Another crack at it using political PoDs:
1) Al Gore wins 2000 (with or without 9/11): in the case of the former, there’s less paranoia, no presidential speeches about an axis of evil, nor a push against Iraq. It’s possible that Gore even accepts the offer from the taliban to hand over Bin Laden in exchange for a bombing halt in Afghanistan. If that’s the case, Gore gets to ride 2004 as the man who got Bin Laden in a matter of weeks, and without a single boot on the ground. Never Forget is much smaller, but much purer, as it’s not immediately contrasted with the absolute destruction of Afghanistan/Iraq. Also, a greater focus on Enron and other corporate malfeasance. Also, Microsoft might be broken up!
In the case of the latter, we get a continued sense of the optimism of the 90’s, though with the almost fantastical cynicism of the era as well. We don’t get truthers, nor a legitimization of conspiracy theories nor rampant Islamophobia.
2) Disgraced former (then) doctor Andrew Wakefield grows a conscience: no modern anti-vax movement. Enough said.
3) No Waco/Ruby Ridge sieges: much less credence to the 90’s far right militia movement, as well as no OK City bombing.
4) Ted Kennedy wins the 1980 primary. Even if he still loses (Reagan’s too strong, or the Dems too disunited or whatever), if he puts on a much better show than Carter (especially if Anderson drops out and endorses Kennedy), then liberal Dems have a much stronger hold on the party during this period, and the myth of Reagan is taken down a few notches, while Kennedy is seen in a better light.
5) Carter lets the Shah into the country earlier. Assuming he played his cards right, and could do plausible deniability, it could butterfly the oil and hostage crises, which would most likely save his presidency from Reagan, though cost him to Kennedy in the primary. Better historical view of Carter, dents the Reagan myth, and a more optimistic view of the 70’s.
6) Baker v. Nelson is taken up by the Supreme Court and decided in favor of Baker. Gay marriage is found to be constitutional in 1972. Huge social effects, and if/when AIDS comes along, you’ll have many gay couples where there are visitation rights, as well as insurance, and widow’s benefits.
7) No Vietnam/Korea. The US is seen as being much more peaceful, there’s not post-war disruption of good feelings nor prosperity. Truman might get a third term, or not. LBJ gets a second term and gets to fully focus on civil rights and the Great Society and the alleviation of poverty. The 60’s is remembered as the Civil Rights Era, and with no distractions, more progress can be done. As MLK said, it’s hard to arouse the conscience of a nation at war.
8) Nixon is impeached and removed from office, and is criminally charged (no pardon). Sets a president that no one is above the law, and that, in fact, just because the President does it, doesn’t mean that it is not illegal.
9) LBJ/Humphrey expose the X-File. Even if violating the Logan Act carries a slap on the wrist penalty, the massive shakeup to the election (and the consequences for those convicted would be huge). (This assumes at least Vietnam still happens, but ends thanks to the 1968 Paris Peace Talks). LBJ/Humphrey get at least a term to focus on Civil Rights, the end of Vietnam, and Nixon (and Kissinger) are removed from political life forever.
10) Papal succession is widely different. Each of these can be their own PoD for their respective Papal conclaves from OTL, but I’ll just add them in order to get a better narrative.
Mariano Rampolla is elected in the 1903 conclave, showing an outright defiance of an imperial veto. Pietro Maffi is elected in 1913, a liberal pope who supported a “Fight to the finish” policy for WW1. Hell of a PoD on its own. (Especially as ITTL, the church would explicitly endorse the fighting in WW1.)
Succeeded by Pietro Gasparri in 1931 as a transition. Then Elia Dalla Costa is elected in 1934, a strong anti-fascist (and anti-communist) he most likely excommunicates Hitler in 1938 at Mussolini’s request (yeah, that blew my mind as well). A much more anti-Nazi Church is a huge deal, and helps with the reputation. Hitler probably greenlights the plot to kidnap him, so he’s replaced by OTL’s Pius XII who abdicates in 1954 due to illness.
Replaced by Giacomo Lercaro, a liberal’s liberal and the main cheerleader of Vatican II, he’ll follow the recommendations on contraception (meaning the Catholic Church will most likely encourage the use in Africa and against AIDS rather than saying it’s evil to use them). Finally, elected the Brazilian cardinal Aloísio Lorscheider (believer in liberation theology) after Lercaro’s death, leading to a 31 year papacy (3rd longest). This impacts not only the church itself, making it more socially open and focused on the poor and on reform, but also most likely changed the views of some of our most famous Catholic politicians, such as the Kennedy’s, as well as a certain Joe from Scranton.
11) A) Small, but nice: John Glenn’s elected to the senate in 1964, meaning he’s a member of the senate when the US first lands on the moon.
B) McCarthy loses the primary to La Follette, and Nixon loses to Helen Gahagan Douglas, meaning McCarthyism (in the form we know it in from OTL) doesn’t exist. (Also, LBJ’s affair with her continues, which is wild that LBJ had enough game to pull a movie star. Jumbo’s power mustn’t be underestimated.)
