When We Stand Divided - A Story of the Second American Civil War
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  When We Stand Divided - A Story of the Second American Civil War
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Author Topic: When We Stand Divided - A Story of the Second American Civil War  (Read 6330 times)
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Junior Chimp
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« on: November 07, 2020, 02:39:36 AM »

When the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 for Biden in a hotly contested ruling, Democrats across the nation let out a collective sigh of relief. Trump’s challenging of mail-in votes in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin had made it to the highest court in the land, but had fallen just short despite a 6-3 conservative majority. Bidenworld, which had put off the transition process due to a bitter legal fight, quickly pivoted to preparing to take office on January 20, and reached out to Trump staffers to belatedly begin work on a transition team. After four years of unprecedented political strife, America at last appeared to be turning over a new leaf.

However, little did they know that Trump would still stand intransigent, along with his legions of loyal supporters. Little did they know that the next four years and beyond would bring pain, turmoil, and grief on a level not seen since the 1860s. Little did they know that the ruling in Trump v. Biden would be the first step of the end of American life as they knew it.

Little did they know that the Second American Civil War was just around the corner.

(note: this is another abortive OBD timeline - I’ll do my best to see this through to the finish, but y’all know how I am with completing timelines. For a preview as to how this will play out, check out the Alternate Presidents thread.)
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Junior Chimp
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« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2020, 02:58:27 AM »

December 2020

It was a snowy December day in the capital when Chief Justice John Roberts handed down one of the most important U.S Supreme Court decisions in history. And in contrast with the temperature, tempers rapidly flared in the White House. Trump himself was obviously furious, launching into a borderline-deranged tweetstorm lambasting Justices Roberts and Gorsuch for turning on him while continuing to cast doubt on the results in the contested states. In almost any other year, this would have been staunchly repudiated by both the American people and the Republican establishment. However, tension from the monthlong limbo of election results combined with near-fanatical support for Trump from right-wing groups would instead make Trump’s ramblings the trigger for further unrest - and violence. In the days after the ruling - which came just a week before the Electoral College was scheduled to convene - pro-Trump protesters converged in both major cities and small towns, clashing with often left-leaning counterprotesters with often-deadly results. On December 15, protests in Los Angeles, California quickly escalated into riots, with 10 protestors killed and 119 injured. Scenes like these repeated across the nation, especially in cities where demonstrators had congregated before.

But, as civil strife reached unprecedented levels, Republican politicians did not urge calm - they schemed. In an idea cooked up by an adviser and approved by Trump, Republican governors and legislatures were sent an urgent message from the President - instructions to not recognize the “illegitimate Democratic mail-in votes”, and instead certify and/or recognize results that would indicate a Trump re-election. This bold move, stunning many politicians on both sides, recieved rabid support from Trump’s dedicated base, rapidly putting Republican legislators under extreme pressure to acquiesce. And Trump’s gambit paid off - despite furious opposition from Democrats, multiple Southern and Plains states passed resolutions refusing to acknowledge the official electoral college count - instead recognizing a Trump 289-Biden 249 map with Trump-appointed (and officially uncounted) electors appointed from Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. In the four aforementioned states, bitter fights broke out between the Republican legislators and Democratic executive officials, and while Wisconsin and Pennsylvania saw Governors Tony Evers and Tom Wolf block pro-Trump elector appointments, the Republican legislatures had successfully produced the electors needed for Trump’s plan to succeed. By Christmas Day, the United States had two differing Electoral College counts, with 57 electors in four key states (enough to swing the election) contested. Under the official count, Biden had won 306-232, but under the count recognized by a majority of Trump states, Trump had won 289-249. The stage was set, and the metaphorical ball of civil war was on the roll.
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BigVic
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« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2020, 05:50:18 AM »

Won’t end well at all.
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Junior Chimp
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« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2020, 01:16:32 PM »

Interlude 1

Political Situation in the United States of America, January 1, 2021

Red: States recognizing the Official Electoral College Count
Dark Blue: States recognizing the Trump Electoral College Count*
Medium Blue: State Legislature supermajority passed resolutions recognizing Trump Electoral College Count, blocked by Governors
Green: One or both State Legislatures passed resolutions recognizing Trump Electoral College Count, blocked by Governors
Light Blue: Resolution recognizing Trump Electoral College Count under consideration

*John Bel Edwards, Democratic Governor of Louisiana, ultimately folded to pressure from the Republican legislature and tacitly approved the state's resolution through inaction

Quotes

"The Phony Democrats tried to steal the election, but the great ELECTORAL COLLEGE has stopped them! FOUR MORE YEARS!" - Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States

"Kamala and I condemn this blatantly transparent attempt by Republican legislatures to rig this election for Donald Trump. We urge the American people to oppose this power-grab, and instead work together to restore the soul of this nation." - Joe Biden, President-Elect of the United States

"The people of Michigan voted decisively for change in the White House. I will not sign this farce of a resolution that shamelessly overrules the voices of nearly three million Michiganders." - Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan

"THE DEMOCRATS AND SWAMP CREATURES ARE ASSEMBLING TO OUST PRESIDENT TRUMP AND INSTALL A RADICAL SOCIALIST AS PRESIDENT! WE MUST STOP THEM! RISE UP, MY FELLOW PATRIOTS! KENTUCKY, PENNSYLVANIA, KANSAS - RISE UP AND DEFEAT YOUR RADICAL SOCIALIST GOVERNORS!" - Alex Jones, Far-Right Talk Show Host

"Here in California, we stand strong for democracy. Californians will not tolerate this free and fair election getting stolen by shady operators who want a return to the chaos, pain, and turmoil of the past four years. As your Governor, I assure you that California will not settle for anything less - we will see to it that Joseph Robinette Biden is sworn in as President on January 20." - Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, signing resolution recognizing the official Electoral College results

"My god, what have we done?" - quote attributed to unnamed Republican state official, commonly believed to be Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
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Junior Chimp
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« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2020, 06:24:16 PM »
« Edited: November 09, 2020, 12:53:44 PM by Oregon Blue Dog »

January 2021, Former

As a New Year dawned, America had become a nation torn effectively in two - with two President-elects for the first time in history. Jubilation from victory on the Democratic side quickly turned to horror as multiple states refused to recognize the results, and anger and suspicion regarding the election on the Republican rapidly morphed into brutal determination to protect the result favorable to them. Across the nation, protests quickly turned into riots as often-armed demonstrators clashed in major urban areas, with police often powerless to maintain the peace (and sometimes blatantly siding with pro-Trump protestors). On January 5, a massive protest in Portland, Oregon morphed into a massacre after armed right-wing groups opened fire on a rowdy crowd of anti-Trumpers, and 189 lay dead or injured before Portland Police intervened. And, the unrest wasn’t limited to the cities - in rural areas, extremist militias began assembling in preparation for what they thought was the liberation of America from “swamp creatures”.

It was these militias that would kick off the war, beginning in the state of Kentucky. Despite Republican supermajorities in the legislature, the state had not yet recognized Trump as the victor of the elections, thanks to a desperate alliance between Democratic Governor Andy Beshear and a small contingent of disaffected Republican state legislators. Beshear’s stand enraged many in the conservative state, and with Frankfort in deadlock reactionary groups determined that extrajudicial intervention was needed to bring the state firmly into the Trump camp. On January 11, aided by pro-Trump Republicans, these groups stormed the state capitol. Beshear, who had learned of the plot just minutes before its inception, called the Kentucky National Guard on alert, but it was too late. After clashing with Beshear-loyal state police units (which had been decimated by defections), the militiamen successfully captured Beshear and nearly all of his legislative allies - though Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman and a few others managed to successfully flee to Louisville with loyal Kentucky National Guardsmen. The new government in Frankfort, sans Democrats, quickly inaugurated state Attorney General Daniel Cameron as Governor, and promptly passed a pro-Trump resolution just hours later. In Louisville, backed by Mayor Greg Fischer, self-proclaimed Acting Governor Coleman denounced the “blatant coup”, demanding the release of Beshear and the arrest of the conspirators by federal forces. President Trump, though, would refuse to help - instead praising the “freedom lovers in Kentucky” for deposing their “radical socialist Governor who helped Biden steal the election”.

The Kentucky Massacre, as the January 11 events came to be known as, signalled a fundamental change in America - radical groups on both sides of the political spectrum were now acting in the open, violently, with the consent of elected officials. Americans across the nation began to realize that no peaceful resolution for the power crisis was forthcoming.

The Bidenworld war room realized this too. Despite Vice President Biden’s hopes that Trump would step down from the brink and concede peacefully, many of his advisors, including Senator Kamala Harris, were less optimistic. As Inaguration Day approached, they prepared for the worst - phoning leaders both domestic and abroad for support, while taking steps to ensure that they, and fellow Democratic leaders, would not share the same fate as Governor Beshear. With Washington, D.C in chaos, most of the Democratic delegation in Congress had regrouped at the U.N Complex in New York City, where they were placed under 24-hour protection by the New York National Guard under orders from Governor Andrew Cuomo. Democratic governors across the country also began taking steps to protect themselves - actions that paid dividends, as plots against Governors Whitmer (Michigan), Brown (Oregon), and Cooper (North Carolina) were foiled.

January 20 dawned a cold, sunny day on Washington D.C - with the city’s neighborhoods in varying degrees of chaos and destruction. Near-constant protests had sown a wide path of destruction across the District’s commercial areas, and both President Trump and President-Elect Biden had steered clear of the city for fear of safety. Smoke from burning fires and buildings was visible from the Reagan airport, and cast a grey pallor over the city. And as Biden was inaugurated in a quiet, private ceremony in New York while Trump swore the oath again in front of the cameras at his Mar-A-Lago estate, the last hopes of a return to normalcy faded away.
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« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2020, 10:16:50 PM »

THIS IS SO INTERESTING!!! I can't wait to see how it goes!
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« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2020, 04:16:59 PM »

I wonder who will occupy the White House when the swearing in date comes. Or who is currently having more international support.
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« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2020, 12:53:26 PM »
« Edited: November 09, 2020, 01:08:44 PM by Oregon Blue Dog »

January 2021, Latter (The Phony War)

On January 21, almost no state was ready for war. Most Americans were still shell-shocked from the apparent fracture of the federal government, and most state governments were equally off-balance. Consequently, the initial phase of the war became known as the “Phony War”, after the period in World War II between the invasion of Poland and the invasion of France - no organized warfare between official state government occured, and the limited skirmishes that occurred were largely due to the actions of independent militias.

During the “Phony War”, the few unaligned state governments either took action or succumbed to their internal fractures. Despite deep partisan fractures, some divided state governments managed to unite by negotiation or force and choose a side. Under military pressure from California and political pressure from the state’s Biden supporters, as Governor Gavin Newsom deployed National Guard units on the Colorado River, the state of Arizona aligned with Biden’s New York government. Similarly, the moderate coalition in Topeka, led by Governor Laura Kelly, was forced to yield amid threats from local militias - fearing for their safety, Kelly and a majority of the Democratic caucus took a deal with the Republican majority that allowed them to flee to Denver. Lastly, in Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine reluctantly aligned the state with Mar-a-Lago due to pressure from the legislature and his political allies.

The five states remaining - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina - were all strategically located states with Democratic governors and Republican legislators, and consequently, all five states’s governments fractured. In three of the five, the Republican legislature walked out (somewhat) peacefully and formed rival governments in friendlier territory - St. Cloud in Minnesota, Green Bay in Wisconsin, and Marquette in Michigan. However, in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, the first fireworks of the Civil War would erupt. Governor Tom Wolf, who feared getting Besheared by active far-right militias in Central Pennsylvania with the aid of his state’s Republican legislature, ordered the arrest of said legislators for treason with the aid of loyal state police and National Guard members. However, moles informed the targeted Republicans just hours before the operation began, allowing them to flee to Altoona with the support of Trumpist militias. In North Carolina, the Republican legislative supermajority outright ignored Governor Roy Cooper as protests roiled Durham, Raleigh, and Charlotte - and on January 27, these protests boiled over into an outright riot, with anti-Trump demonstrators breaking into the Capitol as pro-Cooper police officers looked on or clashed with their pro-Legislature compatriots. With the public on Cooper’s side, the North Carolina Republicans were forced to flee to Asheville with loyal North Carolina National Guard units and pro-Trump paramilitaries. In these five states, the onus quickly fell on local county governments (that were often nonpartisan) to pick sides, and huge swathes of these states became either no-man’s-land or islands of support for one side marooned in a sea of opposition. Additionally, several of these islands in already-decided states refused to yield - backed by hundreds of thousands of armed and unarmed protesters, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta declared fealty to the New York government, while fleeing legislators in Washington and Oregon declared a pro-Trump “State of Lincoln” east of the Cascades with the support of local “3 Percent” militias.

Two states - Utah and Alaska - chose a different path. With the predominantly Mormon government in Salt Lake City leery of Trump, moderate Governor Spencer Cox saw an opportunity to keep Utah out of the civil war while also making the state a safe haven for LDS practitioners. In a vote supported by most state Democrats and Republicans, Cox signed a bill declaring Utah’s neutrality, while also opening the state to any LDS members seeking safety from the upcoming civil war. Alaska, meanwhile, was isolated from the rest of the U.S, and even the most pro-Trump politicians in the legislature quickly realized that their main trading partners were almost all aligned with Biden. Consequently, Alaska also declared neutrality, hoping to avoid the worst of the civil war.

As was implied earlier, the military also rapidly began to fracture. The deeply conservative military leadership might have supported Trump in another universe, but many in the Pentagon also blamed his feckless disrespect of the Constitution for triggering the civil war, and were skeptical of the cries of voter fraud by his backers, made without evidence. Consequently, most of the military backed Biden, whom they saw as the legitimate President-Elect, against what Chief of Staff Mark Milley classified the “Trump insurgency”. However, many pro-Trump servicemen refused to listen - a vocal minority of military leadership split off to support the Trump government, and multiple National Guardsmen defected to the Trump government. Overall, the military split roughly 55-45 for the New York Government, with the ratios varying across individual states (which were also affected by the allegiance of said states’s governors).

Due to the chaos now engulfing the nation (especially contested states), a refugee crisis began to emerge. Biden supporters (as well as minorities) in deeply conservative territories feared for their safety, and similarly, Trump supporters in liberal cities sought to escape to areas recognizing their leader’s government. The sheer volume of movement - nearly 300,000 Mormons alone sought refuge in Utah, while over 2 million others made for safer political ground - stunned nearly all observers.  Interstates across the nation became clogged with millions of political refugees, and a humanitarian crisis emerged as thousands of cars were stuck in brutal snowstorms and clashes between motorists turned rest stops into warzones while further clogging up the Interstates. While data from wartime America untainted by bias is rare, most academics today believe that the American Refugee Crisis was responsible for over 20,000 civilian deaths.
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Junior Chimp
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« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2020, 01:30:23 PM »

Interlude 2

Political Situation in the United States of America, February 1, 2021


Quotes

"For the safety of the people of Arizona, House Speaker Russell Bowers and I have come to an understanding with Governor Newsom of California to recognize the government in New York. While I understand that many Arizonans will not be pleased with this decision, I urge you to stay calm and stay peaceful for this state's future wellbeing." - Doug Ducey, Governor of Arizona

"Atlanta will not accept the rule of a despot! Atlanta will not accept tyranny! Together, we will defend our city from those who seek to bring our democracy harm!" - Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor of Atlanta

"The government of Georgia will not yield to a small minority of extralegal vagabonds. We are confident in our President Trump and will take decisive action to restore the legitimacy of his Presidency to all of Georgia." - Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia (speaking from provisional capital in Gainesville)

"SLEEPY JOE AND HIS SOCIALIST FRIENDS WANT CIVIL WAR! I CALL ON ALL TRUE PATRIOTS TO JOIN US AND STOP THEM!" - Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States

"I stand here today as the President of a nation broken by internal strife, by illegitimate actors who seek to do us harm. As your President, I will do my best to restore the soul of this nation peacefully, but we must not - and will not - surrender to tyranny." - Joe Biden, 46th President of the United States

"As we've done before, Arkansas stands ready to defend American values and all our nation holds dear! We WILL defend our President, and bring the socialist Democrats to justice for fracturing out nation so!" - Tom Cotton, Senator for Arkansas
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Junior Chimp
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« Reply #9 on: November 09, 2020, 05:40:23 PM »

February 2021

February 2021 was ultimately a month of consolidation, and was thus a relatively calm month in relation to the rest of the Civil War. The month was highlighted by the rise of Illinois’s Minutemen Militia. Illinois was under solidly Democratic governance - however, much of the state Democratic Party’s strength was derived from Chicago, and downstate Illinois was relatively conservative. Consequently, when Governor J.B Pritzker and Mike Madigan chose to side Illinois with the New York government, many downstaters were enraged. This culminated in the formation of the Minutemen Militia - a loose coalition of Trumpist armed groups that sought to ‘liberate’ Southern Illinois from the hold of Chicago. On February 15, they made their move - riding into Springfield, Bloomington, Decatur, and various other downstate cities in black armored pickup trucks, clashing with local police forces loyal to Pritzker. Thanks to defections from the Illinois National Guard, their job was easy - by February 22, most of downstate Illinois was under their control, and Pritzker’s forces had been pushed back to a defensive line along Interstate 39 and State Route 17, cutting off Chicago from its breadbasket and isolating the Biden-loyal city of St. Louis, a major coup for the Mar-a-Lago government. The Minutemen Militia, which received support from both rogue Illinois National Guard units and the Indiana National Guard, took under 100 casualties, while units loyal to the Illinois state government lost around 250 soldiers in the chaotic retreat. However, Pritzker would strike back before the month closed, taking the Chicago suburb of Gary from Indiana relatively bloodlessly on the 25th.

The Illinois debacle dealt a major morale blow to the New York government, while energizing the pro-Trump contingent. Emboldened that nearly three-quarters of a state could fall to their forces in just a week, Trump’s war room began making plans to land a decisive blow on their opposition. This plan, only recently declassified, was appropriately named Operation Knockout - calling for Trumpist militias and National Guard units from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia to launch an offensive on the Northeast, with the ultimate target being New York City itself. The initial targets of Operation Knockout was the Pennsylvanian city of Scranton - in addition to being Biden’s hometown, thus holding much symbolic value, the capture of Scranton would secure Northeastern Pennsylvania for the Mar-a-Lago government and open the road to New York City. Additionally, plans were made to take out Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf in Harrisburg, for an auxiliary offensive on Philadelphia. If Knockout succeeded, Trump’s strategists concluded, Biden’s East Coast government would be fractured in two and demoralized - top Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani told the press that the civil war would be “over by summer”.
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« Reply #10 on: November 09, 2020, 06:36:03 PM »

Is Indianapolis just accepting that they are in Trump country?
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« Reply #11 on: November 09, 2020, 06:58:02 PM »

You will tell us about Vermont

(Jedi mind trick hand wave)
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« Reply #12 on: November 09, 2020, 07:09:41 PM »

This is probably just me, but killing off Biden/Kamala/Trump/Pence, and letting someone else (possibly someone with no political affiliation at all, like McRaven) become President seems like the endgame here.
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« Reply #13 on: November 09, 2020, 07:28:37 PM »

Is Indianapolis just accepting that they are in Trump country?
There is significant unrest in Indianapolis, Columbus, Kansas City, Dallas, and many other cities in Trump territory - however, as many pro-Bideners already fled the cities and due to a harsh police response, the unrest hasn't metasized into outright revolt. Yet.
You will tell us about Vermont

(Jedi mind trick hand wave)
Governor Phil Scott was the first Republican governor to sign a resolution recognizing the legitimacy of Biden's presidency, and Vermont is firmly in the Biden camp. The Vermont National Guard is currently deployed in defense of the Pennsylvanian front.
This is probably just me, but killing off Biden/Kamala/Trump/Pence, and letting someone else (possibly someone with no political affiliation at all, like McRaven) become President seems like the endgame here.
Yeah nah, Trump (and to a lesser degree Biden) will remain important figures in this timeline for the foreseeable future.
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« Reply #14 on: November 09, 2020, 08:12:52 PM »

Ah nice. The Vermont National Guard has five F-35s so that's a plus.
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« Reply #15 on: November 09, 2020, 11:24:49 PM »

the North Carolina Republicans were forced to flee to Asheville

NCGOP holing themselves up in the most liberal city in North Carolina is really something.
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« Reply #16 on: November 09, 2020, 11:34:30 PM »

Quick question.

Does Trump have the nuclear codes, does Biden, or do neither of them at the moment?

Knowing Trump, he wouldn't be above nuking other Americans to win a civil war.
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Junior Chimp
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« Reply #17 on: November 09, 2020, 11:51:11 PM »

the North Carolina Republicans were forced to flee to Asheville

NCGOP holing themselves up in the most liberal city in North Carolina is really something.
Asheville is liberal, yes, but it's relatively small and the surrounding area is friendly enough.
Quick question.

Does Trump have the nuclear codes, does Biden, or do neither of them at the moment?

Knowing Trump, he wouldn't be above nuking other Americans to win a civil war.
I'm gonna tacitly ignore the nuclear question. Let's say the military currently holds the codes, but (obviously) absolutely refuses to use them. The remainder of the military's neutral organization probably deployed units to nuclear silos for safeguarding.
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« Reply #18 on: November 10, 2020, 12:34:11 AM »

March 2021, Former (The Battle of Scranton)

As pro-Trump forces marched into Wilkes-Barre in the wee hours of March 2nd, the last hopes of a nonviolent solution to the 2020 election crisis were trampled under their feet. Interestingly, the last-ditch peace efforts were pushed by two unique Senators - a Democrat from a Trump state and a Republican from a Clinton state. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Susan Collins of Maine were two committed moderates, and as America began to break at the seams, they worked together to craft a peace plan. Under many of the various proposed Manchin-Collins plans, there would be a re-vote with supervision from all sides and international parties, and in addition, clemency would be granted to all combatants. And while Biden was more than willing to listen to these calls for peace, Trump was far less open to a settlement, demanding that Biden recognize his right to serve for the next four (“and maybe more, as compensation for his party’s socialist lies”) years. Thus, this last-ditch peace offering ultimately fizzled out, and America was committed to the path of civil war.

The international response to the apparent collapse of the American government was a mix of horror and glee. Most nations were quick to recognize the Biden government (including Canada, China, and most of the E.U), but were reluctant to provide the military aid that Biden requested as a member of NATO. Meanwhile, Poland, Israel, Taiwan, Russia, and North Korea were among the nations that instead opted to recognize the Trump government, and like the pro-Biden nations did not directly intervene in the American war. However, historians agree that Russia, and possibly China, were responsible for multiple illicit arms shipments. And many nations, most egregiously Russia, would take advantage of the Eagle’s fall to pursue their foreign policy goals.

However, in March 2021, the eyes of the world were still on Scranton. As it became clear that Scranton was the target of the Red push, many of the city’s pro-Biden residents fled east towards New York, while the pro-Trump residents not eager to be a part of the fight dispersed into the Pennsylvania countryside. Unlike their opponents, the forces defending Scranton did not have the advantage of militia support - radicals on the left were consistently less armed than those on the right, and even those with arms were skeptical of the Biden government. Additionally, as the Blue front stretched from Fayetteville in the south to the New York border, pro-Biden forces were thinly spread across long supply lines. Resultantly, the defenders of Scranton - consisting of Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania National Guard units plus a smattering of volunteer fighters - were at a profound disadvantage. And, the sole area where pro-Biden forces had the advantage - air power - was negated by their pilots’s refusal to bomb American territory.

On March 4, after securing Wilkes-Barre, a highly motivated Red force began marching up I-81 towards Scranton, picking up support by passing through many supportive small communities. At just past 11 AM local time, they encountered Vermont National Guardsmen dug in just north of Moosic, where they fired the first shots in the Second Civil War’s first major battle. Initially, the former U.S Army troops on both sides were extremely skittish, opting to hunker down and defend (even retreating) instead of firing at their former compatriots - however, the Trumpist militias had no such reservations. As the day went on, and as the Blues were slowly pushed back into Scranton’s city limits, the gloves gradually came off and the intensity of the battle grew. While the Vermonters successfully fended off the push from West Virginian units in Moosic, resulting in an early stalemate, roughly 2,000 Trumpist militiamen broke through a key defensive line on the Lackawanna River, flanking the Vermonters and forcing Blue forces to retreat to Scranton proper. As reinforcements poured in from both sides, ordered there by leaders determined for a propaganda victory, pro-Trump forces prepared a decisive blow for March 5th.

Fighting over the next few days was concentrated in West Scranton, where the Blues maintained a precarious flank position. While the troops there managed to hold off the attackers initially, they were hit from the countryside by swarms of Trumpist militiamen, and found themselves unable to hold their lines. By March 9th, after hours of street-by-street fighting, Red forces had successfully pushed the Blues over the Lackawanna River, and had gained control of the crucial I-81 artery both north and south of the city. And while Biden was determined to hold his ancestral hometown, military advisers were less sanguine - on March 10th, badly wounded Blue forces retreated to Stroudsburg and Port Jervis, leaving Scranton an open city.

The Trumpist victory in Scranton dealt another roundhouse blow to Blue morale - their President’s hometown had fallen, Northeastern Pennsylvania had been lost, and most importantly, the road to New York was open. To make matters worse, Harrisburg and Lancaster had fallen two days earlier, forcing the Blue Pennsylvania Government to flee to Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Trump and his allies were jubilant, with militiamen and National Guard units alike taking photo ops at Biden’s childhood home as Trump supporters celebrated on the streets, believing the fall of New York to be imminent.
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« Reply #19 on: November 10, 2020, 01:48:28 AM »

This is interesting and well-written. Here are a few things I am wondering about, which you may want to consider. It seems like you are mostly focusing on conventional warfare between militias/national guard/etc so far. IDK if that will continue to be the focus. I think it is ok if that is what you want to do, but if you want to be realistic these things could maybe be integrated into the story of what is happening.

a) What if any efforts are being made on each side making to mobilize people? Are national guard units, the army, or militias training more people? Are these efforts varied/decentralized or is there any attempt by the government(s) to organize this?

b) What is happening/will happen with the economy? Presumably there is a lot of disruption. The modern economy is highly dependent on trade, both internationally and transporting things within the country (i.e. parts needed in factories possibly in "enemy territory"). Perhaps most importantly, how is the food supply system? Utilities etc?

c) Are cyber attacks and electronic warfare playing a big role? Is the internet/cell phone communication entirely working? One would think this would be a major part of the conflict. Relatedly, who controls the NSA and the intelligence apparatus?

d) What is the role of drones? I guess at least for now they are probably not being used since the air force is not bombing US territory, but eventually...
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« Reply #20 on: November 10, 2020, 12:41:52 PM »

Honestly given how Republican states control much of the land, even if it may be sparsely populated, here is my prediction for the rest of the war:

1) Any sources of democratic resistance outside the Midwest, the Atlantic or the West fall extremely quickly after a siege by Trumpist forces. This is plain inevitable

2) The Midwestern Front also falls not too long after that, with Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Detroit and Chicago (the crown jewel) captured by Trumpist forces after again sieges. This can be averted if either Canada offers support a ton of support to the Democratic coalition or if Democrats counterattack and are able to reclaim all of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (which is admittedly a tall order)

3) Rural Nevada is captured by democratic forces, but it is of little strategic importance due to its low population and lack of resources.

Overall, both sides can win (for now), but I'd rather be the Republicans here than the Democrats (barring international intervention). Although if Republicans lose it is game over for them, while if Democrats lose they are almost certain to form a rival government in Hawaii a la Taiwan.
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« Reply #21 on: November 10, 2020, 01:41:15 PM »

This is interesting and well-written. Here are a few things I am wondering about, which you may want to consider. It seems like you are mostly focusing on conventional warfare between militias/national guard/etc so far. IDK if that will continue to be the focus. I think it is ok if that is what you want to do, but if you want to be realistic these things could maybe be integrated into the story of what is happening.

a) What if any efforts are being made on each side making to mobilize people? Are national guard units, the army, or militias training more people? Are these efforts varied/decentralized or is there any attempt by the government(s) to organize this?

b) What is happening/will happen with the economy? Presumably there is a lot of disruption. The modern economy is highly dependent on trade, both internationally and transporting things within the country (i.e. parts needed in factories possibly in "enemy territory"). Perhaps most importantly, how is the food supply system? Utilities etc?

c) Are cyber attacks and electronic warfare playing a big role? Is the internet/cell phone communication entirely working? One would think this would be a major part of the conflict. Relatedly, who controls the NSA and the intelligence apparatus?

d) What is the role of drones? I guess at least for now they are probably not being used since the air force is not bombing US territory, but eventually...
Thanks for the feedback! I'll try to incorporate this into the story.
a) Thus far, attempts to mobilize more troops are mostly decentralized - militias on both sides (but more so on the right) are actively recruiting, but the governments haven't gotten involved much yet. With New York under threat though, this will change.
b) There's definitely significant disruption to the economy - I'm not an expert of this, but I'm gonna try to estimate the effects - the Republican government, controlling more land, is probably more self-sufficient, but the Blues are likely more able to trade internationally due to better relations. So, this balances out (with the Blues relying on international trade and the Reds relying on internal production), but there's certainly gonna be issues with food supply especially in areas under siege like Atlanta and Chicago. Energy systems, meanwhile, are generally intact, except in areas where the local energy infrastructure crosses the frontline (e.g. Scranton and Northeastern Pennsylvania are probably powerless atm).
c) As the military leadership is loyal to the Biden government, they have control of the NSA and intelligence, but neither has played a big role in the war thus far. There also haven't really been any cyberwarfare efforts, though as the gloves slowly come off this might change.
d) Drones, like air power, is mostly in the hands of the Biden government due to the alignment of the military - however, also like air power, they aren't being used to attack American soil yet. However, unmanned supply drops could soon be utilized by the Blues to resupply cities under siege.
Honestly given how Republican states control much of the land, even if it may be sparsely populated, here is my prediction for the rest of the war:

1) Any sources of democratic resistance outside the Midwest, the Atlantic or the West fall extremely quickly after a siege by Trumpist forces. This is plain inevitable

2) The Midwestern Front also falls not too long after that, with Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Detroit and Chicago (the crown jewel) captured by Trumpist forces after again sieges. This can be averted if either Canada offers support a ton of support to the Democratic coalition or if Democrats counterattack and are able to reclaim all of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (which is admittedly a tall order)

3) Rural Nevada is captured by democratic forces, but it is of little strategic importance due to its low population and lack of resources.

Overall, both sides can win (for now), but I'd rather be the Republicans here than the Democrats (barring international intervention). Although if Republicans lose it is game over for them, while if Democrats lose they are almost certain to form a rival government in Hawaii a la Taiwan.
Tbh I'm of the opinion that the Blue islands in the Midwest will actually have a fair amount of longevity - their Air Force advantage and friendly Canada allowing supply drops access to their airspace are huge boons. Atlanta, though, is obviously trickier to hold.
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« Reply #22 on: November 10, 2020, 10:50:27 PM »

How about nuclear weapons? Who has control over those? And will they be used?
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« Reply #23 on: November 10, 2020, 10:55:56 PM »

How about nuclear weapons? Who has control over those? And will they be used?
Mentioned above but nuclear weapons will not play a part - assume they're under the control of the remnants of the U.S military.
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« Reply #24 on: November 11, 2020, 05:47:59 PM »

March 2021, Latter

On the West Coast, however, the situation was nowhere near as dire for the Blues. While insurgencies had taken control of much of eastern Oregon and Washington, the Western Blues had one insurmountable advantage - the state of California. A self-sufficient economic powerhouse, the Golden State’s Democratic leadership had already used their power to effectively force Arizona into their coalition - and as winter turned to spring, Californian troops were deployed to help shore up their allies in Cascadia. They’d already seen action before March - suppressing attempted revolts in Redding, Grants Pass, and Roseburg - and by the fall of Scranton, all of western Oregon and Washington had been stabilized. Thus, when New York pressured the Western Blues for a propaganda victory, they were ready to deliver.
The trans-Cascades offensive began on March 15th - aided by troops from Oregon and Washington, the Californians quickly took many towns just east of the Cascades - impromptu local defenses in Klamath Falls, Wenatchee, and Okanagon were rapidly overwhelmed. Meanwhile in rural Nevada, similar scenes played out - Trumpist militiamen sieging the State Capitol found the tables turned on them as a concerted offensive forced them to flee eastward. On March 19, the Californians linked up with local forces from the Spokane Pocket in Coulee City, dashing Trumpist hopes of taking Eastern Washington’s largest city for themselves. And just two days later, they landed the final blow - taking the Tri-Cities after a concentrated attack from both west and east, forcing the “State of Lincoln” government to flee to Idaho. Washington had been secured - however, the surviving Trumpist forces had managed to disperse into friendly Eastern Oregon and Nevada, forcing the Blues to dedicate resources and time to a costly cleanup operation.

Meanwhile in the East, Trump hoped to leverage his momentum from Scranton to launch a devastating - and probably fatal - attack on the Blues’s power base - New York. Taking almost no time to rest, Red forces immediately hit the Interstates leading east - on March 16, they successfully captured Stroudsburg, pushing the Blues over the Delaware River into New Jersey, and hours later, members of the Sons of Liberty militia made the Reds’s first successful incursion into New York, nearly taking the town of Port Jervis before getting pushed back into Pennsylvania.

On March 19, Blue forces managed to repel a Red attempt to cross the Delaware at Columbia, New Jersey - however, with a growing enemy presence just seventy miles from New York City, panic began to set in in the Big Apple. Many New Yorkers were increasingly doubtful that the Biden government could protect them, and in the closing days of March many fled north to New England or Canada. The general anxiety also permeated the Blue government - while their makeshift army had thus far managed to check Trump’s attempts to make a breakthrough in New Jersey, it was unclear if they could sustain another blow to their defenses. This unenviable situation forced a split in Democratic leadership. President Biden, Attorney General Jones, and a few scatted allies supported the continuation of a conventional response, while Vice President Harris, Secretary of State Rice, and the New York congressional delegation backing the utilization of “overwhelming force” - or using their vast advantage in air power to bomb the Trumpists into retreat.

While Biden’s opposition to the utilization of drone warfare against fellow Americans puzzles many today, those familiar with Biden’s political history realize his actions at the time were understandable. Biden had run for President to unite the nation, and despite the onset of the Second Civil War, was still reluctant to kill who he saw as fellow Americans - in an interview with NBC in Februrary, Biden stated he still had hope for a peaceful solution, and urged the Reds to lay down their arms and come together as a nation (an obviously futile appeal). In that respect, the time for Biden’s brand of politics had passed, and the Cabinet’s overruling of his prohibition of drone warfare was likely the first political blow that led to his eventual resignation.

On March 24, a trap proposed by Blue military leadership was set - in the early morning, Blue forces guarding the Delaware River seemingly abandoned their posts and retreated along I-80. Due to a lack of intelligence (due to most national security assets being under Blue control), the Red militias took the bait, and stormed across the river in force. It was then that a decisive blow was struck. Operating from makeshift bases in the rural New Jersey country, drones came seemingly out of nowhere, stunning and terrorizing the militiamen unfortunate enough to be leading the attack. After nearly half an hour of sustained bombardment, Blue National Guard units made quick work of the shell-shocked Reds remaining, capturing many while forcing the rest to scamper back to Pennsylvania. The so-called Battle of Hope (after the township where the battle took place) was a strategic coup for the New York government, and drone usage would continue to reap gains for them - in the West, drones were used to smoke out Three Percenters hiding in the Nevada deserts, allowing the Californians to expedite their plans to secure the region. However, the droning was also a fundamental loss-of-innocence moment - signalling that both sides would do whatever it took to emerge victorious. And, Biden’s message of hope and unity was slowly giving way to Vice President Kamala Harris’s Shermanite ideals - that war was cruelty, and that the crueler it was, the sooner it would be over.
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