By a Fluke of the Gods: Cox Defeats Harding

[PBrunsel]

The Presidency of John Ashbrook

Event Date: 1-05-1973
Event Description: A new conservative Congress convenes in Washington, D.C. In the Senate, newly sworn in Senator Joseph Biden (Republican of Delaware) is greeted enthusiastically by the newly elected Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd (Democrat of West Virginia) who immediately gives him a pocket copy of the United States Constitution, something he’s been giving all Senate newcomers since he entered the body in the 1950s. Senator Hubert Humphrey (Republican of Minnesota) chooses not to seek the seat of Minority Leader. Senator Norris Cotton (Republican of New Hampshire) wins the position after a close race against Senator Hugh Scott (Republican of Pennsylvania), whom some Republicans blame for their heavy losses last year. After all, he chaired a committee which investigated President Nixon. In the House of Representatives, House Minority Leader Malcolm Little (Republican of Michigan) is booted from the job after only two years. His loud outbursts and over the top behavior last session embarrassed many Republicans. Representative Little runs for the position again, but comes in third behind Charles Sandman (Republican of New Jersey) and the new House Minority Leader John Bayard Anderson (Republican of Illinois). Upon his defeat, Congressman Little cries out on the floor of the House of Representatives, “Stumbling is not falling! I’ll be back in power once my ‘fellow Republicans’ grow a spine.”

Event Date: 1-10-1973
Event Description: It is announced that John Swayze, an NBC reporter who used to fill in for Ronald Reagan while he was on assignment, will take over as NBC Nightly News anchor on February 1st, 1973.

Event Date: 1-20-1973
Event Description: John Milan Ashbrook is sworn in as President of the United States. “Government is not the solution to the problem,” Ashbrook declares in his Inaugural Address, “Government is the problem.” President Ashbrook outlines a conservative plan of governance. “I see a future of economic prosperity,” he declares, “With low taxes, less regulation and more free enterprise. I see a White House free from scandal and from the influence of political action committees or petty organizations.” Outgoing President Richard Nixon grins and bears it at the Inaugural Ceremonies, but he knows that Ashbrook was slamming him in his speech. On the helicopter ride back to his home in Los Angeles, Nixon angrily tells his wife Pat, “That asshole Ashbrook humiliated me in front of the whole nation, and he enjoyed it!” President Ashbrook could care less what former President Nixon has to say, he has a new administration before him. It will be conservative in both domestic and foreign policy. Secretary of State James L. Buckley is the brother of conservative iconic author William F. Buckley. Secretary of Defense John Tower, a conservative Republican who recently lost his second senate race in 1972, is confirmed, despite some talk of him having a drinking problem. To help carry out his very conservative economic policies, President Ashbrook appoints John Connally, the 1968 Democratic Presidential candidate and former Governor of Texas, to be secretary of the Treasury. This new conservative administration looks forward to the future with gret hope.

Event Date: 1-21-1973
Event Description: Apollo 12, the first manned Skylab mission, is launched from Cape Canaveral. Aboard the space craft are three American, two Russian and two Polish astronauts, the first real “multinational” space mission. In Berlin, Chancellor Heck plans on Germany exploring space without the help of the Americans.

Event Date: 1-22-1973
Event Description: In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decides in a 5-4 vote that women have the right to an abortion. President Ashbrook condemns this decision as, “Barbaric.” Ronald Reagan declares the day, “A date which will live in infamy for all Americans who care about preserving innocent life.” The conservative Democratic Congress will soon begin debating on a Right to Life Amendment (introduced by newly elected Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina) outlawing abortion. The issue of abortion will divide both the Republican and Democratic Parties for decades.

Event Date: 1-30-1973
Event Description: Reverend Reginald Jackson, a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, opens a church in North Philadelphia, nearly an all-black neighborhood now. George W. Bush, whom Jackson had ministered to during the Russo-Chinese War, attends the opening of the Jackson’s new United Church of Christ. “Reverend Reggie” becomes quite popular with the African-American community in Philadelphia and will become a community leader fighting against gang violence and illiteracy amongst the African-American youth of Philadelphia.

Event Date: 2-05-1973
Event Description: President Ashbrook signs the Vietnamese Relations Act of 1973. Introduced by Senator John Eastland (Democrat of Mississippi) this act severs diplomatic relations with the Socialist nation of Vietnam, starts an embargo on all their goods and gives amnesty to all illegal Vietnamese citizens. Though the latter part is hard for President Ashbrook to swallow, he signs the act as a way to encourage anti-socialist rancor in one of the last leftist nations on Earth.

Event Date: 2-08-1973
Event Description: The European Astronautics Agency (EAA) is established in Brussels. The nations of France, Belgium, Finland, Poland, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom join this new organization to help Europe keep up with the USA and Germany in the race for the Final Frontier.

Event Date: 4-20-1973
Event Description: Representative John Breaux (Democrat of Louisiana) introduces the Oil Windfall Profits Tax Abolition Act. This act ends President Nixon’s taxation of “excess profits” because of the profits they earned as a result of the sharp increase in oil prices brought about by the ongoing oil crisis. House Minority Leader John Anderson attacks the act as, “An unfair pay off by the government to oil companies that are preying on the consumer.” The act passes the House of Representatives easily, as will the Senate. The first prong of a conservative taxation policy has begun.

Event Date: 4-28-1973
Event Description: IRA rebel leader Joe Cahill meets Father Rudolph Braun, the 23-year old son of Eva Braun who is seeking peace between the UK and Northern Ireland. The two discuss what they’re both fighting for, and walk away friends. Father Braun’s meeting with Cahill will become very important in his quest for peace in Northern Ireland.

Event Date: 5-08-1973
Event Description: In a move which greatly shakes Europe, German Chancellor Alfons Heck adds the words “Deutchshland Uber Alles” back into the German national anthem. He tells the world that this does not mean he seeks another world war for German supremacy. “I wish to tell my citizens,” Chancellor Heck tells the Associated Press, “That we Germans are united by a common language and history, and not divided by political squabbles of the capitol.” President Ashbrook is not so sure about this explanation, but lets it slip. After all, he doesn’t concern himself with the affairs of Europe.

Event Date: 5-10-1973
Event Description: Conrad Hilton announces that a new Hilton Luxury Hotel and Suites is to be built in one time hub of rebellion Shanghai, China. In response to this, Frank Trump announces that the Trump Hotel-Peking will begin construction in July 1973.

Event Description: 6-01-1973
Event Description: CBS airs the pilot episode of M*A*S*H, a dramatic series chronicling the lives and work of surgeons at a front-line Army hospital. Although the series is set during the Korean War, some Russo-Chinese War veterans feel it hits pretty close to home. Dr. Ron Paul, now back home in Bay City, Texas, visibly recoils while watching the pilot episode. He had worked as an army surgeon during the Russo-Chinese War.

Event Date: 6-12-1973
Event Description: Captain George W. Bush marries Laura Welch in a small ceremony held in Kennebunkport, Maine. In attendance are Senator George H.W. Bush and the rest of Bush’s family. Also in attendance is Commodore John Forbes Kerry, whom George W. Bush has nicknamed, “Skipper.” Kerry refers to Bush as, “Dubya.” George W. and Laura Bush will move to Greenwich, Connecticut, where Bush will buy Smith Hardware Company and put his business smarts to the test. Like in war, Bush will be successful. Many Republicans see the younger Bush as a possible candidate for Congress in Connecticut in 1974.

Event Date 7-15-1973
Event Description: On Bastille Day, French President Georges Pompidou announces that three French astronauts have been selected to travel on the next spacecraft to the World Space Station.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 7-30-1973
Event Description: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein begins a secret extermination of his political rivals. The cities of Faluja, Tikrit and the entire Anvar Province will become major extermination centers, which will include death camps and mass furnaces akin to those used by Adolph Hitler during the Holocaust.

Event Date: 8-01-1973
Event Description: President John Ashbrook meets with Mexican President Luis Echeverría and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in Boston, Massachusetts to work out the details of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). “The American tradition of protectionism must be ended,” President Ashbrook declares, “Free trade is the only way to restore our economy and give the USA and the rest of North America a head start in the emerging global economy.” The three leaders and their staffs work out a treaty which lifts all tariffs on any goods being traded by the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Event Date: 8-06-1973
Event Description: Longtime Cuban President Fulgencio Batista dies after 21-years as the iron fisted leader of the island nation. Senator Fidel Castro, though no fan of Batista, will attend his funeral along with Vice-President Jimmy Carter.

Event Date: 8-10-1973
Event Description: President Ashbrook submits the North American Free Trade Agreement to the Senate for consideration. The debate on the treaty is intense. Senator Hubert Humphrey (Republican of Minnesota) calls NAFTA, “The death sentence for American industry.” Most organized labor (which is generally split in party loyalty) sides with Humphrey and the Republicans. “NAFTA will create a sucking sound which will steal jobs from America and only give profits to big business,” labor leader Jimmy Hoffa cries at a labor rally in front of the Capitol Building. Despite the outcry from these labor leaders, the Senate easily passes NAFTA with many Republicans even voting for the act.

Event Date: 9-11-1973
Event Description: At his home in Ashland, Ohio, President Ashbrook signs the budget bill for fiscal year 1974, which includes the largest tax cut in American history. It is an unusually foggy day for Ohio in September, leading 24-year old White House aid John Boehner to ask Secretary of State Buckley, “Maybe we’re rushing into a fog with the President’s new budget. “Of course we aren’t John,” Buckley responds, “These tax cuts are the only way to save our economy, our livelihood and our nation.” This new budget is also the first balanced budget since 1965. President Ashbrook had to dramatically cut social and military funding to achieve this goal. One of the social welfare projects he cut as Medicare, enraging the nation’s elderly and their supporters in Congress. The military is not happy with the steep cuts in Pentagon spending. President Ashbrook tells the Washington Star that, “This budget was a compromise deal.” “A good compromise leaves everyone offended,” jokes Ronald Reagan on the Voice of the Nation.   

Event Date: 9-30-1973
Event Description: In a ceremony held at the City Venter in Vilnius, Lithuania, the nations of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, and Moldova form the Baltic Union. These nations have been fighting record inflation and unemployment since the end of the Russo-Chinese War. To make matters worse, the Russian have been trying to exploit this economic crisis by running pro-Russian candidates in national legislative elections. The new Baltic Union will have the same currency, complete free trade amongst member states and a united army. Response to this union is not overwhelmingly in favor or against the new nation. The United Kingdom, France, China, Canada, Italy and Ukraine recognized the new nation before the day is out. Russia opposes the union completely. “This union of nations will threaten to rob the entire world of its sovereignty!” President Vladimir Kryuchkov booms before the Nationalist controlled Duma, “We can not recognize such an unnatural government.” Social Democrat leader Mikhail Gorbachev calls the president’s speech, “A smoke and mirrors job.” Most world leaders realize that President Kryuchkov really wants to keep the Baltic States under the thumb of Russia. Seeing a way to weaken Russia, the German Reichstag votes to recognize the Baltic Union. In the United States, President Ashbrook and Secretary of State Buckley are undecided on what to do about this new nation. “I can see Vladimir’s point,” Secretary Buckley tells the president, “Moves like this might threaten a nation’s individuality.” “However James,” President Ashbrook responds, “By not recognizing this new country we may be giving the Russians a trump card to play in Eastern Europe.” Vice-President Carter tells the president that his 6-year old daughter Amy has told him that she wants the USA to recognize the Baltic Union. “Thanks Jimmy,” is all President Ashbrook says in response. In the end, President Ashbrook recognizes the Baltic Union. What Russia will do about this is not clear.

Event Date: 10-05-1973
Event Description: Apollo 8, commanded by US Air Force general Thomas Stafford, launches from Cape Canaveral. Aboard this Apollo mission are three French astronauts, the first Frenchmen to go to the World Space Station. 

Event Date: 10-10-1973
Event Description: Missouri State Auditor John Ashcroft addresses the Christian Coalition in Lynchburg, Virginia. This coalition of recently created group of “moral voters” is led by the Reverend Jerry Falwell. Ashcroft, a Democrat like most of the Christian Coalition, tells the group that the recent Roe v. Wade decision “Is a decision that will lead to the downfall of this great nation. We as this nation’s moral compass need to oppose this decision to murder unborn babies as we would oppose an invasion of our nation. We are in a war, a culture war, with the progressive left!” Ashcroft’s term “culture war” will catch on amongst traditional conservatives around the nation. Ashcroft ends his speech by singing a rousing rendition of “Let the Eagle Soar” a song he wrote himself. Reverend Falwell will tell Ashcroft that night at a dinner, “John, you are a heck of a speaker, but next time check the singing at the door.”

Event Date: 10-21-1973
Event Description: The Civil Rights Act, which was first passed under President Herbert Hoover, comes up for to be commissioned by the Congress once again. Congressman Andrew Young (Republican of Georgia) tries to include protection for those who are gay, lesbian or bisexual from discrimination. “The legacy of this great act can not be fully realized until ALL Americans are protected from any type of unfair treatment!” booms the impassioned Congressman Young from the House floor. “Congressman Young is pervertin’ this act,” Congressman Thad Cochran (Democrat of Mississippi) declares, “Who someone wants to kiss has nothin’ to do with civil rights. Honestly Andy!” Congressmen Young and Little will not back down on this amendment to the Civil Rights Act. President Ashbrook, who opposes any civil rights act as an infringement on state’s rights, is hoping the two keep up their fight to liberalize this already very liberal law. “They can just make the act so unappealing that the House refuses to give the law another ten years,” Ashbrook tells First Lady Jean Ashbrook, “I’d be fine with that.”

Event Date: 10-22-1973
Event Description: The Young Amendment is voted down by the House of Representatives by a 415-23 vote. Event he most liberal Republicans can not vote for an act recognizing homosexuals as their own, in a manner of speaking, race. The Civil Rights Act narrowly passes the House of Representatives, enraging President Ashbrook. The Senate will go on to pass the current Civil Rights Act, despite Senator George McGovern (Republican of South Dakota) introducing his own Young Amendment.

Event Date: 11-04-1973
Event Description: United Artists releases Network, a film written by veteran screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky which satirizes television's trend towards sensationalism in covering news story like the failed Nixon scandal attempts. Ronald Reagan, longtime radio host and anchorman, plays the leading role in the film, anchor Howard Beale. In his first acting role, Reagan excels and will win the 1974 Academy Award for Best Actor.

Event Date: 11-15-1973
Event Description: President Ashbrook signs the Currency Stabilization Act into law. This act restores the Gold Standard to all American currency. “This act will end the runaway inflation of the past years,” President Ashbrook assures the nation. Some economists, like Milton Friedman, aren’t so sure. “President Ashbrook’s golden idol might turn out to be as cursed as Tut’s gold,” he writes in a New York Times editorial.   

Event Date: 12-15-1973
Event Description: Secretary of Commerce Howard Baldridge breaks some bad news to President Ashbrooke: the economic indicators show that 1973 showed no change from 1972 in terms of expanding the GDP of the nation or cutting unemployment. President Ashbrook ensures Secretary Baldridge that once his tax cuts take effect the economy will be reinvigorated. With the most recent Gallup Polls showing President Ashbrook at a 44% approval rating, he should hope that his economic stimulus plan can work a miracle on a still shaky economy.     

[Hash]

Who is President of France by this time?

[HappyWarrior]

Look at the last paragraph of the first post Hashemite.

[War on Want]

Malcolm Little is pretty kick ass. I like his quips against Democrats.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Holy sh**t! I didn't notice that Saddam had risen to power before 1979. How did that occur PBrunsel?

Great Work, as always

[PBrunsel]

Rocky,

Saddam was placed into power in 1969 after the King of Iraq was overthrown in a CIA backec coup. Be on the lookout for what happens in Iraq and Iran durring the 1970s.

[Lief 🗽]

Ronald Reagan as Howard Beale? It's an interesting choice, though I'm sure he would have played the character very differently.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Be on the lookout for what happens in Iraq and Iran durring the 1970s.

I sure will be on the lookout PBrunsel.

What's the situation in Iran at the present time? Is the Shah of Iran in power?

[HappyWarrior]

I just noticed that no party has had two presidents in a row elected.  I hope the Republicans change that soon.(1988-96:Biden, 1996-2000:Clinton hint hint)

[The Hack Hater]

I just noticed that no party has had two presidents in a row elected.  I hope the Republicans change that soon.(1988-96:Biden, 1996-2000:Clinton hint hint)

I don't know, but Ashbrook is setting himself up for a  defeat in 1976 with these extreme laissez-faire economic policies.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 1-01-1974
Event Description: The Dalai Lama returns to Tibet after more than 15-years in exile. He returns to the Labrang Monastery and leads his Buddhist people in a ceremony of thanksgiving.

Event Date: 1-10-1974
Event Description: Mond 3 lands on the Moon, the second German spacecraft to land on the Moon in two years. In a provocative move, Commander Heinrich Heck, Chancellor Heck’s son, plants a German flag next to the American flag in the Sea of Tranquility.

Event Date: 1-15-1974
Event Description: In the German Reichstag elections, Chancellor Heck’s Conservative Party wins a massive victory over Hans Scholl’s Labor Party. German pride hasn’t been so high since…1933.

Event Date: 2-01-1974
Event Description: John H. Meier, the private investigator who had deeply probed into the Nixon Administration, publishes “The Arrogance of Power: The Presidency of Richard Nixon.” In it he levels charges that Nixon had a secret group (the Plumbers) which had obstructed trials, broken into homes and even, in the case of the Porter Goss, committed murder. Meier concludes his book with a simple statement, “Nixon is a man of many masks, who can say that they have seen his true face?” At his home in Los Angeles, former President Nixon calls the book, “A bunch of damn bullsh**t.” However, the president realizes that the Plumbers did overstep the laws a few times. He gets on the phone with G. Gordon Liddy, Howard Hunt, Pat Buchanan and H.R. Haldeman over the course of the night, begging and bribing them into not fessing up to anything they did for the Nixon White House. “It’s best that the toothpaste stay inside the tube,” Nixon tells Liddy, “Because when it’s out it’s not easy to get back in.” Meier’s book will become a best seller leading many to question the legacy of President Richard Nixon.

Event Date: 2-07-1974
Event Description: Spanish dictator Francisco Franco passes away in Madrid; in his last will and testament, he calls for a constitutional monarchy to replace his Falangist regime. "Fascism is a relic of another age,” his will reads, “Spain no longer needs a one man led state.” The last remnant of the fascism has been, as Ronald Reagan eloquently states, “Dispelled to the ash heap of history.”    

Event Date: 2-11-1974
Event Description: The U.S. Embassy in Tallinn, Estonia, is attacked by pro-Russian demonstrators. A mass demonstration of 2,500 people opposing the recognition of the Baltic Union set fire to parts of the embassy, break windows, graffiti the walls and injure three American diplomats, including Patrick Kennedy, the youngest son of President Joseph Kennedy, Junior. President Ashbrook decries the attack as, “An act of terrorism.” He calls on Russian President Vladimir Kryuchkov to condemn the attack or, “Be tried as a coconspirator by the governments of the world.” President Kryuchkov immediately condemns the demonstrators, but the relations between America and Russia have become strained.

Event Date: 2-20-1974
Event Description: President Ashbrook signs the McSpadden Act. Introduced by Congressman Clement McSpadden (Democrat of Oklahoma), this act ends all government housing programs. “Such programs,” President Ashbrook explains as he signs the act, “Are in direct confrontation with free enterprise.” Representative Little typically responds by calling President Ashbrook, “A no brain-er free marketer.” These types of comments are great red meat for the young progressives, but are continuously becoming embarrassing for the people of Michigan 15th Congressional District. Columnist George Will predicts, “The colorful antics of Representative Little will end in 1975.”

Event Date: 3-09-1974
Event Description: Recent Yale Law School graduate William Jefferson Clinton moves from Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Bakersfield, California, to begin work for a large law firm. He had no real reason to stay in Arkansas, a state he considers far behind the progressive states of the North and West. Clinton’s mother travels with him, and besides a step brother, she is his only real family or relations. Clinton hopes to establish himself as a lawyer and run for Congress in a few years.

Event Date: 3-15-1974
Event Description: OPEC leaders hike the price of a barrel of oil to $78, the highest in history. President Ashbrook sends them an ultimatum: they can voluntarily reverse this decision or be forced to by the world community. The Ashbrook Ultimatum is greeted with mixed reaction by the world. Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka leads those who support the decision. “OPEC is gouging the world for a needed resource,” Prime Minster Tanaka tells the Japanese Diet in an address, “All nations should follow the American president in opposing OPEC’s greed.” Senator George H.W. Bush (Republican of Connecticut) attacks President Ashbrook’s, “Cowboy mentality.” The Ashbrook Doctrine does succeed in a limited way. OPEC nations will lower the price of a barrel of oil to $65 by April 1974, which is still far too expensive for most voters.

Event Date: 3-20-1974
Event Description: The United States and Germany begin drafting blueprints for the first permanent human outpost on the Moon. The U.S. space center (which will be named LunarDome) will include astronauts from Russia, Japan, the United Kingdom, China, France and the Balkan Union. Germany’s Moon base is to be named Das Einsamerwolf, the Lone Wolf. Chancellor Heck himself came up with the name, feeling it best described the German space program.

Event Date: 3-21-1974
Event Description: Congressman Mark Andrews (Republican of North Dakota) and Senator William Brock (Democrat of Tennessee) introduce the Russo-Chinese War Memorial Act. To be built southwest of the Mall, the act easily passes both houses of Congress. In a gesture that reaches out to the Chinese greatly, I.M. Pei is chosen to be the architect to design the memorial.

Event Date: 4-01-1974
Event Description: Vice-President Jimmy Carter is a guest on the Old Time Gospel Hour, a conservative Christian show hosted by televangelist Jerry Falwell. Vice-President Carter discusses the decline of the American family. “I think most of our nation’s problems can be traced to the breaking apart of the American family,” Carter tells Reverend Falwell, “Every problem from greed to crime and even international unrest can be blamed on the decline of Judeo-Christian values and the American family.”

Event Date: 4-05-1974
Event Description: In a crowded 5-way Republican Primary for the 15th Congressional District in Michigan, Representative Malcolm Little defeats his nearest rival, Detroit City Councilman William David Ford, to remain in Congress for another two years. Little won only 38% of the vote to Ford’s 37%, showing that he is not very popular with the voters of MI-15, but with no Democrat opposing him, Little is safe for reelection.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 4-12-1974
Event Description: Congressman George William Whitehurst (Republican of Virginia) introduces the Twenty-Seventh Amendment, repealing the Sixteenth Amendment, which established an income tax. President Ashbrook had long wanted to introduce this amendment, but wanted a Republican to do it. Congressman Whitehurst, although liberal on social policies, is as conservative as they come on economic affairs, especially taxes. In the Senate, Ashbrook ally Barry Goldwater (Democrat of Arizona) signs on to the amendment. Senator Bush of Connecticut openly laughs at the amendment, calling it, “A fine piece of early 1800s literature.” Bush will lead the fight against this very reactionary Ashbrook amendment.

Event Date: 4-20-1974
Event Description: The House of Representatives begins debate on the Whitehurst Amendment. “This act is nothing more than a gold giveaway to the pockets of the privileged plutocracy!” Representative Little raves on the House floor, “Ashbrook and his cronies should be ashamed for wasting this much time on an amendment straight from the Arthur Administration!” Representative Little grows so impassioned during his speech that he flings his black plastic glasses off of his face, breaking them in two. He will tape them together, looking even more like a wild revolutionary college professor to conservatives. House Minority Leader John Anderson (Republican of Illinois) will be a little gentler when speaking against the amendment. “Mr. Whitehurst’s amendment is opposed by the people of the United States,” Representative Anderson tells his colleagues, “It overturns decades of progressive taxation policies supported by every administration.” Speaker of the House Carl Albert (Democrat of Oklahoma) defends the amendment by calling the income tax, “A theft from every American.” Albert himself views the amendment as ludicrous, but is bound to support his Democratic president.

Event Date: 5-06-1974
Event Description: After days of debate and speeches, the Twenty-Seventh Amendment, also known as the Whitehurst Amendment, goes up for a vote, and comes crashing down. Even the most conservative Democratic congressmen don’t want to end the income tax, fearing it will be replaced by a sales tax. “That’s just a backdoor tax hike,” Representative James Symington (Democrat of Missouri), the son of the late vice-president, tells the press, “I can not vote for something like that.” With defeat in the House of Representatives, the amendment dies. President Ashbrook tells First Lady Jean Ashbrook that night at dinner, “If those boys on the Hill think I’m licked then they certainly have another thing coming.”

Event Date: 5-10-1974
Event Description: The Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Junior, Presidential Library opens in Boston, Massachusetts. Presidents Ashbrook, Nixon and MacFarland attend the opening ceremonies. Also in attendance is former CIA Director Robert F. Kennedy, who has recently announced his candidacy for Governor of Massachusetts. Former Chief of Staff John F. Kennedy attends, but his wife Marilyn Monroe-Kennedy is not invited as President Kennedy is embarrassed by her. The event catapults the Kennedy name back into the headlines, which will benefit Robert in the June 6th Democratic Primary for Governor.

Event Date: 6-06-1974
Event Description: Robert Kennedy easily wins the Democratic Primary for Governor of Massachusetts. He will face incumbent Governor John Volpe in November. In the Republican Primary for Congress in the 3rd District, Commodore John Kerry uses his war hero status to upset incumbent Congressman Harold Donohue. Kerry faces only nominal opposition from Democratic physician Walter Hartsuch.

Event Date: 7-09-1974
Event Description: Long time civil rights attorney and the disgraced Dewey Administration Attorney General, Earl Warren dies at the age of 83 from heart complications. He had desired to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, but Senate Democrats and President Ashbrook block the liberal Warren from being laid to rest there. He will be buried in a small cemetery in a suburb of Los Angles. At his funeral in the First Methodist Church of Los Angeles, socialist leader and former prisoner David McReynolds calls Warren, “A man who made lost causes realities.”

Event Date: 7-12-1974
Event Description: The Shah of Iran calls publicly for the overthrow of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The wealthy despot attacks Hussein’s, “Napoleonic land ambitions and a never ending lust for wealth and power.” President Hussein laughs at the statement of the Shah, calling him, “The father of all fools.” It is true that Hussein is building up the Iraqi Army, but as Secretary of State Buckley assures the world community, “President Hussein has no interest in invasion or war against his neighbors.”

Event Date: 8-01-1974
Event Description: Senator Jesse Helms (Democrat of North Carolina) and Congressman Orrin Hatch (Democrat of Utah) stand proudly by as President Ashbrook signs the Helms-Hatch Tobacco Advertisement Act. This act repeals a Nixon era bill which banned all tobacco advertisements from the television and radio. “This act is restoring the freedom of speech of all Americans,” President Ashbrook declares as he signs the act, “Sometimes, as certain parties have shown, we want to ban the free speech of certain, less popular groups.” Senator George Bush declares that he will, “Fight against this act tooth and nail. It is unaccountable that the President of the United States believes marketing tobacco products to kids is free speech. That is below the presidency, and if Ashbrook doesn’t want to act like a president, than maybe someone else should try it.”

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 8-09-1974
Event Description: Former President Richard Nixon suffers a mild heart attack while writing his memoirs at his home in Los Angeles. Nixon is rushed to a nearby hospital and survives to write another day.

Event Date: 8-19-1974
Event Description: The Chinese Stock Exchange opens in Peking, Shanghai, Tsingdao, Harbin, Urumqi, and Wuhan, opening the nation completely to capitalism. Just five years after defeat in a bloody and destructive war, the Chinese economy is back on its feet and the nation is prospering.

Event Date: 8-31-1974
Event Description: President Ashbrook and secretary of State Buckley stop Turkey from invading the island of Cyprus by invoking the Ashbrook Ultimatum. Turkish leaders, well aware of the awesomeness of the American military and the truth of the word of President Ashbrook, send diplomats rather than marines to work out a fishing dispute with Cyprus.

Event Date: 9-10-1974
Event Description: Governor Nelson Rockefeller announces that he will not be a candidate for president in 1976. “My time has come and gone,” Governor Rockefeller announces from the Governor’s Mansion in Albany, “It is time for a new generation of progressive thinkers to take the reins of government.” Rocky has already told the New York Times that he thinks that Senator George Bush or Congressman John Anderson are the best candidates to oppose President Ashbrook in 1976.

Event Date: 9-22-1974
Event Description: In a peaceful ceremony in Jerusalem, the people of Palestine are granted their own independent state by the nation of Israel. Prime Minister Golda Meir of Israel and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat share a hug and blow a Jewish horn, representing the end of war. Vice-President Carter attends the ceremony, declaring, “To you two great leaders, I give you the words of Jesus, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shale see God.”

Event Date: 10-20-1974
Event Description: On the tenth anniversary of his death, the Congress passes the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Citizen Award Act. Introduced by Representative Paul Douglas (Republican of Illinois) this yearly award will honor American citizens who do extraordinary things. The first recipient of the award is Reverend Reginald Jackson of Philadelphia. Reverend Reggie’s tireless work for poor and forgotten inner city Philadelphia children has made him a household word in the Christian community. Some Republican leaders in Philadelphia are eying him to take on incumbent Democratic Mayor Frank Rizzo in 1975.

Event Date: 11-05-1974
Event Description: With the economy still dragging and President Ashbrook’s laissez-faire economic plan not seeming to do any good, the voters pass judgment on John Ashbrook. As he prepares to go to a state dinner in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Colin Powell, Ashbrook watches as 26 Democratic representatives are tossed from the House, giving control of the chamber to John Anderson and the Republicans. In the senate the Democrats maintain a sizable lead since there were few competitive senate races. In Connecticut, CIA agent and conservative commentator William F. Buckley, the brother of Secretary of State James Buckley, is defeated by incumbent Senator George Bush by 20-points. Bush’s big win is seen as a clear statement that he can be a top tier presidential candidate in two years. In Massachusetts, Robert Kennedy is elected by a wide margin over Governor Volpe. The Kennedy name took him to the top, despite Bobby’s image as a “ruthless” person. His brother, Edward Moore Kennedy, is elected Attorney General; the first time two brothers will be heading top posts in Massachusetts state government. This is also the first election where Russo-Chinese War veterans begin to get elected to congress. The new Russo-Chinese War congressmen are John Kerry (Republican) in Massachusetts, George W. Bush (Republican) in Texas, Dan Quayle (Democrat) in Indiana, John McCain (Democrat) in Arizona and Bob Kerrey (Republican) in Nebraska. Though not a veteran of the Russo-Chinese War, Bakersfield, California, attorney William J. Clinton is elected to the California State House, hoping to build his political career up as time goes on. However, for President Ashbrook, there is little time for him to turn the economy around. The 1976 race is approaching.     

[HappyWarrior]

I'm hoping the next update will at least include the 1976 primaries.  I'm hoping for a John Anderson presidency with VP George H.W. Bush.  By the way what is going on with Bob Dole?

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Shame John McCain is a Democrat in this timeline He would have been a great Republican, better than in RL.

[MasterJedi]

Looks like Ashbrook is in for an election loss, that is if he runs.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Another great update.

[Хahar 🤔]

Though not a veteran of the Russo-Chinese War, Bakersfield, California, attorney William J. Clinton is elected to the California State House, hoping to build his political career up as time goes on.

Nitpick: California has a State Assembly.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Why is Clinton in California?

[PBrunsel]

Why is Clinton in California?

He moved to CA after getting his law degree. He left Arkansas because he felt that it was not keeping up with the nation in terms of social progress. Also, Clinton is a Republican and could nto get elected to office in Democratic Arkansas.

[Lief 🗽]

What's so interesting about this timeline is the lack of a New Deal coalition, and the two coalitions that PBrunsel's Democrats and Republicans would have to work with. I assume African-Americans are about as loyal to the Republicans in this timeline as they are currently are in our timeline. I would think that labor unions would support the Republicans fairly strongly, especially after Ashbrook. I'm not sure how Catholics would vote; maybe usually Republican, but obviously lining up behind Catholic Democrats like the Kennedy's. The upper-class and business owners would still be Republicans I think, though drifting towards the Democrats if they can change their image as the "racist Southern party" up north.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 1-05-1975
Event Description: The 94th Congress convenes, and it’s an odd one at that. The Republicans solidly control the House of Representatives while the Democrats solidly control the Senate. In the Senate, the very Conservative Majority Leader Robert Byrd (Democrat of West Virginia) keeps his job. Senate Minority Leader Norris Cotton (Republican of New Hampshire) did not run for reelection and is replaced by Senator Robert J. Dole (Republican of Kansas). Dole and Byrd have been friends for years insuring civility in the Senate. In the House of Representatives, things could be different. John Anderson (Republican of Illinois) accepts the position of Speaker of the House and John J. Rhodes (Republican of Arizona) takes the the position of House Majority Leader. Carl Albert (Democrat of Oklahoma) takes the demotion of becoming House Minority Leader. House Majority Leader Anderson declares that he will halt, “The 19th Century policies of President Ashbrook.”

Event Date: 1-20-1975
Event Description: The Stock Market makes a major rally today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shoots up more than 120-points. President Ashbrook declares that his economic policies “Are beginning to reshape the economic future of our nation.” Speaker of the House John Anderson calls this assertion, “Ridiculous.” He claims that Ashbrook’s economic plan has led the nation, “Into debt while also forcing our public welfare to take millions of dollars in cuts.”

Event Date: 2-09-1975
Event Description: While speaking at the 2nd Annual College Republican Convention at the Washington, D.C., Hilton, President Ashbrook is assaulted by a coconut cream pie! The “attacker” is left-winged activist Jerry Rubin, well known for his over-the-top antics. President Ashbrook is a good sport about it, declaring after the pie hit him, “Poor guy went to all that trouble to bring me a pie and didn’t even make it my favorite kind. Well, it’s the thought that counts.”

Event Date: 2-15-1975
Event Description: In its first elections as an independent nation, the Palestinian Arab Republic chooses the moderate Fatah Party over the fundamentalist Hamas Party. Fattah leader Mahmoud Abbas becomes the first Prime Minister of Palestine, with Yasser Arafat being demoted to the Opposition Leader of the Legislature. Secretary of State Buckley applauds the election as, “A mandate for reason.”

Event Date: 3-01-1975
Event Description: In a grim report by the Department of Commerce, it is revealed that German automobiles are now preferred over American made cars. The affects of this are beginning to show in Detroit, Michigan, in an area of the country now being referred to as the “Rust Belt.” Representative Malcolm Little calls for President Ashbrook to, “Free our nations’ auto industry from unneeded foreign competition.” President Ashbrook scoffs at this idea. “Competition is healthy for all industries,” he tells a meeting of automobile CEOs in Omaha, Nebraska, “If you want your companies to thrive then you must rise to the challenge of the competition.” Representative Little responds to this by telling the Detroit Free Press, “Ashbrook to city: Screw you.”

Event Date: 3-10-1975
Event Description: The human rights group Amnesty International publishes The Reign of Mad King Hussein, a 35-page report on atrocities committed by President Saddam Hussein. It unveils that there are three concentration camps throughout the nation, with the Kurds of Northern Iraq being the most abused and destroyed. The article also includes pictures of incinerators located outside the city of Tikrit. This report shakes the world community.

Event Date: 3-11-1975 
Event Description: President Ashbrook makes a televised address responding to the human rights abuses of President Hussein of Iraq. “My fellow Americans,” he begins, “We in the United States can not condone torture, murder or any violations of human rights.” President Ashbrook calls for an investigation into these matters by special investigators representing, “The most powerful and industrialized nations on Earth.” This is the closest thing to a “united nations” since the failed League of Nations. President Ashbrook assures the world that, “The United States will not invade the nation of Iraq under any circumstances. A ‘go it alone’ incursion into Iraq would only set off a firestorm of regional conflicts. If this happens, then there is no chance that Hussein will ever be deposed of.” Senator George Bush attacks President Ashbrook for, “Selling out the people of Iraq” for refusing to send troops to topple Hussein. However, the world community applauds President Ashbrook and begins to put together a team of investigators to see what is really happening in Hussein’s Iraq.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 3-20-1975
Event Description: President Hussein calls the Amnesty International report, “A pack of lies and nothing but Western propaganda.” He declares that he will never allow inspectors into Baghdad.

Event Date: 3-29-1975
Event Description: Father Rudolph Braun meets with British Home Secretary Roy Jenkins and IRA leader Joe Cahill in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Father Braun’s goal is to forge a peace between the two states and perhaps reunite Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. The Belfast Accords start out with little promise, as Cahill refuses to even sit down at the same table with Secretary Jenkins. Father Braun has to trek from one room to another to get the talks started.

Event Date: 4-03-1975
Event Description: Bobby Fischer defeats Anatoly Karpov for the world chess champion title. President Ashbrook congratulates Fischer over the phone and later mumbles about how no one cares about a silly chess game. After all, there is no real animosity between America and Russia.   

Event Date: 4-05-1975
Event Description: The Belfast Agreement is agreed on by the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Prime Minister Harold Wilson of the United Kingdom attends the formal signing of the agreement. His government was quite happy to end the constant tensions in Northern Ireland. The agreement gives Northern Ireland its own parliament and generally independence from the UK without actually returning them to Ireland. In addition, all British troops will be withdrawn from Northern Ireland by January 1977. Despite some anger from both sides, Father Braun sees this as the best agreement that either side could come to, and it ends the violence, which was his goal.

Event Date: 4-12-1975
Event Description: Representative Shirley Chisholm (Republican of New York) introduces the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the House of Representatives. This act will protect the rights of women and people of different sexual orientations. President Ashbrook mocks the amendment, calling it, “ERROR.” Representative Andrew Young also signs onto the amendment since he has been fighting for this type of action for years. Speaker of the House Anderson assures Chisholm and Young that he will do all he can to aid the amendment in passing.

Event Date: 5-02-1975
Event Description: Margaret Truman, the daughter of celebrated public servant Harry Truman, sings at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Her fanfare is attended by President Ashbrook, First Lady Jean Ashbrook, Vice-President Carter, the Supreme Court, Bess Truman as well as many other dignitaries. Margaret’s performance amazes the crowd, especially Washington Post entertainment editor Paul Hume. “Ms. Truman’s voice is strong, mature and a pleasure to listen to,” Hume writes the next day, “Here good father would be proud.”

Event Date: 5-20-1975
Event Description: The Equal Rights Amendment passes in the House of Representatives by a wide margin, which is strictly party line. Speaker Anderson had tried to woo more moderate Democrats from the West into supporting the amendment, but to no avail. ERA dies.

Event Date: 5-25-1975
Event Description: Senator George Herbert Walker Bush (Republican of Connecticut) announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. “I refuse to believe that the best America is John Ashbrook’s America,” Senator Bush declares, “He has sold out our economy to big business and our foreign policy to dictators.” Bush has been an advocate of unilateral invasion of Iraq to rid Saddam Hussein of power. Bush’s campaign manger is Halliburton junior executive Richard Cheney, who promises a campaign based on, “The facts about Ashbrook’s misleading administration and Senator Bush’s vision of an America filled with 1,000-points of light.”

Event Date: 6-01-1975
Event Description: The Stock Market has a major rally, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average shooting up 256-points. The economy is slowly working its way out of recession, and President Ashbrook’s poll numbers are showing an upward trend as well. The latest Gallup Poll shows Ashbrook at a 53% approval rating and leading Senator Bush by a 48-44% margin in a mock election.

Event Date: 6-05-1975
Event Description: A team of international Human rights inspectors are selected in London. There job is to make it into Baghdad and collect evidence on whether or not President Hussein is running death camps and violating human rights. The head of the investigation is Lieutenant Colonel Colin Powell, selected by President Ashbrook himself. President Hussein still refuses to let any investigators into Iraq. In the coming weeks the USA as well as most of the nations of Europe will begin an embargo on Iraqi products, including oil. 

Event Date: 6-30-1975
Event Description: Senator Charles Percy (Republican of Illinois) declares his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

Event Date: 7-04-1975
Event Description: Governor Hugh Carey (Democrat of New York) and Governor John A. Love (Republican of Colorado) stand next to President John Ashbrook as he signs the Nuclear Power Act of 1975. The cities of Boulder, Colorado, and Buffalo, New York, are selected to be the first two American cities fully powered by nuclear power. “The dream of President Nixon to escape our nation’s reliance on oil is now seeing its beginning,” Governor Love declares. John Love is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in a few weeks. President Ashbrook seems to have just given him free publicity.

Event Date: 7-11-1975
Event Description: In a rare public interview, former President Ernest McFarland goes on the Voice of the Nation, hosted by Ronald Reagan. The two men make jabs at each other careers and help raise money for the Russo-Chinese War Memorial Foundation. One of the best lines of the interview has Reagan asking McFarland, “So who do you like for president in 1976?” “Well,” the shocked McFarland responds, “President Ashbrook of f course.” “I see!” Reagan responds, “You like how he’s making your presidency look good.”

Event Date:  8-05-1975
Event Description: Reverend Reginald Jackson wins the Republican nomination for Mayor of Philadelphia. The 29-year old community organizer and preacher will face off against incumbent Mayor Frank Rizzo, a nominal Democrat who has been accused of encouraging police brutality against minorities. The 1975 Philadelphia Mayoral Election will be one of the most closely contested races in Pennsylvania history.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 9-12-1975
Event Description: Colin Powell and the international investigators in Iraq are finally allowed into the nation by President Hussein. International sanctions against the nation have forced Hussein to allow inspections of his repressive regime.

Event Date: 9-23-1975
Event Description: The growth in business continues as a report by U.S. World and News Report reveals that more Americans are starting small businesses. Spurred by low taxes and a growing stock market, entrepreneurs are seeing success in the market as of late. President Ashbrook’s economic policies seem to be working as he planned. However, the economy is nowhere near a boom as inflation and unemployment is still above 5.5%.

Event Date: 10-09-1975
Event Description: The Trump Hotel and Casino-Peking opens amongst great fanfare. Fred and Donald Trump cut the red ribbon as the first guests enter the new grand hotel, the first to ever be built in Asia. The first guest is Frank Sinatra, famed crooner and favorite of the Trump Family.

Event Date: 10-15-1975
Event Description: Governor John Love (Republican of Colorado) declares his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. The tax slashing progressive governor is considered a major dark horse, despite his fame from the Boulder Nuclear Power Plant. He is endorsed by Governor Robert Ray (Republican of Iowa) a few days later, which will help him in the Iowa Caucus. 

Event Date: 10-20-1975
Event Description: In a wedding held at the United Methodist Church in Chicago, Hillary Rodham marries attorney Don Wasley. The two new attorneys join prominent Chicago law firms and both hope to one day run for office, though Don has made it known he would rather be rich than be a senator.’

Event Date: 11-06-1975
Event Description: By a margin of 51-49%, the Reverend Reginald Jackson is elected Mayor of Philadelphia over Mayor Frank Rizzo. “My friends,” the charismatic Reverend Reggie declares at his victory celebration, “We have changed the minds of pundits; they all said we’d lose tonight. Now, let’s change this city and the world!”   

Event Date: 11-15-1975
Event Description: President Ashbrook signs the Veteran Care Act. Introduced by Senator Sam Nunn (Democrat of Georgia) and Representative John Kerry (Republican of Massachusetts), this act increases funding for the GI Bill, Walter Reed Medical Hospital and begins a hospital to care for mentally wounded veterans as well. “An epidemic of homeless Russo-Chinese War veterans is something that this country can not allow!” Reprehensive Kerry had bellowed on the floor of the House of Representatives, “We must care for all soldiers who are experiencing mental relapses into battle, shell shock and any other mental disorder hindering them from becoming productive American citizens once again.”

Event Date: 11-20-1975
Event Description: Speaker of the House John Anderson declares his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. “It’s high time that common Americans get a voice in this country,” Anderson declares from his home in Rockford, Illinois, “The people deserve a president who has lived with them, not in the Ivory Tower or the Hamptons.” These are not very thinly veiled attacks on the very educate Senator Percy and the very wealthy Senator Bush. The 1976 Republican Nomination race is expected to be a closely fought battle.

Event Date: 12-01-1975
Event Description: Senator Lloyd Bentsen (Democrat of Texas) introduces the Consumer Bill of Rights. This bill has several instructions on how to assure Americans that what they buy is safe and of lasting quality. “The customer should not always be right,” Senator Bentsen tells the press, “But also safe.” The bill has wide support from both sides of the aisle, though President Ashbrook is not too happy about the bill. He views it as an unneeded infringement on the business of private enterprise.   

Event Date: 12-05-1975
Event Description: Consumer advocate Ralph Nader testifies before the House of Representatives while urging the passage of the Consumer Bill of Rights. “It is the first priorities of any government to make sure its citizens are safe,” Nader tells the House Commerce Committee, “If we have unsafe products, ranging from toys to cooking utensils, then no citizen is truly safe.” The House of Representatives will easily pass the Consumer Bill of Rights, as will the Senate.

Event Date: 12-06-1975
Event Description: President John Ashbrook vetoes the Consumer Bill of Rights. “Though I believe that American consumers are entitled to the best products,” he tells the press as he vetoes the bill, “I feel strongly that private enterprise should be able to regulate itself, free from government mandates.” The Congress will fail to override the veto, landing the bill in the ash heap of legislative history.

Event Date: 12-10-1975
Event Description: Enraged over the death of the Consumer Bill of Rights, Ralph Nader declares his candidacy for President of the United States under the newly formed U.S. Consumers Party. “Our corporate dominated government refuses to let the voice of the little guy be heard,” Nader declares as he enters the race, “It is time that someone stands up to the corporate government and media, and tells them that their stranglehold on our nation should be ended!” Running with the energy of a revolutionary, Nader will select fellow environmental scientist Barry Commoner as his running-mate. The Nader-Commoner slogan is, “Enough!”