About This Project
To be very clear, this project is a speculative fiction piece. While many of the themes and ideas are based on real-world events and people, this project is by no means a completely accurate portrayal of the timeline, actions, and communications made in reality. Now, let me introduce you to the alternate universe and time period that are the focus of this project...
In 2016, contentious political candidate and notorious businessman Donald Storm ran a presidential campaign under an unprecedented, monumental idea to disband the United States government and replace it with a new, corporate model of governance - in essence, a business. Questioned by civilians, political figures, and other global superpowers, Storm convinced many of this model’s potential effectiveness through widespread misinformation, targeting populations who would be receptive to his promises to restore the United States to its “former glory” by running it like a business. In an enormous surprise and upset, the often-mocked Storm won the presidential election and vowed to take action. Soon after taking office, Storm used unilateral powers to begin the transition to his new business, American Democracy, Inc. In record time and sparing no expense, Storm dramatically shifted the infrastructure, policies, systems, and staff for leading this new governance model. Political engagement transformed into business involvement. Many of the institutions and practices established by the Founding Fathers were changed: the president was now the CEO, the Senate was now the company’s Advisory Board, legislation was now corporate policy, and so on and so forth. American Democracy, headquartered in Washington, D.C., set up branches nationwide, changing state and municipal governments entirely. Storm successfully put himself in a position to run the U.S. like a business.
The files found on this website represent a notable time period in American Democracy’s beginning years. Specifically, they follow the fallout of Storm’s exit from the company - a breach of the company’s U.S. Capitol headquarters by supporters of Storm, the aftermath of this breach and the company’s response to it, and the arrival of American Democracy’s new CEO Joe Polite and the changes that came with this new leadership. This time period also shows the response by the Council of United Citizens, a coalition in opposition to American Democracy led by Executive Director Desiree Change that frequently criticized Storm himself as well as the corporate model put in place by him. As you’ll see, these organizations and their communications became more and more intertwined throughout this crisis’ aftermath. This case displays significant moments in American Democracy’s history as well as the history of the U.S., with important lessons learned on corporate responsibility and crisis communications.