Yes We Can- A "2008 Barack Obama" TL
- Thread starter Osterreich
- Start date
Straight To Hell is linked to in my sig.
Is this the one where he becomes possessed?
Subbed!
And, yes.
2008, sorry. I don't know too much about Kyl though. He is quite conservative yes, but so were folks like Grassley. He would be wise not to go McConnell's route, because that would make him very unpopular and he would probably lose reelection in 2012. Especially given that many at the time viewed Arizona as going for McCain by such a margin only because it was his home state. People expected Obama to win the state in 2012. Hell, in 2008, people were talking about Napolitano defeating McCain for the Senate in 2010! So that would be a personal incentive here to work with the new popular "Hope and Change" President. Unlike McConnell, Kyle doesn't have an off-year, and he is reelected right along with the President.
It's almost finished, but I wanted to have a fair bit on the stimulus act and what's different with it ITTL.
I'm interested to see where this goes. You'll have the cabinet list up at some point soon I'd imagine.
Speaking of the cabinet, I wonder if we can get Robert Reich involved in the cabinet?
DTanza
Banned
If Gaddafi still remains... Well, Gaddafi. Then the revolution against him is still going to occur, NATO is still going to intervene, and we're still going to have the limited role we had OTL.
Presuming Libya is still unstable post-revolution, there's still a chance of an attack happening on an American consulate there and the right will still scream bloody murder about it whether or not people die. The difference being that instead of getting a collective hate-boner for Hillary, it'll be for whoever's at State instead of her.
Except that Obama didn't turn out to be less hawkish than what he campaigned on (his supporters projecting Dennis Kucinich onto him, maybe), Hillary Clinton was a rather cautious Secretary of State who doesn't seem to have influenced Obama particularly at all, and nobody cares about Benghazi except for people that weren't going to vote for Clinton anyways.
But Obama did turn out to be a lot more hawkish than what he campaigned on. He rallied against Bush's counterterrorism policies, only to follow almost the same doctrine. He claimed that the US would be out of Iraq within 16 months, only to follow the Bush plan for withdrawal. Obama disagreed with the Iraqi troop surge, only to order an Afghani troop surge within his first year in office. Stacking Obama's cabinet with foreign policy hawks was a mistake for the President if he wanted to keep the promises he made in 2008 and it's not one he makes in his TL. Consider Gates and Panetta out of the cabinet as well for that matter.
Also, I apologise for the vagueness Benghazi point. What I meant was that bringing 20 years of partisan political baggage into his administration obstructed Obama's hope of bipartisan co-operation.
I actually rewrote where I was going in the first two updates. I decided Obama's cabinet was both too hawkish on foreign policy issues and too partisan for the 2008 Obama. Expect it within two days.
Yes We Can
The First Days
The Inauguration of Barack Obama was one of the most viewed events of modern history. Hundreds of millions worldwide crowded around their television screens and online streams to watch what many believed to be the beginning of a new era for America. Obama, aware of the huge crowds in front of the Capitol building and of the huge viewership across America, recited the presidential oath to a tee, his hand firmly placed upon a bible. Obama smiled, hearing the words that he had been waiting for, “Congratulations, Mr President”.
Turning towards the podium, the 44th President gave his inaugural address.
“My fellow citizens-”
Obama’s inaugural address, 200 years after Lincoln’s birth, referenced the same ideals expressed by Lincoln himself about national unity and shared sacrifice. Obama called for action to answer America’s challenges at home, where the economy remained in free fall, and abroad, where Iraq and Afghanistan remained extremely volatile. Finally, he swore to every American that his Presidency would ensure a “new era of responsibility”. For years, Presidents had passed on or ignored problems- America believed Barack Obama would be the first in a long time to address them.
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The Cabinet of the 44th President of The United States of America,
Barack Obama
Vice President: Evan Bayh
Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel
Attorney General: Janet Napolitano
Secretary of State: Susan Rice
Secretary of the Treasury: Sheila Bair
Secretary of Defense: Chuck Hagel
Secretary of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Energy: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Secretary of Education: Arne Duncan
Secretary of Labour: Dick Gephardt
Secretary of the Interior: Christine Gregoire
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Jim Clyburn
Secretary of Transportation: Antonio Villaraigosa
CIA Director: Jack Reed
Barack Obama
Vice President: Evan Bayh
Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel
Attorney General: Janet Napolitano
Secretary of State: Susan Rice
Secretary of the Treasury: Sheila Bair
Secretary of Defense: Chuck Hagel
Secretary of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Energy: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Secretary of Education: Arne Duncan
Secretary of Labour: Dick Gephardt
Secretary of the Interior: Christine Gregoire
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Jim Clyburn
Secretary of Transportation: Antonio Villaraigosa
CIA Director: Jack Reed
The confirmation of the Obama nominees’ proved more difficult than expected. Whilst Daschle had informed the Obama campaign of his ties to the Healthcare industry and tax issues, they had not expected the backlash from Senate Republicans, who remembered Daschle’s opposition to the Bush agenda when he was Senate Minority Leader. Obama nevertheless leaned on Senate Republicans receptive to his promise of bipartisanship, and got Daschle nominated. Initially, Bill Richardson was nominated for Secretary of the Interior, but his nomination was thrown into question after allegations emerged questioning the legality of some of his campaign funding. However, Christine Gregoire was soon selected to replace the New Mexico Governor, and she sailed through the nomination process. Susan Rice, the nominee for Secretary of State, also encountered trouble when being nominated. Many claimed she was not experienced enough and there were better candidates such as Senator Clinton or Senator Kerry. However, following a call from Rice’s mentor, Madeline Albright, Senator Clinton persuaded other Senate Democrats to support the nomination.
Several nominees received glowing accolades from both the press and the Senate however. Sheila Bair, whose stellar work as Chairwoman of the FIDC during the 2008 meltdown made her a hero among the financial community. Her prominent role in responding to the clash bolstered confidence in the heavily uncertain time and led to her demands for the FIDC having jurisdiction of the big banks being granted. Despite her ties to the Republican party, Bair was a proponent of ending the doctrine of banks being “too big to fail”. Arnold Schwarzenegger, once thought a possible Presidential contender if laws were changed, was appointed to Energy to fanfare from the media and Republicans alike. Chuck Hagel, yet another Republican, was confirmed despite heavy questioning from Senators McCain and Graham and won praise from both dovish Democrats and less-hawkish Republicans. Overall, Obama’s cabinet was celebrated by many as a fulfillment of the promise that Obama would appoint a bipartisan cabinet, and behind the scenes was celebrated for the experience of the cabinet, experience the 4-year Senator badly needed.
Within his first few days in office, Obama signed an executive order suspending activities in the Guantanamo bay facility and ordering it closed within the year. Much to the happiness of civil liberty groups worldwide, he also ordered the end of enhanced interrogation techniques and forced the military to utilise the Military Field Manual as a guide in interrogations. Among other executive orders, he also sent out a directive ensuring higher fuel-efficiency standards in the future- a move set to decrease carbon emissions in the long run.
In late January, pressure began to mount upon the President to increase troop presence in Afghanistan. Despite his stance in the general election, Obama began to consider additional troops. Unable to make a decision himself, and fearful of being too dependant upon his military brass, he turned to Secretary of State Rice- who advised him to refuse calls for a “troop surge”. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel agreed with Rice, but convinced the President to do even more. In early February, Obama announced that the United States would begin a phased troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq-starting as early as that year and ending for Afghanistan in 2012.
The Joint-Chiefs were furious. Some even considered resigning in protest. The outrage echoed on Capitol Hill, with Senators McCain, McCain and Lieberman all condemning Obama’s decision. To bolster support from a receptive public, key allies in the legislature hit the Sunday shows, battling against hawks from both sides of the isle. In the end however, public support was well over 50% for the proposition, and Republican leaders quickly decided to silence their members to save fighting a politically costly and difficult war to keep fighting a costly and difficult war.
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Because of the surprisingly large amount of interest this is getting, I decided to cut out the half-finished bit on the stimulus package and deliver you the first update for the TL.
Whoever sees the small and subtle change in the first half of the upate compared to OTL wins a cookie
Interesting cabinet choices, how'd you come up with some of them?
You meant Graham at one point, but must've put McCaine twice by accident.
You forgot a few like National Security Advisor and UN Ambassador.
You meant Graham at one point, but must've put McCaine twice by accident.
You forgot a few like National Security Advisor and UN Ambassador.