| January 20 |  |
Editor says, what if the tied result of the 2012 election was thrown into the electoral college? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 2013, on the day at the inauguration of Romney-Biden, both office holders pledged to work together to build the bipartisan support necessary to stop America going over the "Fiscal Cliff". An article from the Deadlocked 2012 Election thread.
Deadlocked Election prevents America going over Fiscal CliffIn a deadlocked election, both Presidential candidates Obama and Romney had won 269 of the 538 electoral votes divided between the states. This result had thrown the outcome of the presidential race into the House of Representatives, which must name the president in the case of a tie. A Romney victory was assured because Republicans had kept control of the House in the election. But the vice presidency was decided in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats maintained their majority and therefore Biden was selected after he caste the deciding vote for himself.
Ironically given Romney's pledge to work across the aisles as he had as Governor of Massachussets, this unique opportunity to solve the Federal Debt Crisis raised a fresh challenge, for each side to accept that dirty word - compromise. During the summer of 2011, outgoing President Obama had appeared tantalisingly close to gaining agreement on a Grand Bargain with Speaker of the House John Boehner. However the agreement had foundered in acrimony with Boehner disparaging business with the Obama White House to "[dealing with] a bowl of Jello". But of course ultimately what was required was for both sides to abandon orthodoxy and accept a trade[1]: cuts in benefits (Medicare,Medicaid, Social security etc.) and domestic spending for tax increases (more revenue, not dancing games on nominal tax rates) and defense cuts. And the real issue, was that each side had wanted the other to feel the pain. The moment of truth had now arrived; sick of a divided (and perhaps dysfunctional) government, the American voting system had delivered an outcome that MIGHT force each side to commit to work together toward a negotiated solution.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Deadlock 2012 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Mitt Romney, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Presidency, America. Editor says, in this article was explore a deadlocked election scenario described by Reuters. We have repurposed content from that article and also ideas received [1] with thanks from Scott Palter.
~ Brother, what this could to the face of American politics. Behind the face the K Street lobbyists would still be in business as usual, but it would make for some glorious political reporting!
~ We might even have to deal with the astronomical costs of medical care...starting with the premise that doctors are not automatically entitled to get rich. And then we could go on to defining Social Security as insurance, not entitlement, and thus subject to a means test. And since people are living much longer than they did when Otto von Bismarck invented the workers' pension which started at age 65, we could raise the age, too. The mind BOGGLES!
~ what appointment would Paul Ryan get in the Romney-Biden Administration, Budget Director / Secretary of Commerce / Treasury, some kind of UK-style super-ministry? Or might he oppose this bipartisan presidency?
~ Well, Social Security is already solvent through 2030 or so, and it's budgeted and funded separately from the rest of the budget, so nothing needs to be done to it just yet. Certainly nothing needs be done to Social Security in order to reduce the deficit. Nah, let's go off the cliff. We can fix things in January.
~ Seems a little ASB-ish to me...
~ But as I mentioned before, John, Soc Sec was the work of Otto von Bismarck, and the ultra right is very fond of HIM. Of course, he meant it as a pension for workers who would be impoverished otherwise...not for the freaking KAISER!
~ Or even more likely, John...they will think you are talking about a jelly-filled donut.
~ You might hear about this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KecIdlEAKhU
~ This isn't alternate history, since 2013 hasn't happened yet. And it's a bit ASB-ish.
~ But all of the students seem to know who Hitler was, which might be rather depressing.
~ I don't see what's ASB-ish about a tied presidential election getting thrown into the House of Representatives. That's what the Constitution provides for
But, if it happens, be prepared for the news media to use the phrase "Constitutional crisis" until it sounds like a hiccup. It isn't a Constitutional CRISIS; it's the Constitutional PROCESS.
~ The American public grows even more confused about and distant from Washington, one famine away from anarchy.
~ Some states elect Governor and Lt-Governor separately.If this applied to the Presidency, would've been "split tickets" quite often. For instance -I'd have voted for Mccain/Biden 2008 and would vote for Romney/Biden now.
January 26
Editor says, what if the tied result of the 2012 election was thrown into the electoral college? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 2013, on the day Paul Davis Ryan was sworn in as the seventy-sixth US Secretary of the Treasury. An article from the Deadlocked 2012 Election thread.
Deadlocked Election prevents America going over Fiscal Cliff 2In this prestigious appointment he would be certain to play a leading role in the negotiation of a bipartisan agreement to prevent American heading over the "Fiscal Cliff". But of course the real prize he had sought during the campaign was the Vice Presidency. However the outcome of the deadlock election had pushed THAT appointment into U.S. Senate, where Democrats had maintained their majority and therefore the incumbent (Joe Biden) was selected after he caste the deciding vote for himself.
During the campaign, both men had clashed on policy and also gone head-to-head during the VP Debate when Biden had laughed dismissively for almost the entire session. Indeed the thorny issue of his future working relationship with VP Biden had been repeatedly raised at the Senatorial Confirmation hearings. And already, there were murmerings that come the mid-terms, President Romney would fire Biden and elevate Ryan to his rightful place in the White House.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Deadlock 2012 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Mitt Romney, Joe Biden, Paul Ryan, Presidency, America. Editor says, in this article was explore a deadlocked election scenario described by Reuters. We have repurposed content from that article and also ideas received [1] with thanks from Scott Palter.
~ Working relationship? Biden and Ryan would be fighting with each other before the last of the inaugural ball confetti was swept up. :D
~ I don't know, Chris...they are both professionals, who may know that when the contest is over it's time to work together again.
~ I would think the Ryan and Ryan ticket might stand a better chance. Former baseball great Nolan Ryan is known to be a serious Republican, and his popularity -- although faded somewhat now -- could still pull in a swing state, or two, in an alternative universe. But, of course then there's actress Meg Ryan...
Besides, Biden and Ryan are both of Irish descent, and there are those among us who know of the term "Fighting Irish." Biden and Ryan would start any joint venture already seeing each other as opposites.
~ Presidents can't fire Vice-Presidents. Possible scenario for book-VP challenges President.
~ Strictly speaking, this isn't alternate history, but speculation about the future.
~ Correct. A better example of AH along these lines might be iomagining a deadlock in 2000 resulting in a Gore-Cheney or Bush-Lieberman administration.
~ Wrong Paul. America needs the right Paul as Secretary of the Treasury, which is Ron Paul. B-)
March 25
Editor says, what if the tied result of the 2012 election was thrown into the electoral college? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 2013, on this day of high drama, Government workers were sent home by the forty-fifth US President Willard ("Mitt") Romney. An article from the Deadlocked 2012 Election thread.
Deadlocked Election prevents America going over Fiscal Cliff 3Contrary to emotionally charged (indeed, factually incorrect) headlines such as "Romney to City - Drop Dead!" and "Let Washington go bankrupt!" the Federal Shutdown was in fact a carefully considered scenario that had been extensively "war-gamed" by Romney aides even before the deadlocked election.
The inauguration of Romney-Biden, and subsequent appointment of Paul Ryan as US Secretary of the Treasury had raised a glimmer of hope that a bipartisan agreement might possibly be reached. But instead, Congress had totally gridlocked, and with the Federal Government headed for shutdown, Romney had played the call he had been holding to his chest all long by calling their bluff and sending workers home.
Too late, Congressional Leaders had buckled, but the problem was they could not assemble in the capital to reach a new agreement with the Romney White House because the whole of Washington was locked after the employees have been sent home.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Deadlock 2012 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Mitt Romney, Joe Biden, Paul Ryan, Presidency, America. Editor says, in this article was explore a deadlocked election scenario described by Reuters. We have repurposed content from that article and also ideas received [1] with thanks from Scott Palter.
~ Truth is stranger than even OUR fiction, once again. About a year ago, we came so close to a Government Shutdown that the Federal workers were gettng instructions on Friday....but Congress managed over the weekend to delay the crisis.
~ Truth or fiction, sometimes it seems the U.S. still totters too close to making life imitate art, as could be the case here. Things have been creepy along economic lines since 9/11.
~ Once again, this isn't alternate history---yet.
~ With Romney's experience of breaking up corporations and selling 'em off, I wonder how he'd break up the US to sell it off. Think anybody would buy it?
February 14
Editor says, what if the tied result of the 2012 election was thrown into the electoral college? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 2010, on this day at the XXI Olympic Winter Games, Vice President Joe Biden and his future boss Governor Mitt Romney watched the women's ice hockey preliminary game between United States and China at the UBC Thunderbird Arena in Vancouver, Canada.
An article from the Deadlocked 2012 Election thread.
Deadlocked Election prevents America going over Fiscal Cliff Part 4Because within three years, a historic tie in the 2012 General Election would see Romney elected president and Joe Biden re-elected vice-president. Under the US constitution, if the electoral college ends in a tie the election is sent to the House of Representatives. And as this was currently Republican-controlled, Romney was chosen. But under the same clause, the Democrat-led Senate had chosen the incumbent vice-president - Joe Biden. And Paul Ryan was forced to accept the consolation prize of Secretary of the Treasury.
However when it became clear that a bipartisan deal had failed to materialize, Biden became tempted to undermine Romney at every turn. [1] By the mid-terms, there was even speculation that Ryan would replace Biden, although the US Constitution holds no provision for such a succession.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Deadlock 2012 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Mitt Romney, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Presidency, America. Editor says, in this article was explore a deadlocked election scenario described by Reuters. [1] cited on BBC Magazine. [2] Comment from Mark Taylor.
~ Someone could get body checked in a potentially dangerous deal like that. A hockey-style brawl in politics?
~ Romney might offer Biden an even richer consolation prize, in return for his resignation...like the next vacant Supreme Court seat or the position of Secretary of State.
~ Romney would promptly be assassinated by someone in his own party for offering such a post to the former second of the man they see as (this year's) Antichrist. And as for the VP slot, making such an offer to Biden would blow up Romney'c chance at the GOP nomination. Primaries or no primaries, the party would pull the plug on him if he insisted on auch a deal.
~ I don't know if Biden would have accepted that offer, either.
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© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
