A More Perfect Union

[Meursault]

Kennedy would have been dead by 1976. But assuming he wasn't in this scenario, he'd put the whipsong on Reagan - and should rightfully obliterate a colorless nothing like Dole.

KEN-NE-DY! KEN-NE-DY!

[DKrol]

Kennedy would have been dead by 1976. But assuming he wasn't in this scenario, he'd put the whipsong on Reagan - and should rightfully obliterate a colorless nothing like Dole.

KEN-NE-DY! KEN-NE-DY!

The 43 year-old JFK, yes. The 69 year-old Kennedy, maybe not. I haven't written the general election for this race yet.

[DKrol]

I thank this party for allowing me to lead our nation over the course of the last four years. I hope that our progress will not be forgot, and left as a foot-note in history books. Senator Dole will carry on my torch and will make a great President. - President Ronald Reagan of California’s Keynote Address at the Republican National Convention, Kansas City (August 16, 1976)




Mr. Chairman and Delegates, I accept our party’s nomination for Vice President! Senator Dole is an American hero. He fought valiantly in the mountains of Italy and then came home to help govern our nation. He is a modern Dwight Eisenhower and the best choice for President since Ike. - Former Governor John Connally of Texas’ Vice Presidential acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Kansas City (August 17th, 1976)




Thank you! Mr. Chairman I humbly accept our party’s nomination for President! I pledge myself to the American people and to progress. I promise to bring us closer to a balanced budget, to build strong bonds overseas, and to make the lives of all Americans better and easier. - Senator Bob Dole of Kansas’ Presidential acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Kansas City (August 17th, 1976)

Electoral Map, Post-RNC

Senator Bob Dole/Former Governor John Connally (R) - 238
Senator John Kennedy/Senator Robert Byrd (D) - 192
Former Senator Eugene McCarthy/Mrs. Margaret Wright (I) - 4

[DKrol]

Taking a week off really killed my interest in this. Over the next day or so, I'll be posting the electoral maps of all the elections I had planned, as well as a small blurb about it.


All the polls projected the 1976 election to be a blowout for Senator Dole, a young war hero, over the elder Senator Kennedy, a class New England Liberal. However, allegations over Senator Dole's war record came out and damaged his credentials, as well as various gaffes by his running mate (former Texas Governor Connally). Kennedy also succeeded in uniting the youth vote behind him, taking away former Senator McCarthy's main base of support.

1976

Senator John F. Kennedy/Senator Robert Byrd (D) - 351, 54.2%
Senator Bob Dole/Fmr. Governor John Connally (R) - 187, 43.5%
Fmr. Senator Eugene McCarthy/Mrs. Margaret Wright (I) - 0, 1.1%
Others - 0, 1.2%

[DKrol]

With President Kennedy's death in office (due to complications from a fall in the White House) the Democrats look set to ride the sympathy wave for another 4 year. Quickly, their hopes were dashed when President Byrd's history of racism and connections with the KKK came to light. He was forced, by party leaders, not to seek a second term. Instead, the torch passed to Georgian Governor Jimmy Carter. Carter chose to keep the ticket in the South, tapping Arkansas Senator Dale Bumpers. The Republicans asked Senator Bob Dole to run once again, this time pairing him with House Minority Leader Jim Rhodes. This was race showed a re-alignment of the Democrats to the South and the Republicans to the West - making New England the new swing region.

1980

Senator Bob Dole/House Minority Leader John Rhodes (R) - 310, 52.7%
Governor Jimmy Carter/Senator Dale Bumpers (D) - 228, 45.9
Others - 0, 1.4

[DKrol]

President Dole had a great first term. The economy recovered from a mild recession and the Cold War began to thaw out. His approval ratings generally peaked at 64% and bottomed out at 45%. The Democrats had to search for a nominee to face the man who was being hailed as "A Modern Eisenhower". The primaries selected South Carolina Senator Ernest Hollings for President, who in-turn tapped Astronaut-turned-Senator John Glenn of Ohio for Vice President. President Dole became the first man re-elected to the White House since Richard Nixon.

1984

President Bob Dole/Vice President John Rhodes (R) - 463, 56.4%
Senator Ernest Hollings/Senator John Glenn (D) - 75, 42.5%
Congressman John Anderson/Rev. Jesse Jackson - 0, .8%
Other - 0, .3%

[DKrol]

The trend of Southern Democrats continued in 1988. Former President Ralph Yarborough's groomed heir, Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen, won the Democratic Nomination easily - after the pre-primary media circus destroyed Colorado Senator Gary Hart. In a move to draw in the newly minted swing region of New England, Senator Bentsen picked Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis as his running mate. Normally, the running mate effects the campaign very little. Not this time. On the Republican side, the primary was bloody. Vice President John Rhodes fought a war against Texas Congressman George H.W. Bush and Tennessee Senator Howard Baker, falling to the Congressman. Bush tapped former Nevada Senator Paul Laxalt to be his running mate. The slogan of Bush's campaign was "A kinder, more gentle conservatism".

1988

Senator Lloyd Bentsen/Governor Michael Dukakis (D) - 353, 55.4%
Congressman George Bush/Fmr. Senator Paul Laxalt (R) - 185, 41.3%
Other - 0, 3.3%

[DKrol]

President Bentsen had an alright first term. The economy fell a bit, unemployment rose a bit, but people's wallets were generally ok. However, there was extreme disconnected with the gridlock between the Democratic Executive and Republican-controlled legislature. This allowed Texas businessman Ross Perot to mount an impressive third-party bid for the White House. The Democrats renominated President Bentsen and Vice President Dukakis, while the Republicans tapped former Governor Tom Kean of New Jersey for President and former Secretary of State Jeanne Kirkpatrick of Oklahoma for Vice President. The campaign was centered around the amount of partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C. This was the first race in modern history where the election was thrown to the House and the Senate. The House elected Perot as President by the narrowest of margins, and the Senate elected Silber. For the first time since Millard Fillmore, the President was neither a Democrat nor a Republican.

1992

President Lloyd Bentsen/Vice President Michael Dukakis (D) - 191, 38.1%
Businessman Ross Perot/Boston Univeristy President John Silber (Ref.)* - 174, 34.4%
Governor Tom Kean/Fmr. Secretary of State Jeanne Kirkpatrick (R) - 173, 27.5%

*Elected by the House and Senate as President and Vice President, respectively.

[DKrol]

Following the first race thrown to Congress in more than a century, the American people were angry. Groups across the United States began to push to remove the electoral college. Their efforts were not in vain, as numerous politicians endorsed the movement, but they could not enact change before the 1996 election. President Perot was renominated, as was Vice President Silber. The Democrats turned to their Southern roots once more and nominated the young Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton for President. His running mate, Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, brought the Plains States into play as well as added military experience to the ticket. Republicans decided to give Governor Tom Kean a second shot. He tapped Texas Senator George H.W. Bush as his running mate. This race focused on the need for reforming the American political system, as well the tax code. After seeing that even less got done when the government was split between three parties, the Reform Party lost much of the ground it had gained.

1996

Governor Bill Clinton/Senator Bob Kerrey (D) - 341, 38.7%
Governor Tom Kean/Senator George H.W. Bush (R) - 137, 31.6%
President Ross Perot/Vice President John Silber (Ref.) - 60, 29.7%

[DKrol]

A new century. Many saw the 2000 election as a chance to define the century, create a lasting image for future generations. However, their hopes were dashed. The electoral reform movements lost most of their steam with the fall of the Reform Party in 1996. The 2000 election was a return to normalcy. President Clinton and Vice President Kerrey easily won renomination, as well as reelection, over Wyoming Governor Dick Cheney and Arizona Senator John McCain. The Reform Party failed to field a candidate in 2000, signalling their ultimate fall from grace.

2000

President Bill Clinton/Vice President Bob Kerrey (D) - 363, 54.9%
Governor Dick Cheney/Senator John McCain (R) - 175, 25.8%
Other - 0, 19.3%

And this is the last election of "A More Perfect Union". I hope you all enjoyed. A new TL will be up...once inspiration strikes me.

[DKrol]

For my next TL, I want your input.

Should it be:

A) America under a Westminster-style government

B) America without the two-party system

C) America if the Civil War had ended with an independent Confederacy

OR

D) Something else

[MadmanMotley]

1. C
2. B

[rpryor03]

A or B

[Senator Cris]

B

[badgate]

D) something else. My suggestion: either 25th Amendment allows three 4-year terms, or two non-concurrent 6-year terms.

[DKrol]

Thank you guys for the input. The new TL will be launching shortly.