Ok. There were so many global butterflies from it so I'm interested. Has anyone ever done a no 9/11 TL?
The Towers Still Stand: An Alternate take on early 21st Century America.
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Ok. There were so many global butterflies from it so I'm interested. Has anyone ever done a no 9/11 TL?
March 24th, 1999. The United States and NATO launch Airstrikes against Serbian forces in Kosovo:
On March 24th, 1999, the United States with NATO launched airstrikes against Serbian forces in Kosovo to stop the human rights abuses in Kosovo. The airstrikes lasted from March 24th to June 10th of 1999 and was the first time NATO used Military force without approval from the UN security council.
March 9th, 2000. Bradley and McCain end their bids for President. Bush and Gore Secure the nominations for their respective Parties:
On March 9th, 2000, Senator John McCain of Arizona ended his campaign for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. McCain was the last of the challengers to Republican frontrunner, Texas Governor George W. Bush to exit the race, making Bush the Republican nominee.
That same day, former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey ended his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Bradley was the only Democrat to challenge Vice President Al Gore for the Democratic nomination, thus Gore was now the Democratic nominee.
March 9th-November 7th 2000. The General Election Campaign:
The polls in the General election in the Spring of 2000 had Governor George W. Bush leading Vice President Al Gore and in some cases by double digits. However, by the time summer rolled along and both parties had their respective Conventions, the polls were dead even, and more or less remained that way until election day. Ralph Nader, Consumer Protection advocate, won the nomination for the Green Party.
Bush chose his father, George H.W. Bush's former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney to be his running mate. Cheney changed his residency from Texas to his former home state of Wyoming in order to be on the ticket and at the same time not forfeit the electoral votes in Texas. Vice President Gore chose Connecticut Senator Joe Liebermann to be his running mate, making him the first Jewish running mate. Gore chose Liebermann, in part, because Liebermann was openly critical of Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal. The Gore administration worked hard to distance themselves from the Clinton and the Lewinsky scandal.
The campaign was mostly focused on Domestic issues such as tax relief, reforms to education and social security, as well as health care reform and what to do with the projected budget Surplus. Foreign Policy was discussed however, as Bush criticized the Clinton foreign policy, saying that he didn't believe the United States should be "Nation Building." Iraq and its' leader Saddam Hussein were also discussed. The Clinton scandals, particularly the Lewinsky scandal, was made an issue on the campaign with Governor Bush promising to restore "Honor and Dignity" to the White House, which explains why the Gore campaign chose to distance themselves from Clinton. Three Presidential Debates were held as well as one Vice Presidential Debate between Cheney and Lieberman.
The 2000 Election. The Butterflies begin to take effect.
November 7th, 2000. Election Day:
Polls going into Election Day 2000 showed that there was going to be a tight race, making the Presidency and Congress anyone's for the taking. In the House of Representatives, the Republicans lost seats for the third time in a row. However, just like in 1996 and 1998, the Democratic gains weren't strong enough for them to retake the majority in the house. They only took one seat. The GOP had a majority of 221 to 212, the slimmest majority held by a majority party since 1952. The Governors races also brought about little change as the Democrats only picked up one seat, shrinking the number of Governorships held by Republicans from 30 to 29.
The Senate however did see a significant change. The Democrats picked up 5 seats, giving them a 51 seat majority and marked the first time they controlled either house of Congress since 1994. The Senate race that would tip the scale was in Montana, where Republican incumbent Conrad Burns face a very tough challenge from rancher Brian Schweitzer. Schweitzer would narrowly defeat the two term incumbent.
The Presidential race on the other hand was a race that was going to rock everyone's world. Vice President Al Gore had a lead of a little over 500,000 votes in the National Popular Vote. It was because of the closeness and controversy in the deciding state, Florida that there was no winner in the electoral college. Americans went to bed that night and woke up the next morning not knowing who the 43rd President of the United States was going to be...
The Death of a Candidate.
November 23rd, 2000. Dick Cheney dies from 4th Heart Attack:
On November 23rd, 2000, just one day after being rushed to the hospital due to chest and shoulder pains, Former Defense Secretary and current Republican Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney died from what Doctors say was his fourth heart attack. He had three others, his first in 1978, a second 1984, and a third in 1988. This happened as controversy over who won the state of Florida and the Presidency continued.
Governor George W. Bush said of Cheney that "America lost a great servant and a great man. I will always be grateful for all the work that he did for my campaign and for accepting to be my running mate. Laura and I send our condolences to his wife Lynne, his daughters Mary and Liz, and to the rest of the Cheney family." Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, who Cheney served under, also offered their condolences as did President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and Senator Liebermann.
The passing of Dick Cheney, who had a history of heart troubles, did call the Bush campaign's vetting process into question. How much did they know about Mr. Cheney's medical history? It also made Americans think about how much of a toll the campaign for elected office can take on a candidate's health. What would this mean if Bush was certified the winner of the state of Florida and the Presidency?
Butterflies. Cheney did have a mild heart attack in November of 2000 OTL though. The one of TTL was more severe however.
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Ah. Well, this means Bush won't be advised by Cheney during his presidency, although Rumsfeld is still gonna play an important role, so there's still a Bush crony in the mic.
Given that Burns had a few gaffes in the OTL campaign, a swing of 7000 votes out of 400,000 total isn't much of a stretch. Another gaffe could do it.
I think having a Democratic Senate in early to mid 2001 instead of a split Senate could prove to be interesting.
November 23rd, 2000. Dick Cheney dies from 4th Heart Attack:
On November 23rd, 2000, just one day after being rushed to the hospital due to chest and shoulder pains, Former Defense Secretary and current Republican Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney died from what Doctors say was his fourth heart attack. He had three others, his first in 1978, a second 1984, and a third in 1988. This happened as controversy over who won the state of Florida and the Presidency continued.
Governor George W. Bush said of Cheney that "America lost a great servant and a great man. I will always be grateful for all the work that he did for my campaign and for accepting to be my running mate. Laura and I send our condolences to his wife Lynne, his daughters Mary and Liz, and to the rest of the Cheney family." Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, who Cheney served under, also offered their condolences as did President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and Senator Liebermann.
The passing of Dick Cheney, who had a history of heart troubles, did call the Bush campaign's vetting process into question. How much did they know about Mr. Cheney's medical history? It also made Americans think about how much of a toll the campaign for elected office can take on a candidate's health. What would this mean if Bush was certified the winner of the state of Florida and the Presidency?
Huh! Sympathy vote???? Bugger. Well, actually i am more curious to see who his VP could be is Bush still wins.
We have a Winner.
November 28th, 2000. Dick Cheney's Funeral takes place:
On November 28th, 2000, Republican Vice Presidential nominee Dick Cheney's funeral took place. The funeral services were in Cheney's hometown in Wyoming. In attendance were Governor George W. Bush and his wife Laura, Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, as well as their wives, Vice President and Mrs. Gore, President and Mrs. Clinton, as well as Senator and Mrs. Lieberman. Also in attendance were Colin Powell, the former chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff and his wife, Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, as well as current and former members of the House and Senate, including Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Powell, Former President Bush, and Former Secretary Rumsfeld spoke at the funeral.
December 12th, 2000. U.S. Supreme Court rules the State Wide Recount in Florida Unconstitutional:
On December 12th, 2000 in a 7-2 decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Florida Supreme Court ruling requiring a state wide recount of ballots was unconstitutional. The Court also, by a 5-4 vote, ruled that the Florida recounts could not be completed before a December 12 "safe harbor" deadline, and should therefore cease and the previously certified total should hold.
December 13th, 2000. Bush wins Florida by 537 votes, Gore Concedes:
On December 13th, 2000, Al Gore conceded the election to George W. Bush after the Supreme Court declared the recount unconstitutional, declaring Bush the winner. Gore, in his speech, said that while he, like his supporters, disagreed with the Court's decision, he accepted it. He urged Americans to unite behind the President Elect.
Shortly after Gore conceded, President Elect George W. Bush gave his acceptance speech from the Texas House of Representatives chamber. In his speech, Bush thanked Al Gore and Joe Lieberman for a spirited campaign. The President Elect also said that he knew how hard this must've been for the Gore and Lieberman families. Bush also thanked his family and paid tribute to his late running mate, who he said, played a key role in his victory. Bush also thanked his supporters and used the opportunity to reach out to those who supported the Vice President, saying that he was going to reach across party lines to bridge an America divided. He also said that "the President of the United States is the President of every single American, of every race, and every background."
This marked the beginning of Bush's transition into office. However, Bush not only had the task of transitioning into the Presidency. He also had to, as he did during the campaign, vet and select someone to be his Vice President.
RIP Cheney. A good man and a great American.
For Bush, I'd pick a blue state Republican or someone who isn't in office. My top three would be John Engler of MI, Connie Mack III of FL, or Jim Edger of IL
For Bush, I'd pick a blue state Republican or someone who isn't in office. My top three would be John Engler of MI, Connie Mack III of FL, or Jim Edger of IL
I'm leaning towards someone from congress, only because Bush being a governor needs someone with foreign policy experience, and that's something you're less likely to get in a governor. I wish I could pick Edger though, he was the best Illinois governor of my lifetime (and I say that as a Democrat).
I doubt McCain would accept after the bitter Primary of 2000, as for Baker are we talking former Secretary of State James Baker of Former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker? I think either one of them would be too old.
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