Samantha Smith: The Girl Who Went to the Soviet Union

She would never join the CPUSA. If anything, she probably wouldn't be part of any major political party until later in life. She'd probably be a Republican or Democrat.
 
*facepalm*

That was obviously not a serious timeline. She would be too young to be president in 2004, and the idea of the US electing an inexperienced Communist Party president is completely unrealistic.
 
She would have been 16 and 9 months at the time she became Editor-in-Chief in this TL, but yes it was tongue-in-cheek.

I did like your Sam Weber touch, real nice. I wouldn't mind such an outcome for him.

But yeah, I don't see Samantha falling under the sway of communism. She had too much influence from all directions surrounding her after the visit to the Soviet Union; hell, even if she wanted to be a communist, I think she would be redirected rather quickly.

A senate position is possible in her later life. If not, I could see her being a famous personality later in life that shows up on talk shows or CNN reports occasionally, perhaps throwing the occasional controversial quote taken out of context (or in context, she'd have great potential to be used by the spin machine). Politically? Probably going to be true liberal Democrat.
 
She's still an icon in the former Soviet Union, almost 30 years after her visit and 26 years after her death.

I fear, I must disappoint you. I'm from the former USSR (in fact, I was 9 when she died) and she's anything but an icon (and has never really been, I'm afraid, save for the first years after her death). Most people remember that she's been in the USSR on an invitation and then crashed in a plane, and that's all.

I'm not even sure the present-day mainstream Russian communists (of the CPRF allegiance) are really remembering her, such a bunch of reactionary bigot pigs they are.
 
I did like your Sam Weber touch, real nice. I wouldn't mind such an outcome for him.

But yeah, I don't see Samantha falling under the sway of communism. She had too much influence from all directions surrounding her after the visit to the Soviet Union; hell, even if she wanted to be a communist, I think she would be redirected rather quickly.

A senate position is possible in her later life. If not, I could see her being a famous personality later in life that shows up on talk shows or CNN reports occasionally, perhaps throwing the occasional controversial quote taken out of context (or in context, she'd have great potential to be used by the spin machine). Politically? Probably going to be true liberal Democrat.

Thanks on the Sam Webb issue. Are you CP, former CP, or just a friend? I can't stand Webb; he ruined the Party and "dropped" eight of the most active comrades in Minnesota. My Red card now has a home in my junk drawer, as a momento.

Of course you're right, Samantha wasn't a Communist and probably wouldn't become one unless she was really convinced it would lead to world peace. And even then it's unlikely to butterfly away Gorby's betrayal. Losing the Soviet Union demolishes the "peace" motive for being a Communist, so Samantha would probably get disillusioned by the mid-1990s....
 
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