an easy victory over a divided opposition. Rally for the Farmers nominated Jacob Kreshtool, an aging labor lawyer with long ties to the state Democratic Committee. In response, the Democrats chose not to nominate a candidate and instead endorse Kreshtool. Several minor candidates managed to get ballot access as independents, most of them angered at the Democrats choice to stay out of the race. Though Kreshtool appealed strongly to rural residents who were wary of Wolf’s prior work with the DuPont corporation and support of chemicals recently discovered to be harmful, the incumbent governor pulled off a victory in the end. Kreshtool managed nearly 46% of the vote to Wolf’s 51%, while the minor independents they had field in rescuing the Democrats decision had, combined, only received 2%.

Governor Mike Lowry, a liberal Democrat elected to his first term in 1992, was accused of sexual harassment of an aide and resigned in late 1995. This left his ailing Lieutenant, Joel Pritchard, as Governor. Pritchard declined to run for reelection in 1996, fearing he might not live through his term. The victor in the Democratic primaries, Gary Locke, was something of a moderate, and faced a spirited challenge from Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge, who, though initially elected with the help of the Democrats, ran as a member of Rally for the Farmers. The Republican, Rod Chandler, a former Representative, was something of a non-factor as, despite his somewhat liberal stances, was irrevocably tied to President Robertson in a state that gave the administration only a 24% approval rating. Senator Unsoeld endorsed Locke, while progressive Presidential contender Al Swift constantly avoided taking sides in a gesture that helped the Rally for the Farmers. After a hard-fought race, Talmadge was elected on Mondale’s coattails. Talmadge’s hammering of the state Democratic Party for not vetting former Governor Lowry enough to figure out that he might have abused his aide is considered one of the primary reasons for his victory and the decline of the Washington Democratic Party.

In 1991, no one would have believed John Raese could be the next Governor of West Virginia. While Raese was formerly Chair of the West Virginia Republican Party and considered to have a serious chance of knocking off Jay Rockefeller in 1984, Raese’s inexplicable primary run against incumbent Arch Moore in 1988 created an image of Raese as a bizarre, would-be perennial candidate. As expected, Raese entered the 1992 race for the Governor's Mansion. However, unlike in 1988, Raese managed to get significant traction, crisscrossing the state, Raese managed to create a winning coalition of miners opposed to Hart-era environmental and free trade policies and take the Republican nomination over better known candidates Former Governor Cecil Underwood and Agriculture Commissioner Cleve Benedict. Raese was able to beat incumbent Democrat Caperton rather easily on the tails of Pat Robertson, who swept the traditionally Democratic state. Raese proved an eccentric governor. He often wore turtlenecks, drawing national attention to the state. Raese’s views were a hodgepodge from across the ideological spectrum: he advocated the abolition of the Federal Minimum Wage, arguing that states were better suited to decide it, and his administration attempted to raise the minimum wage with inflation each year. However, Raese also was a strong opponent of abortion and free trade and was one of the staunchest supporters of the passage of the 28th Amendment (despite West Virginia being the last state to ratify it, though Raese firmly blamed the legislature for that) Under Raese, the Democrats and Republicans had remained the primary parties in the Mountain State. The local branch of Rally for the Farmers had managed to siphon off the environmental wing of the West Virginia Democrats, but apart from minor attempts to appeal to Union activists by tying Senators Byrd and Rockefeller to Hart’s support of free trade, they had remained firmly in third place. The Governor was faced by Former State Attorney General Manchin of the Democrats and current State Senator Charlotte Pritt of the Rally. Though Manchin ran a spirited campaign, the outcome was never in doubt as West Virginia stood firmly behind the President. Manchin was framed as a flip-flopper and Pritt as a liberal, coal-hating hippie and besides, she probably practiced Transcendental Meditation. Raese won in a landslide, garnering nearly 56% of the vote.

Oregon, Kansas, and Rhode Island infoboxes by Gonzo.

 

[Baconheimer]

“I think it’s time we disassociate ourselves with the National Democratic Party. Our alliance has always been one of convenience, and it appears we would be better served aligning ourselves with Rally for the Farmers.”
- Governor Skip Humphrey (then D-MN), January 18th 1997 in a conversation with State party officials

‘Skip had been a friend to the Rally since early on. I got the impression he didn’t like me personally too much, but who could blame him. A couple extra points would have probably given him a Senate seat in ‘88. In the state Senate he was always polite to the Rally, and it's telling that he was actually able to convince Leon Morse to withdraw in 1994. If Skip hadn’t been as convincing, I bet Arne Carlson would’ve been governor for another term. He never seemed too angry about the Rally and always said that if the DFL simply backed some sensible policy we’d come back. That wasn’t exactly true, but compared to other Democrats, he was dead on.
- Future Governor Polly Mann (RftF-MN) speaking on Skip Humphrey

‘Joel Coen: You know, we’d wanted to do a picture on this character, the Dude, for years. Ever since we’d worked with a guy by the name of Jeff Dowd, back in, oh ‘83, Ethan and I’d been entranced by the idea of the character that came to be the Dude. The Dude is a throwback to the student activism of the late 60s, and you might even say he’s outdated.

Ethan Coen: In the late 80s, we came close to putting together an idea, something involving the Dude and a misunderstanding that threw him into a series of comic episodes with his bowling buddies. Partly because we couldn’t get the actors we wanted, and partly because the script was, well, just bad, we threw the idea away.

J: In 1992, on the coattails of Pat Robertson’s election to the Presidency, talk of authoritarianism just filled the papers. You couldn’t get around it. Look, we aren’t the most political guys, but we wanted to do something and weigh in on all this.

E: It was about then that I remembered a book I’d seen years ago by Sinclair Lewis’ ‘It Can’t Happen Here’ Joel and I were throwing around movie ideas, we’d just finished Barton Fink, you see, and our two favorite ideas were something with the Dude and It Can’t Happen Here. I distinctly recall us talking about it one night, getting nowhere as usual, when Frances [Joel’s wife] came in. She said “Why don’t you do both” The idea was brilliant: there really was no reason we had to stick with the book’s Vermont setting. In fact, it might be more relatable if we set it in a quintessentially American city like Los Angeles.

J: Well, from there, we got to work. It was easy to fit the Dude into the story. Clearly, he’d take the place of Doremus Jessup, but instead of being an old, country gentleman forced into action, the Dude’d be a lazy stoner 60s relic that finally realizes he can’t keep on his path without the outside intruding in. I’m very happy with the changes we made and I think they keep the theme of the book while giving it a much more modern slant.

E: I left the casting nearly entirely to Joel, and I’m very happy with the choices he made. Efrem Zimbalist was a great choice for President Burton, and John Goodman, well, honestly, I think his performance as Walter Sobchak, the Dude’s friend that joins Burton’s militia, was masterful and worthy of an Oscar…..’
- Joel and Ethan Coen speak on their film It Can’t Happen Here, winner of the 1997 Academy Award for Best Picture, February 9th 1997

‘BREAKING: VP HEINZ ASSASSINATED IN ARLINGTON’
-CNN.com, April 4th 1997

“This is our chance. We can wipe out liberalism in America if we act now.”
-President Pat Robertson upon hearing the news is Vice President Heinz’s assassination, April 4th 1997

“The gunmen that killed the late Vice President have been thoroughly investigated. Our intelligence officers have worked day and night to bring us this information, and we have found that the elements within the Islamic extremist country of Libya were in direct contact with the assassins. My administration is committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure justice is brought to these murderers.”
-President Pat Robertson, April 7th 1997

“All necessary measures? That’s going to end well. This guy really does want to drag us into a another war.”
-Representative John Dingell (RftF-MI), April 7th 1997

‘PM Mandelson - We Stand with America’
-Daily Mail, April 9th 1997

‘TROOP BUILDUBS, EXPLOSION IN ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATIONS - WAR WITH LIBYA IMMINENT’
- The Lone Gunman Magazine *, April 13th 1997

‘Americans, British Invade Libya’
- Le Figaro, April 26th 1997

“I am sorry to say that the honorable gentlemen is ignoring the ruling of the chair and in so doing he is behaving whatever his motives in a grossly disorderly manner and in those circumstances I am obliged to name Mr. Paul Flynn the Honorable Gentleman and member for Newport West and under the power given to me I am naming him and I would ask that the appropriate course is now taken by the Leader of the House.”
- Speaker of the House Peter Brooke beginning proceedings to suspend Labour MP Paul Flynn for accusing the Mandelson Ministry of knowingly invading Libya on false pretenses, April 30th 1997 **

‘MP FLYNN EXPELLED FROM PMQs FOR TELLING TRUTH’
- The Morning Star, May 1st 1997

“The stinking Democrats appear to have lost their place as opposition in the Senate with the defection of eleven Senators to the Rally for the Farmers. Good riddance, I say! The Democrats are good for nothing and might as well be Republicans for all they actually do to prevent Pat Robertson’s Nazi agenda.”
- Talk show host and former Congressman Ron Paul, May 9th 1997

‘MASS DEFECTIONS TO RALLY FOR THE FARMERS - BIDEN, GEPHARDT, WYDEN LEAVE DEMOCRATS’
- New York Times, May 10th 1997 ***

‘Willie Nelson’s Mansion Raided by DEA, IRS’
- Los Angeles Times, June 15th 1997

“This country is turning into a tinpot dictatorship. We’ve got to stop President Robertson from committing political assassinations like what he’s done to Willie Nelson. It is clear to anyone that the recent raid on Mr. Nelson’s house was one-hundred percent politically motivated and that if Willie Nelson had never spoken against the President, none of this would have happened.”
- Senate Opposition Leader Dean Barkley, June 19th 1997

“Look, I’ve got serious concerns about marijuana. Studies have shown it is detrimental to the work ethic of those that consume it. In principle, I think the DEA has done the right thing, but in practice, it is abundantly clear to me that Administrator Arpaio authorized the raid only to discredit the Rally for the Farmers and for this, the American people must be vigilant in their opposition to this administration..”
- Senator Zell Miller to constituents (RftF-GA), June 23rd 1997

‘Shore to Defect from Labour and Founds ‘National Alternative’’
-The Times (London), September 3rd 1997

‘Senate Ethics Committee Finds Allegations Against Kerrey Unsubstantiated’
- Washington Post, September 9th 1997

“It has become abundantly clear that claims of being a war criminal were nothing but lies meant to discredit an honorable public servant. These are the same sort of lies Pat Robertson and Lee Atwater have peddled since 1988.”
- Governor Skip Humphrey (RFTF-MN), September 10th 1997

‘In light of recent Senate investigations into Senator Kerrey of Nebraska, do you approve of the job President Pat Robertson is doing?

Yes: 34%
No: 57%
Don’t know/unsure: 9%’
- From a Gallup Poll, September 14th 1997

‘Supreme Court to Hear Branstad v. Planned Parenthood - Roe v. Wade in the Balance’
- Washington Post, September 18th 1997

“I present to you the man I am putting to the United States Congress for confirmation the next Vice President of this country, Congressman and House Republican Whip, Newton Leroy Gingrich.”
- President Pat Robertson in the White House, October 15th 1997

“Are you out of your fucking mind Mister President?! Did we not have an agreement that you’d endorse me in 2000? Yes, it’s a fucking issue. It’s not secret that slimy redneck wants to be President. He’s been running a campaign since 1993. I’d better hang up the phone before I say something I’ll regret”
- Former Secretary of State Pete Dominici, October 15th 1997

‘It is the finding of this court that the act of abortion is not a matter of bodily autonomy as it involves the presence of two lives, and therefore is not in any way guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States…’
- From the Majority Opinion in Branstad v. Planned Parenthood, December 8th 1997

“This decision is absolutely abominable. Of course choice is a matter best left up to the mother. There’s no room for debate: a blanket ban on abortion is unfeasible and utterly reprehensible.”
- Representative Michael Huffington (I-CA), December 8th 1997

“Going into an election year, there’s no doubt that Pat Robertson has fumbled on the abortion issue. He has energized pro-choice voters and put them on the back foot. I expect to see massive Democratic and Rally gains in the midterms.”
- PJ O’Rourke on National Lampoon TV’s “In the Trenches”, December 14th 1997

‘1997 was indeed Pat Robertson’s ‘annus horribilis’ John Heinz was assassinated, and his opposition coalesced in the Rally as the Democrats collapsed. It really was unfortunate that the opposition came together and formed a united front right at that time. With all the things in front of the Supreme Court and the Invasion of Libya, the left was able to provide a unified message like they never had before during the Robertson Administration.’
- Conservative Commentator John Kasich, 2015

‘Fred Harris to run again’
- The Oklahoma Daily, January 5th 1998

“I can no longer in good conscience support a party that·invades sovereign states on false pretenses and acts to divide our country. I am leaving the Republican Party and will join the newly registered Independent Republicans until the GOP becomes the Party of Lincoln and Reagan once more.”
- Michael Bloomberg, January 18th 1998

‘New ‘Independent Republican’ Party Announced - To Be Bankrolled by Billionaires - 14 Congressmen to Defect and Join’
- New York Daily Post, January 19th 1998

“Will you be joining the Independent Republican Party?

Join them? They’re practically joining me. I’ve been an Independent Republican in everything but name since 1992. If you must know, I will be changing my registration, but that’s all a matter of public record and hardly worthy of discussion here.”
- From an interview with Representative Michael Huffington on local television, late January 1998

“I will be joining the Independent Republican Party.”
- Senator Arlen Specter (I-PA), February 4th 1998

‘600,000 Protest in Washington for Peace’
- Los Angeles Times, April 5th 1998

‘Can Fred Karger become the first homosexual elected to Congress?’
- Los Angeles Times, September 6th 1998

‘Rally, Independent Republicans Surge in Polls’
- New York Times, October 8th 1998

Republican: 51 (-5)
Rally for the Farmers: 30 (+7)
Democratic: 15 (-4)
Independent Republican: 3 (+2)
Independent: 1 (-)
- United States Senate Election Results, November 3rd 1998

Republican: 220 (-17)
Rally for the Farmers: 176 (+79)
Democratic: 28 (-66)
Independent Republican: 9 (+4)
Libertarian: 1 (-)
Independent: 1 (-1)
- United States House of Representatives Results, November 3rd 1998

‘Poshard to be Governor’
- Chicago Tribune, November 4th 1998

“1998 was perhaps more important for the party than 1996 or even 1994. Harry Reid and Jolene Unsoeld were both unseated in the Senate, and Fritz Hollings retired, but our House delegation fared much worse. Outside of ethnic seats and several coastal areas, the Democrats were more or less dead.”
- Former Vice Presidential Nominee Kurt Schmoke, 2011

‘It’s Time to Leave Iraq and Libya’
- Title of an op-ed by Former Second Lady Teresa Heinz, December 1998


* - The Lone Gunman was a magazine focused primarily on “the unveiling of conspiracies” Due to the fact that none of the three owners had day jobs, it folded in early 2003.
**- Taken more or less verbatim from Paul Bercow suspending Paul Flynn IOTL
*** - A full list of defecting Senators: Biden (DE), Cohen (ME), Levin (MI), Kerrey (NE), Bradley (NJ), Metzenbaum (OH), Flaherty (RI), Daschle (SD), Leahy (VT), Swift (WA), Rockefeller (WV)

 

[Baconheimer]

After nearly 28 years of service in the United States Senate, Bob Dole, Majority Leader and former Chair of innumerable committees, announced he would not seek another term in office. This announcement was followed by a flurry of campaign announcements by Republicans eager to take a seat they considered safe for their party. Representative Sam Brownback easily won this election and went on to face Rallyite Tom Sawyer and a Democratic candidate who had only won the nomination through his party’s increasing irrelevance, Fred Phelps. What should have been a Republican victory was derailed by an announcement by Mike Hayden, former Republican Governor and 1996 Independent candidate for Senate. Hayden would run as an Independent Republican, and considering his popularity within the state, held a decent chance of taking the Senate vacancy. In the general, both Sawyer and Hayden were able to successfully tie Brownback to the unpopular Robertson administration. Though Rally operatives thought they might be able to pull off a victory, Hayden’s name recognition brought him victory, though it was close. Only 5,000 votes separated Hayden and Sawyer while Brownback got just over a quarter of the vote.

The rise of the Rally for the Farmers effectively killed the Oklahoma Democrats. Votesplitting, as well as an increasingly conservative and Southern-friendly GOP led to the end of the Democrats as a political force able to contest anything outside major cities. By the late 1990s, they had simply stopped running candidates for higher office in most areas, opting to endorse Rallyites in most cases. The Independent Republicans, like in most other Southern states, found it hard to catch on, especially in Oklahoma, where gaining ballot access was near impossible. In 1998, Don Nickles, an incumbent Republican serving since 1981 looked strong. It would be hard to unseat him the Rally thought. Their crop of candidates was somewhat uninspiring, but then, someone totally unexpected jumped into the ring. Fred Harris, Former Democratic Senator and divorced husband of Rally activist LaDonna Harris, had decided he wanted back into Congress. Harris received a surge in grassroots support and built a coalition of Native Americans and working class whites unhappy with the war in Libya. His ex-wife, LaDonna Harris, even came to Oklahoma to campaign for him. In a two-way race, Fred Harris returned to Congress after 25 years at the age of 68.

Pat Robertson and his allies thought they could get rid of Mark Hatfield, the scion of the liberal Republicans. When Hatfield declined to run again in 1996, things looked pretty good. But it wasn’t that easy. Hatfield switched his allegiance to the new Independent Republican Party they very day it registered in Oregon (it was also rumored he had been in talks with Mike Bloomberg before its foundation and that his election was grooming to be the Independent Republicans nominee for President in 2000) Hatfield threw his hat into the ring to challenge outspoken atheist and generally disliked Rally incumbent Harry Lonsdale and whatever Republicans and Democrats made the ballot. Lonsdale had served as the RftF leader in the Senate for a time, but was eventually removed from the position as his atheism became more known nationally (something that was particularly dangerous during the Robertson years) The Independent Republicans liked their odds. Lonsdale was unpopular, the Oregon Democrats in disarray and likely to nominate a weak candidate, and the Republicans were again likely to choose an evangelical that would be easy to tie to the increasingly disastrous Robertson administration. The Republican nominee turned out to be Brian Boquist, a State Senator, while the Democrats made the surprisingly strong choice of Former Portland Mayor Vera Katz. On the campaign trail, Lonsdale was hammered for his atheism and liberal stances, which doomed him among the farmers that had brought him victory in 1992. Additionally, Katz and Lonsdale were hardly distinguishable in terms of policy, and given that, many were willing to give Katz a chance against the maverick Lonsdale. Hatfield pulled out a narrow victory. Reportedly, news of Hatfield’s victory set Pat Robertson off on a half-hour rant in the Oval Office. Lonsdale holds the dubious distinction of being the first incumbent Rally Senator to be defeated for reelection.

Senator Pat Leahy, who had switched to the Rally for the Farmers just a year before, faced reelection in 1998. A strong liberal state, Leahy’s chances were good. But then a wrench was thrown into the race: the Independent Republican Party. A historically Republican state, Vermont had drifted away from the GOP in the last few decades, but a liberal Republican had a decent chance, many thought (or feared, depending which side you were on) There were some within the Rally party that opposed Leahy, referring to him as a “Democratic carpetbagger” or “opportunist”. These forces were, however, routed in a primary where a drafted candidate, farmer and actor Fred Tuttle, was defeated in a landslide (a film made during Tuttle’s campaign, ‘Man With a Plan’ was well received, even by even Leahy) Things got even worse. Leahy had hoped the Independent Republicans would nominate some no name, but instead, they selected Former Senator Robert Stafford. Stafford, who had served in Congress for nearly 30 years, was a highly respected elder statesman and certainly would be a challenge to defeat despite his age. The Democrats fielded Ed Flanagan, Lieutenant to popular Democratic Governor Howard Dean. Unfortunately for the Democrats, Dean’s personal popularity outshone Flanagan and made him something of an unknown within the state. Flanagan’s nomination was also notable, as he was the first open homosexual nominated by a major party for the Senate. The race was further complicated as Bernie Sanders, former Mayor of Burlington and two-term Independent Congressman, joined the race, running under the title of ‘Continuity Liberty Union’. Sanders advocated going further than Leahy, supporting nationalized health care and immediate withdrawal from Iraq and Libya, but it was clear that Sanders had an axe to grind with the Rally for the Farmers, and was angry that they had subsumed the Liberty Union. Minor Republicans and Libertarians also filed, but had virtually no chance. Polling indicated a tight race as Stafford portrayed Leahy as a flip-flopper, using much the same tactics as Tuttle had during the primaries. The image Stafford cultivated of himself was one of an old-school Republican who would return to the Senate and restore the Republicans of old. Flanagan was less active on the campaign, but Governor Dean campaigned tirelessly for him and Stafford’s campaign earnestly believed it could pull off a win with that split. Then came the shocking news that Flanagan would withdraw from the race and endorse Leahy. Announced in late October, this was enough to push the incumbent over the top and hold the seat for the Rally for the Farmers. For his part, Sanders made a strong showing from disaffected Rallyites and Democrats, but only took about a tenth of the total vote. Sanders more or less faded into obscurity following his trouncing in and the disbanding of the ‘Continuity Liberty Union’ the day after the election. Stafford congratulated Leahy on his victory, and announced a final retirement from elected politics, though he did continue to take an active role as a well-respected, elder statesman. His failure was largely seen as a repudiation of the Independent Republicans in Vermont, as Governor Dean was handily reelected.

In California, Fred Karger (not to be confused with the Hollywood bandleader of the same name) made history and became the first gay man elected to Congress. A Republican strategist for decades, Karger began to drift away from the party during the Robertson administration, and when the Independent Republicans, Karger jumped ship with a number of other Golden State Republicans. Karger filed to run in the 41st district, which covered southeastern Los Angeles, northeastern Orange County, and parts of southwestern San Bernardino. Karger faced incumbent Republican Gary Miller, Diamond Head Councilwoman Eileen Ansari, and Rallyite activist Thomas Ortiz. It was fairly clear Miller would lose reelection, a shocking shift from just four years before when Orange County had been firmly red. Ansari was attacked for having a Muslim husband, and for raising her children as Muslims by Ortiz and his supporters. Though Ortiz was reprimanded by both Karger and Miller, the attack was enough to snatch victory from the Democrats and put Fred Karger into the House.

1998 was also a year that the Rally made inroads into heavily urban areas, particularly ones with large ethnic and minority populations. One of the people at the forefront of this was Greg Mathis. Mathis, a Detroiter by birth, was appointed as a state judge in the early 90s, but had gradually drifted towards the Rally. He resigned from his judgeship (the 36th district), in order to run for Congress in Michigan’s 13th District against incumbent Democrat Barbara Rose-Collins. The Independent Republicans declined to run a candidate, and Mathis faced two Collins’ - incumbent Barbara and Republican Vendella, who had likely been chosen to confuse voters. Mathis was able to campaign on the successes of the national Rally Party and hammered the incumbent Democrat on her lack of legislative achievements. Greg Mathis easily won election on November 3rd.

 

[Baconheimer]

In Alabama, incumbent Governor Perry Hand sought election to a second term. A staunch conservative and supporter of the Robertson administration, Hand was unpopular for a series of scandals involving the state Agriculture Department that had involved the condemnation of land by inspectors for disparate, often trivial issues. Only a single very notable candidate filed to run against the Governor - activist Robert Kennedy Jr. Nephew of a former President and son of a slain Presidential contender and Attorney General, Kennedy had significant name recognition and even popularity as some Alabamians viewed his entrance into the race as “Alabama getting a Kennedy of its own.” Kennedy faced token opposition in the Democratic Primary, but trounched his opponents. The Rally nominated former state Ethics Commissioner Cooper, as many potential nominees stayed out after it became clear Kennedy was running. A non-entity, Cooper (as well as Independent Republican Wishnatsky) was barely on the campaign trail. Hand hammered Kennedy as a carpetbagger, which was a legitimate criticism, as Kennedy had few ties to Alabama, but in the end, the Governors unpopularity sank the ship as Rallyites defected en masse to vote for the Democratic ticket.

Though many attempts to get Democratic Governor of Connecticut Bruce Morrison to join the Rally, Morrison remained a firm party man. Unsurprisingly, he was renominated to run again in 1998. As was the case with 1998 races, Morrison faced three significant opponents. The Rally selected State Representative Jack Malone and the Republicans Former Representative John Rowland. The big unknown was A Connecticut Party, local affiliate of the Independent Republicans (though it dated to 1990 and had elected Lowell Weicker Governor nearly a decade before the foundation of the Independent Republicans) Many speculated Weicker might jump back into politics like Mark Hatfield in Oregon, and if he did, the ACP would be a dangerous adversary. Weicker did, however, opt not to run in favor of the woman that had been his Lieutenant Governor (and unsuccessful 1994 ACP nominee), Eunice Groark. Suburban moderates were uneasy voting for the Robertson-backed Rowland (who made several controversial statements regarding execution and the African-American population in Hartford) Morrison, though a strong incumbent, was unable to draw in enough votes to bring him victory as the Rally made inroads in factory towns that split the vote irreparable. This was enough to allow a coalition of moderate Republicans and traditional ACP voters to put Eunice Groark into 990 Prospect Avenue. The vote-splitting that gave Groark election worked its way downballot as well. The General Assembly would be divided, but a significant percentage would be made up of ACP members and many more had been endorsed by the ACP.

Few expected a Rallyite to be elected in Hawaii, a deep blue state for decades. Incumbent Governor John D. Waihe’e III had served the second of his permitted term, his first having been in the late 80s, but Waihe’e had declined to run for reelection after a health scare. Mayor of Honolulu Richard C.S. Ho won a contentious Democratic primary, and most expected him to be a shoe-in for the Governor’s Mansion. His opponents, Independent Republican Frank Fasi, Republican Maria Hustace, and Rallyite Jim Channon appeared more likely to squabble with each other than prove a serious challenge to Ho. Channon, who had formerly run on the Natural Law line for US Representative in California, had ties to the New Age movement in Hawaii and had been the author of the ‘First Earth Battalion’ proposal, that had advocated the US Army raise a unit that would operate under New Age lines, including the use of divination, ginseng consumption, and commitment to the preservation of the Earth’s environment. Unsurprisingly, the Defense Department had rejected Channon’s proposal, and the ex-soldier had moved to the Pacific region, where he had become involved in Rally for the Farmers politics. Ho proved a poor campaigner on the state level, and stumbled when asked questions about conservation, and was hammered by Channon on the issue of development, as Ho had authorized several rather destructive building projects during his Mayorship. Fasi and Hustace fought amongst themselves, and were never considered a serious threat by the Channon and Ho campaigns. In the end, Channon was able to pull out a victory over Ho by a margin much larger than expected. Still, Governor-elect Channon’s success did not extend downballot and he would have to deal with a firmly Democratic State Legislature.

The decreasing popularity of the national Republican administration led to a decline in favorability of Republicans in Illinois. The Republicans went with a fairly conventional choice: Secretary of State George Ryan while the Rally for the Farmers nomination was hard fought between rust belt State Representative Donald Green of Kankakee and Southern Illinoisan US Representative Glenn Poshard. Ryan and Poshard were the only candidates with serious chances to win the election, but both other parties were strong enough to field candidacies. The Democratic primary was won by Chicago-area businessman and former Mayoral hopeful Willie Wilson while Independent Republican voters ended up choosing part-time clown and former Air Force Pilot Raymond Wardingley. For his running-mate, Wardingley chose an equally interesting character: Moonshine, IL native Brent Winters, a geologist and self-proclaimed lawyer. The race was hard-fought as both Poshard and Wilson hammered Ryan for his connections to the earlier Thompson and Edgar administrations, that had seen unprecedented losses of jobs. Poshard, however, was able to portray himself as a serious candidate with the political acumen to get his ideas done, and this is what pushed him over the finish line and made him Illinois’ first governor from the Rally for the Farmers. Wilson and Wardingley, however, did manage to get a significant number of votes - Wilson in Chicago and Wardingley in the Chicago suburbs from traditionally Republican voters uneasy with President Robertson.

Incumbent Rally Governor Wheeler, a World War Two veteran, cited his advocacy for term limits as a reason to not run for reelection in 1998. Without anyone holding the advantage of incumbancy, the race was anyone’s to win. The Maine Democrats had been hamstrung by the rise of the Rally for the Farmers, which had performed well among out of work residents of former factory towns and inhabitants of the more rural upstate. Maine’s last major elected Democrat, Senator William Cohen defected to the Rally in mid-1997, dealing a critical blow to the Democratic Party in Maine. The Independent Republicans had also received a surge of interest when they had been formed. Many moderate Maine Republicans had defected to the new party, unhappy with Robertson’s strong rhetoric. The Rally for the Farmers primary was won in an upset by State Legislator John Michael, whose signature issue was “clean elections”, but who also had a checkered past that involved being censured for verbal abuse in the House Chamber. The Republicans went with Judith Foss, an uncompromising social conservative with a penchant for calling out “liberal tendencies” within fellow Republicans. The Independent Republican choice was another woman - Sherry Huber. Huber had been on the left of the Republican Party since the Reagan era, and had even run an independent campaign endorsed by the Maine Lesbian-Gay Political Alliance in 1986. Huber was by far the most socially liberal candidate, being firmly pro-choice and in favor of gay marriage as well as advocating for the repeal of the 28th Amendment. All his opponents were able to make strong criticisms of Michael in his “rebel” record and censure, and while Huber was portrayed as a radical liberal abortionist, she remained firmly within conservative orthodoxy economically, and that was enough, as Maine voters weary of the Robertson administration elected Sherry Huber their 73rd Governor.

 

[Baconheimer]

This post is accurate to January 1st 1999.

George H.W. Bush - More or less disappeared from politics after his loss in 1988. Often insulted on the campaign trail by Pat Robertson in 1992, Bush has made something of a return and has become a critic of the Robertson administration much to the ire of his son.

Johnny Cash- Cash’s friendship with Willie Nelson declined a bit when Nelson got into elected politics, but the two are still friendly. Cash remained quiet during the first few years of the Robertson administration, but despite not speaking explicitly against the President, it is fairly clear that he opposes Pat Robertson. Cash currently is active as a musician.

Bill Clinton- After allegations of infidelity and rape capsized his 1996 primary campaign, Clinton has faded into obscurity. He has remarried and become a real estate developer.

Ted Cruz- After narrowly deciding not to go into law, Rafael Edward “Teddy” Cruz went to work on Wall Street. He has made a name for himself as a brutal, heartless wheeler-dealer.

Mario Cuomo- Cuomo served as Governor like IOTL, and did not run in 1988. There was talk of Cuomo challenging Gary Hart in 1992, but he did not do it. There was talk again of him running in 1996, but that also didn’t pan out. As it becomes clear the Democrats are nationally ineffective, Cuomo is becoming less and less relevant and has made it fairly clear he has no intention of ever running for office again.

Hugh Hefner- Hefner is doing much the same as IOTL, though has been more politically involved as the Robertson administration seeks to crack down on pornography (including Playboy Magazine) Hefner has donated to both the Democrats and Rally candidates and is known to be particularly friendly with Governor-elect Kennedy of Alabama. However, as Hefner is more of a libertarian, First Amendment supporter than true economic leftist, there has been talk in the Independent Republican Party of nominating him for some office though Hefner denies any interest.

Anita Hill- Currently employed as a very senior member of the University of Oklahoma Law School in Norman, Oklahoma. Though widely respected there and in legal circles, she is nationally an unknown. She has never spoken about her harassment at the hands of Clarence Thomas.

Michael Jackson- Jackson is doing much the same as OTL, but is currently unmarried.

Waylon Jennings- Jennings is still involved in the music industry and has avoided becoming entangled in politics, though most feel he was somewhat supportive of Willie Nelson. Attempts at drafting him to run for office as a Rallyite have failed.

Kris Kristofferson- After the collapse of the Highwaymen in 1990 (Nelson’s absence simply killed the group), Kristofferson continued his solo recording career, though in recent years he has shifted more towards acting.

Trent Lott- House Majority Whip. Somewhat concerned following 1998’s meltdown for the Republicans.

Robert Mueller - Currently United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Well-regarded in moderate to conservative circles for reasoned, fair jurisprudence. While he does not have much of a political future under the hard-right Robertson administration, there is hope that the new President after 2000 will be a change that will help Mueller.

Dave Mustaine- Mustaine parted with Megadeth in the mid-90s and although he has attempted to form several new bands, he has been largely unsuccessful.

Larry Nassar- Initially arrested on charges unrelated to sexual assault, but in the course of the investigation, police found evidence of child pornography. Currently serving a life sentence.

Barack Obama- After graduating from Harvard, Obama returned to Hawaii. He currently is a community organizer in Honolulu.

Beto O’Rourke- Deceased. Formerly a popular punk musician.

Hillary Rodham (formerly Clinton) - After divorcing her husband, Rodham returned to Chicago. She is unmarried and has become a lawyer and retained custody of her children with Bill, Chelsea and Brian.

OJ Simpson- Retired from football, and currently making money by acting in movies. Happily married to his wife Nicole Brown and weighing a run for Mayor of Los Angeles.

George Soros- Soros is uninvolved with American politics for the most part, and focused primarily on business and aid to Eastern European anti-communist dissidents.

Kenneth Starr- Still sits on the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. Robertson aides advised nominating Starr to take the seat vacated by Byron White’s resignation in May 1993, but Robertson chose John Cornyn instead at the advice of then-White House Chief of Staff Lee Atwater, who feared Starr would be insufficiently conservative.

Clarence Thomas- Appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit by President Robertson. Whenever a Supreme Court seat opens up, there is speculation that Thomas will be named, but as of 1999, it has not yet happened. Thomas appears quite happy with his current position.

Donald Trump- Between the USFL fiasco and his trouncing in the 1996 Republican Primaries, Trump has more or less disappeared from the national stage.

 

[Baconheimer]

‘After a year with many plurality victories, state lawmakers weigh runoff elections’
- Washington Post, January 9th 1999

“It’s clear Robertson is hurting us. The guy’s a philistine; he barely knows where Washington is. I’ve never met someone so unable to say the right things in a room. He could go into any megachurch in this country and the congregation could come out Wellstone voters. Shit, we’ve got to get rid of him before he destroys our party. If we can’t make him resign, we’ve got to at least distance ourselves and hope 2000 isn’t as bad as last year was.”
- Senator Lee Atwater (R-SC) at a leadership retreat in West Virginia also attended by Trent Lott, Pete Domenici, and Dick Cheney

“You know, maybe having Newt as Robertson’s new butt-boy isn’t so bad. I can easily distance myself from this shitshow of an administration. I’m just glad I got out of there before everything went downhill.:
- Former Secretary of State and possible 2000 contender Pete Domenici (R-NM) at that same retreat

“In consultation with the state committee, we have devised a new plan to catapult our party into national relevance. We intend to focus our energy on this year’s election of San Francisco Mayor. With the Democrats in disarray and the Rally unable to make useful gains there, a moderate Republican could eke out a victory. I have found just the man: Mr. Bruce Slesinger, formerly of that band the Dead Kennedys. Though some of us might be uneasy nominating a punk rocker, Mr. Slesinger has been out of that business for a decade and is a respected Architect in San Francisco. Best of all, our opponents can’t attack him for that. If the Rally does, they risk alienating his former bandmates and if the Democrats do, well, they come out looking like prudes.”
- Independent Republican National Committeeman Robert J. Kabel, January 17th 1999

‘Chief Justice Rehnquist Dead at 74 - Died Suddenly of Unexpected Heart Attack On Vacation’
- Washington Post, January 20th 1999

“I want Robert Bork on the Court. It was a crime what the Democrats did to him last time.

Mr. President, what makes you think we can do it now if we couldn’t do it before?

I intend to ram Robert Bork down the Democrats’ throat. We will put him there this time.”
- President Pat Robertson to White House Chief of Staff Gordon Humphrey, late January 1999

‘Is the Independent REpublican Party Funded by NAMBLA?’
- The Lone Gunman, January 10th 1999

‘Robertson Renominates Bork’
- Washington Post, February 2nd 1999

“If I didn’t vote for him then, why would I vote for him now? I am confident the Senate will not approve Robert Bork’s nomination.”
- Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), February 5th 1999

‘I urge all of you to at least consider runoff elections in your states. Much of this country is still conservative at its core, and given a choice between a Republican and a single other party, I am fairly confident we would suffer fewer losses.’
- From a letter to Republican Governors, circulated by Chairman of the Republican Governors Association David Beasley of South Carolina, February 1999

“I know this isn’t my jurisdiction, but Bork will never get approved. Please just withdraw the nomination: this is going to keep hurt us.”
- Secretary of State William Hawkins (R-TN), February 25th 1999

‘VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN MANDELSON GOVERNMENT SUCCEEDS - PARLIAMENT LIKELY TO BE DISSOLVED AND GENERAL ELECTION CALLED’
- Daily Mail, February 27th 1999

‘BY THE QUEEN

A PROCLAMATION FOR DISSOLVING THE PRESENT PARLIAMENT AND DECLARING THE CALLING OF ANOTHER

ELIZABETH R.

Whereas We have thought fit, by and with the advice of Our Privy Council, to dissolve this present Parliament, which stands prorogued to Tuesday, the second day of March: We do, for that End, publish this Our Royal Proclamation, and do hereby dissolve the said Parliament accordingly: And the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Members of the House of Commons, are discharged from further Attendance thereat: And We being desirous and resolved, as soon as may be, to meet Our People, and to have their Advice in Parliament, do hereby make known to all Our loving Subjects Our Royal Will and Pleasure to call a new Parliament: and do hereby further declare, that, by and with the advice of Our Privy Council, We have given Order that Our Chancellor of Great Britain and Our Secretary of State for Northern Ireland do respectively, upon Notice thereof, forthwith issue out Writs, in due Form and according to Law, for calling a new Parliament: And We do hereby also, by this Our Royal Proclamation under Our Great Seal of Our Realm, require Writs forthwith to be issued accordingly by Our said Chancellor and Secretary of State respectively, for causing the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons who are to serve in the said Parliament to be duly returned to, and give their Attendance in, Our said Parliament on Tuesday, the eighteenth day of May next, which Writs are to be returnable in due course of Law…’
- A Royal Proclamation Dissolving Parliament, March 2nd 1999 *

‘White House Chief of Staff Humphrey Resigns - Marks Robertson’s Sixth Chief to Resign’
- New York Times, March 12th 1999

“Mr. President, I’d like you to know that I am one-hundred percent behind you. As long as I’m still breathing you will remain President. I know Jack from West Virginia is with me, and the country is too.”
- Senator Evan Mecham (R-AZ), March 14th 1999 **

‘Conservatives Receive Majority in Parliament - Labour Nearly Relegated to Third, Mandelson Resigns in Disgrace’
- The Telegraph, March 26th 1999

"...it's fitting that the Portillo Government is meeting for the first time on April Fools' Day. If this is any sign of the judgement of this Government, as I have no doubt it will be, we should be seeing a Labour government back in power to usher in the new millennium."
- Political humorist and comedian Ayesha Hazarika, April 1st 1999

'Portillo Government Meets for First Time in Parliament'
- Daily Sun, April 2nd 1999

"I am therefore announcing my candidacy for the Republican nomination for President in 1980! [...] You see we're just not winning in this country anymore - we have jobs going overseas, the constitution being subverted at home and a great man in the White House who has had his every move watched by the Democrats and Rally for the Farmers. Brave American men and women are being slaughtered in Iraq and Libya because our leaders don’t have enough backbone. It's quite frankly disgusting. [...] Let's get American back on track, Let's Make America Great Again!"
- Evan Mecham announces his candidacy for President, April 5th 1999 ***

‘This year’s could be bad for us. As has been previously mentioned, we cannot run tickets for Governor in the three Deep South states up for election this year. If the Independent Republican Party is to survive, we need a victory. This is why I recommend we divert as much of the campaign fund to San Francisco. If Bruce Slesinger can pull out a win there, in one of America’s largest and most high-profile cities, our movement will be rejuvenated in a way that it certainly would not be if we had no noteworthy victories this year.’
- From a memo circulated by Independent Republican National Committeeman Ray Metcalfe (IR-AK), mid-April 1999

‘Communist Party Candidate Shenin Wins First Soviet Presidential Election - American Ambassador Keyes: “No Tampering Whatsoever”’
- New York Times, April 19th 1999

‘It got to be too much for us all. Pat Robertson had taken the Republican Party from the heights of power to a point where we barely held on against an opposition divided three ways. It hurt his allies abroad too. Pete Mandelson was trounced and thrown out of office in 1999 in a massive renunciation of war by Britain. You had to be a fool to think Pat Robertson wasn’t behind all this and Pat and his closest allies kept bumbling on in the same moronic way. That was what put us over the line: we knew we had to do something or America would be destroyed beyond repair. Five of us, Dan Quayle, Trent Lott, Bob Dole, Chris Cox, and myself visited the President the night of April 7th. We came in late, after almost all the staffers had gone home and marched straight to the Oval Office.

We told the President what was on our mind. Essentially, he was given an ultimatum: he could fume all he wanted in private, but he had to act more Presidential in public and would run any serious proposals by one of us first. The alternative would be impeachment. We could all tell he was angry and wanted to call in the Secret Service to arrest us or shoot us on the spot, he frequently said “You can’t do this to me.” But you could tell he came around, and we made him agree to our demands before we left that night.

He actually did keep his promise, and the next two years went as smoothly as they could with ol’ Pat stil in the White House. They say he started drinking hard after that night and, I’m told it increased to a bottle a night when he went back to Lynchburg in 2001. In a way, I think I’m responsible for them finding him face-down in a puddle outside his house that night in 2004.’
- About Face: The Story of the Second Most Hated Man in America by Lee Atwater and Howard Zinn, 2016

“The whole new Democratic Party is the old Republican Party. This party now has a bunch of elephants running around in donkey clothes - but I promise you, I’m here to change things and make the Democrats a party of the people again.”
- Reverend Al Sharpton announces a run for President, May 8th 1999 ****

‘Governor Treen Dies Suddenly - Lieutenant Gov. Lee to serve until next election’
- The Times-Picayune, July 8th, 1999

‘It is absolutely unacceptable that Louisiana has a man like Harry Lee in such a high position of power. When he was Sheriff of Jefferson Parish, he said it would be fair to stop any young man of color driving in a “rinky-dink” car in a white neighborhood. This man is a full-blown racist and unsuited for any position of power.”
- Rally for the Farmers Presidential contender Representative Mickey Leland, July 15th 1999

‘Lee files to run for Governor as Republican - Lee Remains Registered Democrat’
- The Times-Picayune, August 4th 1999

“Look, I was a teenager when I was in that band. Plenty of people have done stupid things in their youth. Some of the sentiments I expressed back then were the result of quick thinking and an unwillingness to listen to others. I’m a different man now and I promise I will be a levelheaded and reasoned mayor.”
- Bruce Slesinger, August 25th 1999

“I’m tired of being paraded around before Congress. Tell the President I’ve had enough and that I’m taking my name out of consideration for Chief Justice of the United States.”
- Robert Bork to White House Chief of Staff Jerry Falwell Jr., August 29th 1999

“I am naming my intention to nominate Former Secretary of the Treasury James Baker to the vacancy on our Supreme Court. I only hope the Rally for the Farmers and Democrats don’t attempt the same methods of character assassination as they did on Judge Bork to this fine, American man.”
- President Pat Robertson, September 3rd 1999

“We really have no reason not to vote for Baker. The fact he nominated such a moderate is a surprise and, frankly, I think we’ve won already.”
- Senate Opposition Leader Dean Barkley, September 6th 1999

“Sure, Bruce and I still talk on occasion. He’s a decent guy, but he’s lost some of the fire in his belly and has compromised and taken on some attributes of what we used to criticize. Personally, I’m voting for a guy named Mark O’Hara, calls himself ‘Superbooty’”
- Jello Biafra, mid-September 1999

‘Pro-Life Republicans Float Filibuster on Baker’
- Washington Post, mid-September 1999

‘Did Mayor Achtenberg take money for Repair Contracts?’
- San Francisco Chronicle, September 24th 1999

“Of course I’ll be voting 'no' on James Baker. It’s ridiculous to think I’d vote to put a pinko like that on the Supreme Court. [...] Yes, I’m still behind the President one-hundred percent. If the Democrats and Farmers hadn’t slandered a fine man like Robert Bork President Robertson would never have had to compromise and he’d have put a true conservative on the Supreme Court.”
- Senator Evan Mecham (R-AZ), September 28th 1999

‘Baker Confirmed as 17th Chief Justice’
- Washington Post, October 1st 1999 *****

‘Preis and Livingston Advance to runoff - Lee eliminated’
- The Daily Reveille, October 2th 1999

"I don't know of any politicians in the Democratic or Republican parties that I respect. I can't imagine anyone even being in one of those parties. I'm surprised that people haven't left those parties in droves."
- Superbooty O’Hara, candidate for Mayor of San Francisco, October 27th 1999 ******

‘Achtenberg comes in first - Unable to win majority, will face Slesinger in runoff’
- The San Francisco Examiner, November 3rd 1999

In Kentucky, outgoing Governor Galbraith, perhaps the most popular man in the state, endorsed his current Lieutenant, Steve Beshear, a former Democrat, as his successor. The rise of the Rally for the Farmers had more or less destroyed the state Democrats, and every major Democrat had defected to the Rally and the party only contested small, local elections. The Republican primary was narrowly won by Jefferson County Executive Rebecca Jackson. Her only opponents were perennial candidates, and their successes foretold future issues for the Jackson campaign. Beshear won in a landslide over Jackson and two minor Libertarian and Natural Law tickets. Beshear’s running mate, Eleanor Jordan, became the first African-American Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky.

Mississippi had elected its first Republican Governor since Reconstruction, Delbert Hosemann, in 1995, and seemed on track to reelect him as 1999 came around. Despite strong efforts, the Rally Party had not managed to completely kill the Mississippi Democrats. Ted Weill, former RFTF National Committeeman, threw his hat into the ring. Long active in the party, there had been rumors Weill would run for office in every election since 1988, but nothing had panned out. Weill had name-recognition and a significant warchest, and dispatched a favorite son from the Appalachian Foothills of northeastern Mississippi fairly easily in the primary. The Democratic selection was Jackson City Councilman Leslie B. McLemore, another long-time politico with a history of involvement in the NAACP. Weill, for all his organizing strengths, proved a poor campaigner, and was outdone by Hosemann. McLemore ran a spirited campaign that served only to divide the anti-Republican vote. Hosemann actually managed a majority (though only by several thousand votes) to be reelected as Governor and avoid the first possible runoff election under new state law. Weill returned from the political wilderness after his defeat and unseated Roger Wicker to become the United States Representative from Mississippi’s 1st District less than a year later.

‘Lee endorses Livingston’
- Ruston Daily Leader, November 4th, 1999

David Treen, Louisiana Governor from 1980 to 1984 made a political comeback in 1995, when he received a second term as Governor. Treen was technically eligible for a third term in 1999, and was widely considered the frontrunner and favorite to win the contest. His sudden death and the succession of Democratic Lieutenant Governor Harry Lee, the controversial Chinese-American Sheriff of Jefferson Parish to the office of Governor changed everything. Lee, at 67 was not expected to seek election to a term of his own, but he quickly filed. However, he filed as a Republican (which did not mean especially much given Lousiana’s jungle primary) Several other Republicans, including Senator Bob Livingston, entered the race. The first round saw one of two major Rally candidates, State Senator Phil Preis, come in first and Livingston in second. Among the defeated were Rallyite Cleo Fields and Democrat Richard Ieyoub. It became clear Lee had hurt his chance by switching parties as he had alienated some Democrats and was not any Republicans first choices given the option of Livingston. Preis eked out a victory over Livingston

Bruce Slesinger had no chance. That was the thought throughout San Francisco as campaigning season started in 1999. The incumbent, Roberta Achtenberg, presided over a stagnant city and there had been allegations of corruption under her mayorship, but her spats with the President (made all the more significant as Achtenberg was openly lesbian and Pat Robertson was, well, Pat Robertson) had made the Mayor something of a celebrity despite her other failings. As was typical in California, several Democrats filed against the incumbent. Joining them were several Rallyites and a Republican (Harold Hoogasian, who, truth be told was more of an objectivist than a Robertsonite theocrat), but these candidates were ephemeral at best. The Independent Republicans, despite attempting to brand themselves as a socially laissez-faire libertarian party had not made the inroads into San Francisco they had hoped for, and Slesinger was their only candidate of importance in the race. As the campaign went on, Slesinger presented himself as a strong candidate, a political outsider involving himself in politics to save a city in the midst of scandal. Though many were wary of someone with the word “Republican” next to his name, Slesinger distanced himself from the real GOP and promised that Pat Robertson would not push San Francisco around. Clearly Independent Republican money, pumped in from New York and Los Angeles was boosting the Slesinger campaign. Then came the allegations against Achtenberg. In late September reports that Achtenberg-appointed officials had taken bribes to hand over the contracts for repair work on the Muni Metro light rail system. While not completely substantiated, the exposé was fairly clear that there had been foul play. Achtenberg managed to come first in the first round of voting, but in the second round, held in mid-December, Slesinger barely got by with a victory by picking up Democratic voters wary of the mayor after the corruption allegations. Roberta Achtenberg was cleared of the charges against her in mid-2000 as it turned out she had been entirely unaware of the bribes. Slesinger took office the next January with the eyes of the country and his party on him.

*- Taken from an actual dissolution of Parliament by Elizabeth II.
**- Mecham is referring to Jack Fellure, Representative from West Virginia who was first elected in 1994.
*** - Taken mostly from Gonzo’s Mecham TL.
****- Most of this is taken real comments made by Sharpton on CNN’s Crossfire in early 2003.
*****- Barely changed from an actual headline run by the Washington Post for John Roberts’ nomination.
****** - Taken from actual statements by “Superbooty”, found here.