Westman Timeline Pt. I

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Oh, by the way, I stole your idea of having Spiro T Agnew as the 1972 Republican nominee. When I first read it I though "How cool would an Agnew era be?", and in "A Second Chance" I did just that. His era lasted about one and a half years. I keep meaning to credit you, now I remembered.

[Mechaman]

Oh, by the way, I stole your idea of having Spiro T Agnew as the 1972 Republican nominee. When I first read it I though "How cool would an Agnew era be?", and in "A Second Chance" I did just that. His era lasted about one and a half years. I keep meaning to credit you, now I remembered.

Oh thanks.

Yeah I read that it was pretty interesting.  It didn't cross my mind at all that I put him as a candidate earlier in this timeline.  It's like how Kalwejt told me the other week that he "ripped off" Ted Kennedy getting shot from this TL and I was all like "dude, every other TL in the universe has Ted Kennedy getting shot, no biggie".
But thanks anyway for the credit .

[Mechaman]

On other issues, I'm not going to worry or bug you about given that I view them as more minimal, or right. I view Mattingly as a Reagan Democrat, however, there's no such thing in either Americana or here (at least not in the current definition).

Yeah lol.
If Mattingly was a Reagan Democrat he would've been a very liberal Democrat who was a vehement supporter of government spending to fix every social ail (MacMahon 1980)!

But now that you mentioned it here' a new entry:

Reagan Democrats:

The term used to describe the last of the New Deal Democrats that lead the party from the early 1970's-1981.  These Democrats were known for being fierce defenders of economic interventionism, arguing that the "American economy has evolved to the point of needing stimulus to survive".  They take their name after former B movie actor, California US Senator, Vice President, and President Ronald Wilson Reagan, who was one of the most prominent "New New Dealers" in the 1970's.  After stockpiling record deficits and an economic downturn the worst since the Great Depression of the early 1930's the Reagan Democrats would be booted out of office in record numbers in the 1980 general elections, with the Reagan Democrat backed Mondale/Harris ticket losing in a landslide.  The damage to the Democratic Party was catastrophic, with some people even predicting the "end of the Democratic Party" in the early 1980's.

A few Reagan Democrats, like Lawrence Watson, survived the Reagan Democrat massacre and would go on to lead successful careers in the US Congress and state wide seats.  Of note, Washington Governor Robert Barker, a strong supporter of Reaganomics, is running for US President for the Democratic ticket in 1984.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Ironic.

[Mechaman]

Accomplishments of the Crane Administration (from January 1981-May 1984):

Reduced Unemployment from high of 10.8% in February 12th, 1981 to 7.4% on May 18th, 1984
Brought back 90,000 US troops from oversea bases
Issued an official government reparation program for the hundreds of thousands of Asian Americans forced into concentration camps on the West Coast during World War II
Signed the Health Care Fiscal Watch Act that established the National Healthcare Budget Office to monitor waste and fraud in the US Public Healthcare System.
Stronger US Dollar.
Renewed nuclear arms buildup, "just in case".
Resisted calls to increase government welfare spending in the middle of the "Great Depression of 1979-1982" and called for reductions in government spending in Social Security and some reductions (but not a lot) military to reduce deficit.
Raised the tax on gasoline to help pay off deficit.
First non-Democratic President to have over 50% approval ratings amongst northern Irish Catholics.
First non-Democratic President to have over 60% approval rating amongst Italian Catholics.
Popular amongst African Americans, having a higher approval rating (45%) than disapproval (38%).
Historians have said of President Crane: "he is the best hope for conservatives in this era."
Second American President to publicly call abortion "murder" (first President was Democratic President Robert Francis Kennedy of New York)
The Fong Supreme Court rules in December of 1981 that Corporations aren't equal to individuals in expression of free speech and thus laws that restrict corporate influence in elections are legal to enforce.
Civil Rights Hero and former Georgia Republican Governor Martin Luther King Jr. is appointed to the US Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Alfred Emmanuel Smith Jr. of New York.  After Shirley Chisholm (the first African American Associate Justice, and the second female Associate Justice after Sarah Jane Connor of California) he would be the second African American to become a Supreme Court Justice.
The federal decriminalization of marijuana (advocated by libertarian leaning politicians from across the political spectrum from Scott Westman of Montana (Democratic) to Thad O'Connor of Maine (Republican) is signed by President Phil Crane.  Marijuana, however, is still considered a dangerous substance by the FDA and is still illegal in 47 states.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

You made Crane a Libertarian hero, not a Conservative one! (although he is Pro-Life) I'm not angry or anything, but it seems that that's what you did.

Also, glad it's back.

[Mechaman]

You made Crane a Libertarian hero, not a Conservative one! (although he is Pro-Life) I'm not angry or anything, but it seems that that's what you did.

Also, glad it's back.

I think the description of "Old Guard Republican" would be a more apt description of Philip Crane.  He doesn't really like the label "libertarian" as he associates it with radicalism.  However, in some cases namely marijuana decriminalization, he leans libertarian because he views the Drug War as a drain on the economy, government dollars, and leads to overcrowding of American prisons.  On most social issues he is a federalist, believing that those issues should be best left up to the state.
With a sky high deficit Crane sees cutting back military bases and operations overseas as well as a cut in the US military budget (which became bloated after various US military operations in India during the Indian Civil War that lasted from 1967-1979) as some of the biggest steps to make to balance the budget.  He is a defense advocate unless it's peace time and such spending threatens the US Treasury.  The Reagan Administration brought the US Public Debt to $352 Billion (a huge debt considering the US is still on the Gold Standard) which the Crane Administration has managed to lower down to $158 Billion.

I know this is probably unrealistic, but I wanted to paint a pretty different TL in regards to some issues.  Namely that in terms of dollar strength this TL at the worst has yet to see a weaker dollar than the 1960 dollar IRL.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

What became of the careers of the Goldwaters, Spiro T Agnew, Jim Rhodes, Richard Nixon, and Robert Finch?

[Mechaman]

Alright.

After consulting with some dudes I have reached the conclusion that some of the stuff about Crane is a bit unrealistic.  I've given him a new retooling to make him more realistic.
That is all.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I don't want to bug you, but while you're active, could you answer this question please?

What became of the careers of the Goldwaters, Spiro T Agnew, Jim Rhodes, Richard Nixon, and Robert Finch?

[Mechaman]

What became of the careers of the Goldwaters, Spiro T Agnew, Jim Rhodes, Richard Nixon, and Robert Finch?

Barry Goldwater has been the senior US Senator from Arizona since 1957 when he was elected to the class 3 group of US Senators.  Barry Goldwater Jr. is currently a partner of a law firm based out of Bakersfield dealing with personal injury cases.

Spiro T. Agnew, the former governor of Maryland and former GOP Presidential nominee in 1972 against RFK has been out of prison for five years after he was arrested for corruption charges after the 1972 election.  He is currently in retirement living with his wife Judy Agnew in the small town of Berlin, Maryland.

Jim Rhodes, former governor of Ohio and former GOP Vice Presidential nominee in 1972 is currently the US Secretary of Commerce in the Crane Administration.

Richard Nixon, the former US Speaker of the House during the 1960's who was infamously indicted for illegal wiretapping of political opponents ended up in prison for a period of 5 years and barred from public service for ten more years.  He was let out in two years (was put in prison on July 2nd, 1969, let out of prison on August 9th, 1971) and by 1981 (when he would be eligible to run for office once more) he would be 68 years old, which he considered "too old" to make a political comeback.  So in his post political career he has made a name for himself as an alternate timeline novelist.  His last book entitled "For the Like of Ike" revolved around an alternate universe where former Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower decides to run for President on the Republican ticket in 1952 and as Vice President he chooses Richard Nixon.  He describes Eisenhower as a "dynamic conservative" who believed in letting the free market resolves itself in domestic affairs, fixing the US deficit before lowering taxes, and having an active hand in foreign affairs.  At the end of the novel he describes the President's right hand man, Tricky Dick, losing tragically to an alternate timeline John Fitzgerald Kennedy of Massachusetts who was a bit healthier than he was in Nixon's universe.  Nixon is currently writing the sequel to that one entitled "1,000 Days of Camelot" that will be based around the fictional presidency of the US Senator turned President John F. Kennedy and his family.  His works frequently get bashed by the press for "being egocentric (considering he is in a few of them)" and "completely and utterly unrealistic and simply not possible".  The latter of the two criticism has to do with Nixon's assertion that if Truman had attacked the Republican Congress in 1948 instead of attacking Thomas Dewey and thus forcing Dewey into taking a detailed approach to campaigning instead of continuing to make vague policy statements Truman would've won re-election and thus history would've been significantly different.  A huge criticism often evoked by liberal authors has more to do with Nixon's assertion that a Korean War with Truman would've been unwinnable and would be passed onto Eisenhower who would manage to get the US out within a matter of months.  In this universe (the TL) the US intervenes in the war and wins it in a matter of months.  Scholars also question Nixon's assertion that despite Kefauver overwhelmingly winning the primaries in 1952 the Democratic Party would shaft him and go with the uncharismatic intellectual "egghead" Adlai Stevenson.

Robert Finch becomes the 33rd Governor of California and presides over a period of relative prosperity from 1971-1979 (when Democrat Roger Ebert wins the gubernatorial election to succeed him).  Right now as of this writing he is the US Secretary of State.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Funny to see Nixon write books about himself. Now that I think about it, what happened to the Buckley Bros. and who's in Crane's cabinet? You said there'd be a Rockefeller and maybe a Buckley in it. Thanks.

[Mechaman]

Might as well make a Crane Cabinet (better now than never I guess):

The Crane Cabinet (May 1984)

President: Philip Crane (Independent-Illinois)
Vice President: Ray Hutchison (Republican-Texas)
Secretary of State: Robert Finch (Republican-California)
Secretary of Treasury: James T. O'Doyle (Independent-Pennsylvania)*
Secretary of Defense: William Buckley, Jr. (Conservative-New York)
Attorney General: John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV (Republican-West Virginia)
Secretary of Interior: Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Democratic-Colorado)
Secretary of Agriculture: Gregory T. Helms (Republican-Nebraska) (no relationship to Jesse Helms)
Secretary of Commerce: James A. Rhodes (Republican-Ohio)
Secretary of Labor: Coretta Scott King (Republican-Georgia)
Secretary of the PHS (Public Healthcare System, established in 1974): Paul Tsongas (Democratic-Massachusetts)
Secretary of Urban Planning (equivalent of HUD): William H. Taft III (Republican-Ohio)
Secretary of Infrastructure (equivalent to transportation): James L. Buckley (Conservative-New York)
Secretary of Conservation (equivalent to energy): Michael J. Sullivan (Democratic-Idaho)
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Alfred C. Giordino (Concern Families-New Jersey)
Chief of Staff: Edward R. Madigan (Republican-Illinois)
Director of the Budget Office: Anthony R. Goldberg (Independent-Maine)*
Administrator of the Agency of Conservation (AOC): Kathleen R. Jayne (Independent-Georgia)*
Trade Representative: Thomas E. Hayden (Democratic-California)
UN Ambassador: James Hood (Republican-Alabama)
Chairperson of the CEA: Vladimir Ryan Kowalski (Republican-Wisconsin)*

*Fictional Character

A pretty diverse group, even some Democrats (though most of them seem to be sympathetic to neo-liberalism)

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I like that among the Democrats in the cabinet, Paul Tsongas is included. I also, of coruse, like that both Buckleys are in the cabinet.

[Mechaman]

UPDATE:

I just realized, since I'm huge into butterflies, that I haven't taken population changes into account previously in the TL.  A few notes:

Since the baby boom was inevitable due to soldiers making babies I'm going to assume that the Electoral College stays pretty much the same from 1948-1961.  A few factors in the 60's and 70's will make the Electoral College a little bit different, but namely:

A) The existence of a tech industry in the West prevalent in the urban areas of every state.  The low cost of living and room for population growth draws young professionals skilled in Business, Engineering, Science, and other professional classes by the millions out west.  Like IRL a majority of these individuals settle in California, however the number is lesser than IRL due to the opportunities available in other western states (especially Washington and Montana) that didn't exist IRL.
B) The so-called "Golden Era of Trade Liberalism" that arose in reaction to the perceived failures of the protectionist policies of the Republican 1920s results in the lowest tariff rates in history as liberals (mostly Democrats) start pushing forth a pro-free trade agenda.  As a result Detroit and other manufacturing industry hotspots begin to get outcompeted by foreign labor, causing a population migration away from those areas to the American West or New England to work in the tech industry.
C) The Counter Culture, though still present, is quite a bit weaker in this timeline.  This is due to a multitude of factors, namely that mainstream America is already socially progressive enough at the point that the counter culture arises that not many people see the point of it besides refusing to take showers.  As a result smaller numbers of young people flock to the Pacific Coast and other places of "enlightenment".  That is displaced, however, by the droves of young professionals (many of them the first generation of their families to earn a college education) moving out west to find work in the booming tech industry.
D) Natural Disasters, which I will cover at a later time.
E) Liberalized immigration laws allow record numbers of migrants into the states.  Also a number of conflicts (namely Vietnam, the Great Irish Civil War of 1966-1972, the disintegration of the Soviet Union beginning in the late 1960's, the Second French Revolution (which ultimately failed) of 1958, the Italian Revolution (which ultimately succeeded) of 1975, Jewish refugees from the Holocaust (which are much more due to the lack of an Israeli state in the Middle East), the Chinese Civil War, a period of Cuban anarchy following the death of Fidel Castro in March 1962 leads to massive numbers (some say numbers as high as a third) of the population immigrating to Florida, and various other events (too many for me to list this early in the morning) help lead to population increases on the coasts of America.

Due to these factors I will have to redo the maps for elections from 1964-present to give a more accurate representation of the EC of this TL.

[Mechaman]

EDIT: Had to delete previous map because it was in my opinion a bit too drastic of a change (Missouri 16 EVS and Michigan 17 EVs.....yeah not happening in 1962).

Here's the new map:

1962-1972 EC Map:

I believe these numbers are correct......
As with the last one:

Red=Gain
Blue=Lose
Grey=Stays the same

[Mechaman]

Now, 1972-1982 EC Map:

Same key as before.

Like I said in the preceding remarks the growth of the tech industry and counter culture leads to growth out west while Middle America seems to keep bleeding electoral votes to the coasts as young people leave home and head off to the urban areas.  In the south increased Cuban/Caribbean immigration leads to population growth in Florida and Georgia.  In a rare turn of events the Northeast experiences a large population increase (due mostly to record levels of Irish immigration in the wake of the Great Irish Civil War).  However, this trend would prove to be short lived........

[Mechaman]

UPDATE:

Deleted yet another post after I realized that it was beating a dead horse.
I shall come up with a new update relating to the campaign that makes more sense.

[Mechaman]

Westman Primary Ad: Honest and True Politics for Montana
Date Aired: May 12th, 1984:

Video of Scott Westman standing in front of Flathead Lake in Levi jeans and a hoody sweatshirt.

Westman: Lately it seems that politics has gone from it's humble roots.  Now days politicians don't campaign on what they stand for, but rather their campaigns exist solely as character condemnations of others.  In my opinion this is not only wrong, but it's something that the people of this great state are clearly above.
My goal in running for this office isn't to bash an ideological point of view into your head.  My interest in this office is to govern by the needs of the people of this state, not to force my own views of society upon them.  It is also not to pretend to be something that I'm not.  I don't know what it's like to work paycheck to paycheck just to survive.  However, I know that through the functions of personal and public charity I can help lessen the number of people who knows what it's like to live in the throes of poverty struggling to stay alive.
As for my record, well I think it speaks for itself.  During my tenure in the US Senator I helped craft a number of legislation that has greatly helped the people of this country, and the people of Montana, recover from the great economic crisis of the previous decade.  As the Governor of Montana I will guide by these same principles, principles melded in the eternal spirit of pragmatism that helps the wheels of this state's economy and livelihood.
If you believe that this state deserves more than political mudslinging and a true and honest vision of government for the people and by the people, then please join us.
Thank you for your time and God Bless.

The preceding political ad was brought to you by Scott Westman for Montana Governor.

Scott Westman's laid back ad shot on the shores of Flathead Lake near his home that didn't mention his opponent at all would resonate strongly with the people of Montana.  The once Counterculture Warrior would come across as the great pragmatic candidate of the people.  The message of the Westman Campaign, finding strength in the power of Westman's new political character, would show strong returns in the polls.  Once behind Baucus Westman would find himself tied with Baucus two days after the ad.

[Mechaman]

November 18th, 1983
Democratic Pre-Primary Debate
Topeka, Kansas:

Excerpts:

US Senator John Glenn (D-OH) What is most important for this nation is that the American president, above all partisan and ideological concerns, represents the will of the American people.  If he should fail this, God help us all.
US Senator Daniel Lynch (D-MA) We need a president in office who doesn't shaft the working man for the benefit of the well off, a situation that I am afraid is common now days.
US Senator Thomas Eagleton (D-MO) There is one trait that must be exhibited and that is unrestrained, unbiased political courage.  Courage to do what's right no matter what.
Fmr. US Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK) For too long the privileged and the elite have ran this nation.  What is needed more than ever is open and transparent government and a renewed interest in upholding the civil liberties guaranteed in our Constitution.
Fmr. US Senator Fred Harris (D-OK) The degree to which this President and his administration have scraped the social programs that have made this nation great is astounding.  Tax cuts being given to rich fat cats while our deficits skyrocket to feed the paranoid right wing's fear of a remote attack on American soil.  Astounding.
Governor Roger Ebert (D-CA) What a nation needs is an open minded executive willing to do what is best to set our financial ship straight, something I'm afraid that our current president isn't willing enough to do, especially in regards to cutting military and nuclear weapons expenditures.  Tell me, what in the hell do we need 100 nuclear warheads produced a year for?  THERE IS NO DANGER AND THE PRESIDENT DAMN WELL KNOWS IT WHY THE HELL ARE WE STILL PRODUCING NUCLEAR WEAPONS WHEN WE HAVE THOUSANDS IN THE STOCKPILE ENOUGH TO DESTROY THE WORLD TWELVE TIMES OVER?!
Governor Robert Barker (D-WA) What matters the most is cold hard results and when it comes down to results in the conditions of working Americans President Crane is a failure.
Fmr. Vice President James Carter (D-GA) The saber rattling this administration is doing is completely unnecessary.  Since the death of Communist China there is no outside military threat to the people of this nation.  What is needed now more than ever, for the financial security of this nation, is drastic reductions in our overbloated military budget and divert such resources to things useful like education and healthcare.
Rep. Charles Manson (D-CA) This current administration poor killing policies are going to destroy this nation if we are not careful.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out how to balance the budget: cut military spending.  However it takes a fool, a damned fool, to continue on this path.
Rep. Ralph Nader (D-CT) The social welfare programs that have helped make this nation the envy of the modern world are under grave danger while right wingers insist that keeping troops deployed overseas and the production of civilization killing weapons in a world that lacks an enemy superpower are more important than the health and education of our citizens.
Governor Stephen Smith (D-NY)  What this nation needs more than ever is informed pragmatic leadership, like the leadership I have shown as the Governor of New York.  The focus should be on results, stuff that works, not based solely on ideology.

The Democratic Presidential Pre-Primary debates showed the candidates mostly criticizing Phil Crane's "excessive military spending" and failure to balance the budget.  The winner of the first debate (as voted by viewers) was California Governor Roger Ebert who showed the most outright frankness in the debate.  Time and Newsweek however thought that Ohio Senator John Glenn won the debate.
As the campaign went on Senator Glenn would gain the lead in the polls and was predicted by many pundits to win the Iowa Primary in January.
However, events would take a drastic turn:

January 1st, 1984
6:25 AM
CNN News:

CNN News has just received news from the Glenn Campaign for President that the US Senator suffered Sudden Heart Failure sometime during the night.  Death is estimated to have occurred during the sleep.  Funeral services are to be held on the 8th, a week before the Iowa Primary.

John Herschel Glenn, Jr.
July 18th, 1921-January 1st, 1984

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Go Crane! It'd be sweet to have him be the first un-affiliated President elected since Washington.

[Mechaman]

Okay time for a hype entry:

Who will win the Democratic nomination for President?
Will Scott Westman win the Democratic nomination for Governor?
Who will replace John Glenn as US Senator?
What does the EC map for 1984 look like?
What's going on in the Republican Primaries?
Will Phil Crane run in the Republican Primaries, or will he run unaffiliated?

These questions and more will be answered next time on Dragonball Z!

[Mechaman]

Iowa Democratic Caucus
January 17th, 1984:

The day had finally come for the Iowa Caucuses, the first presidential contest for the Democratic nomination in 1984.  With the passing of US Senator and American hero John Glenn there was a great deal of uncertainty of who would win.  In the weeks leading up to the day the race had become competitive between Eagleton, Harris, Carter, and Smith.  Carter, being a former Vice President, had the support of a lot of the party establishment walking into the caucus.  Eagleton had his regional appeal (Missouri is a neighboring state).  Smith had his connections to the Kennedy family (who were very popular amongst Rust Belt Democrats).  And finally Harris had the support of the activist wing of the party.  Other "serious" candidates like Lynch, Ebert, and Barker decided to not focus on Iowa and hold off for New Hampshire and other important primaries.  Also-rans like Gravel, Manson, and Nader polled under 5% in Iowa and thus were widely dismissed by the media as being "no-shots".  The day before the Caucus showed Eagleton leading the pack with 29.02% of the vote.
The day of the Caucus would have a shocker victory:

Former US Senator Fred R. Harris (Oklahoma)28.12%
US Senator Thomas Eagleton (Missouri) 27.99%
Former Vice President James Carter (Georgia) 23.45%
Governor Steven Smith (New York) 18.71%
Others=1.73%

Fred Harris would win an upset victory in the Iowa caucus by rallying the progressive base to the voting booth.  Many pundits, however, still remained skeptical of the Social Democratic sympathetic Fred Harris being a serious candidate for the nomination.

Note: Due to the number of candidates in the election the color on the map does not correspond to the percentage won by a particular candidate but rather their primary color.

[Mechaman]

The Next Week
January 24th, 1984
New Hampshire Primary:

In the week after the Iowa Caucus the candidates would step it up for the New Hampshire Primary.  Due to his regional appeal (being a Senator from Massachusetts) Lynch was seeing as having the advantage.  However, the independent views of Ebert might give the California governor a unique opportunity to prove his worth in the primary race.  Candidate Gravel would drop out of the primaries before the New Hampshire Primary and would throw his support behind Ebert, hoping to give the young governor a boost in the polls against the favored to win Daniel Lynch.  Governor Smith, being from nearby New York, also was polling strongly in the New Hampshire race.  Most pundits and commentators put it down to a three way race between Ebert, Lynch, and Smith.
The results:

US Senator Daniel Lynch (Massachusetts) 29.12%
Governor Roger Ebert (California) 28.97%
Governor Stephen Smith (New York) 27.45%
Governor Robert Barker (Washington) 9.12%
Former US Senator Fred Harris (Oklahoma) 4.02%
Others=1.32%

Though Lynch won the primary, as predicted by the pundits, the strong second place finish by Ebert convinced many that the young California Governor, despite his frank demeanor, had a serious shot at getting the nomination.

[Mechaman]

Candidates still in the race:

Daniel Lynch
Thomas Eagleton
Fred Harris
Roger Ebert
Robert Barker
James Carter
Charles Manson
Ralph Nader
Stephen Smith