We will recount those ballots - a 2000 election TL

[RGM2609]

As you can probably guess from the title, this is a TL in which Al Gore was declared the winner of the 2000 presidential election, a TL which I plan to carry on a long term, meaning a detailed presentation of events up to 2016 or maybe even 2020. I hope for you to enjoy this.

[😥]

Strongly approve this idea! Want to see first update!

[RGM2609]

December 5th 2000 - George

2000 US Presidential election results (as of the day)
Al Gore (D) - 267 EV
George W Bush (R) - 246 EV
Too close to call - 25 EV

George was doing his thing, watching television next to his wife, Laura. They were both standing there in silence, thinking about their own issues, while the CNN anchor was talking for no one to listen. George was thinking about the fact that he will soon be president, that he will soon be the commander-in-chief, the leader of the free world or whatever other titles it has. Sure, he was a bit worried about what he will do with this job, but to be fair he did not particularly care about that and whenever this worrying thought comes up, he just convinces himself that he is a Bush for a reason, that he defeated an opponent who was way more experienced and competent and...what was that word again? Anyway. His folksy crap will save him during the Presidency as well. George was more inclined to think about how proud his father must be, that his son will soon be President. He knew, that his dad, the former President, deemed him as the dumb one from the start, that Jeb was the favorite son, but maybe now, it will all change. He also remembers how Jeb and Karl and Dick and that woman from Florida, whatever her name was, all conspired to help him by illegal means, but heck, they know what they are doing. Why should George have paid attention? His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by CNN going into BREAKING NEWS. Hmm, maybe they will declare officially that George won? He had no idea why it was taking so long. However, a different news was showed.

- Damning new reports have now been published by anonymous sources from inside the FBI, showing that they think several high-profile Bush aides attempted to bribe Supreme Court officials ahead of the trial. According to the reports, Karl Rove, the Chief Strategist of the campaign, seems to be the one leading the illegal operation. We must point out through that the evidence showed in the report is substantially weak, and the FBI will start an official investigation in the coming days. -

Wow. He could not understand much of what was said, but he knew it was bad. He might not be President after all.

[RGM2609]

December 11th 2000 - Karl

2020 US Presidential election results (as of the day)
Al Gore (D) - 267 EV
George W Bush (R) - 246 EV
Too close to call - 25 EV

Karl has really, really screwed this up, or so he thought. His master plan of electing a conservative as President and put an end to the liberal mayhem unleashed by the Democrats in the last 8 years was falling apart right before his eyes. He knew that Bush was too weak, too incompetent, too dumb to defeat Al Gore on his own, so he took matters into his own hands. And for a while, it went perfectly. Until 6 days ago, when the bribery thing leaked. Since then, everything he had done has been damage control. The Supreme Court postponed the hearings in Bush v Gore following public pressure, the officials who accepted the bribes are being fired behind closed doors, the FBI director Louis Freeh (the traitor, as Karl calls him) opened an extensive investigation, and the public opinion shifted in favor of Gore. Now, thousands and thousands are protesting in all major cities for Al Gore to be elected, while the Republican base seems deflated and the politicians in the GOP refuse to help the falling Bush campaign in any way, instead preparing themselves for 2004, a likely GOP win. Karl had a feeling, that this will not end well at all.

[538Electoral]

I'll make a guess. Gore wins Florida by 200 votes or something like that.

[BigVic]

Grab the popcorn

[RGM2609]

December 19th 2000 - George

In the last few days, George felt like the whole universe was plotting against him. Illegal campaign deals which the FBI was closely investigating, growing popular dissent, Republicans refusing to help him. And there was no way out. Or so he thought. Because the way out would be offered by the most unexpected person. A couple of days ago, he got word from the Gore campaign that they wanted a meeting with him, something related to a deal. Normally, he would just send Karl, but after the fiasco that started all of this, he completely lost the trust of the presidential candidate. As such, he spoke with Gore himself. He knew that the Democrat nominee was quite a cynical schemer, however what he heard next was shocking. Gore bluntly told him that he is likely to go to jail, and that his brother will certainly go to jail, as well as hundreds if not thousands of his aides, because the FBI discovered massive voter fraud in the Florida electoral process and will open an investigation that is certainly not going to end well for the Bushes. However, Al Gore told his rival that he can put an end to it, if George announces his withdrawal from the ticket. The Vice President seemed to think that Bush withdrawing would be the last straw for the falling Republican campaign, and it will end all resistance against his victory. Bush was very skeptical about the idea, thinking he still had a shot in the Courts, however Gore told him that while most justices were indeed fans of Bush and Republican hacks, even they could not overlook the clear evidence and that even if they did, Bush would have a doomed Presidency, with impeachment being likely. After that, Gore reassured him that if he withdraws now, he still has a shot at public office in the future. Bush did not trust Gore one bit, but even he had to admit, that his rival was absolutely right. He wanted above all to protect him and his family, not bring shame upon it. As such, here he was, at a press conference that Karl and his aides thought it was about reviving his campaign. Little did they know.

- Good morning, everyone. Today I would like to first of all thank my staff, my family, my wonderful wife Laura and my supporters all around the country, for continuing to help me fight for a conservative White House. However, I must say that healing and uniting the country after a bitter campaign is much more important. As such, I must admit that I can no longer be that unifying President that I always wanted to be. Hence, I announce my withdrawal from the race, and I am proud to hand over the wheel to Dick Cheney, a great man who will make a Great President. Thank you.

His aides looked shocked. Everyone was stunned. Except George. He felt relieved.

[RGM2609]

December 22nd 2000 - Jeb

2020 US Presidential results (as of the day)
Al Gore (D) - 267 EV
Dick Cheney (R) - 246 EV
Too close to call - 25 EV

This is unbelievable. Even as his brother had withdrawn in shame, the Florida election results will not stop hunting him. Somehow, those damn leakers found out how he conspired with Katherine Harris to kick out 100.000 Democrats from the voter rolls, without any formal reason. He knew that action would raise suspicions, but how did the leakers get evidence that was so incontestable, he had no idea. Calls for his resignation were mounting, and while he had no plans to resign, he knew that 2002 was probably out of question. His approvals quickly plummeted to the low 30s and they probably will go down even more once the base abandons him. He will sacrifice Harris, damn that woman, at times she seemed willing to kill to ensure the victory of George, probably a fanatic. Compared to her, he was just a man trying to save his family from being embarrassed again, because losing another election would make them pariahs in the Republican Party. He knew that Gore assured his brother that he had nothing to do with the leaks and will make sure that Jeb is not thrown in jail, so that is something. But he will still become a lame-duck Governor who will then lose re-election and retire indefinitely afterwards. Maybe George still had a path forward in politics, there were no clear accusations and the Republicans still largely regard him as a legitimate winner who sacrificed himself for the good of the country, but for Jeb, there was no such thing... The Governor started drinking wine, and would not stop for hours.

[RGM2609]

Is anyone still interested in this thing?

[😥]

Is anyone still interested in this thing?

Yes, it's pretty interesting

[Andrew Yang 2024]

This is really good, please continue this!

[RGM2609]

December 27th 2000 - CNN

CNN Anchor - And we now have a Breaking NEWS, ladies and gentlemen, the Supreme Court just reached a decision in Bush v. Gore, one that will probably decide the outcome of this election. Apparently, the Justices have unanimously agreed that the state of Florida shall conduct a state-wide recount with third party monitoring. We remind our viewers that the Republican candidate George W. Bush stepped down earlier this week, so if the Republican ticket wins, Dick Cheney will become the 43rd President of the United States. On another note, FBI closed the investigation on the alleged bribing of Supreme Court officials by Bush staffers. According to their report, there was not enough evidence to justify any prosecution. We will come back with more...

January 2nd 2000

Florida recount results -

Al Gore/Joe Lieberman (D) - 49.07%
George W. Bush/Dick Cheney - 48.77%

2000 US Presidential election results -

Al Gore (D) - 292 EV
George W. Bush (R) - 246 EV

Albert Arnold Gore Jr. is the President-Elect and will soon be the 43rd President of the United States.
Joseph Isadore Lieberman is the Vice President-Elect and will soon be the 46th Vice President of the United States.

[RGM2609]

20th January 2000 - Al Gore

Well that was tough...

When he thought about it, this election was truly the funeral of American democracy. How those Republicans tried to steal the victory from the rightful winner through corruption, and especially how they almost succeeded. And then, how they convinced so many people that Gore was in fact stealing the victory from them. Anyway, Al had 4, or hopefully 8, to try to fix this. Today was his day, the day in which he became 43rd President of the United States of America. And he planned to enjoy it.

But still, his approval rating was constantly on his mind. He was starting his term with 80% of Republicans disapproving and his overall rating at just over 60%. There was no honeymoon for him. No president has ever started his term with such atrocious approvals. Thankfully the Democrats stayed loyal on his side. Pah! His so-called friend, Bill Clinton, was seemingly thinking that Gore would be forced not to run again, and was preparing Hillary for 2004.

- Please raise your right hand and repeat after me, Rehnquist said, interrupting the thoughts of the new President, I, Albert Arnold Gore Jr., do solemnly swear...

At the end of the oath, the crowd, mostly formed of Democrats, clapped somewhat enthusiastically, however he knew that not too far from where they were standing, thousands and thousands of far-rightists and conservatives (mostly the former) were protesting against him. They will not give him peace even on his inauguration day, will they?

[RGM2609]

Alright so what format do you think is best from now on/ what should I change?

[hurricanehink]

Good read so far. This is where the meat of the timeline happens. Are you planning a deep dive into these people as characters? Are you just going to cover the main events? If you really want to get to 2020, then I suggest go for more broad strokes. Your 2001 will either cover 9/11, or it won’t. So you can decide whether you want to be detailed doing everything, and I’m sure your readers will appreciate whatever you come up.

It’s always a nice distraction leaving our own timeline 😆

[RGM2609]

20th January 2000 to 1st September 2020 - The first few months of the Al Gore Administration

The rather spectacular 2000 election gave America a rather unspectacular Presidency. With Republicans viciously opposing anything proposed by the new President and Democrats breathing a huge sigh of relief after the close election and just hoping to hold their ground, there was not a whole lot that Gore could pass through Congress.

Cabinet confirmations were easier than expected. Gore went safe, in many cases choosing to keep the Clinton staff at both higher and lower levels of Departments, something which conservatives and left-wing Democrats were quick to point out as the President breaking his promise to be his own man. However, Democrats mostly confirmed his picks unanimously and Joe Lieberman was break the tie in favor if no moderate Republicans joined them.

Al Gore Administration

President - Al Gore
Vice President - Joe Lieberman
Secretary of State - George Mitchell
Secretary of Treasury - Lawrence Summers
Secretary of Defense - Samuel Berger
Attorney General - Eric Holder
Interior Secretary - Robert Miller
Agriculture Secretary - Calvin Dooley
Commerce Secretary - Norman Mineta
Labor Secretary - Alexis Herman
HHS Secretary - Nancy Ann Min DeParle
Education Secretary - Bruce Reed
HUD Secretary - Andrew Cuomo
Transportation Secretary - Rodney Slater
Energy Secretary - Bill Richardson
OMB Director - Elaine Karmack
EPA Administration - Carol Browner

The first month or so of the Al Gore Administration was surprisingly inactive, with many legislative projects being scrapped behind the scenes after the advisors realized the House Republicans were not going to let them pass. However, that was all about to change when the 2001 recession kicked in March. Al Gore forced through a relief package through the House focused on community investments and minor tax hikes for the wealthy. In order to ensure the votes of Republicans, Gore ensured that a lot of the money put in community investments would go to rural areas, which sent most of them to Congress. This package seemed to be surprisingly effective in fighting against the crisis, which came to an end by August. However, Gore did not get a lot of credit for that, with Republicans blaming him and Clinton for causing the recession in the first place. No other important bills were passed until 1st of September 2001, with the Gore Administration focused on using executive authority to continue the moderately liberal policies of Bill Clinton. On of their main focuses was the EPA and environment in general, about which the President felt very strongly. While a lot of important, Gore-promoted environmental bills were stuck in the House by the Republicans, the EPA still issued a lot of new regulations, its authority and personnel was still expanded and the co-operation of the EPA with other departments was improved.

[S019]

Just out of curiosity, since the Senate was 50-50, who was appointed to fill Lieberman's seat.

[RGM2609]

Just out of curiosity, since the Senate was 50-50, who was appointed to fill Lieberman's seat.

Jodi Mary Reel, however in Virginia George Allen decided that private sector suited him the best, leading to Senator Chuck Robb to be re-elected in a close race. This is the only difference ITTL of the 2020 elections (not their aftermath obviously). It was a mistake not mentioning that

[RGM2609]

3rd September 2000 - Al Gore

9 months into his Presidency, all POTUS could say is that it went...okay. As much as he hated to admit it, his expectation of being a great President remembered by historians hundreds of years from now would probably not come to happen. Instead, he will go on as a footnote, remembered mostly for how he was elected than for what he had accomplished. After 2002, even the small influence he has on Congress will most likely be gone and he will go on to accomplish nothing and lose re-election to whoever the Republicans would nominate. Of course no one will give him any credit for solving the recession, of course no one will see that he is leading America to stability. His plummeting approvals were proof of that.

- Mr. President? the SoD Samuel Berger said. May I start the briefing?
- Oh, yes, sure, go ahead.
- CIA has mounting evidence of a terrorist attack that is being planned as we speak...on American soil.
- Wait what?

This was the last thing the country, harmed by partisanship and the economical lack of success needed. It was also the last thing is Presidency needed. He needs to get on top of this.

- We believe the danger is clear and present.
- Alright, I will have meetings with the Homeland Security Secretary, we need to stop this as soon as we can. I will personally make sure to have stronger security at transportation links in the coming weeks until when we are safe from the danger. Anything else?
- Nothing else, Sir. Thank you.
- Good night.

He hoped, hoped this will be enough. No terrorists shall ever dare to touch the country he loved and lead, or they will get hell.

[RGM2609]

11th September 2001 - CNN

That is the World Trade Center and we have a very disturbing report. A plane has crushed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center.

[McGarnagle]

20th January 2000 to 1st September 2020 - The first few months of the Al Gore Administration

That's a long first few months

[Mr.Phips]

11th September 2001 - CNN

That is the World Trade Center and we have a very disturbing report. A plane has crushed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center.

This wouldn’t have happened had Gore won, IMHO.

[Utah Neolib]

Bump

[Schiff for Senate]

December 5th 2000 - George

2000 US Presidential election results (as of the day)
Al Gore (D) - 267 EV
George W Bush (R) - 246 EV
Too close to call - 25 EV

George was doing his thing, watching television next to his wife, Laura. They were both standing there in silence, thinking about their own issues, while the CNN anchor was talking for no one to listen. George was thinking about the fact that he will soon be president, that he will soon be the commander-in-chief, the leader of the free world or whatever other titles it has. Sure, he was a bit worried about what he will do with this job, but to be fair he did not particularly care about that and whenever this worrying thought comes up, he just convinces himself that he is a Bush for a reason, that he defeated an opponent who was way more experienced and competent and...what was that word again? Anyway. His folksy crap will save him during the Presidency as well. George was more inclined to think about how proud his father must be, that his son will soon be President. He knew, that his dad, the former President, deemed him as the dumb one from the start, that Jeb was the favorite son, but maybe now, it will all change. He also remembers how Jeb and Karl and Dick and that woman from Florida, whatever her name was, all conspired to help him by illegal means, but heck, they know what they are doing. Why should George have paid attention? His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by CNN going into BREAKING NEWS. Hmm, maybe they will declare officially that George won? He had no idea why it was taking so long. However, a different news was showed.

- Damning new reports have now been published by anonymous sources from inside the FBI, showing that they think several high-profile Bush aides attempted to bribe Supreme Court officials ahead of the trial. According to the reports, Karl Rove, the Chief Strategist of the campaign, seems to be the one leading the illegal operation. We must point out through that the evidence showed in the report is substantially weak, and the FBI will start an official investigation in the coming days. -

Wow. He could not understand much of what was said, but he knew it was bad. He might not be President after all.

I love how there are lots of not-quite-subtle clues in the first installment alone about GWB not being the sharpest tool in the shed.