Who could have been presidents after Bernie Sanders? Also, Rumsfeldia and the fan sequel made the worst tendencies of their decades worse. So what could be the event by the 2000s if worst tendencies wore much worse? A worse 9/11? A worse war on terror?So I made a very in-depth list of US presidents in the universe of FLG '72 and Rumsfeldia, including senate and house elections and important dates and events. Couldn't think of a better spot to post this than here.
List of Presidents of the United States
37. Former Vice President Richard Nixon of New York/Governor Spiro Agnew of Maryland (Republican): January 20, 1969 - January 20, 1973
Def. 1968: Vice President Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota/Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine (Democratic), Former Governor George Wallace of Alabama/Former Chief of Staff of the Air Force Curtis LeMay of California (American Independent) | 301-191-46 Electoral Vote/43.4%-42.6%-13.5% Popular Vote
As Acting President, Vice President Spiro Agnew of Maryland/Vice President Spiro Agnew of Maryland (Republican): January 20, 1973 - September 5, 1973
Vice President Spiro Agnew served as Acting President from January 20 to September 5, 1973 during the contingent presidential election.
1972 Senate Elections: 51 D (-3), 46 R (+2), 2 IND (+1), 1 C (-)
1972 House Elections: 231 D (-24), 203 R (+23), 1 IND (+1)
Former Governor John J. McKeithen of Louisiana/Acting President Spiro Agnew of Maryland (Democratic/Republican): September 5, 1973 (Died Before Assuming Office)
Def. 1972 (via contingent election): Former Governor John J. McKeithen of Louisiana/Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana (Democratic), President Richard Nixon of California/Vice President Spiro Agnew of Maryland (Republican), Governor George Wallace of Alabama/Lieutenant Governor Lester Maddox of Georgia (Independent), Senator George McGovern of South Dakota/Representative Pete McCloskey of California (Peace and Freedom) | 267-259-9-2 Electoral Vote/45.7%-45.7%-6.3%-0.6% Popular Vote/28-15-4-3 Final House Vote/50+VP-50 Senate Vote
July 31, 1973: Death of former Governor and presumptive president-elect John J. McKeithen in a plane crash in Boston, Massachusetts.
September 5, 1973: Election of former Governor John J. McKeithen posthumously as President by the House of Representatives in the contingent presidential election.
38. Acting President Spiro Agnew of Maryland/vacant, [Representative John Ashbrook of Ohio] (Republican): September 5, 1973 - November 7, 1973 (Impeached)
October 11, 1973: Rejection of Representative John Ashbrook for Vice President by Congress (59-40).
October 12, 1973: Election of retired Lieutenant General and former Ambassador to France James M. Gavin as Speaker of the House of Representatives (391-42-2).
November 7, 1973: Impeachment and conviction of President Spiro Agnew for accepting bribes in the course of his public duties, corruption in awarding public contracts, tax evasion (for not paying taxes on the bribes), accepting unlawful bribes in a Federal government office, bringing the offices of the Vice Presidency and Presidency into disrepute, making unlawful campaign contributions with the proceeds of criminal activity, conspiracy to abuse the power of his office (for issuing himself a pardon), and obstruction of justice (for issuing pardons to his co-conspirators) (312-123/312-123/310-125/309-126/291-144/244-191/219-216/219-216/90-9).
39. Speaker of the House of Representatives James M. Gavin of Massachusetts/vacant (Independent): November 7, 1973 - March 20, 1974
March 20, 1974: Confirmation of former Governor William Scranton as Vice President (98-2/397-38).
1974 Senate Elections: 59 D (+8), 38 R (-8), 2 IND (-), 1 C (-)
1974 House Elections: 261 D (+31), 204 R (-31), 1 IND (-)
39. President James M. Gavin of Massachusetts/Former Governor William Scranton of Pennsylvania (Independent/Republican): March 20, 1974 - January 20, 1977
40. Governor George Wallace of Alabama/Former Ambassador to the United Kingdom Nicholas Katzenbach of New Jersey (Democratic): January 20, 1977 - January 2, 1979
Def. 1976: Former Governor Ronald Reagan of California/Senator Charles Percy of Illinois (Republican) | 272-266 Electoral Vote/46.5%-46.4% Popular Vote
1976 Senate Elections: 48 D (-11), 48 R (+10), 3 IND (-), 1 L (+1)
1976 House Elections: 216 D (-46), 212 R (+39), 3 L (+3), 2 SW (+2), 1 AAFP (+1), 1 IND (+1)
As Acting President, Vice President Nicholas Katzenbach of New Jersey/Vice President Nicholas Katzenbach of New Jersey (Democratic): September 19, 1978 - October 12, 1978
Vice President Nicholas Katzenbach served as Acting President from September 19 to October 12, 1978 while Wallace recovered from a seizure.
October 12, 1978: Declaration of Wallace that he is fit to resume the duties of the presidency.
As Acting President, Vice President Nicholas Katzenbach of New Jersey/Vice President Nicholas Katzenbach of New Jersey (Democratic): October 13, 1978 - December 6, 1978
October 13, 1978: Declaration by the Vice President and the Cabinet that President George Wallace is still unfit to resume the duties of the presidency (10-3).
Vice President Nicholas Katzenbach served as Acting President from October 13 to December 6, 1978 while Wallace was unfit to resume the duties of the presidency.
1978 Senate Elections: 51 D (+4), 46 R (-4), 1 IND (-1), 1 L (-), 1 CVM (+1)
1978 House Elections: 225 R (+12), 201 D (-14), 4 L (+1), 2 SW (-), 2 AAFP (+1), 1 CVM (+1)
December 6, 1978: The Joint Congressional Committee Regarding the President's Fitness to Serve votes that Wallace is fit to resume office and President George Wallace is re-instated to his office (22-2).
January 2, 1979: Resignation of Vice President Nicholas Katzenbach in order to clear away for good any doubts as to his motives and intentions and those of the cabinet during the 1978 Constitutional Crisis.
40. President George Wallace of Alabama/vacant, [Governor Richard Lamm of Colorado] (Democratic): January 2, 1979 - November 11, 1979
October 8, 1979: Impeachment and acquittal of President George Wallace for violating the law by ordering the armed forces of the United States to provide direct military assistance to the Somoza regime in direct violation of pertinent Congressional Acts prohibiting this activity (251-184/53-47).
November 1, 1979: Rejection of Governor Richard Lamm for Vice President by the House of Representatives (58-40/220-215).
November 11, 1979: Confirmation of former Vice President William Scranton as Vice President by Congress (362-73/89-11).
40. President George Wallace of Alabama/Former Vice President William Scranton of Pennsylvania (Democratic/Republican): November 11, 1979 - January 19, 1981
January 19, 1981: Resignation of Vice President William Scranton so that he can be sworn in as a Federal Appellate Judge.
40. President George Wallace of Alabama/vacant (Democratic): January 19, 1981 - January 20, 1981
41. Governor Donald Rumsfeld of Illinois/Representative Jack Edwards of Alabama (Republican): January 20, 1981 - September 12, 1986
Def. 1980 (Lost Popular Vote to Carey): Governor Hugh Carey of New York/Former Governor Reubin Askew of Florida (Democratic), Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ron Dellums of California/Activist Ralph Nader of Connecticut (We The People), Senator Ronald Galtieri of Montana/Businessman David Koch of New York (Libertarian), various regional candidates (Christian Values Movement) | 297-227-11-1-0 Electoral Vote/40.8%-39.4%-8.1%-5.4%-3.0% Popular Vote
1980 Senate Elections: 48 D (-3), 48 R (+2), 2 L (+1), 1 CV (-), 1 IND (-)
1980 House Elections: 213 R (-12), 204 D (+3), 6 CVM (+5), 5 WTP (+5), 4 L (-), 1 SWP (-1), 1 AAFP (-1), 1 IND (-)
1982 Senate Elections: 49 R (+1), 47 D (-1), 2 L (-), 1 CV (-), 1 WTP (-)
1982 House Elections: 215 R (+2), 205 D (+1), 6 WTP (+1), 5 CVM (-1), 3 L (-1), 1 AAFP (-), 0 SWP (-1), 0 IND (-1)
1982 Gubernatorial Elections: 27 R (+8), 21 D (-7), 1 L (-1), 1AI (-)
Def. 1984 (Lost Popular Vote to McCloskey): Governor Pete McCloskey of California/Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ron Dellums of Washington, D.C. (Democratic/We The People), Activist Richard Viguerie of Texas/Former Navy Admiral Jeremiah Denton of Alabama (Christian Values), Former Chair of the Libertarian National Committee David Bergland of California/Former Representative to the Libertarian National Committee James A. Lewis of Connecticut (Libertarian), Reverend Jesse Jackson of Illinois/Former Mayor of San Francisco George Moscone of California (We The People) | 316-171-27-16-8 Electoral Vote/33.7%-32.6%-13.2%-12.9%-7.1% Popular Vote
1984 Senate Elections: 53 R (+4), 39 D (-8), 4 CV (+3), 3 L (+1), 1 WTP (-)
1984 House Elections: 219 R (+4), 200 D (-5), 7 CVM (+2), 6 WTP (-), 4 L (-), 1 AAFP (-), 1 IND (+1)
September 11, 1986: 1986 United States coup d'état attempt by former Secretary of Defense Alexander Haig, Lieutenant Colonel Jeb Bush, Senator Jimmy Carter, and Vice President Jack Edwards foiled by the Executive Protection Agency and the FSB thanks to intelligence from Sarah Louise Heath.
September 12, 1986: Resignation of Vice President Jack Edwards due to an alleged nervous breakdown.
41. President Donald Rumsfeld of Illinois/vacant (Republican): September 12, 1986 - January 7, 1987
1986 Senate Appointments: 70 R (+13), 21 D (-18), 7 CV (+3), 2 L (-1), 0 WTP (-1)
1986 House Elections: 284 R (+65), 90 D (-110), 54 CVM (+47), 5 WTP (-1), 2 L (-2), 1 AAFP (-), 0 IND (-1)
January 7, 1987: Confirmation of former Navy Admiral Jeremiah Denton as Vice President by Congress (55-45/225-210).
41. President Donald Rumsfeld of Illinois/Former Navy Admiral Jeremiah Denton of Alabama (Republican/Christian Values): January 7, 1988 - January 26, 1988 (Impeached)
As Acting President, Vice President Jeremiah Denton of Alabama/Vice President Jeremiah Denton of Alabama (Christian Values): January 21, 1988 - January 26, 1988
January 21, 1988: Declaration by the Vice President and the Cabinet that President Donald Rumsfeld is unfit to discharge the duties of the office of the presidency due to his nervous breakdown (10-0)
Vice President Jeremiah Denton served as Acting President from January 21 to January 26, 1988 while Rumsfeld recovered from an alleged nervous breakdown.
January 26, 1988: Impeachment and conviction of President Donald Rumsfeld under the charges that his nervous breakdown rendered him unsound to discharge the office of the presidency and that his removal represents an urgent necessity as his current condition is highly prejudicial to the public interest, for exercising negligent judgment in entrusting vital national security information in the hands of White House Chief of Staff Dick Cheney who subsequently "engaged in public acts of sedition against the United States", and ordering the use of public funds in a project adverse to the sound management of the public purse (384-51/79-21/84-16).
42. Acting President Jeremiah Denton of Alabama/vacant, [Former Governor Milton Shapp of Pennsylvania] (Christian Values, then Independent/Democratic): January 26, 1988 - January 20, 1989
June 5, 1988: Rejection of former Governor Milton Shapp for Vice President by Congress.
43. Secretary of National Intelligence Coordination and Oversight Pat Robertson of Virginia/Senator Steve Symms of Idaho (Christian Values): January 20, 1989 - June 30, 1989 (Died In Office)
Def. 1988: Senator William Winter of Mississippi/Senator William Roth of Delaware (Fusion), Senator Ronald Galtieri of Montana/Philosopher John Hospers of California (Libertarian), State Senator Bobby Rush of Illinois/Activist Charles Barron of New York (We The People), Governor George Wallace of Alabama/Former State Senator Tom Turnipseed of South Carolina (Independent), Governor Tom Foley of Washington/Former Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland (Democratic), Senator David R. Dwight of Massachusetts/Representative Shelby Smith of Kansas (Republican) | 250-163-52-13-8-0-0 Electoral Vote/31.2%-19.5%-18.1%-11.2%-8.7%-7.4%-0.6% Popular Vote
1988 Senate Appointments: 46 R (-24), 21 CV (+14), 20 D (-1), 7 L (+5), 2 IND (+2)
1988 House Elections: 200 CVM (+146), 71 L (+69), 50 R (-234), 49 D (-41), 16 WTP (+11), 1 IND (+1), 0 AAFP (-1)
March 11, 1989 Senate Makeup: 44 CV (+23), 23 R (-23), 20 D (-), 7 L (-), 2 IND (-)
April 15, 1989: The first battle of the Second American Civil War, a group of Mississippi National Guardsmen aligned with the Holy Battalion attempt to take over the town of Butler, Alabama. Despite being numerically superior to the Alabama Guard and Police there, they are driven back by the superior tactics of the Alabama forces. 25 Holy Battalions and 4 Alabamans lay dead.
June 1, 1989: Beginning of the Capitol Seige when all non-CV members of Congress held a peaceful protest and refused entry to all CV Senators and Representatives.
June 30, 1989: Death of President Pat Robertson in an unexplained helicopter crash aboard Marine One over Eastern Virginia.
44. Vice President Steve Symms of Idaho/vacant (Christian Values): June 30, 1989 - present
Vice President Steve Symms was not sworn in as president and claimed to be only the Acting President in place of the Eternal President Jesus Christ, but is recognized by historians as the 44th and last president of the United States.
July 4, 1989: The Obliteration of the Capitol Building by 6 Pershing Missiles fired on orders from Secretary of National Intelligence Coordination and Oversight Douglas Coe, ending the Capitol Seige and killing all non-CV members of Congress.
July 13, 1989: The beginning of the American Inquisition, or the American Purge. From July 14 to August 28, between 100,000 people are charged under various "moral crimes", sentenced to either death, or hard labor. Among the more prominent figures who fall victim to the inquisition are former Secretary of Defense William Kristol, former Vice President Jack Edwards, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Trent Lott, former Associate Justices of the Supreme Court Byron White and William Rehnquist, former Chief Justice of the United States Strom Thurmond, and former Governor of Indiana Otis Bowen.
August 31, 1989: Article V Constitutional Convention held among "moral states" for the ratification of a new Godly Constitution. The United States of America is officially renamed the Christian States of America, aka the CSA. The CSA claims the borders of the former USA, however it's borders are disputed with Canada, the Pacific Free Republic, the Alaskan Republic, the Kingdom of Hawaii, the Republic of Texas, Cuba, the United States of America in New England, the U.N. Trusteeship of former American territories, and the Bozeman Enclave Disputed Zone in the Western former United States.
Hinted at in Flashforwards
Secretary of National Intelligence Coordination and Oversight Douglas Coe of Virginia is suspected to be the true head of state of the Christian States of America, with his loyal deputy White House Chief of Staff Tim LaHaye by his side. The Christian States of America eventually collapsed in on itself in the early 1990s during a revolution and the former United States was reestablish, though without its seceded states. America received aide from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United Nations. The UK helped the USA retake Washington, D.C. from the CSA.
Non-Canon Sequel Posts
The legitimist United States of America government in New England was led by former President Richard Nixon (I-NY) from 1992 until his death in February 1995. In 1992 a presidential election was held in the New England states which Nixon won unopposed with his former Vice President, Governor of New York and disgraced former President Spiro Agnew (I-NY) as his Vice President. Agnew subsequently lost re-election in 1996 to Governor of Vermont Bernie Sanders (WTP-VT).
In 1990 the Pacific Free Republic elected Ron Dellums (WTP-CA) as it's President to succeed President and former Governor of California Pete McCloskey (WTP-CA). Dellums' successor Jerry Brown (WTP-CA), a former cabinet member in the McCloskey administration, was elected in 1998 and rules the increasingly totalitarian and autocratic Pacific Free Republic with an iron fist to this day.
Fear, Loathing, and Gumbo/Rumsfeldia Con't
- Thread starter David Ritz
- Start date
Who could have been presidents after Bernie Sanders? Also, Rumsfeldia and the fan sequel made the worst tendencies of their decades worse. So what could be the event by the 2000s if worst tendencies wore much worse? A worse 9/11? A worse war on terror?
Not really sure on that. There was a post in the old list of presidents thread by a user named Plumber called Rumsfeldia zet Forward but it was inaccurate since it was made when Rumsfeldia was uncompleted and only at 1983. That post had every US President from 1953 to 2013 and the last president was left unknown either someone new or incumbent president Sarah Palin under the Reform Party as the governor of a different state (I think it was British Columbia for some reason) getting re-elected.
You're not wrong, but it was a little more complicated than that, since the controversy started when Drew was still writing. There were a couple other reasons. One was that, as a popular timeline, the Gumboverse had numerous "follow the leader" timelines that were making people sick of dystopias (along with people trying to force Gumboverse events in various Shared Worlds election games).
But the main controversy was the big reveal of the CV dictatorship. Not because it was implausible - the timelines had always been more about narrative than hard plausibility - but because it was dropped on us without warning. We had seen Rumsfeld taken down. We knew that there would be a hard recovery, but we were enjoying the catharsis and speculating on what would happen next.
"It's four years later and the guy who wrote the Left Behind series has blown up Congress" was, to put it mildly, a bit of mood whiplash. There were questions. Why hadn't this been foreshadowed in the "modern day" sources that were constantly quoted? Oh, those had been intentionally censored to hide the reveal.
That last part, I think, is where the controversy exploded - at least, that's how I remember it going down. People complained, they were upset. Drew got upset, threatened to cancel the whole project. The more devoted readers got upset at that, arguments broke out, it was a mess. By the time the dust settled it was just Drew and the most devoted fans. Despite Drew's threats the timeline did continue on after that but looking back with the benefit of hindsight I do think the backlash caused Drew to loose enthusiasm for the whole thing, which ultimately led to the handover you describe - and by that point, Trump had been elected and enthusiasm for American Dystopia TLs had dropped considerably.
Wow I had no idea that all of that happened. I wish FLG '72 at least forshadowed the CV movement but that part about LaHaye blowing up the Capitol, while cool for a dystopia was a little jarring for me reading it since I read the whole Left Behind and Left Behind: The Kids series long before getting into alternate history. I liked his books so I couldn't understand how he could've possibly turned into a loyal servant to a theocratic dictatorship.
He's a well-known religious zealot so that shouldn't have come across as a surprise per se lol
I mean, the fact that Newt Gringrich was a Rumsfeld apologist in the modern day should have been a sign that there was a reason why it was socially acceptable to not view Rumsfeld as the worst thing to have ever happened to the USA.
I kinda expected the "Follow The Leader" format due to how thrilling the storyline and its simplistic format (the "Time: Events" format over the typical "Narrative" format that most of the TLs mostly employs) that allowed uninterrupted reading of what could happen in the TL's world.
Though, nowadays, most of the TLs that have followed the FLaG'72/Rumsfeldia lines where mostly PolChat TLs (esp. 2020: Shots Fired in SV.com).
It's going to finish out here. I'm not exactly over there anymore.
Any ideas on how the Second American Civil War in Rumsfeldia could've been avoided? Like what if McCloskey lost the 1978 California gubernatorial election to Goldwater Jr. so California didn't secede? Any way the CV could come to power but not start a civil war?
If California did not secede, then Rumsfeld might not have been overthrown at all.
If it was not for the fact that whole entire states were already openly refusing to obey him, then he might have been able to survive the Cuba debacle.
The problem with this comparison is that America, even in this altered 70's never reached the point any of these countries you just listed did. Germany turned to the Nazis after losing one of the deadliest wars in history at the time (and getting blamed for it, and having part of its territory occupied), combined with a complete basket case of an economy for 15 years, having been victimized by the worst influenza pandemic in history, all the while suffering from deadly terrorism from both left and right wing sources. Cambodia was one of the poorest third world countries before the civil war started, had its sovereignty routinely trampled on by both the Vietnamese (North and South) and the US, the latter whom killed 300,000 of its people in bombing raids out of a population of 8 million. Yugoslavia had to endure the legacy of a brutal Nazi occupation that never truly left people's memories and was only held together by a charismatic communist dictator.
It's not like Drew had any problem twisting people's personalities into tortured caricatures so keeping that in mind it's hardly surprising he picked who he did to be the American Taliban.
There are also quietist fundamentalists who hold to conservative social and organizational doctrine without advocating for an officially religious state - or a state dominated by a particular sect as in the US. To be honest, official theocracy complete with demolition of national symbols looks ridiculous
You are aware that the US has a very large population of Christians radicalized by televangelism who potentially with the right impetus wouldn't mind the country turning into the "Christian States of America", right? Some of the proposed amendments to the Constitution are religious as hell in a secular country which is why they've never seriously been considered.
There was a hypothetical inside Rumsfeldia where Jesse Jackson never did the We the People, which prevented the spoiler. Could the country have been saved with the defeat of Rumsfeld in 1984, or was it too far gone by then?
1984 was probably the best last chance to prevent the final outcome.
Agreed it was the last chance. Not sure if it would have been enough, though.
If it keeps me from imagining Sarah Palin acting like Aeon Flux taking out nuclear silo personnel than I'm not against it loo
If McCloskey won the 1984 election Rummy will try to reverse those results, probably claiming that the McCloskey campaign worked with the Soviet Union (or any other communist state) to win the race through election fraud. Such claims would be parroted by Rumsfeld's allies and Hughes Network. There will almost certainly be an attempt to arrest/abduct McCloskey, or the electors, or Governors in states McCloskey won in, and ship them to a mental asylum. Rummy would hire false electors, and urge state Governors, to flip various states to him. Rumsfeld could even try and attempt an earlier Second American Civil War. I know all this may sound familiar, but I hope I am not leaning too hard into Current Politics territory.
If all that fails, and McCloskey becomes president on Jan 20., he will have to clean up the big mess made by the previous guy. McCloskey's biggest challenge would be to not upset Progressive Democrats into flocking to WTP. I think there would be a lot of reluctance from every party sans WTP in moving on from Rumsfeld's "economic reforms". The Republican Party would be divided in half: you would have those who want to move on from Rumsfeld, and those who believe Rumsfeld had the right vision for America and will try and stop "General Secretary McCloskey's anti-freedom agenda" everywhere they can. The Christian Values party will be a major obstacle for McCloskey, as they both threaten the Democrats' ability to hold the South and would be reliable allies of the Rumsfeld Republicans On foreign policy McCloskey would need to heal relations with Western Europe, rejoin NATO, and pull out of South Africa. Much like OTL Reagan in his second term, McCloskey would take on a softer, diplomatic approach to the Soviet Union (the radical right sees this as surrendering the US to the communists).
I made a map showing what the 1984 results would look like had McCloskey won the election:
I think the key fact of the Gumboverse was this: the traumas America faced in the 1970s were so much worse that fringe figures started to gain a measure of political power. Under Rummy, who was looking for any ally he could muster in his mad dream of anarcho-capitalist America, he spoon-fed them to the point of making them political players. And when you combine political power with religious fundamentalism, you get madness and horrors like LaHaye near the seat of power.
But the question is this: have the horrors of the CV meant the Rumsfeldians go unpunished? Does this lead to a "Lost Cause of Rumsfeldia" movement that allows Rumsfeld's crimes to be swept under the rug, with the Rumsfeldians whitewashing and gaslighting history to make themselves out to be "misguided patriots"? This would be bad for the future of what's left of America.
Uh...
Are you blaming McCloskey for causing the civil war? Considering Rumsfeld robbed an election from him and tried to force a flunky
That sounds like something ITTL Gingrich would write.
The Second Civil War is the result of the CV trying to genocide races and political groups opposed to them. That's like when the South called the Civil War "Northern Aggression" when they were the ones who fired the first shot because an anti-slavery man was elected in 1860.
Yes, but in this TL, the American Dream was under siege and political scandals highly discredited the political establishment. So, there were more significant stresses than OTL.
Let's not forget these people worshipped Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwel, even when they blamed 9/11 on gay people. TTL, it isn't hard for them to get more followers in an even power and more divided America.
I think 1984 was America's last chance of removing Rumsfeld through democratic means.
I also think the 1986 coup would've been the last chance to remove Rumsfeld in a way that could've allowed for some return to normalcy. After that, Rumsfeld doubled down on his authoritarian policies, gave more power to the CV, drove away Cheney, and pushed Hawaii and California to secede. While there would've consequences from a coup, I feel removing Rumsfeld could've gone a long way to restoring some faith in America.
Thank you so much for making a map.
But remember, Rumsfeld only won the election with blatant voting fraud. Even if Jesse Jackson didn't run as a spoiler, would that stop Rumsfeld from trying to fraud his way to power? Would the conservative Supreme Court, which TTL pulled a Bush v. Gore, be more willing to investigate fraud claims if that was the case?
If McCloskey did pull off a decisive electoral college victory, you're right that Rumsfeld would, out of desperation, try and stop McCloskey from winning. By this point, he was already threatening media outlets into silence and disappearing people like Carlin but since his power wasn't really consolidated at this point, it is doubtful Rummy could actually stop McCloskey.
But you also touch on another point: could McCloskey fix the mess left behind by Rumsfeld and "save" America?
Would the Republicans be willing to punish Rumsfeld for his already deplorable behavior? Or would they and Hughes Network fall in line with his lunatic actions and continue to prop him up as a messiah? Could Hughes Network's fabrications create a borderline fascist movement that could come to power in 1988?
Would the Democrats be willing to grow a spine and help McCloskey reverse Rumsfeld's corporatist policies? Some of them sided with Rumsfeld out of pure opportunism.
Could McCloskey keep the Democrats together, or would some defect to the WTP over his pragmatism? Would conservative democrats join the GOP over McCloskey's "liberalism?"
Would the Christian Values derail McCloskey's popularity in Middle America?
How do the Libertarians, true wild cards, fit into all this?
Can McCloskey reform the political system and end the electoral college?
The serious question an alternate historian in TTL would ask is whether one man could have saved America from collapse? Or was America already a doomed nation? Could McCloskey have torn down the political toxicity that began with Agnew? Or would those pernicious forces have consumed America anyways?
While "McCloskey saving America" is a popular alternate history subject in-universe, you have to remember that being a good politician at a local level is no guarantee of success at a national level? George Wallace, an admittedly diligent Alabama governor, ultimately didn't make him a good president. Can McCloskey really convince the forces that enabled Rumsfeldia, including more than a handful of democrats, to pull away from their ill-gotten gains?
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No just proposing that as a starting off point given that California's secession kind of snowballed and the rise of the CV was the nail in the coffin for America.