Unconditional Surrender Truman
Harry S Truman
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« on: November 02, 2015, 05:27:37 PM » |
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Four years after his landslide victory over Rick Santorum returned the Populist Party to power for the first time in twelve years, President Russ Feingold remains the favored son of liberal voters, who have cheered his efforts to repair the social safety net and reign in the big banks. His most significant legislative accomplishment, the National Welfare Act of 2006, which restored several government programs eliminated during the Buchanan-Rodham years and established a national minimum income (a goal of liberal reformers since the McGovern years). Heavily criticized by conservative activists, the Act was narrowly upheld by a 2007 Supreme Court decision (in which Chief Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg cast the deciding vote) but remains controversial with the public at large. Economically, the country continues to prosper, though banking regulations passed in 2005 have led to a slight uptick in unemployment.
Despite these successes, Feingold remains a controversial figure even within his own party, and his efforts to pass cap and trade legislation had angered traditionally Populist voters in the western Plains. These citizens are backing a primary challenge against Feingold by Indiana Congressman John Gregg, a self-described "gun-totin', bible quotin' Southern Indiana Populist." Gregg's socially conservative, fiscally liberal policies appeal to many voters in the South and West, though Feingold retains the support of most in his party. The American Party, meanwhile, confronts a wide field of candidates, including Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas (who has won the respect of his colleagues for winning two statewide elections in historically Populist Kansas), Senator Jim Gilmore (who has been endorsed by former President Rodham), Congressman Mike Huckabee (the face of the fundamentalist wing and nominee for vice president in 2004), and former Congressman Alan Keyes (who served one term in Congress during the Buchanan Administration). Last but not least, the National Liberty Party has united around centrist Governor Mitt Romney, son of two-time presidential candidate George Romney, who is running unopposed for his party's nomination.
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