The Ice is Red: A TLIAD
- Thread starter General Mosh
- Start date
Constantinople
Banned
Jer-ry Brown!Jer-ry Brown!Jer-ry Brown!
You never, ever see 1990s Jerry Browns. Please! We need Jerry!
You never, ever see 1990s Jerry Browns. Please! We need Jerry!
No, it's just that I made this way more detailed and researched than I had originally planned, mostly cause it's fun. The next one will be up soon.
Hurrah!! It lives!! Excited to see how it plays out moving into the future...
"Inaction may be the biggest form of action" - Jerry Brown
With the successful liberal Presidency of Michael Dukakis coming to an end, the Democrats needed a candidate who could raise the liberal banner and win yet another term. The Democratic Primary of 1996 would result in a battle between then-Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton, and former Governor of California, Jerry Brown. Although Governor Clinton at first seemed the frontrunner, relating to the voters far easier than Brown could and leaving the California Governor in a distant second in the New Hampshire primary, the man had minefields in his closet. As Brown fought to close the gap, winning some states and losing others by only a slim margin, the Washington Post had put a tail on him. After all, was this not the only single candidate in the race? The press figured they might get a cheap few headlines out of catching Brown with a good looking girl. On a whim, they also put a tail on Governor Clinton, remembering the Gary Hart sex scandal. When the Washington Post released pictures of Governor Clinton engaged in at the very least questionable acts with a female member of his campaign staff, Clinton knew his campaign was over, dropping out after Brown secured the majority of the states on Super Tuesday and endorsing Jerry Brown. By the DNC, former Governor Brown had received the endorsement of President Dukakis, and was nominated as the Democratic candidate without serious challenge at the convention.
Though the Republican field was crowded, only two candidates actually stood a chance. Former Governor of Tennessee Lamar Alexander faced off against Businessman Steve Forbes. Though Alexander put up a strong fight, in the end Forbes was able to overpower him through the use of his connections and wealth, becoming the Republican candidate for President and bringing the Governor of Texas George W. Bush (son of former President George H.W. Bush) to the ticket in an attempt to shore up his conservative credentials and win appeal in the south. In a surprising decision, Jerry Brown asked Jesse Jackson, famous for his numerous attempts at gaining the Democratic nomination, to be his running mate. Jackson accepted on the condition that several of his suggestions, primarily dealing with African American issues, be added to the Democratic Party platform, a contentious but ultimately successful request. The general election was not nearly as exciting as the primaries had been. President Dukakis had a high approval rate, the American people were happy with his governance and open to the liberal platform espoused by Jerry Brown, committed to strengthening the social safety net, pursuing legislation on climate change, improving America's infrastructure, and reforming the healthcare system. Next to all of that, the business-friendly platform of Steve Forbes didn't stand a chance.
President Jerry Brown, along with the nation's first black Vice President, was inaugurated in a climate of stability. The economy was doing well, he had inherited no foreign wars, and Congress was dominated by the Democratic Party. The Cold War had been all but left behind, Russia and the United States were pursuing closer relations and Jerry Brown's first notable action in foreign policy would be to solidify a nuclear weapons disarmament treaty that had been in negotiations during Dukakis' second term. In 1997 President Brown met with Russian President Boris Yeltsin to sign the treaty. On the domestic front, Brown was met with the boom of the internet industry and all of the economic growth that provided, and Congress even managed to pass two pieces of landmark legislation, creating a state provided alternative to the private healthcare system and passing a carbon emissions tax. Though the two laws riled up the conservative base, the Democrats were still able to hold on to Congress in the 1998 midterm elections. President Brown even found himself running a budget surplus for some time, something which legitimized his social policies even in the eyes of some budget hawks.
Early in the morning on 8 March 1999, large bombs went off outside of the US embassies in Cairo and Nairobi. Nearly 300 people, including 34 Americans were killed immediately and hundreds more wounded in the terror attacks. The immediate investigation, conducted by the CIA, FBI, and numerous other American and international organizations, concluded that a before-unknown Islamic terror group known as al-Qaeda was responsible for the attacks. President Brown promised full retribution, and air strikes were conducted on several suspected terror sites in Sudan. Disconcertingly, it was determined that Libyan funding had played a role in the attack, a conspiracy perhaps reaching even the leader of the nation, Muammar al-Gaddafi. The international investigation would ultimately result in a massive increase in sanctions against the oil-producing North African nation, and an increase in embassy security across the entire region, as well as a concerted intelligence effort to combat al-Qaeda.
Though serious terror attacks were perhaps not the best way to start the new millennium, President Jerry Brown's approval rates remained high and his campaign for reelection went unopposed by Democrats in the primaries for the 2000 general election. In the Republican primary, former Texas Governor and Vice Presidential candidate George W. Bush came up against Senator John McCain to represent the party in the elections. In a close race, Bush was able to barely pull ahead of McCain, forcing the Senator to concede the primary. Unfortunately, the well-known conservative former Governor alienated voters next to the more savvy incumbent President presiding over the strong economy. Bush's attempt to make the campaign about foreign policy backfired, only aiding in Brown's portrayal of the candidate as a man inexperienced and unready for the intricacies of running a nation. Brown's educated persona contrasted sharply with Bush's folksy mannerisms and tendency to say things without thinking about them, and when election day rolled around the people remembered this. President Jerry Brown (who had stuck with Vice President Jesse Jackson, a man who easily overpowered his opponent Dan Quayle in the Vice Presidential debate) was reelected by a solid margin, adding another four years to Democratic rule.
Only months after Jerry Brown's second inauguration, two large passenger jets were blown out of the sky in terror bombings, killing several hundred people, many of whom were American. The bombings were claimed by al-Qaeda, which by now had become a well-known terrorist organization and was largely associated with Libya, which denied funding the organization. It was believed that Muammar al-Gaddafi's support of the group stemmed from his hatred of the West due to the death of family members and his own serious wounding in the bombing operations carried out by President George H.W. Bush. This, coupled with a bombing by Algerians associated with al-Qaeda on the transport system in Paris and the hijacking of a plane in Russia (the plane crashed after refusing to answer air traffic control), was too much for the international community. In September of 2001, a 10-day bombing campaign was carried out against suspected training camps inside of Libya, as well as government and military installations. The campaign was considered to be more or less a warning shot to the Gaddafi regime. Do it again and it'll be worse than this. President Brown also met with the new Russian President Vladimir Putin, promising cooperation on matters of national security relevant to both nations.
Still, President Jerry Brown was not about to let his last few years in office be wrapped up in meddling around in the Middle East despite the al-Qaeda attacks and Palestinian uprising all over the international headlines. In 2002 he unveiled his new round of legislation, including a massive overhaul of United States public infrastructure. Funds were to be allocated to the construction and improvement of interstates and railroads as well as the appropriation of more advanced trains to use on those railroads. Further, massive government investment into alternative energy was announced, and federal buildings began using wind turbines and solar panels to power themselves. Though negotiations on these bills was hard, dragging Jerry Brown into a bitter political fight with the Republican leadership, a somewhat watered version of the bills was passed in 2003. The states also seemed to be making progress socially, with the idea of gay marriage beginning to enter the political headlines as well as the legalization of medical Marijuana, and in some states (notably California) the recreational use of Marijuana was legalized. Statistics were also beginning to show that President Dukakis' focus on rehabilitation over retribution in the prison system was beginning to show real successes. As the country neared 2004, the 16th year of Democratic domination in Congress and the White House, things were good. The back-to-back administrations of Presidents Dukakis and Brown had left a permanent impact on the American political landscape, including in the Supreme Court, which was now dominated by moderate and liberal justices, many of whom were young and would not be replaced anytime soon. What remained to be seen was whether their successors would be as successful.
If you're gonna have a Democratic President after Dukakis, Brown in my opinion is the most sensible. Clinton could also work, of course, but that would just be boring.
U.S David
Banned
How long did the Republicans rule after the Civil War? Hell, other then Jimmy Carter's 4 year, the Republicans were in charge from 1968-1992!!!!!
Civil War is not modern times. And exactly. There was Jimmy Carter... Eight Years Republican, 4 Democratic, and Twelve Republican Again. I could easily see a GOP President next in this TL to be a one term guy what with the Dot Com Bubble literally about to burst any moment (unless it was somehow avoided), but realistically, it would be very hard for a party in modern times under normal circumstances to win the White House for 20 or 24 years.
More then Half of the Democratic Party were known traitors after the Civil War.