America's Funniest President: Mo Udall Presidency & Beyond
- Thread starter CountDVB
- Start date
Well, Obama is running as Gore’s VP here, so I imagine the Gore/Obama ticket.
Oh right I forgot that Qatar is Neo-Baathist. India has also been quiet ever since the win against Pakistan, a state that was economically hurt, a people left with the problems in India with no enemies and/or are just tired of such rhetoric, and a government that is dealing with the effects is something that may have been already dealt with more. Or these problems are still going on in some way or another, Something is going to happen later in the timeline I bet with India, and it will be big.
From what I've read about all three, here's what I think. Kucinich is a good choice with his OTL voting record and his strength in conviction, though will probably not do as well as the other two considering his national presence will be lacking even being the Democratic candidate. Gore and Snowe will most likely in my mind be the two that everyone talks about, and while Gore is a good candidate that almost won the presidency in our timeline with good policy and get it done attitude, Snowe with the real possibility being the first woman president along with centralist/work-together attitude (especially without the baggage that other conservative politicians have), she seems to be a shoe in for the next president.
Honestly, yeah. India may have finally won against Pakistan, albeit mainly because Afghanistan took the lead and it would lead t the fall of Pakistan. But India's mishandling of their Sikh population, combined with growing support through nonviolent protest and luck led to Indian Punjab seceding and joining over with Pakistani Punjab, resulting in the birth of Khalistan. Khalistan getting American support was what sunk any chance of India trying to get vengeance, though it was a low chance given the economic issues and leadership strife going on.
India is clawing its way out of the sinkhole, especially thanks to support from the Sovereign Union. However, it is having to face some of the growing cultural and societal problems, especially since they have no enemy to vent their frustrations out on.
Well, we will see! I will say I love your commentary here! I appreciate everyone's input!
New Country Profile: Hashemite Kingdom of Arabia
New Country Profile: Hashemite Kingdom of Arabia
المملكة العربية الهاشمية [Al-Mamlaka al-ʿArabīyah l-Hāšimiyya]
Flag of Hashemite Kingdom of Arabia
المملكة العربية الهاشمية [Al-Mamlaka al-ʿArabīyah l-Hāšimiyya]
Flag of Hashemite Kingdom of Arabia
Motto: الله ، الوطن ، السلام "Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Salam" (God, Country, Peace)
Anthem: The Royal Anthem of Arabia
Capital: Jeddah
Largest City: Riyadh
Official Language: Arabic
Ethnic Groups: Arab, Non-Arab
Religion: Secular; Islam (majority)
Demonym: Hashemite Arabian
Government: Unitary constitutional monarchy
Legislature: Parliament [Upper House- Senate, Lower House- House of Representatives]
Currency: Hashemite riyal
National Facts:
- Jeddah was chosen to be the nation's new capital as a sign of its rebirth over into a new nation. However, many speculate it was also done as a sort of influence given the city also served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hejaz decades prior. A new if modest palace was built for the royal family, which many have called a "Muslim styled White House".
- Riyadh remains Arabia's largest city and the former palace of the Sauds is being coverted over into a museum, being opened over for the sake of tourism.
- The nation is usually just called the Kingdom of Arabia informally.
- The King serves as the head of state while the head of government is the Prime Minister.
- The voting system used in the nation is Party-list proportional representation.
- The position of King is not completely ceremonial; they do have some if modest executive duties along with prominent input.
- While Islam is the majority religion, the nation is secular first and foremost. As such, religious discrimination is explicitly forbidden and during the interim period, often carried rather harsh punishments.
- The flag was designed with the classic colors associated with the Muslim faith. The red seven-pointed star in the center meanwhile symbolizes the Hashemite ruling family, as both the color and star have been historically associated with them in the region.
- Has become focused on transitioning away from dependency on oil, with massive focuses over on solar energy. Additionally, the economy has been diversifying to account for tourism as well as technology.
- Many members of the House of Saud remain wanted for questioning in the nation and as such, many of them are living in hiding abroad.
- One of the new nation's first is allies is Qatar, with many speculated that Qatar may end up being annexed by Arabia within the next couple of decades. Said rumor came about from the various Neo-Baathist parties expressing unification of the Arab peninsula.
- On close relations over with Jordan unsurprisingly due to the shared familial line.
- Improved relations over with Iran, the latter enjoying the peace and both working to avoid sectarian fighting of faiths.
- The economy is a mixed economy, with the government investing alot of money to grow and stabilize the nation.
- During the interim years, much of the modern welfare system was updated and creating, such as a national healthcare system and the like.
- They have been improving relations with their neighbors, who are mainly relieved that the region can finally calm down and experience some real peace and growth.
- A good portion of the confiscated assets of the House of Saud have also gone into state-companies as part of the nation's attempts to enter the tech sector, with the hopes of becoming prominent in terms of e-commerce and the like.
- The nation has addressed the issues regarding the foreign workers, including benefits and pay raises.
- A major trend in the Hashemite Kingdom is regreening the nation. The purposes is to help with employment along with increase tourism for natural beauty and to improve the environment.
- Another growing trend in the nation is the rising interest in genetics. Many have attributed this to the nation's growing interest of using gene-editing to try and 'green' the nation through hardier and more potent plants.
- Culturally, the nation is settling down from the 5-Year interim ruling period and there are growing class and generational clashes due to the growing exposure of the outside world and its politics to the people within.
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Man, the world in this timeline here in 2008 is amazing and at the same time so alien from 1980 onward. What do you think is the biggest difference between our and this timeline?
This is a complicated question to answer because it depends from the angles. But I guess the best is the global socio-economic focus. Without Thatcher/Reagan's successes, the excesses of neoliberal economics are not validated and thus not everything is sold to big corporations in the name of money.
Udall has changed alot; his pursuit to regulate tobacco led to them being charged by the RICO Act decades sooner, which in turn set precedent for fossil fuel companies to be charged when their plans for the disinformation campaign about fossil fuels leading to manmade climate change are leaked. This pretty much nips the bud regarding climate change denialists without big money going to obfuscate the information and thus people take it more seriously sooner.
The less focus on money also dictates foreign policy. Not having to support certain nations in the name of anti-communism meant there was quite a large shockwave as certain nations buckled under their own flaws.
But yeah, the "greed is good" philosophy and its extended network of malicious thoughts didn't really sink into the public collective consciousness this time. Instead, the people saw that when they took care of one another and did stuff seriously, they got rewarded for it overall. The boomers associated the 1980s economic recovery with progressive policies and that had an impact on them.
Thank you! Hope you enjoy it! While there are some things I'd change a little in retrospect, overall, I'm find with how it went down.
Autumn 2008: Banks and Ballots
Autumn 2008: Banks and Ballots
Liftoff of 4th flight of Shepherd 1 on September 29, 2008, carrying Ratsat demo
Liftoff of 4th flight of Shepherd 1 on September 29, 2008, carrying Ratsat demo
Autumn would be rolling out and the American people would be excited to head to the polls. It was a rather reflectful time as well. After all, this would be the third president decided through the new electoral system chosen and after more than a decade of usage, people were getting more used to it. While there was still the line between 2 or 3 major parties and the others, that would be closing over time, especially as smaller parties on state level would be influencing things. Gore was seen as the favorite to win, given he was the vice president at the time and he was running a good campaign. A continuation of prosperity along with a further emphasis on cultivating the technology sector. At the same time, his competitors were also racing neck in neck with him. Dennis Kucinich and Olympia Snowe were bothing quite well, with the former trying to go and appeal to progressive sensibilities while the latter promoting the positives of neoclassical conservatism over on the federal level. Both of them were underdog here. After all, times were peaceful and prosperous for the most part. That said, there were still plenty of underlying issues to deal with. An upcoming modest recession tied to housing prices was serving as a reminder over the concern of home costs, even if urban planning and development have improved since the 1980s, going away from the old suburb model. Other economic issues was seeing a contraction within white collar corporate jobs, especially with the rise of the digitization and e-commerce over into the mainstream. While there was some mercies, such as the failures of "mass consolidation", it was still an era of economic transition that created a sort of haunting anxiety over the babyboomers and the brightbangers, both were responding over in different ways. Social issues were not discussed much as more and more of the unpleasant elements were fading away though some newer complications remained.
One example of this were growing investigations over into the Lehman Brothers investment bank. This was due to the concerns of "accounting gimmicks" done to make the financial issues appear less shaky, though it instead lead to concerns of potential violations. Despite the lax nature of the Clinton Administration on the economy (at least, compared to some of his predecessors), this was enough to start getting them to investigate for potential issues. This in turn was causing some concerns regarding the market, at least being fueled by speculation fever. At the same time, things were still holding out due to the newer regulations put in place by the Udall and Askew Administrations years prior. Some noted that without these regulations, the issues could've compounded into an economic crisis by now. Others were noting how some of the issues were being made worse by the panic of investors and speculation, with some of the older folk recalling how the oil crisis in 1979 with Iran was caused by such panic. While many experts think it is unlikely for the bank to fail, some believe that speculators may cause a self-fulfilling prophecy by their own anxieties. This also became a topic for the election, as both Snowe and Kucinich would use this as part of a need for potential reforms in the systems.
Of couse, there were all sorts of other things going on. The Shepherd 1 would become the world's first privately developed space launch vehicle to successfully make orbit. [1] The spacecraft was designed over by SpaceX, financed over by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Bezos chose the name in homage to Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut in space, with Musk agreeing to it. Further space news would see on the space shuttle Endeavour using the MPLM Leonardo to deliver special racks for storage and experimentation to the International Space Station. [1] In other tech news, there was a growing trend of the youth using featurephones, specifcially inspired by Japanese design, alongside with increasingly advanced PDAs to check emails, sync with computers and the like. Steve Jobs meanwhile was wanting to push over for a unity of these devices, an all-in-one phone, though some were concerned on economic viability and popularity of such devices. As for PDAs, the bigger news there would be the release of the Linux-based Android OS, which in theory could run on any of the PDAs offered by various other companies. The tech sector remained booming and playing an increasing role in the lives of others, especially the youth. The Millenials were becoming the most adept with these devices due being raised with them though some of the Freeborn were also leading the charge as the older innovators.
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[1]- Information and phrasing from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_in_the_United_States
2008- US Elections
2008- US Elections
2008 would be an interesting time for politics. After all, the 2000s were a peaceful and prosperous time for many nations. There was not many military conflicts and the economies were doing well for the most part. While 2008 would see the beginnings of a recession, it wouldn't be anything to drastic or concerning. At the same time, it still highlighted issues that the voter may be concerned about. The housing market was still a bit of an odd duck and while more tightly regulated, had a weird tendency of going up and down. It didn't help either with some wondering if they need to relax loaning standards while others believed that it was an issue of home costs potentially becoming too expensive. On the other hand, this was mainly with single family homes as duoplexes, triplexes and similar homes were becoming increasingly popular, especially among the young. Regarding the economy, there was a growing dominance of people using computers and furthermore, how they were being used in conjunction with the internet. More and more companies were having websites and creating features to enable services being utilized on there. Overall, the economy was beginning to change faster than some people can keep up and some were having to be left behind. Furthermore, various tech companies were trying to navigate the new system and new management would be shaking things up in trying to maintain long-term profitability and stability. These newcomers maintained the lessons of the older guard and while more ambitious in what they were seaching, would still be rather cautious. This would especially be the case as they would witness some overly ambitious colleagues be taken down by either regulations or their own hubris in trying to make a quick buck and instead cause damage to the brand.
Socially and culturally, it was a mixed bag. The young embarked on journeys of self-discovery and exposed to many varied viewpoints and perspectives on the Internet, becoming the growing masters of this world wide wild web west. This would be reflected in the mass general concensus of things such as solidarity for SATMIN+ folk as more and more of the young got to know them and normalize bonds with them. Culturally though, people were looking to remain content and enjoy the current good times. And this would be reflected in the media, including with some bits of escapism in reinforcing good times. All of these elements would be reflected over in the upcoming election. Who would become the next President of the United States? Gore would find his lead shrinking in the last few months, which some attributed due to the growing economic concerns and on if he would be willing to address them, especially since it seemed they were partially enabled by the Clinton Administration's relative lax approach to enforcement of said regulation. Additionally, when it came to campaigning, alot of the older folk were looking for a sense of stability and certainty. Someone who could reassure them that they would do what they say they will and maintain a sense of order to help people. The younger folk were looking for change and someone fresh to come in more or less. However, because of the new electoral system, peoples' tastes and approaches were becoming increasingly diverse and complicated. As such, older strategies were becoming even less relevant. And it would come down to the records of the party and the individual themselves.
The United Central Party felt pretty strongly over about their chances, even if they were nervous with Gore. After all, would people be wanting the same or perhaps go and choose someone else? Their policies were good for the most part though there was some growing conflicts in the party regarding the level of economic intervention they should have been doing alongside with their own potential concerns regarding their image. They were no longer the new kid on the block anymore and they couldn't rely on that sort of novel energy to keep it up. Regardless, they still focused over on where they could. After all, they are a successful third party and even if they lost now, they wouldn't have to be worried about what would come next.
Meanwhile, the Federalist Party was feeling pretty confident. Olympia Snowe after all is a fairly popular candidate. She was a very moderate candidate and promoted such views over not just in her party and in general. She developed an ability to go and reach across the party line to get support for bills. At the same time, she knew how to stand firm and assert herself if need be. The fact that she won her primary over for her party gave a surge of inspiration for women in terms of becoming President. As for the party itself, it was beginning to consolidate itself. Not just as the party for the American conservative, but also for the values regarding order and the rule of law. At the same time, their commitment to aspects such as agrarianism and equity meant they would be willing to go and use their power to maintain peace and prosperity. Their focus on practical reasoning and social ties would also win over voters. Most of all, they would also focus on countering the ugliness of the past; they proclaimed racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry as the haunting ghosts that needed to be exorcised from the nation. It would also further prove their point as such viewpoints would be viewed as antithetical to practical reasoning and that they would lead to decline of social order. And this viewpoint would be increasingly common among the American conservative, especially as there would be pressure to go and do so.
As for the Democrats, they remain in a state of transition. While there is still the prominence of progressive politics and decisions to be made, there is a lack of true direction within the party. While they have been working for smaller victories such as expanding workers' rights and the like, many of them feel unsure as to what more they could actually do. At the same time, there has also been a growing generation gap in the meanwhile and some have even attributed the decline to the rising prominence of the Green Party. That said, Dennis Kucinich would still be doing good in maintaing a fair interest in the party among progressive voters and would still be looking to raise awareness on potentially troubling concerns. This included the rising costs of university compared to what people were earning (especially with the questions on where the money was going) along with greater cannabis reform. After, the substance was decriminalized and was getting growing acceptance in states, so why not go and just legalize the whole thing now? He also proposed lowering the voting age over to 16, believing that this will help further promote a healthy democracy.
In 2008, the voters would go and choose. After all, alot of progress have been made and more people were feeling comfortable with the candidates. With what could be done and how they could do it. They were looking for someone who could build bridges, but also help maintain a face of order and stability. This would especially be the case as more political parties were appearing and taking the focus out of what was already present, leading to a growing varied field. But ultimately, the people would speak. They were looking for someone to keep things orderly and tidy. They were also believing it was time for a woman to go and assert herself.
Olympia Snowe would become the 44th President of the United States.
44th President Olympia Snowe & 46th Vice President Bill Weld.
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Wow, I can't wait for that to happen!
Good for her! I actually know a university professor from Maine that actually met her and is still good friends with Senator Angus King.
Nice stuff.2008- US Elections
2008 would be an interesting time for politics. After all, the 2000s were a peaceful and prosperous time for many nations. There was not many military conflicts and the economies were doing well for the most part. While 2008 would see the beginnings of a recession, it wouldn't be anything to drastic or concerning. At the same time, it still highlighted issues that the voter may be concerned about. The housing market was still a bit of an odd duck and while more tightly regulated, had a weird tendency of going up and down. It didn't help either with some wondering if they need to relax loaning standards while others believed that it was an issue of home costs potentially becoming too expensive. On the other hand, this was mainly with single family homes as duoplexes, triplexes and similar homes were becoming increasingly popular, especially among the young. Regarding the economy, there was a growing dominance of people using computers and furthermore, how they were being used in conjunction with the internet. More and more companies were having websites and creating features to enable services being utilized on there. Overall, the economy was beginning to change faster than some people can keep up and some were having to be left behind. Furthermore, various tech companies were trying to navigate the new system and new management would be shaking things up in trying to maintain long-term profitability and stability. These newcomers maintained the lessons of the older guard and while more ambitious in what they were seaching, would still be rather cautious. This would especially be the case as they would witness some overly ambitious colleagues be taken down by either regulations or their own hubris in trying to make a quick buck and instead cause damage to the brand.
Socially and culturally, it was a mixed bag. The young embarked on journeys of self-discovery and exposed to many varied viewpoints and perspectives on the Internet, becoming the growing masters of this world wide wild web west. This would be reflected in the mass general concensus of things such as solidarity for SATMIN+ folk as more and more of the young got to know them and normalize bonds with them. Culturally though, people were looking to remain content and enjoy the current good times. And this would be reflected in the media, including with some bits of escapism in reinforcing good times. All of these elements would be reflected over in the upcoming election. Who would become the next President of the United States? Gore would find his lead shrinking in the last few months, which some attributed due to the growing economic concerns and on if he would be willing to address them, especially since it seemed they were partially enabled by the Clinton Administration's relative lax approach to enforcement of said regulation. Additionally, when it came to campaigning, alot of the older folk were looking for a sense of stability and certainty. Someone who could reassure them that they would do what they say they will and maintain a sense of order to help people. The younger folk were looking for change and someone fresh to come in more or less. However, because of the new electoral system, peoples' tastes and approaches were becoming increasingly diverse and complicated. As such, older strategies were becoming even less relevant. And it would come down to the records of the party and the individual themselves.
The United Central Party felt pretty strongly over about their chances, even if they were nervous with Gore. After all, would people be wanting the same or perhaps go and choose someone else? Their policies were good for the most part though there was some growing conflicts in the party regarding the level of economic intervention they should have been doing alongside with their own potential concerns regarding their image. They were no longer the new kid on the block anymore and they couldn't rely on that sort of novel energy to keep it up. Regardless, they still focused over on where they could. After all, they are a successful third party and even if they lost now, they wouldn't have to be worried about what would come next.
Meanwhile, the Federalist Party was feeling pretty confident. Olympia Snowe after all is a fairly popular candidate. She was a very moderate candidate and promoted such views over not just in her party and in general. She developed an ability to go and reach across the party line to get support for bills. At the same time, she knew how to stand firm and assert herself if need be. The fact that she won her primary over for her party gave a surge of inspiration for women in terms of becoming President. As for the party itself, it was beginning to consolidate itself. Not just as the party for the American conservative, but also for the values regarding order and the rule of law. At the same time, their commitment to aspects such as agrarianism and equity meant they would be willing to go and use their power to maintain peace and prosperity. Their focus on practical reasoning and social ties would also win over voters. Most of all, they would also focus on countering the ugliness of the past; they proclaimed racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry as the haunting ghosts that needed to be exorcised from the nation. It would also further prove their point as such viewpoints would be viewed as antithetical to practical reasoning and that they would lead to decline of social order. And this viewpoint would be increasingly common among the American conservative, especially as there would be pressure to go and do so.
As for the Democrats, they remain in a state of transition. While there is still the prominence of progressive politics and decisions to be made, there is a lack of true direction within the party. While they have been working for smaller victories such as expanding workers' rights and the like, many of them feel unsure as to what more they could actually do. At the same time, there has also been a growing generation gap in the meanwhile and some have even attributed the decline to the rising prominence of the Green Party. That said, Dennis Kucinich would still be doing good in maintaing a fair interest in the party among progressive voters and would still be looking to raise awareness on potentially troubling concerns. This included the rising costs of university compared to what people were earning (especially with the questions on where the money was going) along with greater cannabis reform. After, the substance was decriminalized and was getting growing acceptance in states, so why not go and just legalize the whole thing now? He also proposed lowering the voting age over to 16, believing that this will help further promote a healthy democracy.
In 2008, the voters would go and choose. After all, alot of progress have been made and more people were feeling comfortable with the candidates. With what could be done and how they could do it. They were looking for someone who could build bridges, but also help maintain a face of order and stability. This would especially be the case as more political parties were appearing and taking the focus out of what was already present, leading to a growing varied field. But ultimately, the people would speak. They were looking for someone to keep things orderly and tidy. They were also believing it was time for a woman to go and assert herself.
Olympia Snowe would become the 44th President of the United States.
44th President Olympia Snowe & 46th Vice President Bill Weld.
