Recap / Chep USA

United States of America Recap:
Index | Hart's America | Chep's America

Responsibility, asked for or not.

"Well, I believe we'll need to assemble what they call a 'dream team.'"

— Jane Jacobs

Following Hart's untimely death, deLesseps "Chep" Morrison is inaugurated as the 41st President of the United States. Chep never imagined taking up this office and feels overwhelmed by the responsibilities he now wields, not helped by his fresh grief over Hart's passing and his loveless marriage with Zsa Zsa Gabor. In charge of a disarrayed and defeated cabinet, Chep's only hope is the Senate giving Birch Bayh the Vice Presidential Confirmation, at Hubert Humphrey's suggestion. Handsome, charming, and a trailblazing liberal, Bayh is the shot Chep needs to breathe life back into his administration.

If Hart didn't prepare for resignation and passed in office, the Senate will not have any faith that Chep can fill his predecessor's shoes, so they reject Bayh. Chep barely has any time to improvise before a conservative coalition in the Senate arms themselves to kill Hart's legacy: the Urban Renewal Initiative. Unable to muster the support to fight back, Chep reluctantly takes a deal from Nelson Rockefeller to merely scale down the URI and save what little scraps he can. Unfortunately, any chance of a possible recovery is ruined when Zsa Zsa visits the Dupont Circle and her words are misconstrued to seem that Chep is turning to her counsel to save the URI.

The media jumps at this story and spins Chep as a lame-duck President seeking the advice of his supposedly moronic First Lady and driving the country to ruin. This proves to be the last straw for Jane Jacobs, who resigns from her office and berates Chep as a disgrace to Hart's memory. Chep tries to save face by firing more people in his cabinet and signaling a fresh start, but Henry Kissinger thinks two steps ahead and martyrs himself to the media that he, a popular secretary, was victimized by his bullish President, fueling his own reputation. Worse still, Chep intensely argues with Zsa Zsa, blaming her for the maelstrom of controversy he's stuck in. As Zsa Zsa laments how far their marriage has become, Chep spitefully exclaims "Maybe I'll call up Conrad Hilton to see if he'll take back his washed-up, old whore then?" After a moment of shocked silence, Chep realizes that he's crossed a line and tries to apologize, but the damage is done; Zsa Zsa slaps him and ends their marriage on a bitter note. At his lowest point ever, Chep is left alone in his office, drinking a flask of whisky to dull his sorrows and solemnly thinking about how he failed Hart.

However, if Hart resigned in time and passed leadership to Chep in a smooth transition, the Senate will approve Bayh's confirmation and give Chep the means to save his administration from total collapse. After getting comfortable in his new position, Bayh makes a move in the Senate by presenting the Urban Affairs Act, which will continue the URI's work and divide the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare into the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the Department of Urban Affairs. Despite an initial positive reception, the legislation is resoundingly rejected by a coalition of conservative senators. After this setback, Humphrey delivers even worse news; the coalition is now moving to roll back the URI entirely. Chep refuses to let Hart's legacy die on his watch, but the only way to save it will be to rally public support for the URI and make it politically infeasible to try attacking it. There are five demographics to appeal to: City Goers, Rural America, Civil Rights Advocates, Unions, and the Press. One man alone can't accomplish this, so Chep will need to assemble a "dream team" to save the URI.

To Chep's great reluctance, the first ally he needs to recruit is Jacobs. Back when Hart was still alive, the two politicians frequently disagreed with each other and there's still a lot of animosity between them. However, Chep is desperate enough to form a truce with her. Over time, Jacobs comes to respect Chep's willingness to defend the URI and even starts acting like a person for Chep to confess his dysfunctional marriage to. Jacobs learns that Zsa Zsa has been pushing her husband around, yelling at him and going on random vacations without telling him. She punctures Chep's delusion that he's not being submissive, but ultimately leaves the relationship's fate in his own hands. After mulling over his troubles, Chep feels reinvigorated again and the two politicians set aside their differences for a common goal, where Jacobs is best equipped to organize the City Goers.

Jacobs personally appeals to Bayard Rustin to help Chep's crusade, but the activist is reluctant. Rustin still recalls Chep's segregation policies when he was Mayor of New Orleans and the President doesn't make a good first impression when they personally meet. If Hart's relationship with the Civil Rights Advocates was below 40%, Rustin will decline, citing the URI's lack of commitment to black communities. Otherwise, Rustin will join, best suited to lead the Civil Rights Advocates and mobilize urban black activists to declare their support for the URI.

Kissinger isn't particularly inclined to defend the URI, excusing that he's busy with foreign and media matters. However, Kissinger quickly changes his mind when Chep points out that bringing the URI down would give an opening for Jackson or Schlafly to become President. The former is a warhawk and the latter is an isolationist, but both would spell doom for Kissinger's détente talks with Japan, so he agrees to help. He's most appropriately assigned to handle the Press, distracting them with the foreign threats endangering the United States and drawing attention away from the URI.

Another ally to recruit is Eugene McCarthy, whose nervous and workaholic behavior makes him suited to the chaos of Chep's presidency. Despite having a busy schedule, McCarthy is sympathetic enough to throw his hat in the ring, printing colorful pamphlets that present the benefits of the URI to the rural communities. This makes him the best candidate to appeal to Rural America, winning the farmers to Chep's side and even attracting the hippie demographic with the URI's pro-environment policies.

Walter Reuther is also available for recruitment, since Hart was friendly to the American labor movement. Reuther is an obvious good choice to organize the Unions, but he does have some connections to the civil rights movement and can appeal to that demographic instead. Both cases prove to be a massive success, even in the scenario where Reuther leads the Civil Rights Advocates, to the surprise of himself and Chep. Buying more support for the URI, Chep graciously thanks Reuther for his help.

As Chep is fighting to save the URI, Zsa Zsa is running around and gossiping to one of the demographics, which prevents the President from assigning someone to organize them. This presents an opportunity for Chep to confront Zsa Zsa and resolve his personal conflict. If he fires her to stop the ruckus, Zsa Zsa gracefully accepts the termination and admits that she had fun. Later, the two ride the USS Sequoia and have a heartfelt conversation where Zsa Zsa admits that she wanted to help and that their current marriage is not working. The couple agree that it's best to split, but leave this matter until Chep's presidency ends, giving them a mixed feeling of relief and sadness. Alternatively, if Chep tolerates Zsa Zsa's mischief long enough, he comes to appreciate her sassy quips and realizes they can be the perfect propaganda tool to humiliate the URI's enemies. When they converse, Zsa Zsa confesses that she feels frustrated by the Press Office's underestimation of her intelligence and Chep can sympathize with her, as he's seen as an unworthy successor to Hart. While they don't rekindle their love, Chep and Zsa Zsa come to a new understanding and respect for each other, saving the marriage and making Zsa Zsa available for recruitment, where she's best suited against the Press.

Inevitably, the conservative coalition begins their attack and proposes several bills that would indirectly roll back the URI's programs. Gathering more pro-URI support is necessary to convince more seats to vote against these proposals. If a bill achieves a supermajority with 66% of the votes, it passes and destroys one piece of the URI. If a bill achieves between 50-66% support, Chep can veto it. If a bill achieves below 50%, it's rejected entirely. There are five bills written by the conservative coalition:

• The Land Reform Act will allow private citizens to buy, sell, and rent extra rooms in public housing blocks, repealing all rent controls and rendering the impoverished homeless again.
• The America's Choice Act will privatize most of the URI's public sector jobs, not only taking away people's jobs, but also destroying the workforce needed to expand the United States' transportation system.
• The Responsibility in Government Act will mandate municipal audits of the URI's funding, yet use the same program's money to fund these audits. This gives the conservatives an excuse to claim that the URI is a money sink and justify its destruction.
• The Workers' Welfare Act will complicate the requirements to receive workers benefits, such as active employment, abstinence from drugs, having children in school, being married, and more. While it doesn't directly attack welfare provisions, it will make it much harder to access it.
• The Transportation Assessment Act will cut all regulations on energy that Hart passed during the Oil Crisis, justifying that these economic protections are useless now that the economic troubles are over.

If Chep fails to stop all of the anti-URI bills, he gives up the fight. Meanwhile, the conservatives move for the kill with the Federal Finance Act, which will impose restrictions on URI cities, mandate balanced budgets for federal aid programs, and restrict participation in the URI if certain federal requirements are not met. The URI's final fate is sealed with the Urban Divorce Act, which allows cities to withdraw from the URI at no cost. With the work of two administrations rendered null, the only thing Chep can do is lay his head on his desk and fall unconscious, hoping that his predicament is just a bad dream.

If most of the anti-URI bills pass, Chep feels miserable that he's failed Hart. He tries to blame the conservatives, his cabinet (especially Jacobs), and his supporters for the disaster, but he cannot shake the internal guilt that he's accountable for the URI's destruction. Meanwhile, Jacobs retires to her home in Greenwich Village, externally expressing content with her work, but secretly blaming Chep for letting Hart's work go to waste. Even so, she too can't stop imagining how things could've gone differently. Despite the gloomy situation, Chep feels some happiness when he and Bayh visit New Orleans and meet some of his fervent supporters, giving hope that he can one day recover from his grief.

If none or few of the anti-URI bills pass, Chep is jubilant. Poll numbers in support of the URI are skyrocketing and the conservative coalition is forced to give up their crusade in fear of alienating their supporters. At Jacobs' suggestion, Chep proposes the Presidential Libraries Act, creating libraries to commemorate every American President, including Hart. More popular than ever, the bill easily passes and Chep gives Janey Hart the privilege of choosing where her husband's dedicated campus should be built. Before he opens the Philip Hart Presidential Library, Chep sees Jacobs again and recounts the long history together. While the two remain politically incompatible, they reconcile with a healthy, mutual respect and Jacobs tells Chep that they're accomplishments will go down in history. Notably, if Chep stopped all of the anti-URI bills, senior Democrats approach Chep with an offer to run for reelection, but Chep politely declines. He explains that the presidential office isn't the right line of work for him and wants to drop out while he's ahead of the curve, but his pride cannot be overstated and he aims to leave the White House, pleased that he's done his late friend proud.

---

This route provides examples of:

• Actually Pretty Funny: After several weeks of letting Zsa Zsa mess with the public, Chep is told by a junior Press Office member that she's been gossiping about the URI and stealing attention away from the policies that they're trying to advertise. When Chep hears some of the insults she's flung towards the URI's enemies, he laughs to the point of tears and realizes that she's a lot funnier than he's given her credit for, mentally noting to watch some of her recordings later.
• Accidental Misnaming: When picking a vice president for his administration, he announces "Burtch Evans Bayh" to be his choice. A bystander tells him that his first name is actually Birch.
• All for Nothing: Despite Chep's best efforts, it's possible to let every anti-URI bills pass the Senate, effectively destroying all of his and Hart's hard work over the course of two administrations.
• Appeal to Worse Problems: If Kissinger is assigned to handle the press, Chep will be questioned by a reporter on his response to the Efficiency in Government Act. Chep demeans it as a waste of time by pointing to the instability and conflicts in foreign countries, questioning why conservatives are more focused on ending the URI than listening to Kissinger's advice and focusing on geopolitics. The dodge successfully works and Chep compliments himself on it.
• Arc Words: Hart's funeral event chain is titled with the same frame of "The X's Eulogy", detailing the final respects given by Jane Jacobs, Walter Reuther, Eugene McCarthy, Nelson Rockefeller, Bayard Rustin, and Chep Morrison.
• Batman Gambit: Beyond his lack of faith in Chep, Kissinger also accepts his forced resignation in the collapse scenario because he's self-aware of his popularity and knows that the press will portray him as a martyr victimized by an unpopular President. As expected, the gambit works and Kissinger's exit is followed by a mob of news reporters.
• Because You Were Nice to Me:
  • Rustin can be recruited to save the URI, but this is dependent on Hart having a relationship greater than 40% for the civil rights advocates. If he did, Rustin is best assigned to lead the civil rights activists, where he organizes thousands of African Americans to march across the cities and promote the benefits the URI has provided for the underprivileged.
  • At Chep's request, Reuther joins his campaign to save the URI out of respect for everything Hart did for the common worker, even though his own schedule is packed with newspapers hounding him.
• Bigger on the Inside: Inverted. The White House looks extravagant outside, but it's a lot more cramped inside, not helped by the rats and cockroaches. Chep hates spending time in its West Wing and wonders why anyone would visit the place, let alone spend hours there.
• Bittersweet Ending: Rather than work out their marriage troubles, Chep can fire Zsa Zsa from the Press Office, immediately ending her shenanigans that have been delaying his supporters' organization. Even though their relationship was rough, there's an element of sadness between the two, as Zsa Zsa gracefully accepts that the arrangement is not working and admits that she did want to help Chep. Once his presidency is over, they vow to find some settlement where they can have peace, knowing that this is the right choice for both their sakes, but still regretting how things turned out.
  Chep and Zsa Zsa's marriage has reached its end, but there is no malice between them, only sadness.
• Blatant Lies:
  • After Zsa Zsa refuses to stop gossiping to the press, a tearful Chep tries to assure Jacobs that there's nothing wrong. Jacobs doesn't buy it for a second and gets him to vent his frustrations.
  • Despite telling numerous stories of being verbally pushed around or ignored by Zsa Zsa, Chep tells Jacobs that he's not being spineless. Jacobs points out the delusion, but ultimately leaves the matter of divorce up to him.
• Bring It: When Humphrey reveals that the conservatives are gunning for the URI, Bayh tells him "If they want a fight, Hubert. It's a fight they'll get".
• Brutal Honesty:
  • Failing to get Bayh as his VP, Chep desperately begs for faith in the URI, but Rockefeller bluntly interjects that they can't save the URI at its current scale and the best thing they can do is rework it and curry favor with the Responsible Republicans.
  • Before he gets potentially fired, Kissinger makes no secret to Chep that he has no respect for him and lacks faith that he will protect the United States' national security.
• Celebrity Endorsement: Zsa Zsa mentions participating in an advertisement for Coca Cola to endorse it.
• Commonality Connection:
  • Humphrey informs Chep that Bayh's wife has been battling cancer for years. Chep comments that Hart faced a similar affliction in his second term and believes they can sympathize with each other.
  • When meeting Reuther to join his mission to save the URI, the two kick things off by relating their hatred for flying.
  • After watching a play at the Kennedy Center, Chep and Zsa Zsa talk about how the Press Office doesn't let the latter use her own sarcastic quips, lamenting that they have no sense of humor. With Chep long accustomed to her sarcastic behavior in the press, he suddenly realizes that their both disrespected by their colleagues, soothing the differences they've had for years. With this epiphany, the two come to a newfound respect for each other and Zsa Zsa is now available to help save the URI.
• Crazy Enough to Work: Downplayed. Reuther's connections to the civil rights movement aren't strong and he advises Chep that he's going to have to pull some serious leg work for him to get their support. If Reuther is assigned to lead the Civil Rights Advocates, it proves to be a lot more successful than either of them expected.
• Damned by Faint Praise: With Chep and Bayh panicking that the URI is being targeted, Jacobs forces herself to compliment the new President's proactiveness by saying "I can't say I'm not disappointed".
• Decided by One Vote: If any of the anti-URI bills have between 50-66% of the votes, then Chep can veto the bill and render all of the supporting votes null, saving one more piece of the URI.
• Developer's Foresight:
  • Only Jacobs, Reuther, and Chep are guaranteed to eulogize Hart's funeral. The others are dependent on certain conditions where it would make sense for them to honor the late President.
    • McCarthy requires that the rural revolt didn't end in disaster.
    • Rockefeller requires that the budget hawks' spite is below 40%.
    • Rustin requires that the civil rights advocates have a goodwill above 40%.
  • As President, it is impossible for Chep to pass the Urban Affairs Act due to Congressional interference. The only way to get it passed is to cheat and use console commands, which will play a special event of Zsa Zsa Gabor berating the player for interrupting her husband's "character arc" and shooting Chep twice in the head. Afterward, Gabor declares herself to be the new "President" of the country, where she turns the United States into her personal dictatorship.
• Downer Ending:
  • Failing Hart's resignation causes Bayh's VP inauguration to be rejected, starting a ripple effect where Chep is forced to scale back the URI, his cabinet collapses with both forced and willing resignations, and Zsa Zsa divorces him when their marriage troubles prove too much. By the end, Chep is stuck in his office, hated by the entire country, lashing out at his staffers in frustration, and depressedly drinking with the knowledge that he's failed to save Hart's legacy.
  • Letting all of the anti-URI bills pass the Senate will completely undo Hart's work and render Chep's mission a failure. As he sits alone in the West Wing, Chep sadly looks at a picture of himself and Hart, and sets his head on the desk, slowly drifting into unconsciousness and feebly hoping that his situation turns out to be a bad dream.
• Dream Team: To save the URI and Hart's legacy by extension, Chep rallies as many supporters as he can to counter the conservatives' attempts to kill it, which includes many of the supporting characters that showed up in Hart's campaign, from progressive voices such as Jane Jacobs, Walter Reuthers and Bayard Rustin to experienced establishment figures such as Henry Kissinger and Birch Bayh.
• Due to the Dead:
  • Hart's funeral is respectfully eulogized by the friends and colleagues he's worked with in the Senate and his presidency.
    • Jane Jacobs calls Hart a great, well-principled man who actually lived up to his promises rather than pay lip service for cheap political support. She mentions the deep respect she's developed for him in the years they've worked together and her restored faith in the American dream, thanks to his work.
    • Walter Reuther is afraid for what the United States will devolve into following Hart's death, but he remains strong during his eulogy and commemorates the legacy he left behind. Recognizing those who would seek to destroy it, he deems it everyone's mission to ensure that Hart's work won't die in vain and that he gave the working class a chance to live in a fairer country.
    • Eugene McCarthy honestly admits that he's been a rival to Hart, envying his greater success in the primaries and believing that his appointment to Agriculture Secretary was a concession to unite the party. However, McCarthy recognizes that Hart genuinely treated him as an equal and always included him in the cabinet discussions, so he thanks the late President and gives him his respect.
    • Nelson Rockefeller, despite having little in common with Hart, still acknowledges him as a political maestro and that he did what he thought best for the United States. Thus, Rockefeller shares everyone's grief with Hart's untimely passing.
    • Bayard Rustin never knew Hart personally, but he still applauds his courage and the progress he made for the Black community. Rustin calls Hart the greatest President since Abraham Lincoln and promises to never forget the work he did in the last few years of his life.
    • Chep Morrison delivers the last eulogy, counting his predecessor among the best people he's ever met. He deems Hart's kindness his most admirable quality, calling him a better man than he ever was as a former Dixiecrat. Thus, Chep calls all Americans to honor the legacy he left behind.
  • A more depressing case happens if Chep's cabinet collapses, where he's left alone and depressed in his office before he pours a glass of whisky in Hart's honor and drinks to ease his sorrows.
• False Reassurance: Chep's cabinet is dealt a major blow if Bayh's inauguration fails, with Jacobs directly confronting the President about how he plans to recover. Chep can only offer a vague assurance that he's still working on it, which fails to inspire any confidence from Jacobs.
• Fist Pump: If recruited, Kissinger will distract the press by talking about geopolitics and how the United States should respond to the situation in Europe. Chep pumps his fist in the air at this small victory, knowing that Kissinger's good publicity will slow down the movement to kill the URI.
• Flat "What": If Bayh's inauguration is rejected, Chep's first response is a flag "What", surprised that the seemingly popular Bayh was rejected and sealing his cabinet's doom.
• Foregone Victory:
  • So long as Hart resigned from office, Bayh's inauguration is guaranteed and Chep can proceed on his journey to save the URI.
  • The Presidential Libraries Bill is guaranteed to pass the Senate, given that Chep can only propose it if he's built a lot of good PR for himself and mobilized enough support to stop most of the anti-URI bills.
• "Hell, Yes!" Moment: Talking with Reuther in D.C., Chep asks him if his union workers can be used for support to save the URI. Reuther tells him that they're already preparing the first marches, which excites Chep. After being told that Reuther's connections in the civil rights movement may not be ironclad, Chep thinks that this news makes up for it and feels that things are going right for once.
• Hope Spot: After presenting the Urban Affairs Act with gravitas and respect for former President Hart, Bayh analyzes the Senate's reactions and thinks that he's successfully convinced them to pass it. This confidence turns out to be woefully misplaced, as those who would support it chicken out and let the the legislation be killed.
• I Can't Believe I'm Saying This: With Chep being given the presidency after Hart's untimely passing, he tries to mend relations with Jacobs and vowing to defend Hart's legacy by keeping the URI alive through his term. Jacobs is surprised to see herself agree with Chep and takes a step to defuse their rivalry.
• Ignored Epiphany: The Oil Crisis demonstrated to the American public that some energy precautions are needed or else they could see rising prices for them in another economic downturn. Unfortunately, the URI's opponents don't get this message and try to kill these regulations with the Transportation and Assessment Act.
• Innocently Insensitive: While negotiating for Rustin's help, Chep widely smiles at him and Rustin interprets this as arrogance that he'll say yes. Chep doesn't help his case when he asks if he shouldn't think otherwise, so Rustin takes the negotiation privately with a cringing Jacobs. Even if Rustin accepts, he'll never forgive Chep for this and tells Jacobs in his letter that he wouldn't like to speak to her boss again.
• Insistent Terminology: If assigned to lead Rural America, McCarthy will report to Chep of the following he's gathering with pro-environment policies, but he insists that they be called his "supporters" instead of "hippies" so that he won't soil their loyalty.
• It Has Been an Honor: If most of the anti-URI bills are stopped, Chep will thank Bayh for his service and the Vice President reciprocates that it was an honor to work together.
• It Only Works Once: Downplayed. When assigned to lead the Unions, Reuther mobilizes thousands of workers, threatening to leave their jobs if the URI is destroyed. While this strategy can be used again, Retuerh warns a celebratory Chep that they'll get progressively less coverage each time and that he shouldn't expect another movement this large.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: After repealing most of the anti-URI bills, Chep rubs his victory in the conservative coalition's face by proposing the Presidential Libraries Act, which will build a library honoring Hart and himself. Chep knows that it isn't a revolutionary bill, but he savors the angry reactions of the conservatives.
• Know When to Fold 'Em:
  • After Bayh's inauguration is rejected, many Congressmen start jumping ship from Chep's campaign, unwilling to risk their careers to a lost cause and urging Chep to do the same.
    • The cynicism gets to Chep and his few remaining allies, who make a deal with Rockefeller to scale down the URI and appeal for conservative support, sacrificing the program and planning to spend the rest of his tenure salvaging anything from it.
    • When Zsa Zsa seemingly leaks that she's going to help reform the URI, Jacobs recognizes the maelstrom of controversy about to hit the URI and resigns from her post, calling Chep a disgrace to the office and Hart's legacy when he begs for her return.
    • Kissinger joins the same boat, accepting his forced resignation from Chep and bluntly telling him that he doesn't have any respect for the new President.
  • If Bayh's inauguration is confirmed, Chep will try to divide the H.E.W.'s responsibilities through the Urban Affairs Act. Contrary to his Vice President's expectations, Jacobs is okay with splitting her portfolio because she's aware that she can't manage all of the workload alone.
• Loophole Abuse: Most of the conservative coalition's bills aren't explicitly overturning the URI, but they set up a policy that indirectly cripple it:
  • The Land Reform Act officially entitles private citizens to buy, sell, and rent rooms in public housing blocks. What it doesn't mention is that all rent controls would be repealed and take away the homes of many poor Americans.
  • The America's Choice Act privatizes most public sector jobs, but it would also indirectly kill the transportation system that Hart has expanded by targeting the workers needed to maintain and expand it.
  • The Responsibility in Government Act uses the URI's money to fund municipal audits on its funding, wasting tons of money and then blaming the URI for it.
  • The Worker's Welfare Act is framed as a justified measure to punish drug abuse and encourage traditional values like marriage, work, and sobriety. However, it's really an excuse to limit the people who can access URI welfare programs by instating draconian requirements to be eligible, while not directly attacking the programs themselves.
• Manly Tears: During Hart's funeral, Chep weeps deeply over the passing of his close colleague and friend.
• Men Don't Cry: Before going on stage and opening the Philip Hart Presidential Library, Chep requests for Zsa Zsa and Bayh to run interference if he starts getting emotional.
• Multiple Endings: There are multiple outcomes to Chep's presidency:
  • If Hart didn't prepare for resignation and died in office, Chep's tenure will be doomed, as Bayh's confirmation to the Vice Presidency is rejected, his cabinet jumps ship, and Zsa Zsa ends her marriage when a frustrated Chep snaps at her. Alone and drinking whisky to ease the pain, this is the worst possible outcome for Chep and ends the route early for the player.
  • If all of the anti-URI bills pass, Chep will lose any motivation to keep fighting, allowing the conservative coalition to pass the Federal Finance Act and the Urban Divorce Act with little opposition. A depressed Chep recognizes that two administrations' worth of work is about to be undone and the only thing he can do is hope that he's experiencing a bad dream.
  • If most of the anti-URI bills pass, Chep and Jacobs will feel disappointment that most of their resistance proved futile, internally recognizing their failures. Jacobs retires to Greenwich Village and Chep visits New Orleans, with the only hope being that they can, one day, recover from their guilt.
  • If most of the anti-URI bills are stopped, Chep will celebrate his victory by passing the Presidential Libraries Act to honor all of the United States' past Presidents, including Philip Hart. Janey is allowed to pick the location of her husband's library and Jacobs personally meets Chep before he opens it, coming to a newfound respect for each other. It's even better if all of the anti-URI bills were rejected, where many senior Democrats want Chep to have a second term, but the President gracefully rejects the opportunity, thinking that he's done his job and is ready to pass on the torch to someone else.
• My God, What Have I Done?: If Rustin refuses to help Chep's mission, Jacobs wonders if she didn't do enough to help the Black communities of America and berates herself for failing them.
• Nepotism: A junior employee in the Press Office is disdained by Chep as a brownnoser who only got his job because he's a political donor's nephew and desires a chance to expand his resume.
• Old Friend: Congressman Hale Boggs used to work with Chep when he was mayor of New Orleans, both fighting against the Longs. As conservatives begin targeting the URI, the two politicians meet again, with Boggs warning Chep about the looming threat and promising to do what he can to save Hart's work.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Paul Laxalt once criticized Zsa Zsa in the Washington Post and she's never forgiven him for it.
• Out-of-Character Alert: When Bayh asks Jacobs for any tips on working with Chep, she fidgets around with faux-heavy thinking, contrary to her usually sharp responses. Bayh notices and correctly suspects that she and the President don't get along.
• Prayer Is a Last Resort: On his first days in office, Chep prays to God that he has a successful presidency. He's not certain if the Lord will heed his request, but he does so anyway out of desperation.
• Precision F-Strike: If Chep successfully repeals at least most of the anti-URI bills, Chep celebrates with Humphrey and Bayh, recounting the poll increase in URI supporters and calling its opponents "stupid, rotten bastards". Humphrey states that he wouldn't use such foul language, but he can't repress a smile and tells Chep that it's time to bask in their victory.
• Propaganda Piece:
  • After Jacobs' resignation, one newspaper publishes a political cartoon of Chep and Zsa Zsa acting as the Beverly Hillbillies, driving a car representing Washington off a cliff.
  • When recruited, McCarthy produces colorful pamphlets that uses clean graphs and plans to explain the URI's benefits to the rural communities. McCarthy is assigned to distribute them and they are a massive success, with farmers turning against the conservative coalition and recruitment in the Department of Agriculture rising in areas that once opposed the URI.
• Rage Breaking Point: If his cabinet collapses, Chep and Gabor's marriage will reach a critical point, as his spouse blames him for dragging her to the White House to be humiliated. Already at his patience's end, Chep snaps back that she's a "washed-up, old whore" who should be taken back by her former husband, Conrad Hilton. After a few seconds of shock, Chep tries to apologize, but it's too late, as Gabor slaps him across the face and leaves him for good.
• "Ray of Hope" Ending: The ending where most of the anti-URI bills pass is largely a downer. Chep and Jacobs are disappointed by their lack of success and try to blame each other, but they'll always know internally that they each have some level of accountability. No matter the case, much of Hart's legacy has been undone and Chep will be recognized as a serviceable Vice President and President, if nothing more. However, Jacobs did bring some long-term benefits to her home neighborhood in Greenwich Village and she thinks about potentially working for Congress when she finishes her break. Meanwhile, Chep revisits New Orleans with Bayh and sees some of his supporters amicably greet them. Bayh notices that Chep is a bit more energetic after his visit and thinks that there is a possibility of him recovering in the future.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Zsa Zsa's role in reforming the URI is exaggerated in the press, Jacobs resigns from Chep's cabinet and verbally eviscerates the President when he calls and begs for her to return. She calls Zsa Zsa a complete detriment to his administration and denounces Chep as an unworthy successor to Hart's legacy before hanging up on him.
• Reluctant Retiree: After losing Jacobs, Chep starts firing more people in his cabinet in a last ditch move of charting a new beginning and winning back the media's goodwill. However, he always phrases these terminations as "resignations", with the former staff publishing letters thanking the President. The same fate befalls Kissinger, though he manipulates public perception to make Chep look like the bad guy and soil his reputation further.
• Rousing Speech: Even though his presence in the Senate isn't required, Bayh personally presents the Urban Affairs Act with an inspiring speech that they need to honor the late Hart's legacy by continuing his urban renewal initiatives. Sadly, it doesn't work and the Urban Affairs Act is killed.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Even though McCarthy is supposed to be apolitical, he can join Chep's campaign to save the URI because he approved of Hart's policies, specifically helping improve its publicity to the farmers.
• Scylla and Charybdis: Without Bayh as a VP, the conservatives mobilize to kill the URI, so Rockefeller offers to throw the Responsible Republicans' support to Chep, if he can scale its programs down. Humphrey acknowledges that Chep is in a no-win situation, as the only other option is hunkering down and riskily betting on the Senate not uniting on a "reform" package. At Bayh's counsel, Chep reluctantly takes the deal and hopes that he can somehow pick up what scraps are left.
• Sore Loser: If the conservative coalition fails to destroy most of the URI, they will scowl at Chep when he confidently enters the Senate to propose the Presidential Libraries Act.
• Too Desperate to Be Picky: Given their past animosity, Chep isn't too fond about working with Jacobs, but he deems it necessary to assemble more allies and save the URI.
• Unwinnable by Design:
  • Chep's first bill, the Urban Affairs Act, will never pass the Congressional floor, in spite of Bayh's emotional appeal to their morality.
  • After all anti-URI bills pass, Chep loses the motivation to fight either the Federal Finance Act or the Urban Divorce Act, too depressed from his loss to change the outcome and guaranteeing their passage in the Senate.
• Video Game Cruelty Punishment: Hart's disappointing progress on civil rights could undo his reforms posthumously when Rustin refuses to support Chep's mission to preserve the URI, noting his predecessor's lack of commitment to his movement. In order to recruit his help, Hart's relationship with the civil rights advocates must be greater than 40%.

---