Since I split off the TAC/StB/ASIT thing, I decided to at least do something new
The Centre Cannot Hold
It has been eight years since the last election. A lot happened in those eight years
Since the first term of President Beto O'Rourke finished with a lot of anger from Dems towards the GOP for undermining him at every turn, and from the Reps for Beto even
being President, the 2024 election campaign was one of seething anger
The Dems wanted to stop the GOP obstruction once and for all, while the GOP wanted to retake power from an "unrepentantly-liberal" president. Both sides were fired up more than ever, with rumours that some state Republican parties have been setting up the "Wide-Awakes" to "protect American freedom" and Antifa increasing their presence at Democratic rallies. Blood was in the water
When Beto won 55% of the popular vote yet lost the election via a "recount" in Ohio, the Dems screamed. Not
again. Never again. As President Brett Kavanaugh prepared to take office as the first Supreme Court Justice to win the Presidency, the marches began
The "Blue Marches" of people just sick of the Republicans marched to their state Houses and demanded they "nullify" the election. Legally, this was questionable, but the Blue Marchers just didn't
care. They wanted to stop the Republicans winning. In conservative states such as Georgia, the troops were sent to disperse them. This led to violence and led to top Democrats condemning this
Then President O'Rourke announced that he was "informed of grave violations of our democracy" and called on the Electoral College to vote for him instead "to stand up for democratic values". In the end, the Electoral College held and went 270 Brett Kavanaugh, 268 Beto O'Rourke
More Democrats than ever turned to radicalism. American democracy was in their eyes, utterly failed. Beto's term got little done because of the Republicans, and more than ever the Democrats wished to change the rules. No, they wanted to change
games
In the end, several states announced they were nullifying the United States Constitution and President Kavanaugh declared "unrepentant war to crush the traitors". America splintered and fell into civil war between Democrats and Republicans
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It is a chilly autumn day in November 2032
The millions of bodies are almost all buried. The human cost was high. Both Presidents Beto O'Rourke and Brett Kavanaugh lies in their graves. It was a time of barbarism. A time of brother against brother, sister against sister. Democrats against Republicans. In the end, the United Nations intervened with Chinese support and negotiated a ceasefire, a "frozen conflict". As the walls go up in the once United States, the people go to the polls to choose who will be their President. In an echo of former glories, both sides voted at the same time...
Democratic States of America
With the Republicans claiming the name USA by 2027, the Democrats chose to rebrand as "the
Democratic States of America", aka the part of America that held true to democratic, liberal, secular values. Also, because they were the states that voted for the Democrats, but everyone knew that already. By 2032, the Constitutional Convention started in wartime finally finished in peacetime and the people went to the polls. Maria Cantwell prepared to be the last President of the United States of America (according to Democrats...)
There was one person a lot would vote for, of course. Tulsi Gabbard. The celebrated representative-turned-military hero who liberated Utah from the Republicans, the famed "Hero of Salt Lake City" who rescued many from starvation due to a months-long blockade
The Democratic Socialists, now a proper party and ballooned in size due to radicalisation of Democrats in the Civil War, endorsed her for the Presidency, announcing that "she was a firm leader of our Revolution and shall lead the American People to future glory". The main opponent to Gabbard was Senator Cory Booker, one of the few Senators still alive from before the War. He led the centre-right New Democratic Coalition, a coalition that many Europeans labelled as "conservative" but he insisted on being called "moderate"
The centrist Democratic Progressive League were charmed by both sides, and with both candidates having a DP running mate, they declined to endorse anyone, but Gabbard was already heavily favoured so this was a blow to Booker's hopes
In the end, the Democratic people voted for the woman who led them to victory, the woman who freed Utah from death and disaster, the woman who came out of the war universally adored. They voted for the "Hero of Salt Lake City", General Tulsi Gabbard
Great American Republic
With the liberal exodus and the setting up of a true "conservative republic", the Republican Party decided to copy the Democratic example and "revise" the Constitution. The originalists successfully argued for the revokation of all amendments and only re-implement the ones that "the Convention felt was best for our vision of America". In the end, the GAR constitution was sleeker than the old US one but had some extra Amendments
One of those was that any parties or candidates had to go through the Approval Committee in order to be on the ballot. This in the end, excluded any possibility of any liberal party running and ensured low turnout with the remaining not-fled liberals/minorities retreating into despair and apathy [or looking into moving to the DS]. Conservative dominance was secured. The main division was between the social conservatives that had a loyalty to Brett Kavanaugh and his running-mate the "last President" [according to Republicans] James Lankford, and the more right-wing populists that had an instinctive loyalty towards the Trump dynasty and especially new Missourian Donald Trump Jr.
Of course there was the libertarians, especially in the western states of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Those states liked to ignore the rest of the GAR, especially on "social" issues. Governor Elinor Swanson of Montana chafed under military supervision due to Montana declaring loyalty to the DSA before falling to GAR forces, but she was defiant in her libertarian values and ran anyway
In the end, conservatives mostly voted and they voted for Brett Kavanaugh's "heir", the last President of the United States (according to you get it) and soon first President of the Great American Republic, James Lankford
(Notable here was the giving of three EVs to "Lost States", decided by Republicans who fled those states to the GAR. This system would last until the 2044 election where it would be abolished as part of a tentative treaty with the DSA)