GLPman's mini timelines

[GLPman]

After reading several of the mini timeline threads, I decided I would create my own.

The Crisis of the Presidency

1968

Former Vice President Richard Nixon (R-CA) / Governor Spiro Agnew (R-MD): 301 EVs, 43.42%
Vice President Hubert Humphrey (D-MN) / Senator Edmund Muskie (D-ME):  191 EVs, 42.72%
Others: 46 EVs, 13.53%

President Nixon entered the White House with high ambitions. In his years as President, the United States put men on the moon, withdrew troops from Vietnam, and witnessed the large desegregation of schools in the South. Nixon experienced approval ratings in the 60s for the majority of his presidency. Unfortunately, a madman assassinated Nixon on October 3, 1970 as the President delivered a speech in Philadelphia. Less than a decade after the loss of JFK, the United States had lost another President. Americans across the nation viewed the loss of Nixon as tragic and historians widely believe that he could have accomplished much more had he lived. President Agnew assumed the office and pledged to continue Nixon’s ambitious agenda. Agnew approved the development of NASA’s Space Shuttle program and also became the first President to visit the People’s Republic of China. Unfortunately, allegations of Agnew’s involvement in tax evasion, bribery, and money laundering severly tainted the President’s approval ratings and Agnew resigned from the Presidency in June 1972. With Agnew gone, Speaker of the House Carl Albert, a Democrat from Oklahoma, ascended to the Presidency. Albert immediately stated that he had no intention of seeking re-election.

The Democratic primaries saw a battle between South Dakota Senator George McGovern, former North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford, Senator and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson, and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. Democratic voters, who rejected Humphrey as an old choice and saw McGovern as too extreme, eventually nominated Sanford to take on the Republicans. Sanford pulled a bizarre move by ultimately choosing Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine, who had been the VP nominee in 1968 too, to be his running mate. The Republicans, on the other hand, were in complete disarray with the loss of Agnew. The party’s image had been tarnished and polls showed that the majority of independent voters planned on voting with the Democrats out of distrust for the Republicans. After a long, heated and splintered battle, Governor Nelson Rockefeller won the nomination. Rockefeller chose House Minority Leader Gerald Ford to be his Vice Presidential nominee. Although the Republicans did not suffer as large a defeat as predicted due to a well-organized Rockefeller campaign, the Sanford/Muskie ticket cruised to victory in November.

1972

Former Governor James “Terry” Sanford (D-NC) / Senator Edmund Muskie (D-ME): 314 EVs, 51.9%
Govenor Nelson Rockefeller (R-NY) / House Minority Leader Gerald Ford (R-MI) 224 47.0%
Others: 1.1%

President Sanford entered the Oval Office among high hopes of a reformed presidency. During his presidency, Sanford vastly expanded the Executive Office and the role of government. On the foreign policy stage, Sanford continued a détente stance towards the Soviet Union, which often made him the target of criticism from notable Republicans, such as Ronald Reagan, Mark Hatfield, and Barry Goldwater. Sanford followed in Agnew’s footsteps and visited China once again. Back on the domestic front, Sanford implemented many education reform programs and initiated social programs to severely decrease poverty in the United States. Unfortunately, these programs drastically increased the federal deficit and inflation continued to rise. By late 1975, Sanford saw approval ratings in the high 30s.

The majority of Americans had lost once against lost confidence in the Executive. A crowded Republican field for the GOP nomination in 1976 consisted of former Governor Ronald Reagan, Senator Mark Hatfield, Senator James Buckley, and Senator Howard Baker. Hatfield, who ran on a strong anti-communism and reduction in government spending platform, clinched the nomination, despite Reagan being the frontrunner. Hatfield chose Kansas Senator Bob Dole to be his running mate. With little faith in President Sanford, Hatfield was able to run an effective negative campaign against Sanford and win the presidency.

1976

Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR) / Senator Robert “Bob” Dole (R-KS): 359 EVs, 52.2%
President James “Terry” Sanford (D-NC) / Vice President Edmund Muskie (D-ME) 179EVs, 47.2%
Others: 0.6%

Updated coming soon...

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Awesome timeline so far. But, from what I know, Hatfield wasn't a stron anti-communist. He was anti-war and wanted a nuclear freeze. He might've been strongly pro-human rights, but not anti-communist.

[feeblepizza]

Very good, but Hatfield was more of a moderate when it comes to Commies, as Cathcon pointed out below.

[GLPman]

Upon his entry to the office, Hatfield immediately ended the United States’ détente policy towards the Soviet Union and began a steady build-up of the military. Hatfield also greatly expanded the United States’ role in the Middle East through peace talks at Camp David. On the domestic front, Hatfield introduced a new budget that aimed to cut the size of the government and introduce various tax cuts. A strong Republican majority in the Senate and bipartisan efforts in the House helped Hatfield push the budget through the legislative system. Hatfield enjoyed approval ratings in the 60s for the majority of his first two years in office. Unfortunately, while the United States’ deficit was reduced and inflation began to go down, the recession continued. In 1979, Americans were taken hostage at the American embassy in wake of the Iranian Revolution. The price of oil also rose dramatically, leading to the 1979 oil crisis. During this period, President Hatfield saw his approval rating drop into the low 40s. The hostages were rescued during in April 1980. The rescue mission’s success initiated a small rally effect, which bumped Hatfield’s approval ratings into the mid 50s. Although Hatfield’s legislative agenda was successful, along with the rescue mission, the United States was still in a recession.

The Democratic front-runner was former Vice President Edmund Muskie of Maine. Muskie easily secured the nomination and chose the popular Governor Jimmy Carter as his running mate. On the campaign trail, Muskie criticized Hatfield for making the recession worse and bringing the country backwards instead of forwards. Hatfield, on the other hand, run unopposed and asserted that a vote for Muskie would undo everything the country had worked on in the past four years. Despite the recession, Americans largely saw the Muskie/Carter ticket as mismanaged and uninformed. Hatfield was re-elected in November.

1980

President Mark Hatfield (R-OR) / Vice President Robert “Bob” Dole (R-KS): 316 EVs, 51.2%
Former Vice President Edmund Muskie (D-ME) / Governor James Carter (R-GA): 222 EVs, 48.8%

President Hatfield’s second term had a rocky start. In March 1981, the President was shot in Washington, D.C. and nearly died. In the hospital, he would joke to his Secretary of State, Ronald Reagan, “I thought I was a goner, Ronnie.” The economy would not recover until late 1982. Hatfield continued the buildup of the military and also initiated talks with Soviet leaders. Hatfield’s popularity among Democrats would drop to all time low in his second term, while his approval rating among independents and Republicans was at an all time high. Due to the enormous economic turn-around, which was associated with Hatfield’s legislative initiatives, the President departed office with an approval rating in the high 60s.

The Republicans, now presiding over a huge economic boom, easily nominated Vice President Bob Dole. At an extremely crowded Republican National Convention in Dallas, Republicans spoke with high enthusiasm of the future. Dole chose Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick as his running mate. Kirkpatrick was the first woman to be included on a national ticket. The Democratic field, on the other hand, looked extremely weak. Despite their strong disapproval of the Hatfield administration, the Democrats knew that their chances of coming out on top in November were especially slim. Ted Kennedy was eventually selected as the nominee, although many in the party viewed him as a sacrificial lamb. Kennedy chose Majority Leader Walter Mondale of Minnesota as his running mate. The Dole/Kirkpatrick ticket destroyed the Kennedy/Mondale ticket in a landslide in November.  

1984

Vice President Robert “Bob” Dole (R-KS) / Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick (R-NY): 512 EVs, 57.8%
Senator Edward “Ted’ Kennedy (D-MA) / Majority Leader Walter Mondale (D-MN): 26 EVs, 42.2%

"The Crisis of the Presidency" Presidents (1969-1985)
37. Richard Nixon (R-CA): 1969-1970*
38. Spiro Agnew (R-MD): 1970-1972**
39. Carl Albert (D-OK): 1972-1973***
40. James "Terry" Sanford (D-NC): 1973-1977
41. Mark Hatfield (R-OR): 1977-1985
42. Robert "Bob" Dole (R-KS): 1985 - present

*Assassinated in 1970
** Resigned from the Presidency in 1972
*** Ascended to the Presidency following the resignation of President Agnew; declined to run for re-election

Another update coming soon...

[GLPman]

President Dole presided over one the largest economic booms in decades. The economy was back in full swing and the unemployment rate continued to drop. Despite this economic success, the federal deficit continued to climb. The 1986 midterms saw Democrats hold onto both the House and the Senate as a strong sense of fatigue with Republican rule seize the American public. The Iran-Contra Affair also rocked Dole’s presidency. The political affair severely damaged Dole’s approval rating and further increased pro-Democratic feelings among Independents. Nonetheless, despite these troubles, the Dole presidency also saw the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1987. Vice President Kirkpatrick also served as a key ambassador to the Soviet Union. Going into the 1988 presidential election, the Republicans easily re-nominated the Dole/Kirkpatrick ticket. Dole carried approval ratings around 45%.

With polls showing that Independents were leaning towards the Democrats, many candidates crowded the field to win the nomination. Candidates included Senator Lloyd Bentsen, Senator Gary Hart, Governor Mario Cuomo, Representative Dick Gephardt, and Governor Mike Dukakis. Cuomo eventually clinched the nomination after running a extremely well-organized and energetic campaign. Cuomo chose Florida Senator Lawton Chiles to be his running mate. Although some concerns about Chiles’ health were initially raised, the Cuomo/Chiles ticket cruised to victory and Cuomo became the first Democrat elected to the White House since Terry Sanford in 1972.

1988

Governor Mario Cuomo (D-NY) / Senator Lawton Chiles (D-FL): 309 EVs, 50.4%
President Robert “Bob” Dole (R-KS) / Vice President Jeane Kirkpatrick (R-NY): 229 EVs, 49.2%

[GLPman]

Cuomo entered office as the first Italian-American president on a declared era of “good feeling and prosperity.” Cuomo, the first Democrat in the White House since President Sanford, focused on reducing the national debt and poverty. Cuomo also focused heavily on gun control throughout the nation. In 1989, the Soviet Union disintegrated and the Cold War ended. Cuomo also served as Commander-in-Chief during the Gulf War, in which a coalition of countries responded to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. During the beginning of the Gulf War, President Cuomo saw his approval rating sky-rocket to 90%. Despite this success, Cuomo faced a declining economy during late 1991 and all of 1992.

Cuomo did not face any opposition from within the Democratic Party for the nomination. The President’s approval rating held in the low 50s. Unfortunately, Vice President Chiles was in poor health by summer of 1992 and announced that he would step down from the position. Cuomo selected Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton as his new running mate in an effort to pick up support in the South. The Republicans, on the other hand, struggled to find a good candidate to go up against President Cuomo. Many analysts believed that former President Dole would throw his hat in the ring, but Dole emphasized that he was retired from political life forever. Former Vice President Jeanne Kirkpatrick announced that she planned to run against Cuomo, although many Republicans were unhappy with Kirkpatrick because they felt that the 66 year-old woman was uncharismatic and would not be able to rile up the base of the party. Kirkpatrick would dominate an ultimately unimpressive Republican primary field that include herself, Texas Senator Phil Gramm, House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich, and Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. Kirkpatrick utilized the poor economy promote a platform in which she promised a return to the economic prosperity of the 1980s. Kirkpatrick selected Phil Gramm as her running mate. Kirkpatrick was the first woman nominated for a national ticket.

Following the dissatisfaction with Kirkpatrick, businessman Ross Perot of Texas declared his candidacy as an Independent. Perot campaigned heavily on reform and even participated in a debate with Cuomo and Kirkpatrick. Perot selected James Stockdale as his running mate. On election night, Perot managed to steal much of Kirkpatrick’s support and demolish her lead over Cuomo in several battleground states. Cuomo easily won re-election.

1992

President Mario Cuomo (D-NY) / Governor Bill Clinton (D-AR): 379 EVs, 44.2%
Former Vice President Jeane Kirkpatrick (R-NY) / Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX): 156 EVs, 35.9%
Ross Perot (I-TX) / James Stockdale (I-IL) : 3 EVs, 19.9%

Cuomo cruised into his second term as the first Democrat to win re-election since LBJ in 1964. The economy continued to slug along and recover at a slow rate. Cuomo’s second term was dominated by the President’s efforts to repair the economy and reduce the deficit. Republicans scrambled to find a leader whom the party could unite behind in the meantime. Warnings of a resurgent wave of Republican support for the 1994 midterms predicted that the Republicans would retake both the House and Senate, yet the Republicans only managed to capture the House while the Democrats held onto the Senate by a razor-thin margin. Republicans rallied behind the new Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, in an effort to ensure that the Republicans could capture the Senate in 1996 and push the Democrats out of the White House. By the end of 1995, Cuomo had effectively turned the deficit into a surplus and the economy was on the rebound. Cuomo’s approval rating remained at 55%, with his approval among liberals at 90%.

Due to term limits, Cuomo was prohibited from seeking a third time. Vice President Clinton, who had replaced Vice President Chiles in 1992, sought the nomination and easily secured it. The Republicans had regained their momentum due to various legislative victories and the capture of the House in 1994. Several Republicans threw their hats in the ring for the nomination, including Illinois Governor Donald Rumsfeld, ex-pastor Pat Robertson, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, and New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman. Specter dropped out following a crushing defeat in the Iowa Caucus. Rumsfeld, on the other hand, enjoyed victories in New Hampshire, Arizona, and Delaware. Robertson, who appealed to far-right Conservatives, captured much Southern support and a strong win in the South Carolina Primary. Distaste for Robertson among moderate Conservatives eventually help back the ex-pastor’s success and Rumsfeld had secured the nomination by mid-March.

Clinton’s campaign focused entirely on the economic recovery and the possibilities that lay ahead of the United States. Clinton proved to be an excellent campaigner and was extremely effective at barnstorming. Initial polls showed Clinton maintaining a twelve-point lead over Rumsfeld. As the conventions neared, though, rumors circled about possible Clinton infidelity during his time as Arkansas Governor. By the time the Democratic Convention rolled around, Clinton’s lead over Rumsfeld had been cut in half. Clinton selected West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller as his running mate during an extremely vibrant convention. Rumsfeld, on the other hand, capitalized on the rumors and launched an effective negative campaign against Clinton’s character. At the convention, Rumsfeld selected Mississippi’s Thad Cochran to peal Southern support away from Clinton. By October, polls showed an extremely polarized race, yet also one where Clinton and Rumsfeld were neck-to-neck. On Election Day, Rumsfeld managed to defeat Clinton.

1996

Governor Donald Rumsfeld (R-IL) / Senator William Thad Cochran (R-MS): 281 EVs, 50.8%
Vice President Bill Clinton (D-AR) / Senator John “Jay” Rockefeller (D-WV): 257 EVs, 48.6%

"The Crisis of the Presidency" Presidents (1969-1997)
37. Richard Nixon (R-CA): 1969-1970*
38. Spiro Agnew (R-MD): 1970-1972**
39. Carl Albert (D-OK): 1972-1973***
40. James "Terry" Sanford (D-NC): 1973-1977
41. Mark Hatfield (R-OR): 1977-1985
42. Robert "Bob" Dole (R-KS): 1985 - 1989
43. Mario Cuomo (D-NY): 1989-1997
44. Donald Rumsfeld (R-IL): 1997-present

*Assassinated in 1970
** Resigned from the Presidency in 1972
*** Ascended to the Presidency following the resignation of President Agnew; declined to run for re-election

[Del Tachi]

Vice President Thad Cochran?  My prays have been answered!!!

Cochran 2004!!!!

[Pingvin]

When was Rummy elected governor??

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

When was Rummy elected governor??

And did he hold any Agnew, Hatfield, or Dole cabinet positions? In real life he was director of the office of economic opportunity, or had moved on to a different position, by 1970.

[GLPman]

Rumsfeld, who had previously served as President Dole’s Secretary of Defense and a National Security Advisor under President Hatfield before being elected Governor of Illinois in 1991, took the Oath of Office on a cold January day in 1997. The Republican takeover of the Senate provided Rumsfeld with an easier path of passing legislation. Rumsfeld, a staunch Conservative, eliminated many of the Cuomo taxes. The economy was still soaring unemployment was at a ten-year low. The majority of Rumsfeld’s term was relatively uneventful. Rumsfeld focused heavily on foreign affairs and developed a particularly close relationship with Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac. In 1999, Rumsfeld authorized the intervention of US forces, alongside a NATO coalition, in the Kosovo War. Democrats heavily criticized Rumsfeld for placing US troops on the ground and emphasizing US involvement more than NATO involvement. They also criticized Rumsfeld for the lack of a timetable in Kosovo. The operation proved to be successful nonetheless. By the time the millennium rolled around, the US appeared to be on its way back down after years of growth. By the summer of 2000, Rumsfeld held an approval rating of 52%.

With no problems in sight, Republicans easily re-nominated the Rumsfeld/Cochran ticket. The Democrats, nostalgic for the Cuomo era, offered up several candidates to compete against Rumsfeld. The candidates included Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, Tennessee Senator Al Gore, former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, and Florida Senator Bob Graham. Kerry was originally seen at the frontrunner, but Gore’s unexpected win in Iowa put the popular Tennessee Senator on the map. After a long primary season, Gore eventually clinched the nomination. Gore selected California Senator Barbara Boxer as his running mate. While the liberal base rallied strongly behind Gore and the conservative base rallied strongly behind Rumsfeld, independents were dissatisfied with both candidates. With voter turn-out at its lowest in over thirty years, Rumsfeld was re-elected.

2000

President Donald Rumsfeld (R-IL) / Vice President Thad Cochran (R-MS): 283 EVs, 50.9%
Senator Albert Gore (D-TN) / Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA): 255 EVs, 49.3%

President Rumsfeld’s second term began with various attempts at education reform. Only nine months into his second term, though, terrorist attacks rocked the nation. On September 11, hijackers flew planes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, with a final jet crashing into a field in Pennsylvania. The nation rallied around President Rumsfeld, who saw his approval ratings reach as high as 90%. In response to the attacks, the United States launched an invasion of Afghanistan in order to hunt down Osama bin Laden and destroy the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Rumsfeld’s War on Terror had begun and the nation rallied strongly around the President. In 2003, Rumsfeld ordered military operations in Iraq, citing evidence of weapons of mass destruction. As months carried on, there appeared to be no evidence of the weapons of mass destruction. Democrats came after the President extremely hard, implying that the Rumsfeld Doctrine was a Neo-Conservative plot to secure oil in the Middle East. By late 2003/early 2004, President Rumsfeld saw his approval ratings drop to 40%.

With so many angered Democrats and independents, Republicans were placed on the defensive in the 2004 elections. Vice President Thad Cochran stated that he had no intention of seeking the presidency, which left the GOP field wide open. After an extremely competitive primary season, Virginia Senator George Allen secure the nod and chose Tennessee Senator Bill Frist as his running mate. The Democrats, on the other hand, sought to capitalize on the failed mission in Iraq. Identifying himself as a “Cuomo Democrat” and emphasizing a strong national security policy, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman easily secured the nomination. On the campaign trail, Lieberman, the first Jewish man to secure a nomination for the major parties, emphasized “smart tactics” for the War on Terror. Lieberman advocated for a time-table withdrawal from Iraq and more emphasis on Afghanistan and other terrorist-sponsoring states. Lieberman chose former General Wesley Clark as his running mate. In November 2004, the Democrats would take back the Senate and Lieberman would be inaugurated as the nation’s first Jewish President.

2004

Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) / Retired General Wesley Clark (D-AR): 328 EVs, 51.8%
Senator George Allen (R-VA) / Senator William “Bill” Frist (R-TN): 210 EVs, 47.6%