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Lists of Heads of Government and Heads of State

Great Britain 75...
1974-1975: Harold Wilson (Labour)

1974 (Majority) def: Ted Heath (Conservative), Jeremy Thorpe (Liberal)
1975: Sir David Stirling (Independent leading GB75 Group)
1975: Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (Independent leading Democratic Coalition)
1975-1984: Peter Shore (Labour)

1976 (Majority) def: Francis Pym (Unionist), Jeremy Thorpe (Liberal), Keith Joseph (National)
1980 (Majority) def: David Owen-Micheal Heseltine (Democratic-Unionist), David Steel (Liberal), Norman Tebbit (National)

1984-1988: David Owen (New Democratic)
1984 (Coalition with Liberals) def: Peter Shore (Labour), David Steel (Liberal), Norman Tebbit (National)
1986 Alternative Voting Referendum: 56% Yes, 44% No

1988-1994: Bryan Gould (Labour)
1988 (Majority) def: David Owen (New Democratic), David Steel (Liberal), Norman Tebbit (National), Eric Heffer (Workers), Nina Temple-Derek Wall (Red & Green Alliance), Dave Nellist (Militant)
1992 (Majority) def: David Owen (New Democratic), David Penhaligon (Liberal), Norman Tebbit (National), George Galloway (Workers), Nina Temple (Red & Green Alliance)

1994-1996: John Major (New Democratic)
1994 (Liberal Confidence & Supply) def: Bryan Gould (Labour), David Penhaligon (Liberal), John Redwood (National), George Galloway (Workers), Derek Wall (Red & Green Alliance)
1996-2000: Sue Slipman (New Democratic)
1996 (Majority) def: David Blunkett (Labour), David Penhaligon (Liberal), John Redwood (National), Mark Ashton (Workers), Derek Wall (Red & Green Alliance)
2000-: Deirdre Wood (Labour)
2000 (Majority) def: Sue Slipman (New Democratic), Malcolm Bruce (Liberal), David Davis (National), Mark Ashton (Workers), Derek Wall-Mike Davies (Red & Green Alliance)

1974, Harold Wilson comes into power as Britain lurches in chaos and the trade unions stand there ground it looks like Britain as we know will collapse into anarchy. So the creator of the SAS, Sir David Stirling with a number of his mercenary friends, bankers, former spies and more decide that they will help run the country with a general strike occurs...which in early 1975 the Unions threaten to do. So Stirling takes over and...anarchy happens.

A gaggle of mostly right wing former soldiers decide that they will wipe out all there enemies, trade unionists, Left Wing Labour politicians, Liberals and more. By the end of Britain's two 'Weeks of Strife' in which Louis Mountbatten helps lead the Army in taking power, large portions of Britain's Left are dead, much of the Right Wing and the establishment are seen as allies to David Stirling and Britian is still in chaos. Into the breach steps Peter Shore, one of the few Labour members of cabinet who didn't end up with a bullet in his head (though he just managed to miss a car bombing). Shore pursues a Autarkic Nationalistic view of Socialism which manages to scare off a number of the Liberals from the Labour Party in time. But fearing instability and not trusting the squabbling remains of the Conservatives Peter Shore manages to last 9 years in office, by 1984 Britain is no longer in chaos but the Trade Unions are incredibly strong and the country is more isolantionist than ever before.

In to the vacuum steps David Owen, leading the New Democratic Party, comprised of much of the former Labour Right and members of the Conservatives Left/Christian Democratic groups, Owen goes about trying to implement a Social Market economy to replace Shore's Autarkic model and pursues a mixture of Social Liberal and Christian Democratic policies. He also tries to kneecap the trade unions through a mixture of tactics and whilst they aren't as strong, Owen isn’t able to destroy them.

But the most important thing is the alternative voting referendum which allows various other parties to appear and gain strength.

Gould wins in 1988 on a platform of reform and radical socialism inspired by Shore but changed to the modern world. An attempt to make Market Socialism occurs, how successful it is, is up to debate. But the 1993 Britnet collapse allows John Major to almost get a majority based on a libertarian social market model. But this scares the Owenites who coup Major and replace him with the David Owen puppet and former Communist Sue Slipman. Slipman oversees the Telecoms Bubble bursting in 1997 and the privatisation of rail. Her attempts to bring about a ‘Third Way’ to British politics crashes upon the rocks that is Deirdre Wood, former radical Labour Councillor and member of the ‘Livingstone Lot’ in Gould’s Second Cabinet who proposes to do ‘Gouldnomics on steroids.’

Meanwhile in Sir David Stirling’s grave is violently rotating.
 
I like this in an “path not taken” sort of way, especially since it’s not just [HULK SMASH DEMOCRATIC NORMS IN HULK-LONG UNITY COALITION PACT] but I have to admit, a world where Obama and then Clinton have both lost elections back to back feels like maybe the last circumstances in which the party would turn to Governor Pete - without the aspiration to be White Obama I also dunno what a Buttigieg campaign really looks like, since “you won’t believe how much even Republicans LOVE this noncontroversial first-term governor from the Midwest” runs into the same obstacle.
Thanks for this. This was admittedly just a one-shot based on a conversation I had with @Beata Beatrix about what the Democratic field looks like in a President Romney TL, and I can't disagree with anything you've said here, especially regarding what exactly what Buttigieg's "thing" would be here. Might just be my own wishful thinking but I think it's probably more likely to be President Warren in 2020 for all her defects; I wonder if it's possible that she beats Hillary to the punch in 2016 and goes down to inglorious defeat, leading the establishment four years later to announce that the adults are back in charge and we're plumping for this McKinsey intern.
Will admit that I initially misread this as Buttigieg getting elected at the cost of not-coming-out-at-all, which is somewhat possible with a 2012 POD albeit probably a bit unnecessarily cruel of a twist.
Hadn't really considered this but given that Buttigieg OTL apparently came out around 2014-ish it is bleakly plausible. More of the stuff of drama than our leader lists.
 
Thanks for this. This was admittedly just a one-shot based on a conversation I had with @Beata Beatrix about what the Democratic field looks like in a President Romney TL, and I can't disagree with anything you've said here, especially regarding what exactly what Buttigieg's "thing" would be here. Might just be my own wishful thinking but I think it's probably more likely to be President Warren in 2020 for all her defects; I wonder if it's possible that she beats Hillary to the punch in 2016 and goes down to inglorious defeat, leading the establishment four years later to announce that the adults are back in charge and we're plumping for this McKinsey intern.

Hadn't really considered this but given that Buttigieg OTL apparently came out around 2014-ish it is bleakly plausible. More of the stuff of drama than our leader lists.

Warren ran a viable campaign this year but I tend to think the worse Democrats are doing, the less likely they are to pick someone like her - two losses in a row, and one for someone with the obvious talent of Obama, is going to steer the party away from anyone that would seem like a remotely risky choice and probably away from her style of professorial politics in particular. Senator Kander is a possibility although I will freely admit it's a bit of a hipster pick.

The big unknown here is how we got President Romney - if Obama lost narrowly (and I don't think a landslide was in the cards in 2012, either way) a Cleveland-esque redux once Hillary is out of the way seems very, very likely, both for age reasons and because OTL has shown us that Obama would be happy to keep steering the direction of the party just a little bit longer.
 
A name I could see being at least thrown around as a serious candidate for the 2020 nomination would be Governor Mark Schauer. After two historic candidates going down in a defeat that presumably went through the midwest he, on paper, fits pretty well into the profile I think a lot of powerbrokers would search for.
 
List of Triumvirs of the American Republic

A note on format - the bolded candidate is the one that has recently been elevated / re-elevated to power, with the format being Class 1 / Class 2 / Class 3. Triumvirs are elected much like senators. If a triumvir is unable to complete his term, it is up to the Senate to determine his successor. Triumvirs serve the same role as presidents, but a 2-1 decision is needed to make any executive action, such as a veto.

1789 - 1791: George Washington (Non-Aligned-VA) / vacant / vacant
1788 - def. various (NA)

1791 - 1793: George Washington (NA-VA) / John Jay (NA-NY) / vacant
1790 - def. various (NA)
1793 - 1795: George Washington (NA-VA) / John Jay (NA-NY) / Samuel Adams (Anti-Administration-MA)
1792 - def. Samuel Huntington (Pro-Administration-CT)
1795 - 1797: John Adams (PA-MA) / John Jay (PA-NY) / Samuel Adams (AA-MA)
1794 - def. Patrick Henry (AA-VA)
1797 - 1799: John Adams (PA-MA) / John Jay (PA-NY) / Samuel Adams (AA-MA)
1796 - def. George Clinton (Northern Opposition-NY), Pierce Butler (Southern Opposition-SC), Alexander Hamilton (Tory-NY)
1799 - 1801: John Adams (PA-MA) / John Jay (PA-NY) / Thomas Jefferson (Opposition-VA)
1798 - def. Thomas Pinckney (PA-SC)
1801 - 1803: James Sullivan (O-MA) / John Jay (PA-NY) / Thomas Jefferson (O-VA)

1800 - def. John Adams (PA-MA), Alexander Hamilton (T-NY)
1803 - 1805: James Sullivan (O-MA) / John Jay (PA-NY) / Thomas Jefferson (O-VA)
1802 - def. Aaron Burr (O-NY)

1805 - 1807: James Sullivan (O-MA) / John Jay (PA-NY) / Thomas Jefferson (O-VA)
1804 - def. Charles Pinckney (PA-SC), Arthur Fenner (Sovereigntist-RI)

1807 - 1809: Isaac Tichenor (S-VT) / John Jay (PA-NY) / Thomas Jefferson (O-VA)
1806 - def. Rufus King (PA-MA), Joseph Bradley Varnum (O-MA)

1809 - 1811: Isaac Tichenor (S-VT) / George Clinton (O-NY) / Thomas Jefferson (O-VA)
1808 - def. John Jay (PA-NY)

1811 - 1813: Isaac Tichenor (S-VT) / George Clinton (O-NY) (1811-1812), DeWitt Clinton (O|PA-NY) (1812-1813) / James Madison (O-VA)
1810 - def. John Marshall (PA-VA)

1813 - 1815: John Randolph (S|O-VA) / DeWitt Clinton (O|PA-NY) / James Madison (O-VA)
1812 - def. John Marshall (PA-VA)

1815 - 1817: John Randolph (S|O-VA) / DeWitt Clinton (O|PA-NY) / James Madison (O-VA)
1814 - def. Stephen van Rensselaer (T-NY)

1817 - 1819: John Randolph (S|O-VA) / DeWitt Clinton (O|PA-NY) / James Monroe (O-VA)
1816 - def. Rufus King (PA-MA)
 
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List of Prime Ministers of the Imperial Cabinet



Yuan Shikai (Nonpartisan; Beiyang Army) (1911-1919) {1}

Duan Qirui (Chinese Patriotic Party; Beiyang Army) (1919-1936) {2}



{1} Rather than defecting to the Xinhai Revolutionaries; Yuan decides to crush the democratic rebels banking on the fact the Qing court cannot touch him based on his control of the New Army, and the fact that they had named him Prime Minister, means that he makes the decision to preserve nominal Qing rule. By 1913, the Tongmenhui had collapsed, and its’ leadership had scattered to Japan, the US, and various British colonies across the world hoping for another opening. By the time of Yuan’s death the late Qing reforms were on paper completed, China was a constitutional monarchy under the child Xuantong emperor, but the real power was in the hands of the Beiyang clique. Outer Mongolia and Tibet were under Chinese suzerainty, but the country in general by Yuan’s death in 1919 was united under a military Junta with embers of liberty slowing going out.



{2} Yuan’s picked successor, right-hand man and minister of war. He had “resigned” after choosing a puppet to run the War Ministry, and became the first “civilian” Prime Minister of China. His Chinese Patriotic Party being set up by the Beiyang power brokers so they could run the country through its institutions rather than through brute force. After an attempted bombing on his residence by alleged Tongmenhui terrorists in 1925, he declares perpetual martial law and expands Yuan’s National Intelligence Directorate. The slow expansion of industry begins in China, and the slow chipping away of the unequal treaties that started under Yuan expands under Duan. As the Belle Epoque marches on towards a blind bliss ignorant of the embers below. As 1936 turns into 1937 both Duan and Yuan leave behind complicated legacies, on one hand supporters point out that the country is under peace and order and praise the expansion of industry and infrastructure while preserving Chinese values, while opponents being Marxists, Anarchists, Nationalists and Democrats decry their dictatorship, their joke of a constitution, the grinding poverty of the countryside, and their subservience to imperialist powers.

This is a short sketch of a timeline Yuan Shikai being the second coming of Zeng Guofan and sets up a Beiyang Military Junta under the Qing in a No WW1 world.
 
Things Fall Apart (part 1.)

2021-2022: Kamala Harris/[vacant]
defeated Donald Trump/Mike Pence, Joe Biden/Kamala Harris, others

When a whole bunch of raunchy escapades put a real weight on Biden, and Trump was caught literally with his pants down in the Oval, the prophesied T I E D E L E C T O R A L C O L L E G E ended up a reality. If that wasn't enough, the Democrats have enough gains in the Senate to force a tiebreaker stalemate, even with Pence trying his best to flaunt what little time he had left in the Oval. As the House appoints Harris as VP, the Senate remains staunch in refusing to do their job they were elected to do. Republicans wouldn't budge, neither would Democrats. Weeks turned into months and one deadline rolled over to the next.

2022-2023: Kamala Harris†/Tulsi Gabbard
defeated Donald Trump/Mike Pence, Joe Biden/Kamala Harris, others

Following the absolutely disappointing result of the Democratic primaries, Hawaiian senator and former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard lost her incumbent House seat to challenger Kai Kahele. Surprisingly, tho, she was called back to congress a little more than a month after limping back to her home state, after the gridlocked Senate begrudgingly decided she'd be the perfect fit for Veep. The fact the Republicans put her name up for consideration at all was enough to mark her as a permanent person of interest when it came to accusations of Russian meddling. What was an already increasingly unpopular and controversial was made a bit worse when Gabbard announced she would be changing her party affiliation to Independent, following several rowdy confrontations with the Democratic party ordering her off the ticket come 2024.

2023-2025: Tulsi Gabbard/[vacant]

Harris was assassinated whilst doing a listening tour of Camden, New Jersey. Almost immediately a nineteen year old came forward claiming responsibility, insisting he was put up to the task as a gang initiation ('for clout'). The subsequent investigation by intelligence services quickly found that while the youth had indeed intended to 'disrupt the President's visit in some manner', he was later found to have no actual affiliation with local gangs (subsequent revaluation by contemporary historians theorise the youth was suffering from undiagnosed histrionic personality disorder). The actual shooter, found less than a week later attempting to gain entry to Canada, was a fifty-something former coal miner and disenfranchised veteran. What really got people going was the sheer amount of alt-right stuff that was found on his internet history. Gabbard used that as fuel for rolling out Patriot Act III.

2025-2029: Sarah Palin/Nikki Haley
defeated Tulsi Gabbard/Sabrina Shrader (Independent), Pete Buttegig/Dawn Addiego, others

When the President refused to appoint a new Veep until she's officially elected "because reasons", Republican anger came roaring back, or, as Palin called it, "Apple Pie Populism" or "Redneck Reganomics" or whatever you wanted to call it to avoid using "Trumpism". The actual inventor of his own signature populism brand, Mr. Trump, had just been found guilty by the New York court, which quickly became one of Palin's campaign planks; federal entities should be above the power of the law. Except if it was President Gabbard, of course, she was apparently guilty of as many crimes as they cared to list. And hrt platform of protecting the government, fiscal sanctity of businesses, privilege of religious groups and illusion of privilege to First Amendmentites would've been enough to crush any completion even if the incumbent wasn't heir to one of the most controversial elections in recent history, who chose to instead run on her own right when the Democrats forbade her from running in their primary, instead nominating safe, reliable, Lockheed-Martin-friendly Buttegig. People were talking about two major tickets having all-female rosters, and one having the first openly gay nominee, when they should've been talking about the heavily guarded camps popping up on the border, or the blight that was spreading across crops, or the last big conglomerate buying up the other. Shocker.

2029-2037: Lee Carter/Joseph Stallcop
defeated Sarah Palin/Nikki Haley, others

If Palin gotten in a term earlier, or Trump had kept his hands above the table, then they might've been a bit more lucky. Because shortly after entering office the poor attempt the GOP had made at a nationalist economy came crashing down. It wasn't just a recession, oh no, it was a 'jump out the window of the stock market' situation. Jobs puffed into smoke, so did crops, and supermarket shelves, and civility, or what would be left of it by now. Membership applications for extremist groups on both sides of the spectrum quintupled overnight - by election day, one out of every ten Americans were affiliated with some form of militia. You know those Reddit posts you see sometimes where Proud Boys get owned by ANTIFA mobs or vice versa? Picture that in the thousands, across every state. Palin wasn't prepared for this in the slightest. Solution? Haemorrhage American assets, suspend social security payments indefinitely and de-automate all American factories via Executive Order. If workers didn't get the chance to beat up car-assembly machines in the middle of abandoned fields a la "Office Space" en-masse, there would have been guillotines on the White House lawns by sunrise. This was the perfect atmosphere for Carter, a pro-gun socialist from Coal Country, to clean house.
 
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Senator Kander is a possibility although I will freely admit it's a bit of a hipster pick.

Have to be brutally honest here as someone who has suffered from mental health issues myself, once what we know now about his situation becomes public, there's no way he's nominatable.

I agree that Warren is very likely for 2016. I don't think Hillary has anything like the same power 'in opposition' as she did as being the WH pick IOTL; and there's an increased chance she just doesn't run at all. The nomination would also be more contested from the centre if she did run.
 
Cyberpunk Britain:

1979-1984: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)†
1979 (Majority) def: James Callaghan (Labour), David Steel (Liberal), William Wolfe (SNP)
1983 (Majority) def: Micheal Foot (Labour), David Steel-David Owen (Liberal-SDP Alliance)

1984-1986: Norman Tebbitt (Emergency Government)
1986-1992: Micheal Howard (Conservative)
1986 (Majority) def: David Steel (Liberal), David Owen (Social Democrats), Ken Livingstone (Democratic Left), Ted Grant (Miltant)
1990 (Majority) def: Paddy Ashdown (Liberal), David Owen (Social Democrats), Ken Livingstone (Democratic Left), Derek Hatton (Miltant)

1992-2000: Peter Mandelson (Social Democrats)
1992 (Majority) def: Paddy Ashdown (Liberal), Micheal Howard (Conservative), George Galloway (Democratic Left), Derek Hatton (Militant)
1996 (Majority) def: Malcolm Bruce (Liberal), Micheal Portillo (Conservative), George Galloway (Democratic Left), Dave Nellist (Militant), James Goldmsith-Alan Sked (New Deal)

2000-2004: Alan Milburn (Social Democrats)†
2000 (Majority) def: Andrew Marr (Libertarian), Micheal Portillo (Conservative), George Galloway (Democratic Left), Dave Nellist (Militant), Alan Sked (New Deal), Nick Griffin (National)
2004-2010: Geoff Hoon (Emergency Goverment)
2010-2014: Vince Cable (Democrats)

2010 (Majority) def: David Davis (Libertarian), Caroline Lucas (Green Party UK), Jeremy Corbyn (Democratic Left), Adam Curtis ('Left' Libertarian), Rebecca Long Bailey (Militant)
2014-2019: Jason Zadrozny (Democrats)
2014 (Majority) def: David Davis (Libertarian), Caroline Lucas-Adam Curtis (Green Liberty), Richard Burgon (Democratic Left), Rebecca Long Bailey-Maxine Peake (Militant)
2019-: Zac Goldsmith (Libertarian)
2019 (Majority) def: Jason Zadrozny (Democrats), Rosi Sexton-Matt Bellamy (Green Liberty), Clive Lewis (Democratic Left), Maxine Peake (Militant)
 
Also I’m shocked and horrified that no one has mentioned Adam Curtis being in charge of a Left Libertarian Party followed by him becoming the founder of Eco-Left Libertarian Party with Caroline Lucas. I expected better of this forum.
 
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The Problem With Populism

1913-1921: Woodrow Wilson / Thomas Marshall (Democratic)
1912: Theodore Roosevelt / Hiram Johnson (Progressive), William Taft / Nicholas Butler (Republican)
1916: Charles Hughes / Charles Fairbanks (Republican)
1921-1929: Theodore Roosevelt / Charles Curtis (Republican) [1]
1920: James Cox / Franklin Roosevelt (Democratic), James "Pa" Ferguson / William Hough (American)
1924: William McAdoo / Charles Bryan (Democratic), James "Pa" Ferguson / scattered ("Wet" Democratic) [2]
1929-1933: Hiram Johnson / Hiram Bingham (Republican) [3]
1928: Thomas Walsh / James Reed (Democratic) [4]
1933-1935: Huey Long / Miriam "Ma" Ferguson (Democratic) [5]
1932: Theodore Roosevelt Jr. / James Rolph (Republican), Henry Breckenridge / John Davis ("Bryanite" Democratic), Hiram Johnson / Smedley Butler (Progressive)
1935-1937: Miriam "Ma" Ferguson / VACANT (Democratic) [6]
1937-1941: Miriam "Ma" Ferguson / Paul McNutt (Democratic) [7]
1936: William Borah / Hamilton Fish III (Republican), William "Alfalfa Bill" Murray / Coleman Blease ("Mad as Hell" Democratic)
1941-XXXX: Quentin Roosevelt / Herbert Hoover (Republican) [8]
1940: James Byrnes / James Farley ("Clean" Democratic), James "Pa" Ferguson / Simon Buckner Jr (Democratic)

[1] The old Bull Moose himself is nominated easily as the Republican nominee from President. He had spent the last decade out of power stirring up support for the war (and then condemning Wilson for a bad deal) but decided against a safari trip overseas, deciding he needed a little more time to recover from the bullet wound from campaigning in 1912. With his sons Ted, Archie, Kermit, and Quentin all having returned safely from the war, TR was ready for his last political rodeo. While he may have had to dial back some of his 1912 promises, he easily crushed Cox in the national wave and immediately began governing as a moderate progressive but with his characteristic energy that would frequently irritate the Old Guard Republicans. Even when his Secretary of Interior and former Rough Rider, Albert Fall, and the ensuing scandal did little to hurt his popularity once the people realized it was merely Fall who was corrupt as opposed to Attorney General Beveridge. Recognizing that much of the progressive gains he made may be in danger in an open nomination (and also remembering his great mistake of leaving it to his successors) while the party realized LaFollette was just itching to run a splinter ticket, the old man would surprise the party by announcing another run for the Presidency which, despite some handwringing about norms by party bosses and newspaper editors, he would easily win.

[2] The Democrats, reeling from a 1920 landslide and a 1922 midterm that was not nearly as good as it should have been, were in a state of panic. Wilson's son-in-law and the former Treasury Secretary, William McAdoo, was the clear choice for the party. Despite a sizable uproar among northeastern bosses of the immigrant communities over McAdoo's unwillingness to condemn the Klan, the bosses found a lack of alternative options with their main base in New York still suffering under Governor Miller. While Senator Underwood made a spirited attempt, McAdoo would inevitably take the nomination.

The events of 1924 certainly weren't set in stone, despite popular belief. Former Governor James Ferguson had ran the previous election to little fanfare or popularity. He had managed to improve his reputation out of power, so that a significant percentage of the people believed he was innocent and a victim of party politics as opposed to his own corruption and incompetence. Ferguson saw the discontent in the party not only with a Klan-backed candidate but also with a Prohibition supporter, the two pillars that he had fought the most as Governor. He decided the time was ripe (1920 had taught him the importance of timing) and now was ripe. He announced another run for President, not as the candidate of the vaguely named American Party, but directly as the "wet" and anti-Klan candidate. Voters who knew little of his history flocked to him as a populist boss who would keep the taps flowing and their communities unmolested.

[3] The Second TR term was uneventful as age battered down the Bull Moose. The larger fight was over his successor, one which TR shocked the party by backing his old running mate, Hiram Johnson. Johnson, a prominent Senator who was the face of the party's progressive faction, fought hard against the party bosses who opposed him and managed to win the nomination. TR passed away shortly after Johnson's ascendancy which was probably for the best as Johnson would prove to be a more inept President than anyone could have imagined. He took any disagreement as a personal attack. He spent massive amounts of time fighting over the most minor differences in policy. By the time the Depression hit, the party and the country was already exhausted. Little would they know...

[4] The incredibly unimpressive performance of the Walsh ticket and the ticket split of 1924 made it clear to the Democratic Party that they couldn't muddle through another election. This was the direct result of the primary voting system for nomination, a system designed to make the party of Jackson and Bryan truly the party of the masses by putting the voting power into their hands. Little would they know...

[5] As the Johnson administration imploded in on itself culminating in the man losing renomination and his announcement of reviving the Progressive Party banner (not even the diehard progressives were convinced by this), the Democratic Party would have liked to have a nice peaceful nomination process, putting forth an inoffensive popular nominee. Instead, the newly established primary process meant that perfectly acceptable candidates like Albert Ritchie or Speaker Garner was completely over mad populists like the newly elected Senator James Ferguson (thanks to his wife, Governor "Ma" Ferguson, having completely stacked the state political system in the family's image) and the yeoman Governor "Alfalfa" Bill Murray who promised bread, butter, bacons, and beans as well as blaming minorities. The nature of the delegate system being new to everyone meant that the other candidates were cornered out as Ferguson and Murray fought to a standstill, leading to neither having enough delegates. A negotiation was required for the two candidates, and ultimately, they would settle on Murray's pick, Governor Huey Long, paired with "Ma" Ferguson ("Pa" being deemed too controversial to risk). Despite an astroturfed alternative Democratic ticket claiming to represent the true values of the party and not this rabble, Long would easily win the election.

[6] The assassination of Long by a mad anarchist who didn't realize it wasn't 19th century anymore would fundamentally change the direction of the nation, so much so that Long is to this day remembered in hagiographic terms in relation to his successor. Ferguson as President would prove to be monstrously corrupt, stacking the halls of Washington DC with Ferguson cronies. The massive Long-era infrastructure project money would disappear into Ferguson-affiliated companies which did little to stimulate the economy. And "Pa" Ferguson himself would find himself in the White House as the new Secretary of State where he wined and dined across the world with Chamberlain, Mussolini, and Schleicher. The Ferugsons' promising to continue to keep the poor farmers and working class afloat kept enough voters loyal to the Fergusons that few party leaders dared to oppose them beyond begging Ma to not step down for Pa. Ma herself was more ambitious and savvy than given credit for, recognizing that stepping aside for her husband may lead to their very demise. She simply picked a popular governor and won her reelection despite an energetic splinter campaign by Alfalfa Bill.

[7] To say that the Fergusons' control over the party collapsed when Pa made his move to take the nomination for himself is inaccurate. Already, the grounds for their fall were set with the revival of the Republican Party in the midterms that saw the rise of Speaker Snell as the memory the Johnsonvilles faded. Oversight committees under Snell's gavel started figuring out just how much money was embezzled, just how much corruption was present started tearing down the Ferguson Legend. By the time Pa ran for the nomination, the bosses and officials had realized both that it would be electoral suicide as well as the people were starting to get sick of the First Family. With the shocking results of the Kentucky primary, the Fergusons went into emergency mode, calling in every favor they had, and ultimately, in their desperation, increasing the power of delegates. The nomination was theirs, but the damage was done. More and more, their empire collapsed as, for the first time since Ferguson's 1924 run, the Democratic Party faced a competent splinter ticket under the conservative but inoffensive southerner Governor Byrnes allied with the Boston machine boss Senator Farley.

[8] In the end, it was enough. The strength of the splinter ticket and the Republican nomination of the son of the man many regarded as the greatest Republican President since Lincoln, a man who had proven himself in the fields of France where his bravery saved dozens of comrades and won him a Medal of Honor, a Governor who fought Tammany Hall to a standstill. If any man looks like he can lead America to an era of normality as well as navigate the hazardous waters of a Eurasia in flames, it must be Quentin Roosevelt, President-Elect of the United States.
 
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This is wonderful! I'm quite interested in the Fergusons (America's own conjugal dictatorship?) and while it seems to be that they probably couldn't have exported their movement outside of Texas, it's still very entertaining to imagine what that might've looked like.
 
This is wonderful! I'm quite interested in the Fergusons (America's own conjugal dictatorship?) and while it seems to be that they probably couldn't have exported their movement outside of Texas, it's still very entertaining to imagine what that might've looked like.
Yeah it definitely took some stretching. I read some of a book about the Fergusons (alas it spoke distressingly little about his presidential run) and my main take away is they never got the rock solid base and support of a Long because, well, they were pretty incompetent. Their populist shtick was more like a con then actually being an effective populism. You see that a lot in this era, Murray being another example of crap populist which is why Huey Long is impressive in that he actually implemented real policies that were genuinely popular among the people he pledged to help.

I imagine someone else could do a better imagining but this was my very rough attempt at it.

Also, Kathy Bates played Ma Ferguson excellently in the Netflix movie, The Highwaymen. She played her as pretty independent with Pa nowhere to be seen which is why she's President and not Pa. Good movie.
 
1964-1973:Harold Wilson(Labour)
1964:Alec Douglas-Home(Conservative),Jo Grimond(Liberal)
1966:Edward Heath(Conservative),Jo Grimond(Liberal)
1970:Enoch Powell(Conservative),Jeremy Thorpe(Liberal)

1973-1974:James Callaghan(Labour)
1974 February :Keith Joseph(Conservative),Jeremy Thorpe(Liberal)
1974-1979:Keith Joseph(Conservative
)
1974 October:James Callaghan(Labour),Jeremy Thorpe(Liberal)

1979-1981:Francis Pym(Conservative)
1979:Denis Healey(Labour),John Pardoe(Liberal)

1981-1992:Denis Healey(Labour)
1981:Francis Pym(Conservative),John Pardoe(Liberal)
1982:Geoffrey Howe(Conservative),John Pardoe(Liberal)
1987:Norman Tebbit(Conservative),Paddy Ashdown(Liberal)
1992:Michael Portillo(Conservative),Paddy Ashdown(Liberal)

1992-1993:Margaret Beckett(Labour)
1993-2001:Michael Portillo(Conservative)
1993:Margaret Beckett(Labour),Paddy Ashdown(Liberal)
1998:Robin Cook/Charles Kennedy(Labour/Liberal coalition),Robert Kilrory-Silk(Kilrory!)
 
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