Phoenix Von Hindenburg

From Wikimerica, the United States encyclopedia
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
Official Portrait, 2369 	 	 	
11th President of the United States of Earth	11th President of the United States of Earth	11th President of the United States of Earth	11th President of the United States of Earth
In Office 	 	 	
January 20, 2369 - January 20, 2377 	 	 	
Vice President: Heinrich Otto Cromwell 	 	 	
Preceded by: Dionisia Honeycutt 	 	 	
Succeeded by: Patrick Tsongas 	 	 	
122nd President of the United States 	122nd President of the United States 	122nd President of the United States 	122nd President of the United States
In Office 	 	 	
January 20, 2369 - January 20, 2377 	 	 	
Vice President: Heinrich Otto Cromwell 	 	 	
Preceded by: Dionisia Honeycutt 	 	 	
Succeeded by: Patrick Tsongas 	 	 	
46th First Servant of State of Germany 	46th First Servant of State of Germany 	46th First Servant of State of Germany 	46th First Servant of State of Germany
In Office 	 	 	
January 20, 2369 - January 20, 2377 	 	 	
Second Servant: Heinrich Josenburg 	 	 	
Preceded by: Dionisia Honeycutt 	 	 	
Succeeded by: Patrick Tsongas 	 	 	
Personal details 	Personal details 	Personal details 	Personal details
Full Name: Phoenix Eagle Von Hindenburg 	 	 	
Born: March 22, 2304 	 	 	
Died: September 28, 2413 (aged 109) 	 	 	
Phoenix Eagle Von Hindenburg (March 22, 2304 - September 28, 2413) was an American politician who served as the 122nd President of the United States from 2369 to 2377 and as the 11th President of Earth at the same time.
== Early Life ==
Phoenix Eagle Von Hindenburg was born on March 22, 2304, to the middle class household of Godiva and Phoenix Victor Von Hindenburg in rural Upstate New York. Upon graduating high school in 2322, Von Hindenburg enlisted in the United States Navy from 2322 to 2326, before attending Cornell University from 2326 to 2330 with a bachelor's degree in political science. 
Throughout his early life, Von Hindenburg never particularly cared for the Union Party. While he thought that it had the potential to do good, he believed that nations, at their core, should be sovereign entities which can make decisions freely. Thus, Von Hindenburg opted not to join the Union Party. During his time at Cornell, Von Hindenburg aided the campaigns of various independent candidates, very few of whom experienced success. Regardless, this never dissuaded Von Hindenburg from his independent status, as he simply never wanted to join the Union Party.
== Entry Into Politics ==
In 2330, Von Hindenburg would conduct his own independent campaign for the New York State Assembly, yet would lose to popular Unionist incumbent Sean Patrickson. Given that the Union Party was dominant at the time, Von Hindenburg struggled to find political work for the next two years, and would instead work a series of low-class jobs. All the while, he read the work of the philosopher Manuel Bolivar, which strengthened his beliefs in national sovereignty. 
In 2332, Von Hindenburg would finally obtain an opportunity for success in politics. Manuel Bolivar was starting his own political party known as the "Boxer Party", and because the party was small, it was accepting all the help it could get. That year, Von Hindenburg led the Boxer movement in Upstate New York, and ran for New York's 22nd Congressional district in the House of Representatives. Since incumbent Representative Michael Vea was not running for re-election, Von Hindenburg once again faced Assemblyman Sean Patrickson for the seat. Leading up to the election, it was predicted that Patrickson would win by a fairly safe margin, as he had defeated Von Hindenburg two years prior. However, in the final results, Von Hindenburg won with 50.5% of the vote to Patrickson's 49.5%. Thus, to the shock and outrage of many Unionists in his district, Von Hindenburg entered the House of Representatives.
== Congressman (2333 - 2343, 2345 - 2361) ==
In Congress, Von Hindenburg was a hardline Boxer, and opposed Septivius Corleone's Common Law of Earth. He did not seek to compromise with Unionists, and rather stuck to the Boxer Party platform. 
=== First Re-election Campaign ===
Following Patrickson's defeat in the Election of 2332, the Union Party amplified their efforts to take back Von Hindenburg's seat. Given that he had defeated Von Hindenburg in the past, and that he lost by a close margin in 2332, Patrickson was once again nominated by the Union Party for New York's 22nd Congressional seat, and would conduct an intense campaign against Von Hindenburg. 
Leading up to the election, voters had few predictions of who would win, as news stations could not call the seat for either party. In the final results, however, Von Hindenburg won by a margin of 10 points, receiving 55% of the vote to Patrickson's 45%.
=== Zamora Economic Delegation Program ===
Although Von Hindenburg was a hardline supporter of the Boxer Party platform, he differed from Manuel Bolivar and other Boxers in that he supported Angela Zamora's plan to delegate federal funding to various programs created by state and local governments. Von Hindenburg reasoned that it was a way for regional governments to keep the federal government in check, thus fulfilling Bolivarianism. Additionally, Von Hindenburg was quite conservative in nature, and largely supported government staying out of as many affairs as possible.
=== Senatorial Campaign ===
Following five terms in the House of Representatives, Von Hindenburg declared his candidacy for the Senate in 2342. Given his longevity in the House of Representatives and Boxers' growing influence in the Senate, Von Hindenburg thought 2342 was the perfect time to secure Senatorial control of New York. 
Von Hindenburg's track record saw him win the Boxer primary for the position. However, in the General Election, Von Hindenburg only secured 38% of the vote to Unionist incumbent Franklin Elicore's 62%. With that, he was out of Congress, as he had not run for re-election for his seat. To make matters worse, Unionist nominee Victoria Usyra won Von Hindenburg's seat in the House of Representative. Thus, Von Hindenburg's campaign in the Senate aided the Union Party.
=== Election of 2344 ===
Following his defeat for New York's Senatorial seat, Von Hindenburg ran for his old seat in the House of Representatives. With 65% of the vote, Von Hindenburg unseated Representative Usyra, thus seeing his second Congressional tenure commence.
=== Bolivar Administration ===
Come time for the Presidency of Manuel Bolivar, Von Hindenburg opted to remain in the House of Representatives as opposed to running for the Senate or vy for a Cabinet position, so as to "ensure New York's 22nd Congressional district favored the President's agenda" and because "This is what [the Boxers] had fought for over the last 20 years."
During Bolivar's Presidency, Von Hindenburg would support the President in his agendas, and would be extremely hardline for the Boxer Party. Foremost, Von Hindenburg voted in favor of the Global Restoration Act, and commended President Bolivar for his work in "Brilliantly cleaning up Corleone's mess!". 
When coerced and persuaded by Boxer Whip Marek Foxman, Von Hindenburg even voted in favor of President Bolivar's plan to expand funding for scientific technology and research, even as he had previously denounced it as being "Progressive creeping." 
Those who opposed Von Hindenburg often criticized him for being a "Boxer partisan hack"; to these claims, Von Hindenburg often responded during his time as a Congressman that he "[supported] a goal" and wanted "to act in the best interest of the goal's movement; even above [himself]". Critics of Von Hindenburg often counter this line of reasoning by saying that Von Hindenburg's mindset is rooted in herd mentality with this statement, and that he would be supporting what he deemed right by countering the Boxer Party when he saw fit, rather than serving any selfish interests.
Meanwhile, Von Hindenburg's supporters appreciated how he was a "pillar for President Bolivar", and how he was reliable in consistently doing what President Bolivar desired for a given policy.
Much like the other Boxers, Von Hindenburg opposed the establishment of Terra Atmosphaera, subscribing to President Bolivar's claims and rhetoric surrounding it. This would prove to be impactful for his career both in the Bolivar Administration, as Terra Atmosphaera quickly became the United States's largest issue with the rise of the Progressive Party, and later during his own Presidency. 
In 2359, Representative Von Hindenburg announced he would not run for a 14th term, stating that he "served a movement [he] cared a lot about" and that "because the movement [was] now established, it [was] a safe time to hand off power to a new generation." In other words, Von Hindenburg was confident that the Boxer movement would prevail even without him in the House of Representatives. In the 2360 election, Von Hindenburg proved to be correct, as Boxer New York state Senator Enos Prince succeeded Von Hindenburg for his Congressional seat.
== State Senator (2361 - 2369) ==
Following his time as a Congressman, Von Hindenburg ran for the New York state Senate in 2360, and successfully obtained a seat within such with 68% of the vote. Von Hindenburg stated in his campaign that "Just as [he] helped the nation, so too [was] it now time to help New York."
Upon the commencement of his second term in New York's state Senate, Von Hindenburg was elected Senate Minority Leader in 2363. 
During his time in the Senate, Von Hindenburg largely advocated for the New York government to stay out of as many affairs as possible. Given that this was unpopular amongst many New Yorkers, however, many of Von Hindenburg's ambitions would fall on deaf ears.
== Presidential Campaign (2368) ==
During the O'Shaghennessy Administration, Von Hindenburg was largely critical of House Majority Leader Emesta Kostaguard, who had not only foregone pursuance of Boxer policy, even as Boxers retook the House majority in the Election of 2366, but who also voted in favor of O'Shaghennessy's establishment of Terra Atmosphaera under the guise that it gave Americans another regional government as an option to live in. Von Hindenburg accused Kostaguard of morphing himself into a "Progressive puppet" by "gobbling up O'Shaghennessy's twisted version of Bolivarianism", as Von Hindenburg put it. Because of this, Von Hindenburg declared his candidacy for the Presidency, so as to "provide Boxers with a real Bolivarian option." 
During the Boxer primaries, Von Hindenburg branded himself as an "Original Bolivarian". He alleged that he was staying true to the party, and that Kostaguard was simply using it for his own gain. To do so, Von Hindenburg pointed out that Kostaguard was House Majority Leader, meaning the party's success directly benefited his own career, hence why he would have an advantage to "manipulate the party platform for the sake of appealing to Progressives." Meanwhile, Von Hindenburg noted that he did what the party told him to consistently as a backbencher Congressman, using this to say that he "served because [he believed] in the Boxer cause." Meanwhile, Kostaguard dismissed his aid of President O'Shaghennessy's agenda as a "disagreement with Von Hindenburg", and that he was rather a better candidate because he was "more unifying for the country." With this, Von Hindenburg accused Kostaguard of potentially being "another Ashworth." Although Von Hindenburg elaborated little on why this was negative for the country, President Ashworth's popularity was low amongst Boxers, thus leading many Boxers to believe Von Hindenburg in his allegations. 
With all of these factors, Von Hindenburg defeated House Majority Leader Kostaguard with 63% of the vote to Kostaguard's 37%. Thus, he became the Boxer nominee for President. 
In the General Election, most predicted that Progressive Interior Secretary Alexander H'Abita would win the Presidency, given that he was a "more established" public figure who could draw on O'Shaghennessy's establishment of Terra Atmosphaera to win the election. Most thought that Von Hindenburg's hardline stances would make him unappealing toward moderate voters, thus increasing H'Abita's chances. In the final results, however, Von Hindenburg obtained 52% of the vote to H'Abita's 48%. Although Von Hindenburg lost the popular vote, having only obtained 44% of voters' support, he successfully won the Presidency with an upset victory.
== Presidency (2369 - 2377) ==
=== First Term ===
As President, Von Hindenburg's top priority would be to grant Terra Atmosphaera independence and "break up the US government's monopoly". In the early days of his Presidency, this would mean cutting all financial support for the territory, and insisting that the American government stays out of Terra Atmosphaera's affairs. This would prove to be devastating for Terra Atmosphaera, as the territory was still heavily reliant on American aid to function. With this, Terra Atmosphaeran infrastructure began to malfunction, as quality of life gradually deteriorated. Many had to move away from the island to more stable conditions. Many Boxers living in the territory even accused Von Hindenburg of "spreading monopolizing tyranny" because of how the American government single-handedly made life in the atmosphere worse. 
Meanwhile, this would also prove to be devastating for the government's internal affairs. As neither the Progressive-controlled Senate nor President Von Hindenburg could agree on a plan, a government shutdown commenced on October 1, 2369. When this occurred, Senate Majority Leader Graham Enseknol caved and agreed to negotiate with Von Hindenburg.
In Enseknol and Von Hindenburgs' negotiations, Enseknol agreed to grant Terra Atmosphaera independence. In exchange, however, the US government would grant Terra Atmosphaera a fund to use as it pleased, and former Secretary H'Abita would be granted influence in the Terra Atmosphaeran government to dictate how that fund would be spent. Enseknol additionally demanded more funding to scientific research as "compensation" for Von Hindenburg's "slow of progress", as removing American involvement would delay the process of developing Terra Atmosphaera's infrastructure. For the sake of seeing his policy passed, Von Hindenburg agreed to this demand. On February 19, 2370, this policy would pass Congress.
That year, however, Von Hindenburg's divisive political tactics would see the Boxers lose their House majority. Congress was now under complete Progressive control, as Progressives would use this to ensure the compromise of 2370 was upheld. Throughout the Von Hindenburg Administration, Progressive Congressmen did not allow funding toward science to be reduced.
=== Re-Election ===
For the loss of the Boxer House majority, Minority Leader Kostaguard once again declared his candidacy against Von Hindenburg in 2372. Kostaguard alleged that Von Hindenburg was "worsening the country" with his policy and tactics, as evident by what happened in Terra Atmosphaera, and by how his nature was "reflecting negatively on the party." Kostaguard alleged that if he were to become President, he would ensure both the nations' people and the Boxer Party had success on the national level. In the primary, however, Kostaguard would once again prove to be unpopular, only obtaining 31% of the vote to Von Hindenburg's 69%.
In the General Election, Von Hindenburg faced Senator Enseknol, whom the Progressive Party nominated for President. Enseknol pledged, in his campaign, that he would not re-annex Terra Atmosphaera, yet would increase H'Abita's funds to develop the nation. Enseknol largely criticized Von Hindenburg for worsening quality of life in Terra Atmosphaera, and pledged that if he were elected President, he would "pursue stable rule." In the final election, Von Hindenburg obtained 55% of the vote to Enseknol's 45%. Additionally, Von Hindenburg won the popular vote this time, having 53% of the vote to Enseknol's 47%.
=== Second Term ===
During Von Hindenburg's second term, Progressives maintained consistent control over Congress. Thus, the government largely maintained the status quo from President Von Hindenburg's first. 
Von Hindenburg left office in 2377 with a 49% approval rating. He is noted by historians as a divisive President whose agenda was rooted in political discord, yet also as one who accomplished his goals early on.