Alt Timeline - President Clinton in the Middle

[MAINEiac4434]

I wish this was real

[Attempting Life]

Amazing timeline! Keep it up!

[MycroftCZ]

My favorite types of TLs are President Hillary TLs. Keep it up!

[Pollster]

BREAKING: Mitch McConnell re-elected Senate GOP leader by one vote


1/25/17 - Senate Republicans re-elected Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to serve as the conference's leader over challenger Jeff Flake of Arizona this morning by a vote of 25 to 23, indicating that only one vote prevented the two from being deadlocked in a tie. The vote represents a major change in standing for McConnell, who has never had difficulty winning the leadership position before.

The final vote, preventing a tie, was cast by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT). Every Republican who represents a state carried by President Clinton in the 2016 election voted against McConnell, with the notable exception of Cory Gardner of Colorado - the head of the NRSC and an ally of McConnell. All other members of the Republican leadership - Cornyn, Thune, Blunt, and Barrasso, all supported McConnell.

A number of hardline conservatives also opposed McConnell - Cruz, Lee, and Paul all voted for Flake. Paul's vote is notable considering that he represents the same state as McConnell.

Flake released a statement after the vote acknowledging the closeness of the race and pledging to fight for the values he expressed in the campaign. McConnell is expected to deliver a speech on the floor of the Senate within the next hour.

McConnell on Senate floor after leadership vote: "To my critics: I understand your concerns, and I hear you"


1/25/17 - Newly re-elected Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) addressed Senators of both parties on the floor of the Senate today shortly after winning re-election to his position earlier this morning by one vote.

"This is clearly a day that means a lot for our party, and for our country," McConnell said. "It is now obvious to everybody that the politics of yesterday is not going to work tomorrow."

McConnell extended an olive branch to his intra-party opponents, stating "to my critics: I understand your concerns, and I hear you." He pledged "principled, but productive governance" and to be "an opposition that solves, not just an opposition that stops."

At press time, no Democratic leaders responded to the speech.

Trump tweets that Senate GOP has "chosen failure yet again" after McConnell re-election, says Sessions should have run


1/25/17 - Donald Trump took to Twitter earlier today to torch the re-election of Mitch McConnell to serve as Senate Republican leader."

"Sad to see that Senate Republicans have chosen failure yet again," Trump tweeted, without mentioning McConnell by name but hardly veiling the meaning.

McConnell did not support Trump during the Republican Presidential primary, but offered a tepid endorsement of the candidate after he clinched the nomination and remained mostly silent following the release of the Access Hollywood tape.

Trump continued by tweeting that "[it's] unfortunate great Jeff Sessions didn't run…should be leader of the party!"

Sessions was the first member of the Senate to endorse Trump and advised the campaign on foreign policy. He was believed to have been considered for a Cabinet position by Trump in the event he won the election.

Sessions is a favorite of the far-right due to his opposition to both legal and illegal immigration, and was rejected by the U.S. Senate for a federal judgeship in the 1980's after Coretta Scott King wrote a letter to the body urging them not to confirm him to the post.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) reacted to the tweet by livestreaming a video of herself reading King's letter.

Sessions' office did not respond to a request for comment. McConnell's office commented that "Senator Sessions is a longtime friend of the majority leader, and we are proud to have received his vote in this leadership election. Leader McConnell looks forward to working with him in the future."

Following Trump's tweet, Sessions gained almost 30,000 new Twitter followers, and a "Draft Sessions 2020" page on Facebook saw a massive spike in likes.

[Pollster]

Report: GOP Senators who supported McConnell worried about potential "deciding vote" ads after one-vote victory


1/26/17 - Sources all over Capitol Hill have been telling reporters than many Republican Senators are worried that their votes to elect Mitch McConnell the party's leader in the Senate will come back to haunt them in future elections.

"If he had won by two votes there would be no problem, but because it was one vote, suddenly everybody who voted for him was the 'deciding vote,'" said an aide to a GOP Senator up for reelection in 2018.

McConnell's public image took a beating during the 2017 leadership vote. Polls taken in mid-January show McConnell to be the most unpopular politician in the nation, claiming a title long held by Nancy Pelosi.

"There's no doubt that Mitch McConnell's name is going to be dropped on Republican candidates like a bomb in 2018," said a prominent GOP strategist who requested anonymity to speak candidly. "Senate Republicans got calls from constituents in the thousands asking them not to vote for him," he said. "That's practically unheard of for a leadership election."

The situation was made even more difficult following the leadership vote when Donald Trump tweeted his opposition to McConnell, referring to him as a "failure."

"That scared the Republicans in even the safest red seats," the strategist said. "Because now it suddenly becomes a primary issue too."

McConnell's situation is likely to worsen as he begins to work with the Clinton administration, something he has pledged to do, which is likely to anger the Republican base even more. The strife is likely to place pressure on Republicans in an election year they are seen as going into with a strong advantage.

White House announces Clinton's first press conference as President, invites McConnell to meeting with President


1/27/17 - White House Press Secretary Brian Fallon announced at the daily press briefing today that President Hillary Clinton would hold her first press conference as President next Tuesday, January 31, one week ahead of her first address to a joint session of Congress.

"The President will be hosting a press conference this Tuesday. We hope you will all attend. She will discuss with you her plans for her first 100 days in office, the current state of affairs, and her itinerary for the coming days," Fallon said. He added that reporters could expect comments and announcements regarding economic policy, foreign policy, and national security. When asked if Clinton would announce her nominee for the Supreme Court, Fallon said that "I'm not aware of any development regarding that topic at this time."

Additionally, Fallon told reporters that Clinton has called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to congratulate him on his reelection to Senate leadership and invited him to a meeting in the oval office next week, prior to Clinton's address to Congress. He said that McConnell accepted the invitation, which was confirmed minutes later by McConnell's office.


Bannon in 60 Minutes interview: Donald Trump is "coming back very soon, and he's very, very mad," says Trump blames Cruz for November defeat, will support primary challengers to Republicans


1/29/17 -  Steve Bannon broke his silence tonight in a 60 Minutes interview with Barbara Walters that has rocked the political world.

Walters introduced Bannon to viewers as "the mastermind behind the Trump-Republican ideology" and warned viewers that "the intensity and ferocity with which Mr. Bannon speaks is unlike that of anybody I have interviewed in years."

In the interview, Bannon says that he considers Donald Trump "a brother" and said that he has spoken to Trump "daily" since the morning after the election.

When Walters asked what Donald Trump intends to do in the future, Bannon had an answer teed up.

"He can do whatever he wants, he's Donald," said Bannon. "But I have to tell you…he wants to stay in politics. He says it's his true calling, to represent the voices of the forgotten men and women. He's coming back very soon, and he's very, very mad about the way the 2016 election went down."

Walters asked Bannon to expand on that statement, specifically asking if Trump holds a grudge against President Hillary Clinton, who defeated him in November.

"No," Bannon said, "he couldn't care less about Hillary Clinton. He thinks she's dead meat in 2020." When Walkers asked what about 2016 drew Trump's anger, Bannon only had two words: "Ted Cruz."

The hardline conservative Texas Senator was Trump's strongest competitor in the 2016 Presidential primary, and managed to steal the majority of media attention away from Trump at the Republican Convention by telling voters to "vote [their] conscience" rather than explicitly encouraging them to support the nominee.

Cruz never changed his stance, and following the release of the Access Hollywood tape in October, Cruz released a statement urging the RNC to "strip [Trump] of the party's nomination immediately." Trump managed to win Cruz's home state of Texas by only 5 points after Mitt Romney won it by 16 in 2012.

"Donald thinks Ted Cruz single-handedly cost him the election, and that if he had gotten his supporters behind him he'd be the President today," Bannon ranted. "It was the Cruz voter who didn't vote for Trump in North Carolina and in Arizona that elected Hillary Clinton President."

He called Ted Cruz "a proven loser who is only a Senator because he won a Republican primary that nobody voted in, in a state that elects anybody with an R next to their name." Tellingly, Bannon commented that "it won't be that easy for him next time."

"Will Donald Trump support a challenger to him in his primary?" Walters asked.

"Yes," replied Bannon, unflinchingly. "He's going to be supporting primary challengers to disloyal Republicans nationwide, at every level of government."

The words sent shockwaves through the political system, but it was Bannon's last words that sent Republicans into panic.

"It's his party now."

[America Needs R'hllor]

Damn, these last words are chilling. Can't wait to see what's next!

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Damn, these last words are chilling. Can't wait to see what's next!

[King Lear]

It would be great for Pollster to add a update to this, because it's a really great timeline.

[Pollster]

Aiming to update this weekend!