• WI Trump dies of CoViD?

    From Louis Epstein@le@main.lekno.ws to alt.history.what-if on Sat Dec 30 05:04:19 2023
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    In OTL Trump was persuaded to seek treatment in late September/
    early October 2020 and doctors at Walter Reed set him on the path
    to recovery,with well-known consequences.

    Had he resisted entreaties enough to wind up dying,
    what would have happened with the 2020 election and
    how would he be remembered?

    -=-=-
    The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
    at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Graham Truesdale@graham.truesdale@gmail.com to alt.history.what-if on Sun Dec 31 07:19:27 2023
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On Saturday, December 30, 2023 at 5:04:21rC>AM UTC, Louis Epstein wrote:
    In OTL Trump was persuaded to seek treatment in late September/
    early October 2020 and doctors at Walter Reed set him on the path
    to recovery,with well-known consequences.

    Had he resisted entreaties enough to wind up dying,
    what would have happened with the 2020 election and
    how would he be remembered?

    Presumably it would depend on exactly when he passed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1912_United_States_presidential_election#Death_of_Vice_President_Sherman
    "On October 30, 1912, Vice President James S. Sherman died of nephritis, leaving Taft without a running mate less than a week before the election. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, was quickly chosen to replace Sherman on the Republican ticket.[41]" The result of the election was not of course then known. I doubt if the death of the Republican running-mate had much effect on how people voted. If Trump had died 108 years later, I suggest that the Republican National Committee would have met to choose a replacement. That close to the election, it might well have been VP Pence, especially as the events at the Capitol on 6 January 2021 had not happened yet. If so, they would have had to pick a new running-mate - more likely than not from outside Indiana.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_United_States_presidential_election
    The losing candidate for President died between the election and the electoral count. There were no practical consequences to how the electors pledged to him cast their votes. As he died after the election, his death did not of course affect its result.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_People%27s_Choice_(novel) about a situation where the winning candidate for President died between the election and the electoral count. As he died after the election, his death did not of course affect its result. He and his running-mate were not incumbents, while in OTL the tickets contained the serving President and Vice President and a former Vice President.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faithless_electors_in_the_2016_United_States_presidential_election might be relevant.
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Rich Rostrom@rrostrom@comcast.net to alt.history.what-if on Tue Jan 2 22:48:13 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On 12/29/23 11:04 PM, Louis Epstein wrote:
    In OTL Trump was persuaded to seek treatment in late September/
    early October 2020 and doctors at Walter Reed set him on the path
    to recovery,with well-known consequences.

    Had he resisted entreaties enough to wind up dying,
    what would have happened with the 2020 election and
    how would he be remembered?

    One of the traditions of this newsgroup is
    the Ban on Politics (BoP). It covers any
    topic based on political events in the the
    last 25 years. It was proposed and generally
    agreed top because any discussion of such a
    topic almost inevitably degenerated into a
    bitter argument about contemporary politics.

    I suggest that this topic is covered by the BoP.
    --
    Nous sommes dans une pot de chambre, et nous y serons emmerd|-s.
    --- General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot at Sedan, 1870.

    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From trolidan@trolidous@go.com to alt.history.what-if on Thu Jan 4 13:10:24 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On 1/2/24 20:48, Rich Rostrom wrote:
    On 12/29/23 11:04 PM, Louis Epstein wrote:
    In OTL Trump was persuaded to seek treatment in late September/
    early October 2020 and doctors at Walter Reed set him on the path
    to recovery,with well-known consequences.

    Had he resisted entreaties enough to wind up dying,
    what would have happened with the 2020 election and
    how would he be remembered?

    One of the traditions of this newsgroup is
    the Ban on Politics (BoP). It covers any
    topic based on political events in the the
    last 25 years. It was proposed and generally
    agreed top because any discussion of such a
    topic almost inevitably degenerated into a
    bitter argument about contemporary politics.

    I suggest that this topic is covered by the BoP.

    Is everything politics?

    If so then a ban on politics is a ban on
    everything.

    Let us consult with the Face of Boe.

    'Well, once upon a time it was one billion years,
    now it is two billion.'

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Harkness
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Dimensional Traveler@dtravel@sonic.net to alt.history.what-if on Thu Jan 4 17:47:48 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On 1/4/2024 1:10 PM, trolidan wrote:
    On 1/2/24 20:48, Rich Rostrom wrote:
    On 12/29/23 11:04 PM, Louis Epstein wrote:
    In OTL Trump was persuaded to seek treatment in late September/
    early October 2020 and doctors at Walter Reed set him on the path
    to recovery,with well-known consequences.

    Had he resisted entreaties enough to wind up dying,
    what would have happened with the 2020 election and
    how would he be remembered?

    One of the traditions of this newsgroup is
    the Ban on Politics (BoP). It covers any
    topic based on political events in the the
    last 25 years. It was proposed and generally
    agreed top because any discussion of such a
    topic almost inevitably degenerated into a
    bitter argument about contemporary politics.

    I suggest that this topic is covered by the BoP.

    Is everything politics?

    If so then a ban on politics is a ban on
    everything.

    Its a ban on CURRENT or RECENT politics.
    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From mummycullen@mummycullen@gmail-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (MummyChunk) to alt.history.what-if on Fri Jan 5 04:51:18 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if


    On 12/29/23 11:04 PM, Louis Epstein wrote:
    In OTL Trump was persuaded to seek treatment in late September/
    early October 2020 and doctors at Walter Reed set him on the
    path
    to recovery, with well-known consequences.

    Had he resisted entreaties enough to wind up dying,
    what would have happened with the 2020 election and
    how would he be remembered?

    Rich Rostrom wrote:


    One of the traditions of this newsgroup is
    the Ban on Politics (BoP). It covers any
    topic based on political events in the the
    last 25 years. It was proposed and generally
    agreed top because any discussion of such a
    topic almost inevitably degenerated into a
    bitter argument about contemporary politics.

    I suggest that this topic is covered by the BoP.

    --
    Nous sommes dans une pot de chambre, et nous y serons emmerdos.
    --- General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot at Sedan, 1870.

    If everyone could be civil about it and not let things go crazy,
    probably wouldn't be a problem. But when was USENET ever not a bit
    crazy?? :D


    This is a response to the post seen at: http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=658095367#658095367


    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Horny Goat@lcraver@home.ca to alt.history.what-if on Fri Jan 5 12:31:49 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On Thu, 4 Jan 2024 17:47:48 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
    <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

    On 1/4/2024 1:10 PM, trolidan wrote:
    On 1/2/24 20:48, Rich Rostrom wrote:
    On 12/29/23 11:04 PM, Louis Epstein wrote:
    In OTL Trump was persuaded to seek treatment in late September/
    early October 2020 and doctors at Walter Reed set him on the path
    to recovery,with well-known consequences.

    Had he resisted entreaties enough to wind up dying,
    what would have happened with the 2020 election and
    how would he be remembered?

    One of the traditions of this newsgroup is
    the Ban on Politics (BoP). It covers any
    topic based on political events in the the
    last 25 years. It was proposed and generally
    agreed top because any discussion of such a
    topic almost inevitably degenerated into a
    bitter argument about contemporary politics.

    I suggest that this topic is covered by the BoP.

    Is everything politics?

    If so then a ban on politics is a ban on
    everything.

    Its a ban on CURRENT or RECENT politics.

    I think it wouldn't violate the BOP to discuss who might be the
    candidate in 2024 minus Biden or 2020 minus Trump - I'm not at all
    convinced Harris or Pence would be automatically the candidate.
    Obviously whether "minus Biden / Trump" means something different if
    that's (1) death in office 3 months before the election or (2) Biden /
    Trump decides his health is not up to running for a second term.

    Though obviously the BOP is designed to avoid political flamewars so
    perhaps not even that.

    And obviously time is important - we could certainly discuss LBJ's
    decision not to seek re-election in 1968 by now or even in the early
    1990s when most of us old-timers joined soc.history.what-if or alt.history.what-if

    For instance I'm not convinced Nixon would have smashed LBJ in 1968 - particularly if Wallace runs. Though 1972 was far more 'decisive' for
    Nixon than 1968 (I personally think Nixon would have won more
    decisively in 1968 with a two-way horse race - e.g. without Wallace's
    candidacy since my opinion is that Nixon's "Southern Strategy" could
    be more accurately described as "Pandering to Southern White Voters"
    just the way the current wokesters in Washington are pandering to the
    left.

    [As a non-American I think Biden is doing a remarkable job of keeping
    his left wing of the party on side - both the Sanders-ites and the
    Squad's crew - than anybody would have expected two years ago - and in
    the interests of the BOP will say no more]
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From trolidan@trolidous@go.com to alt.history.what-if on Fri Jan 5 15:30:37 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On 1/4/24 20:51, MummyChunk wrote:

    > > On 12/29/23 11:04 PM, Louis Epstein wrote:
    > > In OTL Trump was persuaded to seek treatment in late September/
    > > early October 2020 and doctors at Walter Reed set him on the
    path
    > > to recovery, with well-known consequences.
    > >
    > > Had he resisted entreaties enough to wind up dying,
    > > what would have happened with the 2020 election and
    > > how would he be remembered?
    > >
    > Rich Rostrom wrote:
    >
    >
    > One of the traditions of this newsgroup is
    > the Ban on Politics (BoP). It covers any
    > topic based on political events in the the
    > last 25 years. It was proposed and generally
    > agreed top because any discussion of such a
    > topic almost inevitably degenerated into a
    > bitter argument about contemporary politics.
    >
    > I suggest that this topic is covered by the BoP.
    >
    > --
    > Nous sommes dans une pot de chambre, et nous y serons emmerd|-s.
    > --- General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot at Sedan, 1870.

    If everyone could be civil about it and not let things go crazy,
    probably wouldn't be a problem. But when was USENET ever not a bit
    crazy?? :D

    This is a response to the post seen at: http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=658095367#658095367

    Well, you know, everyone has their own beliefs
    about what they consider to be crazy or not crazy,
    or civil or not civil. I am thinking that true
    ideas or good habits went out the window a long
    time ago. People also shift what they consider
    to be civil based upon what advantages them.

    One thing I tend to like about usenet is that
    I tend to get the idea that it is like 'internet'
    or a method of transfer of information between
    computers. It may not necessarily be owned by
    any specific company.

    I guess usenet tends to be interfaced all over
    the place.

    Some while ago there were some people that thought
    of a figure of something like five years, but I
    think it is reasonable that 'do nots' do tend to
    gradually shift to 'do not everything'.

    As for the topic, I would tend to get the idea
    that would tend to make the ultimate candidate
    less well known that close to the election.
    One thing I remember about that some while ago
    was the debates between Trump and Hillary maybe
    nearly over 8 years ago. While the election was
    going on I noticed the Nixon and Kennedy debates
    on other internet channels and watched some of them.
    For the first one I never knew of the 'no foreign
    policy' restriction on it or whether some of those
    restrictions were even edited out or lost when
    people saw it. They both seemed respectful of
    each other and I learned a little about sugar
    beet subsidies. At the later more current time,
    Hillary seemed in the more recent debate like a lot of high
    brow insults and Trump a lot of low brow insults.
    When the election happened I wondered, 'how useful
    is it to me whether I know who the president of
    the United States is or not?' I concluded,
    it is very unlikely I will ever meet any
    of them, so in reality it actually is not
    very useful. I did not bother to find out
    who won. I got to an article on Wikipedia
    the next Sunday before finding out. It informed
    me who won. I guess between election and inaugeration
    it is difficult to keep from finding out who won
    if you do not want to bother looking it up.
    My guess would be probably not much change
    from our time line for the what if. You
    know there are millions or billions of
    people out there. At times it seems to
    me that a 'president' or 'king' or
    'prime minister' or the like is way
    too much reliance on one person when
    there are so nearly infinitely many others.

    On my version of usenet it looks like
    someone with a posting handle called
    Louis Epstein started it, but who knows.
    A lot of different servers cache posts differently.

    I should probably look up a few ancient
    things before google dies.



    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Rich Rostrom@rrostrom@comcast.net to alt.history.what-if on Sat Jan 6 20:42:41 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On 1/5/24 2:31 PM, The Horny Goat wrote:
    For instance I'm not convinced Nixon would have smashed LBJ in 1968 - particularly if Wallace runs.

    If LBJ somehow bashed his way to re-nomination in 1968,
    there would be _rage_ on the Left. Almost certainly there
    would be an independent "Peace Democrat" ticket, probably
    McCarthy.

    I did come up with a 1968 election hich ends with Wallace
    being elected by the House of Representatives.

    Shortish version:

    LBJ steals the Democrat nomination (bribery, blackmail,
    vote fraud). Humphrey bolts in disgust and LBJ then
    persuades Ted Kennedy to run with him. McCarthy runs
    independent. Wallace runs as OTL.

    Nixon gets indicted for interfering with the Paris
    peace talks; Agnew gets indicted for bribery; Johnson's
    shenanigans are exposed and he is indicted.

    The result:

    Nixon 31% PV, 235 EV
    Johnson 28% PV, 210 EV
    McCarthy 22% PV, 23 EV
    Wallace 19% PV, 70 EV

    (Note: EV numbers are made up, I'm not going to work out
    the state by state numbers.)

    In mid-December, Kennedy does alt-Chappaquidick, but
    worse, and not in Massachusetts, and gets caught trying
    to bribe his way out.

    Now, at this point, the House is to elect the President
    from among the three leading candidates in EV (voting by
    states): Nixon, Johnson, Wallace. The Senate is to elect
    the Vice President from between the _two_ leading
    candidates in EV: Agnew and Kennedy.

    It seems very likely that even if one of these five
    becomes President, the Vice Presidency will be vacant,
    reqiring the President to appoint someone who might
    soon succeed to the office.

    Reporters from some major media organization (NBC? TIME?)
    interview all five candidates, to ask whom they would
    nominate. Johnson, intensely angry and bitter, names his
    old buddy, disgraced ex-Justice Fortas. Kennedy, heavily
    sedated, mumbles his brother in law Shriver. Agnew names
    Walt Disney, "so we can have a real Mickey Mouse government."
    Nixon names... John Connally??? Shirley Temple Black???

    Wallace shocks _everyone_ by naming USAF Lt. General
    Benjamin O. Davis - who is black. My thinking is that
    Wallace was first and foremost an opportunist, who took
    to race-baiting after losing his first race as a moderate,
    and not a true believer. If he saw a chance of becoming
    President...

    And it works. With all four of the others heading to jail,
    and with the proposed nomination of Davis negating his
    racism baggage, the House sucks it up and elects him.
    (Once Davis is in place, Congress can always remove Wallace
    if he goes too far.)

    ---
    Nous sommes dans une pot de chambre, et nous y serons emmerd|-s.
    --- General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot at Sedan, 1870.

    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Horny Goat@lcraver@home.ca to alt.history.what-if on Sat Jan 6 19:48:05 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 15:30:37 -0800, trolidan <trolidous@go.com> wrote:

    If everyone could be civil about it and not let things go crazy,
    probably wouldn't be a problem. But when was USENET ever not a bit
    crazy?? :D

    On consideration you're probably right particularly when Trump is part
    of the discussion.

    He's the sort of individual who people tend to go over the top about
    whether you love him or hate him.

    (Please understand I am couching my wording to avoid causing a flame
    war.)

    I have said before it would be a good thing for America for both him
    and Biden to be politically off the scene since one thing that should
    be obvious is that America is currently more polarized than ever while
    I would argue that what your country and mine need is more open minded individuals of good will. Now no question I am a stalwart of my chosen
    party but with the exception of certain idividuals of the other party,
    I can fair-mindedly weigh the pros and cons of what they're saying.

    (I'm pretty sure Rhino would instantly identify one or two people I'm definitely thinking of)
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Horny Goat@lcraver@home.ca to alt.history.what-if on Sat Jan 6 19:59:25 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On Sat, 6 Jan 2024 20:42:41 -0600, Rich Rostrom <rrostrom@comcast.net>
    wrote:

    On 1/5/24 2:31 PM, The Horny Goat wrote:
    For instance I'm not convinced Nixon would have smashed LBJ in 1968 -
    particularly if Wallace runs.

    If LBJ somehow bashed his way to re-nomination in 1968,
    there would be _rage_ on the Left. Almost certainly there
    would be an independent "Peace Democrat" ticket, probably
    McCarthy.

    I did come up with a 1968 election hich ends with Wallace
    being elected by the House of Representatives.

    Shortish version:

    LBJ steals the Democrat nomination (bribery, blackmail,
    vote fraud). Humphrey bolts in disgust and LBJ then
    persuades Ted Kennedy to run with him. McCarthy runs
    independent. Wallace runs as OTL.

    Nixon gets indicted for interfering with the Paris
    peace talks; Agnew gets indicted for bribery; Johnson's
    shenanigans are exposed and he is indicted.

    The result:

    Nixon 31% PV, 235 EV
    Johnson 28% PV, 210 EV
    McCarthy 22% PV, 23 EV
    Wallace 19% PV, 70 EV

    (Note: EV numbers are made up, I'm not going to work out
    the state by state numbers.)

    In mid-December, Kennedy does alt-Chappaquidick, but
    worse, and not in Massachusetts, and gets caught trying
    to bribe his way out.

    Now, at this point, the House is to elect the President
    from among the three leading candidates in EV (voting by
    states): Nixon, Johnson, Wallace. The Senate is to elect
    the Vice President from between the _two_ leading
    candidates in EV: Agnew and Kennedy.

    It seems very likely that even if one of these five
    becomes President, the Vice Presidency will be vacant,
    reqiring the President to appoint someone who might
    soon succeed to the office.

    Reporters from some major media organization (NBC? TIME?)
    interview all five candidates, to ask whom they would
    nominate. Johnson, intensely angry and bitter, names his
    old buddy, disgraced ex-Justice Fortas. Kennedy, heavily
    sedated, mumbles his brother in law Shriver. Agnew names
    Walt Disney, "so we can have a real Mickey Mouse government."
    Nixon names... John Connally??? Shirley Temple Black???

    Wallace shocks _everyone_ by naming USAF Lt. General
    Benjamin O. Davis - who is black. My thinking is that
    Wallace was first and foremost an opportunist, who took
    to race-baiting after losing his first race as a moderate,
    and not a true believer. If he saw a chance of becoming
    President...

    And it works. With all four of the others heading to jail,
    and with the proposed nomination of Davis negating his
    racism baggage, the House sucks it up and elects him.
    (Once Davis is in place, Congress can always remove Wallace
    if he goes too far.)

    You kind of had me up till you chose him a black running mate.

    Because I'm firmly convinced Wallace was even more racist than Strom
    Thurmond (who among other things had a black mistress)

    Now admittedly you're loading the dice on several turning points in
    your scenario but at least it's plausible until you get to the part
    about Wallace. Who was both far more talented and more extreme than
    David Duke. He just masked it better.

    (I keep hoping in going through my boxes that I will find the 1968
    Newsweek magazine election issue that I saved for at least 20-30 years afterwards....)
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From trolidan@trolidous@go.com to alt.history.what-if on Mon Jan 8 12:32:54 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On 1/6/24 19:48, The Horny Goat wrote:
    On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 15:30:37 -0800, trolidan <trolidous@go.com> wrote:

    If everyone could be civil about it and not let things go crazy,
    probably wouldn't be a problem. But when was USENET ever not a bit
    crazy?? :D

    On consideration you're probably right particularly when Trump is part
    of the discussion.

    He's the sort of individual who people tend to go over the top about
    whether you love him or hate him.

    (Please understand I am couching my wording to avoid causing a flame
    war.)

    I have said before it would be a good thing for America for both him
    and Biden to be politically off the scene since one thing that should
    be obvious is that America is currently more polarized than ever while
    I would argue that what your country and mine need is more open minded individuals of good will. Now no question I am a stalwart of my chosen
    party but with the exception of certain idividuals of the other party,
    I can fair-mindedly weigh the pros and cons of what they're saying.

    (I'm pretty sure Rhino would instantly identify one or two people I'm definitely thinking of)

    One thing I notice about your post were the words
    'my chosen party' and 'the other party'.

    Maybe I am wrong, but double checking.

    In the US, they tend to be 'Democrats' and
    'Republicans'. This dates to around the US
    Civil War. You can look it up. A little
    before that it was something like 'Democratic-
    Republicans' and 'Whigs', and then before the
    War of 1812 there were the 'Federalists'.

    In Canada, each Canadian Province has its own
    individual set of parties and names for the
    parties, right? They generally go by 'Labor',
    'Liberal', and 'Conservative' with a little
    bit of 'Tories' and 'Whigs' thrown in, but
    each set of parties have their own different
    sets of names in each of the Provinces, right?

    They still all loosely parallel some of the
    names in England? You do not have to name
    what you consider your party to be. I am not
    sure if a statement like this would cause a
    severe flame, but I am thinking Trump used
    to be something like a half-Democrat about
    20 or 30 years ago. Once upon a time, I
    am thinking there was or is a land called
    Siam or Thailand. Maybe about 20 or 30
    years ago a judge declared one of the two
    major political parties there 'corrupt'
    and banned it. However having some democracy
    there, another political party formed that
    tended to advocate the vacuum formed when
    one of two major parties there was banned.
    I am thinking that party still exists. I
    am thinking that was Thailand. However maybe
    I am confused and it was another place in
    southeast Asia. I am thinking that Yul
    Brinner said something like 'puzzlement'
    when playing a part in 'The King and I'
    a long time ago?


    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Horny Goat@lcraver@home.ca to alt.history.what-if on Thu Jan 11 10:09:52 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On Mon, 8 Jan 2024 12:32:54 -0800, trolidan <trolidous@go.com> wrote:

    One thing I notice about your post were the words
    'my chosen party' and 'the other party'.

    Maybe I am wrong, but double checking.

    I put it that way since I'm now pretty sure how I will vote in the
    next election and was trying pretty hard to avoid offending anybody.
    You understand of course that I'm not a big fan of political flame
    wars particularly HERE. :)

    In the US, they tend to be 'Democrats' and
    'Republicans'. This dates to around the US
    Civil War. You can look it up. A little
    before that it was something like 'Democratic-
    Republicans' and 'Whigs', and then before the
    War of 1812 there were the 'Federalists'.

    Yup - I fully understand that the dominance of the GOP and Dems in
    American politics didn't really start until around the time of Lincoln
    + or - about 10 years.

    In Canada, each Canadian Province has its own
    individual set of parties and names for the
    parties, right? They generally go by 'Labor',
    'Liberal', and 'Conservative' with a little
    bit of 'Tories' and 'Whigs' thrown in, but
    each set of parties have their own different
    sets of names in each of the Provinces, right?

    There has never been parties in Canada called "Tory", "Whig" or
    "Labor" but certainly parties in each of those sections of the
    political spectrum. Yes there are separate national and political
    parties, some provincial parties mirror the names of their federal counterparts, some don't but yes you generally see the same people at provincial or federal voting time. (There is also some overlap between
    federal / provincial and municipal - for instance the current Mayor of
    Toronto was formerly a federal Member of Parliament in Ottawa though
    one thing that regularly confuses Americans is that the Canadian House
    of Commons is generally considered the "lower house" but has all the
    power in stark contrast to the US where the Senate rules the roost
    (well MOST of the time)

    They still all loosely parallel some of the
    names in England? You do not have to name
    what you consider your party to be. I am not

    As I said above, I phrased things as I did to avoid giving offence. A
    flame war is the last thing all of us need.

    [In previous postings I mentioned my late father was an American and
    it was expected I would opt for US citizenship at age 21 and insisted
    I gained the knowledge of how things worked politically in the US -
    but weird things happened which I don't need to repeat. On the other
    hand my maternal grandfather ran twice - 1965 + 1968 - for the
    Canadian federal parliament so I did appear in some of his campaign
    literature with my mother in a family shot for him. Thus a strong
    interest in politics generally including at the municipal level where
    I'm on a first name basis with all members of our local Council]
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Louis Epstein@le@main.lekno.ws to alt.history.what-if on Thu Jan 11 20:47:49 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    trolidan <trolidous@go.com> wrote:
    On 1/6/24 19:48, The Horny Goat wrote:
    On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 15:30:37 -0800, trolidan <trolidous@go.com> wrote:

    If everyone could be civil about it and not let things go crazy,
    probably wouldn't be a problem. But when was USENET ever not a bit
    crazy?? :D

    On consideration you're probably right particularly when Trump is part
    of the discussion.

    He's the sort of individual who people tend to go over the top about
    whether you love him or hate him.

    (Please understand I am couching my wording to avoid causing a flame
    war.)

    I have said before it would be a good thing for America for both him
    and Biden to be politically off the scene since one thing that should
    be obvious is that America is currently more polarized than ever while
    I would argue that what your country and mine need is more open minded
    individuals of good will. Now no question I am a stalwart of my chosen
    party but with the exception of certain idividuals of the other party,
    I can fair-mindedly weigh the pros and cons of what they're saying.

    (I'm pretty sure Rhino would instantly identify one or two people I'm
    definitely thinking of)

    One thing I notice about your post were the words
    'my chosen party' and 'the other party'.

    Maybe I am wrong, but double checking.

    In the US, they tend to be 'Democrats' and
    'Republicans'. This dates to around the US
    Civil War. You can look it up. A little
    before that it was something like 'Democratic-
    Republicans' and 'Whigs', and then before the
    War of 1812 there were the 'Federalists'.

    Your chronology is a bit off here.

    The Federalists of John Adams sputtered out
    (though he had judicial appointees holding
    life posts until the 1840s) and were unable to
    run a candidate for President in 1820,when the
    Democratic-Republican incumbent Monroe was
    essentially unopposed,but the party splintered
    into factions in 1824 when Monroe stepped down.

    The faction around Andrew Jackson,who won both
    the most popular votes (then just becoming a thing)
    and the most (but not a majority) electoral votes,
    but lost the Presidency in the House when Speaker
    Henry Clay (third in popular,fourth in electoral
    votes) made what is remembered as "The Corrupt
    Bargain" and delivered his states to John Quincy
    Adams (second in both popular and electoral votes)
    in return for appointment as Secretary of State,
    regrouped in 1828 as the Democrats and won,
    while the Whigs evolved as their new opposition
    in the 1830s,folding after the Republicans (formed
    in 1854) shouldered their fading remnants aside in
    1856.

    But there was never a D-R vs. W period because
    the D-Rs had splintered and given rise to the Ds
    before the Ws started.


    In Canada, each Canadian Province has its own
    individual set of parties and names for the
    parties, right? They generally go by 'Labor',
    'Liberal', and 'Conservative' with a little
    bit of 'Tories' and 'Whigs' thrown in, but
    each set of parties have their own different
    sets of names in each of the Provinces, right?

    The party mix varies by province but there are
    national organizations...there's no point to a
    Parti Quebecois in Saskatchewan obviously but
    Jean Charest was a Conservative as Deputy PM
    of Canada AND as Premier of Quebec.

    They still all loosely parallel some of the
    names in England? You do not have to name
    what you consider your party to be. I am not
    sure if a statement like this would cause a
    severe flame, but I am thinking Trump used
    to be something like a half-Democrat about
    20 or 30 years ago.

    He was,although his primary allegiance has
    always been to his own ego.

    Once upon a time, I am thinking there was or
    is a land called Siam or Thailand.

    There is a country that has been called Siam
    in some contexts but officially renamed the
    country Thailand in the 20th century.

    Maybe about 20 or 30
    years ago a judge declared one of the two
    major political parties there 'corrupt'
    and banned it. However having some democracy
    there, another political party formed that
    tended to advocate the vacuum formed when
    one of two major parties there was banned.

    That sort of thing happens various places,
    Turkey and the Netherlands and the Basque
    provinces for example have seen parties banned
    and clones formed.

    I am thinking that party still exists. I
    am thinking that was Thailand. However maybe
    I am confused and it was another place in
    southeast Asia. I am thinking that Yul
    Brinner said something like 'puzzlement'
    when playing a part in 'The King and I'
    a long time ago?

    -=-=-
    The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
    at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Rich Rostrom@rrostrom@comcast.net to alt.history.what-if on Wed Jan 24 18:40:16 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On 1/6/24 9:59 PM, The Horny Goat wrote:

    You kind of had me up till you chose him a black running mate.

    Vice President, not running mate. In picking Davis, Wallace also
    kicks Curtis LeMay to the curb.

    Because I'm firmly convinced Wallace was even more racist than Strom
    Thurmond (who among other things had a black mistress)

    Thurmond had a black lover when he was young.

    Now admittedly you're loading the dice on several turning points in
    your scenario but at least it's plausible until you get to the part
    about Wallace. Who was both far more talented and more extreme than
    David Duke. He just masked it better.

    Wallace managed to distance himself from his
    earlier positions. Many (including some close
    acquaintances) thought it was a consequence
    of being shot, nearly killed, and left paralyzed.

    But they also thought it was sincere (if politically
    convenient).
    --
    Nous sommes dans une pot de chambre, et nous y serons emmerd|-s.
    --- General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot at Sedan, 1870.

    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Horny Goat@lcraver@home.ca to alt.history.what-if on Wed Jan 24 17:34:38 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On Wed, 24 Jan 2024 18:40:16 -0600, Rich Rostrom
    <rrostrom@comcast.net> wrote:

    Because I'm firmly convinced Wallace was even more racist than Strom
    Thurmond (who among other things had a black mistress)

    Thurmond had a black lover when he was young.

    We're probably talking about the same woman and if we are he had a
    daughter with her.
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Graham Truesdale@graham.truesdale@gmail.com to alt.history.what-if on Sat Jan 27 14:40:53 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 12:40:19rC>AM UTC, Rich Rostrom wrote:
    On 1/6/24 9:59 PM, The Horny Goat wrote:

    You kind of had me up till you chose him a black running mate.
    Vice President, not running mate. In picking Davis, Wallace also
    kicks Curtis LeMay to the curb.

    The House chooses from the top 3 vote-getters, the Senate chooses from the top 2. So it was certain in OTL 1968, that, even if Wallace did prevent either of the two main-party candidates from winning in the Electoral College, LeMay was not going to be chosen as VP in the Senate. I realise that, in this TL, LeMay might have expected to be picked as Wallace's VP under the 25th Amendment.
    (For the same reason, if Breckinridge had somehow taken 29 EV from Lincoln in 1860, and thus thrown the election into the House and Senate, the House could have picked John Bell, who had the 3rd highest EV, but the Senate could not have picked Bell's running-mate Edward Everett).
    And if ASBs switch those 29 EV from Lincoln to Douglas, then
    1. Lincoln has 151 EV, Breckinridge has 72, Douglas has 41 and Bell has 39
    2. The House can choose from Lincoln, Breckinridge and Douglas
    3. The Senate can choose from Lincoln's running-mate Hamlin and Breckinridge's running-mate Lane, but cannot choose Douglas' running-mate Herschel V. Johnson.
    4. Douglas died on 3 June 1861 in OTL.
    5. If he does so in this TL, then somebody else's running-mate becomes President.
    Does anyone know why they decided in passing the 12th Amendment that the House picks from the top 3 and the Senate from the top 2?
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Rich Rostrom@rrostrom@comcast.net to alt.history.what-if on Thu Feb 1 10:45:59 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On 1/27/24 4:40 PM, Graham Truesdale wrote:
    (For the same reason, if Breckinridge had somehow taken 29 EV from
    Lincoln in 1860, and thus thrown the election into the House and Senate,
    the House could have picked John Bell, who had the 3rd highest EV, but
    the Senate could not have picked Bell's running-mate Edward Everett).

    There were Republicans who thought Seward might be unelectable, due to
    his prominence as a possibly radical anti-slavery leader. Lincoln's
    managers took advantage of that to get Lincoln the nomination.

    But it was quite possible that Seward got it. And if so, and if those Republicans were right about Seward's problem, the following pinball combination might have happened.

    Seward runs worse than Lincoln, due to nervous ex-Whigs voting for
    John Bell. Three states flip to Douglas: Indiana, Illinois, and
    California (28 electoral votes). Oregon flips to Breckinridge (3 EV).
    4 EV in New Jersey flip to Bell.

    Meanwhile... Seward is seen as running worse than Lincoln, giving
    hope to Douglas men in the South. Douglas splits off enough Democrat
    votes to flip Maryland, North Carolina, and Louisiana to Bell (28 EV).

    Net EV results:

    Seward 180 - 35 = 145 (7 short of a majority).
    Breckinridge 72 - 24 + 3 = 51
    Bell 39 + 27 = 66

    Douglas 12 + 28 = 40

    The House is too divided to elect a President. The Senate chooses
    the Vice President - either the Republican nominee (probably some
    westerner, not Hamlin) or Bell's running mate Edward Everett.
    Between Southerners and Doughfaces, there is a solid majority
    against the Republican. That leaves Everett, who succeeds to the
    vacant Presidency.

    NOTE: during the 1860 campaign, Republicans asserted that if
    Lincoln did not win, and the election went to Congress, the House
    would deadlock and the Senate would elect Breckinridge's running
    mate, Senator Joe Lane of Oregon. "Lincoln or Lane", they told
    the voters.
    --
    Nous sommes dans une pot de chambre, et nous y serons emmerd|-s.
    --- General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot at Sedan, 1870.

    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Graham Truesdale@graham.truesdale@gmail.com to alt.history.what-if on Thu Feb 1 14:53:21 2024
    From Newsgroup: alt.history.what-if

    On Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 4:46:03rC>PM UTC, Rich Rostrom wrote:
    On 1/27/24 4:40 PM, Graham Truesdale wrote:
    (For the same reason, if Breckinridge had somehow taken 29 EV from
    Lincoln in 1860, and thus thrown the election into the House and Senate, the House could have picked John Bell, who had the 3rd highest EV, but
    the Senate could not have picked Bell's running-mate Edward Everett).
    There were Republicans who thought Seward might be unelectable, due to
    his prominence as a possibly radical anti-slavery leader. Lincoln's
    managers took advantage of that to get Lincoln the nomination.

    But it was quite possible that Seward got it. And if so, and if those Republicans were right about Seward's problem, the following pinball combination might have happened.

    Seward runs worse than Lincoln, due to nervous ex-Whigs voting for
    John Bell. Three states flip to Douglas: Indiana, Illinois, and
    California (28 electoral votes). Oregon flips to Breckinridge (3 EV).
    4 EV in New Jersey flip to Bell.

    Meanwhile... Seward is seen as running worse than Lincoln, giving
    hope to Douglas men in the South. Douglas splits off enough Democrat
    votes to flip Maryland, North Carolina, and Louisiana to Bell (28 EV).

    Net EV results:

    Seward 180 - 35 = 145 (7 short of a majority).
    Breckinridge 72 - 24 + 3 = 51
    Bell 39 + 27 = 66

    Douglas 12 + 28 = 40

    The House is too divided to elect a President. The Senate chooses
    the Vice President - either the Republican nominee (probably some
    westerner, not Hamlin) or Bell's running mate Edward Everett.
    Between Southerners and Doughfaces, there is a solid majority
    against the Republican. That leaves Everett, who succeeds to the
    vacant Presidency.

    NOTE: during the 1860 campaign, Republicans asserted that if
    Lincoln did not win, and the election went to Congress, the House
    would deadlock and the Senate would elect Breckinridge's running
    mate, Senator Joe Lane of Oregon. "Lincoln or Lane", they told
    the voters.

    Would it have been the lame-duck House and Senate which voted (as in 1801 and 1825)? If so, and the lame-duck House deadlocked, leaving the Senate to elect a VP who would serve as Acting President, would the newly-elected House have been entitled to have another go at electing the President? I realise that the newly-elected House would not have to meet until December 1861, and that there might be an incentive for an Acting President not to call it into session earlier.
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2