You Gotta Have Hart: A Different 1988 and Beyond

Serve the Servants
October 3rd, 1987


The door to the beleaguered apartment swung open, opening to graffiti covered walls and a short and curiously handsome 20 year old, who stood brushing his hair from his face with one hand and placing his other hand across the door frame, blocking the path into the dwelling.


"So," the young man began, "what did you think of the tape?"


The man standing opposite to the young man, a six-foot seven inch goofy looking fellow with a shock of long, dark hair and an easy grin,rolled his eyes. This was the greeting he had gotten for the last few months when he would turn up at his friends' apartment.


"Come on man," the tall man began, "let me in."The shorter man would not relent.


"When are you going to listen to the tape? It's been almost six months!" The tape in question was a crudely made demo that the tall man had been handed by the shorter man on one of thecountless days they spent watching their idols, a band called The Melvins, practice. The tape had the words "FECAL MATTER" scrawled on the front of it.


"What if I told you that I listened to the tape, and I came over here to tell you what I thought?" The shorter man's face immediately lit up.


"Don't bullshit me, man. If you're saying you listened to it just so you can eat my food and sit on my couch, I'll fuck you up." The taller man laughed and reaffirmed that he had, indeed, listened to it. The shorter man removed his arm from the doorway, not that it would have prevented the taller man from entering the apartment if he had really wanted to, and the tall man sat down on the couch in question, apiece of furniture that may have been olderthan him by twenty years.


"So," the shorter man exclaimed, "what did you think?" The taller man shook his head.


"Can't a man have a second to relax? It's been a loooooong day." Looking up, he saw that the shorter man was bearing down on him, so he put his hands up in mock surrender and laughed.


"Okay, okay, no more waiting." Again, he let a second pass so that he could see the anticipation bubbling over on his friends' face. "I really liked it. I really, really liked it." The shorter man looked unconvinced.


"No kidding?" The taller man got serious, as he always did when he talked about music.


"No lie. It's exactly what I've been trying to do myself. I just haven't' had the ability to put it into music, and it looks like that's your gift. But the sound, the sound that you captured there, well, it's something special. It really is."


"Krist, you don't know how much that means. No one in this hick town understands the sound I'm going for. They want that shitty hair metal. That's not me, and clearly that's not you either."


"Well," Krist said, reaching for the bass guitar he had left in the apartment last time he had visited, "let's get to work."


Kurt Cobain picked up his guitar, and the duo began, hammering on their guitars, hoping that they would find what they were looking for - the sound.


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October 7th, 1987


Article published in the New York Times


Fight for Senate Leadership Dividing Democrats



After Robert Byrd (D-WV) announced that he was retiring from leadership in the Senate, a minor race has appeared for his spot among Democrats.


Left-wing senator, 1984 presidential candidate, and Senate Majority Whip Alan Cranston and Maine Senator George Mitchell have entered into a contest for the position.


While many say that Mitchell is a safer choice due to his moderate views and polling indicating that he is running extremely well in his race for reelection, Cranston is leading a surprisingly solid campaign despite his narrow win for reelection in 1986 and his apparent radicalism.


Many have credited this to Cranston’s long political career and his position as Whip; however, Cranston’s success remains to be seen, as some are reluctant to vote for him due to his more left-wing positions.


It is unknown at this time who will become the next to climb the ladder in the Democratic leadership, but whoever wins will most likely become the next Majority Leader, as the Democrats are almost assured to maintain their majority.
 
Good updates; how much of this is OTL?

We're only a few days away from Black Monday in this story...
So far, less than half of this is OTL. The NYT articles are genuine but doctored as well, depending on if it is necessary. Anything with dialogue or narrative is completely original.

Once we get passed the election, even the articles will become 100% unique as we fall farther down the rabbit hole.
 
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So far, less than half of this is OTL. The NYT articles are genuine but doctored as well, depending on if it is necessary. Anything with dialogue or narrative is completely original.

Once we get passed the election, even the articles will become 100% unique as we fall farther down the rabbit hole.
In other words, prepare for plagiarism
 
The Old Donkey
Just a short update for you lads! We're quite tired and busy and don't want to do three days of work.
Sorry for any incovienece this may have caused you.
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October 12, 1987

Ted stared at the screen, almost longfully.


He stared at Gary Hart, the fresh new face of the Democratic Party.

Ted remembered when he was considered that - for a few months.

Then his hopes for higher office dropped, almost like his car that dropped them.

However, Gary seemed squeaky-clean. A perfect choice between the flamboyant Iacocca and controversial Jackson.

He could be the one, the one to save the country from the crushing Republican hold that had held them for so long.

Too long.

“But,” Kennedy muttered to himself, “He is a McGovernite, he’ll probably ask me to be his running mate.”

“Even with that” Kennedy thought “He could use an experienced endorsement”

Kennedy walked over to his desk and began writing an endorsement speech.
 
Ominous Skies Ahead
Another shorter post tonight because weekdays are hectic. Standard update coming on Saturday!


October 16th, 1987


James Baker, Secretary of the Treasury, sat at his desk, his brow furrowed. The lamps were on; he had been working for God knows how long, and at some point morning had become night. A half eaten dinner sat aside a pile of newspapers that Baker had spread out across his desk, startling headlines standing out on each one.


DOW FALLS A RECORD 95 POINTS


DOW CONTINUES DOWNWARD SPIRAL, DROPS ANOTHER 58 POINTS


Not every title was economics or market based, however. Others seemed more alarming.


IRANIAN MISSILE HITS U.S. TANKER OFF COAST OF KUWAIT


SECOND U.S. TANKER HIT BY IRANIAN MISSILE



This is bad,
Baker thought, really bad. He had already seen the news that, with the British markets closing due to some freak storm, the DOW fell by a whopping 108 points. Everything the administration, and by extension Baker, had fought for these last eight years was in danger of being thrown away.


And yet the biggest problem of all was that Reagan and Bush were still barely speaking to one another.


This economic situation could be a big enough problem on its' own. But if the White House wasn't working together, this could go from bad to worse. Way worse, if Baker's thinking was correct.


Baker tried to reconvene his faith in all of the economic principles that the administration believed in, the supply-side strategy that had saved the country from that fool Carter. But something felt wrong.


Baker took a bite of his now-cold dinner and went back to reading. It was going to be a long night.
 
Hurricane Dole on Black Monday
October 17th, 1987


“Today in this country we’ve seen fights in the Democratic and Republican Parties, fights that have torn us apart rather than pull us together. ”


“The good people of this country cannot handle this kind of firebrand infighting and obscenity any longer. No, I will say they will not suffer this brand of politics any longer”


“We cannot have politics run by unqualified candidates and polar extremes”


“I for one am tired of people who couldn’t have held office thirty years ago having as much power as they do now. To head into the future, this new millennium, we need a bit of the past”


“We need someone qualified”


“We need someone established”


“We need Bob Dole”


-Bob Dole’s announcement speech for President of the United States
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October 19th, 1987


"Everything's going to hell! It's all going to hell!" Vice President Bush exclaimed at a gaunt, tired James Baker as the two sat in Baker's increasingly messy office. Baker couldn't bring himself to disagree.


The last few days had been the most grueling of Baker's life. London's market, re-opened after the storm the week previous, had collapsed at a startling rate. The shockwaves had hit the United States and other foreign markets, and they had hit hard. The Dow Jones had fallen a record amount once again. The American market was in a panic, and it looked like just as Bush had said - everything was going to shit.


"This is the worst timing. That bastard Quayle is going to smile and laugh while stabbing the party in the back. And I'm going to catch flak for this. As if this way my doing!"


"You've seen the numbers, George! Unemployment is down, inflation is low, interest rates are low. That's what the people care about. They don't care about Wall Street, they care about their own bottom lines!" Bush snorted an ugly laugh.


"Any hick with ears can become an economist! And they're looking for leadership. Quayle, or Falwell, or whoever, aren't stupid. They know how to play to the fears of the regular guy. This is bad, really really bad."


Baker shook his head and stood up, looking in the mirror before walking slowly to the doorway.


"George, you need to stop this defeatist outlook on this campaign. I mean, for God's sake, it hasn't even started yet! Quale is a puppet. You know it, I know it, and the people will know it if and when you point it out to them. Now, I've got to go see the President. We'll be fine, trust me."


On the outside, he was confident. But on the inside, James Baker couldn't help but feel Bush was a broken man.
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October 20th, 1987

Gallup Poll of Current Republican Candidates
George H.W. Bush - 36%
Dan Quayle - 32%
Bob Dole - 29%
Jack Kemp - 2%
Al Haig - 1%
 
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If Quayle does win the nomination over Bush, then I suspect he'd be murdered by Hart in the general. He and the Falwell types are to radical for most of the population.
 
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