1996 Primaries (The Hearse at Monticello)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Riding a wave of anti-establishment fervor and aided by a divided opposition, conservative activist Pat Buchanan narrowly defeated three prominent statesmen to win the presidency in 1992, turning the Washington establishment on its edge. Backed by an unusual coalition of Christian fundamentalists, fiscal conservatives, and opponents of free trade, Buchanan was what Barry Goldwater had only ever dreamed of: a militant conservative with the votes in Congress to pass his agenda. Having chosen to back Richard Lugar's 3rd party bid rather than submit to Buchanan's nomination, the moderate wing of the American Party that had blocked Goldwater's most radical proposals thirty years earlier was powerless, with fewer than 50 Congressmen belonging to the center-right "National Liberty" party. Instead, the American Congressional caucus was dominated by extreme conservatives who had no intention of blocking the president's initiatives.

Nor was Buchanan inclined to temper his ambitions once in office. With the aid of Vice President Bob Dornan, Buchanan pressed Congress to declare English the national language, change the national motto to "In Christ We Trust", cut welfare spending by 50%, deny homosexual couples legal recognition, tighten immigration laws (especially in regards to Mexico), end affirmative action programs, curtail the power of the EPA, and dramatically raise tariffs on imported goods. Outside the realm of Congress, he has quietly attempted to purge non-Christians from government jobs, prompting a series of legal challenges that are as yet unresolved. Efforts to outlaw abortion nationally and to initiate nationwide prayer in school were struck down by the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Edward Kennedy, who ruled that both actions were illegal under the Constitution. Meanwhile, on the international stage, Buchanan cut ties with the State of Israel and used U.S. troops to intervene in the Intifada on behalf of the Palestinians, forcing Israel to accept the establishment of a Palestinian State. While the president has billed his administration as an unbridled success, Buchanan's policies wrought havoc on the economy, causing stock prices to plummet and the national unemployment rate to rise to 13%.

Not since the days of Aaron Burr has a president been so universally despised by the political establishment, and never before have so many been determined to bring him down. In the aftermath of the 1994 midterms, in which a Populist-National Liberty coalition won a slim majority in Congress, leaders of the three main opposition parties formed the Opposition League, a temporary political alliance dedicated to ousting Buchanan in the 1996 election. In the interests of preventing a repeat of 1992, they have agreed to hold a joint primary, with each party promising to support the winner in the general election.

Though much of his caucus has defected to the Opposition League, Buchanan is once again running under the banner of the American Party, and is running unopposed in the primary election. The Opposition League, meanwhile, faces a wide field of candidates ranging from far-left reformers to center-right moderates. Among those contesting the nomination are former Vice President Ross Perot, candidate of organized labor; Senator Al Gore, who has been particularly critical of Buchanan's environmental policy; Senator Bill Bradley, hero of the "reform left" who has called for action on a number of fronts, including campaign finance reform, gun control, and restoring much of the Buchanan cuts to the welfare state; Senator John McCain, a veteran of the War in Cuba who also supports campaign finance reform; Congressman John Kasich, an ally of Indiana's Senator Richard Lugar; Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, who won national recognition for her victory in the 1992 Vice Presidential debate against Vice President Dornan; Governor Evan Bayh, the son of former Secretary of State Birch Bayh who has been endorsed by former President George McGovern.

Have at it! 

[Bigby]

Kasich please.

[NeverAgain]

Bradley/Bayh '96 take out the monster in America.

[Goldwater]

McCain

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

pelosi/gore

[Classic Conservative]

Who are some pro-Buchannan congressmen?

[Boston Bread]

Pelosi please

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Who are some pro-Buchannan congressmen?

Orin Hatch (A-UT) has been generally supportive of the president, as are Garry Bauer (A-KY) and former Rep. Alan Keyes (A-NY), to name a few.

[tmthforu94]

Kasich

It seems like every "conservative" president is a disaster and every liberal president is at least moderately successful. Am I the only one picking up on this?

[Mr. Smith]

Since Perot couldn't manage it the last two times...Gore please

Kasich

It seems like every "conservative" president is a disaster and every liberal president is at least moderately successful. Am I the only one picking up on this?

So what do you call Cuomo and Church then? Or how about the 1930's?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

It seems like every "conservative" president is a disaster and every liberal president is at least moderately successful. Am I the only one picking up on this?

Huey Long, Eleanor Roosevelt's first term, and Frank Church were all verifiable disasters, and I definitely illuminated the failures of the McGovern and Church years. For example:

With the opposition once again divided between two strong candidates, President McGovern was reelected in 1972 by a strong margin in the electoral college but with less than a majority of the popular vote. The four years that followed would be tumultuous, with worsening economic conditions at home and foreign policy crises abroad handing Congress to the American Party in the 1974 Midterms, the Romney and Goldwater wings having come together to defeat the People's Party just two years after the splinter Libertarian Party resulted in a lopsidedly Populist chamber.

Had Lugar (or any other American candidate, for that matter) been elected in '92, they would have benefited from the '90s tech boom and rapid economic growth. Instead, y'all decided you wanted something more "interesting" and elected Buchanan. If you vote for a dystopic candidate, you get a dystopic administration.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Four more years of anarchy!

[Antonio the Sixth]

Nancy Pelosi/Elizabeth Dole

Let's have the first all-female ticket in history!

[/]

Voted Bradley, but looking at the results, I wish I had voted Pelosi to keep Kasich off the ticket.

[Sumner 1868]

Bill Bradley is the best of a bad bunch. Would not mind Pelosi, though.

[ScottieF]

Bradley, enough of this madness.

[DavidB.]

Kasich, but I'd be okay with pretty much every option not being Buchanan. Seriously, this sounds 1000 times as horrible as Obama, I'd even vote for him in this poll.

[VPH]

Bayh

[Bigby]

Kasich, but I'd be okay with pretty much every option not being Buchanan. Seriously, this sounds 1000 times as horrible as Obama, I'd even vote for him in this poll.

I didn't expect Buchanan to be this crazy.

[Hydera]

Bill Bradley is the best of a bad bunch. Would not mind Pelosi, though.

I wonder whats the correlation between Nader/Bradley/Kucinich/Sanders voters. Probably 95%.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

liberals/lefties: pelosi is currently our best chance at avoiding a kasich vs buchanan general election

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Ah, come on, Buchanan can't be thatbad. This is a dream come true, don't ruin it .

[Bigby]

Come on Kasich, keep winning. Kasich/Bayh 1996!

God, I'd be the lonliest Georgian ever in this TL...

[Antonio the Sixth]

If Kasich wins this, I'm actually voting for Buchanan in the general.

[SATW]

Evan Bayh