A Second Chance - CONCLUSION

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

(Inspired by the Oliver Stone film "W.")

June 3rd, 1978

A hot Texas night in June, where five men in the Northern part of the state sit around a table drinking from glass bottles and metal cans. The only source of light is a lamp over the table.
    Texan1: I fold.
    Dubya: Hah! Well, boys, that's a couple more dollars in my pocket.
    Texan2: So, Dubya, do you think you'll be able to pull off your race this year?
    Dubya: **Swig** Of course I do, John, you know that. According to polls I'm up with at leat 56%!
    Texan3: How 'bout two years from now? Do you think Bobby Kennedy's gonna be able to win another term?
    Dubya: With the economy gettin' worse by the day and with him calling for a tax increase, and with his "Realistic" foreign policy, sure as hell the Grand Old Party's gonna carry the day.
    Texan2: Who do ya think'll do the deed?
    Texan4: Your pappy?
    Dubya: Nah, boys. He seems to be resigning himself to a life of retirement out in Crawford. Fuck, I don't know what the Hell he's gonna do with the rest of his life, but it seems one election was just too much for him.
    Texan1: So who? Reagan?
    Texan3: Hatfield? (the room bursts out in laughter)
    Dubya: I personally am hopin' for Tower. He's a real Texan and he'll beat the cowboy actor and the hippie back to the West Coast where they belong.
    Texan2: Tower? Really? He's lost to Texas Democrats too many times. Do you think he'll win?
    Dubya: What? The Senate race? Hell yeah. With Connally retiring and Bentsen tied up in the Governorship, Texas is losing it's big name Democrats. Soon, the GOP flag'll be waving above the state.
    Texan1: Would ya bet on that?
    Dubya: Hell yeah.

I can easily see this occurring.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Now that we're into 1979, some of the more interesting stuff gets to happen. That is, if I have the motivation to write it and properly plan it out.

How Kennedy responds to Iran and Afghanistan (if they occur) intrigues me...

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Wow-Gene McCarthy not running? Only Harold Stassen could put him to shame.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Wow-Gene McCarthy not running? Only Harold Stassen could put him to shame.

What do you mean?

McCarthy ran in 5 or 6 presidential primaries, if I am not mistaken.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Any politicians yall'd like to know the whereabouts of while I try to find how to move this forward?

Robert Byrd?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This is not going to play well come 1980..

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Lindsay is going to run too? This is going to be a great election, to say the least.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I see a potential Nader primary challenge...

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Man just want to say I admire the amount of effort put into this TL.  Honestly, I probably couldn't be this dedicated without a gun to my head.
Don't worry, I read this stuff I'm just usually too lazy to comment on it.

Its a amazing timeline, with a hell of alot of work put into it!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I think my favorite part of this timeline is the alternate careers so many have taken. Secretary of Defense Goldwater, Dubya in Congress, there are so many good examples in this amazing timeline!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Out of curiosity, the war in Palestine..Thats a very small area. Is the fighting all in the West Bank?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I read the last few updates, but it was one of those situations where I couldn't figure out what to say, because I had no questions. I figure that's a good thing, because this is one of the longest, yet least confusing timeline. The subplots build on each other, and it follows a genuine chronicle order (accept for the beginning). I'm excited for the rest!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I read the last few updates, but it was one of those situations where I couldn't figure out what to say, because I had no questions. I figure that's a good thing, because this is one of the longest, yet least confusing timeline. The subplots build on each other, and it follows a genuine chronicle order (accept for the beginning). I'm excited for the rest!

Thanks! Is there any candidate you or anybody else is rooting for?

I like Taft alot. I want to see where Ron Paul goes as well. Just out of curiosity, how are 3rd parties doing. Do the Libertarians exist? Is the Conservative Party still a force?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Is Palestine todays Palestine, or is it Jordan? I remeber reading earlier that Jordan had a revolution, but I cant remeber what page.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Is Palestine todays Palestine, or is it Jordan? I remeber reading earlier that Jordan had a revolution, but I cant remeber what page.

In this timeline, the only revolution I mentioned is a failed Iranian Revolution in 1978 or 1979. In real life, that revolution was successful, but ittl failed.

So the war in Palestine is only being fought in the West Bank and Gaza? Sounds like a tight area for alot of fighting.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Is Palestine todays Palestine, or is it Jordan? I remeber reading earlier that Jordan had a revolution, but I cant remeber what page.

In this timeline, the only revolution I mentioned is a failed Iranian Revolution in 1978 or 1979. In real life, that revolution was successful, but ittl failed.

So the war in Palestine is only being fought in the West Bank and Gaza? Sounds like a tight area for alot of fighting.

In short answer, yes, however, (and I'm pretty much making this up on the spot) the American invasion has resulted in an Intifada, occuring earlier than ITTL. While terrorist organizations are being forced to use more resources, they are also gaining more resources as a part of the population is being militarized towards American presence. Another large chunk of the population is for the most part neutral towards it, having greeted Americans as liberators from the reign of the PLO and Yasser Arafat. It's much like Iraq has been with a section of the population mobilized and a section grateful. The mobilized section, however, is having a much greater impact in the war itself, with them actually fighting. While Yasser Arafat is deposed and the PLO does not have any official control over Palestine, they are working to spread mass confusion and violence and part of this has resulted in Intafada against both American forces and Israel with Israel, despite closed borders (due to fear of violence spreading across the border), receiving terrorist attacks as well. This has resulted also in American soldiers aiding Israeli forces along the border. In Vietnam, America won through brute force, as opposed to adapting to guerilla techniques. Therefore, while America has one more notch on its belt, it is very ill-suited to fight not just in the condensed space of Palestine, but in the more urban environment. They can no longer drive to Hanoi and demand surrender, instead, they're very much in an Iraq-type situation. Some generals are calling Palestine a "death trap" due to the small space for fighting and military action while terrorists have pretty much free range.

Does that answer your question?

Yes, it does. I understand how this is oing down now.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I cant wait for the next update

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Eugene McCarthy and Mark Hatfield both suprised me-a wave of Liberalism is hitting both parties!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Eugene McCarthy and Mark Hatfield both suprised me-a wave of Liberalism is hitting both parties!

Not necessarily Liberalism. Hatfield is hard to pin down ideologically. I usually refer to him as a "Moderate Libertarian" as opposed to say Paul who is a "Libertarian-Conservative" and Gravel who's a "Liberal Libertarian". His positions are hard to pin down. Pro-life, economically moderate-conservative, enivronmentally either moderate or conservative, foreign policy liberal, and others.

I always felt that Hatfield was on the left of the party, hence the "Liberal" name. I dont mean that he is a Rockefeller Republican.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Taft, Lindsay, and Rummy dont have much time in this race....

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Any updates soon?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Is McCarthy on the Farmer-Laborer ticket in Minnesota only? Or is he also the nominee of the Peace and Freedom, Peoples Party, Liberty Union, etc. Alot of the times these parties share a candidate.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I wonder if Governor Paul is being considered for VP...

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Dont worry, this timeline is well worth the wait

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Ralph Nader would be a good pick for Gene.