Biaggi’s Other Opium Den

[gentleman biaggi]

Xhevdet Lika was an American-Albanian kingpin who was notorious within the New York City criminal underworld. In the book Contract Killer by Hoffman and Headley, it was noted that even though his is not a name of household familiarity in the American upperworld like "Al Capone" or "John Gotti", Xhevedet "Joe" Lika was known in the international underworld. The book also noted; "He didn't like Italians and they left him alone because he was so violent. Like Japanese kamikazes, his heavy hitter mobsters would go after John Gotti, Paul Castellano, or even President Reagan, if Lika gave the word. There was no way to stop people like that, and Mafiosi knew it".

Ronald Reagan[1]/George H.W. Bush (Republican) 1981-1986
George H.W. Bush/vacant (Republican) 1986-1987
George H.W. Bush/Paul Laxalt (Republican) 1987-1993
1988 Def. Pat Schroeder[2]/Carl Levin[3] (Democratic)
George H.W. Bush/Rudy Giuliani (Republican) 1993-1997
1992 Def. Bob Kerrey/Bobby Glover (Democratic), Ron Paul/Howard Phillips (Conservative Coalition)
Ray Lesniak/Wyche Fowler (Democratic) 1997-2001
1996 Def. Rudy Giuliani/Guy Milliner (Republican), Jerry Brown/Lowell Weicker (Union)
Rudy Giuliani/Colin McMillian (Republican) 2001-2009
2000 Def. Ray Lesniak/Wyche Fowler (Democratic), Warren Beatty/Russ Verney (Union)
2004 Def. Cyrus Vance Jr./Mike Cooney (Democratic)
Mike Foster/Patrick Kennedy (Democratic) 2009-????
2008 Def. Colin McMillan/Joe Carollo (Republican)

"The so-called 'Italian Connection' was a quiet alliance between the United States government and the Costa Nostra. The assassination of Ronald Reagan by associates of Xhevdet Lika had raised a populace angry for vengeance. The quiet support for LCN operations mostly based itself around wiping the Albanian mob off the map, ironically aided by U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani's arrests of Albanian mob figures. Although the 'connection' is said to have formally ended after Lika was found and murdered after being spotted in Wyoming in 1993, many have alleged that it's continued since, either in attempts to shut down the so-called "Red Mafia" under FBI director Louis Freeh (1994-1997, 2001-2007), or even as a way for the US government to silence political opponents (the disappearance of Andrew Cuomo in Italy in 1994 and Frank Sheeran’s timely release of his biography are often pointed to by supporters of this theory). General 'evidence' presented by these theorists usually points to mob boss John Gotti's ability to avoid capture, and the 'new Golden age' of LCN in the early 2000s..."
-InfoPedia

[1] Assassinated by Albanian Mob associates
[2] Replacing Joe Biden after "Irishman" Scandal
[3] Replacing Pat Schroeder after her rise to the top of the ticket

 

[Walpurgisnacht]

"The so-called 'Italian Connection' was a quiet alliance between the United States government and the Costa Nostra.

We are reaching levels of Biaggi that shouldn't be possible. Wonder what a certain allegedly mafia-connected populist billionaire is doing in TTL...

 

[gentleman biaggi]

We are reaching levels of Biaggi that shouldn't be possible. Wonder what a certain allegedly mafia-connected populist billionaire is doing in TTL...

Mario Cuomo’s decision to step down shortly before the 1994 New York Democratic Convention following his son’s kidnapping led to a sort of hole opening up in state leadership - especially as the right wing vote was split following Herbert London’s second place finish in 1990. The ending result was Donald Trump - once a possible primary challenger for Bush in ‘88 - deciding to be as opportunistic as possible and unite a Republican-Conservative-Independence coalition behind him. Not even Cyrus Vance Jr. (the future Democratic nominee for president too!) could stop him - especially as Adam Clayton Powell IV ran as a member of the newly-founded Green Party.


1994 New York Gubernatorial Election:
Donald Trump (R/C/I) - 48.9%
Cyrus Vance Jr. (D/L) - 46.5%
Adam Clayton Powell IV (G) - 3.6%

While Trump’s ties to the Bush White House were large (so much so that he was often mentioned in “Italian Connection” theories) - it was not enough to stop him from splitting from the party’s increasingly angry statewide leadership. After Vice President Giuliani’s narrow loss in New York in 1996 (which Trump blamed on “HORRIBLE REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION”) he founded his own party with Howard Stern and Tom Golisano, the “Freedom Party”. Despite his best efforts (and a strange alliance with Charles Barron) Trump lost in 1998 to Vance, and returned to the Republicans shortly after, despite wanting to keep the Freedom Party alive as a statewide vehicle. Trump turned down a spot in President Giuliani’s cabinet - but his high media profile make him a much-discussed Republican or Independent candidate in 2012 against President Mike Foster.

 

[gentleman biaggi]

while i'm at it here's each year's presidential result:

1988:

George H.W. Bush/Paul Laxalt (Republican) - 518 EVs
Pat Schroeder/Carl Levin (Democratic) - 20 EVs

1992:

George H.W. Bush/Rudy Giuliani (Republican) - 339 EVs
Bob Kerrey/Bobby Glover (Democratic) - 199 EVs
Ron Paul/Howard Phillips (Conservative Coalition) - 0 EVs

1996:

Ray Lesniak/Wyche Fowler (Democratic) - 292 EVs
Rudy Giuliani/Guy Milliner (Republican) - 239 EVs
Jerry Brown/Lowell Weicker (Union) - 7 EVs

2000:

Rudy Giuliani/Colin McMillan (Republican) - 335 EVs
Ray Lesniak/Wyche Fowler (Democratic) - 203 EVs
Warren Beatty/Russ Verney (Union) - 0 EVs

2004:

Rudy Giuliani/Colin McMillan (Republican) - 417 EVs
Cyrus Vance Jr./Mike Cooney (Democratic) - 121 EVs

2008:

Mike Foster/Patrick Kennedy (Democratic) - 425 EVs
Colin McMillan (Republican) - 113 EVs

 

[gentleman biaggi]

 

[Meppo]

Mike Foster/Patrick Kennedy (Democratic) - 425 EVs

Long live President Foster!

 

[gentleman biaggi]

buchanan ‘96 tl where he picks bob smith and loses the entire south because of catholicism​

 

[Mumby]

buchanan ‘96 tl where he picks bob smith and loses the entire south because of catholicism​

i sat here for fifteen seconds waiting for a box to load you tease

 

[gentleman biaggi]

i sat here for fifteen seconds waiting for a box to load you tease

in my lazy phase

 

[gentleman biaggi]

In Which We All Lose:

2022 Oregon Gubernatorial Democratic Primary:
Speaker of the House Tina Kotek - 53.5%
Mayor of Portland Ted Wheeler - 33.8%
Journalist Nick Kristof - 6.4%
State Representative Betsy Johnson - 5.1%
2018 Independent Party Gubernatorial Candidate Pat Starnes - 1.1%

2022 Portland Mayoral Recall Election (Second Round):
Mayor Ted Wheeler (Non Partisan [Democratic]) - 50.3%
Councilwoman Jo Ann Hardesty (Non Partisan [Democratic]) - 46.5%
Write-In: Activist Andy Ngo (Nonpartisan [Republican]) - 3.2%

2022 Portland Referendum:
Should Portland Mayoral Elections Be Partisan?
Yes - 54.7%
No - 45.3%

2022 Oregon Gubernatorial Election:
Speaker of the House Tina Kotek (Democratic) - 51.7%
State Representative Dennis Linthicum (Republican) - 42.8%
Skye Allen (Independent) - 5.5%

2024 Portland Mayoral Democratic Primary:
Mayor Ted Wheeler (Democratic) - 49.9%
Activist Sarah Iannarone (Democratic) - 49.8%

2024 Portland Mayoral Republican Primary:
Activist Bruce Broussard (Republican) - 59.1%
Activist Andy Ngo (Republican) - 40.7%

2024 Portland Mayoral Election:
Activist Bruce Broussard (Republican) - 48.8%
Mayor Ted Wheeler (Democratic) - 48.6%
Various Write-Ins: 4.4%​

 

[Meppo]

In Which We All Lose:

Uh huh
What's so scary about Tina Kotek and Bruce Broussard

 

[gentleman biaggi]

Uh huh
What's so scary about Tina Kotek and Bruce Broussard

broussard is a funny figure - he’s probably the only legit republican candidate in oregon who isn’t 95% grift but he also runs/supports a black-focused newspaper and endorsed iannarone in ‘20. his election isn’t “big scary republican” it’s more of a manifestation of an incredibly strange anti-wheeler coalition than anything.

kotek is simply the queen of the cockroaches for ‘22 - she gave an increasingly q-aligned republicans veto power over redistricting recently and seems to be an interesting mix between “THE MACHINE” and increasing incompetence

the other 4 candidates, however, are much much worse

the title is me dicking around idc

 

[Meppo]

his election isn’t “big scary republican” it’s more of a manifestation of an incredibly strange anti-wheeler coalition than anything.

I wonder how many pundits try to make comparisons between the Broussard vote and Trump's gains among minority voters

she gave an increasingly q-aligned republicans veto power over redistricting recently

I, um
I think it might be just me but it doesn't seem to be a very smart move
I don't see the inverse happening in Texas for example

 

[Comrade Izaac]

giving me ideas for a TL with a Brian Matlock and or Rob Rryese/Bruce Broussard independent 2028 Presidential Campaign under the "New Bull Moose Republican Party"

 

[gentleman biaggi]

giving me ideas for a TL with a Brian Matlock and or Rob Rryese/Bruce Broussard independent 2028 Presidential Campaign under the "New Bull Moose Republican Party"

part deux or whatever of this list was planning on having broussard form his own city-level "Unite!" party and then die in like 2027, crippling the party and allowing iannarone to win on her third try

 

[Steve Brinson]

I don't see the inverse happening in Texas for example

In fairness, Texas Republicans have no incentive to let Democrats have any control over districting - if the legislature fails to draft the maps, it goes to a board made up of (Republican) statewide elected officials. I don't know whether the same is true in Oregon (though I'm guessing it's not), but at least there Democrats have some kind of incentive to avoid a quorum-bust attempt.

 

[Blackentheborg]

giving me ideas for a TL with a Brian Matlock and or Rob Rryese/Bruce Broussard independent 2028 Presidential Campaign under the "New Bull Moose Republican Party"

I still struggle to understand Brian Matlock. He does know that his party are going out of their way to say Biden, the centrist's centrist, is a communist dictator, right?

 

[Comrade Izaac]

I still struggle to understand Brian Matlock. He does know that his party are going out of their way to say Biden, the centrist's centrist, is a communist dictator, right?

i think people like Matlock still have this idea in their heads that the "values" that average Republican voters have can be manipulated and utilized to create some kind of distinctly "American" form of Social Democracy without changing the material conditions that makes Republican voters contextualize their values in a conservative manner. it's fustarating but not all surprising given that Progs like that are explicitly idealistic in world view rather than materialist

 

[Blackentheborg]

i think people like Matlock still have this idea in their heads that the "values" that average Republican voters have can be manipulated and utilized to create some kind of distinctly "American" form of Social Democracy without changing the material conditions that makes Republican voters contextualize their values in a conservative manner. it's fustarating but not all surprising given that Progs like that are explicitly idealistic in world view rather than materialist

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. I find it funny how there's still people who believe in Sorkin Politics, meanwhile Mitch McConnell is out here smearing himself with the blood of virgins like Baron Harkonnen

 

[gentleman biaggi]

i think people like Matlock still have this idea in their heads that the "values" that average Republican voters have can be manipulated and utilized to create some kind of distinctly "American" form of Social Democracy without changing the material conditions that makes Republican voters contextualize their values in a conservative manner. it's fustarating but not all surprising given that Progs like that are explicitly idealistic in world view rather than materialist

i believe that broussard is a republican the same way that kanye was a republican - he just wants to be different