Feeble's Mini-Timelines

[feeblepizza]

Kal, Cathcon, tb75, and Chairman Sanchez are all doing it, so I thought I would jump in too .

The first TL, President Lugar, will be coming soon.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I'm quite a fan of Lugar

[feeblepizza]

The Presidency of Richard Green Lugar and Beyond

1992: In 1992, President George Bush (R-TX) and Vice-President Richard Lugar (R-IN) faced a tough fight against Governor Bill Clinton (D-AR) and Senator Al Gore (D-TN). Despite the administration's successes in foreign policy, the economy was drooping, and President Bush faced a semi-successful primary challenge from conservative columnist Pat Buchanan. Republican hopes were consoled only momentarily when Texas billionaire Ross Perot announced that he would not launch an independent bid. They were trashed again when Perot endorsed Clinton. The election was close, but Democrats prevailed:

Clinton/Gore 52.5% PV, 274 EV
Bush/Lugar 47.0% PV, 264 PV

Next up is Clinton's term and the 1996 election

[Ⓐnarchy in the ☭☭☭P!]

all the cool kids make mini-timelines

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

all the cool kids make mini-timelines

Damn straight.

[feeblepizza]

1996: Four very unpopular initiatives from President Clinton caused Republicans to gain control of Congress in 1994: tax hikes, the assault weapons ban, the ratification of NAFTA, and universal healthcare. After the midterms, the jockeying for the Republican nomination began. The three major candidates were former Vice-President Dick Lugar, Senator Bob Dole (R-KS), and conservative columnist Pat Buchanan. Lugar easily won the nomination, winning every contest except for Kansas (won by Dole). Lugar chose General Colin Powell as his running-mate.

The Lugar/Powell ticket ran competitively against the Clinton/Gore ticket, mainly because of the precense of a very popular military official on the ticket. This time, Perot endorsed the Republicans due to his frustrations with NAFTA. On Election Day, the Clinton/Gore ticket led by 2. The final result was:

Lugar/Powell 49.2% PV, 286 EV
Clinton/Gore 49.1% EV, 252 EV

Next up is Lugar's term and the 2000 election

[feeblepizza]

2000: President Lugar's first act in office was to liberalize Cuban-American relations, a cause long championed by liberals. In February of 1997, a controversey arose among whether or not to allow gay members in the military and Lugar enacted the Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy, which stated that only closeted gays could join. He passed major cuts in taxes and spending, and held an approval rating in the high 50s for most of his term.

The Democratic nomination was between former Vice-President Al Gore, Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE), Congressman Dick Gephardt (D-MO), and former Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ). Gephardt won in Iowa, and Gore took New Hampshire in a close race over Wellstone. On Super Tuesday, Gore won 10 of 11 states and all other opposition dropped out. In the general election, Gore chose Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) as his running-mate.

Lugar/Powell 51.1%, 337
Gore/Bayh 47.8%, 201

Up next is Lugar's second term and the 2004 election

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I wonder how Lugar will handle 9/11 if it happens.

[feeblepizza]

2004: President Lugar's second term was quiet until September 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were attacked by terrorists. President Lugar responded by launching an aerial attack on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, which sheltered Al Qeada, the radical Muslim group that organized the attacks. Early on in 2002, the Taliban fell and the long process of reconstruction began, with President Lugar handing most reconstruction powers to a coalition led by the UK and France. His approval ratings were in the low 60s for the rest of his term.

2004 election an open race, with Vice-President Powell announcing that he would not run. The major GOP candidates were Governor George W. Bush (R-TX), Senator John McCain (R-AZ), and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NYC). Bush won Iowa and McCain took New Hampshire. South Carolina went to Bush and Nevada, Michigan, and Florida went to McCain. Super Tuesday was evenly divided between Bush and McCain, with Giuliani dropping out to support McCain. In the end, McCain became the nominee and chose Bush as his running-mate.

The Democratic nomination was a three way race between Governor Howard Dean (D-VT), Senator John Kerry (D-MA), and Senator John Edwards (D-NC). Mere days before the Iowa Cacaus, Kerry was assassinated. He won Iowa on a sympathy vote, and the rest of the race saw Dean win in the Northeast and West, and Edwards win in the Midwest and South. In the end, Edwards prevailed and chose Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) as his running-mate.

Republicans capitalized on the propserous economy and the successful liberation of Afghanistan. They led steadily throughout the race, and McCain/Bush prevailed.

McCain/Bush 51.7%, 338
Edwards/Schumer 47.3%, 200

Next up is the McCain presidency and the 2008 election

[feeblepizza]

2008: President McCain's term went quietly: the economy was great and the war in Afghanistan was going perfectly. His term was also marked by a successful aerial carpet bombing of several Al-Qaeda installments in Pakistan. The 2006 midterms saw Republicans keep both Houses of Congress.

The major melt-down came during the 2008 election. President McCain easily defeated anti-war Congressman Ron Paul during the primaries, and the Democratic primaries were between Senators Barack Obama of Illinois, Russ Fiengold of Wisconsin, and Chuck Schumer of New York. In the general election, McCain led the Schumer/Obama ticket by a hefty margin until the stock market crash in October. The Schumer/Obama ticket won easily.

Schumer/Obama 52.9%, 332
McCain/Bush 45.7%, 206

Next up, Schumer's term and 2012

[feeblepizza]

2012: President Schumer passed a major stimulus package including tax increases and infrastructure improvements. By January of 2011, the 9.1% unemployment rate had dropped to a far more manageable 8.8%. However, Republicans gained control of the House due to the unpopular tax hikes. President Schumer agreed to cut taxes for the middle class and the poor only.

In foreign affairs, upheavel hit Africa and the Middle East, with democratic movements hitting nations such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. The U.S. aided these movements, and President Schumer hailed them as improvements in freedom and human rights.

In 2012, Republicans nominated former Vice-President George W. Bush over opposition from the "Tea Party," led by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). Bush chose Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) as his running-mate. While the polls were close, Schumer was able to come out on top:

Schumer/Obama 50.7%, 288
Bush/Pawlenty 48.6%, 250

Next up, Schumer's second term and 2016.