Rumsfeldia: Fear and Loathing in the Decade of Tears

[Lost Freeway]

You know, if the rest of the country really does leave the South twisting in the wind, it could serve as the explanation for the "Somali America" scenario I posted 27 pages back.

 

[bookmark95]

You know, if the rest of the country really does leave the South twisting in the wind, it could serve as the explanation for the "Somali America" scenario I posted 27 pages back.

My guess is that such scenarios are somewhat common in the South, but only through the late 1990s.

As I've said, the new federal government would eventually have to intervene in the area as violence and extremism grew.

As Southerners start fleeing to more stable areas of the country, the extremist ideologies that follow them will also arrive. Southern extremists, many of them former Rumsfeldians and CV members, would inevitably form terrorist networks, and start attacking symbols of the new America.

Once this happens, especially if Jimmy Carter and public officials are assassinated, the federal government will start intervening. They'll reach out to remaining Southern moderates, offering jobs and infrastructure, in exchange for abandoning right-wing conservatism and agreeing to provide a liberal education, so that the next generation is reminded of how monstrous the CSA becomes.

 

[bookmark95]

January 20th, 1989

It was a cloudy January morning in Washington DC. Not that people minded anyway. They had gathered by the thousands near the Capitol's East Wing, to watch the newest President be inaugurated. The final epilogue to a long, hard-fought election last year. Many were either standing outside, in their coats and hats, or sitting in the VIP section. Among the VIPs was President Charles Mathias, and First Lady Ann. He seemed exactly like a man who had just been defeated. All smiles, but secretly irritated that it wasn't him being re-inaugurated for a second term. The rest were a who's who of Democrats or WTP politicians. California Congressman and WTP heavyweight Ron Dellums showed up, WTP maverick Ralph Nader, Ohio Senator John Glenn, Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen, et cetera. Also among them was the news. CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, Hughes, and foreign press like the BBC. Hughes was spouting the same nonsense that it always does, about how the new President is going cowtow to Ryzhkov and Moscow. Have to keep up the ratings, after all.

Chief Justice William Rehnquist and the Vice-President-Elect were the first to come out. Rehnquist was promoted to Chief Justice by Mathias after Warren Burger retired in '86. Retained the conservative balance, though it was rumored that, with a liberal in office, Thurgood Marshall was going to retire as well. The Vice-President-Elect was chosen to please the WTP factions, and keep them from making the same mistake from '84. It had worked, obviously. The oath was administered, and California governor Paul Norton McCloskey was formally inaugurated as the 44th ( or was it 43rd? 45th? Who kept count of it anymore?) Vice President of the United States. The side attractions were finished, now for the main show.

The President-elect would inherit a country still reeling. It had suffered severe political and economic turmoil during the late 70's. President Carey made some inroads towards recovery during his only term. His moderate fiscal policy a departure from the previous Wallace administration. He had lowered taxes, and tried to rebuild infrastructure, much as he had done in New York. In hindsight, it helped alleviate the situation, but it wasn't enough at the time for people to really pay attention to it. In '84, he found himself challenged leftward by Ralph Nader and George Moscone, and to the Right by some guy named Richard Viguere and another guy named... Denton? Something like that. In the end though, it was Maryland Senator Charles Mathias, who rose against conservative opposition to become the Republican nominee, and his running mate, Richard Lugar, who would prove the most challenging. Thanks to the still below average economy, Mathias was able to narrowly win the election, though some attribute this to Nader taking liberal votes from moderate Carey. The Mathias administration would also prove mediocre. The economy actually dipped during his administration. So, the Democrats were able to pounce on him. The President-elect won out, and brought aboard McCloskey, and got the endorsement of Ron Dellum, to help them take back the White House. He was like President Wallace in some ways. He, too was a Southern governor, though he was elected as a Senator. He was very populist, and was a devout Christian too. Those qualities helped him out in the South. He had a relatively large victory against the incumbent. The nation was still in the doldrums, but under this new President, it might just be able to rise back up.

The world he'll encounter is less stable. The Indian Civil War was still raging, though the US and Britain were trying to mediate the conflict. However the Gandhi government was slowly starting to restore order, and stories of atrocities against nationalist militias and Pakistani troops were still coming in. US troops maintained a steady presence in China, though Lesser Mao was still at large. There was South Africa, of course. The US seemed content to continue criticizing apartheid, while secretly send tactical arms support to South Africa. However, with Magnus Malan proving a vicious fascist with genocidal tendencies, and his willy-nilly use of weapons left most of the country uninhabitable, the court of public opinion disagreed. With news of prison camps for dissidents, and harsh conditions coming out into the US press each day, the arms trade quickly and silently ended, and Dellums pushed through a bill through Congress, which ended all US investment in South Africa, as long as Apartheid continued. All American businesses pulled out. Great Britain followed suit. Malan was making the West look bad, and South Africa had a larger presence than any other third world dictator. Getting rid of him could get them an ally they could be proud of. Without any support from the west, they were now suffering an insurgency by ANC forces, which they were losing. Give them credit, they know where to extend their stubbornness. Malan recently relaxed several homeland laws. The ambassador recently said that Malan had plans for a new constitution for universal sufferage for blacks and white, but needed US help in defeating the ANC, before he could implement it. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen.

And there was the Soviet Union. Nikolai Ryzhkov quickly establisheed himself by liberalizing Soviet economics, helping improve the living conditions within the Warsaw Pact, and the USSR proper. However, he also gained a reputation for disregarding human rights, imprisoning political enemies at will. And he had supported the authoritarian regimes in the PRC, Portugal and Cuba. Tensions between the NATO and the Warsaw Pact were growing, and the threat of nuclear war seemed more and more imminent.

The President-elect came on. Justice Rehnquist started:

"Please raise your right hand. I, James Earl Carter,..."

"I, James Earl Carter,..."

"Do Solemnly..."

The oath continued. The country may not be in the best condition, but it was better than it was 8 years ago. And it could've been worse. We could've had Rumsfeld as president. After his loss in 1980, he went back to Illinois. His policies of government downsizing and privatizing, however, quickly caused the local economy to crash within a few years, and unemployment to sour. The government declared bankruptcy. He was obviously voted out of office in '83. Last was heard, he was in the private sector now. One could only imagine what would've happened had he won in 1980. What sort of economic horror would be unleashed. What would have happened if he had enacted his policies on the entire country. Thankfully, Rumsfeldia never left Illinois, and slowly and painfully died there.

The oath ended. Whatever problems may lay ahead, today was a testament to American democracy. The idea that the people had the choice to elect their leaders. That it was subject only to the will of the people. And while it may stumble, and administrations may change, it was ready to face the challenges that lay ahead.

President Jimmy Carter began:

"For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land..."

-------------------------------

So, that was my speculation on how an Gumboverse America without Rumsfeld would have developed. I probably got a thousand things wrong, but this was just a piece I wanted to get out of my head for a while. Just a glimpse at what might have happened.

This is a very interesting scenario.

But I don't think the Republicans would choose a moderate Senator. I think they would try to choose a more conservative figure to prevent the loss of conservative voters.

And it is interesting to note that while the Soviet economy is freer, the people are not, so the Cold War, with an unbroken America, is still raging.

 

[Miss Teri]

This is a very interesting scenario.

But I don't think the Republicans would choose a moderate Senator. I think they would try to choose a more conservative figure to prevent the loss of conservative voters.

And it is interesting to note that while the Soviet economy is freer, the people are not, so the Cold War, with an unbroken America, is still raging.

That's why I chose Lugar as the running mate. He was significantly more conservative than Mathias, and could keep those voters not with the Christian Values already

 

[Drew]

Ann Richards - nervous breakdown (she bit into Rumsfeld once too often)

Barbara Jordan- I'm guessing she is the chairperson of We The People in Texas - ok, or opposing the conservative/libertarian Texas republic movement

Dick Lamm- Last I heard he was still Governor of Colorado, but I wonder if Rummy singled him out as a target. Lamm was the man denied the Vice Presidency, and he probably would oppose Rumsfeld's corporatism. Lamm also drafted the nation's first abortion law and OTL supported physician assisted suicide, so Rummy would indict him in order to gain support of conservative Christians. If Rummy didn't target him, the CVs certainly would. On the another hand, I assume he would be safe in Colorado, which could easily become a Libertarian stronghold. - ok, or he joined the Oxford Republicans

Trey Parker and Matt Stone- I imagine them being young Libertarian activists out in Colorado. I'm betting that the Libertarian strongholds offer the last bit of create freedom left in the lower 48. - ok.

Tom Tancredo - a rueful Rumsfeldian flirting with Libertarianism

Paul Laxalt - supported Rumsfeld as a Senator then turned against him; nervous breakdown

Harry Reid - disappeared one night, never to be seen again. Suspects include Rumsfeld and the mafia. Some say he walked into Area 51 - but wait, there is no Area 51 so he couldn't have walked into there.

Nolan Bushnell - doing his engineering outside of the country

Daniel Inouye- What's happen to him now that his state has seceded? - a legislative leader in Hawaii's parliament, perhaps a government minister.

Richard Shelby- a Rumsfedlian now reconsidering his options

John Stennis- A Rumsfeldian at first, now railing against the CVs.

Gary Johnson- He was mentioned in FLaG as having become a major Libertarian Party figure. - Probably a guiding light in the Bozeman movement. His business is probably smaller though.

Al Sharpton - WTP

Bob Hoskins - British actor, but probably avoided doing the Super Mario Brothers

John Engler- I bet he ditched the Republican Party right now. - A Democrats Democrat now, but I suspect he was on the nervous breakdown list.

The McCloksey Seven- Have they been locked up in an asylum? - I would think that McCloskey re-appointed them to the California Supreme Court, and that they have become heroes in the struggle for California independence (given that they stood-up to Rumsfeld's effort to intervene in a California election - and that action lead to secession. Rumsfeld's reach into California was more limited because of the organized political resistance).

 

[Drew]

A post-CV America will also become the home to many Americans returning from abroad, often having lived for a large number of years in exile. They will bring with them impressions and ideas that are not readily found in America, such as new ideas on the nature of federalism, more progressive outlooks (or not), and an understanding of what it is to be an exile. They will see many Americans who remained as complete provincials.

 

[Drew]

There at least six alternate PODs that could change the course of this TL

1] McKeithen lives and assumes the Presidency - and then gets bogged down in a Democratic "Watergate".

2] Agnew survives the vote of removal and completes the 1973-1977 term. (This one, I think, ends in nuclear war).

3] Gavin gets a second term.

4] Reagan defeats Wallace (I actually have in mind to write a TL sometime of a Reagan wins in 1976 based on his defeating Gerald Ford OTL).

5] Carey defeats Rumsfeld - the fall-out of Wallace's division of the Democratic Party haunts Carey

6] McCloskey defeats Rumsfeld - he then tries to fix the mess he inherits.

5+6 allow for the CV to continue to grow as a political force; 6 sees the WTP as a mature political organization in its own right.

3+4 might tame the CV and the WTP before they can begin to grow, but are likely to have other consequences.

2 - well, I don't see much of a future there

1 - That could lead to a situation of Nixon and McKeithen on trial at the same time (or in the same time frame) for similar crimes, and a grand disillusionment with the political process all around. This could be a breeding ground for an earlier Trump-like figure. (Scream now!)

 

[David Ritz]

1 - That could lead to a situation of Nixon and McKeithen on trial at the same time (or in the same time frame) for similar crimes, and a grand disillusionment with the political process all around. This could be a breeding ground for an earlier Trump-like figure. (Scream now!)

Edward Miller's recent book "Nut Country: Right-Wing Dallas and the Birth of the Southern Strategy" may be a good source for such ideas.

Out of curiosity, why do you suspect that British PM David Cameron would be a Liberal in this TL?

 

[Gonzo]

Edward Miller's recent book "Nut Country: Right-Wing Dallas and the Birth of the Southern Strategy" may be a good source for such ideas.

Out of curiosity, why do you suspect that British PM David Cameron would be a Liberal in this TL?

Well he is a liberal OTL .

 

[Drew]

Edward Miller's recent book "Nut Country: Right-Wing Dallas and the Birth of the Southern Strategy" may be a good source for such ideas.

Out of curiosity, why do you suspect that British PM David Cameron would be a Liberal in this TL?

I don't see the basis of an ideologue in his early years; he appears to have been a Tory of his class going "the usual route." ITTL the Conservatives appear to be in decline while the Liberals are in ascent. I see his choice as being opportunistic, and one followed by many of his background seeking a successful career in politics.

 

[B_Munro]

Having a failed state(s) next door, with violence and loads of refugees spilling over the border, is not a particularly appetizing scenario either: sending in the troops to stabilize the situation may seem more palatable. If a battered-but-functional "New Confederacy" emerges post-CV the temptation to let it go to hell its own way will be greater, I think, than if it is "Somalia-America."

Also, I think in cases where the better off parts of the US take over more damaged ones, there is going to be quite a bit of "triage": which is to say, the new administration is not going to feel obliged to hurry up and rebuild, say, nuclear disaster areas. Some areas will be just abandoned and locals (aside from those crazies with guns who refuse to move) will be resettled elsewhere, in refugee camps at worst. The message will be "we're doing our best, but we're in no shape to rebuild any major cities from rubble: Rumsfeld & Co. made sure of that. You can take what help we can give, or you can go back to fighting for scraps." (Although probably put rather more politely )

Heck, look at all the decayed parts of the US, dying cities and economies, not to mention vital infrastructure, where the US government isn't doing squat to help OTL...

 

[David Ritz]

1 - That could lead to a situation of Nixon and McKeithen on trial at the same time (or in the same time frame) for similar crimes, and a grand disillusionment with the political process all around. This could be a breeding ground for an earlier Trump-like figure. (Scream now!)

It just occurred to me that a Trump-like figure in the 1970s and 1980s would be far less likely to be successful because the conservative movement had a control mechanism back then that could dispose of demagogues, William Buckley. He understood that the defining characteristic of good leadership is maintaining the "politics of stability" (to use the words of Sam Tanenhaus). Thus, he always put his intellectual mind to teaming up with liberals to send extremists like the Minutemen packing. Frankly, I wish he was still around.

 

[bookmark95]

Having a failed state(s) next door, with violence and loads of refugees spilling over the border, is not a particularly appetizing scenario either: sending in the troops to stabilize the situation may seem more palatable. If a battered-but-functional "New Confederacy" emerges post-CV the temptation to let it go to hell its own way will be greater, I think, than if it is "Somalia-America."

Also, I think in cases where the better off parts of the US take over more damaged ones, there is going to be quite a bit of "triage": which is to say, the new administration is not going to feel obliged to hurry up and rebuild, say, nuclear disaster areas. Some areas will be just abandoned and locals (aside from those crazies with guns who refuse to move) will be resettled elsewhere, in refugee camps at worst. The message will be "we're doing our best, but we're in no shape to rebuild any major cities from rubble: Rumsfeld & Co. made sure of that. You can take what help we can give, or you can go back to fighting for scraps." (Although probably put rather more politely )

Heck, look at all the decayed parts of the US, dying cities and economies, not to mention vital infrastructure, where the US government isn't doing squat to help OTL...

The problems of American society have happened because they were gradual economic processes.

I remember reading that if Detroit had been hit by a hurricane (which is how people describe most parts of it) or bombed from the air, than the federal government would have made every effort possible to rebuild it. Instead, gradual economic decline brought the city to its knees.

ITTL, it was seven years of being run by a whack job who turned corporate criminals into virtual predators who fed off the American economy. I bet many contractors, if they offered unconditional support to Rummy, were allowed to simply take tax dollars and not build a thing.

Than a civil war, which saw several dirty bombs being detonated, caused further damage.

Of course Germany and Japan were two nations that also were utterly devastated by World War II, but this meant they had to build everything from the ground up, which allowed them to build stronger economies.

With the US rapidly destroyed by Rummy and the CVs, it is possible that a new economic miracle can be born from the ashes of old America, since Americans have to reinvent their way of thinking.

 

[David Ritz]

The problems of American society have happened because they were gradual economic processes.

I remember reading that if Detroit had been hit by a hurricane (which is how people describe most parts of it) or bombed from the air, than the federal government would have made every effort possible to rebuild it. Instead, gradual economic decline brought the city to its knees.

ITTL, it was seven years of being run by a whack job who turned corporate criminals into virtual predators who fed off the American economy. I bet many contractors, if they offered unconditional support to Rummy, were allowed to simply take tax dollars and not build a thing.

Than a civil war, which saw several dirty bombs being detonated, caused further damage.

Of course Germany and Japan were two nations that also were utterly devastated by World War II, but this meant they had to build everything from the ground up, which allowed them to build stronger economies.

With the US rapidly destroyed by Rummy and the CVs, it is possible that a new economic miracle can be born from the ashes of old America, since Americans have to reinvent their way of thinking.

True.

The British comedian, John Oliver, did one HBO program on the subject of infrastructure and compared it to lego in terms of getting public attention: "Building is fun. Destroying is fun but a lego maintainance set would be the most boring f***ing toy in the world". You can see it here at about 11:10

 

[bookmark95]

True.

The British comedian, John Oliver, did one HBO program on the subject of infrastructure and compared it to lego in terms of getting public attention: "Building is fun. Destroying is fun but a lego maintainance set would be the most boring f***ing toy in the world". You can see it here at about 11:10

I love John Oliver. Hopefully he is still alive in ITTL 2015. Considering the roller-coaster the world has been on since the 70s, one that probably won't end until the mid 90s, I bet he has a lot more material to work on than in OTL.

 

[B_Munro]

Of course Germany and Japan were two nations that also were utterly devastated by World War II, but this meant they had to build everything from the ground up, which allowed them to build stronger economies.

With the US rapidly destroyed by Rummy and the CVs, it is possible that a new economic miracle can be born from the ashes of old America, since Americans have to reinvent their way of thinking.

On the other hand, Germany and Japan had a a lot of US help in rebuilding, (Marshall Plan, etc.), favorable trade terms with the world's largest economy, and an economic union with other less-damaged countries in the case of Germany. Is Europe going to spend much on helping out US reconstruction? It would make economic sense, but then there will no doubt be fear that the US might go crazy again after getting strong.

 

[djPROUDGEEK]

Of course Germany and Japan were two nations that also were utterly devastated by World War II, but this meant they had to build everything from the ground up, which allowed them to build stronger economies.

With the US rapidly destroyed by Rummy and the CVs, it is possible that a new economic miracle can be born from the ashes of old America, since Americans have to reinvent their way of thinking.

At the same time though, Germany and Japan had a lot of investment from outside sources such as the US, as the Americans were hoping to build up these countries as buffers to communist expansion, the idea being "A free and prosperous nation is very stable against extremism". Would the EU, Canada, the various Asian nations, and the USSR be willing to spend the outrageous amount of money needed for a big reconstruction project? I can see the EU getting behind it, Canada would certainly join in a European effort but there's only so much it can do by itself. Japan, the ROK, and the ROC? Only if they can get something out of it. I can see them competing over influence in places like Hawaii (most strategic island in the whole Pacific), Alaska (all those resources), and perhaps good relations with the Pacific Free Republic. The USSR might get involved, if they feel that the EU is trying to prop up the US as a way to gain an edge over the Soviets. If that's the case, the USSR might try to compete for power over the former US. If it gets heated, it may end up as two separate blocs among the (salvageable and still-desires-to-be-united) US, kinda like how many countries in the Cold War were divided between a Russian-aligned state and an American-aligned state.

I still don't know if anyone would be willing to help out the states that made up the CSA once CV falls. They might be too politically toxic to help. Of course, we could get even further mileage out of this TL if, out of the disowned parts of the US, a populist strongman is able to rally the population to "take back America for the Americans", in light of the other various areas being potential client states for foreign powers. Not another free-market loon like Rumsfeld, but someone with a more genuine fascist stance. Unite the cast-off parts of the country into an American Empire of sorts.

Wait a minute...

If this scenario described is the one Drew has in mind...

An American Empire? A groups of states potentially forming a "Soviet-American Alliance"? A rump US government composed of whatever sane politicians are left?

Has this all been a stealth prequel to Ghost in the Shell?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell#American_Empire

 

[David Ritz]

I love John Oliver. Hopefully he is still alive in ITTL 2015. Considering the roller-coaster the world has been on since the 70s, one that probably won't end until the mid 90s, I bet he has a lot more material to work on than in OTL.

Unfortunately, he was born in 1977. Since that was after the POD, the chance of the right sperm reaching the right egg are practically zero.

If he did exist, I imagine that the primary butt of his jokes, the superrich(which under the current zeitgeist of populism is a common target), will be butterflied away in a world where neoliberalism was solely the vision of crazed nutbar who took it such extremes it literally destroyed his country.

Of all the faults of this world, at least we won't see the excesses of wealth inequality that are such an issue in this world. In addition, commercialism will not be the sole driving force for everything! I was so p***ed when the Sochi Olympic Parade had that quasi-disco crap in the background simply because the market says so. The Olympic Parades have always used band music to create that mood of ascension. You are supposed to create an atmosphere not an advertisement!

 

[Lost Freeway]

At the same time though, Germany and Japan had a lot of investment from outside sources such as the US, as the Americans were hoping to build up these countries as buffers to communist expansion, the idea being "A free and prosperous nation is very stable against extremism". Would the EU, Canada, the various Asian nations, and the USSR be willing to spend the outrageous amount of money needed for a big reconstruction project? I can see the EU getting behind it, Canada would certainly join in a European effort but there's only so much it can do by itself. Japan, the ROK, and the ROC? Only if they can get something out of it. I can see them competing over influence in places like Hawaii (most strategic island in the whole Pacific), Alaska (all those resources), and perhaps good relations with the Pacific Free Republic. The USSR might get involved, if they feel that the EU is trying to prop up the US as a way to gain an edge over the Soviets. If that's the case, the USSR might try to compete for power over the former US. If it gets heated, it may end up as two separate blocs among the (salvageable and still-desires-to-be-united) US, kinda like how many countries in the Cold War were divided between a Russian-aligned state and an American-aligned state.

I still don't know if anyone would be willing to help out the states that made up the CSA once CV falls. They might be too politically toxic to help. Of course, we could get even further mileage out of this TL if, out of the disowned parts of the US, a populist strongman is able to rally the population to "take back America for the Americans", in light of the other various areas being potential client states for foreign powers. Not another free-market loon like Rumsfeld, but someone with a more genuine fascist stance. Unite the cast-off parts of the country into an American Empire of sorts.

Wait a minute...

If this scenario described is the one Drew has in mind...

An American Empire? A groups of states potentially forming a "Soviet-American Alliance"? A rump US government composed of whatever sane politicians are left?

Has this all been a stealth prequel to Ghost in the Shell?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell#American_Empire

We knew it all along!

 

[bookmark95]

At the same time though, Germany and Japan had a lot of investment from outside sources such as the US, as the Americans were hoping to build up these countries as buffers to communist expansion, the idea being "A free and prosperous nation is very stable against extremism". Would the EU, Canada, the various Asian nations, and the USSR be willing to spend the outrageous amount of money needed for a big reconstruction project? I can see the EU getting behind it, Canada would certainly join in a European effort but there's only so much it can do by itself. Japan, the ROK, and the ROC? Only if they can get something out of it. I can see them competing over influence in places like Hawaii (most strategic island in the whole Pacific), Alaska (all those resources), and perhaps good relations with the Pacific Free Republic. The USSR might get involved, if they feel that the EU is trying to prop up the US as a way to gain an edge over the Soviets. If that's the case, the USSR might try to compete for power over the former US. If it gets heated, it may end up as two separate blocs among the (salvageable and still-desires-to-be-united) US, kinda like how many countries in the Cold War were divided between a Russian-aligned state and an American-aligned state.

I still don't know if anyone would be willing to help out the states that made up the CSA once CV falls. They might be too politically toxic to help. Of course, we could get even further mileage out of this TL if, out of the disowned parts of the US, a populist strongman is able to rally the population to "take back America for the Americans", in light of the other various areas being potential client states for foreign powers. Not another free-market loon like Rumsfeld, but someone with a more genuine fascist stance. Unite the cast-off parts of the country into an American Empire of sorts.

Wait a minute...

If this scenario described is the one Drew has in mind...

An American Empire? A groups of states potentially forming a "Soviet-American Alliance"? A rump US government composed of whatever sane politicians are left?

Has this all been a stealth prequel to Ghost in the Shell?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell#American_Empire

I see your point: Germany and Japan didn't rebound on their own. They had to get money and technical advice from the US, and the help was mostly for geopolitical gains.

But in many countries, it will be in their best interest to rebuild the Southern US for several reasons.

Many Americans are living in exile in other first world nations. It's not just bohemians in Amsterdam. Many upper class and middle class professionals are forming a sizable part of the exile community (hence the term Oxford Republican that I coined). Thus, many Southerners are also probably living abroad. Since Americans have a huge say in the economies of these countries, they would also be vocal voices in demanding that their country be rebuilt.

Canada, since it borders the US, also has a strategic reason to rebuild the US. But there's another country that also has an interest in maintaining the stability of its neighbor: Mexico.

Last time we read, Mexico broke away from the PRI, and is being governed by Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, a somewhat nationalistic figure. Mexican society is in a golden age at this point, making it another bright spot of Rumsfeldia. Cardenas is going to be very concerned about the Southern states in the region. I can see him propping up an independent Texas, California and Libertarian West not just for security, but to build economic ties and promote the right of Mexicans living in the region. There's also a growing community of American immigrants some of them illegal (irony), and once they became members of Mexico's professional classes, they could also be advocates for rebuilding the US.

Many Western countries don't want another fascist demagogue to come to power, so like America did after World War II, they will offer to rebuild the South, but with strings attached: no institutional racism, basic civil rights for everybody, no large military (I think this rule would apply to the rest of America, since no one wants to see America do something as outrageous as bully the nation of Malta). Another string would be giving Southern children education that shows how monstrous conservative thinking was.

Japan had a culture built off of warriors and violence, and they adapted to being a pacifist democracy (although it appears ITTL that they are becoming more militaristic) over time. I don't see why the Southern US couldn't make those changes. A demagogue could come to power, but the changes to Southern society means the individual is an ineffectual threat.

The US still is a huge market, so business people everywhere would want a piece of it. And Rummy's elimination of workers' rights means that the area has a competitive labor market.

While the Soviet Union may offer support, I don't think it will be anything significant. While Americans have come to realize that the greatest threat came not from communism, but their darkest impulses, few of them would like being under the influence of a communistic dictatorship. The most I see Ryzhkov offering is trade deals with the Pacific Republic.