20th Century Political POD's

Here are 12 random 20th century poltical POD's. These all relate to American politics.

1) William McKinley's first VP, Garret Hobart, does not die in 1899. This immediately puts him, instead of Roosevelt, in line to become President when McKinley is assassinated. What does a world w/o a TR Presidency look like?

2) Warren Harding does not die during his Presidency. With the Teapot Dome Scandal looming Harding does not check out and is faced with the crisis of whether or not to try to remain in office or to resign in disgrace. To make it interesting, let's say he tries to stay. What happens?

3) In 1948 Thomas Dewey wins the Presidency over Harry Truman.

4) In 1952 Dwight Eisenhower declines the Republican nomination for the Presidency.

5) In 1968, at his wife's urging Richard Nixon decides not to run for the Presidency.

6) In the 1960s, Al Gore dies in Vietnam when a bar he is in is bombed by a VC terrorist.

7) George W. Bush never reforms from his alcoholism and, therefore, is not a viable candidate to be Gov of Texas let alone President of the US.

8) In 1978, then Arkansas Governor David Hampton Pryor decides he will not run for his state's open Senate seat that year. Instead he runs for Gov and is reelected. This decision blocks the Arkansas Attorney General Bill Clinton from running for Gov. Even if Pryor loses in 1980 (as Clinton did) he comes back in 1982.

9) In 1980 Ronald Reagan selects Gerald Ford as his running mate instead of George Bush. (Ford was considered, by many, to be the odds on favorite to be Reagan's running mate.)

10) In 1982, Bill Clinton does not win back the Governorship of Arkansas.

11) In 1988, the "Donna Rice scandal" never breaks and Gary Hart runs as the Democratic candidate (instead of Dukakis).

12) In 1992 Mario Cuomo, not Bill Clinton, is the Democratic nominee.
 
Gary Hart POD

I'll take (11)

POD starts on-board the Monkey Business. Donna Rice is seated in Sen. Hart's lap. Guy with a camera, about to take a picture, has the film door open and the film falls out. No picture to appear on the front of newspapers.

1988 Presidential Campaign - Democratic
Hart, as OTL, starts out with a 20 point lead in the polls over his closest competator. Unlike OTL, his lead shrinks steadily. Joe Biden drops out again due to his political writer's propensity to borrow from other sources. This leaves Gary Hart, Al Gore, Bruce Babbit, Jesse Jackson, Dick Gephardt, Dukakis, and Paul Simon.

Gephardt wins the Iowa Caucuses but loses to Hart in New Hampshire. After losing NH, Dukakis drops out as does Babbit and Simon. Gore hangs in and makes some headway, but not as much as in OTL. Jackson also hangs in and makes a race of it. As the convention moves to the floor, the nomination is split and a deal is struck between Hart & Gephardt (VP).

1988 Presidential Campaign
Republican nomination goes per OTL with Bush taking the nod. Instead of Quayle, Bush selects Jack Kemp of NY and the Republicans develp the "Atwater Strategy" of attacking the Democrats in the Northeast.

Democrats are concerned about party unity, but the split at the convention created more media attention which help the party. Hart starts out with a 10 point lead that is overcome once the Republican convention rolls around. GHWB, unlike the 88 campaign of OTL, appears to be more intellectual but less charismatic than his opponent. Debates go more Bush's way, but Hart's charisma plays to the electorate more. Without Quayle in the debates, we lose "Your no Jack Kennedy" from our lexicon.

Bush's northern strategy fails, he loses NY, and Hart-Gephardt win. Hart & the Democrats in future elections court the western states and build a stronger constituency in those states.
 
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