I think Huntsman would have just hunkered down and not resigned that close to an election tho, but this makes a way cooler story so 🤷♂️
Good point. He'd been dragging out resigning for weeks, but his and the RNC's logic was that he was sure to lose anyway, so if he resigned and let his less unpopular VP take over, the GOP would do better in the Congressional elections and have a fighting chance at the Presidency.
How are Chicago and the rest of the Great Lakes, the Bosnywash corridor (especially NYC), the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Pacific Northwest doing in this TL? And if the ozone issue is resolved far later here than OTL, then I can actually realistically see climate change being even worse than IOTL too. Watching this.
Chicago and the Midwest are doing okay - mostly insulated from the climate change and water scarcity, and these days are mainly fighting against a proposed water pipeline from the Great Lakes to the Western US.
Boston - the Big Dig cost more money and took more time than OTL, but it's complete and the waterfront and downtown are being revitalized. Basically the same as OTL.
New York - A larger Haitian and Puerto Rican community than OTL due to recent migrants and refugees. The prolonged economic recession in the US means less of a skyscraper boom, no Billionaire's Row, and a slower gentrification of Brooklyn. Also arguing with upstate due to political fights over water from the Catskills.
BosWash Corridor - Passenger flights have been effectively banned along this corridor since 2020, which has led to even more clogged freeways and overcrowded Acela trains.
Bay Area - A bigger dot-com bubble crash hurts the tech industry for longer, and tech in general is roughly 5-7 years behind OTL. Since 2021, lots of LA transplants have moved into the area, and the housing crisis is worse than OTL. The lack of COVID and remote work however means that SF is economically sound, with a busy and vibrant downtown and lower rates of crime. The state is currently building the Sites Dam and working on conserving water resources to prevent SF from turning into a disaster like LA.
Pacific Northwest - Even more population growth than OTL.