WI: Clinton is Assassinated in Manila in 1996

[TheKennedyMachine]

From Wikipedia: "In 1996, during a visit to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Manila, Clinton's motorcade was rerouted before it was to drive over a bridge. Service officers had intercepted a message suggesting that an attack was imminent, and Lewis Merletti, the director of the Secret Service, ordered the motorcade to be re-routed. An intelligence team later discovered a bomb under the bridge. Subsequent U.S. investigation "revealed that [the plot] was masterminded by a Saudi terrorist living in Afghanistan named Osama bin Laden".

So, what if — Merletti’s order failed to be received? And Clinton was killed?

How would do this disrupt the latter half of the 90s/early 2000s-onwards in a world where The War on Terror begins 5 years earlier?

 

[gentleman biaggi]

i probably hang a picture of bin laden in my room ittl other than that i can’t imagine much changing

 

[allthepresidentsmen]

Technicalities-wise, there’s a big lawsuit from some Gingrich-adjacent AG in a Clinton-won state who insists that the penalties have to be enforced for any electors who vote for the new Democratic ticket of Gore/someone. The SC strikes it down, allowing electors to vote for the new Dem ticket unless in state laws expressly state that electors have to vote for people on the ballot (which eliminates at minimum Michigan from the Democratic tally). Gore most likely wins the subsequent electoral college vote with 360+ EV, the rest of the Clinton delegates go to home-state senators and governors, Ross Perot and the like via faithless votes.

Gore for his part likely wins re-election. The war on terror starts much earlier but will likely be restricted to enthusiastic US aid to anti-Taliban groups and US raids on Al-Qaeda strongholds. Maybe enough PODs to delay the Great Recession, butterfly Obama’s career (maybe Obama ends up in the House?), etc.

This TL could also see President Hillary, if she moves back to Arkansas or Illinois (becoming the great Obama-butterflier) to run for office.

 

[TheKennedyMachine]

i probably hang a picture of bin laden in my room ittl other than that i can’t imagine much changing

classic biaggi

 

[TheKennedyMachine]

Arkansas

Arkansas seems more likely.

 

[allthepresidentsmen]

Arkansas seems more likely.

Mhm. I could see Bush staying out of 2000 (fearing a loss to Gore), and then he ends up as the Jeb or Dukakis of the ’04 primary race. A lot of possibilities.

 

[Ciclavex]

i probably hang a picture of bin laden in my room ittl other than that i can’t imagine much changing

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[Luke_Starkiller]

I've had a TL about this perpetually in the works.

Gore serves as president from 1996 to 2005, becoming the second-longest holder of the office. There's no Iraq War, but the US becomes bogged down in Afghanistan.

Vice President Quayle returns from the wilderness to run for Governor of Indiana, and reborn as a quasi-Buchananite, he makes the right-wing case for abandoning Gore's Wars. This allows him to pull together a coalition broad enough to win him the White House in 2004, and again in 2008.

The widowed Hillary Clinton returns to her home state of Illinois and defeats Jack Ryan to win the Class III Senate Seat. After being re-elected in an unfavorable midterm for President Quayle, Hillary embarks on a successful campaign for president.