DAMN. OTL 1990s presidency during the 2000s!2000 US Elections
While 1996 was the first election where the new electoral system would be used, 2000 would be where the system would really be put through its paces. After all, with how new it was, people in 1996 voted similarly with how they would've if the changes weren't implemented. However, by 2000, the situation is beginning to change. After all, people were getting used to the new system with local elections, midterms and the like. Additionally, with the new system now in place, political parties and organizations now began using new ideas and techniques to reach out to voters to vote for them. With IRV now in place, the situation was different and new strategies needed to be considered. After all, adherence to one party would become less viable and the minor parties now had an increased sway since the larger parties would be secondary or tertiary choices over on the ballet with these voters. Those voting for the major parties in the meanwhile were no longer confined to that and could support smaller parties if they wanted to,
The big sign of the changes was the growing success of the United Central Party after all.
Despite the insecurity over Ross Perot's departure from politics and on who could lead the party to potential victory, it kept moving forward and new champions were coming into the fold. From neoliberal Democrats who felt sidelined from major successes to Republicans who were disillusioned with the party's reputation from the past decades or viewed it as a relic, these figures would flock over to the UCP, especially from state politicians. And they were bringing in their voters as well, growing the party more and more.
Republicans felt confident in their chances at retaining the White House. Specter was doing good in the polls and he was pretty well-liked. That said, there was a growing anxiety in the party. Powell didn't show much interest in running and the party still lacked any real leaders to follow up on their successes. A growing number of pundits chalked this up over to the uncertainty of the direction of the party, at least by the old guard. The new blood was apparently codifying a new philosophy for conservatism over in the 21st century though whether that will bear fruit in this term remains to be seen. Additionally, some have noted Specter's own growing exhaustion. Having turned 70, he was now the oldest president the United States have and will be leaving office, regardless of victory or defeat. And the age was showing over on him, especially with the nature of the job. Then there was Specter's own thoughts, having become more reserved on his chances of winning and many believing that he was feeling the exhaustion.
The Democrats would find themselves in a similar boat. While Bill Bradley was doing well and the basketball player turned politician certainly drew in a bit of a crowd, he was not as big a hit with younger voters as many expected him to be. While Bradley was a good example of how the Democrat Party was right now, people were not enthused or excited by what they were offering since it was essentially, more of the same. Beyond this perspective of the party's lack of appeal of the youth, there was the same problem Republicans had regarding successors. While they did have a growing number of potential future candidates such as Russ Feingold and Paul Wellstone, it remained unknown how well they could do or what they could offer beyond what the party already has, as well as future relevancy or even if they wanted to run for that matter. The same structural problems and concerns of the GOP over future relevancy also were haunting the Democrats.
The United Central Party meanwhile were the most confident they were since their inception, but also at their most nervous. This was the first major election without Ross Perot over as the candidate or even as the leader of the party directly. That said, governor Bill Clinton was certainly doing quite well, known for being one of the first big names to go and switch parties. Beyond that, the UCP has been making increasing leaps and bounds over everyone else, becoming a true contender as a major party. So much so that a growing number of voters who are voting for a more minor party has the UCP candidate as their secondary choice, fueled by a hope of a third party triumph. Additionally, beyond being the youngest candidate and the first baby boomer one, Bill Clinton's triangulation strategy was working well when it was coming to the debates with the other two major competitors. Of course, he was still the underdog compared at the same time. Another advantage was Al Gore, who was arguably the most prominent of the running mates, especially with his championing and promotion of informaton technology and further ambitions with funding cutting-edge tech.
Over in the House and Senate, the Republicans and Democrats would both lose seats to some independents and even a couple of Green Party candidates along with the increase for the United Central Party.
It was coming down to the wire and it was unknown if Specter, or any of the other candidates really, would be able to go and break the threshold needed before having to go to the run-offs. And when the votes were tallied... Specter did not get off to go and reach the theshold that was needed to consider a majority and so began the run-offs. Specter had a modest lead over Clinton and Bradley, but the shocking news saw Clinton beat Bradley by a hair. And then the runoff voting began. The various independent candidates and the Libretarians and the Greens were being knocked out and while it was distributed across the three, a majority was going over to Clinton as part of the "third-party coalition" campaign that started months prior. And then... Bradley, having been beaten by Clinton... would be eliminated and the votes spread. While some went over to the Green Party, a surprising large chunk would go over to Bill Clinton... pushing him ahead.
Bill Clinton and the United Central Party would have done what many though was impossible. A third party victory in the United States. And the Democrats and Republicans both defeated... given a blow that would change everything.
Bill Clinton would become the 43rd President of the United States.
43rd President Bill Clinton & 45th Vice President Albert Gore
America's Funniest President: Mo Udall Presidency & Beyond
- Thread starter CountDVB
- Start date
Thank you and welcome aboard!
And yeah, loved how no one even guessed this result!
I’ve been a long time watcher, I just don’t comment a lot, the welcomes respected anywY
2000 Overview
2000 Overview
The year 2000 would unsurprisingly be one filled with large surprises, especially given how the year was surprisingly yet pleasantly quiet for the most part. The American presidential election would be quite a shock over as people were not expecting the UCP to go and secure a victory over the GOP and the Dems. However, it did show the power of the new system and how people could go beyond the two major parties. For many, this would be seen as the true end of the two-party system in more ways than one. Bill Clinton's election was also solidified both the success of the United Central Party as a major party, but also as that in the political center. So much was this victory that some considered this a rebirth or grand maturing of the UCP as a whole. Clinton's focus on triangulation strategy worked alongside with being the new party and they had some long-term plans thanks to his running mate Al Gore's focus on technology growth and investment. Indeed, talks have begun for the transition regarding Clinton taking the outline of Specter's plans for a national ISP and expanding on it along with a broader approach over for investing in cutting edge tech. On the grander stage of politics, Clinton's victory will be having a sort of butterfly effect regarding what smaller parties could do pulling together, with the other Anglosphere nations taking great interest and giving their congrats to upcoming president Clinton for his dark horse victory. The UCP have also been working to improve and solidify their standing with another of issues being considered, including granting statehood to potential candidates as there were growing movements behind them.
The social democratic world order was settling down over in the new millenium. New elections were being planned and prepared with the rising desire to see new parties and fresh blood coming in for leadership opportunities. Global opportunities were becoming more present as part of the spirit of unity, such as the Olympics held in Beijing or the first crew arriving over in the International Space Station. And there was a growing sense of peace as loose ends were being tied up. The Kosovo War's end in the previous year would spell the end of the period of the Yugoslavic Wars as the last of the figures would be found and captured this year, preparing to be tried and the nation moves forward despite the complicated relationship it has with its neighbors. Syria has been settling in with their new leadership and march toward modernization, increasing ties with Russia and the rest of the Sovereign Union. The Middle East has been quiet for the most part, barring the growing tensions over in Saudi Arabia against the royal family, with influence thanks to the Neo-Baathists in the region. The rise of internet technology was propelling other nations to try and catch up with implementation or having their own stuff though the American influence runs deep, especially as while Microsoft is looking more likely to be split, NeXT Inc and Apple Inc try to fill in the void by targetting Asia and Latin America as potental regions of growth for consumers regarding operating systems and other products. China was growing more and more prominent economically and many wondered if it would become a superpower, especially given how the US stands alone, though many say the SUSR is on the edge of reclaiming superpower status.
As for pop culture, there were several hits. Story of Seadogs by Disney would be quite the landmark over for Disney, SATMIN+ pop culture and for animation. Additionally, with how it was coinciding with the civil unions success in the Netherlands along with the celeberation fo Dutch culture. The main characters were becoming popular over and it has been confirmed that there were talks with the Netherlands on the creation of a Dutch pavilion over in the World Showcase, becoming the 12th nation present there. Alongside them regarding major films included Mission: Impossible 2, which would manage to outdo what the previous one did, Gladiator doing well as an epic historal drama piece, and in terms of pop culture, Paramount would release X-Men, a film adaptation of the popular Marvel comic series, showing a world with the rise of mutants, people with grand superhuman capabilities being linked over to the mysterious White Event of 1986, showing the influence of the merging of the X-Men franchise with the newuniverse line over in the comics, though the films event take place in 1996, 10 years later. Some other films were Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Almost Famous. Animation would also maintain a film presence. Besides Story of Seadogs, Disney would release Fantasia 2000, which would push further the dreams of what animation could do and for home video An Extreme Goofy Movie, serving as a sequel for the theatrical film though with Goofy being more focused on than Max as the latter goes to college and the former tries to grow from there. Meanwhile, Dreamworks would release the prominent The Road to El Dorado, which would do better than expected thanks to the growing audience demand of variety from animated films and support in the industry. The film did have to be delayed as rewrites were done out of concerns for potential controversy (supposedly, Don Bluth discussed the film during development with Henson and Henson in term warning Bluth, leading to Bluth pushing for time for rewrites). However, it did not damage the film and seem to help add in additional humor and even poke fun of earlier concepts (such as laughing at the idea of the two protagonists being thought of as gods and were welcomed out of hospitality since they had to be capable of finding the place.) The film also had a trailer for Betwixt Sun and Moon, a Don Bluth passion project that would be an adaptation of the Norewegian fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon, as part of Bluth and Katzenberg's deal, with two other Bluth projects confirmed, one simply titled "Titan AE" and the other an adaptation of the book "Satyrday". Beyond that, there was Pokemon 2000, showing the maintaining craze of Pokemon as well as the growing one of Digimon, its rival with its own film.
With television, similar events were happening. Much like how Disney would hit it well in film, the first male gay kiss would occur over on Dawson's Creek in their third season finale, considered just as big a milestone. The beloved television dramedy in Boy Meets World would finish off with seven seasons and a beloved series finale. A new drama would come over though, one embodying the 1990s for working class people in its ups and downs over with Malcolm in the Middle. Cartoon Network would get a sister channel in Boomerang, devoted to old-school cartoons from Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera cartoons among others. Plenty of enw shows were coming out, such as MTV having Jackass, NBC with Deadline and various other shows coming out at the time. Kids' television would maintain a prominent influence with a new Power Rangers in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Warner Bros giving a new superhero cartoon over with Static, focusing on the Milestone Comics time-stopping superhero Static aka Virgil Hawkins. Video games meanwhile would also see a boom as the next generation of consoles were coming out. First would be SEGA over with the Dreamcast and changing the name of the game over with its compatability over with the Internet along with standout titles coming out at the same time such as Phantasy Star Online, Shenmue, Jetset Radio and Sonic Adventure. Having been delayed a year to finetune some issues along with improve controller and help reduce costs would help out alot. Meanwhile, Microsoft would announce the release of A-box, the result of their work together over with Atari as a subsidary, though it would be released next year with planned Internet connectivity. Nintendo would be focusing over on the Nintendo Ultra 64 with releases such as Pokemon Stadium, Perfect Dark, Paper Mario, a paper-styled Mario RPG created as a spiritual successor over to Super Mario RPG and The Legend of Hyrule: Majora's Mask, a mysterious and unusual sequel to Ocarina of Time which sees Link over in Termina, a more advanced sort of area where he has to stop a shooting star from crashing into the town. Beyond the returns of time themes, the reusing and remimagining of assets gave it a strange vibe, with the major theory being that Termina is set in the future, to contrast Link's story and the passage of time. Nintendo have also been working to keep up their relations with third part developers, including growing closer to Rare and the release of Banjo-Tooie. Despite this, they have also their next generation console in the works with Project Dolphin as well as Project Atlantis, both planned for 2002 releases. Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy IX would also come out there as well as on the Playstation, which would have to delay the release of their Playstation 2 due to a couple accidents during production though would still do well with Dragon Quest VII and Rayman 2: The Great Escape. Rumors were circulating that SEGA may be purchased by Sony as a result of financial troubles, but little has been known on how verified those rumors are. Other big games like those for the PC included Counter-Strike, Deus Ex and The Sims.
I still appreciate everyone watching and reading as well as any feedback! Looking at your username, wonder what you would think of Wonder Woman: The Animated Series being made ITTL?
So yeah, no films like American Psycho because of the different 1980s.
Alot of the television is broadly similar so far, but definitely some changes. Will probably go into depth about other stuff down the line or put them in a different section of the timeline.
Abox is TTL's equivalent of the Xbox, with the A standing for well, Atari. Dreamcast definitely having a stronger start here to say the least, but SEGA is still unknown. Sony is in a tighter race against Nintendo since the latter made smarter decisions thanks to a combination of pragmatism, different market approach and more faith. As such, they didn't burn bridges over with Squaresoft and because of the better hardware, Final Fantasy games are still on main Nintendo consoles.
Of course, Gen 6 consoles are gonna be a bit different.
Any other questions?
Alot of the television is broadly similar so far, but definitely some changes. Will probably go into depth about other stuff down the line or put them in a different section of the timeline.
Abox is TTL's equivalent of the Xbox, with the A standing for well, Atari. Dreamcast definitely having a stronger start here to say the least, but SEGA is still unknown. Sony is in a tighter race against Nintendo since the latter made smarter decisions thanks to a combination of pragmatism, different market approach and more faith. As such, they didn't burn bridges over with Squaresoft and because of the better hardware, Final Fantasy games are still on main Nintendo consoles.
Of course, Gen 6 consoles are gonna be a bit different.
Any other questions?
I’m glad! She definitely deserves her moment in the spotlight that’s for damned sure lol
Yup! Her cartoon comes after Superman: The Animated Series so it very much part of TTL's DCAU.
Season 1 would start with her leaving her island and Steven Trevor, getting to know the world of man and becoming more a heroine. She attracts a fair bit of a rogues' gallery, with the big names being Circe, the Cheetah (here, getting her powers from Mafdet, a cheetah goddess of Egypt associated with punishment or execution) and Cylvia Cyber (yes a couple jokes of all of them starting with C would be made). Season 1 would be a fairly shorter than others, ending with Diana forced to choose between the mortal world and Themyscria... her choosing the former and ending up banished, with her mother apologizing for being unable to stop.
But through here, it would be Diana discovering herself. Because the question would be: Who truly is she? She doesn't know of her deific lineage and lived with being the princess and not making her choices on what she wanted. Now she is given the change to explore and do that and with it, further humanize Diana, much like how Clark was with a farm boy becoming a reporter or Bruce's crimefighting crusade parallelng his father's medical work. Not sure what she'd be though likely start in the military for a bit thanks to Steve though I do see her working in a library, representing her yearning for knowledge and sharing it.
Would probably run for 4 seasons with Seasons 2 and 3 being the bigger ones. We would likely see a few new villains that would be introduced here and make their way to the comics. Would also codify Donna Troy's background as Diana's "adopted" sister and her gaining powers thanks to Diana's "father", Prometheus. Cassie would also appear.
Sounds really enjoyable. As a DC fan I'd definitely watch it if I grew up in TTL
Yup, agreed. Not much of the excessive 1980s or the like.
We still get Vampire's Kiss though, so that's our deconstruction of yuppie stuff
(or what yuppies are called ITTL, I don't remember if I made a term there.)
Presidental Reflection: The Specter Administration (1997 - 2001) [Pt. 1]
Presidental Reflection: The Specter Administration (1997 - 2001) [Pt. 1]
Arlen Specter campaigningfor his presidential candidacy back in 1996
Arlen Specter campaigningfor his presidential candidacy back in 1996
The Specter Administration would come to be viewed as a period of transition. On the one hand, it was the first to be elected in using the new electoral system put in by the United States courtesy of the new amendments. On the other hand, people were still getting used to do the new rules and voted in the same general patterns starting out, making more and more changes thanks to practice with local elections and then midterms. As such, people would remember the Specter Administration as the last one of the old ways, which seemed appropriate as the nation would be entering a new millenium.
Specter would benefit from voter fatigue. After 16 years of Democrat dominance in the White House, it would be unsurprising tha voters would be looking for something new. Arlen Specter would provide the opportunity for the Republicans to go and win back, showing they were still politically relevant. Specter seemed to embody what the modern conservative would be like and would be a big boon over toward the period of settling down at the time. Specter's administration was a bit laxer than that of his predecessor's, but would be focusing on maintaining the edge in different aspects. From his concerns in national security leading to the outlining of an American public ISP to the crackdown on extremism in the US, he helped provide a steady settling of nerves and tensions over for the Americans. There was plenty being done and it would seem that Specter would be able to coast to victory.
However, time truly changes and Specter was feeling his age. The people were wanting someone younger and someone of a newer age. Additionally, while Specter would provide a foundational icon for the American right-wing, it would not be enough to save the party regarding victory and beyond. However, despite his single term, Specter would still leave a respectable legacy in tackling various problems. From the further changes on the international stage that he helped lead on to the maintanance over in the United States, Specter would do a good job and give a good send-off to the United States of old as they entered a new millenium.
Economy
The dotcom bubble kept booming throughout the time, with the growing technological advantages and the possibility of the Internet would be overseen over by the Specter administration. They were modest over on the economy, not doing much over that was different from their predecessors, if just a bit more lax in executing regulations. That said, the Specter administration would still tackle various economic issues. One of which would be of course on Microsoft and the concern of it becoming a quasi-monopoly due to its various practices. Under the Specter Justice Department, Microsoft would indeed be found guilty. While they are in appeal, it remains unknown on if they could go and avoid the likely enforced schism over on the tech giant. This served both as a warning over to the companies on the dangers of trying to overreach, but also as a sort of blessing as the underdogs could now have a chance to go and stretch their wings to go and keep up. And despite the concern this would have on growth, this would not be really impeding it. At the same time, it was clear that there would be a need for changing regulations to keep up with the times, as the Specter administration has been rather hesitant (though some say cautious) regarding the case with Napster and the like.
Outside of the tech sphere, the Specter administration continued on with the policies of focusing over on growing local and regional economies, making modest and mild adjustments, but for the most part, was content for the economy to run itself for the most part. The late 1990s were a pretty good time for Americans all around and most people have gotten used to the new status quo put in place by various reforms regarding the environment and the like that shaped buying habits and the daily aspects of the economy such as food and other essentials. People were still spending and keeping the gears of the economy keep turning. The Specter Administration would help there as near the end of his term, he would go and raise the minimum wage over to $7.00 the hour, as was becoming something of a tradition for presidents to raise the minimum wage near the start or end of their term. While it was certainly helping out with balancing out with inflation, the question was over on how long it could work like this given the pace of inflation's growth. Beyond this, the economy was continuing to diversify and change with buying habits. Less focus over on automobiles, fashion and appliances (though the latter has sprouted a small industry in replacement or upgrade parts) and a growing focus in experiences, services and electronics, including media.
Miscellaneous
Specter's administration was a rather quiet one for the most part, having been focused over on maintaining what they had. The "buisness as usual" mentality would keep it as an era of peace and prosperity, fueled by the excitement of the upcoming new millenium. Environmental improvements continued on with the finetuning of recycling programs and regulations to further ease the transition with the changes. He has also pushed for greater federal funding in dealing with cancer, noting the death of Jack Kemp and how more could be done to address the issues. He has also been leading the charge over security and computers, noting how as computers are becoming more advanced and with the rise of webcams and the like, that regulations should be prepared in the concerns of cams being used by third parties for surveilance, either through secret software or burying permission for it in thick legalese in checking the agreements that the average user would usually miss.
Beyond this, there were some rather modest bits and pieces done throughout the administration. One had him follow up in affirmative action and pass legislation to try and help minorities gain access to computers and the internet along with computer sciences and programming. He would also focus more on stricter crime laws in response to the rise of reactionary radicals during the 1990s and has been tapering off since. However, the concern remained, especially over in the more rural areas when it comes to this suspicions. Another would be Specter outlining a potential plan to try and expand the sector of public servants of the United States, hoping to try and make it easier for people to consider and get into. For the most part though, there was a continuation of the lessening of tensions. More and more reforms were put in to try and avoid brutality and the like and with progress being made, it keeps this sense of hope and optimism.
More third party victories in elections? Gubernatorial, mayoral, senatorial, etc.