An alternate universe where quality of life is vastly improved, but the only major cultural shift you can find to have actually split the timeline, was a popular, long running juggalo cooking show
Tipper Gore finds the Juggalo cooking show
She gets into hip-hop
She doesn't get a bug up her ass about "explicit lyrics"
This does not cost her husband the youth vote in 2000
Florida isn't close enough for SCOTUS to steal
President Gore prevents 9/11
No patriot act
No OIF/OEF
The GOP concludes that their platform can't win in 21st century America and without 8 years of judicial rat fucking they can't force policy via judicial fiat
The GOP tacks to the center, forcing Democrats to the left to differentiate
By 2020, there is an honest to God leftist party in this country
Though both those things may be true for the US but our Dem party over the age of 45 if white are still 2 - 3 steps right of Center for 80% of it. Our GOP claims center but are 1 - 2 steps to left of pure fascist. The US is highly conservative and will be mid 2050s before we have a leftist party.
PDX airport is heralded as an efficient and passenger friendly airport, other airports are prompted to improve significantly in remodels which leads to lightrail connections becoming even more common, including more connections to Amtrak.
