Theodore Roosevelt, Progressive, elected US President in 1912

I hope to finish this TL in the next two or three days.

Because of effective flood defence measures, the levees in New Orleans hold when Hurricane Katrina hits the city in August 2005. A well organised evacuation of the city's inhabitants results in only a handful of deaths.

There are the usual gains by the opposition party in the 2006 midterm elections. The Progressive Republicans lose their overall majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, though they are still the largest party and control both houses in alliance with the Socialists. The results are as follows:

House of Representatives: Progressive Republican 217 (-14)
Democrat 186 (+16)
Socialist 28 (-3)
Libertarian 4 (+1)

The new Libertarian Representative is Ron Paul from Texas. In October 2005 he left the Democratic Party and joined the Libertarian Party. He said that the Libertarian Party best expresses his values and principles. It is the only party which can shatter the stultifying two party consensus.

Senate: Progressive Republican 50 (-4)
Democrat 45 (+3)
Socialist 5 (+1)

The new Socialist Senator is Bernie Sanders from Vermont.

In the California gubernatorial election to succeed two-term governor Ruben Barrales (Progressive Republican) who is term limited, Democrat Tom McClintock defeats Progressive Republican Arianna Huffington.
 
Since 2005 a number of states have enacted legislation under which voting in elections for President of the United States from 2008 onwards will be by instant runoff voting (IRV) http://instantrunoff.com . They have done this under Article II Section 1 of the US Constitution which gives each state the power to determine the method of election to the Electoral College. This states that the President shall be elected as follows:
Each State shall appoint in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of Electors....
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A2Sec1

By 2008 the following states have implemented IRV for presidential elections: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin.

The Progressive Republicans, Libertarians and Socialists are in favour of IRV. The Democrats are opposed to IRV because the Progressive Republicans would benefit from the second choice of Socialist voters. Though the Democrats would gain the majority of the second choices of Libertarian voters, their gains from IRV would be less than that of the Progressive Republicans. Talk in the Democratic Party that Congress enacts legislation requiring an amendment to the Constitution before IRV can be implemented for presidential elections, has not got off the ground. The party of states rights can not credibly advocate federal legislation which would end a right which is established by the Constitution.
 
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This TL has now reached 2008 and the Presidential election season in the United States. With Hillary Rodham announcing that she will follow precedent and not seek re-election, and Vice President Bill Graves saying that he does not want to run for President, the contest is wide open.

The candidates on the Democratic side are as follows:

Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee

Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas

Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas

Representative Duncan Hunter from California

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson from Texas

Senator Dirk Kempthorne from Idaho

Senator Mary Landrieu from Louisiana.

Huckabee wins the Iowa caucus and Kempthorne the New Hampshire primary. Subsequent contests establish the pattern of a three way fight between Huckabee, Hutchinson and Kempthorne. Huckabee wins Alabama, Arkansas, the Midwest (except for Kansas which goes to Brownback), Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Utah.

Among the states which Hutchinson wins are Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Hawaii. She divides the South and border states with Bredesen, Huckabee and Landrieu.

Kempthorne also wins his home state of Idaho, most of the Mountain states, Arizona, and Washington, and Alaska. He divides New England with Hutchinson.

Bredesen wins Kentucky and Tennessee. Brownback wins Kansas. Landrieu wins Louisiana, Missisippi and Georgia. Hunter does not win anywhere.

By the time the Democratic National Convention meets Hutchinson has a majority of pledged delegates. She is elected on the first ballot and is the first woman to be the Democratic Party candidate for President. Her choice of running mate is Dirk Kempthorne.

The Progressive Republican contenders for their party's presidential nomination are as follows:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York

Senator Susan Collins of Maine

Former Governor Howard Dean of Vermont

Senator John Edwards from North Carolina

Senator Dennis Kucinich from Ohio

Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts

Governor Sam Reed of Washington.

Edwards wins the Iowa caucus, while Dean comes first in the New Hampshire primary. Subsequent primaries and caucuses show no candidate winning an overall majority in delegates. All the candidates win their home states. Among the other states Bloomberg wins New York, Dean wins Wisconsin, Edwards wins Texas and Minnesota, Kucinich wins California, Illinois and Michigan, Patrick wins Pennsylvania, Reed wins Oregon.
 
By the end of July 2008 after all the primaries and caucuses have taken place, the rankings for the Progressive Republican contenders in order of delegates are as follows:

1. Dennis Kucinich

2. John Edwards

3. Michael Bloomberg

3. Howard Dean

4. Deval Patrick

5. Sam Reed

6. Susan Collins.

Kucinich does not have an overall majority of the delegates.

On August 8, John Edwards admits that he has had an extra-marital affair and that he has not been wholly truthful when answering questions about it. He says that in the circumstances he will withdraw his candidature for nomination as his party's candidate for President.

At the Progressive Republican National Convention Dennis Kucinich wins an overall majority of delegates on the fourth ballot. He chooses Michael Bloomberg as his running mate.

Ron Paul wins the Libertarian Party nomination for President. His running mate is Mary Ruwart.

The Socialist Party ticket is Marsha Feinland and Billy Wharton.

The result of the Presidential election is as follows:

Dennis Kucinich/Michael Bloomberg (Progressive Republican) 286 electoral votes

Kay Bailey Hutchinson/Dirk Kempthorne (Democrat) 252 electoral votes.

However in 17 states voting is by instant runoff voting (IRV). In Illinois (21 electoral votes), which has IRV, the Democratic ticket came first on first preference votes, but after the second preference votes for the Socialist ticket are allocated, Kucinich/Bloomberg win the state.

The Democrats believe they have been cheated of the Presidency because if it were not for IRV in Illinois they would have won that state and 273 electoral votes. However the Progressive Republican ticket majority over the Democratic ticket is 53, 861, including first preference votes in states which use IRV.

Some of President-elect Kucinich's new cabinet appointments are:

Susan Collins: Secretary of State

Antonia Juhasz: Secretary of the Treasury

Leon Panetta: Secretary of Defence

Wayne Gilchrest (Progressive Republican congressman from Maryland): Secretary of a new Department of Peace and Non Violence

Elena Kagan (Dean of Harvard Law School): Attorney General

Jim DiPeso (Policy Director of Progressive Republicans for Environmental Protection): Secretary of the Environment

Christopher Shays (Progressive Republican congressman from Connecticut): Secretary of Commerce

Deval Patrick: Secretary of Health and Welfare

Elizabeth D Dickey( President of Bank Street College of Education, New York City): Secretary of Education.

The results of the congressional elections are as follows:

House of Representatives: Progressive Republican 209 (-8)
Democrat 195 (+9)
Socialist 27 (-1)
Libertarian 4.


Senate: Progressive Republican 48 (-2)
Democrat 47 (+2)
Socialist 5.

The Progressive Republicans continue to control the House and Senate in alliance with the Socialists. Jim Leach (Progressive Republican Iowa) is Speaker and Robert Marion (Democrat Arkansas) is House Minority Leader. In the Senate Olympia Snowe (Progressive Republican Maine) is Majority Leader, and Lincoln Chafee (Progressive Republican Rhode Island) is Majority Whip. The Minority Leader is Bob Conley (South Carolina) and the Minority Whip is John Kyl (Arizona).


I have now reached the end of this TL. I hope people have enjoyed it reading it. I have enjoyed researching and writing it.

The End
 
Originally posted by General Mung Beans
I mean President Kucinich?
In this TL the Progressive Republicans are somewhat more liberal than the Democrats in OTL. So Kucinich who is on the leftwing of the Democratic Party in OTL would be in the centre or left of centre of the Progressive Republican Party in this TL. However I have read that Kucinich calls himself a centre or mainstream Democrat.
 
In this TL the Progressive Republicans are somewhat more liberal than the Democrats in OTL. So Kucinich who is on the leftwing of the Democratic Party in OTL would be in the centre or left of centre of the Progressive Republican Party in this TL. However I have read that Kucinich calls himself a centre or mainstream Democrat.

Bravo in finishing the TL Pipisme...Can We get alist of the President/VP's and their respective terms?
 
Originally posted by Historico
Can we get a list of the Presidents/VPs and their respective terms?

Here is the list (the President and VP are in the same party unless specified otherwise):

Theodore Roosevelt/Hiram Johnson (Progressive): March 4, 1913 to January 6, 1919. Death of Roosevelt.

Hiram Johnson (Progressive): January 6, 1919 to March 4, 1921. Johnson did not appoint a VP when he became President.

Hiram Johnson/Robert La Follette (Progressive): March 4, 1921 to March 4, 1925.

James Cox/Al Smith (Democrat) March 4, 1925 to March 4, 1933.

Charles Curtis/John James Blaine (Progressive Republican): March 4, 1933 to April 18, 1934. Death of Blaine.

Charles Curtis/Herbert Hoover (Progressive Republican): April 18, 1934 to February 8, 1936. Death of Curtis.

Herbert Hoover (Progressive Republican) February 8, 1936 to January 20, 1937. Hoover did not appoint a VP when he became President.

Herbert Hoover/Arthur Vandenberg (Progressive Republican): January 20, 1937 to January 20, 1941.

Arthur Vandenberg/Charles McNary (Progressive Republican): January 20, 1941 to January 20, 1945.

Henry Stimson/James Howard McGrath (Democrat): January 20, 1945 to January 20, 1949.

James Howard McGrath/Alben Barkley (Democrat): January 20, 1949 to January 20, 1953.

Thomas/Dewey/John Sherman Cooper (Progressive Republican): January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961.

Adlai Stevenson/Henry Jackson (Democrat): January 20, 1961 to May 28, 1961. Assassination of Stevenson.

Henry Jackson/Stuart Symington (Democrat): May 28, 1961 to January 20, 1965.

Mark Hatfield/Jacob Javits (Progressive Republican): January 20, 1965 to January 20, 1973.

Jacob Javits/Edward Brooke (Progressive Republican): January 20, 1973 to January 20, 1977.

Ronald Reagan/Joseph P. Kennedy (Democrat): January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981.

Ronald Reagan/Lloyd Bentsen (Democrat): January 20, 1981 to March 30, 1981. Assassination of Reagan.

Lloyd Bentsen/Robert Byrd (Democrat): March 30, 1981 to January 20, 1985.

Lloyd Bentsen (Democrat)/Charles Mathias (Progressive Republican): January 20, 1985 to April 28, 1985. Resignation of Mathias.

Lloyd Bentsen/Howard Baker (Democrat): May 1985 to January 1989.

Edward Brooke/Lowell Weicker (Progressive Republican): January 20, 1989 to January 20, 1997.

Patrick Buchanan/David Boren (Democrat): January 20, 1997 to January 20, 2001.

Hillary Rodham/Bill Graves (Progressive Republican): January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009.

Dennis Kucinich/Michael Bloomberg (Progressive Republican): From January 20, 2009.
 
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