That's good. It means that this timeline's Constitution doesn't need to be marred with an amendment solely meant to "take back" an earlier amendment. Namely the one repealing Prohibition.
TLIAW(II):A Rigged Deck, for a Rigged System
- Thread starter Nofix
- Start date
Indeed, however this also has a bit of a bad effect. While Prohibition ended much quicker, and wasn't as strict as OTL's amendment, there still is a strong(ish) lobby for it. On the plus side organized crime wasn't as widespread because it was stopped being funded by illicit profits much quicker.
#44.) Ralph Nader - Reform
(2001-2005)
Vice-President:
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. , Reform (2001-2005)
The first President of Arabic descent, and to be an Orthodox Christian, Ralph Nader won an insurgent primary again Vice-President Skip Humphrey. Despite having much of Perot's money and backing on hand, Humphrey fought back against his President's attempt to "puppetize him," as he infamously said on national television. Enraged, Perot switched over his support to Nader who, with his base of young activists, proceeded to stomp Humphrey in the primary and George W. Bush in the general. The son of the former Federalist President himself was attacked for being little more then a stand-in for his father, much like the label thrown on the son of President La Follette decades ago.
Nader called himself part of the "New Left", and like Perot wasn't a politician by trade, instead being a consumer advocate. Despite their different worlds and philosophies, Nader wanted to continue Perot's anti-establishment governance in his own way. Continued funding to higher education was something both agreed on, but Nader wanted to help create an environmentally sustainable economy more then anything. Like with Carter and Mondale he pursued nuclear and solar energy, and his Vice-President Al Gore was responsible for translating much of Nader's ideas into practical applications to the Senate.
Much of the Nader Administration's problems came down to the fact that he was not a politician, or even a businessman who could play the part. Nader often made impulsive decisions without consulting his cabinet, frequently changed his mind on ideas, and talked to reporters without having a script that cleaned out possibly controversial words or phrases. One that haunted him during the midterms was referring to his former opponent Bush as "your typical southerner [...] loud redneck inbred." Everyone took offense to that, even Gore threatened to Nader's face that he would resign if he didn't make it clear he wasn't serious. While Nader did, it severely damaged him with Southern voters. So much so that Gore announced he would primary the President, and did so.
Nader refused to humbly accept defeat, instead blaming a "cabal of rich interests [...] who have corrupted the Reform Party and bought it out wholesale." Claiming fraud, he would have his supporters write-in his name or try and get him on a "Real Reformer" ballot. He ended up in third place, with less then 4% of the vote. A rather humiliating loss, especially considering the Federalist of that year won a majority of both popular and electoral votes.
It's still too early to make a judgement on Nader, but out of all living President's his popularity is the lowest. Not considered particularly smart, his biggest reason he came into office was the split of Perot and Skip, and the bungled nomination of an ex-President's son. Chances are in a normal year Nader would never have been elected.
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It is obviously a spelling error with him consentraiting more on the detailed information below rather then the 8 numbers in the brackets. Give the guy a break.
I'M JUST ONE MAN OK!!!?! *starts blubbering madly*
Yeah I copy and paste each of the intro's writing the names and dates, and replacing the pictures, so I don't have to manual format every time.
It's almost done! And now I'm itching for you to write one with significant people that NEVER ran for President!
Maybe one day. I'm a little burned out after 44 fairly detailed presidencies. I'll even admit I got kind of lazy around the end, but I just want to end it soon.
Last three Presidencies will be done by today, then the various beta ideas, then a Q&A period.
#45.) John Forbes Kerry - Federalist
(2005-2009)
(2005-2009)
Vice-President:
James Richard Perry, Federalist (2005-2009)
The former Vice-President to President Bush sat out 1996 and 2000, correctly guessing that 2004 would be his year. Senator Perry and him swept to victory and retook the Senate. Vice-President Gore and Senator Kerry were actually friends, and the whole campaign had a good air about it. Kerry chose a former Reformer, Speaker of the Texas House in the 1990's was his biggest role in his first party, and the then-Senator of Texas, "Rick" Perry.
Despite a rather good campaign, him and Perry clashed on many subjects and the whole administration was rather unfocused. Kerry wanted to focus on improving education and loosen trade restrictions with Canada, while Perry wanted to loosen immigration laws and "import brains" as he said from the rest of the continent. Dismissing Canada as "a tool of the evil empire," he said the American future laid with it's historical allies to the southern hemisphere.
Kerry, a Massachusetts man, was important in the 1970's thaw between the two countries as the Governor and wanted to further integrate these two English-speaking countries. Perry, a Texan man, saw the future not in the old world, but in tighter integration with those who have always been friends to the US. Things got so toxic between the two, that after the 2006 midterms Perry announced he would challenge Kerry for the nomination. Infuriated, Kerry essentially cut off all access between the two.
Whether Kerry could have won his primary challenge is debatable, but when the President collapsed due to a stroke in late 2007 he firmly announced he wouldn't seek a second term and ended that conversation. Perry and others paid their respects to the ill President, still healthy enough to function but completely unwilling to hand power to Perry. Instead of letting him come anyway near to power, Kerry endorsed a friend of his for the Federalist nomination, someone who probably would have never run for President but was convinced by Kerry to do so.
Kerry is the most recent President to die, January 1, 2015. His Presidency cannot be rated due to the little time that has passed since it's end. Although everyone agrees that his health problems and battles with his VP handicapped his administration.
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#46.) John Sidney McCain III - Federalist
(2009-2013)
(2009-2013)
Vice-President:
Joseph Isadore Lieberman, Federalist (2009-2012)
None, (2012-2013)
Admiral John McCain III was the third John McCain to become Admiral. His father and his father's father were Navy men and McCain joined it as well. While never being sent out to a war, McCain was involved in keeping the Navy up with new technologies and had many connections among Washington. Kerry asked him to enter the race in the opes of preventing a Perry primary victory or a Reformer general election. After much hesitation, McCain agreed and entered the race. The Californian Admiral, well ex-Admiral now, swept the many primaries with Kerry's backing.
His general election victory over Gary Johnson was, like 2004, a very good campaign followed by dawdling governance. McCain leaned on his Vice-President, and long time friend, Joe Lieberman for much of his administration. This lead to some calling Lieberman the Shadow President, and a fraction of those to call the Jewish Lieberman the puppetmaster of the United States.
The biggest controversy that happened in the McCain administration was the revelation that members of his cabinet were involved in illegal arms sales to Alaskan secessionists. Alaska, the far flung territory of the Canadian Confederation, had always been distant and "alien" to the rest of Canada. The small population, who's oil and minerals flowed from the west to the east, demanded better treatment and a fair share of the money made from their resources, something they had been clamoring about for decades by this point. "Provincehood or Independence" was their rallying cry, but the leaders in Ottawa generally ignored them. Quebec threatened to secede every other week Prime Minister Trudeau would joke, Alaska was in no danger of really leaving.
So more radical leaders turned to force, with the Alaskan Independence Party contacting members of the United States government to funnel supplies and guns to them via Vancouver State. The Governor was arrested and charged under the William Walker Act, as was McCain's Secretary of War and, humiliating enough, Vice-President Lieberman. While nothing was traced back to McCain, all evidence pointed to him just being unaware, he was blamed for letting this happen. His poll numbers was cut down to a third, relations between America and Canada were at an all time low, and McCain announced he wasn't standing for a second term lest he lose by a humiliating margin in the primaries.
As the most recent President to leave, his legacy is the second-hardest to define. Most agree McCain delegated too much to his cabinet, and didn't keep up with them. Perhaps it was a cultural thing, a military man like McCain never expected that his own men were involved in such illicit things.
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All this talk of an "evil" Canada makes me want to hear the basics about the rest of the world.
Canada's not really "evil", just a little mismanaging of their far flung province. And maybe a little arrogant in their attempts to deal with them.
Them and America's relation is a little more frosty (no pun intended) then OTL, given how they've butted heads with Britain and have pursued a more pro-South America policy. This stunt by McCain's men isn't going to help the two be any friendlier.
I might do a post on that and the rest of the world later.
Also, ONE MORE POST! ONE MORE POST!
I still want to hear a bit about the rest of the world. This America doesn't exist in a vacuum after all.
#47.) Gary Earl Johnson - Reform
(2013-20??)
Vice-President:
Jill Ellen Stein, Reform (2013-20??)
Defeating fellow Coloradan Bill Richardson for President, Gary Johnson became the second man to have a female Vice-President, this time Governor of Massachusetts Jill Stein. Johnson, himself the former Governor of his state, ran on another Perot-like anti-establishment campaign. During the debates he compared himself to a fitness trainer, saying he'd "work off the fat [from the budget] and give the United States some muscle." He said that while he recognized the need for funding in a lot of areas, like healthcare or schooling; that many of the problems in modern America, especially the arms scandal under McCain, were the result of the US being loose with spending. "I'll bring the budget under control, I'll make sure our money goes to where it's needed, and I'll protect the people's wallet."
This campaign worked much better then in 2008, appealing to disenchanted conservatives and centrists, and gave Johnson a term in office. President Johnson personally went to talk the the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and assure him of the support the United States had for them and their sovereignty. While not immediately trusting, the Canadian public did begrudgingly accept Johnson's call for dialogues with the Alaskan separatists with the International League as a mediator.
Johnson butted heads domestically with his New Left colleagues. Jill Stein, one of few followers of the unpopular Nader, wanted to expand America's natural parks and nationalize all oil companies. Johnson, a former businessman like Perot, reject those calls and openly stated he would veto any attempts. The economy grew under Johnson's term, and the main battle over that was whether or not to cut farm subsidies. Johnson maintained that farmers were doing well enough now that many didn't even need them, but in rural areas they were extremely popular and caused a backlash against Johnson.
Gary Johnson has announced he will run in 2016, while Vice-President Jill Stein has stayed mum. So far she seems to be mulling either running again or challenging an open Senate seat in Massachusetts, and some even say Johnson's seat itself. Johnson has the name advantage, moderate popularity, and a good economy to hold him up in both the primary and general election...
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OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKAAAAAAAAAYYYY! I! AM! DONE!
*Insert thousands of flashing gifs*
Fweh, man that took longer then I thought. OK, next is some of the beta ideas, while I get that ask me anything if you're curious or confused.
Beta plans:
Dewitt Clinton leading a new anti-Federalist Party, called the People's Party (as his faction of the Democratic-Republicans in New York was called) as the Republicans deteriorated as the “party of treason.” He'd be a Jefferson analogue, the party's founder and intellectual father. He was possibly going to have two terms as President, elected 1812 and 1820 as that's when he ran (or at least got votes) OTL.
John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson were going to be President and Vice-President, and friends at that. I've written before how Secretary of State Adams defended General Jackson when he invaded Florida from Monroe's cabinet, many of whom wanted him to be severely punished, including Secretary of War John Calhoun. Jackson wanted to repay his BFF's debt to him and functioned as a magnet for Southern votes, and possibly moderating his enemies on the slavery question in favor of the Union.
Extreme pro-slavery James G. Birney of Yazoo elected as Vice-President under Lawson in 1836, Lawson died, Birney seizes the office and proceeds to use his office to force down his pro-slavery agenda. He fails. This Birney stayed in the South and was influenced by pro-slavery dogma that he took wholly to heart. Either that, or he is quietly anti-slavery as VP and acting President, and is elected in 1840 and tries to force down emancipation down on the throat of the South, also a failure in this version.
President Cass in 1844, not sure what he would be doing but it was an idea.
The earliest idea I had for this story, while I was in the dentists chair, and having read Rolling the Die earlier that day, was how to get John St. John as President. My idea was as a Republican President, as he was a Republican when Governor of Kansas. Eventually the story grew beyond him and had no room to put him in there.
James Weaver elected in 1880 and 1892. Again not sure what he would be doing here.
Wanted Debs to immediately succeed Roosevelt in 1916, but that was the one year he didn't run between 1900 and 1920, so I had to shove Hughes in there as President.
Carter was supposed to be McGoverns VP, but ended up as a Representative instead.
Lloyd Bensten got an electoral vote for President in 1988, as did John Edwards in 2004, inspite of being the Vice-Presidential nominee. Wanted to do something with them.
Dewitt Clinton leading a new anti-Federalist Party, called the People's Party (as his faction of the Democratic-Republicans in New York was called) as the Republicans deteriorated as the “party of treason.” He'd be a Jefferson analogue, the party's founder and intellectual father. He was possibly going to have two terms as President, elected 1812 and 1820 as that's when he ran (or at least got votes) OTL.
John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson were going to be President and Vice-President, and friends at that. I've written before how Secretary of State Adams defended General Jackson when he invaded Florida from Monroe's cabinet, many of whom wanted him to be severely punished, including Secretary of War John Calhoun. Jackson wanted to repay his BFF's debt to him and functioned as a magnet for Southern votes, and possibly moderating his enemies on the slavery question in favor of the Union.
Extreme pro-slavery James G. Birney of Yazoo elected as Vice-President under Lawson in 1836, Lawson died, Birney seizes the office and proceeds to use his office to force down his pro-slavery agenda. He fails. This Birney stayed in the South and was influenced by pro-slavery dogma that he took wholly to heart. Either that, or he is quietly anti-slavery as VP and acting President, and is elected in 1840 and tries to force down emancipation down on the throat of the South, also a failure in this version.
President Cass in 1844, not sure what he would be doing but it was an idea.
The earliest idea I had for this story, while I was in the dentists chair, and having read Rolling the Die earlier that day, was how to get John St. John as President. My idea was as a Republican President, as he was a Republican when Governor of Kansas. Eventually the story grew beyond him and had no room to put him in there.
James Weaver elected in 1880 and 1892. Again not sure what he would be doing here.
Wanted Debs to immediately succeed Roosevelt in 1916, but that was the one year he didn't run between 1900 and 1920, so I had to shove Hughes in there as President.
Carter was supposed to be McGoverns VP, but ended up as a Representative instead.
Lloyd Bensten got an electoral vote for President in 1988, as did John Edwards in 2004, inspite of being the Vice-Presidential nominee. Wanted to do something with them.
America's first female President?
Sorry, but at least you've got two Vice-Presidents!
Anything in particular?
They are both "big government" parties but with different agendas. The Federalists started off as the party of national supremacy over the states, and they sort of evolved into a Northern Whig/Republican mix with more state capitalism, with a touch of Rockefellerism in later years. Their constant control of the courts basically let them do whatever with the Constitution, turning it into a blank check. They are both centrist and conservative in modern day, taking whatever changes happened in stride and improving them so they aren't as weak or wasteful.
The Whigs here are basically the Democratic-Republicans/Democrats of OTL, but less of the States Rights shtick as that came off as sort of Jeffersonish, who is known as another kind of Benedict Arnold here. They also were pseudo-populists who took votes from poor whites but acted against their interest, while claiming to oppose those elitist Federalists.
The Reform Party is basically the OTL Greenback Party, sometimes known as the Greenback Labor Party and the Labor Reform Party. They were an odd mix of OTL's usual suspects, including the Prohibitionists. They did a lot better with the common man, getting their patronage to him and were lucky poor whites and blacks rose up enough to change things, but not enough to cause a race war and discredit the suffrage movement. They later expanded from rural populism to urban quasi-socialism and later new kinds of leftism. They want to use the government to help out the common man's interest as opposed to the Federalists wanting to help out the rich man's interests.
Other than Canada I just want to see how the changes in America affect the rest of the world.