Sing Me a Tsongas

[Gorrister]

Sing Me a Tsongas

Senator Tsongas campaigning in Iowa
"In a couple of weeks,we will see Iowa come out and vote for a candidate, and that Candidate will be Paul Tsongas! *Cheers*"--Douglas Wilder campaigning for Paul Tsongas,February 1 1992

Paul Tsongas' strategy was to fundraise like mad before entering, and then Campaign in must-win states,even sometimes dipping in and out in Iowa,hoping to maybe win one delegate,he was campaigning a lot on his own turf,he was trying to stop Clinton to gain any momentum at any cost.

Press reporters at the event
A lucky event for the Tsongas campaign was the revelation of Bill Clinton's affair with model Gennifer Flowers in the bathroom of a Denny's,the Clinton campaign was trying to keep the scandal under wraps for as long as possible,but it leaked out in early February,damaging Clinton's reputation badly,reducing his lead in the polls by 5% by the 9th,this would have an adverse affect on Iowa and the following Primaries and caucuses....

Iowa Caucuses,February 10 1992,courtesy of Knowledgepedia
Senator Tom Harkin 77.21%, 26 Delegates
Uncommitted 8.15% 10 Delegates
Senator Paul Tsongas 8% 8 Delegates
Senator Robert Kerrey 2.40% 0 Delegates
Governor Bill Clinton 1.54% 5 Delegates
Fmr. Governor Jerry Brown 1.70% 0 Delegates

 

[Turquoise Blue]

A President Paul Tsongas TL? Good luck. And awesome pun.

 

[Gorrister]

A President Paul Tsongas TL? Good luck. And awesome pun.

Thanks!

filler

 

[Deleted member 9338]

I worked on his campaign and was shocked how the 60 Minutes interview turned things around.

 

[Gorrister]

Sing Me A Tsongas

I had a phone call with Mary Joe to talk about Quayle,I was unsure that if I should replace him,especially with his poor debating and gaffing a lot,she told me that if I were to replace him,I'd essentially f**k up my reputation with social conservatives,I remember one part especially,where she told me,"You chose him,you're stuck with him"I knew this at heart,I couldn't just drop the guy,especially with Buchannan breathing down my neck,but still-President George H.W. Bush-All About Dan

I'd consider myself a Tsongas Republican-Businessman Mitt Romney

*Paul Tsongas sitting on a chair in a library*
"Hi,I'm Paul Tsongas, and I'd like to talk about my opponent Bill Clinton"
"During his term as Governor of Arkansas,he reintroduced the death penalty,previously opposing it,what does this show about Bill Clinton?"
"He'll be bending over for the Republicans as president, and will only work for the Republican Party,that'll not be a Tsongas America"
*Fade to Black*
"I'm Paul Tsongas, and I approve of this message"-Paul Tsongas Campaign Ad

"I'll tell ya what a so called Tsongas America is folks;it's hell"-Radio Show Host Rush Limbaugh

"We must unite around the US with issues concerning Foreign Policy,like Iraq and Iran,America is very good with dealing with these issues, and we're going to be allies for a very long time,internally,America is great with this"-British PM John Major,14 January 1992

"John,when did Britain become the 51st state? *laughter*"-Labour Leader Neil Kinnock,16 January 1992

"The States-Gaffe was essentially an example of something that wasn't even a gaffe in the first place,Kinnock managed to twist into a gaffe,which is an amazing feat in itself"-Conservative MP Michael Portillo,Analysis of 1992

Polling Taken before States-Gaffe=
John Major(Conservative)---42%
Neil Kinnock(Labour)---37.5%
Paddy Ashdown(Liberal Democrat)---16%
Other(Referendum,Green)---4.5%

And Polling Taken after---
John Major(Conservative)---39%
Neil Kinnock(Labour)---38%
Paddy Ashdown(Liberal Democrat)---18.5%
Other(Referendum,Green)---4.5%

 

[Gorrister]

Opinions so far?

 

[Emperor Charles V]

Great job so far! I'll be following this!

And you'll never get this:

A President Paul Tsongas TL? Good luck. And awesome pun.

I actually first came up with that pun. Look here.

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

I actually first came up with that pun. Look here.

I remember that, I thought I was going to see a TL based upon that, but this is good too.

 

[vultan]

Tsongas is awesome. Looking forward to more!

 

[Turquoise Blue]

Can you replace the last name with someone else? Maybe an actual Tory MP? I could recommend some if you want. Maybe Hague or Portillo?

Also, better phrasing is needed.

The States-Gaffe was essentially an example of a gaffe that wasn't even one in the first place,but Kinnock managed to twist it into one,which is an amazing feat in itself, boosting Kinnock's polling by a small amount, all from one comment made by the Prime Minister.

 

[Gorrister]

Can you replace the last name with someone else? Maybe an actual Tory MP? I could recommend some if you want. Maybe Hague or Portillo?

Well,I used it from more of a humour perspective,but I'd be fine with replacing it if you want.

Also,I'll edit it so it's less confusing.

 

[Major Smith]

Looks like a very good TL so far, well done

My only concern is that with Major and Kinnock one minor gaffe wouldn't be able to turn an election, I know you haven't said that and that Majors poll ratings simply went down but it would take about 100 gaffes in order for the British public to elect 'tax and spend' Kinnock over Major

 

[Gorrister]

Looks like a very good TL so far, well done

My only concern is that with Major and Kinnock one minor gaffe wouldn't be able to turn an election, I know you haven't said that and that Majors poll ratings simply went down but it would take about 100 gaffes in order for the British public to elect 'tax and spend' Kinnock over Major

Well I'll edit down Kinnock's polling to 1% below Major,which he had in polling many times.

 

[Major Smith]

Well I'll edit down Kinnock's polling to 1% below Major,which he had in polling many times.

I was just trying to say that polling at the time predicted it being a tight election when in fact the Welsh Windbag got his ass kicked.

But I'm really liking that you're including British Politics into it because well everyone loves it

 

[Paul V McNutt]

I am looking forward to more of this. One thing to consider is that OTL Tsongas died in 1997 and that without the stress of being President.

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

I am looking forward to more of this. One thing to consider is that OTL Tsongas died in 1997 and that without the stress of being President.

Which makes it all the more fun figuring out what happens when he dies a sudden and unfortunate death say, right before the 1996 election primaries.

 

[Gorrister]

Sing Me a Tsongas

Tsongas at a campaign event.
Paul Tsongas was lucky that the next fight between him and Clinton was on his home turf,the polls tilted towards him, and the Flowers scandal still burned Clinton,the only problem was if he didn't win enough,similar to the plight of Muskie in '72,if Clinton finished a close second,he would most likely gain momentum,while Tsongas would probably lose his grip on the next couple of Primaries and caucuses,his campaign was not willing to let that happen,Tsongas used his big monetary advantage to attack Clinton on a wide range of issues,painting him as a womaniser DINO who'd bend over backwards to the Republicans,while at the same time painting himself as the man who knew economics and would stand up against the Republicans in Congress,the strategy worked wonders,knocking Clinton down,but strangely enough,bouncing Jerry Brown a notch up,the campaigns on both sides of the fence weren't really paying attention to him,seeing him as just a liability if nothing else,but this strange rise could put both campaigns in jeopardy,if he was the one to gain momentum,so Tsongas' campaign had attack ads piled up to make sure the only person to gain momentum was Tsongas,this was helped by a number of campaign appearances with Mario Cuomo,Governor of New York,which would be an important state during the season.

New Hampshire Primary Results,February 18,1992
Fmr. Senator Paul Tsongas: 35.61%
Fmr. Governor Jerry Brown: 16.16%
Governor Bill Clinton: 15.38%
Senator Bob Kerrey: 11.09%
Senator Tom Harkin: 10.17%

The Press didn't know what to do,everyone knew that Tsongas was going to win,so they couldn't call it a surprise, and Clinton was in third,but they decided to settle with Brown,who managed to gain rapid momentum and spun into second place,the Media decided to fixate upon both him and Tsongas,which worried Tsongas' campaign,their worst fear was confirmed,Brown was gaining and fast,soon after,some polls showed them neck and neck in Maine,now the opponent wasn't going to be Clinton,it was going to be Jerry Brown.

Pat Buchannan,the name alone sent shivers down the spine of George Bush,the guy represented the Populist Social Conservative Right faction of the GOP,which was a growing faction, and the faction Bush tried to tame with the pick of Quayle in '88,but they came back to bite him in the ass,Buchannan was growing in popularity as a firebrand who could coup the RINO King,the guy delivered some big speeches about Reagen's legacy and why America needed him,he was becoming a big thorn in Bush's side,but as New Hampshire approached,Buchannan was growing to be more than just a thorn,with big endorsements across the country,some polls showed him neck and neck in his home state of Virginia,but the NH primary,while a victory for Bush technically,Buchannan was the real winner,he had come within a couple percentage points of beating the incumbent.

President George H.W Bush 47%

Columnist Pat Buchannan 43.74%

Meanwhile, a storm was brewing,there were a lot of suspicions concerning businessman Henry Ross Perot running as an independent during the election, and any questions raised were answered on an interview with Larry King...

Larry King interview with Ross Perot,January 20 1992.

KING:So Ross,what about your candidacy?

PEROT:I am going to run,the President has failed this country, and Democrats just disappoint me,both parties are leaving a lot of people in the dust.

KING:The major focus of this campaign will be NAFTA,right?

PEROT:Right,this program will be an absolute economic disaster,I can't stress this enough.

KING:So,is NAFTA going to be the only issue during your campaign?

PEROT:No,I'm going to give the people left in the dust a recognizable third party campaign, and show them they have an option other than the duopoly of the main parties.

KING:Well,what if one candidate is an anti-NAFTA populist?

PEROT:Well,if that does happen,I'll pull out and make an endorsement straight away.

KING:Well,who'd be your running mate?

PEROT:I'm not going to reveal that now Larry,I've been in talks with several people.
(END)

Perot announced his running mate at a campaign rally three days later,DFL Representative Tim Penny....

Penny was chosen for a number of reasons,he was young,only 41 years old,he also was popular in his home state of Minnesota,he was a Democrat,so Perot's campaign could act as a spoiler for both parties,he also could hold himself together in a Debate,something that was extremely important.

 

[AnywhereButOTL]

Maybe Perot will capture a state this time around, that'll be fun to see.

 

[Gorrister]

Maybe Perot will capture a state this time around, that'll be fun to see.

No spoilers.

Any other comments?

 

[Gorrister]

Sing Me a Tsongas

Tsongas Campaigning in Maine
The day of Perot's announcement of Penny as VP,the Maine Caucus was held,Clinton seemed to slow down,after you come third in an important state primary,that's what happens, and Jerry Brown,thought to be a wildcard,was becoming a serious contender for the Nomination,gaining Momentum that Clinton was supposed to get in New Hampshire, and was speeding up ever since,Tsongas' campaign had failed in the goal to make only Tsongas gain momentum,while it wasn't deniable that Tsongas was out in front,Brown was sprinting up towards him.

Maine Caucus,February 23 1992

Fmr. Senator Paul Tsongas 34.31%

Fmr. Governor Jerry Brown 33.77%

Uncommitted 13.64%

Governor Bill Clinton 10.13%

Senator Tom Harkin 5%

Senator Bob Kerrey 3.01%

Tsongas had won the Caucus by a razor-thin margin,worrying his campaign to absolutely no end,he was wondering if he caught Muskie syndrome, and the only way for Brown was up,but Tsongas decided to use his secret barrage of Ads built up from NH to thrash Brown,especially on his issue position of abolishing the Education Department,which hurt him a lot nationally,but he was still poised to win California by a huge margin.

Bush was going to campaign in the State of Colorado,he wasn't concerned about South Dakota,since Buchannan wasn't on the ballot there, and he was to make an appearance at a NAACP meeting to talk about his run in '92,but he made a fatal gaffe....

"You know,I'm glad that you people are voting for me"

And somewhere,in both Virginia and Massachusetts,two men,wildly different,had something common,smiles were emerging from their faces....