Freedom by Fremont

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of William McKinley, 1897-1901

William McKinley didn't do much while in office, but laid the groundwork for many of the things accomplished by his successor. He did push a term limits act into the law as the 18th Amendment (prohibited Presidents from serving more than two terms, extendable to three by 8/10's majority in congress).

1898 Mid-Terms

Senate: 65-23

House: 246-105

1900 Election:



Roosevelt/Taft: 63.5%
Bryan/Kern: 36.1%


Senate: 66-22

House: 255-96

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, 1901-1905

Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency is often ranked up there with Washington, Fremont, Grant, and BLANK, and for good reason. He rammed through several amendments, including:

19th: Women's Suffrage (All women over 21. Voting rights for 'widows and other property-owning women' had existed since 1889).

20th: Supreme Court Term Limits (18 years, so each president can appoint 1-2).

21st: Referendum (citizens can bring a question to the ballot box after achieving the signature of 4% of voters).

22nd: Bans all corporations from controlling over 75% of a market.

23rd: Bans all child labor for children under 16 (previously 14).

1902 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 67-23

House: 308-127

He also established a minimum wage ($0.70), (economy is on mid-50's levels, people).

And 'Social Security', a program where all people over 65 got money from the government to insure a well-funded retirement.

He also established AmeriCare, a program providing free Health Insurance for all citizens. The Democrats railed against all of this, but to say they were in for a rude shock would be an understatement:




Roosevelt/Taft: 90.4%
Bryan/Tillman: 8.3%

Senate: 77-13

House: 403-32

It turns out that railing against your people's welfare and nothing else doesn't go over very well, and Roosevelt won in the biggest landslide ever seen. Term 2.0 was right around the corner.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, 1905-1909:

The country reached several milestones, including a life expectancy of 70 (over 15 years ahead of everyone else), poverty rate (under 0.1%), and GDP per capita (2020 $ Ajusted) of nearly $100,000 (ahead of everyone by a lot). By the time Roosevelt retired, the country was booming even more than before. Roosevelt also admitted Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma into the Union.

1906 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 83-13

House: 399-36

1908 Election:



Wilson/Tillman: 48.2%
Taft/Hughes: 48.1%

William Taft, flying high on Roosevelt's popularity, didn't bother to campaign, while Wilson barnstormed around the country. To be fair, Wilson pulled a Cleveland and Taft actually won (unlike Cleveland, however, analysis of all ballots shows Taft won 55-43), but it was a shocker nonetheless.

Senate: 72-24

House: 327-108

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Man, what is it with Democrats ITTL rigging elections

The best way to stop the Democrats from being racist is having no electoral success. Most people born after ~1880 aren't at all racist (when the children of the people who went to the northern-sponsored schools begin to be born), so it is only a matter of time. In a few decades the dems will be the Center-Right and the Republicans will be Center-Left.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Woodrow Wilson, 1909-1912

Woodrow Wilson despised all of the Republican social programs and 'equality measures'. He was now ready to begin undoing them. The problem was that he didn't have a majority in congress, and after his relentless campaigning to get to the White House his health was incredibly fragile.

1910 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 77-19

House: 341-94

Unfortunately, the economy collapsed in mid-1912, beginning the Great Recession. Unemployment reached nearly 8%, and the economy tumbled. Wilson wasn't going to win re-election anyway, and the stress took a toll. On October 2, 1912, Woodrow Wilson died of cerebral hemorrhage.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Benjamin Tillman, 1912-1913

Benjamin Tillman was President for a very short time. A lot of this wasn't his own doing, as the Wilson vote-rigging scandals came to light during this time. But his vetoing of the Tomikarmura Voting Security Act basically sent the Republicans scrambling to find some way to get rid of him. Realizing they didn't have the votes for impeachment (actually they did, but with the elections coming up they wanted to take the high road). Instead, they decided to override every single one of his vetoes. Tillman was POTUS for 5 months, and EVERY SINGLE ONE of his 19 vetoes were overridden.

1912 Election:



Tomikarmura/Johnson: 69.8%
Tillman/Marshall: 27.1%

Senate: 81-15

House: 362-73

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

They did. The war ended in '60/'61. Thanks for the compliment.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of James Tomikarmura, 1913-1917

James Freemont Tomikarmura had his work set out for him. First and foremost, he had to fix the economy, which was easily accomplished by re-implementing the Republican economic agenda. His majorities in Congress were large, and allowed him to do this. While 'JFT' had expected to focus on economic policy, the world had other plans. For the last few decades, tensions in Europe had been increasing. In 1913, it simmered over. At the beginning, only 2% of Americans wanted to join the war, and before 6/12 it never got higher than 14%. Then (obviously) came 6/12. On December 6, 1914, the battleship U.S.S. Grant (which at 1,031 feet was far larger than anything anyone else had) was doing a patrol run from Boston to Dover, and at around 8:32 PM, a German U-Boat fired on the vessel. One of the torpedoes hit the midsection, right below the ammo storage, and the whole ship went down in three minutes. Within one day, the % of people wanting war went to over 95%. With a heavy heart, President Tomikarmura declared war on the Central Powers.

1914 Midterms:

Senate: 80-16

House: 315-85

1916 Election:



Senate: 82-14

House: 322-77

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of James Tomikarmura, 1917-1921

Tomikarmura's second term went well. The Allies won the war in 1918 (albiet after the midterms), and the Republicans did well during the elections. The economic recovery was also completed, and salaries + unemployment were back to pre-recession numbers.

1918 Election:

Senate: 79-17

House: 310-89

1920 Election:



Johnson/Coolidge (R): 64.9%
Cox/Roosevelt (D): 30.8%

Senate: 85-11

House: 354-45

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Hiram Johnson, 1921-1923

Hiram Johnson came into office with the goal of continuing his predecessor's legacy. He successfully introduced the Veteran's Act, a bill which gave all WWI vets free college or trade school tuition and a lowered Social Security age of 55 (opposed to the 62 for most). This, however, was one of his only accomplishments, as he was assassinated by an anarchist in early 1923. He also admitted Hawaii as a state.

1922 Elections:

Senate: 80-18

House: 361-139

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

He's only 62/63, he can make a comeback.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Calvin Coolidge, 1923-1925

The death of President Johnson had come as a shock to all. Coolidge, however, styled his presidency as a 'caretaker' type and declined the nomination. He nominated General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. for the VP position. Coolidge made up his mind rather late on if he was going to run, which in the end made the election closer than before. Vice President Davis narrowly won the nomination, beating prominent party members such as Senator Herbert Hoover (R-OR) and  House Majority Leader Nicholas Longworth (R-OH).

1924 Election:



Davis/Hoover: 56.9%
Bryan/Davis: 42.0%


Senate: 76-22

House: 340-160

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

He's only 62/63, he can make a comeback.

No way the man that was to the left of Roosevelt wins anything if the Democratic Party ends up center-right.

The republicans aren't necessarily left wing, and the democrats as well (although much less). The thing that unites the Republicans is social liberalism and a brand of moderate human-centered capitalism (they no longer would implement free Health Care if it came up again, but are not going to remove it as it is incredibly popular). The democrats have a slightly more right-leaning view on economics than the Republicans, and are more socially conservative. The dems do, however, have a strong economic-leftist front, so it is not inconceivable that a someone like Bryan could run away with the nomination, and even steal some Black votes.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

President Benjamin Octavian Davis, Sr., 1925-1929

President Davis didn't have many public achievements during the first three years of his tenure. But behind the scenes he strengthened the economic policy and bank security laws, which would be rendered genius in 1929. However, in 1928, the East Wing caught fire, nearly killing several people. The wing was rebuilt in a mirror exterior image of the West Wing and given a second floor. Unknown to the public, a secret bunker and network of tunnels was constructed underneath, connecting to the Old Executive Office Building. Regardless, the Great Depression (1928) hit the entire world by storm. Meanwhile, America was barely effected. Seeing the poverty and homelessness around the world made Americans extremely grateful. However, President Davis declined re-nomination and extremely likely re-election. In his place, the Republicans sent Vice President Hoover. The Democrats selected Senator (D-NM) Thomas Gonzalez. Gonzalez had a populist, WJB-type agenda, and a strong appeal to several major branches of society. The results were shocking...

1926 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 70-28

House: 314-186

1928 Election:



Gonzalez/Roosevelt: 48.692%
Hoover/Smith: 48.691%

Normally, a pure popular vote contest doesn't care about states. Except in 1928, when Gonzalez and Hoover had microscopic margins of 12 votes, with several hundred questionable ballots in these two states (Gonzalez conceded to Hoover, then later withdrew it, Hoover then did the same, but then withdrew it).

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Election of 1928, Continued


Unlike the Presidential race, every congressional race was called:

Senate: 62-36 (R-D)

House: 263-237 (R-D)

Anyway, both campaigns began ramping up infrastructure to sue each other (which is interesting, as Hoover and Gonzalez were (and remained) person friends from their time in the Senate).

Certified Count (e. WI, OH), November 23:

Thomas Adraine Gonzalez: 13,018,277
Herbert Clarke Hoover: 13,018,265

Supreme Court Ruling (Y/N Recount):

Taft (CG): N
Johnson: Y
Butler: Y
Van Devanter: Y
Hernandez: Y
Stone: N
Greenberg: N
Fujimori: Y
Chang: N

Recount Results (certified February 1):

Thomas Adraine Gonzalez: 13,018,290
Herbert Clarke Hoover: 13,018,287

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Was 1928 rigged as well, or is this the first time in 76 years the Democrats actually won an election?

No. He actually won. There might very well have been some issues (party bosses and machines have less power than OTL, but still exist), and because the ballots were counted by hand, and the margin was so low, nobody actually knows who won. A margin in the single digits is bound to do that, even today with computerized counting.

(From my G-d-Like point of viewing this TL, It was a tie).

But no, there certainly was no organized conspiracy.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Thomas Gonzalez (1929-1933)

Gonzalez was a farmer, and despite being a Democrat, the only policies he could change were farm ones. His signature accomplishment was increased subsidies for farms, which included soil rotation benefits and irrigation equipment. This prevented a potential disaster in 1930, when winds that otherwise would have caused massive dust storms throughout the midwest were stopped by the stronger and healthier topsoil. Regardless, this was the crown achievement of Gonzalez, although the scale of the disaster that was prevented wasn't known until much later. Therefore, Gonzalez narrowly lost re-election to Governor Henry A. Wallace.

1930 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 69-39

House: 290-210

1932 Election:



Wallace/Curtis: 48.7%
Gonzalez/Roosevelt: 48.3

Senate: 64-44

House: 282-218

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Henry Wallace, 1933-1937

Henry Wallace managed the country well, avoiding the depression engulfing everyone else. He declined re-election, handing the nomination to his Vice President, Charles Curtis.

1934 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 62-46 (R-D)

House: 260-240 (R-D)

1936 Election:



Curtis/Borah (R): 52.1%
Roosevelt/Moses (D): 46.3%

Senate: 62-46

House: 274-226 (R-D)

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Charles Curtis, 1937

Charles Curtis was only President for three months. He suffered a heart attack and resigned once it would be clear he wouldn't be able to resume his duties. His recovery was successful (Curtis lived until 1949 at age 88), but he never returned to politics.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of William Borah, 1937-1941

William Borah's first order of business was to find a VP. He selected Governor John Kang of Washington. He also streamlined the civil service. He was popular and won re-election handily.

1938 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 60-48

House: 259-241 (R-D)

1940 Election:



Borah/Kang (R): 58.2%
Kensingtown/Marcus (D): 39.8%

Senate: 63-45

House: 285-215

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of William Borah, 1941-1945

On December 10, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Several hundred were killed, although increased preparation and advanced radar, and new jet fighters destroyed over 90% of the Japanese Air Force. Borah's 'Infamy' speech is now famous, and America declared war on Japan. Fascist Germany (same as OTL except minority groups were persecuted, not killed), declared war on the United States. The war was certainly in America's favor by 1944, when Vice President Kang ran for the Presidency.

1942 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 64-44

House: 270-230

1944 Election:



Kang/Dewey: 60.3%
Scott/King: 36.5%

Senate: 68-42

House: 301-299

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of John Kang, 1945-1949

Kang's first year in office was packed. By the year's end, WWII had been resolved, America's returning veteran welfare programs were strengthened, and the 'Marshall Plan', providing rebuilding aid to western European countries (same E/W distribution except for Czechia and the five republics of former Yugoslavia are capitalist). In appreciation for the successful conflict resolution, Kang had the rare achievement of gaining seats in Congress during the mid-terms. Kang declined re-election, as he never found the Presidency as fulfilling as his previous offices. Somehow, this enabled Senator Harry Truman (D-MO) to narrowly win the Presidency.

1946 Election:

House: 312-188

Senate: 71-29

1948 Election:



Truman/Stevenson: 49.7%
Dewey/Davis, Jr.: 48.5%

Senate: 67-33

House: 289-211

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

D.C.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Harry Truman, 1949-1953

Harry Truman is often regarded as a do-nothing president, but that statement is riddled with misconceptions. While it is true that Truman made very little visible change, the internal structure of the government and civil service was overhauled completely and for the better. But this wasn't enough to save him from the 2-Term Curse (no Democrat had been elected to a second term since Andrew Jackson, 120 years prior [which meant that the oldest person in the world was 119 year-old American Mary Bradley, NOBODY ALIVE IN THE WORLD HAD SEEN A DEMOCRAT RE-ELECTED]). To be fair, almost nobody could beat the Republican's star recruit, General Dwight Eisenhower.

1950 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 75-25

House: 305-195

1952 Election:



Eisenhower/Fong: 64.2%
Truman/Stevenson: 35.0%

Senate: 81-19

House: 379-121

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Presidency of Dwight Eisenhower, 1953-1957

Dwight Eisenhower presided over the 'Golden Age of America' in the 1950s. With all the soldiers returning home and completing their free education, the workforce boomed and the country became the first to reach 100% literacy in math (100% in reading was achieved in the 1920s). Life expectancy reached 80, which was nearly 10 years ahead of the nearest competitor. During this time, the 'SmartPhone' (a flip phone type) was invented and Color TV became the norm. America was also decades (or even centuries) ahead of other countries in race relations (better than 2020 levels). America became the beacon of freedom. So to say Eisenhower won re-election handily would be an understatement. Hiram Fong declined re-nomination to run for governor of Hawaii, and Representative Patricia Nixon (R-CA) was appointed instead.

1954 Mid-Terms:

Senate: 84-18

House: 386-114

1956 Election:



Eisenhower/Nixon: 71.4%
Stevenson/Johnson: 25.8%

Senate: 89-12

House: 434-66