The Second Term of Gerald Ford

[Historico]

Baker is going to wipe the floor with the Tragically Terminally ill Paul Tsongas and the incredibly eccentric Jerry Brown. Keep it comming

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

The 1992 campaign bore rather grim prospects for the Democrats. In the debates, Senator Tsongas was unable to criticise President Baker and "Make it stick." The only issues on which they fundamentally differed were on the environment, gun control, and minor social issues, all of which President Baker was on the more popular side. However, President Baker was free to "run on his resume, and nothing but" whilst many pundits questioned Senator Paul Tsongas' health. Although he received the endorsement of the People's Progressive Party, he did not perform well, and the election was a walk for President Baker, in one of largest landslides of the century.

President Howard Baker/Vice President Paul Laxalt, 438 EV, 57% PV
Senator Paul Tsongas/Governor Jerry Brown, 70 EV, 43% PV

Coming up, 1992 Senate elections

[Historico]

Go Baker with his bad self, Can't wait to see what happens when how the President handles the emerging threat of Domestic/Foriegn Terrorisim as well as Foriegn Genocide in Rwanda and Yugoslavia...Keep it comming

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

1992 Senate Elections

The 1992 senate elections were a blowout for the GOP, picking up 9 Senate seats (Special election in North Dakota) but losing 3, making for a net gain of 6. They also managed to pick up an additional 25 House seats, and had a sizable majority.

Senate
Republicans: 58
Democrats: 42

House:
Republicans: 250
Democrats: 185

The Second Term of Howard Baker

Howard Baker's second term started with a bang, only a month after his inauguration was the bombing of the World Trade Center, on February 26th, 1993, resulting in six casualties.

On March 1st, 1993, Branch Davidian leader David Koresh is arrested while in town for ice cream, on illegal firearms charges. Over 200 firearms were found, and David Koresh was sentenced to prison. The affair is seen as another success for President Baker, and the Justice Department.

The economy continued to chug along with moderate growth, and Congress passed a balanced budget. The Baker Administration was regarded as one of the most successful in over 20 years.

Coming up, 1994 Senate elections.

[hawkeye59]

this is a great TL

[Historico]

Let's go President Baker!!!

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

1994 Senate Elections

Senate
Republicans: 53
Democrats: 47

House
Republicans: 245
Democrats: 185

Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been working on a new TL, on a different forum(link in my sig)! This TL isn't dead though, don't worry!

[Historico]

Well were still right here with ya Dallas,...Im hoping that Collin Powell, still a Democrat in this TL due to his service in the Jackson-Bentsen Administrations might get pushed by the party leaders to run for the Presidency in 1996. If not Bob Casey might try again, Governor Evan Bayh of Indiana, Governor Ann Richards of Texas(Personal Favorite) or even former Governor Douglas Wilder of Virgina. Also, does Baker Still get hitched to Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas during the mid '90's cuz I can't think of any better way for a a POTUS to leave office, than with a Wedding. On the Republican side for 96, At 74 VP Laxalt might be pushing a little bit with his age. But After 8 years of Moderate Republicanisim, I think the Conservate wing would bee saying that it's there turn...

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

In mid 1994, Vice President Paul Laxalt announced that he would not be seeking the Presidency, and a slieu of Republicans started to eye the Presidency. Due to the entrance of some political heavy weights early on, however, the list was rather short.

The first to declare...

Senator Ross Perot. Age was going to be a bit of an issue, aswell with his moderate social positions, but he had an unparalleled war chest with his oil enterprise.

Another contender...

Governor and former Senator Pete Wilson of California. A Republican in the mold of President Baker, his biggest asset was bringing California to the ticket.

The third to declare, a rising star and charismatic campaigner...

Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana. A fresh face in politics in contrast with the much older Perot, it was questionable if he would be a serious contender.

On the Democratic side, the task of sacrificial lamb seemed rather unenviable, with the economy chugging along smoothly. However, some thought that with no incumbent running, they stood a chance, and a few contenders stepped forward.

The first, the runner up from the 1992 primaries..

Governor Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. Rather conservative on social issues, some thought he would be able to pull out blue collar workers and catholics, especially considering two of the Republicans were pro-choice.

The second, yet another Northerner whom helped carry his state for Tsongas..

The charismatic Governor, Mario Cuomo of New York. With a long record of executive experience and electability, he seemed like another good contender.

The third, a Democrat hailing from the Sun Belt...

Associate Justice, and former Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Nicknamed "Slick willie", he campaigned as a centrist and promised to keep taxes low. He seemed like the strongest contender.

Former General Colin Powell had formed an exploratory committee, but cancelled his run and announced he would be running for Pennsylvania Governor. Bob Casey had endorsed him merely hours later, interestingly enough.

The candidates headed off to Iowa...

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

January 11th: Ohio Democratic Caucuses

Mario Cuomo: 53%
Bob Casey: 32%
Bill Clinton: 15%

January 25th: Hawaii Republican Caucuses

Pete Wilson: 65%
Ross Perot: 26%
Dan Quayle: 9%

January 27th: Alaska Republican Caucuses

Ross Perot: 54%
Dan Quayle: 29%
Pete Wilson: 17%

February 6th: Louisiana Republican Caucuses

Dan Quayle: 48%
Ross Perot: 37%
Pete Wilson: 15%

February 12th: Iowa Caucuses

Bob Casey: 38%
Mario Cuomo: 36%
Bill Clinton: 26%

February 12th: Iowa Caucuses

Pete Wilson: 36%
Dan Quayle: 33%
Ross Perot: 31%

Dan Quayle's surprising success in the Louisiana and competitiveness in the Iowa caucuses were a shock. Many attributed it to his energetic, ground campaign. On the Democratic side, Mario Cuomo seemed to be a the front runner, but the Casey and Clinton campaigns were determined to make sure they weren't written off. The New Hampshire voters awaited the campaigns with trepidation...

[Historico]

Man...I was really hoping Powell would throw his hat into the Ring(I guess Alma put the brakes on that plan like she did IOTL), so Im throwing my support behind Governor Coumo and Governor Wilson

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

February 20th: New Hampshire Primary

Ross Perot: 42%
Pete Wilson: 36%
Dan Quayle: 22%

February 20th: New Hampshire Primary

Mario Cuomo: 40%
Bill Clinton: 32%
Bob Casey: 28%

February 24th: Delaware Primary

Dan Quayle: 45%
Ross Perot: 33%
Pete Wilson: 22%

February 24th: Delaware Primary

Bob Casey: 52%
Mario Cuomo: 38%
Bill Clinton: 14%

February 27th: Arizona Republican Primary

Ross Perot: 46%
Pete Wilson: 34%
Dan Quayle: 20%

February 27th: North Dakota Republican Primary

Dan Quayle: 54%
Ross Perot: 32%
Pete Wilson: 14%

February 27th: South Dakota Republican Primary

Dan Quayle: 48%
Ross Perot: 36%
Pete Wilson: 16%

Thus ended the February primary cycle. Clinton's biggest accomplishment being second place in New Hampshire, it was succeeded by a dismal showing in Delaware. His biggest hope was to hold out until the Southern primaries started coming in.

On the Republican side, the biggest winner seemed to be Dan Quayle. Despite being trounced in New Hampshire, he ended the month with four victories to his name. Perot and Wilson, on the other hand, still had plenty of fight in them.

(As for why I'm doing the state-by-state primary results, I always do it until a day where a lot of primaries come in at once. Next update will have a massive primary, and an update on the Baker presidency. )

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Blue - Quayle
Red - Perot
Green - Wilson

Blue - Casey
Red - Cuomo
Green - Clinton

Associate Justice Clinton finally had three victories to his name, but he would still have to present himself as more than just a regional candidate. Cuomo and Casey exited the primaries neck-and-neck, though Cuomo's victory in Minnesota had been a minor blow to the Casey campaign, accompanied by Clinton's in Maryland. The two begun to attack each-other on the campaign trail.

Senator Quayle, having already beaten all expectations, continued to score victories in the South, and the primary had seemed to devolve into a battle of the regions, for the moment, with Perot in the West, Quayle in the South, and Wilson on the coasts, though Perot's upset in the Washington Caucuses disappointed Wilson supporters, whom had taken the state for granted.

President Baker had maintained a 60% approval rating throughout the campaign, unemployment dropping to 6.4%, a record low in over twenty years. He began to make more frequent appearances with Nancy Landon Kassebaum, and many wondered if the second bachelor President would be getting married once the sun had set on his Presidency.

[Conservative frontier]

What a great timeline, keep it going past 2004!

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

What a great timeline, keep it going past 2004!

I've decided I'm going to continue it until 2008.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Blue - Quayle
Red - Perot
Green - Wilson

Blue - Casey
Red - Cuomo
Green - Clinton

The Republican primary had taken a turn for the worse. The three candidates had hammered eachother on the campaign trail, yet none came to avail. Quayle had established himself a narrow frontrunner - by plurality. Many questioned President Baker's apathy towards the race, and why he hadn't made an endorsement. After the March 12th primaries, he announced that no candidate would receive his endorsement until after the April primaries.

Much of the same could be said about the Democratic primary. Clinton and Cuomo seemed to have sided together, Clinton battling Casey in the South and the West, whilst Cuomo hammered him for being too socially conservative in the more liberal constituencies. Despite being a front-runner, Casey dropped to third in the delegate count, after Clinton won Texas - big, in part due to former President Bentsen's endorsement.

[Historico]

Quayle v. Coumo in 96!!!

[Conservative frontier]

Go Quayle! Quayle 1996! and if Perot gets the nomination......


Clinton or Casey 1996!

[sentinel]

Go Cuomo!!

[Bo]

Good timeline

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Blue - Quayle
Red - Perot
Green - Wilson

Blue - Casey
Red - Cuomo
Green - Clinton

After the resolution of the April primaries, President Baker gave a luke-warm endorsement of Dan Quayle, saying he was "A fresh face in politics, whom can unite the party and the country behind him to lead us into the future." Shortly after, Governor Wilson dropped out and endorsed Quayle, whom went on to sweep the rest of the primaries. With Wilson's delegates, he had passed the quota, and was the presumptive nominee.

There was no such resolution on the Democratic side. After narrowly holding on to his home state, the struggling Casey campaign dropped out, but refused to endorse either candidate. "It will be really bad for the party if we have a brokered convention," said a Democratic Strategist. "He needs to stop being stubborn and endorse someone."

After several days of deliberation, Governor Cuomo dropped out and endorsed Associate Justice Clinton. "For the sake of party unity, I am dropping out, endorsing and pledging my delegates to Justice Clinton. I thank everyone for their support, and though it wasn't the outcome I'd hoped for, I will do all I can to make sure Justice Clinton wins this November.

Not too surprising of an outcome, Dan Quayle selected Pete Wilson as his running mate. Justice Clinton, in turn, reciprocated Casey's generosity and selected him to be at the bottom of the ticket. Neither of these picks were exciting to the electorates, but unified the base nonetheless.

Coming up... The Election of 1996.

[Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey]

Great timeline!

[Historico]

Awesome, eventhough I was pulling for Cuomo to get the nod(I guess the two Catholics couldn't figure an endorsement plan out), AJ Bill Clinton should be a very interesting pick. Although I don't think Dan would be the total "Gaffe Machine" that we would  like to think. I imagine him being older, and alot more resrved...especially if he managed to look more Presidential than both Senator Perot and Governor Wilson in the GOP Primaries. So after Eight years of Moderate policies under Baker, the Social Conservative wing of the Party will be energized behind "Family Values" Quayle and cause a split amongst the South with Clinton. If some of Clinton's affairs comes out, he's cooked...but if he's been on his best behavior ITTL, it's still going to be areal tough race between two charismatic Baby boomer Candidates. My bet's on Quayle in an incredibly narrow victory, due to Baker's popularity(All he has to do is run for Howard's third term), Economic Prosperity, and lack of foriegn conflicts.

[Katherine Harris is legit]

Option 4

[Bo]

Great timeline!