1996 Election (The Hearse at Monticello)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Plagued by a crumbling economy and besieged by a bipartisan coalition determined to defeat him at all costs, an air of defiance surrounds President Buchanan as he prepares to seek reelection in the 1996 campaign. Having successfully gained control of the American Party, whose moderates have fled to the single-issue Opposition League, Buchanan now prepares to face moderate Congressman John Kasich in his bid for a second term and has vowed that he "will not retreat a single inch."

Nominated by the newly-formed Opposition League, a coalition of Populists and the moderate National Liberty Party formed to unite opponents of Buchanan under a single banner, Congress Kasich now seeks to return the president's fire in kind. With Kasich, a moderate conservative in the style of Richard Lugar, as their nominee for president and Evan Bayh, the liberal governor of Indiana whose policies have been compared to former President George McGovern, as their vice-presidential candidate, the Opposition League hopes to appeal to voters on both sides of the aisle who have been alienated by Buchanan's policies. Steering clear of divisive partisan issues, Kasich has proposed a four-point plan designed to "repair the damaging legacy of the last four years."

1. Repeal the Defense of Morality Act, passed in 1994, which denies federal recognition to homosexual couples
2. An updated National Recovery Act designed to fight unemployment and stabilize the stock market
3. Restore close diplomatic relations with Israel
4. Comprehensive reform of all entitlement programs and the U.S. Tax Code

Who will lead America into the 21st Century? You have two days to decide.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Bump.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I now know, next time, voting for a demagogue in the primary to 'ruin' a party's chances is not effective. smh.

Remember, liberals let a second term of Buchanan happen simply because they didn't get a far-left candidate. I hope Georgia secedes in 1997. Either that or Norman Schwarzkopf could Buchanan to free us from this lunacy.

lol @ pelosi, bayh, or any of the other liberal candidates being far left

Actually, Bayh is significantly further to the left ITTL than he is in real life (McGovern endorsed him for the primaries).

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

1996 Presidential Election

President Patrick J. Buchanan (American-Virginia)/ Vice President Bob Dornan (American-California): 274 Electoral Votes; 51.7% popular votes
Congressman John Kasich (Opposition League-Ohio)/ Governor Evan Bayh (Opposition League-Indiana): 264 Electoral Votes; 48.3% popular votes

While John Kasich entered the fall campaign with a sizable lead over President Pat Buchanan, his failure to inspire liberal voters - particularly labor unions, who he alienated with his support for free trade agreements - and Buchanan's own aggressive campaign allowed the embattled president to narrowly win reelection. Nevertheless, Buchanan's popular vote margin was slim, and he carried Michigan be a mere 4,000 votes, in part due to poor turnout. In the Plains, by contrast, Buchanan won an unexpected victory, becoming the first American Party candidate to carry the region in a non-landslide election.