The office of Speaker of the House was heavily modified in the aftermath of the America Day Revolution in 1948 [1]. After a decade of Commander-in-Chief MacArthur, which had itself followed a decade of depression, the vast majority of Americans wanted change. Although Huey Long had only been President for six months, most on the left saw his failure to pass any real legislation as the fault of the much-outdated filibuster and bicameralism.
In the Camp David Accords, MacArthur would finally agree to hold free elections in the fall of 1948, although he would have control over most election infrastructure and would contest the elections himself. The final electoral system would eliminate most of the powers of the Senate, instead making the Speaker a Prime Minister-type figure with near-total control over domestic policy.
SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE OF THE UNITED STATES:
Walter Reuther (SDP) - January 25, 1949 - January 25, 1963
'48 (156 Seats) with Liberals (102 Seats), Socialists (63 Seats), Democrats (51 Seats) [2]
'50 (206 Seats) with Democrats (50 Seats) [3]
'54 (271 Seats) [4]
'58 (262 Seats) [5]
Hubert Humphrey (SDP) - January 25, 1963 - June 10, 1969
'62 (290 Seats) [6]
'66 (231 Seats) with Liberals (117 Seats), Socialists (14 Seats) [7]
Lyndon Johnson (SDP) - June 10, 1969 - January 25, 1971
'69 (231 Seats) with Liberals (117 Seats) [8]
Charles Percy (LIB) - January 25, 1971 - January 25, 1975
'70 (169 Seats) with Progressive Conservatives (85 Seats), Green League (7 Seats) [9]
Lyndon Johnson (SDP) - January 25, 1975 - April 19, 1978
'74 (226 Seats) with Socialists (17 Seats), Green League (10 Seats) [10]
Claude Pepper (SDP) - April 19, 1978 - January 25, 1987
'78 (226 Seats) with Socialists (17 Seats), Green League (10 Seats) [11]
'78 (255 Seats) [12]
'82 (230 Seats) with Socialists (29 Seats) [13]
Martin Luther King (GSP) - January 25, 1987 - January 25, 1991
'86 (239 Seats) with Social Liberals (45 Seats) [14]
Barbara Jordan (LIB) - January 25, 1991 - January 25, 1999
'90 (180 Seats) with Progressive Conservatives (80 Seats) [15]
'94 (251 Seats) [16]
Al Gore (LIB) - January 25, 1999 - January 25, 2003
'98 (278 Seats) [17]
Bernie Sanders (GSP) - January 25, 2003 - January 25, 2007
'02 (252 Seats) [18]
Barack Obama (LIB) - January 25, 2007 - January 25, 2015
'06 (224 Seats) with Progressive Conservatives (39 Seats) [19]
'10 (260 Seats) [20]
Robert Reich (GSP) - January 25, 2015 - June 10, 2020
'14 (205 Seats) with Social Liberals (40 Seats), Reform (7 Seats) [21]
'18 (248 Seats) with Social Liberals (27 Seats) [22]
Rachel Dolezal (GSP) - June 10, 2020 - August 9, 2021
'20 [23]
Bernie Sanders (GSP) - August 9, 2021 - January 25, 2023
'21 [24]
Brooke Shields (SLP) - January 25, 2023 - Incumbent
'22 (179 Seats) with Progressive Conservatives (37 Seats), NEO (23 Seats), Reform (15 Seats) [25]
PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES:
32. John Nance Garner (DEM) - March 4, 1933 - March 4, 1937
'32 def. OTL
33. Huey Long (SOW) - March 4, 1937 - October 3, 1937
'36 def. John Nance Garner (Democratic), Arthur Vandenberg (Republican), 270-244-17 EV / 34.3%-34.0%-22.9% PV
(-). Douglas MacArthur (NAT) - October 3, 1937 - March 4, 1939
34. Douglas MacArthur (NAT) - March 4, 1939 - November 25, 1948
'38 def. UNOPPOSED
'42 def. UNOPPOSED
'46 def. UNOPPOSED
(-). Harry Truman (DEM) - November 25, 1948 - January 31, 1949
35. Eleanor Roosevelt (DEM) - January 31, 1949 - January 31, 1961
'49 def. Douglas MacArthur (Nationalist), 428-25
'55 def. UNOPPOSED
36. Smedley Butler (IND) - January 31, 1961 - January 31, 1967
'61 def. Norman Thomas (Social Democratic), 265-220
37. Joe Kennedy Jr. (DEM) - January 31, 1967 - January 31, 1979
'67 def. Lyndon Johnson (Social Democratic), 245-244
'73 def. Nelson Rockefeller (Liberal), 250-243
38. Abe Fortas (SDP) - January 31, 1979 - October 12, 1986
'79 def. Nelson Rockefeller (Liberal), 256-238
'84 def. Joe Lieberman (Liberal), 63.9%-33.2%
(-). Elizabeth Holtzman (SDP) - October 12, 1986 - January 31, 1987 (As First Secretary of the Treasury)
39. Henry Jackson (SLP) - January 31, 1987 - January 31, 1993
'87 def. Joe Lieberman (Liberal), 56.5%-44.0%
40. Joe Lieberman (LIB) - January 31, 1993 - January 31, 2005
'92 def. Henry Jackson (Social Liberal), Tom Kahn (Socialists & Greens), 49.2%-35.1%-13.9%
'98 def. Bernie Sanders (Socialists & Greens), 53.6%-46.4%
41. John Kasich (PC) - January 31, 2005 - January 31, 2011
'04 def. Cynthia Nixon (Socialists & Greens), 72.2%-27.8%
42. Hill Rodham (LIB) - January 31, 2011 - January 31, 2023
'10 def. John Kasich (Progressive Conservative), 50.9%-49.1%
'16 def. Tulsi Gabbard (Socialists & Greens), 68.4%-31.6%
43. Mazie Hirono (SLP) - January 31, 2023 - Incumbent
'22 def. Tulsi Gabbard (Socialists & Greens), 65.2%-34.8%
[2] Walter Reuther was the easy choice to be the first Speaker. Despite having no prior government service, his leadership in the America Day protests was legendary, and as the leader of the largest "we need reform" but "don't burn everything down" party, it was no surprise that he easily won the election. To increase confidence in the new system, Reuther would opt to form a rather broad coalition, consisting of virtually all pro-democracy parties, regardless of affiliation. This worked fine initially, as the Reuther I cabinet was largely focused on sorting out the immediate problems the country needed to address. These included the pardoning of dissidents, the passage of legislation protecting constitutional rights, the approval of massive foreign aid packages to fight communism, and the passage of the "GI Bill", which provided returning soldiers with free education, job training, and affordable mortgages. And, although foreign policy was nominally under the control of the President, Reuther would oversee a successful US offensive in Korea, driving the Communists across the Yalu River. To round out the term, Reuther would pass a new food stamp program, which would be enacted in tandem with a policy of new subsidies to farms to lower costs.
Despite all these accomplishments, however, the government was, at its core, quite ideologically incoherent. While all parties were against the dictatorship, divisions in the administration over exactly how much further they should go never really went away. Tensions came to a head when Reuther proposed a reform to the country's healthcare system, which would provide millions with government-backed medical care. Facing a revolt by the Liberals (who were fiscally conservative) and the Southern wing of the Democrats (who were racist) over this proposal, Reuther opted to dissolve the House of Representatives two years early, still the only time this has ever been done. While he eschewed direct attacks on his former coalition partners, the Social Democrats ran a successful campaign on "winning the peace".
[3] Come election day, the SDP would gain a whopping 50 seats. Having won such a big mandate, Reuther was given a wide array of options for how to build his next coalition. While he was initially in favor of an agreement with the Socialists, he would ultimately decide on an agreement with the Democrats after some push from President Eleanor Roosevelt. Despite initial fears over how much the Democrats would restrict the Speaker, the Reuther II cabinet would be the most progressive in history, passing (among other things) pensions for people over 65, new investments in healthcare and education (including free medical care for those over 65), a solid minimum wage, an absolute right to collective bargaining, including a repeal of the national right-to-work law, and an anti-lynching bill.
Still, the Democrats had some cautious and more moderate voices (largely southerners who were racist but not racist enough to join the States' Rights League). It was perhaps because of this that Reuther would be unable to pass any further civil rights bills, even under a potential confidence agreement with the Socialists. Knowing that, Reuther would instead act to prevent things that would have worsened racial disparities, such as approving a slew of new regulations to prevent things that had caused the Great Depression from happening again. Finally, the government would pass the Clean Air Act into law, which would massively reduce air pollution. With all of this, it was clear Reuther had followed up on his campaign promises, and with that, he took it to the people.
[4] Reuther was, by this point, extremely popular. To most Americans, he was the living God who had taken a sword to poverty and kept American prestige flying high abroad. When done in combination with a great campaign, his Social Democrats won an absolute majority in the election of 1954, negating any need for negotiations or compromises. With the democrats out of his way, he did the one thing he had been wanting to tackle- civil rights. The first bill he would pass on this front would be legislation integrating schools and banning segregation in any public place or private establishment that received federal funding. When Southern governors refused to enforce it, Reuther deployed the Army to do it for them. As a concession to poor whites, however, Reuther would also pass a new housing bill, granting massive funding to create new suburbs connected to public transit a la the "Broadacre" model.
Further legislation establishing universal healthcare was also passed, as was legislation requiring paid leave. Internationally, Reuther would quietly okay President Roosevelt's normalization of relations with Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam. In the final leadup to the election, the government would enact a bill that created a Civilian Jobs Corps, which would provide over two hundred thousand Americans per year with decent-paying union jobs doing things like building "Ruethervilles" and cleaning up toxic factory sites. Reuther would also pass a bill flowing massive amounts of money into rural electrification and development, even though the majority of that had been done in the five preceding annual budgets. A short recession was quickly dealt with through a quick infusion of spending, and Reuther looked well on his way to a second full term.
[5] And, while slightly nerfed by the recession, Reuther would once again win a majority government. His aggressive strategy having been vindicated, he would once again approve a civil rights bill, this time abolishing poll taxes and enshrining voting rights into law. The government would also approve more benefits for veterans, making the GI Bill permanent and granting all veterans fixed-rate 1.0% interest mortgages in the new suburbs being constructed. But Reuther, cognizant that he was in charge of an entire country, also remembered cities. Billions would be approved for the construction of more high-quality public transit systems, and President Roosevelt (on behalf of the Speaker) would sign a joint venture agreement with Japan to build high-speed rail. Speaking of the President, Reuther's government would oversee the election of the next one. It was here where he would see his first defeat.
Incumbent President Eleanor Roosevelt was incredibly popular, but also term-limited. Over the course of her tenure, she had created the precedent for what the President should do in post-Revolution America- an advisor to the Speaker but a strong voice on social issues and foreign affairs. For the 1961 election, the Social Democrats would narrowly vote to nominate Norman Thomas- a member of the SDP's left flank- to face off against war hero and dissident Smedley Butler. While the race initially looked to be in the SDP's favor- they did, after all, have a majority- the construction of the Berlin Wall would change this. Suddenly, Thomas's pacifist anti-Communist socialism was a lot less appealing to people. On election day (January 5, 1961) the House would vote- with over 40 SDP defections- narrowly in favor of Butler as the next head of state.
But the term still had far more wins for the Speaker than loses. One of the biggest cases where this was true was regarding social issues, where Reuther would act to ratify a constitutional amendment codifying equality between men and women, which would in turn lead to the legalization of abortion in the lame duck period after the 1962 election. His brainchild the CJC would also be expanded to employ over one million Americans, and the minimum wage would be further increased and tied to inflation. All of this had the effect of creating a massive boom in the average person's purchasing power, which would in turn create large-scale economic growth. All of this led to Reuther becoming one of the most beloved American leaders in history.
But after 14 years in charge of the most powerful country in the world, Walter Reuther was tired. At the annual Social Democratic Party conference in 1962, the long-serving and incredibly popular Speaker would shockingly announce his retirement. After recovering from that bombshell, the conference would name Deputy Speaker Hubert Humphrey as his successor. While not as charismatic or popular as Reuther, he was a fitting candidate to continue to SDP legacy. As a final act, Reuther would pass the Comprehensive Civil Rights Act of 1962, which would fully abolish all discrimination in public places and through housing (Reuthervilles had, of course, been integrated since their inception).
[6] Riding high off of these successes, Hubert Humphrey would lead the Social Democrats to a much-expanded massive majority. The question now became one of strategy- what would he do with it? In a manner somewhat unexpected for the relatively gentle-speaking Humphrey, he made that clear pretty quickly. Almost immediately upon taking office, Humphrey- having talked to dozens of climate scientists- would push hard to protect the environment. Reuther's Clean Air Act would be joined by the Clean Land Act and the Clean Water Act. Billions would also be funneled into new technological research.
To appease the unions, which were harmed by the new environmental standards, Humphrey would also approve a new labor bill. This legislation would require new government-backed construction to use union labor. Education would also get a must-needed boost, as Humphrey's government would pass new legislation that would equalize funding for all schools, with the ultimate goal of reducing class sizes to 25 students or less by 1980. The universal healthcare program passed by Reuther was also pretty weak, and the Social Democrats would strengthen it to include vision and dental coverage. When coupled with additional funding for existing programs, America now had one of the better healthcare systems in the world.
But the crown jewel of the new Speaker's legacy was in an odd place- criminal justice and mental health reform. Over the course of 1965 and 1966, Speaker Humphrey would pass legislation ending the death penalty nationwide (although Reuther had issued a moratorium upon taking office), cut sentences for most non-violent offenses, and invested in improving prison quality. But while this was sorely needed, it was out of touch with most Americans. Still, during the lame duck period, Humphrey would approve the introduction of the Affordable Housing Fund, which would provide over ten million Americans with further assistance with their mortgages and help low-wage workers in cities live near their place of employment.
Humphrey, however, was no Reuther. Robert Caro once said that Reuther could "get away with murder", and to a certain extent, that was true. The people of the United States always seemed to give him the benefit of the doubt. But part of this was simply due to his immense charisma, which Humphrey didn't have.
[7] Partially because of this, Humphrey would lose his majority in the 1966 elections. Still, the SDP, whether out of momentum or popularity, would easily come in first place. Despite Humphrey's social policies being to the left of much of the nation, the SDP was still widely seen (and rightly so) as the architects of the prosperity the country was experiencing. Humphrey would form a grand coalition with the Liberals and the Socialists, and would be retained as Speaker. This unified bloc would approve the Equality Act- decriminalizing homosexuality and further protecting social equality- and increase spending on scientific research. However, the Liberals were, at their core, a socially liberal but fiscally cautious party.
They balked at demands to further increase social programs, but the Socialists balked at not implementing further social programs. It was clear the coalition was entering a crisis, and could fall at any moment (something made much worse by Humphrey's support for Joe Kennedy over Liberal stalwart Nelson Rockefeller as the next President). While he had grown a lot more politically skilled, Humphrey's entire career as a high-ranking member of the House was under a solid SDP majority. Because of this, he did not really have the skills to reconcile both warring factions. To prevent this from happening, Humphrey would reluctantly resign, and was replaced by the one man who, if nothing else, would do anything to get his way. That man was Lyndon Baines Johnson.
[8] LBJ was sworn in by President Kennedy on June 10, 1969, a mere two weeks after his predecessors' resignation. He was now in charge of a very unstable coalition, but LBJ was a skilled political operator. After initial "stabilization efforts" (e.g. threatening Liberal and Socialist MCs) his main project, universal childcare and kindergarten for all children, would be passed. Despite all of this, the Socialist Party would end up leaving the government, citing LBJ's relatively moderate politics. Still, the Speaker would continue in his job. But come election day, many Americans had simply tired of the four years of instability, and desired something new.
[9] Charles Harting "Chuck" Percy would be sworn in as the Speaker of the House on January 25, 1971. He was the first non-Social Democrat to hold the office, although he was still far from being a conservative. His first initiative of cutting taxes was, as expected, quite popular, as Americans saw their disposable incomes rise. This, in turn, drove the economy to great heights, vastly raising tax revenue. In accordance with his agreement with the Green League, Percy would also tackle environmental issues. He would pass the Hatch-Brantley Act early in 1972, which would phase out CFCs and further research the climate change theory.
Abroad, Percy would also change US policy. While Lyndon Johnson (and his predecessors as Speaker) had been staunch supporters of Israel, Percy had a much more nuanced position. With the more moderate Yigal Allon in charge of Israel, he had his chance. President Kennedy- despite the bad blood between the two stemming from the 1967 election- would agree to host Allon and Arafat at the White House, where they would draw up a new treaty. Under the agreement, Israel was permitted to keep the Sinai peninsula that it had captured during the Four Day War, as was the case with the Golan Heights. However, a new Palestinian state would be created in the West Bank, and Arab citizens in Israel would be granted more rights. This proposal was narrowly ratified in the Knesset, granting Percy a major foreign policy win. However, the economy would enter a short recession in the summer of 1974, helping a newly-reenergized Lyndon B. Johnson.
Percy would fight back with everything he and the Liberals had- tax reforms, foreign policy changes, and more. But he forgot one thing- he was fighting against Lyndon B. Johnson, the Giant of the House. While many had underestimated him- he had lost the last election, after all- he was about to teach them how wrong they were.
[10] LBJ would take office for a second non-consecutive term as Speaker four years after he had first left it. Despite his victory being rather narrow, he would be able to assemble a center-left coalition that included the Socialists and the Green League. To address the recession, the government would pass a wide-reaching stimulus program, including the introduction of a basic, monthly benefit equivalent to 25% of the poverty line. The CJC would once again be fully funded, providing jobs to over two million Americans. Additional legislation would establish the National Employment Service, which would help unemployed people find jobs by working directly with the private sector. Unemployment benefits (one of the few things Long was able to get passed, and which were reluctantly kept by MacArthur) were also expanded. Because of this (or in spite of it, depending on who you ask) the US resumed steady economic growth in early 1977.
With new political capital, Johnson would be able to pass a new anti-monopoly act, which was targeted at large corporations in critical sectors. Boardrooms around the country went into a tailspin as the Speaker began working his magic on the Social Democratic caucus. Fortunately for them, that same Speaker (who had long suffered from heart issues) would pass away in his office on Capitol Hill. Unfortunately for them, his replacement was far, far worse.
[11] Claude Pepper had been around in politics for a very long time. First elected to the Senate in 1934, he was one of the biggest champions of Huey Long's initiatives during his short tenure. Because of this, he was nearly 80 at the time of his swearing-in. But, as many would soon find out, that didn't make him any less capable. His first cabinet- consisting of the remaining nine months of LBJ's term- would mostly be focused on administrative work, as much of that time was either a campaign period or a lame duck session. After narrowly securing the nomination over the younger Frank Church (who would, ironically, die in 1988, a full decade before Pepper), the Speaker would criss-cross the nation, advocating for expansions to the popular proposals passed by LBJ. As the economy was still doing well, this was more than enough.
[12] Pepper would take office for a full term in 1979, having secured a narrow majority. After quietly electing a new President (Abe Fortas, an LBJ flunky) he would start his tenure off small, with a simple bill to introduce free school meals for all students. This would be followed with an amendment to Humphrey's education law, which would pour even more money into public schooling, with the aim of reducing class sizes in elementary schools to 10 students and beyond that to 15 students by 1995. After this, a young coalition of more right-wing social democrats led by Barbara Jordan would leave the party, depriving Pepper of a majority. But unlike what they expected him to do- negotiate a more rightward turn to keep a single-party majority- Pepper would turn to the Socialist Party, under their new leader, Michael Harrington.
The new government would be even more left wing than Pepper's majority government, and would immediately get to work. Electricity, utilities, and freight rail were all nationalized under the American Power Administration and the Transport Rail Authority. Even the moderate part of the Social Democrats expressed concern over this new course, but the Speaker would hear none of it. Using the party whip liberally, Pepper would pour tens of millions into research and development and infrastructure improvements to further reduce shipping costs, which would in turn be coupled with new regulations encouraging parallel reductions in sale prices. To go along with the new American Power Administration, the government would authorize massive investments in nuclear energy and hydropower, which when coupled with unionization mandates would result in a unionized white-collar workforce of over one million.
Next, the office of President was made to be selected through popular vote. In addition to that, a new referendum system was added, which would quickly be used to confirm all of his policy changes (the government controlled when the referendums would be, and the wording. You do the math on how they always got the result they wanted). Pepper wasn't done with education, either. New legislation would make college tuition free for all qualifying students, and trade schools would be made salaried. Teachers also got a boost in pay, and tax dollars were spent liberally on fixing up educational institutions.
All of this was quite a lot in a short amount of time. But while the administration was a bit to the left of most Americans, most appreciated how much had gotten done in the two years of the coalition. Tax increases (while pretty moderate for most Americans) also wouldn't take effect until after the election (coincidence? No, absolutely not), which created the impression for a lot of Americans that Pepper had simply given them more services, with no drawbacks.
[13] Because of that, the coalition was retained in office for a second term. Now, Pepper was free to enact the biggest item on his agenda- the National Price Fairness Administration. Unlike the Communist price control bureaucracy it sounded like, the NPFA took a much different approach to lowering prices. Instead, the NPFA would hire millions of Americans (once again, in well-paying union jobs) to manufacture goods at market value, which would apply a downward pressure on the private sector. They would initially focus on household necessities, but would move into making luxury goods by the end of the government's term. While this policy was decried as communism by many (to be fair, it kinda was), the absolute obliteration of the separation of powers after the MacArthur era ensured that there were very few things they could do to stop it.
Pepper would also oversee the first election for the Presidency held via popular vote in over forty years. While this would end rather anti-climatically- popular incumbent Fortas would easily win re-election- it was still a milestone. This would coincide with two federal referendums- one establishing civil unions for gay couples (which passed 55%-45%) and another banning "communism in schools" (a submission of the Liberal Party, which passed 81%-19%).
But traditional Social Democratic policies wouldn't be ignored, either. Pepper would also pass legislation increasing the basic monthly benefit to a full 50% of the poverty line, which would be matched by a 150% FPL minimum pension for people over 65. This would be paid for with a wealth cap on estates over $1 Billion combined with a tax on foreign-earned profits. Around this time, Pepper would also lead the majority of the Social Democratic Party into a new party with the Socialists and Green League, forming the new Party of Greens and Socialists (GSP). The remaining more centrist wing of the SDP would form the Social Liberal Party.
Come election day, costs were coming down, but the left had been in power for nearly 16 years. When added with the Fortas corruption case that necessitated a snap Presidential Election, many Americans were frustrated with the left. However, renewed leadership under longtime MC Martin Luther King would narrow the gap, and come election day a miracle began to occur.
[14] After the results came in, it was clear that, somehow, the GSP had won a strong plurality. Elizabeth Holtzman (the acting President of the Republic until the winner of the special election, Scoop Jackson, was sworn in) would hand the mandate to form the next government to MLK. While not a majority, King and Pepper were able to negotiate a supply-and-confidence agreement with the Social Liberals. This would put a lid on any further nationalizations, but it would secure the existence of the recent ones for at least the next four years.
To appease the Social Liberals, MLK would start with social issues. The US became the first country to enact gay marriage early in the year, which would be followed by more reforms to help ensure equality. However, the GSP was still the part in charge, and the Social Liberals (well, at least their voter base) certainly preferred a GSP government to a right wing one. So, King's proposal to create a UBI equivalent to the poverty line was passed, as were further increases to disability payments and a lower retirement age for soldiers and firefighters. It was also around this time that the third phase of the national high-speed rail system was completed, usually allowing Americans to get from any medium sized city to any other medium sized city through just one major city. The "Green" part of the Party of Greens and Socialists wasn't ignored, either. A national carbon tax on industrial output was created, with its proceeds used to fund the UBI expansion.
But King's agenda wasn't popular with all of the country. As the Warsaw Pact collapsed, the government announced that funds would be made available to help Russia and its satellites recover. While the latter part wasn't that controversial, the former caused an uproar in much of the country. To most Americans, "the Russians" were the ones who had aimed thousands of nuclear missiles and them and their families for the last half century. And, with the arrival of astronauts on Mars, many Americans were more then ever convinced that if the Russians simply "did what we did" they would quickly turn their economy around.
Because of this, the ailing President Scoop Jackson hinted that he might cause a constitutional crisis by vetoing the measure if King passed it. While this had never happened before, never had so radical a foreign policy decision been made without the support of the head of state. MLK decided to call President Jackson's bluff, and held a vote on the Warsaw Pact aid and Russia aid. The first part passed easily, but once the second one did (with several defections despite King and SLP leader Kennedy invoking the party whip rule), President Jackson refused to grant assent. King requested the Dissolution of the House, but Jackson refused that request as well. Through concessions, King was able to get a big enough coalition together to override the veto, but while it did cause some funny moments (namely citizens hearing about the news on their subsidized TVs, leaving their tree-shaded Reutherville houses, and taking the free light rail to the city to protest "socialism") the whole affair heavily damaged his standing ahead of the election.
Still, the "right" had only controlled the Speakership for four years out of the forty+ the position had existed, and King's domestic policy (along with the Speaker personally) were quite popular. But eventually inertia slows down, and the GSP would find that out soon enough.
[15] All of this led to the election of Barbara Jordan and her Liberals to lead the country. Jordan, a former member of the SDP who had been a member of the right-wing revolt against Speaker Pepper, was the first Black woman and first openly queer person to become Speaker. After easily forming a moderate center-right coalition with the Progressive Conservatives, Jordan would take office on January 25, 1991. Almost immediately, she was confronted with a crisis in the middle east. Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait during the lame duck period, and had now started interfering with oil production. The US didn't use much oil any more, but plenty of American trade partners did. Jordan gave Saddam an ultimatum to withdraw, or be met with overwhelming force. Saddam, of course, refused to comply, and an international coalition assembled to begin bombing Iraq. This was followed by a short liberation days later, causing Speaker Jordan's approval rating to surge.
Using this newfound capital, Jordan would push a new immigration reform. This bill constructed new barriers on the Southern border, while allowing people admitted on student visas to remain in the US. President Lieberman would also sign a single market agreement with Canada, which led to much prosperity for the oft-struggling country. Jordan's "New Liberalism" would also see money spent on "economically advantageous" infrastructure projects as well, and she would see the completion of The Illinois, which became the tallest building in the world at over a mile in height, during her term.
With all of these accomplishments (and the comfortable election of her ally Joe Lieberman as President, defeating incumbent Jackson) it was no surprise Jordan was a heavy favorite to win in 1994. Conservatives had been satisfied with the rolling back of some regulations and the halting of "socialism", and liberals were satisfied that not too much of those things had been done.
[16] But few expected her to win by as much as she did. Jordan took an outright majority, eschewing any coalition-building. Knowing that much of the social reforms that had been passed over the past few decades were untouchable, Jordan focused on what she could control- efficiency. An effective administrator, she would invest large sums of money in upgrading supply chains and logistics. This, in turn, was accompanied by small amounts of deregulation to strengthen the private sector. Jordan herself would continue her New Liberalism policy as well, and even more money was spent on new infrastructure.
She was, however, soon confronted with foreign policy issues. The Soviet Union had slowly collapsed in the early part of the decade, but it had always maintained control over Russia and the "Stan" countries. Now, under the new leadership of General Secretary Alexander Barkashov, it sought to retake what had been "stolen from them". To that end, Barkashov would launch an invasion of Belarus and Ukraine. The former fell quickly, just due to the close distance of Minsk to the Soviet Border, but Ukraine and partisans held out. Part of this was due to NATO aid, which proved invaluable (the alliance itself would quickly admit Sweden, Finland, the Baltics, and much of the rest of Europe). But when Kyiv was encircled, Jordan acted quickly. Three air corridors were established around the city, as the United States Air Force worked around the clock to, as Jordan said, "keep the anti-Communist flag flying". Barkashov would, after nearly six months, order a retreat.
By this point, Jordan was the most popular Speaker since Reuther. But it was no secret that she had long suffered from Multiple Sclerosis. While advances in medical technology had extended her life and allowed her to continue to walk, it was clear that the stress of the job was getting to her. Cabinet members began to notice the Speaker dozing off during meetings. In January of 1998, Jordan would announce that she would be stepping down at the end of the current term. In her stead, the Liberals would select Environment Minister Al Gore as their new standard-bearer, and in the eyes of the press, the next Speaker.
[17] The country would confirm those suspicions. Gore, who had ran on protecting Jordan's legacy, was rewarded with an expanded majority. But Gore was different from Jordan in more ways than one, and it would prove to be his undoing. Unlike Jordan- who was a right-leaning Social Democrat who became a left-leaning member of the Liberals- Gore was a liberal of the third way set, convinced that private enterprise knew best. With lots of those types in power- and popular- in western Europe, he would push his majority to privatize the NPFA. While that may have worked a decade prior, many Americans had since credited the organization with providing some of the lowest-priced consumer goods in the world.
While Gore got a boost from the annexation of Western Canada (which had voted to secede from Ottawa after the election of an anti-treaty government), his NPFA bill was subject to massive protests around the country. With the left faction of his caucus in revolt, he was forced to take the proposal to the people. The polls showed even odds, so why not? The referendum, which was characterized by high turnout, ended up failing by a massive margin. Why? Well, Gore had neglected to account for one thing- low income, low turnout voters. This entire demographic was furious at the Speaker, and voted accordingly.
Gore only narrowly survived a vote of no confidence after this, and spent the remaining part of his term as something of a lame duck. He would win the Liberal nomination for the Speakership again, if only because nobody else wanted it (the only person who could possibly maintain the Liberal majority was former Speaker Jordan, and she was spending more time in the hospital than outside of it at this point). So, in November of 2002, Gore sat down in the Speaker's Office and hoped for the best.
[18] Remember the part about low income, low turnout voters? Well, Bernie Sanders had grown up part of this demographic, and as a MC (Member of Congress) for a district full of these types of people, he knew how to cater to them. Sanders, while quite socially liberal, neglected to focus on social issues during the campaign. Instead, he railed in rallies across the country against Gore's proposed "austerity" mixed with some standard "good government" platitudes. And so, by a narrow margin, the Socialists & Greens were elected back into power with a majority. As pollsters and pundits across the country scrambled to re-calibrate their polling models, Sanders set to work filling his cabinet.
When he took office, he would quickly prove to be one of the most radical individuals to ever hold the top job. While some programs passed uncontroversially (at least amongst the GSP)- like an expansion of paid parental and sick leave- the administration quickly started to have to make an uphill climb. Sanders' program to democratize all businesses with over 500 employees was rolled back to a less radical program that required 50% union representation on boards for companies with over 1,000 employees, and the workplace democracy was only applied to a limited degree in companies with more than 5,000 employees. But, for all his political skill, there was one thing Sanders failed to understand- those millions of apolitical Americans voted for him precisely because they didn't want major change, and he was against that particular change. They could certainly do the same thing in the opposite direction, provided that the opposite direction had a good enough candidate.
[19] And a good enough candidate they had. Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961 to a White mother and a Black father. His rise to the top was fascinating, even if his political views were the standard for the Liberal center-left. But, he learned from his predecessor well, and quickly barnstormed the country. His entire platform- and therefore the platform of the party- was designed with two goals in mind- convince the voters that the era of privatizations attempted under Gore is gone, and that the proposals of the Socialists & Greens went too far. Sanders fought back hard, but ultimately Obama's extreme charisma was too much to overcome.
Obama became the new Speaker on January 25, 2007, one of the youngest men to hold the still relatively young office. True to his word, he refused to file a bill that would have enabled any form of privatization. But the government was under new management, and that became clear pretty quick. In the 2008 annual budget, Obama announced that some of the automatic budget increases to things like healthcare would be rolled back. Additionally, top executives at the NPFA and other agencies were fired or "retired", ensuring their replacement with much more non-partisan officials.
While the country would face a major recession in 2008, Obama's quick action saved the country from further turmoil, and America's economy actually managed to grow by a small amount during his term. With this in mind, Obama formed his strategy for his re-election bid- stability. Western governments were in turmoil over economic crisis? Well, we don't have that here (never mind that that was largely because the US hadn't pursued deregulation). Civil wars in Africa and the Middle East? Well, NATO countries aren't having those. All of this was quite appealing to a lot of low-information voters, and Obama was optimistic as he took his agenda to the polls.
[20] That optimism was, once again, vindicated. The Liberal Party, in just eight years, had completely reversed the collapse of 2002, and with a mediocre economy to boot. Obama would be sworn in for a second term in January of 2011, and would immediately get to work. On what? Well, not much. The vast majority of the "American Socialist" (humorously defined as normal socialism but you shoot fight Socialists for being "commies") economic system had been enshrined into law, and was perceived as working.
Still, the Liberals would find ways around that. Despite being the only thing that saved the US economy from a recession, regulations had long been the bain of anyone who was to the right of the GSP. To that end, Obama would work to reduce the powers of the Securities & Exchange Commission over most businesses. But the big issues would be abroad. Here, Obama would face a major challenge. While the Soviet Union had been turned back in Ukraine- settling into a long-term, shaky ceasefire- they had long expressed hope in further expanding. After a short (and somewhat successful) conflict in Georgia, Barkashov turned his fury to Iran. This was a horrible idea from the start. Almost immediately, Soviet troops were bogged down in the mountains. If they even got that far to begin with- troop transports were often destroyed before they even entered the country, courtesy of the Mossad and the Iranian Air Force.
Knowing all of this, Barkashov decided to escalate. Six tactical nuclear weapons were detonated along the front lines, killing tens of thousands of Iranian troops. Under the terms of the METO Pact, Israeli and Kurdish forces would fully enter the conflict. The IAF would send Ibis bombers over Moscow, causing tens of thousands of additional casualties. But the Soviets had no way to shoot the aircraft down, so they in turn dropped an atomic bomb on Qom (a missile targeted at Tehran was shot down by an Israeli interceptor stationed in Kurdistan).
Knowing the situation was quickly escalating, Speaker Obama (through President Clinton) would announce support for an emergency pause on fighting. After an emergency session of the House approved billions in economic assistance to the Soviets (which the Liberals had decried when the GSP did it, but when has politics ever been devoid of hypocrisy), both sides agreed. But just as that happened, another major issue came to the forefront. The First National Bank announced a major shortfall, which in turn nuked investor confidence. A resulting investigation from a whistleblower revealed that the SEC hadn't been able to properly review the bank's finances due to severe budget cuts. While the report didn't incriminate the Liberals, most voters knew who was behind that, and voted accordingly.
[21] Robert Reich had become leader of the Socialists & Greens in the party's first open primary, which was held in late 2013. At less than five feet tall, he was perhaps a strange candidate for leadership, but would nevertheless become the Speaker of the House on January 25, 2015, exactly eight years after the Socialists & Greens had left the post. While he did encourage some comparisons to Sanders- both were Jewish left-wingers with a strong populist appeal- he was also a bit different. While perhaps a slightly more talented and polished politician, he was also constrained by his coalition with the Social Liberals and the new Reform Party, which was an explicitly anti-corruption movement that had surged in the aftermath of the FNB collapse.
Reich began his tenure by working on stuff all parties could agree on- fixing the financial system and restoring consumer confidence. Almost immediately, a bill repealing the Obama-era regulatory reforms on financial institutions was passed into law. With this done, Reich and his Finance Minister, Reform's Adam Kinzinger, would announce a new commission that would be dedicated to removing corruption from all parts of American society. He had many more grand plans too, contingent upon the cooperation of his coalition.
But that was the problem- the Reform Party, while nominally a big tent anti-corruption party, was not all that ideologically left wing (in fact, many of its members got their start in the Progressive Conservative Party), and was not all that big a fan of Reich's grand economic plans. While there were some areas of agreement (investment in nuclear energy research being one) the government grew increasingly fractured over any one of the number of issues facing the country. All he could think was one thing- "thank God it's election time".
[22] With his position greatly strengthened, Reich could move on to some of the bigger agenda items the GSP had long wanted to tackle. Speaker Sanders' workplace democracy scheme was expanded- now including most medium-sized businesses as well. Never forgetting the "Green" part of his party name, Reich would finally oversee the complete abolition of the use of fossil fuels, and the full transformation to nuclear energy and hydropower. The standard minimum wage (which had, after annual inflation adjustments, been set at roughly $21.07 per hour) was replaced with a scaling model that adjusted for cost of living, giving most people a wage increase of several dollars per hour.
The government would also make adjustments to the oft-forgotten Affordable Housing Fund, the agency tasks with helping lower-income individuals afford rents close to their places of work in major cities. Coverage under the program was increased from roughly ten million citizens to nearly twice that amount, and benefit amounts were similarly increased. But all that was about to change.
On the evening of June 10, 2020, Speaker Robert Reich was assassinated by two shots from a revolver. His assassin wasn't motivated by any ideological motivations, at least on the surface. Just a normal mentally ill individual who had accessed firearms through America's always-weak gun control regime. But with that, the act of one of the great Speakers came to a close. In many respects, this was bound to happen. The Speakership had vastly increased in power, but much of the procedures associated with it had remained the same. The Speaker, the most powerful person in the nation, resided in their own house, and still tended to a constituency back home. They had access to a nice plane and office, but that could only cover so much time. As the nation ignited in debate and grief, and as Reich was laid to rest, a new figure took the center stage.
[23] His successor was not, as people would soon find out, up to the task. Rachel Dolezal began her career, quite literally, shoveling shit. Or, more aptly, as a farmhand in Kansas working for the CJC. After getting her education at the University of Washington, she joined the university chapter of the Socialists & Greens. It was around this time when she first started identifying as Black. Yeah, she's not exactly like other people who have held the most prestigious office in the entire world.
After graduating, she moved across the country, slowly working her way up the GSP ranks until she was given the nomination for a Congressional seat. In the aftermath of the anti-racism protests, Dolezal quickly gained a big profile, eventually being appointed Deputy Speaker on June 5, 2020. We all know what happened five days later. As soon as the mourning period for Reich passed, many journalists began digging into her past. Her official House biography didn't divulge much, beyond a few short platitudes. But they soon started digging, and they soon started finding.
The New York Tribune first broke the story about Rachel Dolezal's real background in November of 2020, just after the regional elections. The Speaker's Office, led by Press Secretary Shaun King, heavily denied the claims, but it eventually became too much to ignore. But Dolezal had one ace up her sleeve- the House wasn't scheduled for its next session until June of 2021, meaning there was nothing stopping her from remaining in office until then. President Clinton couldn't remove her from office either, as what she had done wasn't expressly illegal. During that six month period, the Speaker remained defiant, refusing to apologize for what she had done.
When the next session of the House opened in June, Dolezal was almost immediately booted from office, and replaced with something of a familiar face...
[24] No Speaker has been greeted with as much of a sigh in relief as Bernie Sanders. No Speaker's party has ever been more doomed. Bernie Sanders became Speaker of the House over 15 years after leaving it, as the only person who the Socialists & Greens could agree on. Having long since been an elected member of the rubber-stamp Senate, he did so reluctantly. It is perhaps unsurprising that Sanders spent very little time on legislative priorities- gone were the days of barnstorming Reuthervilles and railing against austerity- he was a bit too old for that. Instead, the new Speaker focused on restoring a trust that had been slowly built up over the years only to shatter. And, well, maybe that was what the country needed.
Issues, like the Soviets breaking the ceasefire in Ukraine, would usually be handled by cabinet ministers. Despite the strong left-wing position in the House, no new initiatives aside from standard budget increases to things like healthcare and education would be approved. Sanders, much like the Socialists & Greens, was tired, and the American people wanted something new. Not something radical or even that ideologically different, per se, but new.
[23] The Social Liberal Party had spent decades in the wilderness. Sure, they'd assisted in a couple governments, but by and large they were not taken seriously as a party of government. Brooke Shields set out to change that. Gone were the days of being the slightly-more-left-wing Liberals- they were their own thing. Shields used her experience and popularity to chart a new course- the Social Liberals were now the party for anyone who was sick of the duopoly, and wanted a sensible administration that wouldn't go too far in either direction. That might sound centrist, sure, but that isn't really the best descriptor, in the eyes of the SLP, at least. They were much more, normal. Some laughed at this, sure, but they certainly had egg on their faces after the Dolezal scandal.
Shields, somewhat ironically, took a page out of Sanders' book. The SLP leader and her surrogates held rallies across the country, decrying everything from economic stagnation to corruption to the vague "duopoly" that had governed American politics in some form or another for so long. Americans seemed to agree, and on election day, the Social Liberals would win a plurality of the seats. While many expected the Social Liberals to buddy up with a member of the duopoly (who were in second and third place in the seat count), Shields would eschew this.
Instead, she would form a government with the center-right Progressive Conservatives, the new NEO! party (which has been variably described as a more fiscally conservative, more woke version of the Social Liberals), and the Reform Party. They had a wide array of beliefs, but hatred of something (in this case, the Socialists & Greens and the Liberal Party) can drive people a long way.
Upon taking office in January of 2023, Shields would propose her "New Economic Plan". It consisted of a variety of measures, but was predicated on a few things- increasing the stake employees had in their businesses, increasing consumer spending, and reducing waste and bureaucracy. What were the results of this? Well, after a little over a year, it looks like Shieldsinomics is... working? GDP is up, tax revenue is up, and productivity is up.
Only time will tell what the future holds, but most Americans are cautiously optimistic.
