Sun and Moon - The Presidential Election of 2040

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Sun and Moon

The Presidential Election of 2040

a new year
will there be
new gadgets
new toys
or will there be
new friends
new love

 - Rupi Kaur, “Sun and Moon,” published 2038

The year 2040 arrives. The ball drops in Times Square, visited by much fanfare and confetti, seen by thousands huddled in the cold of New York. Millions more experience the drop from afar, whether they watch it through old-fashioned means like television or online video or immerse themselves via new-fangled virtual reality systems or brain implants. Either way, the new year is greeted by a world cautiously optimistic, still recovering from the turmoil of previous decades while grappling with the new challenges of this one.

For two people in particular, 2040 brings both much trepidation and much opportunity. One of them is the President of the United States, a change agent who vies for reelection in a world much changed. The other is perhaps America’s greatest living leftist, eyeing the presidency as a way to make the world a better place. From the outside, they are sworn enemies, but the truth is, they form a symbiosis; it is no surprise that they, once upon a time, used to be friends.

This is their story.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Table of Contents

00. Prologue

Part I: Nasty Women

01. The Future is Female
02. Beautiful Stranger
03. Four Walls
04. Into the New World
05. Rude Love

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Chapter 1: The Future is Female

“Why are all the women these days so...unladylike? Back in my day, a woman did this, and a man did that. Now our Republican President is a C-pop idol who cares more about breaking ceilings than conservatism and probably smoked weed in college, while the leading Democratic challenger is a Communist muffin who definitely smoked weed in college.”

 - Conservative radio host Al “All-Right” Anderson, on a January 4, 2040 radio broadcast

* * *

January 5, 2040; Governor’s Office, Baltimore, Maryland

The Governor looked at herself in the wall mirror, sitting a good distance away in her fancy steel swivel chair that formed the centerpiece of her office. It complemented, and in some ways, overshadowed her austere office. The chair, another chair located near the door, the desk, and a shelf of various papers. No pictures, no office plants, nothing but her computer, the mirror, furniture, and papers of all sorts. Just like she wanted; the Governor loved minimalism and hated clutter.

She combed her hair, looking at herself in that one piece of office decoration. Short hair, she thought. The governors of Maryland; they all had short hair. I merely continued that tradition.

But that was because they were all male, the first female governor of Maryland remembered. Surely I’m the first female governor anywhere who has short hair!

And, she thought, knocking on her steel armrest (since there was no wood anywhere in knocking distance; her desk was also made of steel), I will be the first female President of the United States with short hair.

She combed her hair with her fingers one more time, hair dyed yellow with streaks of the original black at the roots. Both were colors you would commonly see on the heads of politicians, but never together. But in her case, it was not a liability; her crazy hair made her authentic, and that was all that mattered.

What other “firsts” would I be? The Governor kept thinking. I could have been the first female and the first Asian President of the United States, if it weren’t for the fact that my opponent already beat me to it on both counts! At least I would be the first Korean. And I would be the first President from Maryland since, like, ever.

She paused. Were there any Marylanders who became President before her? She couldn’t remember. If she were connected to the Internet, she could’ve instantly checked online if she were correct or not. But the Presidential Security Act of 2034 prohibited Presidents and presidential candidates from having active brain implants that were connected to the Internet. Not that she would’ve gotten one otherwise. She always found getting one quite weird, even for her weird self.

She looked down and turned on her phone hologram. With the touch of a button, her speeches beamed up in front of her, typed in her own words, though with plenty of editor corrections crisscrossing the screen, written in red pen and marker. Though her phone screen itself automatically turned dark, as they usually do when holograms are activated, she had enough muscle memory to adjust the zoom level by dancing her fingers on her phone, like how one would do on a phone screen before phone holograms were invented.

The Governor had the speech currently displayed down pat; looking at it one more time had a bit of a feel-goodness to it, but it didn’t really help with the actual memorization part. So, taking a very brief respite from her busy schedule, she instead swiped to another app - the photo gallery.

She swiped to the “Favorites” album, where her favorite photos from a good two decades were stored. She looked at the first one. There she was, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Bernie Sanders. The other socialist with crazy hair, who also used their crazy hair for authenticity purposes.

Sanders was long gone, died a peaceful death at the age of 88. But he was smiling, somewhere. He lived just long enough to see the ascendance of the new progressive, nay, the new socialist majority. He lived just long enough to see his image of America, the one he spent years and decades trying to create, come true. And had he lived just a bit longer, he could see the Governor, this spunky young woman with crazy hair from the South, become his ideological heir.

Dang, she thought. How much times had changed.

The Governor swiped right when she overheard conversation.

“I’m sorry, m’am,” a Secret Service Agent said, “but you can’t go into this room.”

“I’m sorry,” a female voice said in response. “I was just trying to find the printer room. I...I didn’t want to cause any trouble.”

“Let her in,” the Governor said without much thought.

“Excuse me, Governor Glass?” the agent said as he opened the door. “This person is not authorized to enter your office.”

“She’s one of my interns,” Glass responded. “She’s been on my team for two months. She’s vetted and everything. For her it’s just an honest mistake, and besides, it would be great to she the person she’s been campaigning for.”

“All right,” the agent said. After a brief pause - presumably to double check that the other person didn’t have any weapons on her - the door opened. A young intern, sporting a white skirt and white hair, walked in with a stack of equally white papers. A stack of papers, the Governor thought. In 2040. Heading to a print room. Yep.

“Governor Amber Glass,” the intern said excitedly. “It’s such an honor to see you!” She gingerly put the stack of papers on a nearby glass table before extending her hand out.

“Thanks for the compliment, Deneb,” the Governor said, shaking the intern’s hand. “And Happy New Years!”

“And Happy New Year’s to you too,” Deneb said.

Deneb. A butterfly puked in the Governor’s stomach, as it does every time she hears that name. Deneb. She turned around and noticed that her phone hologram was still on, showing the next photo wide and clear across the wall.

It took a good second for Governor Glass to snap out of her trance. “Oh, Deneb Kay,” she said, “sorry about the whole Secret Service agent thing. They’re just here to protect me from danger, as you obviously know. But I have the philosophy to keep myself open to talking with interns like you, since it’s important that you gain the full experience of working with an actual public servant. It’s important that you keep your politicians and politics accountable.”

“It’s okay,” Deneb replied.

Another pause as the Governor shifted herself in her fancy chair. “So, Deneb, what would you like to talk about?”

“I don’t really know.” Deneb said. “I guess the Iowa caucuses, since they’re coming up pretty soon.”

“Oh, yes the caucuses,” the Governor said. “Yes, they are very important indeed.” She was about to grab her phone off the desk, but she had forgotten why she wanted to do so, so she returned her arm to her side.

“Currently there are five candidates running right now, including myself, as you know.” The Governor took a deep breath, as one often does as they state the obvious.

“What about-”

“Six if you include the President,” Glass said, anticipating the question. “It’s not going to be easy; all those candidates are quite strong, and a lot of them have a hell of a lot more ‘experience’ than I do.” She took another breath. “Not to toot my own horn too much, but here’s the key: I’m also a hell of a lot more to the left than them, and I expect that my record is going to be worth a lot more than their ‘experience’ on the field.”

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Deneb paused for a second. She opened her mouth slightly, then closed it once she forgot what question she was going to ask. Trying to figure out what said question was, she laid her eyes on the still-on projection. “I’m curious, what’s that on the wall?”

She shifted her seat back to its original position, examining the projection some more. There were two women in the selfie, and yes, it was a selfie, back when they were still kind of dodgy in terms of filter quality and the like. One of them was clearly Amber Glass, née Moon, the plucky short-haired socialist and future Governor of Maryland. The other woman stood in the back, her bangs glittering in the sun.

“Okay, I’m this big politics and history nerd, which is totally unsurprising considering that I’m one of your interns,” Deneb the intern said in one breath, “so I know a lot of really obscure historical figures even without the Internet.” She took another breath and pointed to the other woman. “This is Deneb Luna, right, Democratic House candidate for Georgia’s 6th district in 2024? Okay, maybe it’s less that I’m a nerd and more that I’m basically her namesake.” She rolled her eyes in irony and chuckled simultaneously.

“I don’t know if you know this, Deneb,” Governor Glass said, emphasizing the shared name, “but this Deneb, Deneb Luna, was more than a Congressional candidate. She was actually my classmate since elementary school.” A single tear formed in the Governor’s eye, though she maintained her composure. “She was actually the one who inspired me to go into electoral politics.”

And that single tear fell. Deneb’s eyes tracked the tear, but she did not say anything about it.

“Really,” Deneb the intern said instead. “Even more than Bernie Sanders.”

“In some sense, yes, even more than Bernie.” The Governor flipped to the previous picture of her younger self with Sanders. “Though he was an important influence of mine, so don’t underestimate his in-.”

“Hold on.” It was her phone, buzzing and nagging her on the table. She checked it; it was her campaign manager. “Meeting with staff at 2,” the text said. “Oh, I’m sorry Deneb, but I need to meet with my campaign staff to discuss strategy in a few minutes.”

“Oh it’s okay,” Deneb said, “I know that you’re always so busy. Honestly, I didn’t expect to talk with you in the first place, so this is a great opportunity.”

“But,” Deneb added, “may I ask for one more thing. It’s a minor thing, it won’t take long.”

“Let me guess, it’s the intern selfie,” Glass responded as she stood up in anticipation.

“How did you know,” Deneb said wryly.

“Every intern wants one,” Glass said. “What do you think the photo op with Bernie was?”

“I guess,” Deneb said. She stood up, positioned herself next to the Governor, careful not to trip over the thousands of chairs that dotted the room. She grabbed her phone out of her purse, stretched out her arm in classic selfie position, and tilted it for cutsy reasons. With the raise of an eyebrow - the Governor noticed that they were brownish-tan, indicative of a bottle white - Deneb then activated the phone camera and positioned it just so.

“Hey,” Deneb said when she, through the phone camera, eyed the Governor squinting to see their faces on the phone screen. “I know that you can’t see ourselves through the camera, but please, look presidential.”

“Haha,” Glass said, relaxing her eyes to their normal selves. 3...2...1...snap! And another historical moment was captured.

“Thank you, Governor,” Deneb said as she headed to the door.

“You’re welcome,” Governor Glass said as she walked backwards to her steel chair.

“And make sure you go out and change the world!” Deneb said as she left.

Change the world, the Governor thought. That is what Presidents do, don’t they, for better and worse. And she remembered the original Deneb. I know that you always wanted to change the world.

I will make your wish come true, Deneb.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

January 5, 2040; White House, Washington, D.C.

At this moment, the Leader of the Free World was at her most vulnerable. Standing in the shower, a simple misstep could send her careening down to her doom. With her goes the country, and with the country goes the world. Nobody said being the Leader of the Free World was easy.

She adjusted the water temperature to be slightly warmer than it is what it is now, using the button selector panel. Despite the amazing, amazing design - somehow they compressed over a hundred different options into a shape that vaguely looked like a Venn diagram - it was not the fanciest shower out there. The fanciest showers could be controlled via brain implants and a Local Area Network, but surprise! The President is forbidden by law to have such implants.

Even after three years, she missed having her old implants. They were technically still there, but they have been permanently disabled, so she may as well have bricks in her head. And despite her implants being absolutely terrible compared to the new models out there, it was still so convenient. Operating showers were just the tip of the iceberg. But national security was paramount, so old school technology it was.

The steel button panel also happened to double up as a good mirror. She looked at her own face. It was like most other Asian faces, somewhat oval in shape, somewhat long. with the characteristic eye shape and long cheekbones.

There was also the youth of her face; nary a pimple nor a wrinkle spoiled her perfect countenance. Being Asian certainly helped, though one can easily argue that it is White people who age abnormally fast. It is not uncommon to mistake a thirty-year-old for someone ten years younger. But the President was almost a month older than forty-four, and nobody mistakes someone who’s forty for someone’s who’s thirty. That’s where the Botox and the plastic surgeries and the lasers come in.

Hey, nobody said being President was easy. Especially a Republican president; as the party of the rich and vain, beauty was everything. And especially for a female Republican president. These days, a forty-year-old Republican female who actually looks like they’re forty can kiss their political career goodbye. Better start sooner than later to beat the inevitable in-office aging.

The Democrats do have it somewhat easier. After all, the leader in the polls, Governor Amber Glass, has her characteristic short hair, hair that’s currently blondish-yellow (or should one say, amber). While the Republicans are stuck as the party of plastic surgery, a bit of authenticity never hurts for the Democrats. But even then, youth-preserving procedures are not uncommon with them either.

What the Botox and the surgeries and the lasers can never hide, though, are the scars of being in office. Over the last three years, she has killed people. Many thousands of people, some of who were killed via the most grotesque of methods.

The President looked down at herself, counting each single drop of water that landed on her skin. In each drop, there was a soul, a soul cut short by the words she said, the actions she directed. The child soldier, forced into conflict, shot by American bullets. His brother, who managed to escape, only to be dismembered shortly after by American bombs. His mother, raped by militia who were funded with American aid.

Hey, nobody said being Leader of the Free World was easy.

She shook her head, her beautiful dyed-brown hair going whichever which way. But she quickly suppressed those musings. Quickly, the President turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, dried herself, and put on her clothes: underwear, then makeup (which may as well count as clothing with the amount she has to put on), then her suit and tie.

“Good morning,” she said to the Secret Service agent standing outside the bedroom door as she left for her daily coffee and her daily briefings.

“Good morning to you, Mrs. President,” the Secret Service agent said in return, before taking a moment to examine his fingertips.

The President entered the main White House hallway when she heard a soft pitter patter that got louder and louder. She knew who it was. It was Jay Buono, the President’s new polling director.

“Hi, President Sun,” Jay said, short of breath as per usual. “Big news!”

“Big news, you say,” President Sun said, one eyebrow lifted. “Big enough to interrupt me on my way to my daily coffee?”

“Sorry, sorry,” the campaign manager said. His eyes locked with the President’s for a moment, but in the next instant searched for something else to look at. To stare at the President was a dangerous proposition that nobody dared.

The President attempted a smile, and got halfway there; it was a moment more humorous than annoying. But the annoyance was still there, and so abandoned her smile, settling for a half-assed uncomfortable smirk.

“So what’s the big news, Jay?” President Sun said.

“Oh, it’s just that Governor Glass has had a yuge rise in the polls!” Jay said. “Like-”

“Please,” the President interrupted, “don’t say ‘yuge’ ever again. Say ‘huge’ like normal people, okay?” Can’t believe he was the Republican president before me, she thought.

“Okay, I’m sorry, huge,” Jay said, emphasizing the initial ‘h’ sound. “But regardless, it’s a pretty big jump. Our internals now have Glass at 28 percent in Iowa, surpassing Buttigieg’s place.”

“28 percent?” the President responded? “That’s not ‘huge.’ Any increase is probably just either statistical noise or undecideds coalescing around the candidates.”

“Okay,” Jay admitted, “it wasn’t that big of a jump, but I just thought I wanted to tell you about this. Okay?”

“You don’t need to tell me anything,” the President said. “First, I can find out stuff for myself.” She stepped back and made a huge indeterminate gesture with her arms. “News is everywhere these days! That’s the beauty of technology and mass media.”

Jay just stood there. It was not like he was going to argue with a former tech CEO, even if she wasn’t also the President.

“Besides,” the President added, “this Amber girl? I can take care of her. I know her.”

Jay nodded before pitter pattering away down the hallway. Then a pause. Then he turned around, just in time to see the President about to exit the hallway.

“Governor Glass...about her…” Jay said.

“Yes?” the President said, left eyebrow raised.

“You two went to the same university, right?”

The President paused, as if in deep thought. It was more like shallow thought, though.

“Yes,” she said, “if you mean by undergraduate. She was  Class of 2020, I was Class of 2017.”

“And,” the President added, “fun fact, we were both part of the College Democrats club. Fun times, actually.”

Jay tried to make sense of the President’s words. College Democrats. Republican president. His face slightly contorted, hinting at the mental jigsaws he was doing in his head. He gave up though. It probably makes sense somehow, he thought.

“And yes, we knew each other somewhat. Not the best of friends, but we were friends. So I know her. I know her strengths, and I know her weaknesses. Heaven help that she wins the nomination, but if that happens, I will be ready.”

And with that said, the Leader of the Free World continued on her path, headed to drink her daily coffee and listen to her daily briefings.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Looks interesting! What did the 2036 electoral map look like?

The 2036 Electoral Map

Gov. Crystal Sun (R-CA)/Sen. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) - 484 EVs
Pres. Joaquin Castro (D-TX)/VP Jason Kander (D-MO) - 170 EVs

Two things of note:
1. The House of Representatives is now working on the Wyoming Rule (technically it's now the Vermont Rule, but whatever), where the number of CDs is determined by the state's population divided by the least populated state's population (by the 2030 Census, this would be Vermont).
2. Yes, your eyes don't deceive you, that is a Republican California.

As for other elections, I'll reveal them as the story progresses. I plan to make big updates out of the 2020 and 2024 elections in particular.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Please continue, this is really well written.

Thanks for the compliment! To be honest, I was worried that people here won't have the attention span to read these long-form stories, so it's nice to hear this kind of encouragement.

Anyways, next up will be presidential candidate bios.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Crystal Sun

Crystal Sun (Chinese: 孙美玉, Sūn Měi yù; born December 8, 1995) is an American entrepreneur and politician who is the 48th and current President of the United States. She is the first female and first Asian-American President, as well as the youngest President upon assuming office.. Before taking office in 2037, she was the CEO of Daedalus Inc. (now Daedalus Mindworks) and served as the 48th Governor of California from 2032 to 2037.

Sun was born to Chinese immigrants from Nanjing, China who settled in Montgomery, New Jersey, where Sun and her older sister, businesswoman Jessica Sun, were born. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University, she worked at Google before co-founding Daedalus with co-founder Isaac Hassan. After serving as CEO from 2022 to 2032, she switched her party affiliation from Democratic to Republican and was elected Governor of California in the 2032 recall election to replace then-Governor John Chiang; she became the 5th youngest person ever to assume the office.

Sun announced her candidacy for president in early 2035, and led in many polls between then and the Iowa caucuses. After securing the nomination, Sun defeated incumbent Democratic president Joaquin Castro in the 2036 general election, becoming the first candidate to defeat an incumbent president since Bill Clinton in 1992 and the first Republican to win California since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Sun was inaugurated on January 20, 2037 as the first Republican president since Donald Trump.

Immediately after taking office, Sun presided over a series of tax cuts and new tax exemptions, such as the Automation Tax Correction Act of 2037 and the Developer Relief Act of 2037. Most of the cuts were aimed at stimulating the economy in the aftermath of the Recession of 2036. She also enacted laws that deregulated industry, particularly the pharmaceutical, biotech, and information technology sectors, including the Human Genetics Freedom Act of 2037 and the Information Technology Freedom Act of 2038. Sun has been a proponent of feminism and minority rights, enacting the Diverse Leaders Act of 2037; however, her passage of the Equal Admittance Act of 2038 has garnered both support and criticism from civil rights circles.

In foreign policy, Sun engaged in a so-called “Sunshine Policy” with the People’s Republic of China, which included signing free trade deals, repealing most restrictions on Sino-American space cooperation, and working with China on the liberalization of North Korea. Sun has continued the trend of increasing American involvement in African affairs of her predecessors, including expanding American involvement in the Third Congo War and the Niger War. She also greatly expanded the American refugee program, particularly to accommodate climate refugees from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Sun is married to former entrepreneur and First Gentleman Coleman Harris; they have one child, Isabella Harris. The second billionaire president after Donald Trump, her net worth is estimated to be $10 billion, making her the richest president in American history and the 201st wealthiest person in the world.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Amber Glass

Glass on the October 23, 2038 cover of TIME Magazine

Amber Glass (née Moon; Korean: 문엠버, Mun Em-beo; born November 11, 1997) is an American politician who is the 66th and current Governor of Maryland, in office since January 2035. She has previously served as the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City from 2027 to 2030 and as Mayor of Baltimore from 2030 to 2034.

Born in Johns Creek, Georgia, Glass attended Johns Hopkins University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, before attending Yale Law School. Glass then returned to Baltimore, where she was involved in many criminal justice cases in Baltimore, most notably the police shooting of Patricia Lea and the Koreatown riots of 2023.

While as Governor and as Mayor, she has implemented various progressive reforms, most notably the first statewide Universal Basic Income program in the United States. She has also implemented criminal justice reforms and reversed policies associated with the War on Drugs.

Glass announced her entry in the 2040 United States Presidential Elections in April 2039. She has become a favorite of the socialist wing of the Democratic Party, having led in several opinion polls since the announcement of her candidacy.

Glass is notable for being the first female, the first Asian-American, and the first democratic socialist to serve as Governor of Maryland. She is also the youngest Governor of Maryland since Henry Lloyd served as the 40th Governor from 1885 to 1888. She is well known for both her leftist politics and her eccentric personal qualities, including her famous short haircut and her self-identification as a “tomboy.” Glass is married to classical musician Timothy Glass.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Jon Ossoff

Ossoff campaigning for reelection in 2034

Thomas Jonathan “Jon” Ossoff (born February 16, 1987) is an American politician who served as the 85th Governor of Georgia from 2031 to 2039 and is a candidate in the 2040 United States Presidential Election. Ossoff also served as Georgia Secretary of State from 2023 to 2031.

After working as a political aide and documentary producer, Ossoff ran for Congress twice against Congresswoman Karen Handel, in 2017 and 2018. Both times he was defeated; the former election also has the distinction of being the most expensive House race in history when adjusted for inflation. He returned to the private sector before winning the Secretary of State election in 2022.

As Governor, Ossoff expanded infrastructure and renewable energy in Georgia, particularly in the Atlanta metropolitan area and in climate change-affected coastal regions. He is widely seen as one of the more conservative members of the Democratic Party, having at times publicly opposed progressive policies such as Universal Basic Income. Ossoff is also seen as a favorite in the 2040 presidential election, usually placing first or second in nationwide polls.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Pete Buttigieg

Peter Paul Montgomery “Pete” Buttigieg (born January 19, 1982) is an American politician who is the junior United States Senator from Indiana and a candidate for the 2040 United States Presidential Elections. He also served as mayor of South Bend and as U.S. Representative for Indiana’s second congressional district.

Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard University, a Rhodes Scholar, and a veteran of the American War in Afghanistan. He is also the first gay Senator from Indiana. While as mayor of South Bend, Buttigieg unsuccessfully ran for the chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017. He won election to the Senate in 2030, succeeding outgoing Senator Joe Donnelly, with notable support from working class voters; he went on to win reelection in 2036.

As Senator, he has advocated for progressive policies, particularly those that assist blue-collar workers. He supports universal college tuition and active retraining programs for workers displaced by automation. Buttigieg has also been active in programs designed to encourage millennials and homelanders to participate in politics, such as the DNC’s Rising America program.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Tim Ryan

Timothy John Ryan (born July 16, 1973) is an American politician and presidential candidate who is the senior United States Senator from Ohio, in office since January 2025. Ryan has previously served as the U.S. Representative for Ohio’s 13th congressional district, having served 2003 to 2024.

Ryan was first elected to Ohio’s 17th district in 2002, which was reconstituted as the 13th district after 2010 redistricting. While in the House, Ryan unsuccessfully tried to unseat Nancy Pelosi as House Minority Leader in 2016. Ryan later ran for Sherrod Brown’s Senate seat, which was vacated in 2024; Ryan defeated Republican Congressman Bob Latta 54% to 45% in the 2024 election.

In March 2039, Ryan ended months of speculation by announcing his candidacy for the 2040 United States Presidential Election. Since his election to the Senate, he has also been speculated to succeed Chris Van Hollen as Senate Minority Leader. As Senator, Ryan has served as a ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee since 2034.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard (born April 12, 1981) is an American politician who is the senior Senator of Hawaii. She previously served as the United States Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2025, when she succeeded Mazie Hirono in the Senate. Before then, she also served on the Hawaii House of Representatives and the Honolulu City Council. She also served as a vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee until 2016. Gabbard is the first American Samoan and Hindu member of the United States Congress.

Gabbard is well known as a perennial candidate for President of the United States, having ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2032 and 2036. She has announced that she will run for President a third time in 2040. Gabbard is also notable for being one of the few Democratic politicians who endorsed Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic nomination.

Gabbard’s views has been described as “progressive,” “isolationist,” and “faux-liberal” by various commentators. Most notably, she supports Universal Basic Income, and strong Indo-American relations, while she opposes restrictions on human genetic modification and US involvement in the Third Congo War and the Niger War.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

This is great! Keep it up. I wonder if there are any candidates who aren't from the 2010s other than Sun and Glass

Also, how come Ossoff was only the governor for 6 years and not 8?

Good catch there! My mistake.

And at this stage, these are the only candidates remaining; everybody else dropped out. I originally thought about adding some non-current politicians in the mix (e.g. candidates who are running in 2018), but I figure it would be easier to write the story with these figures. I also figured they would also be more familiar to my 2010s audience.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

This is a great timeline and it really makes me kind of excited to see an Asian as President.....

May I suggest something ? TD's Between the Two Majorities Timeline I believe is a great reference Point for anyone really.

This timeline was actually inspired by Between Two Majorities, and a lot of what happens is based off of that. I created this timeline to give a more human face to the abstract ideas that TD outlines in his timeline.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

This is a great timeline and it really makes me kind of excited to see an Asian as President.....

May I suggest something ? TD's Between the Two Majorities Timeline I believe is a great reference Point for anyone really.

This timeline was actually inspired by Between Two Majorities, and a lot of what happens is based off of that. I created this timeline to give a more human face to the abstract ideas that TD outlines in his timeline.

So there's a Richard Cordray ?

Can you also do a list of all the Presidents ? And..... the Republican Asian Woman President looks pretty hot..... What ?

I originally considered having a President Cordray, but I personally don't think he's ever going to be President. There is someone like him, but I can't tell you yet, because that will spoil the timeline.

As for your second point: in-universe, by the 2030s the United States has become an even more beauty-conscious society than it is now, thanks to the proliferation of new and inexpensive beauty and plastic surgery treatments. And as the party of the rich, the Republican party is also the party of beauty, so it doesn't hurt to be above average-looking.

But back to the meta: both the photos for President Sun and Governor Glass are of real people. Challenge: If you (or anyone else) can figure out who they are, I'll let you name a character and give you a lot of brownie points. Hint: I didn't choose their first names by accident.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

This is a great timeline and it really makes me kind of excited to see an Asian as President.....

May I suggest something ? TD's Between the Two Majorities Timeline I believe is a great reference Point for anyone really.

This timeline was actually inspired by Between Two Majorities, and a lot of what happens is based off of that. I created this timeline to give a more human face to the abstract ideas that TD outlines in his timeline.

So there's a Richard Cordray ?

Can you also do a list of all the Presidents ? And..... the Republican Asian Woman President looks pretty hot..... What ?

I originally considered having a President Cordray, but I personally don't think he's ever going to be President. There is someone like him, but I can't tell you yet, because that will spoil the timeline.

As for your second point: both the photos for President Sun and Governor Glass are of real people. Challenge: If you (or anyone else) can figure out who they are, I'll let you name a character and give you a lot of brownie points. Hint: I didn't choose their first names by accident.

Crystal Sun is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krystal_Jung

Amber Glass is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Liu_(singer)

Wow...that is fast. You are correct on both counts, and you will be duly rewarded.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

This is a great timeline and it really makes me kind of excited to see an Asian as President.....

May I suggest something ? TD's Between the Two Majorities Timeline I believe is a great reference Point for anyone really.

This timeline was actually inspired by Between Two Majorities, and a lot of what happens is based off of that. I created this timeline to give a more human face to the abstract ideas that TD outlines in his timeline.

So there's a Richard Cordray ?

Can you also do a list of all the Presidents ? And..... the Republican Asian Woman President looks pretty hot..... What ?

I originally considered having a President Cordray, but I personally don't think he's ever going to be President. There is someone like him, but I can't tell you yet, because that will spoil the timeline.

As for your second point: in-universe, by the 2030s the United States has become an even more beauty-conscious society than it is now, thanks to the proliferation of new and inexpensive beauty and plastic surgery treatments. And as the party of the rich, the Republican party is also the party of beauty, so it doesn't hurt to be above average-looking.

But back to the meta: both the photos for President Sun and Governor Glass are of real people. Challenge: If you (or anyone else) can figure out who they are, I'll let you name a character and give you a lot of brownie points. Hint: I didn't choose their first names by accident.

So are you a fan of Korean Pop Singers ? What happened to Pence ? How does Elise Stefanik get chosen for Vice President ? It's kind of like the Clinton Gore Thing isn't it ? How is Trump doing ? Does Single Payer get passed ? What happens to China ? Russia ? North Korea ?

How is the Economy doing ? What happens to the Alt Right People ? Paul Ryan ? Marco Rubio ? Ted Cruz ?

First question: I used to listen to K-pop a lot. Not so much now, but I still respect them, and when coming up with names I figured "Hey, some of them have some cool names."

Third question: Stefanik was chosen for her relative moderation as the entire Republican Party moderates in this timeline. TD actually chose her to become President in his timeframe, so my choice of her as VP (and Joaquin Castro as the defeated Democratic incumbent) was a homage to that.

Other questions: Patience, young person, these will be answered as the story unfolds.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

The U.S. Government of 2040

Note:
Blue denotes Republicans or Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices.
Red denotes Democrats or Democrat-appointed Supreme Court justices.
Black denotes non-partisans or independents.
Italics indicate that the character is fictional.
Executive Branch employees are listed with their most notable past occupations.

Executive Branch

President: Crystal Sun
Vice-President: Elise Stefanik

Sec. of State: JHU SAIS director Vali Nasr
Sec. of the Treasury: AEI President Arthur C. Brooks
Sec. of Defense: NJ Congressman and NSC director Andrew Kim
Attorney General: FL Senator and Pres. candidate Marco Rubio
Sec. of the Interior: TX Congressman Alfred Hernandez
Sec. of Agriculture: KS Governor Theodore Jorgensen
Sec. of Commerce: IN Congressman Trey Hollingsworth
Sec. of Labor: California LWDA secretary Ammar Campa-Najjar
Sec. of HHS: Physician and philanthrophist Priscilla Chan
Sec. of HUD: Pittsburg mayor Rachel Feinberg
Sec. of Transportation: Uber cofounder Garrett Camp
Sec. of Energy: Paypal and Tesla cofounder Elon Musk
Sec. of Education: Chancellor of Washington, D.C. schools Jerry Frankel
Sec. of Veterans Affairs: VA Congressman Zachary Whilden
Sec. of Homeland Security: WI Congressman Mike Gallagher
Sec. of Information Technology: Google CEO Sundar Pichai

White House Chief of Staff: Campaign manager Sulli Shim
White House Press Secretary: Vox writer Matthew Yglesias
Director of the OMB: PA Senator Charlie Dent
Administrator of the EPA: SolarCity cofounder Lyndon Rive
Administrator of the SBA: Ichan Enterprises L.P. CEO Keith Cozza

Trade Representative: SC Governor and Pres. candidate Nikki Haley
UN Ambassador: Pop star and singer Eric Nam

Director of National Intelligence: Georgetown professor Beverly Abrams
Director of the CIA: CIA officer and Presidential candidate Evan McMullin
Director of the FBI: Senator and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris

Chairman of the Federal Reserve: Brown University professor Mark Blyth

Legislative Branch

Senate Majority Leader: Tom Kean, Jr. (R-NJ)
Senate Minority Leader: Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Speaker of the House: Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
House Minority Leader: Justin Amash (R-MI)

Judicial Branch

Justices are ordered by order of appointment.
Cheif Justice is denoted with an asterisk (*)

1. Elena Kagan
2. Neil Gorsuch
3. Thomas Hardiman
4. Sri Srinivasan
5. Paul Watford*
6. Goodwin Liu
7. Kentaji Brown Jackson
8. Michelle Friedland
9. Alex Harris

Others

RNC Chair: Mindy Finn
DNC Chair: Zephyr Teachout

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

You do realize a number of those listed here would be old and senile come 2040?

Good question! There are two aspects to my answer.

The meta answer: This was indeed a concern I had, so I tried to mostly choose people who are currently in their 30s-40s. I thought I could get away with a few 50 year olds, but apparently you caught me!

The in-universe answer: By the late 2030s, technology has advanced such that ageing is becoming less of an issue. Life expectancies of 90 years are common in much of the developed world (at least for rich people). Some examples:
- CRISPR-based technologies, like immunotherapies, have done a number on cancer and genetic disorders.
- Stem cell technologies, therapeutic cloning, and 3D organ printing have provided new forms of regenerative medicine that have supplanted our current system of organ donation.
- As razze hinted at, brain implants, with some help from new anti-dementia drugs, have helped prevent senility in a lot of people.

So these new technologies, along with the human desire to cling to power, have resulted in quite a few people who are in their 70s and 80s still kicking around in Washington. But don't worry, we'll get a few retirements.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

 Atlas Forum
- Forum Community
-- Forum Community (Moderators: RadicalAzn, Tiffany, TexasWaffle)
--- Update For Everyone XXX: Amsterdam Dreamin'

Kayalay DKay       YaBB God ★★★★★ Posts: 1392

Update For Everyone XXX: Amsterdam Dreamin' « Reply #1230 on: January 5, 2040, 05:16:09 pm »The greatest thing just happened today! Met with the amazing and incredible Governor Amber Glass! Even took a selfie with her.

RadicalAzn RadicalAzn Moderators      YaBB God ★★★★★ Posts: 9212

Update For Everyone XXX: Amsterdam Dreamin' « Reply #1231 on: January 5, 2040, 05:17:15 pm » You must be logged in to read this quote. Wow, that's actually pretty neat! Congrats!

Not Milton Friedman MiltonFriedman YaBB God ★★★★★ Posts: 4122

Update For Everyone XXX: Amsterdam Dreamin' « Reply #1232 on: January 5, 2040, 05:18:36 pm » You must be logged in to read this quote. Wow, that's actually pretty neat! Congrats![/quote] Cool! I remember when I met President Sun once when she was campaigning 4 years ago, so it's neat to see someone else share that experience.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Few silly questions but I REALLY WANT TO KNOW:

1. Is Trump still the oldest president to assume office or did somebody beat his record?

2. Did he run for a second term and lose or not even run

3. Is Trump still even alive? Obama? Either Bush? Carter? Bill Clinton?

4. Most importantly, did either Bush senior or Carter live to reach the age of 100 before they died or did neither make it?

If you answer these few questions, I will be on board

1. No he's still the oldest.

2. I can't tell you, since that will spoil the story

3. Of the ones listed, only Obama and Bush the Younger are still alive.

4. Bush no (died at 95 in 2019); Carter yes (died at 102 in 2027)

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

President Sun Gives SOTU Address
By Buzzfeed News staff


President Sun giving the SOTU Address, with Vice President Elise Stefanik (left) and
Speaker of the House Pramila Jayapal (D-WA, right).

President Crystal Sun gave her third State of the Union (SOTU) address on Tuesday.

“Four years ago, the American people wanted a new American dawn,” Sun said when starting off her address, referencing her 2036 campaign slogan. “Now, it is half past noon.” Memetically, Vice President Elise Stefanik burst into laughter behind Sun upon hearing the joke.

In her address, Sun emphasized the themes of inclusion and innovation, saying “We are all immigrants” and emphasizing her own immigrant background. In one of the most dramatic moments in SOTU history, Sun honored two Pakistani immigrants admitted under the expanded Climate Refugee Program who were invited to the address.

She then touted the accomplishments of American scientists and companies in the fields of clean energy, biotechnology, and space exploration. She highlighted the progress the United States has made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and expanding the electric car market. She also described the success of the American space company SpaceX in the field of asteroid mining and, to resounding bipartisan applause, said that “we have kept our promise to send men and women, before the decade is out, to touch the face of Mars.”

She concluded by listing her foreign policy accomplishments over the past year. In particular, she highlighted the benefits of lifting restrictions on Sino-American space cooperation, one of her biggest foreign policy accomplishments and one that tied back to her theme of innovation. She also defended her actions on fighting terrorism saying that "whether they are radical Islamists, white supremacists, or Anarcho-Nihilists, terrorists have no place on the face of this Earth."

Sun finished off by encapsulating her themes of innovation and inclusion.  “We must remember,” she said in her concluding sentences, “in a changing and challenging world, we must not retreat. When confronted with problems that seem insurmountable, we cannot give up. Instead, we must keep embracing the things that make us strong: American innovation, American leadership, and American hope.”

During the address, Sun wore a shoulder-baring dress while giving the address. Politicians and pundits from both parties have praised and criticized the move. While this was a first for a President delivering a SOTU address, female politicians have occasionally worn shoulder-baring and sleeveless dresses while attending past addresses.

After the address, U.S. Representative Emily McConville (D-NC) gave the official response to the SOTU address by the Democratic Party.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Opinion: A Reflection of the SOTU Address

by Theodore Dresser
January 10, 2040

Tonight, President Crystal Sun delivered the State of the Union Address. She faced a tough audience; the Democrats in the chamber were barely willing to give Sun the time of day (or night, I suppose). Despite this, she articulated a distinctly American and distinctly Republican vision of free enterprise and technological innovation.

Sun started off her address with the usual call refrain that regardless of who we are, regardless of where we came from, we are all in the end Americans. For years presidents have metered out similar platitudes in their speeches, whether in the SOTU address or otherwise, but for her, the first Chinese-American President of the United States, this carried a special meaning.

Since the mid-18th century, when the first Chinese immigrants came to our shores, they have been among our nation’s hardest workers, whether they built the transcontinental railroads or became our most brilliant geniuses. Yet for so long, our country’s treatment of them has been shameful; they have been rioted against, murdered, accused of being spies, and so forth. The story of other immigrant communities, from the Irish to the Italians, from the Mexicans to the Syrians, has been similar. Yet they all persevered in face of the adversity, becoming integral parts of the American story.

It is no surprise, then, that she invited Pakistani refugees Amar and Anna Chishti, as well as their two-year-old American-born daughter, to the address. In the years since they have come to our shores, they have started a bakery serving customers just across the state border in Burlington, Vermont. They, like the President, are living embodiments of the American Dream. It’s a simple maxim: immigrants make America stronger, not weaker. To quote a musical from my time, immigrants get the job done.

We must also address the root reason why they came to America in the first place: climate change. When droughts and rising seas force people like the Chishti family to flee their homes, firm leadership is needed in the fight. And Sun provided that leadership; she correctly noted that in 2039, US net annual carbon dioxide emissions have reached their lowest point since 1970, even though the American economy grew by more than 3 percent that year. Most of that came from the free market, whether it is the the record number of electric vehicles sold in America or the blossoming of solar farms and battery parks under American skies that has repeatedly exceeded analyst projections.

Clean energy is just one example of “America’s technological might,” says President Sun in the address. She touted the myriad American advancements in artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering, and genetic modification that has occurred in the past four years. Unfortunately, as Sun warns, this progress is “under continuous threat.” These threats are myriad; they include Democratic politicians who must pander to their religious left base about the dangers of “playing God” and  environmentalists who fret about even the thought of thorium reactors being built in the US. All of these voices are rooted in a fear of the unknown; they all fail to realize that science and technology drive economic growth, raise living standards, cure disease, and make America the greatest country in the world.

Not all threats to American innovation and greatness come from card-carrying Luddites. There is also the standard threat of high taxes and stifling regulations that come from the Democrats. Nothing better for Speaker Jayapal to simply crush Tesla’s latest project with a slew of new taxes, under the misguided notion that the government can make a better car. It is why the most entertaining part of the address is Sun’s story on asteroid mining. What NASA has been trying to do for twelve years under Democratic rule, SpaceX has done in two years, and is now sending back gold and platinum to Earth as we speak. Only with the help of SpaceX has Sun’s big promise in her first address - that we will land on Mars by the close of the decade - come to fruition, insofar that we now have a spaceship heading towards the Red Planet.

President Sun segued to the topic of foreign policy, for closed borders are as big of a threat to progress as closed minds. President Sun correctly noted that for years NASA researchers have been barred from working with their Chinese counterparts under the guise of national security. While there are and have been legitimate concerns regarding national security, the extent that previous administrations have stifled Sino-American cooperation has been ridiculous. In fact, at one point Chinese citizens were not even allowed to visit NASA facilities without a waiver!

So instead China has engaged with other agencies, like the European Space Agency, to advance the field of space exploration while America was left in the dust. The elimination of most of these restrictions, along with her promotion of private space enterprises, has made the Sun Administration the greatest gift to American space exploration since Eisenhower and the creation of NASA.

This is just one example of the Sun Doctrine on foreign policy, if one were to say that such a doctrine exists. Don’t fight; cooperate. Whether it is working with China on North Korea, working with Bangladesh on fighting climate change, working with Nigeria to fight terrorism, or so forth, cooperation is the key to solving our challenges in a global, interconnected world. “We are no longer Fortress America,” Sun said, “and we cannot isolate ourselves from the world’s challenges, for we are an integral part of it. Instead of butting heads with other nations, we have worked together to form concrete solutions to our problems.”

In the end, America is at a crossroads. We can go down the Democrat path of government meddling, quasi-isolation, and, if we want to look at the logical conclusion, anarcho-primitivism. Or we can go down Sun’s path of, as she said in the conclusion of her address, “American innovation, American leadership, and American hope.”

Theodore Dresser (R-NH) is the U.S. Representative for New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district.

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Official Democratic Response to the SOTU Address

By Emily McConville
January 10, 2040

Hello, I’m Representative Emily McConville. A few hours ago, President Crystal Sun presented her third State of the Union Address. In it, she presents the appearance of an administration that cares for the future of the United States; after all, she concluded her address with the words “American innovation, American leadership, and American hope.” But in reality, these words belie the truth of Sun’s policies, which in the end are designed to benefit the rich and their mega-corporations while the American people are left in the dust.

Let us begin with her first topic, the Climate Refugee Resettlement Program. Amar and Anna Chishti, the couple featured during the address, are good people. And the fact that she is letting in millions of desperate souls into the United States is commendable. But we have to look at the dark side. Amar and Anna are the exceptions. The influx of refugees, along with cuts to important social services under the Sun Administration, has created an underclass, made mostly of immigrants and people of color, who have limited opportunities to integrate into American society and live lives with dignity. Instead, they are exploited by businesses - businesses that support the Republican Party, of course - for cheap labor that can’t be done with robots.

If you want to see what that can lead to, just look at Europe. You have enormous communities of Muslims in countries such as France, the Netherlands and Italy where the people living there are essentially trapped, with no hope of decent jobs, safe living conditions, or even citizenship. This breeds crime, resentment, and in the worst case, terrorism; that is why Islamophobic, anti-Black, and anti-immigrant parties are so strong there. Yes, we must take care of our brothers and sisters around the world, but we cannot do so in a way that is patronizing and exploitative.

President Sun then segues into the topic of climate change and “climate leadership,” whatever that means in this context. Because the Republican Party, the party that used to be the party of climate science denial, certainly isn’t exhibiting it. Sun touts a bunch of facts and figures that claim to show that progress was greatest under her administration, but once you look closer you see that they were mostly the brainchild of the previous Democratic administrations.

The proliferation of electric cars? The result of fuel efficiency mandates that evolved into electric car and infrastructure mandates. The fact that solar and wind now make up a majority of our electricity supply? Could not have been done without Democratic initiatives, including state laws mandating 100 percent renewable supply passed by Democratic legislatures. The construction of thorium reactors? Okay, I concede on that point, for that really did only start under the Sun Administration. But that is another example of how misguided her energy policy is, for nuclear is more expensive than renewables and still has the knotty problem of radiation.

And what is with the propaganda the Republicans spew about “free markets result in greater innovation?” Most innovations were the result of government programs! The Internet is one example. NASA is another, which is ironic, given how Sun excoriated the program in her speech. Where do you think most of the technology SpaceX used to get to the asteroids come from? And Mars? SpaceX thought it could send men to Mars by the 2020s; they utterly failed on that promise, and now NASA had to come to the rescue, as per usual.

SpaceX is just one example in this big show. Another is how her loosening of ethics regulations have unleashed American science. I’m sorry, Mrs. President, but all you did was unleash a Pandora’s Box. Science is best done when ethical considerations are taken into account. When they are not, such as when human genetic modification is allowed or vanity purposes, essentially legalizing eugenics, it makes people afraid of science, often for good reason, and it only sets us back.

From NASA she makes another segue into her Sunshine Policy, or should I say, the Darkness Policy. To open up critical space infrastructure to the CNSA is basically equivalent of giving China half of our missiles. There was a reason why these bans were in place, and it’s not to stifle innovation as Sun claims. Because as much as Sun wants to be buddy-buddy with the Chinese Communist Party, the fact is, China remains our greatest adversary in many different environments, from Africa (which Sun hypocritically treats as her personal warzone, ironically creating more terrorists in the process) to the Eurasian continent to, of course, outer space.

With that said, Sun concludes with the aforementioned “American innovation, American leadership, and American hope” line. Which is ironic, since her administration has demonstrated none of these qualities. She outsources American innovation to businesses, which do R&D based on the bottom line rather than genuine inquiry. She has abdicated American leadership to China and other hostile nations. And she certainly does not give hope to the millions of Americans and global citizens who must suffer in the darkness because of her policies.

Emily McConville (D-NC) is the U.S. Representative for North Carolina’s 4th congressional district