Hamlet's Left the Hudson

[Don Vito Corleone]

Prologue

December of 1991 was not a good time to be a Democrat. The Republicans had been in power for 10 years, first under Ronald Reagan and then under George Bush, significantly changing the way Americans thought about government in the process, with more and more Democrats accepting the emerging Reaganite consensus of low taxes and small government. Conservative Clarence Thomas had just been confirmed to the Supreme Court, despite the Democrats controlling the Senate. President Bush was hugely popular, holding a 61% approval rating off of the back of the recent success of Operation Desert Storm, and with the Democratic Presidential field being underwhelming at best and horrific at worst, him winning another term was looking very likely. Most of the Democratic heavyweights had declined to enter the Presidential race, not wanting their resume to include having lost a Presidential election come 1996. Clearly, the Democrats needed something to change, and quick. And that change would come, ironically enough, from a man who was quite content to be old fashioned. 

[GoTfan]

Can't wait!

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Super Mario '92!

[Don Vito Corleone]

In 1984, I said that America was not a shining city on a hill, but a tale of two cities. We might have changed Presidents, House Speakers, and Senate Majority Leaders since 1984, but my concerns have not. America is still not a shining city, but a tale of two cities. There is still despair on the faces the president still doesn't see, in the places he still doesn't go, in his shining city. And I am still unimpressed by the action taken by the administration on this issue. If we cannot solve the issue of poverty and income inequality, the American dream, that thing which makes us all so proud to be Americans, will die. In 1980, Ronald Reagan ran for President on a promise to "Make America Great Again". In this year of 1992, I am running for President to Make America America again.

[Don Vito Corleone]

The entrance of Mario Cuomo completely changed the dynamics of the Democratic primary race. Whereas before he entered, the Democratic primary race lacked a clear front-runner and was a race between a few obscure hopefuls who were little known outside their home states and hoped to simply be the best of a mediocre bunch, after Cuomo entered the race became about a dominant front-runner with several underdogs challengers seeking to strip him of his title.

The other candidates in the race quickly realized the only way for their prospects to go up would be for Cuomo's going down, and so one by one, they all began to attack the governor. Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas attacked him as a tax and spend liberal with little concern for the debt he was putting on the backs of future generations, using the recent New York budget standoff as proof. Former California Governor Jerry Brown attacked him for spending too much in a similar manner and with similar arguments to Tsongas, but additionally attacked him for being silent on the issue of Campaign Finance Reform. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin and Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey attempted to brand him a New York elitist who simply didn't understand the issues faced by Middle America. However, deep down, in their heart of hearts, these candidates knew (or thought) that these attacks would have little impact in a Democratic primary, and that in the end, Cuomo would most likely be the Democratic nominee. But there was another Anti-Cuomo candidate in the race, who was confident he would defeat Cuomo, and that he would become America's 42nd President. This candidate was the ambitious and charismatic Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton. His way of attacking Cuomo was unique in that most of his attacks were not based on policy. This isn't to say he didn't attack the New York Governor on policy, he most definitely did, on taxes, on trade, on crime, on spending, on welfare, on a whole host of issues really. But those were not his main arguments against the New York Governor, because he knew that if he wanted to deny Cuomo the nomination, he had to make Democratic primary electorate afraid to nominate him, and in 1992, what the Democratic Primary electorate was afraid of was not high taxes or dangerous criminals. It wasn't high national debts, welfare cliffs, or being unable to purchase Canadian and Mexican made goods without tariffs. No, what Democratic primary voters feared in 1992 was four more years of President Bush, and Bill Clinton would play to this fear by saying Cuomo would lose the election, and that only he and his new style of centrist Democratic politics could win and end the long Republican nightmare.

Let no one be mistaken. I deeply respect Governor Cuomo and Democrats like him. But the fact of the matter is, as much as I fondly remember my 20's, America has changed since the 1960's. People who supported our party for decades crossed over and voted for President's Reagan and Bush. We cannot hope that the American voter will change, it is up to us, as a party, to change. And Governor Cuomo, I'm sorry to say, is simply out of touch with what Americans want out of their government. Americans want a government that will move people from welfare to work, not a government that boasts about how much it has expanded the welfare rolls. Americans want a government that will enact true education reform, not a government that simply throws money at failing schools. Americans want to be able to trust their government with their paycheck and with their safety, not a government which will tax them to pay for social experiments, or a government that lets violent criminals live on the government dole. In 1988, our party was foolish in failing to realize that America had changed, and nominated a man who wanted nothing more then to build bridges to the past. We lost that election in a landslide, despite leading by near 20 points once, because Americans did not trust us with their money or their safety. Governor Cuomo, should he be nominated, will suffer the same fate that Michael Dukakis did. He will lose, and the Republicans will continue to harm the working man in this country. He simply cannot win. A vote for Mario Cuomo is a vote for four more years of disastrous Republican policies. I am different. I am a New Democrat for a New America. I have sent violent criminals a message that their behavior will not be tolerated in this country by supporting the death penalty. I will cut taxes for middle class Americans to unleash the economic engine in the country. I will change welfare as we have come to know it, so that welfare is a second chance for those that need help, not a way of life. I will not run bloated deficits, in fact I have balanced the budget in Arkansas 12 times. And most importantly, I will win in November!

[Don Vito Corleone]

By the way, feel free let me know if any of the speeches in this TL don't sound realistic, because I feel that having realistic speeches is a key part of any good TL.

[Don Vito Corleone]

Can't wait!

Super Mario '92!

The fact that you got so excited after a prologue is really encouraging. I would just like to thank you for leaving these comments, they really did encourage me.

[America Needs R'hllor]

By the way, feel free let me know if any of the speeches in this TL don't sound realistic, because I feel that having realistic speeches is a key part of any good TL.

I liked the speeches. Waiting to see what happens next, looking great!

[Don Vito Corleone]

And so came 1992, and the Clinton Campaign was in freefall. It was rocked by allegations that their candidate had an extra-marital affair with a woman named Gennifer Flowers. If this wasn't bad enough for Bill Clinton, just as he seemed to be recovering from the damage that Gennifer Flowers had inflicted upon his campaign after appearing with his wife on 60 Minutes, Flowers released audio tape of conversations she had with the Governor. Along with being a bad look and making him seem very guilty of having an affair, the tapes also revealed that Bill Clinton said Mario Cuomo "acted like" he had Mafia ties. The remarks set off weeks of negative press for Clinton and Mario Cuomo, who had always fought against stereotyping of Italian-Americans, was outraged, saying that "This attitude of judging others by their name and background has no place in America, and certainly no place in the beliefs of the Democratic nominee". When Mario Cuomo ripped into Clinton's apology, his campaign suffered yet more negative momentum, and Conservative Democrats (a demographic which Clinton had previously had a near monopoly on) began to flee him for Paul Tsongas and Bob Kerrey. And then, the Democratic Primaries began....