You are the President of the United States in the Buffyverse.

[The Romulan Republic]

This is kind of like my thread where you control the Watcher's Council, but different. In this scenario, you become President of the United States in the Buffyverse, just like the title says. Assume (as unlikely as this may sound), that you attained the position without owing any debts to Wolfram and Hart or similar entities. Assume also that they are not happy about this.

It is 1996, so this is an alternate reality where you beat Bill Clinton for his second term, and Buffy has just recently been called as a Slayer (I gather that she was called sometime around the summer of '96).

Assume one more thing- you are aware of the existence of magic, and as President, have the responsibility to protect your nation from all threats, including the magical.

Do also try to keep in mind that the President has limits on his power, supernatural threats have heavily infiltrated the US government in this franchise, and that sudden, that prophecies exist in this setting, and that sweeping actions may have unforeseen catastrophic consequences.

What do you do?

[Ralin]

Bush's civil rights abuses begin several years early. A whole bunch of lawyers get sent to Guantanamo or wherever. I start making lists of confirmed or suspected infiltrators and send death squads to murderer them without trial as needed. Afterward I pardon my agents in my capacity as president.

Maybe arrange a false flag terrorist attack and pin it on domestic terrorists to make this all go down easier.

[The Romulan Republic]

Not sure you need a false flag attack if you want to act that overtly. Just pick one of the many horrible things that happen in this setting and get forgotten about or swept under the rug, and make sure far more attention is drawn to it than would otherwise be the case.

Or... when did the Oklahoma City Bombing happen? You could use that, couldn't you? Considering it was the worst thing of the kind to happen pre-911.

Edit: Still, I'd like to start out small and quiet, because once you go big enough, the supernatural might become open public knowledge, and then the world changes very fast and gets very messy.

First off, I think I start the Initiative about three years early, and with rather different leadership and objectives.

[The Romulan Republic]

Might as well elaborate a bit more on my thoughts.

I think their are three things I need to do right off the bat:

1. I need to learn defensive magic, or holy rituals to protect myself, or something. Particularly against mental influences. I recall one particularly repellent and horrifying Wolfram and Hart plot where they turned a politician they didn't like into a pedophile to discredit him. So yeah. After vetting my cabinet very, very carefully, I'm going to see about teaching them this as well. Which naturally means picking cabinet members who are open-minded about the existence of the supernatural. Naturally this means I need a trustworthy teacher. Maybe reach out to the Watcher's Council on that?

2. I need to weed out hostile influences in the government as much as possible. Wolfram and Hart seems to have a reputation- not enough to convict them, perhaps, but maybe enough to warrant an investigation. So I ask the Justice Department to investigate Wolfram and Hart, put them on the defensive. Also will give me a pretext for cancelling any contracts the government might have with them or their clients, I'm hoping. Weather this will work depends on the evidence I can gather, I suppose.

3. As I said before, early activation of the Initiative. Their base will not be under a bloody college campus. Their boss will not be Madame Frankenstein. They will not have orders to experiment on demons or create hideous hybrids. I'll keep the numbers small, bury the funding in the budget somewhere. Orders will be purely kill, not capture, though any observations made during missions will be noted and examined by scientists.

I might bring in the Watchers here again as consultants. But I think I'll have them base it out of somewhere other than Sunnydale. You don't build your HQ in the middle of hostile territory. Their base should be a secure place to fall back to.

[Ralin]

Not sure you need a false flag attack if you want to act that overtly. Just pick one of the many horrible things that happen in this setting and get forgotten about or swept under the rug, and make sure far more attention is drawn to it than would otherwise be the case.

Well, I'd be hiding the supernatural causes and blaming other people so that probably still qualifies

[Purple]

Has faith been through her rough patch yet? I don't recall the show enough to remember when and what messed her up to make her the way she was. But my first order of business would be to track her down and recruit her. A trained monster killer at my side can only be a good thing. And unlike Buffy she has proven her self to be quite buyable when it comes to loyalty.

[The Romulan Republic]

Has faith been through her rough patch yet? I don't recall the show enough to remember when and what messed her up to make her the way she was. But my first order of business would be to track her down and recruit her. A trained monster killer at my side can only be a good thing. And unlike Buffy she has proven her self to be quite buyable when it comes to loyalty.

Faith isn't a Slayer yet at this point, since I set it around the start of the series ('96 election). She was only called after Kendra was killed by Drusilla (spring/summer of '98), which only happened after Buffy drowned and was resuscitated in the season one finale (spring/summer of '97). Also, keep in mind that she would only be, what, in her early teens?

As to her mental state at this time, I have no idea. She was already troubled when she arrived in Sunnydale in the fall of '98, but its unclear how much of that was due to her own personality/upbringing and how much was due to her first Watcher being brutally killed in front of her shortly before. And she didn't go off the deep end completely until she accidentally murdered someone a few months later and couldn't cope with the guilt. Although the fact that she spiralled off the deep end over, essentially, a friendly fire incident suggests she might not be the best choice for the United States Military.

[The Romulan Republic]

A more viable option is Riley. Now, I hated him so very much on the show, but I wonder how much of his douchbaggery was due to the Initiative and its tampering, and of course his dysfunctional relationship with Buffy.

He'd be very young here too, of course, but considering he was already an officer and, I think, a grad student in season four, he might already been enlisted in the armed forces at this point. An idealistic, patriotic lad with a bit of training who I can mould into a better soldier.

But really, rank and file personnel decisions are a bit below the President's pay grade, aren't they? Your job is grand strategy, and delegating the nitty-gritty micromanagement to trusted subordinates. So unless there's a character from the show who is qualified for a position the President would normally appoint people to, its not really your concern.

[Purple]

Riley is a soldier. Faith meanwhile is a girl that in your timeline I could even potentially end up adopting. And she has an asset far greater than her powers, potential powers and skills or anything like that. She would be a living breathing connection to the watchers council. As per your OP I have some rather nasty people out for my head. So I want that connection. Having her on my personal detail would send everyone with knowledge of the slayers a message that the watchers are on my side. And it would send the watchers a message that I am fully on theirs.

[The Romulan Republic]

I fully agree about the importance of Watcher's Council in all of this. Mind you, they have their own really big failings, but they are a significant faction in the supernatural world, and one that is at least nominally on the side of good.

However, you'd have to play this very carefully. The Council feels that Slayers are basically their disposable tools/weapons, and might view you taking Faith (though really, any Potential not already under their control would do just as well for your objectives) as interfering with their turf.

Mind you, I'm not sure their's that much that they can do to the US President. They're supposed to be good at bureaucracy and have a lot of money, but those are areas where the US government can certainly hold its own, and beyond that their clout seems... limited. They have some magic, but I'm not sure what its limits are. The Slayer is their main muscle, and really, she's nothing one squad of competent special forces guys can't handle if it comes down to it.

[Purple]

However, you'd have to play this very carefully. The Council feels that Slayers are basically their disposable tools/weapons, and might view you taking Faith (though really, any Potential not already under their control would do just as well for your objectives) as interfering with their turf.

And that is my goal really. I want to bring them on my side. And the way to do it is to make it clear I am watching and I won't let them act in my country without my approval. But at the same time that if they accept my offer I'll be helping them in ways that include an unprecedented level of support from a government on all levels.

Mind you, I'm not sure their's that much that they can do to the US President. They're supposed to be good at bureaucracy and have a lot of money, but those are areas where the US government can certainly hold its own, and beyond that their clout seems... limited. They have some magic, but I'm not sure what its limits are. The Slayer is their main muscle, and really, she's nothing one squad of competent special forces guys can't handle if it comes down to it.

And I somehow doubt Buffy would agree to assassinate the president of america when his one great misdeed is offering to help the council in their work for the meager cost of forming an alliance.

Also if this sounds like I intend to stick around for a while it's because I do. Like two terms is NOT enough to fix the rampant supernatural problem of this country. I might need to fudge things a bit here and there.

[The Romulan Republic]

And that is my goal really. I want to bring them on my side. And the way to do it is to make it clear I am watching and I won't let them act in my country without my approval. But at the same time that if they accept my offer I'll be helping them in ways that include an unprecedented level of support from a government on all levels.

I have my objections to your proposal, but I must acknowledge that as traditionalist as the Council is, I suspect they'd have a very hard time saying no if they were offered the chance to operate freely in the United States with the full support of the highest levels of the Federal Government.

And I somehow doubt Buffy would agree to assassinate the president of america when his one great misdeed is offering to help the council in their work for the meager cost of forming an alliance.

Quite true.

Also if this sounds like I intend to stick around for a while it's because I do. Like two terms is NOT enough to fix the rampant supernatural problem of this country. I might need to fudge things a bit here and there.

Well, I feel compelled to register my strong disapproval on principle. I must also point out that their are procedures in place to remove a President who violates the law, starting with impeachment and ending with the fact that US military personnel swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. Not to mention the risk someone might assassinate you if you tried taking more power than was your due.

I mean, its one thing for a President to play a little fast and loose with the law. They probably all do that, especially in wartime. Its another for the President to outright violate the term limits.

On the other hand, the term limits are a fairly recent thing. If people were scared enough, and you're popular enough, you might be able to push through a Constitutional amendment to allow a return to the old system of the President being allowed as many terms as he can win (FDR was elected to four).

[The Romulan Republic]

Of course, this being the Buffyverse, if you really wanted to go with all-out tyranny, you could rewrite the entire populations' memory so no one knows the term limit exists. Unless some other supernatural force stopped you.

I mean, fucking Jonathan could pull off a global reality warping spell, apparently. Even if it was unstable according to Adam.

[Purple]

Well, I feel compelled to register my strong disapproval on principle. I must also point out that their are procedures in place to remove a President who violates the law, starting with impeachment and ending with the fact that US military personnel swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. Not to mention the risk someone might assassinate you if you tried taking more power than was your due.

I mean, its one thing for a President to play a little fast and loose with the law. They probably all do that, especially in wartime. Its another for the President to outright violate the term limits.

On the other hand, the term limits are a fairly recent thing. If people were scared enough, and you're popular enough, you might be able to push through a Constitutional amendment to allow a return to the old system of the President being allowed as many terms as he can win (FDR was elected to four).

I was thinking of something more along the lines of setting up a specialized organization like the NSA entitled to handle magical things and setting my self up as the permanent leader so that after my term in office ends I can move on to continue my work from the shadows. You might call it a national watchers council basically. One with the full power of the federal government behind it.

[Ralin]

And what happens if the next president is a Wolfram and Hart stooge? Or someone like the mayor of Sunnydale and so on? If one president can set up a secret federal agency than another president can disband it. Or at least defund it.

[The Romulan Republic]

Well, I feel compelled to register my strong disapproval on principle. I must also point out that their are procedures in place to remove a President who violates the law, starting with impeachment and ending with the fact that US military personnel swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. Not to mention the risk someone might assassinate you if you tried taking more power than was your due.

I mean, its one thing for a President to play a little fast and loose with the law. They probably all do that, especially in wartime. Its another for the President to outright violate the term limits.

On the other hand, the term limits are a fairly recent thing. If people were scared enough, and you're popular enough, you might be able to push through a Constitutional amendment to allow a return to the old system of the President being allowed as many terms as he can win (FDR was elected to four).

I was thinking of something more along the lines of setting up a specialized organization like the NSA entitled to handle magical things and setting my self up as the permanent leader so that after my term in office ends I can move on to continue my work from the shadows. You might call it a national watchers council basically. One with the full power of the federal government behind it.

That's an interesting concept, but I'm honestly not sure if that would work legally. Heads of government departments are generally appointed by whichever Presidential administration happens to be in power, subject to Congressional approval.

However, their is one position, at least, which is a life long appointment- Supreme Court Justice.

Also, Ralin raises a very good point. Although my hope would be to sufficiently reform/expose things that that would not be a major threat. Certainly by the time my Presidency was done, I'd intend "Associations with Wolfram and Hart" to be viewed more negatively than even "Associations with Al Qaeda".

[FaxModem1]

One thing worth noting is that the Initiative has historical roots to World War II, as Angel was drafted by them to help capture a German submarine that carried a few vampires in it, as the Nazis were trying to make Vampire super soldiers in the war. So, there's already a program, whether inactive or not, that has a historical precedent to it.

[The Romulan Republic]

Its true that their is some precedence for the military conducting operations involving the supernatural. Nor is this limited to the US- the vampires Angel was opposing in that case were working for the Nazis.

Their will likely be people in the government who know about the supernatural, and hopefully some of them aren't in bed with any of the evil factions. That could make things easier. At the very least, I need my entire cabinet as well as the highest officers of each branch of the armed forces to be aware. It would help if the Supreme Court Justices were as well. Plus my alternate Initiative foot soldiers and scientists, of course.

Full disclosure is a good end goal, but I want to move carefully, ease people into it and lay the logistical and legal foundations to deal with it first.

[Purple]

And what happens if the next president is a Wolfram and Hart stooge? Or someone like the mayor of Sunnydale and so on? If one president can set up a secret federal agency than another president can disband it. Or at least defund it.

The organization would have as part of its mandate to prevent just that from happening. It's primary purpose would be to prevent the infiltration of the american government by forces of evil so as to ensure that the watchers can do their job unmolested. It's secondary purpose would be to help them do that job.

[Ralin]

And what happens if the next president is a Wolfram and Hart stooge? Or someone like the mayor of Sunnydale and so on? If one president can set up a secret federal agency than another president can disband it. Or at least defund it.

The organization would have as part of its mandate to prevent just that from happening. It's primary purpose would be to prevent the infiltration of the american government by forces of evil so as to ensure that the watchers can do their job unmolested. It's secondary purpose would be to help them do that job.

That's not an NSA for magical threats. That's a private conspiracy within the government.

You'd probably be better off using the existing FBI for that. But that still doesn't change the fact that the next guy can defund/disband any official organization you create. And if it's not official then you've really just started a private conspiracy to protect the US.

[Purple]

That's not an NSA for magical threats. That's a private conspiracy within the government.

Not really. I mean doesn't the NSA or CIA or what ever other letter salad organization you have work to keep foreign spies out of office? Like say if in 1975 the Soviet Union had tried to plant an agent as a senator. Someone would have to have been responsible for stopping that. It's the same deal here, only with magic.

You'd probably be better off using the existing FBI for that. But that still doesn't change the fact that the next guy can defund/disband any official organization you create. And if it's not official then you've really just started a private conspiracy to protect the US.

It would be official in the same sense any stereotypical black program para-government is. As in official in nature but not under direct government control. Like you can try and defund it. But this organization makes its living by exterminating traitors working for evil magic. And you just tried and enact things that help evil magic. Are you a traitor?

Basically think the FBI in Hoovers days.

[Solauren]

Question:
Can I get in touch with the Watcher's Council?
If so, can they safely open a Hell Mouth long enough to drop the biggest nuclear weapon in the US arsenal down on, and then close it before detonation?

Is there anyway to contact the Greek/Roman gods (I assume they were the same beings, under different views), and offer to make them the official religion of the United States in exchange for their public reveal and help with booting demons out of this dimension?

Also, Wolfram and Hart is going down, fast and hard.

[The Romulan Republic]

You can contact the Watchers, yes. Of course.

Can they open the Hellmouth? Maybe. Will they? Doubtful. Safely? I really don't think so.

As to the religion issue... you can try to cut such a deal, I suppose, presuming those deities exist in this reality (which they easily might, since Willow contacts various pagan deities in the show). However, the Constitution and Supreme Court would have something to say about the establishment of a state religion, as would the overwhelmingly Christian electorate (provided the religion wasn't Christianity, anyway).

And regarding Wolfram and Hart... well, they need to be dealt with, but it won't be easy. They are a multidimensional faction.

[The Romulan Republic]

Another interesting point:

Reveal the supernatural in the Buffyverse to the public, and you will have actual physical proof that multiple religious doctrines have a basis in reality. That alone is going to be a huge change, and a huge clusterfuck.

[FaxModem1]

Was it ever really explained why the good guys kept the masquerade going? In "The Wish", for instance, Buffy and company take the time after slaying a demon to bury it. There doesn't seem to be any purposeful reason for this other than to keep the existence of vampires and demons secret, thereby making it easier for those creatures to feed on innocent people. The out of universe reason, of course, is so that the Buffy-verse can resemble ours, but after a while, it makes one wonder if they're unintentionally causing the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, more people by doing so.