By a Fluke of the Gods: Cox Defeats Harding

[Eleanor Martins]

Oh yes certainly, I've been utterly engrossed.

[HappyWarrior]

Waiting for the next update so I can see who wins the 1988 election.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 1-03-1988
Event Description: The wall across the U.S.-Mexican border is completed at the small town of Herndon, Arizona. President Jack Kemp and Vice-President John McCain attend the ceremonies laying the final concrete and placing the final pieces of the fence. Also attending the ceremony is Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt, a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. Upon meeting Kemp, the wry Babbitt tells him, “Hello Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President.” “Why did you repeat that so many times?” President Kemp asks Babbitt. “Since you won’t be called that much longer I felt I needed to get good use out of it,” Governor Babbitt explains. The good humored president bursts into laughter.

Event Date: 1-11-1988
Event Description: Secretary of the Navy James Webb announces his retirement from the navy and his resignation from his cabinet post. “I am honored to have served my nation in so many ways,” Secretary Webb somberly declares as he makes his resignation address, “I can only hope that I can continue to serve my country in some way.” Many in Virginia politics expect Webb to serve his country in another way: as Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Event Date: 2-08-1988
Event Description: The Iowa Caucus is held, with former Governor Lamar Alexander winning a comfortable victory over his rivals. The surprise of the night is Governor Bruce Babbitt taking second place over the better known Colorado candidates. Alexander takes a strong 44% of the vote, Babbitt wins 32%, former Vice-President John Love takes 13% of the vote, with scandal ridden former Senator Gary Hart winning only 11% of the vote. This disappointing finish is not enough to take Hart out of the race, as he is planning on repeating his 1984 victory in New Hampshire.

Event Date: 2-11-1988
Event Description: Anti-Turkish terrorist Abdullah Ocalan is found guilty of murder in the first degree and international terrorism by a jury in Zakho, Kurdish Republic. He is sentenced to hand until dead on March 1st, 1988, to the jeers and hisses of his supporters in the town. President Barzani is urged by the strong anti-Turkish militias in the northern part of the country to pardon Ocalan, but the president tells the press that the execution will go through on the appointed date.

Event Date: 2-18-1988
Event Description: The New Hampshire Primary is held today, with Governor Alexander winning it as he did in 1984. Alexander takes 42% of the vote, with Governor Babbitt winning 40%, making the race far closer than anyone expected. Vice-President Love comes in third with just 12% of the vote, and he drops out of the race and endorses Governor Alexander. Senator Gary Hart is shown single digits; mainly middle ones from voters, by taking a mere 6% of the vote. He too ends his campaign, but offers his endorsement to Governor Babbitt, whom Hart calls, “A change agent.”

Event Date: 2-19-1988
Event Description: “Well slap a mustache on me and call me Alex Trebek, I can’t believe how well that fellow from Arizona did yesterday,” CBS news anchor Dan Rather declares when opening the nightly news. The political scenery was changed yesterday with Governor Babbitt’s strong second place showing in New Hampshire. Governor Babbitt’s campaign didn’t seem to be in line with the anti-tax voters in New Hampshire, but he still did well. CBS exit polling revealed that 73% of Babbitt voters polled supported the governor because he was simply new. “He’s not a senator, he’s not from the east, he’s not from old money and he’s never been on a national ticket before,” Rather tells his is audience during his expose on Babbitt, “Maybe this message of ‘change’ is catching on?”

Event Date: 2-23-1988
Event Description: Governor Babbitt’s persona of a change agent from the West plays out well in the South Dakota Primary. Babbitt takes an easy victory in the Mount Rushmore State, receiving the endorsement of the state’s energetic Senator Tom Daschle (Republican of South Dakota), a man many view as a rising star in the party.

Event Date: 3-01-1988
Event Description: Governor Babbitt wins the Vermont Primary by a 64-36% margin over Governor Alexander. Babbitt’s pro-environmental message and support of raising the gas tax appealed to the more progressive voters of the Green Mountain State.

Event Date: 3-05-1988
Event Description: Governor Alexander is able to stop Governor Babbitt’s winning streak by taking South Carolina, a state which has a Republican Party similar to Alexander’s home state of Tennessee. Alexander’s strong support from civil rights organizations puts him over the top in this very African-American state.

Event Date: 3-06-1988
Event Description: President Kemp announces in an address from the Oval Office that he supports and will actively fight for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution. “I do not believe in amending the Constitution over frivolous things,” President Kemp tells his audience, “However, I believe that a balanced budget is not frivolous, but a necessity for both the Americans of today and of the future.” Response to this speech is generally positive, with over 70% of Americans supporting an amendment which would require the Congress to balance the federal budget every year. “Let’s not be fooled by the president’s flattery,” Governor Babbitt warns a crowd in Boston, Massachusetts, “His balanced budget amendment represents a theft from our national security and from the poor, destitute and elderly.”

Event Date: 3-08-1988
Event Description: The first “Super Tuesday” is held in American political history, with Governor Alexander coming off as the big winner. Alexander wins the Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas Primaries. Governor Babbitt wins only the Maryland, Rhode Island and Virginia Primaries. “It looks like it on to the White House!” Governor Alexander enthusiastically tells his supporters tonight. Governor Babbitt, despite the overwhelming defeat, declares he will stay in the race. “I’ve never been one to quit a good fight,” Babbitt tells his supporters.

Event Date: 3-10-1988
Event Description: Kurdish militias use confiscated Turkish poison gas to commit another cruel terrorist attack against Turkish businessmen in Kurdistan. Attacking the city of Halabja with the gas, more than 200 civilians are permanently scarred or blinded by the gas, and 11 people die from suffocation. President Barzani, whose popularity is very low due to his inability to control militia terrorism, orders all confiscated Turkish weapons to be destroyed by April 1988.

Event Date: 3-15-1988
Event Description: In an upset, Governor Babbitt defeats Governor Alexander in the Illinois Primary by a 53-46% margin. Babbitt’s victory is attributed to how well he was able to court rural voters and Chicago civil rights leaders. The Reverend Jesse Jackson endorsed Babbitt, leading the Jewish community to flock to Alexander, but this was not enough to offset Babbitt’s victory.

Event Date: 3-21-1988
Event Description: Pennsylvania Governor Reginald Jackson (Republican) signs a major juvenile crime bill. This bill prohibits juveniles from being sent to prisons with adults. $210 million is allocated to build new maximum security juvenile prisons. “I realize that this may seem like I’m spending big bucks on ‘juvenile punks’,” Governor Jackson tells the press, “However, I’m doing this because I do not want those ‘punks’ to be abused in mass security prisons and form an addiction because they are around hardened criminals.” The American Penal Society applauds Governor Jackson’s new law and urges other governors to adopt a similar juvenile punishment code. 

Event Date: 3-29-1988
Event Date: Governor Babbitt wins the Connecticut Primary. The state is tailor made for the liberal Westerner. His pro-environmental stances appeal to the progressive and well educated people of the Constitution State.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 4-03-1988
Event Description: The Supreme Court rules on Hendricks v. Texas, a case concerning reinstating the death penalty. Warren Gray Hendricks murdered his family with a shotgun, killed his neighbor while stealing a car and, to add to the case against him, he and the police engaged in a twelve-hour car chase. Governor Bill Clements (Democrat of Texas) believed that so many grievous sins deserved the death penalty, but it was illegal. However, that ends with today’s ruling. The court rules six to three in favor of the State of Texas, thus reinstating the death penalty. Justice Robert Bork voted in the majority. The outrage over this statement is international, as the United States had been one of the first nations to outlaw and then reaffirm it’s stance against capital punishment.

Event Date: 4-05-1988
Event Description: Governor Alexander, who had railed against the ruling of Hendricks v. Texas for two days, wins the Wisconsin Primary, once again establishing him as the Republican frontrunner.

Event Date: 4-11-1988
Event Description: “Lions of Lambs” sweeps the Oscars. The controversial film wins Best Picture, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford share the award for Best Picture, John Lithgow wins Best Supporting Actor and Oliver Stone wins Best Director. Former President Richard Nixon and tabloid editor Carl Bernstein had been greatly offended by the film, but the artsy crowd in Hollywood found the film brilliant.

Event Date: 4-19-1988
Event Description: After weeks of campaigning in New York, Governor Babbitt narrowly defeats Governor Alexander in the crucial primary. While Alexander did well in heavily African-American and poverty stricken areas of the state, Babbitt carried the upstate region of New York, and thus narrowly carried the day by a 51-49% margin. “As is usual,” Rush Limbaugh comments on the Voice of the Nation, “The Republicans can’t choose a candidate. I mean, do they need to pull a name out of a hat to get the process over with?” 

Event Date: 4-20-1988
Event Description: The Gallup Poll releases two polls, pitting each of the Republican candidates against President Kemp. The president leads Governor Alexander by a 55-41% and Governor Babbitt by 57-37%. Kemp himself has a 59% approval rating.

Event Date: 4-26-1988
Event Description: Governor Alexander wins the Pennsylvania Primary, winning heavily amongst working class workers and African-Americans. He defeats Governor Babbitt by a comfortable 55-45% margin. Governor Babbitt’s support from young liberals is offset by Governor Alexander’s folksy populist rhetoric. Many in the Republican Party view Alexander as the only candidate who can keep the white working class in the Republican column in November.

Event Date: 5-01-1988
Event Description: The Corporatist State of Japan angers more progressive nations in the international community by outlawing all labor unions and denationalizing all industry. “Such needless regulations are keeping our nation from becoming the economic superpower it is destined to be,” Prime Minister Fukui Toshihiko tells his nation, and the Japanese seem to agree. Productivity is higher than ever in Japan, even though freedoms for workers are greatly limited. President Kemp stays silent on this turn of events, but Governor Alexander does not. “Kemp and that fellow from Japan are both in the same big business boat!” Alexander blasts at a rally in Terre Haute, Indiana, “Their boat is, however, being powered by the working men and women of both nations. When I am elected president I’ll go to Tokyo and forcibly unionize their factories once again.” Secretary of State Moynihan tells the press in responding to this statement by Alexander “Well he’ll have to dress up a little more than usual to be taken seriously by the Japanese if he’s really going to do that.”

Event Date: 5-03-1988
Event Description: Governor Alexander sweeps all three primaries today. He easily defeats Governor Babbitt in Ohio and Washington, D.C., with Ohio being a closer battle due to the strength of its college towns. “Alexander has built up a strange coalition,” Roll Call writer Morton Kondracke writes, “He has been able to use populism and civil rights to bring about a hybrid coalition to appeal to both blue collar whites and African-Americans. Not even Joseph P. Kennedy, Junior, known as the political master of the 20th Century, could do that.”

Event Date: 5-05-1988
Event Description: President Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish Unity Party nominee, is reelected in a close election with General Azad Miran, the Kurdish National Party nominee. General Miran had the support of the militias and the powerful Turkish National Assembly, a parliament of anti-Turkish politicians, businessmen and military leaders. Barzani was seen as a sure loser until he aggressively went after the votes of moderates in the central and southern parts of the Kurdish Union. His tough response to the recent gas attacks by national terrorists also helped by defusing the myth than Barzani is inept at dealing with terrorist attacks.

Event Date: 5-10-1988
Event Description: Governors Alexander and Babbitt split primary victories today, with Alexander taking West Virginia and Babbitt taking Nebraska. The endorsement of Governor Bob Kerrey (Republican of Nebraska), who wins the primary for senate today, put the progressive Babbitt over the top in a fairly conservative state.

Event Date: 5-13-1988
Event Description: President Kemp signs the Ruddman-Ryden Wind Power Act. Introduced by two Republicans, Senator Warren Rudman (New Hampshire) and Congressman Ron Wyden (Oregon), this act puts aside public funds for building wind power plants. “The cleanest form of power is wind energy,” Congressman Wyden tells his associates on the House floor; “It causes zero pollution and uses only nature to give great deals of power to the cities of this great nation.” Although President Kemp is wary of alternative fuels, he signs the act. “I don’t want to give those two tree huggers seeking my office a sword to slay me with,” President Kemp tells Vice-President McCain during their weekly lunch together.

Event Date: 5-17-1988
Event Description: Governor Babbitt wins the Oregon Primary in a state that seemed made for him. A very progressive and well educated state, Babbitt’s environmental campaign fits the Beaver State perfectly. He defeats Governor Alexander by a 58-42% margin. “Oregon is a beautiful state,” Governor Lamar Alexander tells his wife Honey that night, “But it just doesn’t have enough poor people, working people or black people.”

Event Date: 5-20-1988
Event Description: A report by U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine. This report by the cabinet member in a conservative administration shocks the entire political scene and the country as a whole. “For years the Democratic Party has been telling the country that smoking is not dangerous,” Governor Alexander declares in a speech before the Committee for Public Health in Boise, Idaho, “Now they are telling us that they not only lied, but in doing so threaten the lives of American citizens.”

Event Date: 5-24-1988
Event Description: Governor Alexander wins the Idaho Primary in an upset over Governor Babbitt, who had the support of the local party establishment, by a 52-48% margin. Republican voters saw in Alexander a man who could far better point out the weaknesses in President Kemp, as he had done in speech in Boise four days ago.

Event Date: 6-02-1988
Event Description: President Kemp begins a ten day visit to Russia to help heal the wounds caused by the Kurdish War. President Yazov, who faces almost assured defeat in next year’s presidential election, had welcomed this plan. Defense Minister Vladimir Putin opposed the visit of, “One of Russia’s greatest enemies,” but Yazov has been listening to Putin less and less since the misadventure in the Kurdish Republic. Today, President Kemp visits a Russo-Chinese War Memorial in St. Petersburg, reminiscing about his own experiences in the war. “I was actually just a cook on a submarine during the war,” President Kemp tells the crowd, “I was no hero. Vice-President John McCain and the men remembered on this memorial were the real heroes of the war. We need to remember that nothing can sever America’s relationship with Russia, for it is connected by these men and those in the USA who gave their last full measure of devotion to defend their homes and their freedoms.”   

Event Date: 6-07-1988
Event Description: Governor Alexander creates a solid lead over Governor Babbitt by winning the California, New Jersey and Montana Primaries, taking the Golden State by a 59-41% margin. Governor Babbitt takes only the New Mexico Primary, one of the states that will benefit the most from the new government funded wind power.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 6-08-1988
Event Description: President Kemp addresses a crowd of 16,000 at Moscow University in a speech focusing on peace. “The Russian people seek peace as the entire world does,” President Kemp tells the crowd, “The people of this great nation must tell their leaders that they want peace with all nation, and not war.” Although the crowd responds with cheers, the Kremlin gives the speech an icy reception. “Kemp is telling them to vote me out of office!” an enraged President Yazov cries as he listens to the speech over the radio.

Event Date: 6-14-1988
Event Description: The final Republican Primary is held in North Dakota, and it is a win for Governor Babbitt. Although Babbitt takes the final primary, Alexander has a strong lead in delegates and appears likely to be nominated at the Republican National Convention in July.

Event Date: 7-09-1988
Event Description: Former Presidents Richard Nixon and George Bush endorse Governor Alexander for president at a rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “It is incredibly important that the Republicans unite to defeat Mr. Kemp,” President Bush declares as he endorses Alexander, “Our party needs Lamar Alexander as our nominee, as he is the only man who can defeat the Kemp Administration.” With these two big endorsements, most undecided delegates side with Governor Alexander, all but assuring him the nomination.

Event Date: 7-20-1988
Event Description: The Republican National Convention in Denver, Colorado, nominates former Governor Lamar Alexander for President of the United States. Amongst much fanfare, Alexander selects San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein as his running-mate, the second woman to be places on the GOP Ticket in its history. Mayor Feinstein, a passionate speaker and effective legislator and executives, gives the most rip-roaring speech of the convention. “President Kemp’s tax cuts have harmed the economy more than any of our enemies could have,” Feinstein tells the convention, “However, how could Mr. Kemp know that a poor economy hurts the Middle Class and working Americans? Poor Jack, he can't help it. He doesn't realize that not everyone has gone through life on scholarship!” The convention goes over well, but the latest polls show Kemp-McCain leading Alexander-Feinstein by a 56-40% margin.

Event Date: 7-31-1988
Event Description: Russian President Dmitry Yazov and Kurdish President Massoud Barzani sign a “Treaty of Friendship” in Armil, Kurdish Republic. The treaty ignores the past war and promises free trade and open relations between the two nations. This agreement sends President Kemp’s approvals through the ceiling, as many see his recent trip to Russia as a major reason such an agreement was signed. Angered by the agreement is Defense Minister Vladimir Putin, who attacks the president in front of the Duma as, “A coward and useful idiot for American propaganda.” In response to this insult, Yazov fires Putin and sends him away from Moscow. The dejected Putin vows revenge on President Yazov, a man he once admired as a cold warrior.

Event Date: 8-08-1988
Event Description: The 8888 Uprising begins in Burma (Myanmar) against the ruling military junta. Senator Joseph Biden (Republican of Delaware) introduces a resolution supporting the rebels, which passes overwhelmingly. President Kemp offers vocal support for the rebels, but does not send weapons to support the rebels. Their rebellion will be crushed in a few weeks.

Event Date: 8-18-1988
Event Description: The Democratic Convention meets at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. President Jack Kemp and Vice President John McCain are nominated for re-election. “We’ve changed this country and the world,” President Kemp tells the convention, “Let’s not change who’s in the White House.” Vice-President McCain gets the laugh line of the convention by mocking Governor Alexander penchant for wearing red-plaid shirts and blue jeans. “I think Mr. Alexander’s clothing doesn’t pass the White House dress code.”

Event Date: 8-21-1988
Event Description: Former Defense Minister Vladimir Putin meets with several Russian military officers in Kiev, Ukraine. They meet to plan a way to take the reigns of government from President Yazov. Colonel Sergei Akhromeyev, a hero of the Russo-Chinese War, tells Putin that a coup is needed. “The only way we can get the turncoat out of power and our troops back into the Middle East, “ the colonel explains, “We must throw Yazov off the seat of power by force and then take the reigns of government away from the left who now lead Russia.”

Event Date: 9-25-1988
Event Description: President Kemp and Governor Alexander meet at the Wait Chapel in Wake Forest University for the first televised presidential debate of the 1988 election. The debate focuses on economics and domestic polices, which are seen as President Kemp’s strong suit. However, Governor Alexander amazes the audience by not just doing well in the debate, but routinely leaving President Kemp stuttering for answers. The finest example of this occurs President Kemp tells the audience that, “My form of economics is not a new idea, its what the founding fathers wanted.” “Excuse me Mr. President,” Alexander interrupts, “Which founding father believed that the rich should get tax cuts while everyone under them had to make up the difference? Was that one of the founders who owned slaves?” Kemp is unable to really respond to this statement, leading the pundits to declare him the winner of the most watched presidential debate since 1980.

Event Date: 10-01-1988
Event Description: Vladimir Putin and Colonel Sergei Akhromeyev lead a coup of more than 1,500 Russian soldiers against President Yazov’s government in Moscow. The soldiers successfully oust Yazov out of the Kremlin. To add to the horror of the day, Vladimir Putin, wearing his trademark black trench coat, kills Yazov himself with a bullet to the forehead. As the former president’s body falls to the floor, Putin whispers to him in his dying seconds, “You can find all the peace you want in heaven.” Colonel Akhromeyev takes power as head of state, declaring that all liberal reforms in the nation are ended. President Kemp condemns this “embrace of autocracy” and declares his support for the former President Mikhail Gorbachev, who escaped Moscow before he himself was murdered.

Event Date: 10-02-1988
Event Description: At a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, Governor Lamar Alexander expresses his support for President Gorbachev and the Russian people, but President Kemp's ability to give such support first not only trumps Alexander’s support, but also shows the difference in foreign policy experience between an incumbent President and an opposing party's Presidential nominee. On the international front, leaders from the United Kingdom, France, the Baltic Union, China, the United States and Japan condemn the coup and offer support to Gorbachev. Gorbachev himself is supported by the Russian Army, and he begins a march on Moscow to depose of Putin and Akhromeyev once and for all.

Event Date: 10-05-1988
Event Description: With support from most of the world, including U.S. President Jack Kemp, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and, most importantly, the Russian Army, former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev returns to power. To the surprise of Putin and Akhromeyev, the army sides with the more pacific Gorbachev over them, two experienced military men. By the end of the day, the coup leaders are rounded up and arrested. They will be put on trial in January of 1989.

Event Date: 10-06-1988
Event Description: The Gallup Poll shows that the Russian Coup Crisis has greatly helped (or hyped in the Republican’s view) the polling numbers for President Kemp. His approval rating stands at 66%, the highest for any president seeking reelection since Joseph Kennedy, and he now leads Governor Alexander by a 60-36% margin. This lead is not expected to hold, but Kemp’s statesmanship during the crisis has all but assured him victory in the election.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 10-15-1988
Event Description: Kemp and Alexander meet for the final televised presidential debate at Pauley Pavillion at the University of California at Los Angeles. Moderated by CNN’s Bernard Shaw, the debate focuses on (to the dismay of Governor Alexander) foreign policy. The two hour debate gives President Kemp a chance to showcase his handling of the Russian Coup Crisis and the Kurdish War. While Governor Alexander discusses the importance of expanding world HIV/AIDS programs and fighting anti-labor laws in Japan, the debate is an easy win for President Kemp.

Event Date: 11-05-1988
Event Description: President Jack Kemp is overwhelmingly reelected President of the United States over former Governor Lamar Alexander, winning even Alexander’s home state of Tennessee. While polling shows that voters both candidates would make good presidents, Kemp was seen as a man who already was a good president and voters tend to fear change.

Jack Kemp/John McCain (D): 481 EV; 60.3% of the PV
Lamar Alexander/Dianne Feinstein (R): 57 EV; 39.3% of the PV
Others (Progressive Reform, Libertarian, etc.): 0 EV; 0.4% of the PV

The Democratic Party takes control of both houses of Congress, winning 12-seats in the House and eight in the Senate. It appears, for now at least, that the people of the USA have embraced Kemp conservatism. However, will it last?         

[War on Want]

Damn well that sucks. I see you have made Kemp into the alternate Reagan, Dewey into a failed FDR. Who are you going to turn into Clinton?

[Robespierre's Jaw]

An interesting update as per usual Paul. Whilst I am upset that Lamar Alexander lost his bid for the Presidency, I am surprised that the ticket of Alexander/Feinstien lost by such a massive margin. I guess Lamar Alexander wasn't meant to be President of the United States either in RL or in this TL.

Should be interesting to see what Vladimir Putin does next, after he tried to overthrow the Russian Government. Speaking of Russians, what is Dmitry Medvedev and Boris Yeltsin doing in this TL?

[HappyWarrior]

Were there any people who we'd recognize who won senate or governors races?

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Very good update; Jim Webb for Governor '89!

[Captain Chaos]

Great TL covering 1988.

This brings to mind a few interesting events that occurred IOTL during 1989-1992:
1. Keating scandal
2. Congressman Donald Lukens resigns due to a sex scandal (with a minor)
3. Dan Quayle misspells the word "potato"
4. Dan Quayle's Murphy Brown speech
5. Senator Ted Kennedy's reported drunken sex romps and re-marriage
6. Paula Jones is invited to a hotel room in Little Rock
7. Senator John Heinz killed in a plane crash
8. Rick Santorum elected to Congress in 1990
9. David Souter and Clarence Thomas in the Supreme Court
10. David Dinkins elected Mayor of NYC

I am looking forward to 1989-1992.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

BUMP

PBrunsel when do you anticipate the next update will take place? It should be good, whatever you write about the second term of Jack French Kemp. As long as the Republican Party wins in 1996, for the first time since 1976, Mr. Flynn shall be a very happy man .

Also, when do you expect this timeline to finish? At the end of the 2008 Presidential Election where either Hillary Rodham (D) vs. Barack Obama (R) will become President of the United States, or beyond 2008?

Should be interesting to see what Vladimir Putin does next, after he tried to overthrow the Russian Government. Speaking of Russians, what is Dmitry Medvedev and Boris Yeltsin doing in this TL?

[PBrunsel]

The Second Term of of Jack F. Kemp

Event Date: 1-04-1989
Event Description: The 101st Congress convenes, with democrats holding the majority in both houses of Congress for the first time since 1973. Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd (Democrat of West Virginia) keeps his job, but Senate Minority Leader John Chafee (Republican of Rhode Island) does not seek his position for a second time. “I am not suited to be a major player on the stage,” Senator Chafee tells the press. In his place, Senate Minority Whip Robert Dole (Republican of Kansas) is elected to the position, defeating Senator Joseph Biden’s choice, Senator Kent Conrad (Republican of North Dakota). In the House of Representatives, Congressman Phillip Crane (Democrat of Illinois) becomes the Speaker of the House, with archconservative Congressman Newt Gingrich (Democrat of Georgia) becoming House Majority Leader. Congressman Judd Gregg (Republican of New Hampshire), who was narrowly reelected over astronaut Christa McAuliffe last November, turns down seeking the House Minority Leader position as he is planning a bid for Governor of New Hampshire in 1990. Congressman Tom Foley (Republican of Washington) wins the position, easily dispatching any opponents to him. Speaker Crane, Majority Leader Gingrich and President Kemp declare a Conservative Revolution is coming to America.

Event Date: 1-15-1989
Event Description: President Mikhail Gorbachev wins the special election for Russian President. Due to the coup, murder of President Yazov and the seizure of the presidency by Gorbachev, a special election was required by the Russian Constitution. The elections results give Social Democrat Gorbachev a big win over National Party nominee Nikolai Tikhonov, a former naval officer and Minister of Naval Affairs for President Yazov. The greatest surprise of the election comes from a new party, the Populist Party of Russia, led by the popular former Mayor of Moscow Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin’s Populist Party espouses regionalism and major land reform in Russia. All three candidates will be their party’s standard bearers in the April election.

Event Date: 1-17-1989
Event Description: Former Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb declares his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Virginia. He is the favorite to win the nomination, though his major opponent is former Governor George Lincoln Rockwell, now a 71-year old businessman. “I offer a new vision for Virginia and our state’s Democratic Party,” Secretary Webb tells the crowd at his announcement, “It is the message of tolerance and acceptance of all people, no matter their race, color or creed.” This not so thinly veiled attack on Governor Rockwell’s history of racism stirs up many old liners in the party, but the growing number of young Democrats in Northern Virginia embrace Webb as a new face for a “New South.” On the GOP side, Attorney General James Douglas Wilder is expected to be the first African-American to win a major party nomination for governor of Virginia. 

Event Date: 1-20-1989
Event Description: “There is a kind of victory in good work, no matter how humble,” President Jack Kemp tells the country in his Inaugural Address, one which celebrates hard work and American individualism. “The problem with our country is government, not the solution to our problem,” President Kemp declares, “It will be the goal of this administration to free the people of America from the shackles of government.” The speech goes over well with the millions of Americans who overwhelmingly voted to reelect President Kemp, but some feel that his conservative views threaten to throw the country back in time. “It looks like you Democrats finally elected Grover Cleveland to that elusive third term,” the wry Senator Joseph Biden jokingly tells Vice-President McCain at the Inaugural ceremony.

Event Date: 1-21-1989
Event Description: The trials of those involved in the short lived October Coup are brought to trial in Moscow. Former Defense Minister Vladimir Putin and dishonorably discharged Colonel Sergei Akhromeyev face the most serious charge: high treason against the Russian Republic and coordinating the murder of President Dmitry Yazov. Despite the evidence against him, Putin, defended by rookie attorney Dmitry Medvedev, appears to be sure that he will not be convicted of any crime. “One can be guilty, and yet never spend an hour behind bars,” Putin tells Medvedev at a legal strategy session.       

Event Date: 2-03-1989
Event Description: Wasting no time to start his economic revolution, President Kemp recruits recently elected Senator Trent Lott (Democrat of Mississippi) and veteran anti-tax leader, Congressman Ron Paul (Democrat of Texas) to write the Tax Code Reform Act of 1989. This act will roll back the size of the IRS by more than 150,000 agents nationwide and return the blunt of the responsibility of the collection of taxes to the 50-states. “We can call this the Boston Tea Party Two,” Congressman Paul tells the press, “We’re throwing an entire tax system over the boat!”

Event Date: 2-10-1989
Event Description: The Republican Party, desperate to rebuild after the disastrous 1988 elections, hold their annual convention in Washington, D.C., and are forced to select a new chairman. Three candidates arise, all representing different factions of the GOP. Elizabeth Dole, wife of Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, is the choice of the Old Guard GOP, those who want to stay with the same type of leadership. Ronald Brown, an African-American who was the former Chairman of the National Urban League and Under Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1977-1981, represents the “reform” wing of the Republican Party. These types of Republicans want a “50-State Strategy” to encourage new political involvement in the party. Brown has the support of popular Pennsylvania Governor Reginald Jackson. The final candidate is former Congressman Malcolm Little, who wants the GOP to become a pseudo-socialist party which seeks the votes of strictly women and minorities. His bid for the chairmanship is widely belittled as a vanity run. After three ballots, Ronald Brown is elected the first African-American Republican National Chairman and his reform brand of politics is accepted by the party. “I can only hope that this change is enough to turn this party around,” Vermont Lieutenant Governor Howard Dean tells the press. Dean himself was the mastermind behind the 50-State Strategy and Brown’s victory.

Event Date: 3-09-1989
Event Description: President Kemp signs the Cox Drilling Act, opening up thousands of acres of California, Oregon and Washington coastlines to offshore drilling. “We know that some on the left will oppose this bill,” Congressman Christopher Cox (Democrat of California), the man who wrote introduced the bill, tells the press, “However, these environmental idealists also offer no viable alternative to drilling.” This comment outrages Congresswoman Patty Murray (Republican of Washington) who has been fighting for alternative energies for years. “Hydrogen, ethanol, electricity and solar power can fuel a car just as easily and far cleaner than crude oil can,” Congresswoman Murray angrily tells her colleagues on the House floor, “I’d be quite willing to sit Mr. Cox down and explain to him fuel alternatives, but, like most Democrats, he’d rather take his marching orders from big oil.”

Event Date: 3-11-1989
Event Description: Former President George Bush and action star Chuck Norris defy their ages and safety to sky dive during a snow storm over the Green Mountains in Vermont. Senator George Walker Bush (Republican of Connecticut) flies the plane, as he is a former Air Force captain, but refuses to jump himself. After Senator Bush and the press locate the former president and the action hero, NBC’s Tom Brokaw asks President Bush, “Mr. President, you were told this was a very dangerous gamble, so why would you do something so stupid?” “Well Tom,” President Bush explains, “We all do stupid things, like become reports or run for president.” The wry sense of humor of the elder Bush is greatly appreciated the freezing members of the press.

Event Date: 3-14-1989
Event Description: President Kemp signs the Gramm Act, which protects the importation of certain guns; especially those deemed assault weapons, into the United States. Introduced by Senator Phil Gramm (Democrat of Texas), President Kemp declares as he signs the bill, “As soon as we begin banning certain guns, then we begin the slippery slope to complete abolition of the Second Amendment.”

Event Date: 3-24-1989
Event Description: In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels, or a titanic eleven million gallons, of oil after running aground. In the following months, the environmental group the Sierra Club will oversee a long-term investigation of the disaster’s effect on the environment. The investigation is overseen by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who blames the disaster on, “President Kemp’s love of big business and even bigger oil.”

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 4-01-1989
Event Description: As State Prosecutor Vladimir Zhirinovsky grills former Defense Minister Vladimir Putin on the stand, the greatest courtroom escape in history unfolds. Putin partisans storm their cells with homemade weapons, overpowering the guards at their undermanned prison and taking control of the prison’s arsenal. Using a stolen helicopter and AK-47 machine gun rifles, the 12-man army arrives at the courthouse and storms the chamber. The true drama of the escape unfolds when Putin, wearing his signature black trench coat and fedora, is plucked from the courtroom by the helicopter. The police, preoccupied with the gun battle, fail to foil Putin’s escape. “You have to give Putin some credit,” Rush Limbaugh comments, “That has to have been the most melodramatic escape in world history.” With the most dangerous man in Russia free, President Gorbachev declares a state of emergency and mobilizes the army to track down and bring Putin back to Moscow…dead or alive.     

Event Date: 4-09-1989
Event Description: It is revealed by an independent investigation that the Chinese Government is deeply embroiled in economic scandal and crisis. President Yang Shangkun, who ordered the investigation, reveals that many members of his own Popular Democratic Party have stolen hundreds of millions of Yuan from the Chinese Federal Depository and have misused their offices for other such criminal activities. This scandal has led China into a massive recession, and has affected public confidence in the government. By the end of the day, Chief Financial Officer Jiang Zemin has issued arrests for more than 500 government officials. This crisis in China causes the world economy to suffer, with the Dow Jones Industrial falling more than 200-points.

Event Date: 4-12-1989
Event Description: Citizens of Peking take to the streets in protest against corruption in the Chinese Government. Although most march for special elections to clean up the incompetent Shangkun Administration, there are other groups who want an entirely new government. One such person is 47-year old Hu Jintao, a government bureaucrat and businessman, who admires the Corporatist State of Japan.

Event Date: 4-22-1989
Event Description: President Gorbachev is reelected President of Russia, despite the escape of Vladimir Putin from not just his Moscow prison, but from Russia itself. While Nationalist Nikolai Tikhonov and Populist Boris Yeltsin attacked the Gorbachev Administration as inept, the people of Russia decided otherwise. Pravda polling the day after the election reveals that most voters remembered Gorbachev’s leadership during the October Coup, leading to his reelection.

Event Date: 5-02-1989
Event Description: Debate begins in the House of Representatives over the Tax Code Reform Act of 1989. “The issue is clear,” Representative Ron Paul tell his colleagues, “You either want a tax code that works for the people or one which serves big government.” “This act is far more complicated than Mr. Paul has let on,” Representative Jim Leach (Republican of Iowa) responds, “The issue is whether or not the states can handle more than 90% of the responsibilities which the IRS now handles. I can assure you, as a man who has been involved in finance for decades, that this is not possible.” The debate continues for several days, but the Democrats prevail in the end. The Tax Code Reform Act of 1989 passes the House of Representatives. The act will pass the Senate in a week and be signed into law by President Kemp. “The impossible has been achieved this May,” Rush Limbaugh tells his listeners, “The government actually did something to benefit the people. They better not make a habit of this, or people may actually form a positive opinion of politicians.”

Event Date: 5-12-1989
Event Description: Anti-Corruption protesters converge on Tiananmen Square in Peking. The largest group of protesters is pro-reform protesters, but the loudest are Hu Jintao and his 128 Corporatist followers. This group flies the flag of Corporate Japan and erects the Statue of Enterprise in the middle of the square. “We refuse to tolerate a government which wastes millions and steals even more,” Jintao declares in a speech to his followers, “No decent Chinese citizen should tolerate such a government.”

Event Date: 5-22-1989
Event Description: Zhao Ziyang, the leader of the Chinese Legislature, joins the protesters in Tiananmen Square against the wishes of the Popular Democratic Party and President Yang Shangkun. Ziyang protests with the reformist Chinese, while booing the Corporatists along with the pro-reform protesters. Despite this treatment, more and more Peking residents are turning to Jintao and his Corporatists. “One can only assume,” former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger tells U.S. News and World Report, “That after years of the most incompetent leadership in modern history, many Chinese are willing to try anything, even neo-fascist Corporatism, to find effective and honest government.”

Event Date: 5-30-1989
Event Description: Hu Jintao and his Corporatists, who have now swelled to more than 5,000 people, march on the Chinese Legislature, demanding land reform and less regulation of industry. Jintao’s followers all wear orange shirts, to represent the dawn, as they see their movement as a new dawn for China. Prime Minister Fukui Toshihiko of the Corporatist State of Japan offers his support for the new Chinese movement. President Shangkun, on the other hand, is not so supportive of the marchers. He orders his police force to arrest the leaders of the Corporatist, especially their leader- Hu Jintao.

Event Date: 6-01-1989
Event Description: Chinese Corporatist, now known as Orange Shirts due to their selection in clothing, march on the President’s Mansion in Peking. Their ranks have swelled to almost 9,000, but this does not defer the Peking police from following their president’s order. When the first Corporatists arrive at the mansion, the police storm the gathering and arrest all who have been identified as leaders. The Corporatists do not resist, following the orders which Jintao gave them the day before. “If even a single police officer is given a bruise,” Jintao had told his followers, “The entire force of the Chinese government will come down on our group like a hammer. We will be classified as a ‘criminal organization’ and snuffed out.” Jintao, along with twelve of his companions, are arrested and imprisoned, without being told of what they are charged with.

Event Date: 6-02-1989
Event Description: Prime Minister Fukui Toshihiko gives a scathing address to the Japanese Corporatist Council, attacking the arrests of Chinese Corporatists as, “An abomination against the people of China and the world community.” He demands that Hu Jintao and his associates be released from a Peking prison and allowed to continue their crusade for Corporatism in China. In response to this declaration, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi declares China will not attend the Global Powers Summit held in Tokyo in August. “It appears as if a bamboo curtain is being erected in the Sea of Japan,” Secretary of State Daniel Moynihan tells President Kemp, “It will not be easy to tear down either.”

Event Date: 6-04-1989
Event Description: More than 20,000 “Free Jintao” protesters gather at Tiananmen Square, with horrifying results. Chinese riot police, nervous after more than two weeks of constant protests at Tiananmen Square, fire on the protesters when they begin to taunt them. As the smoke of the attack begins to clear, 143 protesters lay dead. Although the pitched battle leaves 15 police officers dead as well, the world community sides with the protesters. A now iconic Associated Press photo, showing a single protester looking over the body ridden Tiananmen Square, sums up what the world saw today, and the outrage is almost universal against the police action and the Chinese Government.

Event Date: 6-10-1989
Event Description: Chinese President Yang Shangkun announces that in light of corruption in his government and the Tiananmen Square massacre four days ago, he will resign from office. Before he formally leaves office, he orders the release of Hu Jintao and the twelve other Corporatists imprisoned for protesting several days earlier. Vice-President Li Peng, a quiet and unassuming man, takes office as president, promising to return, “Sanity and honesty to the government and restore the people’s trust.”   

Event Date: 6-11-1989
Event Description: The Stock Markey plummets today, due to the uncertainty in China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls more than 300-points, leading some economists to predict a recession in coming. They will prove to be false alarmists, however, as the next day the market rallies.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 7-09-1989
Event Description: Senator William Roth (Democrat of Delaware) and House Majority Leader Newt Gingrich (Democrat of Georgia) once again introduce the Social Security Reform Act, which offers Social Security recipients private savings options in exchange for a corresponding reduction in government benefits. President Kemp tells the two over the telephone before they introduce the bill, “We’ll get our revenge for 1985.”

Event Date: 7-12-1989
Event Description: Former Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb easily defeats former Governor George Rockwell in the Democratic Primary for governor. Webb’s 57-43% victory over Rockwell shows many that the South is moving away from the old ways of thinking and embracing more progressive politicians. Webb will face off against Douglas Wilder in the fall.  

Event Date: 7-21-1989
Event Description: Former Attorney General Edward Kennedy announces that he will seek the Democratic nomination for Governor of Massachusetts in 1990. “The Republican Party has dominated Massachusetts for far too long,” Kennedy declares as he enters the race, “It’s time to send a Democrat to Boston to clean up the Dukakis Disaster.” Kennedy is, of course, referring to Governor Michael Dukakis (Republican of Massachusetts), who has presided over both very prosperous and very difficult times in the Bat State. While the Boston Globe scoffs at Kennedy’s bid form governor as, “The final gasp of air for the dead Kennedy machine,” polling shows that Kennedy is leading U.S. Attorney William Weld, the front-runner for the Republican nomination for governor.

Event Date: 8-12-1989
Event Description: Debate begins in the House of Representatives over the “revised” Social Security Reform Act. While Democrats claim that precautions have been made in the bill to allow those who are already on Social Security to continue receiving regular payments, Congressman Hubert “Skip” Humphrey III (Republican of Minnesota) tells his colleagues that he’s heard this before. “Back in 1985, when this bill was first introduced,” Congressman Humphrey tells his colleagues, “The Democrats argued the same way, and all leading economists and budget experts called this plan ridiculous. I now see that Newt has introduced a ‘new’ policy, well all I see is the same old idea. My friends, no bill can do the same thing, sound the same way and target the same people all over again, but be new.” While Humphrey’s speech does convince some Democrats to break ranks, these are the exception. The bill passes easily in the House of Representatives. Passing the bill in the Senate, in which the Democratic lead is far narrower, will be a real challenge for President Kemp.

Event Date: 8-13-1989
Event Description: CIA Director Robert Gates announces that Vladimir Putin, who has been on the run from Russian police since April 1989, is now considered the, “Most wanted man on the planet by the United States government.” The CIA begins to aid the Russians in trying to find the elusive Putin, whom has been country hopping with a growing band of supporters for many months.

Event Date: 9-01-1989
Event Description: Flashing charts and grafts, Senator William Roth (Democrat of Delaware) begins the Senate’s debate on the Social Security Reform Act. “It is imperative that this act is passed,” Senator Roth tells his colleagues, “We must embrace the private sector to save Social Security.” Senator Roth shows charts by the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, the American Council of the Future and other such think tanks, revealing that the Social Security system will be bankrupt by 2001 if nothing is done to solve the crisis. “I urge the members of this chamber to use common sense!” Senator Roth declares, “Support this act and let the American people save Social Security!” While many applaud from the Senate galleries, Senator Margaret Truman (Republican of Missouri) yells one word, “No!” This causes a great deal of the applause from the galleries as well, but a skeptic look from Roth. “May I ask why you oppose this needed reform, Senator Truman?” Senator Roth asks the 65-year old senator. “Senator Roth,” Truman responds with her usual candor, “I oppose this bill because it’s a pile of manure, and being a Truman be glad I used that word to describe this monstrosity!” Senator Truman, whose father had been recruited by President Hoover in the 1920s to lobby Missouri’s congressmen to support the first Social Security Act, outlines how shifting funds and ending the Kennedy-Kemp tax cuts could save Social Security. “What a great Republican response,” Senator Phil Gramm (Democrat of Texas) cries from his seat, “Raise taxes!”

Event Date: 9-03-1989
Event Description: The Social Security Reform Act is voted down for the second time under President Kemp. With Gallup showing that more than 60% of Americans opposed any form of Social Security privatization, many senators refused to have their names tied to the Roth-Gingrich bill. Every Republican in the Senate opposed the bill, along with six Democrats. “Sometimes the private sector can’t solve all our problems,” Senator Charles Grassley (Democrat of Iowa) tells the press, “Social Security needs reform, but privatization is not the correct way to go.”

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 9-05-1989
Event Description: President Jack Kemp and First Lady Joanne Kemp are interviewed by Barbara Walters in the White House. “Mr. President, a major endeavor of your administration was recently defeated in the Senate,” Walters reminds President Kemp, “How do you deal with defeats?” “Well Barbara,” President Kemp responds, “Lou Saban, my coach when I was playing for the Buffalo Bills, used to tell us, ‘Winning is like shaving-you do it every day or you wind up looking like a bum.’ I hate defeat, especially when I feel that what was defeated would help the country, but I live with it. I know one day that what I want will be enacted, so why get upset?” The interview is widely watched and most viewers find the Kemps as the “All American Family” that the Democrats try to sell them as. Kemp’s sensible, witty and articulate answer to Walter’s pointed question about the failure of Social Security reform especially impresses the television audience.

Event Date: 9-17-1989
Event Description: Hu Jintao founds the Chinese Corporatist Party before the destroyed remains of the Statue of Enterprise in Tiananmen Square. “Behind me is the reminder of a repressive government!” Jintao declares before a cheering crowd of more than 10,000, “A government which destroys our social and economic freedoms! We no longer want such a government, one which imprisons, regulates and taxes all forms of freedom!” Jintao is declared the Corporatist candidate for President of China in the May 1990 election, with a slate of 15 candidates for the Chinese Legislature.

Event Date: 10-08-1989
Event Description: The Republican Primary for Mayor of New York City is held, with District Attorney Rudolph Giuliani defeating Manhattan Borough President David Dinkins by a 51-49% vote. This victory is seen as a major win for Giuliani, who used law and order, usually a Democratic issue, to claim victory over Dinkins, who won more than 80% of the African-American vote. Congressman Herman Badillo wins the Democratic Primary for Mayor, easily dispatching of his closest opponent, “Subway Vigilante” Bernie Goetz. President Kemp will make several campaign swings through New York City in support of Congressman Badillo, who was a friend of his while he was in the House of Representatives.

Event Date: 10-18-1989
Event Description: In a special presidential order, President Kemp names action star Arnold Schwarzenegger to head up the President’s Committee on Physical Fitness. To add a bit of humor to the ceremony, Schwarzenegger dares the president, as a former football player, to try to tackle him. Although Kemp was a quarterback, he attempts it. The Secret Service looks on with fear as Kemp runs at the huge Schwarzenegger, and falls over, injuring his shoulder. “Well I guess I had that coming,” an embarrassed President Kemp tells the press when he gets up.

Event Date: 10-31-1989
Event Description: At an abandoned warehouse in Tirana, Albania, Russian police pin down Vladimir Putin and his army of followers. Police Colonel Leonid Ivashov orders that Putin surrender and face arrest, but revives no reply from Putin. After a thirty minute standoff, Ivashov orders his men to storm the building. 2,000 Russian police enter the building, despite a violent firefight with Putin’s supporters. At the end of the sting, Putin is nowhere to be found. “If you think you can find Vladimir with us,” one of the captured Putinites tells the police, “Then you’re looking in the wrong place. Putin’s like a snake, he goes underground and only comes up when he has to.” The Russian police have been outsmarted once again by the former Defense Minister.

Event Date: 11-07-1989
Event Description: Elections are held for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, with New York Coty holding its mayoral election. In the Old Dominion State, former Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb defeats Republican Attorney General Douglas Wilder by a 52-48% margin. Webb is seen as a new face for a “New South”, and he promises to be a transformative leader for Virginia. In New York City, District Attorney Rudolph Giuliani defeats Congressman Herman Badillo by a wide margin. Giuliani’s campaign was based on restoring law and order to the Big Apple. Many New York Republicans see Giuliani as a potential U.S. president, but very few Republicans outside of the Empire State see “Mayor Rudy” as a future resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Event Date: 12-13-1989
Event Description: Despite cries from Democrats and Republicans alike to use the military to overthrow and arrest Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega because of the drug trafficking he oversees from his palace, President Jack Kemp announces that the United States will not attempt to overthrow Panamanian Noriega. “The United States must not get into the business of policing the continent,” President Kemp tells the nation in an address from the Oval Office, “Our army is not a police force and we are not at war with sovereign nation of Panama.” President Kemp instead sends U.S. customs agents to Panama City to investigate the situation as well as urging the international community to boycott Panama until Noriega either resigns or ends his illegal drug trafficking ring.   

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Webb for President '92!

[Хahar 🤔]

Hmm...

Very interesting update. It seems like we are at a tipping point; something major will happen soon.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Interesting Update as per usual and thanks for answering my questions regarding those Russians! But you must have forgotten to answer my other questions regarding when will this timeline conclude .

I have a feeling that Jim Webb and Rudy Giuliani will both become Presidents of the United States in this TL. A Republican will win in 1992 and then Webb will defeat whom ever is President in 1996. Am I on the right track?

[MasterJedi]

I have a feeling that Putin might have Kemp assassinated.

[PBrunsel]

Interesting Update as per usual and thanks for answering my questions regarding those Russians! But you must have forgotten to answer my other questions regarding when will this timeline conclude .

Rocky,

I am intending on ending this timeline after the 2008 election. I don't know who that will be between. It may be Rudy Giuliani vs. Jim Webb or Hillary Rodham vs. Barack Obama or perhaps something else. Their may be a Preisdent Giuliani or a Preident Webb by 2009.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Interesting Update as per usual and thanks for answering my questions regarding those Russians! But you must have forgotten to answer my other questions regarding when will this timeline conclude .

Rocky,

I am intending on ending this timeline after the 2008 election. I don't know who that will be between. It may be Rudy Giuliani vs. Jim Webb or Hillary Rodham vs. Barack Obama or perhaps something else. Their may be a Preisdent Giuliani or a Preident Webb by 2009.

Sounds very interesting. It shall be sad once this TL concludes though, because it's one of the best I have read on this Forum. Ever.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 1-11-1990
Event Description: The international embargo against Manuel Noriega’s military regime in Panama proves successful, as the military overthrows its former leader. The leader of the anti-Noriega movement, Guillermo Endara, is installed by the military as the new President of Panama. As was expected, the first thing President Endara will do is establish good relations with the United States. “We did not need an army to overthrow Noriega,” President Kemp tells the nation in an address from the Oval Office, “The Panamanian people needed to be strengthen by a just cause, and they were.”

Event Date: 1-13-1990
Event Description: James Webb is sworn in as the 66th Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. “The era of racial tensions must be ended in this state and in the South as a whole,” Governor Webb declares in his inaugural address, “No state must allow law and custom to discriminate against any race, gender, religion or creed.” Governor Webb will begin a civil rights crusade in Virginia, making him a very popular figure both in his state and nationally.

Event Date: 1-29-1990
Event Description: Congressman William Clinton (Republican of California) announces his candidacy for Governor of California. Clinton has risen through the Republican ranks in the House of Representatives, but that scene is far too small for the ambitious Bakersfield legislator. “I see a California which can do better,” Congressman Clinton declares in his announcement address, “Better when it comes to education, immigration reform, health care and civil rights. I see a California where the governor fells the pain of those he governs. I want to be that governor, and with your help, I will be.” Clinton faces stiff opposition in the Republican Primary, however. Senator Pete Wilson, who defeated Clinton in the 1982 Republican Primary for U.S. Senate, and former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who was also the 1988 Republican Vice-Presidential nominee, are also seeking the governor’s office

Event Date: 2-18-1990
Event Description: Ralph Nader testifies before Congress about the Exxon Valdez Disaster. “I do not blame the captain of the ship, Mr. Joseph Hazelwood, for the disaster” Nader tells the House Energy Committee, “He was given a mission in waters which were, on that night, dangerous and impassable. The blame for this crisis falls fully on the lap of the leaders of Exxon Petroleum. The CEO and President of that company need to be persecuted for putting profit and greed above people and safety.” “Mr. Nader is grandstanding, Mr. Chairman!” Congressman Richard Cheney cries, “I move that he relinquishes the floor and that those statements be expunged from the record.” “I overrule your objection, Mr. Cheney,” Chairman James Blibray (Democrat of Nevada), “Mr. Nader has a right to say what he wants at this meeting, he, after all, oversaw the investigation.” Despite his defense from the chairman, most of Nader’s recommendations will not be adopted by the conservative Democratic Congress, but Nader will continue his crusade against big oil from outside of the halls of Congress.

Event Date: 2-22-1990
Event Description: President Kemp meets with Congressman Ron Paul at the White House, as the president has a plan to return the United States to the gold standard. “We have to get on this monetary issue before the midterms,” President Kemp tells Congressman Paul, “We may never have a better opportunity to enact this major reform than now. I want you to head up the fight, Ron.” “Mr. President,” Dr. Paul responds, “You can count on me to lead this fight to victory.”

Event Date: 3-07-1990
Event Description: President Kemp signs the Banking Deregulation Act of 1990, introduced by Representative Christopher Smith (Democrat of New Jersey). This act repeals a great deal of Dewey Administration regulations on savings and loan companies and loan banks.

Event Date: 3-12-1990
Event Description: Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Jack Kemp meet in Moscow to sign the American-Russian Free Trade Agreement. This agreement opens up Russian markets to foreign investment, which will make many people in both nations very wealthy. However, as Representative Richard Durbin (Republican of Illinois) had warned during debate, many American industrial jobs, as well as Russian agricultural workers, will be outsourced by this agreement.

Event Date: 3-26-1990
Event Description: The 62nd Academy Awards, hosted by comedian Billy Crystal, names “Driving Miss Daisy” as Best Picture, to the protest of some Russo-Chinese War veterans. The film tells the story of the pro-Chinese leader in the United States, Daisy Morton, portrayed by actress Jane Fonda, and her driver, John Harris, portrayed by Charlie Sheen. Morton and Harris attempted to start a pro-China militia to fight in China and spoke throughout the country against American involvement in the war. In real life, Morton and Harris were arrested and imprisoned for treason, but President Nixon pardoned them in 1973.

Event Date: 4-01-1990
Event Description: Congressmen Ron Paul (Democrat of Texas) and Howard Coble (Democrat of North Carolina), both economics majors in college, introduce the Currency Standard Act of 1990, which returns the United States to the Gold Standard. Congressman Paul, who has been a proponent of the Gold Standard for years, argues that the only way that the dollar can be worth anything nationwide is if it backed up by gold, thus ending inflationary currency. “It’s time that our currency be as good as gold,” Congressman Paul declares as he enters the bill into the Congressional record.

Event Date: 4-03-1990
Event Description: The House Finance Committee votes on the Currency Standard Act of 1990; with a majority of the committee agreeing too pass the bill into the House of Representatives for debates. One of the loudest voices the bill is Congressman Robert Carr (Republican of Michigan), who calls the bill, “A unfortunate return to the Era of Ashbrook.”

Event Date: 4-12-1990
Event Description: Governor Reginald Jackson wins the Republican Primary for Governor of Pennsylvania by nearly unanimous decree. “Governor Reggie” has a 78% approval rating, even in the most conservative parts of rural Pennsylvania. Governor Jackson and Lieutenant Governor Barbara Hafer will both be nominated for a second term at the Pennsylvania Republican Convention in July. On the Democratic side, State Senator Mark Singel defeats conservative activist Peg Luksik for the honor of being destroyed by Governor Jackson in November.

Event Date: 4-22-1990
Event Description: Debate in the House of Representatives begins on the Currency Standard Act of 1990. The fight for the act is lead by Congressman Paul, with opposition coming from Congressman Charles Rangel (Republican of New York), a wry witted politician from Harlem. The basic argument is whether or not this policy will lead to inflation and slow down a growing economy. “Currency based on debt is a ridiculous notion,” Congressman Paul tells his House colleagues, “We can’t base money on thin air. That type of money is just a piece of green paper. I could get my three year old grandson to draw with a green crayon and it would be worth as much as our current treasury bills.” In response to this, Rangel yells, “If he used a gold crayon would the money be worth something.” Despite laughter from surrounding members, Paul responds, “I know that wax and gold are the same thing to Republicans, but let’s be serious.” The debate goes on for several days, with the debate rarely rising above the Paul-Rangel dispute. In the end, the Democratic dominated House of Representatives votes for the act, with House Majority Leader Newt Gingrich twisting a lot of arms to ensure passage of the bill.

Event Date: 4-29-1990
Event Description: The Nicaraguan Presidential election turns out the left-winged Sandinista Party, represented by President Daniel Ortega. President Ortega is voted out office by a landslide, being defeated by Senator Violeta Chamorro, the leader of the National Union Party, a center-right political party dedicated to opening more industry and foreign investment in Nicaragua. President Kemp will immediately begin to draw up a free trade agreement with the new pro-capitalist Nicaragua.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 5-02-1990
Event Description: The U.S. Senate passes the Currency Standard Act of 1990 by a close margin, 54-46. Four Republicans broke rank to vote for the act, including both of New Hampshire’s Senators. “I voted my conscience,” Senator Warren Rudmann (Republican of New Hampshire) very bluntly tells the press. President Kemp signs the act with great glee. “Today an era of sound currency and steady prosperity begins,” President Kemp tells the nation as he signs the act. Starting in 1992, all treasury bills will have to be backed by gold.

Event Date: 5-08-1990
Event Description: Another left-winged government is defeated, as Chinese President Li Peng is defeated for reelection due to the ongoing crisis of scandal and waste in the Popular Democratic government. President Peng is defeated by former Treasury Minister Chen Shui-bian, the Chinese Front Party nominee. Hu Jintao, the Chinese Corporatist Party nominee, comes in third, but six members of his party win election to the Chinese Legislature.

Event Date: 6-01-1990
Event Description: President Jack Kemp signs the international treaty to end chemical weapon production and begin destroying their respective stocks. “I experienced the attacks of chemical weapons firsthand,” Vice-President McCain tells the press after the ceremony, “Though medication cured the physical scars of this attack, President Kemp has helped heal the emotional scars caused by signing this great treaty.”

Event Date: 6-03-1990
Event Description: The Republican Primary for Governor of California is held, with Congressman William Clinton winning a major upset over his two better known opponents, Senator Pete Wilson and former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Clinton, who had run a positive campaign based on bringing new energy to Sacramento, appealed to voters who grew sick of the negative slug fest between Wilson and Feinstein. Clinton will face Democratic Congressman Dan Lundgren in the fall election.

Event Date: 6-26-1990
Event Description: Secretary of the Treasury William Simon meets with President Kemp in the Oval Office, telling him that there will be a budget deficit for the 1991-1992 Fiscal Year if he does not raise taxes. “Bill,” President Kemp tells Secretary Simon, “Read my lips; I’m not going to raise taxes.” Over the next two weeks, Kemp, Simon and a group of economic big wigs will work out a plan to straighten out the budget to allow the tax cuts to stay in tact.

Event Date: 7-04-1990
Event Description: President Kemp signs the Airline Protection Act, introduced by Senator Robert Stump (Democrat of Arizona). This act will increase airport surveillance in every international airport in America. This act is introduced as a way to combat illegal drug smuggling into and out of the United States, but it also becomes a useful tool in combating international crime.

Event Date: 7-25-1990
Event Description: President Kemp is given another tool in his quest for a Conservative Revolution in the United States. Justice William J. Brennan, a strong liberal appointed by President Nixon, announces his retirement from the Supreme Court. President Kemp nominates conservative Judge Clarence Thomas for the position. Thomas, an African-American who worked his way up from poverty in Georgia to become a circuit judge, will be easily confirmed for the position, despite some attempts at scathing character assassination by Anita Hill, who claims that she was sexually harassed by Thomas. “I can tell you one thing,” President Kemp had told the press, “Judge Thomas is an honest and decent man of strong character. I will not tolerate lies and slander against a man who worked his way from poverty to becoming a respected jurist.” The Democrats and Republicans in the Senate seem to agree with the president, confirming Thomas by a 78-12 vote.

Event Date: 8-02-1990
Event Description: Bucking an the recent trend of anti-Leftist voting, long time Iraqi President Ahmed Chalabi, the leader of the Iraqi National Congress Party, is defeated by Hamid Majid Mousa, the nominee of the progressive People’s Union Party. Chalabi was seen as too long in power and too out of touch with the economic problems of the Iraqi people. The People’s Union Party had run on the slogan of, “Vote out Chalabi, the foreign oil man’s good friend.” Incoming President Mousa promises to ensure oil profits for his nation, spreading fear amongst foreign investors that their oil fields may be tampered with.

Event Date: 9-19-1990
Event Description: President Kemp introduces the budget for the 1991-1992 Fiscal Year, with neither side of the aisle very happy. Democrats are outraged by Kemp’s failure to include new tax cuts and his steep cuts to defense, while Republicans are appalled by his steep cuts in Social Security, Medicare and public housing. “Our country needs a balanced budget,” White House Press Secretary Larry Speakes tells the press, “The Kemp Administration has been stubborn on low taxes and balanced budgets, and those two stubborn stands are what have given our country this outstanding economy.”

Event Date: 9-20-1990
Event Description: Hamid Majid Mousa is sworn in as the second President of the Republic of Iraq. To add to the fears of President Kemp and international businessmen, after President Mousa delivers a rousing speech calling for, “Iraqi oil for the Iraqi workers,” his supporters begin to sing the left-winged theme, “The Internationale.”

Event Date: 9-21-1990
Event Description: Secretary of State Daniel Patrick Moynihan is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts to end the Kurdish War and establish a lasting peace between Russia, Turkey and the Kurdish Republic. “My goal as a young boy was to be a tailor,” Secretary Moynihan tells the world in his acceptance address, “As Secretary of State I guess I do my fair share of mending tears as well.” 

Event Date: 9-25-1990
Event Description: Speaker of the House Phillip Crane (Democrat of Illinois) and Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd (Democrat of West Virginia) meet with President Kemp in the Oval Office to discuss the 1991-1992 Budget. “Mr. President,” Senator Byrd tells President Kemp, “This budget will be fine with the Democrats in the Senate. The only problem is that it cuts the military far too much. I personally don’t mind that, but there will be some fellows in the Senate who will see that as a reason to vote against the budget.” “I have never seen building the military as a reason to waste money,” President Kemp tells Byrd, “Say that to the guys opposing the budget, and I’m sure they’ll relent.” President Kemp’s greatest problems are not coming from Democrats anyway. Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (Republican of Kansas), a 1992 presidential hopeful, is leading a collation of elderly and racial minority interest groups against the budget. “The Kemp budget is a robbery from the poor, elderly and most needy,” Senator Dole declares at an anti-Kemp Budget rally of activists in Washington. D.C., “All decent Americans should oppose this act. The only people who will benefit from Kemp’s latest travesty are those who can afford poverty.”

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 10-01-1990
Event Description: Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, House Minority Leader Tom Foley and Republican Chairman Ron Brown unveil their plan for America, “The Plan for the People.” This plan opposes President Kemp’s conservative revolution in every way. It calls for increased funding for Social Security, health care, education and public housing. The plan also opposes, “Kennedy-Kemp’s tax cuts for millionaires.” The plan is aimed to get elderly, young and minority voters out to the polls on Election Day to oppose the drift to the right brought about by President Kemp. All though most Republicans running for office in the Midterm elections sign onto the plan, Congressman William Clinton, the Republican nominee for Governor of California, sells it the best.   

Event Date: 10-09-1990
Event Description: Despite two weeks of blistering debate in the Senate, the Kemp Budget passes by a bare bones margin. With the House of Representatives approving of the 1991-1992 Budget two days ago, the conservative, balanced budget will take effect. President Kemp is once again given his way by Congress in his quest for a conservative revolution.

Event Date: 10-13-1990
Event Description: Iraqi President Hamid Majid Mousa nationalizes all oil field, pipelines and rigs in Iraq. This move enrages capitalist nations throughout the world, especially the United States and the United Kingdom. “This decision is the worst decision I can remember in a long time,” President Kemp tells the press, “In throwing out all foreign investment in petroleum, President Mousa has set his nation up for a national bankruptcy.” The people of Iraq seem to rejoice over the bold decree, as they feel that now they will get the wealth which comes from oil profits. President Kemp and Prime Minister Thatcher joint declare that they will not stand for the “theft” of their nation’s capital ventures.

Event Date: 10-15-1990
Event Description: The Iraqi Oil Crisis leads to a barrel of gasoline skyrocketing to $75 a barrel, the most since the oil crisis of the early 1970s. This turn of economic events causes Wall Street to go wild, with nearly every stock falling at least a point. “I ask the for all the people of this nation to stay calm,” President Kemp tells the country in a televised address from the Oval Office, “Secretary of State Moynihan is working diligently to solve the crisis.” Despite Kemp’s assurance that the Novel laureate will find a solution to the crisis, public approval of the president takes a nose dive.

Event Date: 10-17-1990
Event Description: Turkish President Turgut Özal, a liberal who took the reigns of power after the fall of the military dictatorship, and Kurdish President Massoud Barzani offer a joint condemnation of the actions of Iraqi President Mousa. “His actions have doomed the Middle East to an economic dark age,” President Barzani declares, “We stand with the great powers of the West in opposition to the nationalized theft of private property.” The two nations begin to mobilize their armies, hoping that the fear of a war will be enough to lead Mousa to change his policy.

Event Date: 10-20-1990
Event Description: Secretary of State Moynihan begins secret dealings with Iraqi Foreign Minister Jalal Talabani. Moynihan is able to convince Talabani that the nationalization of oil companies in Iraq is foolish, but he can not get Talabani to publicly rebuke his president. The meetings between the two men will continue, with Moynihan holding out hope that some type of compromise can be met.

Event Date: 10-30-1990
Event Description: After ten days of silence, Minister Talabani reports back to secretary Moynihan with good news: President Mousa will end the nationalization of oil companies in Iraq, but at a price. “What is that?” Secretary Moynihan asks the Iraqi minister. Talabani explains that President Mousa wants President Kemp to pardon fifteen left-winged Iraqi nationals being held in prison in New York State. One of them, Bahara Mousa, is the president’s younger brother, a radical Socialist who killed three men in a bank robbery in Albany, New York. These fifteen men are considered dangerous murderers, drug dealers and were in America illegally, but President Mousa wants his brother and his companions out of prison and back in his country. After Secretary Moynihan confronts the president about this deal, President Kemp solemnly says, “I’ll do it.” Under the cover of darkness, the three leftist prisoners are pardoned and released from their cells outside of Buffalo, New York.

Event Date: 10-31-1990
Event Description: Due to the pardons of President Kemp and the economic crisis spreading world wide, President Mousa ends the nationalization of Iraqi oil companies. The Stock Market shoots up immediately and gas prices fall. This roller coaster ride economic ride does have negative effects on the world market, but those will not be seen for several months. The Republicans do have on major city from the fiasco; President Kemp appeared seemingly powerless to do anything during the crisis. To those who were outside of the Kemp-Moynihan inner circle, the crisis ended itself.

Event Date: 11-05-1990
Event Description: The Midterm elections come in for the Republicans, though their gains are small. Anger over cuts to Social Security and other popular social programs turned many independent voters towards the Republican aisle. The GOP picks up eight seats in the House of Representatives and three in the U.S. Senate. These gains are not enough to retake either house, but the Senate is now 51-49, with several Democrats being swing votes. One of the biggest wins of the night goes to potential 1992 Republican presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, who is reelected by a 61-38% margin over Democratic businessman Jim Rappaport. On the gubernatorial side of the elections, Congressman Clinton defeats Congressman Lungren by a 53-46% margin in California. Governor Reginald Jackson defeats State Senator Mark Singel taking 69% of the vote. One of the closest campaigns of the night is the Massachusetts Gubernatorial bout between former Commonwealth Attorney General Edward Kennedy and U.S. Attorney William Weld. The campaign turned bitter, with Kennedy being attacked for the sins of his brother and Weld being smeared as an elitist. In the end, Weld defeats Kennedy by 2,000-votes. “It would appear,” Rush Limbaugh tells his audience the next day, “That the Kennedy machine in the Bay State is as good as dead. We can all thank Bobby Kennedy for that.”

Event Date: 11-23-1990
Event Description: To almost add insult to injury, NBC News runs a special report about former President Robert Kennedy and his reign of terror at his Michigan City, Indiana, prison. Hosted by Ronald Reagan, the special is called, “The King of Camelot,” due to the fact that Robert Kennedy calls his prison home, “My own personal Camelot.” Reagan outlines how through the strength of his personality, the power of his former office and the loyalty of his inmate followers (known as the “Knights of the Round Table”), former President Kennedy now dominates the Michigan City Federal Penitentiary. “He keeps order, stops riots and has kept racial tensions at an all time low,” warden Sam Marshall tells Reagan, “If his ‘knights’ can do that and still follow the rules, I have no problem with him.” The special receives critical acclaim, but former President Joseph Kennedy is outraged. “That show was a slap in the face to our family!” the enraged 75-year old former president tells the Boston Globe the next day, “Will no one show our family any respect?” Despite President Kennedy’s embarrassment, RFK seems to enjoy the publicity and the special has formed a “cult” following of him. Unbeknownst to the warden or NBC News, Kennedy has also hired Carl Bernstein, the man who took him down, to be his official biographer.

Event Date: 12-19-1990
Event Description: President Kemp and First Lade Joanne Kemp light the national Christmas Tree. “It’s been quite a mean year,” President Kemp tells the nation in his address after lighting the tree, “Though, as this tree shows us, things will always be bright for America.” President Kemp will curse these words for the rest of his presidency.