JFK Lives

[CathKhan]

Hoping either Kennedy can pull it out by 2004 or a good Republican beats him.

[CathKhan]

By the way, there's a cycle that I noticed going from 1960 to 2000:
1960-1980
Democrat for eight years
Republican for four years
Democrat for eight years
1980-2000
Republican for eight years
Democrat for four years
Republican for eight years

I wonder if the cycle was rest in 2000 or not.

[Senator Ben]

By the way, there's a cycle that I noticed going from 1960 to 2000:
1960-1980
Democrat for eight years
Republican for four years
Democrat for eight years
1980-2000
Republican for eight years
Democrat for four years
Republican for eight years

I wonder if the cycle was rest in 2000 or not.

I totally didn't do that intentionally.

[CathKhan]

By the way, there's a cycle that I noticed going from 1960 to 2000:
1960-1980
Democrat for eight years
Republican for four years
Democrat for eight years
1980-2000
Republican for eight years
Democrat for four years
Republican for eight years

I wonder if the cycle was rest in 2000 or not.

I totally didn't do that intentionally.

Regardless, it's weird how it ended up. Han actually did the same thing on his "Wet house" timeline with:
1940-1960:
Republican for eight years
Democrat for four years
Republican for eight years
1960-?
Democrat for eight years
Republican for four years
Democrat for ? (hasn't been continued past 1972, but my guess is the Democrat will be re-elected)

[Senator Ben]

The Democratic Nomination

As the recession deepens in the middle of 2003, rumors abound that President Kennedy will receive a primary challenger.  Much of the speculation centers around Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, but he announces in early July that he will be running for reelection to the Senate.  Finally, on August 21, 2003, Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota announces his candidacy.  “The Kennedy Administration has spent two years working for big business and the wealthy, and it has led us straight into a recession.  If elected, I will work for the people, not the corporations.”

Wellstone runs an insurgent campaign, raising money through small donors and campaigning in caucus states like Iowa, New Mexico, Michigan, etc; while also using big names who have endorsed him like Senator Feingold.

Kennedy, by contrast, uses big money and big names.  His father, the 87 year old ex-President, lambasts Wellstone for “thinking his candidacy will do anything other than doom the Democratic Party.”

On January 19, the Iowa Caucus yields an upset.  Wellstone wins with 54% of the vote, netting 24 of 45 delegates.  On January 27, Kennedy, as expected, takes 78% of the vote in New Hampshire.  February 3 yields split results, with Kennedy taking Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina; and Wellstone taking Delaware, New Mexico, and North Dakota.

February 7 results in two major Wellstone wins, as he takes 60+ in Michigan and Washington, although Kennedy dominates in Maine.  On February 10 Kennedy takes Nevada, Tennessee, and Virginia by big margins.  On February 17 Wellstone dominates Wisconsin, as expected.  February 24 sees Kennedy win 98% of the vote in Massachusetts, despite Wellstone being on the ballot, but Wellstone captures Hawaii and Utah, continuing the stalemate.

On March 2, the stalemate ends on Super Tuesday, where 11 primaries are held in California (Kennedy), Connecticut (Kennedy), Georgia (Kennedy), Maryland (Kennedy), Montana (Wellstone), Minnesota (Wellstone), New York (Kennedy), Ohio (Wellstone), Rhode Island (Kennedy), Texas (Kennedy), and Vermont (Kennedy).  Wellstone, however, refuses to drop out, placing bets on Mini Super Tuesday the next week, when primaries are held in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, and New Jersey.  However, after only managing to win Florida, Wellstone drops out.  He does not endorse Kennedy, however, and refuses to speak at the Convention.

At the DNC, Wellstone supporters walk out of the Convention before Kennedy and Breaux are re-nominated.  They instead form the Progressive Party, and offer Wellstone the nomination, which he accepts, and chooses Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders as his running mate.  Thus, heading into Labor Day, the dark horse Republican nominee appears to have things sown up.

The Republican Nomination

From early 2003, Republicans vie to challenge President Kennedy.  On  May 23, Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon enters the ring, followed by Governor George W. Bush of Texas on June 26.  On July 4, a dark horse enters the race: former Governor of Tennessee Elvis Presley.  The former King of Rock and Roll, after retiring from music in the late 1970s, had entered politics.  Serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1983 until 1995, he served as Governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003.

Although Presley is initially dismissed, he handily wins the Iowa Caucus, taking 43% in a three way race.  He narrowly loses the New Hampshire primary to Smith, but gets revenge by winning Alaska and Michigan the next weekend.

Mini Super Tuesday occurs next for the Republicans, three days later, with primaries and caucuses in Alabama (Presley), Arizona (Bush), Connecticut (Smith), North Dakota (Smith), and Washington (Smith).

The next week, there is a split result in the contests in Arkansas (Presley), Colorado (Bush), and Vermont (Smith).  However, Smith drops out the next week after losing big primaries in Illinois (Bush) and Florida (Presley), as he was unable to compete in terms of delegates.  He endorses Bush.

With only two candidates, Super Tuesday appears to be the decider, with primaries held in California (Presley), Delaware (Bush), Georgia (Presley), Hawaii (Presley), Kentucky (Presley), Mississippi (Presley), New Jersey (Bush), New York (Bush), North Carolina (Bush), Ohio (Presley), Pennsylvania (Presley), South Carolina (Presley), and Virginia (Presley).  Bush then drops out, and endorses Presley.

At the RNC in Philadelphia, Presley selects Smith as his running mate.  He attacks Kennedy’s handling of the economy, and boasts of his achievements as Governor of Tennessee.

The General Election

From the get go, Kennedy faces an uphill battle.  With Wellstone attacking from the Left, and Presley from the Right, Kennedy has little room to maneuver.  In the first debate Wellstone blasts Kennedy for “selling out to Big Business” and Presley blasts Kennedy for “pursuing patently anti-business policies.”  Wellstone, in turn, dismisses Presley as “an entertainer – my favorite entertainer, but an entertainer nonetheless.”  Kennedy is left defending his own policies.

By election day, unemployment is listed at 7.8%, up from 5.7% the year before.  Thus, with attacks from both sides of the political spectrum, JFK Jr. fails to do what his father did, and is defeated for reelection.  The results are brutal for the Democrats, as Wellstone splits the vote to such a degree that Democratic strongholds, like New York, Hawaii and California, fall to Presley, while Wellstone manages to win 5 states and a Congressional District in Maine.  After the election, MSNBC anchor and ardent Kennedy supporter Chris Matthews would note that, “While Kennedy may well have lost without Wellstone, it is clear from the results that Wellstone ended any chance Kennedy had of being reelected.  If you give Kennedy the states where he and Wellstone combined to beat Presley, and give Kennedy the states Wellstone won, then Kennedy is reelected.  Not to mention how Wellstone weakened Kennedy during the primaries.  Certainly JFK Jr. deserves blame for his loss, but Wellstone deserves nearly as much.”


Elvis Presley/Gordon Smith: 43.5% PV, 418 EV
John F. Kennedy Jr./John Breaux: 38.9% PV, 69 EV
Paul Wellstone/Bernie Sanders: 17.6% PV, 51 EV

The Congressional Elections

With the drubbing of President Kennedy, Democrats nationwide lose big.  In some places, though, the candidate is reelected, but the party switches, as in the Alabama Senate race, where Richard Shelby switches parties.

Senate Results

Republicans: 53 (+7)
Democrats: 47 (-7)


House Results
Republicans: 240 (+39)
Democrats: 195 (-38)

[CathKhan]

I didn't want Kennedy to go down, but it's worth it with Elvis!!!!! (will post picture of the king later)

[Captain Chaos]

President Elvis.

[Senator Ben]

Presidents of the United States:
John F. Kennedy (D-MA): January 20, 1961 - January 20, 1969
John Tower (R-TX): January 20, 1969 - January 20, 1973
Hubert H. Humphrey (D-MN): January 20, 1973 - August 8, 1975
Warren Hearnes (D-MO): August 8, 1975 - January 20, 1981
Mark Hatfield (R-OR): January 20, 1981 - January 20, 1989
Lawton Chiles (D-FL): January 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993
Carroll Campbell (R-SC): January 20, 1993 - January 20, 2001
John F. Kennedy Jr. (D-MA): January 20, 2001 - January 20, 2005
Elvis Presley (R-TN): January 20, 2005 - ?

Vice Presidents of the United States:
Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX): January 20, 1961 - January 20, 1965
George Smathers (D-FL): January 20, 1965 - January 20, 1969
Sprio Agnew (R-MD): January 20, 1969 - January 20, 1973
Warren Hearnes (D-MO): January 20, 1973 - August 8, 1975
Vacant: August 8, 1975 - January 20, 1977
Frank Church (D-ID): January 20, 1977 - January 20, 1981
George HW Bush (R-TX): January 20, 1981 - January 20, 1989
Joe Biden (D-DE): January 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993
Dan Quayle (R-IN): January 20, 1993 - January 20, 2001
John Breaux (D-LA): January 20, 2001 - January 20, 2005
Gordon Smith (R-OR): January 20, 2005 - ?

[Vosem]

1996 Senate Elections (54-46 Republican majority):
•   Alabama: Jeff Sessions (R) retiring-replaces Howell Heflin (D)
•   Alaska: Ted Stevens (R) reelected
•   Arkansas: Tim Hutchinson (R) retiring-replaces David Pryor (D)
•   Colorado: Wayne Allard (R) retiring-replaces Hank Brown (R)
•   Delaware: Dale Wolf (R) reelected
•   Georgia: Guy Millner (R) defeats Max Cleland (D)
•   Idaho: Larry Craig (R) reelected
•   Illinois: Dick Durbin (D) retiring-replaces Paul Simon (D)
•   Iowa: Tom Harkin (D) reelected
•   Kansas: Pat Roberts (R) retiring-replaces Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R)
•   Kentucky: Jim Bunning (R) defeats Harvey Sloane (D)
•   Louisiana: Mary Landrieu (D) retiring-replaces Bennett Johnston, Jr. (D)
•   Maine: Susan Collins (R) retiring-replaces William Cohen (R)
•   Massachusetts: John Kerry (D) reelected
•   Michigan: James Blanchard (D) reelected
•   Minnesota: Paul Wellstone (D) reelected
•   Mississippi: Thad Cochran (R) reelected
•   Montana: Max Baucus (D) reelected
•   Nebraska: Chuck Hagel (R) retiring-replaces Bob Kerrey (D)
•   New Hampshire: Bob Smith (R) reelected
•   New Jersey: Robert Torricelli (D) retiring-replaces Bill Bradley (D)
•   New Mexico: Joe Skeen (R) reelected
•   North Carolina: Harvey Gantt (D) reelected
•   Oklahoma: Jim Inhofe (R) retiring-replaces David Boren (D)
•   Oregon: Norma Paulus (R) reelected
•   Rhode Island: Jack Reed (D) retiring-replaces Claiborne Pell (D)
•   South Carolina: Strom Thurmond (R) reelected
•   South Dakota: Tim Johnson (D) defeats Bill Janklow (R)
•   Tennessee: Al Gore (D) reelected
•   Texas: Phil Gramm (R) reelected
•   Virginia: John Warner (R) reelected
•   West Virginia: Charlotte Pritt (D) reelected
•   Wyoming: Craig Thomas (R) reelected
Afterwards (54-46 Republican majority):
No changes

1998 Senate Elections (51-49 Republican majority):
•   Alabama: Richard Shelby (D) reelected
•   Alaska: Frank Murkowski (R) reelected
•   Arizona: John McCain (R) reelected
•   Arkansas: Blanche Lincoln (D) retiring-replaces Dale Bumpers (D)
•   California: Barbara Boxer (D) reelected
•   Colorado: Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D) reelected
•   Connecticut: Chris Dodd (D) reelected
•   Florida: Bob Graham (D) reelected
•   Georgia: Paul Coverdell (R) reelected
•   Hawaii: Daniel Inouye (D) reelected
•   Idaho: Mike Crapo (R) retiring-replaces Dirk Kempthorne (R)
•   Illinois: Carol Moseley-Braun (D) reelected
•   Indiana: Evan Bayh (D) retiring-replaces William Ruckelshaus (R)
•   Iowa: Chuck Grassley (R) reelected
•   Kansas: Sam Brownback (R) retiring-replaces Bob Dole (R)
•   Kentucky: Scotty Baesler (D) retiring-replaces Wendell Ford (D)
•   Louisiana: John Breaux (D) reelected
•   Maryland: Barbara Mikulski (D) reelected
•   Missouri: Kit Bond (R) reelected
•   Nevada: Harry Reid (D) reelected
•   New Hampshire: Judd Gregg (R) reelected
•   New York: Chuck Schumer (D) defeats Al d’Amato (R)
•   North Carolina: John Edwards (D) defeats Lauch Faircloth (R)
•   North Dakota: Byron Dorgan (D) reelected
•   Ohio: George Voinovich (R) retiring-replaces John Glenn (D)
•   Oklahoma: Don Nickles (R) reelected
•   Oregon: Ron Wyden (D) retiring-replaces Bob Packwood (R)
•   Pennsylvania: Arlen Specter (R) reelected
•   South Carolina: Ernest Hollings (D) reelected
•   South Dakota: Tom Daschle (D) reelected
•   Utah: Robert Bennett (R) reelected
•   Vermont: Bernie Sanders (D) reelected
•   Washington: Patty Murray (D) reelected
•   Wisconsin: Russ Feingold (D) reelected
Afterwards (50-50 Republican majority):
•   Georgia: Zell Miller (D) retiring-replaces Paul Coverdell (R)

[CathKhan]

Of all of them I like the first one the best.

[Senator Ben]

This timeline is 2.5 years old.  I need to update more.  I will update it more.  I will update it soon

[Senator Ben]

This timeline is 2.5 years old.  I need to update more.  I will update it more.  I will update it soon

Yup.  Eventually

[CathKhan]

Please update!

[Vosem]

This TL needs to come back.


2000 Senate Elections (53-47 Democratic majority):
Arizona: Jon Kyl (R ) reelected
California: Al Checchi (D) retiring-replaces Pete Wilson (R )
Connecticut: Joe Lieberman (D) reelected
Delaware: Charles Oberly (D) reelected
Florida: Bill Nelson (D) defeats Jeb Bush (R )
Georgia: Zell Miller (D) reelected
Hawaii: Cecil Heftel (D) reelected
Indiana: Dan Coats (R ) reelected
Maine: Olympia Snowe (R ) reelected
Maryland: Paul Sarbanes (D) reelected
Massachusetts: Ted Kennedy (D) reelected
Michigan: Debbie Stabenow (D) defeats Spencer Abraham (R )
Minnesota: Rod Grams (R ) reelected
Mississippi: Trent Lott (R ) reelected
Missouri: John Ashcroft (R ) reelected
Montana: Conrad Burns (R ) reelected
Nebraska: Ben Nelson (D) retiring-replaces Frank Morrison (D)
Nevada: Jim Gibbons (R ) reelected
New Jersey: Jon Corzine (D) defeats Chuck Haytaian (R )
New Mexico: Bill Redmond (R ) defeats Jeff Bingaman (D)
New York: Robert Abrams (D) reelected
North Dakota: Kent Conrad (D) reelected
Ohio: Mike de Wine (R ) reelected
Pennsylvania: William Scranton III (R ) reelected
Rhode Island: Lincoln Almond (R ) reelected
Tennessee: Fred Thompson (R ) reelected
Texas: John Cornyn (R ) defeats Bob Krueger (D)
Utah: Michael Leavitt (R ) retiring-replaces Merrill Cook (R )
Vermont: Jim Jeffords (R ) reelected
Virginia: Chuck Robb (D) reelected
Washington: Maria Cantwell (D) defeats Slade Gorton (R )
West Virginia: Robert Byrd (D) reelected
Wisconsin: Herb Kohl (D) reelected
Wyoming: Mike Enzi (R ) reelected

Afterwards (Democratic majority 55-44-1):
Iowa: Chet Culver (D) retiring-replaces Chuck Grassley (R )
Missouri: Jean Carnahan (D) retiring-replaces Kit Bond (R )
Vermont: Jim Jeffords (R ) becomes Jim Jeffords (ID)

2002 Senate Elections (Democratic majority 55-44-1):
Alabama: Jeff Sessions (R ) reelected
Alaska: Ted Stevens (R ) reelected
Arkansas: Mark Pryor (D) defeats Tim Hutchinson (R )
Colorado: Wayne Allard (R ) reelected
Delaware: Dale Wolf (R ) reelected
Georgia: Guy Millner (R ) reelected
Idaho: Larry Craig (R ) reelected
Illinois: Dick Durbin (D) reelected
Iowa: Tom Harkin (D) reelected
Iowa: Chet Culver (D) reelected
Kansas: Pat Roberts (R ) reelected
Kentucky: Jim Bunning (R ) reelected
Louisiana: Mary Landrieu (D) reelected
Maine: Chellie Pingree (D) defeats Susan Collins (R )
Massachusetts: John Kerry (D) reelected
Michigan: James Blanchard (D) reelected
Minnesota: Paul Wellstone (D) reelected
Mississippi: Thad Cochran (R ) reelected
Missouri: Jim Talent (R ) defeats Jean Carnahan (D)
Montana: Max Baucus (D) reelected
Nebraska: Chuck Hagel (R ) reelected
New Hampshire: John Sununu (R ) retiring-replaces Bob Smith (R )
New Jersey: Frank Lautenberg (D) retiring-replaces Robert Torricelli (D)
New Mexico: Walter Bradley (R ) retiring-replaces Joe Skeen (R )
North Carolina: Harvey Gantt (D) reelected
Oklahoma: Jim Inhofe (R ) reelected
Oregon: Gordon Smith (R ) retiring-replaces Norma Paulus (R )
Rhode Island: Jack Reed (D) reelected
South Carolina: Lindsey Graham (R ) retiring-replaces Strom Thurmond (R )
South Dakota: John Thune (R ) defeats Tim Johnson (D)
Tennessee: Al Gore (D) reelected
Texas: Rick Perry (R ) retiring-replaces Phil Gramm (R )
Virginia: John Warner (R ) reelected
West Virginia: Charlotte Pritt (D) reelected
Wyoming: Craig Thomas (R ) reelected

Afterwards (Democratic majority 54-45-1):
Alabama: Richard Shelby (D) becomes Richard Shelby (R )
Alaska: Lisa Murkowski (R ) retiring-replaces Frank Murkowski (R )

2004 Senate Elections (Republican majority 53-46-1):
Alabama: Richard Shelby (R ) reelected
Alaska: Lisa Murkowski (R ) reelected
Arizona: John McCain (R ) reelected
Arkansas: Blanche Lincoln (D) reelected
California: Barbara Boxer (D) reelected
Colorado: Pete Coors (R ) retiring-replaces Ben N. Campbell (D)
Connecticut: Chris Dodd (D) reelected
Florida: Mel Martinez (R ) retiring-replaces Bob Graham (D)
Georgia: Johnny Isakson (R ) retiring-replaces Zell Miller (D)
Hawaii: Daniel Inouye (D) reelected
Idaho: Mike Crapo (R ) reelected
Illinois: Carol Moseley-Braun (D) reelected
Indiana: Evan Bayh (D) reelected
Iowa: Bob vander Plaats (R ) defeats Chet Culver (D)
Kansas: Sam Brownback (R ) reelected
Kentucky: Rebecca Jackson (R ) defeats Scotty Baesler (D)
Louisiana: David Vitter (R ) retiring-replaces John Breaux (D)
Maryland: Barbara Mikulski (D) reelected
Missouri: Jim Talent (R ) reelected
Nevada: Harry Reid (D) reelected
New Hampshire: Judd Gregg (R ) reelected
New York: Chuck Schumer (D) reelected
North Carolina: Richard Burr (R ) retiring-replaces John Edwards (D)
North Dakota: Byron Dorgan (D) reelected
Ohio: George Voinovich (R ) reelected
Oklahoma: Tom Coburn (R ) retiring-replaces Don Nickles (R )
Oregon: Ron Wyden (D) reelected
Pennsylvania: Arlen Specter (R ) reelected
South Carolina: Jim de Mint (R ) retiring-replaces Fritz Hollings (D)
South Dakota: Tom Daschle (D) reelected
Utah: Bob Bennett (R ) reelected
Vermont: Bernie Sanders (D) reelected
Washington: Patty Murray (D) reelected
Wisconsin: Russ Feingold (D) reelected

[CathKhan]

Please update!

[Senator Ben]

Yeah, I dunno what the deal is here.  It'll probably be a while.  Sorry

[Senator Ben]

If Lief is gonna update his timeline, I'll update mine.  Three weeks.

[CathKhan]

If Lief is gonna update his timeline, I'll update mine.  Three weeks.

You better!

[Senator Ben]

The First Term of Elvis Presley

“My fellow Americans, our economy is like a hound dog, crying all the time.  The failed policies of the past will be repealed; businesses will be set free from regulation, and allowed to do what they do best: create jobs.  That is my word, and my word is good as gold.”  The Presley Administration opens with a warning shot fired at liberals of both parties; the conservative ideology represented by Presley is shown in his Cabinet, where conservatism reigns.

Secretary of State: Paul Wolfowitz (R-NY)
Secretary of Treasury: Thomas Sowell (R-CA)
Secretary of Defense: Donald Rumsfeld (R-IL)
Attorney General: Robert A. Levy (R-DC)
Secretary of the Interior: Jim Geringer (R-WY)
Secretary of Agriculture: Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Secretary of Commerce: Hank Paulson (R-NY)
Secretary of Labor: John Boehner (R-OH)
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Edward Miller (I-MD)
Secretary of Education: Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Bill Purcell (D-TN)
Secretary of Transportation: Mary Peter (R-AZ)
Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs: Jim Webb (R-VA)

Within a few weeks of taking office, Presley sends Congress an ambitious series of tax cuts for businesses; dubbed the “Viva Las Vegas Businesses Bill” by both supporters and opponents, the tax cuts represented anywhere from a 10-35% cut for businesses, as well as incentives for creating jobs and not outsourcing.  Upon entering the House, it is enthusiastically backed by Republicans, with Speaker Gingrich calling it “absolutely brilliant.”  Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) praises it as well, noting the tax cuts will “invigorate our stagnant economy.”

Equally vehement, though, is liberal opposition.  Newly dethroned Speaker David Bonior (D-MI) calls the cuts, “An abomination, a travesty, a handout to Big Business.”  House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) declares her “unending opposition to this monstrosity.”  However, not all Democrats are opposed; Gene Taylor (D-MS) comes out in support of the Cuts; as does Jim Matheson (D-UT).  The Cuts move through the House, being passed on April 18, 2005, by a vote of 256-172.

On June 20, 2005, Justice Bailey Aldrich retires from the Supreme Court.  Presley appoints Clarence Thomas of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to replace him.  Thomas is confirmed without controversy, 97-0, making him the third African-American member of the Court.

In the Senate, Democrats filibuster the Bill; Ted Kennedy gives two speeches totaling nearly six hours during the filibuster.  By mid June, the filibuster seems unbeatable.  However, on June 27, 2005, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) calls for cloture.  The vote ends up at exactly 60-40, with 7 Democrats having defected to join the Republicans; on July 14, the Cuts pass 54-40; the six absent votes are all Democrats who had voted for cloture.  The next day, Presley signs the cuts.

In a speech on August 8, the President announces his intention to introduce federal legislation curbing the rights of unions to organize and bargain.  The legislation is vigorously protested, with labor unions organizing outside the White House and Capital.  Secretary of Labor Boehner tells Congress the bill is necessary; “our economy is being ruined by greedy unions.  The only way to prevent depression is to restrict their power significantly.”  This statement provokes outrage, with Senator Feingold calling Boehner “despicable.”  Despite the protests both inside and outside of Congress, the House passes the “Labor Restructuring Act of 2005” on October 24, by a vote of 237-170.  In the Senate, there is no filibuster; liberals are simply too defeated.  On December 11, just before adjourning for the year, the Senate votes 50-31 to pass the bill; it is signed by the President on December 15.

In his State of the Union on January 23, Presley happily notes that unemployment dropped from 7.9% to 6.6% during his first year in office; the Dow had risen from 8,232 when he took office to having closed at 10,771 earlier in the day.  Presley is given full credit; his approval rating on February 1 stands at 64%, and 71% have a favorable view of the President.

On March 5, 2006, Chief Justice Arnold dies of lymphoma.  To replace him, Presley appoints J. Harvie Wilkinson III to replace him.  Wilkinson’s hearings are mostly spent praising Arnold, and Wilkinson is confirmed on March 20, without fanfare, 91-2.

In early April, leading economists report that the country is officially out of a recession; unemployment falls below 6% in June.  In early July, Presley concludes free trade agreements with South Korea and Venezuela, which leads to an boost in manufacturing and oil jobs.

The Congressional Elections

On election day, with the economy recovering, the President enjoys a 61% approval rating, which translates into major Republican gains, consolidating leads in both the House and Senate.

Senate Results

Republicans: 56 (+3)
Democrats: 43 (-4)
Independents: 1 (+1)


House Results
Republicans: 253 (+13)
Democrats: 182 (-13)

[CathKhan]

This is fu cking awesome! Cant say I like the union bit, but having a President propose a "Viva Las Vegas bill" alone is worth it.

[Senator Ben]

This is fu cking awesome! Cant say I like the union bit, but having a President propose a "Viva Las Vegas bill" alone is worth it.

That's not the official title; it's the unofficial one - the equivalent of ObamaCare

[CathKhan]

This is fu cking awesome! Cant say I like the union bit, but having a President propose a "Viva Las Vegas bill" alone is worth it.

That's not the official title; it's the unofficial one - the equivalent of ObamaCare

Dammit! Well at least we still have his great quote about the state of our economy.

[Senator Ben]

Dammit! Well at least we still have his great quote about the state of our economy.

But of course

[Senator Ben]

I just realizes this thread is nearly 3 years old.  And that it has been viewed 44,492 times.  That's kind of humbling.

[tb78]

I just realizes this thread is nearly 3 years old.  And that it has been viewed 44,492 times.  That's kind of humbling.

And it is a great one at that, be proud to have written this.

I like Elvis as the President the best, if only that could have happened...