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((Obviously the man who set up our current AAR economic success is the best President ever, Michael Jamous.))

My two cents is that the current success was set up by the double-whammy of two great presidents in a row: One who preserved the union, cemented the US as a nation and oversaw the economic recovery (Williams), and one who made sure that the South wasn't obliterated in that recovery and made sure that nothing drastic upset the first decade of the big boom, thus allowing it to continue unabated until 1892 (Jamous).

Of course, the next double-whammy will be the two guys who first made sure that the market crash merely slowed us down instead of stopping us in our tracks (Hayden) and then ensured the universal continuation of the boom and the attractiveness of American markets by taking the monopolies down a notch (Harrison). Not quite comparable to Williams-Jamous in terms of the crisis' severity, but still pretty good. :D

Both times it's a situation where the first one prevents the nation from exploding, and the second one fixes the cracks left by the almost-explosion.

PS. Harrison will only run in 1901. I really sort of want the record to say James Harrison (1899-1905) instead of (1899-1901).
 
((Remember it was Williams who caused the almost-explosion, and it was pure luck, or rather good generals, that meant the country wasn't blown apart.))
 
Tempted to join this now, had a quick recap but trying to decide on party.
 
((Remember it was Williams who caused the almost-explosion, and it was pure luck, or rather good generals, that meant the country wasn't blown apart.))

The almost-explosion was a long-time coming.

It's likely Williams knew exactly what he was doing when he reincorporated the Department of the South. The previous years had already shown that, to quote Lincoln "A house divided against itself cannot stand". When he made his speech, he was forcing the South's hand. In the update I put that it "destroyed any chance", by which I meant that his chances at keeping the South from seceding were already incredibly slim because he wasn't Cameron or Davis. Those two were the only guys in 1858 that could have kept the South from secession, had Cameron not been dead and had Davis actually wanted to.
 
((What if Khur had had won the election?))

Well, likely the South would have still seceded by the end of his term. Cameron was the only Northerner with the clout and political wileyness brought by experience to have not slipped up at some point. Khur, while liked by the South, would have likely ended up saying something that sounded just a little too Pro-North for the South's liking (which covers everything from "I am going to abolish slavery" to "I like Ohio pigs better than Alabama pigs"). Being from Ohio, Khur would be perceived by the South as pandering to the North that raised him. Secession time again.
 
((All my hopes and dreams, dashed by some insignificant phrase as "Ohio is best State, North is best United States" :p))

Great. Now I somehow need to conjure up a gif of Khur dancing around Ohio while the words "North US, Best US" flash in the foreground. :D
 
I am writing the update now.

It'll be broken up into two pieces: One for Hayden. One for Harrison.

Both will be posted within two hours of each other.
 
((Darn it! I saw your name and was so hopeful... oh well, at least I know when the updates are coming :D))