Insane Timeline

[Hash]

I'm starting an entirely insane multi-party that's 100% unplausible. So, refrain from saying comments like "OMG u suck so unplausible"

It will involve the Democrats infighting following 2004, failing to get Congress back in 2006 and a bloody war in Iraq leading to a new third party.

[CPT MikeyMike]

Okay DWTL I mean Gporter I mean TommyC  I mean benconstine oops I mean Hashemite - finally got it right.

OMG this timeline sucks!!!! It is not plausible!!!!

I will just get the comment out of the way.

Go for it.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I expect more than three parties if its to be truly insane.

[Hash]

2004
Note: Very little difference in 2004, mostly in a slightly larger victory for W

In November 2004, Republican President George W. Bush defeats Democratic contender John Kerry, winning nearly 52%

The Republicans are also able to solidify their hold on the House and the Senate, picking up various open seats vacated by Democrats and defeating Tom Daschle in South Dakota. As the Democrats swallow their sour defeat, various liberal vs. moderate divides begin to emerge again within party ranks.

2005

As the war in Iraq continued to take a large toll on American lives, President Bush announced a minor increase in troop numbers to be sent abroad. The President's approval ratings drops below 40%, down now to 36% and the war becomes more and more unpopular.

2006

As the mid-term election approached, the Democrats were still apparently infighting, and this liberal Democrats vs. DLC interfered in some primaries. However, the Democrats eyed various incumbent Republicans, such as unpopular Ohio Senator DeWine or Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. A slight decrease in US military deaths in Iraq in October boosted Bush up to 40% approval ratings, and slightly helped various Republican incumbents. However, the Democrats were still sure to take back atleast the House and maybe the Senate.

The Democrats, barely recovered from their 2004 result were shocked when the Republicans narrowly kept control of the House.

House Results [2006]
Republicans 219 (-13)
Democrats 216 (+14)
Independents 0 (-1)

Senate Results [2006]
Republicans 51 (-4)
Democrats 47 (+3)
Independents 2 (+1)

2007

As the Democrats were left defeated in an election they were almost sure to win, the Republicans and President Bush felt they had the mandate to continue the war in Iraq. The Republican Congress approved new funding and supported a massive troop surge. However, the slump in US deaths in October 2006 was short lived, and military deaths peaked to a high in April 2007. President Bush's approval fell to 31% by May, and 27% in July.
Meanwhile, on the 2008 campaign trail, few Democrats stepped up- in March Barack Obama declined to run for the nomination, followed by John Edwards who declared little interest in the race.
As the war continued and the Democrats very divided among ideological lines, numerous Democrats and even some Republicans mulled about forming a third party opposed to the war and ready to take a role as the opposition to President Bush and Congressional Republicans.
Finally, in October 2007, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, John Edwards, and Barack Obama appeared together at a press conference and officially declared the creation of the American Unity Coalition (temporary name). The party declared it's opposition to the Iraq war, belief in a centrist to moderate ideology. Former Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee, defeated in 2006 also joined the party.

A look at polls for each 2008 nomination as of December 2007:
Democratic nomination for 2008 (December 25)
Hillary Clinton 57%
Bill Richardson 17%
Chris Dodd 12%
Joe Biden 9%
Dennis Kucinich 3%
Others 2%

Republican nomination for 2008 (December 25)
Mitt Romney 22%
Rudy Giuliani 16%
Mike Huckabee 14%
Fred Thompson 13%
John McCain 10%
Bill Frist 9%
Ron Paul 7%
Tom Tancredo 3%
Others 6%

American Unity nomination for 2008 (December 21)
Mark Warner 61%
Barack Obama 25%
Lincoln Chafee 13%
Others 1%

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Mark Warner for President!

[Hash]

Early 2008

On New Year, the American Unity Party is renamed the Progressive Party. On January 3rd, Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee respectively win their party's Iowa caucuses. Warner also easily wins in Iowa. In New Hampshire, Clinton easily defeats Richardson while Romney wins the Republican primary. After poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, Barack Obama drops out, immediately endorsing Mark Warner. Warner now had only token opposition from former RI Senator Lincoln Chafee. On February 5, Clinton sweeped all primaries for the Democrats with the exception of NM, AZ. For the Republicans, these primaries were more competitive and no one had clinched the nomination. Lincoln Chafee dropped out on February 6 after winning no Progressive primary.

General Election Matchup (February 12)
Warner (Prog) 36%
Romney (R) 29%
Clinton (D) 25%
Undecided or Other 10%
-
Warner (Prog) 34%
Giuliani (R) 32%
Clinton (D) 24%
Undecided or Other 10%
-
Warner (Prog) 39%
Huckabee (R) 26%
Clinton (D) 25%
Undecided or Other 10%

Note- the insanity has not started

[Meeker]

I already see multiple completely unrealistic things... but I'll bite my tongue.

It's interesting though.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

This is very cool and very improbable   Go Warner for President!

[Hash]

This is meant to be fun/interesting, not at all meant to be serious/likely

[Hash]

The GE Campaign

Note: I skipped the rest of primaries as they're boring at this point

Democratic Primaries

Clinton: 48 states + DC
Richardson: 2 states

Republican Primaries

Romney: 27 states
Huckabee: 13 states
Giuliani: 10 states + DC

Progressive Primaries

Warner: 50 states + DC

At the Democratic Convention in Denver, Hillary Clinton is nominated very easily, with all other candidates having dropped out before the primary (except Kucinich). She chose Indiana Senator Evan Bayh as her running mate. At the Republican convention, a close three-way fight between Romney, Huckabee, and Giuliani emerged at the convention in Minneapolis and divided the party. Eventually, Romney narrowly won the nomination and chose Mike Huckabee as his running mate. Giuliani however, failed to publicly endorse his party's chosen ticket. Mark Warner won all Progressive delegates at a very active convention in New York City. He chose Barack Obama as his running mate. Lincoln Chafee and other party members eventually endorsed the Progressive ticket.
Disappointed by Clinton's nomination, Kucinich accepts the Green Party nomination with Cynthia McKinney. Former Republican candidate Ron Paul still hasn't declared his official withdrawal from the general election as a candidate...

General Election Matchup (September)
Warner/Obama (P) 37%
Romney/Huckabee (R) 26%
Clinton/Bayh (D) 26%
Kucinich/McKinney (G) 4%
Undecided or Other 7%

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Warner for President!

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Hashemite this is quite interesting. I hope it becomes more unplausable after the 2008 Presidential Election though. Currently this is reminding me of a TL you did ages ago. I think it was called Multi-Party USA or something along similar lines.

[Gabu]

In November 2004, Republican President George W. Bush defeats Democratic contender John Kerry, winning nearly 52%

OMG u suck so unplausible

[Hash]

To Election Day

On September 26, the first Presidential debate is held at the University of Mississippi, with all 3 major candidates present. Warner attacks the Democrats for being inactive and feeble on domestic problems and attacks the Republicans for not addressing domestic problems. However, Clinton comes out strong in the debate and viewers say the debate is a draw between all 3 candidates. On October 2, the 3 leading running mates, Obama, Huckabee, and Bayh convene in Saint Louis for the Vice Presidential debate. Huckabee comes out on top, relying on his populist and compassionate image, even though Barack Obama is also strong against the two other candidates. On October 7, the second Presidential debate is held at Belmont University. The three candidates take questions raised by the audience. Most questions relate to the Iraqi situation, house prices, or hot-key social issues. Romney tries to stress his conservative pro-life credentials to appeal to Christian conservatives across the South and the whole country. Warner however easily wins the debate with a down-to-earth approach. The third and final debate is held on October 15 at Hofstra University focused on foreign policy. As expected, the debate is very heated as Romney stresses the progress made in Iraq and re-affirms that he is pro-war and believes that American troop levels should be further increased during his term. Mark Warner and Clinton warn the public of the dangers of a second surge, but Mark Warner comes out very strong on the Iraq issue while Clinton seems hesitant to commit herself to a clear answer on the Iraqi situation. Questions focused on countries such as Russia, Iran, Pakistan, or Venezuela are also asked to the candidates. Mark Warner is seen as the clear winner of this debate. By October 20, the nationwide polls look like this:

General Election Matchup (October 20)
Warner/Obama (P) 36%
Romney/Huckabee (R) 29%
Clinton/Bayh (D) 27%
Kucinich/McKinney (G) 3%
Undecided or Other 5%

As the campaign ended, Warner focused his troops on California, where polls showed him narrowly trailing Clinton in this traditionally Democrat state but now a tossup state. Obama meanwhile appeared at rallies for various House and Senate candidates of the Progressive Party.

[Hash]

Election Day

Turnout was up from the 2004 election. Romney voted early in Massachusetts, Warner was second to vote in Virginia while Clinton voted in New York State late in the afternoon.

The exit poll broadcast gave the following projection of % nationally:
Warner/Obama (P) 37%
Romney/Huckabee (R) 30%
Clinton/Bayh (D) 29%
Kucinich/McKinney (G) 3.5%
Other .5%

In California, the exit poll showed Clinton narrowly beating Warner, which would probably mean (if Clinton wins CA) that the election would be decided by the House.

Results

Warner/Obama (Prog) 37.12% 272 EV
Romney/Huckabee (R) 29.56% 179 EV
Clinton/Bayh (D) 28.67% 87 EV
Kucinich/McKinney (G) 3.42%
Others (L, C, Soc) 1.23%

House Results [2008]
Progressive 211 (+211)
Republicans 122 (-97)
Democrats 102 (-114)

Senate Results [2008]
Progressive 45 (+45)
Republicans 30 (-21)
Democrats  23 (-24)
Independents 2 (-)

The United States has elected a third party President, Senate, and House! But is it still a third party


Author's Note: OMG SO UNPLAUSIBLE. Is it insane enough? Gotta love the unplausibility of picking up 211 seats in one cycle!

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Election Day

Turnout was up from the 2004 election. Romney voted early in Massachusetts, Warner was second to vote in Virginia while Clinton voted in New York State late in the afternoon.

The exit poll broadcast gave the following projection of % nationally:
Warner/Obama (P) 37%
Romney/Huckabee (R) 30%
Clinton/Bayh (D) 29%
Kucinich/McKinney (G) 3.5%
Other .5%

In California, the exit poll showed Clinton narrowly beating Warner, which would probably mean (if Clinton wins CA) that the election would be decided by the House.

Results

Warner/Obama (Prog) 37.12% 272 EV
Romney/Huckabee (R) 29.56% 179 EV
Clinton/Bayh (D) 28.67% 87 EV
Kucinich/McKinney (G) 3.42%
Others (L, C, Soc) 1.23%

House Results [2008]
Progressive 211 (+211)
Republicans 122 (-97)
Democrats 102 (-114)

Senate Results [2008]
Progressive 45 (+45)
Republicans 30 (-21)
Democrats  23 (-24)
Independents 2 (-)

The United States has elected a third party President, Senate, and House! But is it still a third party


Author's Note: OMG SO UNPLAUSIBLE. Is it insane enough? Gotta love the unplausibility of picking up 211 seats in one cycle!

Amazing   I love President Warner

[Meeker]

Uhhh... how does a party gain 45 Senate seats in an election when there are only 33 or 34 up for election at all?

[Erc]

(Presumably, a lot of senators joined when it was created--so it's +45 from the previous election, not the makeup as of Dec. 2008)

[Hash]

(Presumably, a lot of senators joined when it was created--so it's +45 from the previous election, not the makeup as of Dec. 2008)

Correct.

[Hash]

Insanity continues.

Republican and Democrats Despair

Suffering a stunning defeat coming from a third party barely two years old, the Democrats and Republicans suffer their monumental defeat. A split starts to emerge in both parties, between moderates and conservatives-evangelicals in the GOP and between liberals and centrists in the Democrats. Moderate Republicans blame Romney's running mate Huckabee for his evangelical stance, as well as the conservative majority within the party. In the Democratic Party, the liberal wing tries to blame the DLC and the centrists for the defeat, urging the Democrats to re-orient to the left, with the Progressives becoming the only centrist and moderate party. Among those urging for a reconstruction towards the left is Dennis Kucinich, the dissident who ran as a Green and went on to take over 3%.
President Warner's first action is to sign the Kyoto Protocol and to announce that the United States would take a leading role in fighting climate change. He also announces a large health-care reform that is passed by both houses in 2009. In Iraq, he orders a new military strategy while reducing troops levels in "safer" areas and moving troops from "safer" areas to "tenser" areas. His Iraq policy is criticized by the Republicans as being too weak and by the Democrats as being still too far from immediate withdrawal. However, Americans are happy with his presidency and his approval rating is at 61% by November 2009. In the 2009 gubernatorial elections, Progressives win in Virginia while Democrats narrowly hold on to New Jersey.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic party, a mass exodus of DLCers and centrists to the Progressives continues, leading the Democrats to become a centre-left party. A similar exodus is seen at a smaller scale in the Republican party, with moderates leaving to the Progressives.

[Hash]

A Fourth Party?

Disenchanted by the way the Republican party is going and the new rise of the Progressives, which is now a moderate centrist party, various conservative and Christian right Republicans leave the Republican party to form the new Conservative Party. In July 2009, they elect 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Huckabee as party leader and decide to contest most 2010 Senatorial and congressional races.

2010 Mid-terms

House Results [2010]
Progressive 198 (-13)
Republicans 115 (-7)
Democrats 110 (+8)
Conservative 11 (+11)
Libertarian 1 (+1)*
*Ron Paul switches party affiliation to Libertarian

The Conservatives perform very well in house races, picking up 11 seats, most from Progressive or Republican incumbents. Ron Paul, now a Libertarian, wins easy re-election in his own seat without a Republican challenger. The Progressives, albeit winning more votes than in 2008, loose 13 marginal seats that they had narrowly won in 2008 from Republicans or Democrats. Third parties receive their best scores ever in a long time, the Libertarians winning 1.5%, the Greens 1%, the Constitution Party 0.9%. In Vermont, the Green candidate comes in second position (D holds the seat).

Senate Results [2010]
Progressive 47 (+2)
Republicans 28 (-2)
Democrats  22 (-1)
Independents 2 (-)
Conservative 1 (+1)

Incumbent Republican senator from Alabama, Richard Selby is re-elected as a Conservative in a very close Conservative-Republican-Progressive-Democrat four-way race. The Progressives are able to pick up two seats, while both Republicans and Democrats loose 2 and 1 seat respectively.

In a very controversial move, congressional Democrats in both houses announce their intentions to support the Progressives. Numerous anti-cooperation Democrats leave the party and decide to sit as Independents for the time being.

[Hash]

Let the fun continue!


Run-up to 2012

In January 2011, the Conservative Party convened to a founding convention in Charleston, SC. Mike Huckabee won the party's leadership and vowed to make the party a strong party nationwide and urged candidates to step up for Senatorial, Gubernatorial, and House races in 2012.

On the political scene, President Warner maintains a good approval rating. In Iraq, the situation is getting calmer, and Warner started his Progressive Withdrawal Plan. In July 2011, many soldiers came home from their tours of duty to Iraq and few needed to return for another tour of duty. Warner's approval took a sharp boost to 59%.

On the 2012 presidential scene, the election field was opening up at a slow pace.

[troosvelt]

Fun but unrealistic.

If one were going to nitpick you could question having Obama and Edwards in a centrist party since both are on the left side of the Democrats but what the heck.

[Hash]

I'm starting an entirely insane multi-party that's 100% unplausible. So, refrain from saying comments like "OMG u suck so unplausible"