What if Obama had not been the first ?

Xenophonte

Xenophonte

What if Obama had not been the first black President of the United States?
What if it had happened in Otl.la situation narrated in the novel The Man by Irving Wallace: .. The time is 1964. The place is the Cabinet Room of the Where House. An unexpected accident and the law of succession Have just made Douglass Dilman the first black President of the United States.
The events would be similar to the narrative? Or maybe it had been forced to resign before that may also be taken the oath as President of the United States? Are require multiple vacancies in the line of succession
Presidential ... but it's not a situation that has not been discussed before on the board: only I enter the discussion the possibility (raised by Wallace, for the first time) that have happened in that situation if an African American out constitutional successor. The novel takes place in '60 .But if it had occurred in the 80s?
 

JamesHunter

The 80's he gets the job, the 60's not so much especiaply before the CRA is passed. If its say mid '64 he might get to serve out the term but I don't see either party nominating a black man then. Sad to say in the 60's thats a step to far. In the 80's they may have problems with left over racists but he'd probably get a chance even if its only for a few months.
 

The Uchronian

Xenophonte said:
What if Obama had not been the first black President of the United States?
What if it had happened in Otl.la situation narrated in the novel The Man by Irving Wallace: .. The time is 1964. The place is the Cabinet Room of the Where House. An unexpected accident and the law of succession Have just made Douglass Dilman the first black President of the United States.
The events would be similar to the narrative? Or maybe it had been forced to resign before that may also be taken the oath as President of the United States? Are require multiple vacancies in the line of succession
Presidential ... but it's not a situation that has not been discussed before on the board: only I enter the discussion the possibility (raised by Wallace, for the first time) that have happened in that situation if an African American out constitutional successor. The novel takes place in '60 .But if it had occurred in the 80s?
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To be honest, Dilman being President wasn't that likely, but it could have happened. But no doubt, though, that Southern conservatives(and also racist rightists in other areas of the country, too) would have been horrified. And a lot of people in the "mushy middle" might be uncomfortable backing him, even if not necessarily because of prejudice on their part. But if he does a good job while in office, he would look at least a little better in the eyes of the middle, although very few hardcore conservatives would be moved much.

Otherwise, outside this particular scenario, I'd go for Edward Brooke in 1976.....but then again, 1988 would be a better opprotunity, I think, especially after a Reagan or someone like that.
 
Xenophonte

Xenophonte

Imperial US Senate

Thanks for the replies. Some African-American politician could have ever gotten close enough to the line of presidential succession in the 70 'or 80' and for that to happen the case described above could eventually become President of the USA, without requiring the type of scenario used by Clancy for his character 'Jack Ryan' to become Potus?
I think it would face a level of virulence and political opposition in Congress, only comparable to the current radical neocons regarding Obama, but much worse for the support of sectors of both political parties, in the language used (with the categorizations offensive ethnic of 'Social Darwinism') and means used trying to ignore his authority and / or legitimacy. These sectors could push to hold new presidential elections? It would be constitutional? Probably try override from Congress or if unable to make the new President submit to the authority of their 'upper Race' (it would be for some Congressmen a chance to subordinate the Presidency to Congress).
 
Maeglin

Maeglin

Thinking outside the box (and pre-1900): President Grant decides to make Hiram Revels (black Senator from Reconstructed Mississippi) his VP in 1872. Grant's throat cancer turns up ten years early, and so he dies in 1875-76. Revels becomes President.
 

Realpolitik

Banned
I'm not sure if the country was quite ready for a black President in the 70s. Interracial marriage was contraversial in 1970, don't forget. And who would run with an acceptable profile and enough experience?

In the 80s, it's probably getting more acceptable, but who would be it, especially against Ronald Reagan? Jesse Jackson? Way too radioactive to win.

In the late 90s, Powell might be a possible figure if he was interested in running. He's military, and most Republicans would actually care way more about the uniform than the skin, especially after the Clinton years.
 

GeographyDude

Gone Fishin'
CaliBoy1990 said:
. . . outside this particular scenario, I'd go for Edward Brooke in 1976......
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I kind of like this scenario. Brooke as a WWII veteran, Massachusetts state office holder, elected to the U.S. Senate in 1966.

POD . . Nixon selects Brooke as his Vice-President in 1973 following Agnew's resignation. Brooke then runs for president as the current president in '76, and let's say with an improving economy and a solid campaign, wins a close election against Carter. (and it would help if Brooke perhaps pardoned only some of Nixon's men, and took the position that he's not going to pardon anyone before a trial and afterwards only if the sentence is excessive)

==================

And one consequence with President Obama, more people would cut him some slack and see him essentially for the conservative Democratic president that he is!
 
Xenophonte

Xenophonte

Any thoughts more about the possibility of an African American President in the 80's or 70's and its consequences in America.




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Emperor Julian

The only problem with Brooke is that he wouldn't get elected even if he were white; he's far too liberal for the national Republican party.
 

David T

Gerald Ford appoints Ed Brooke as his vice-president in 1974. (Not too likely, but not wildly implausible--an attempt to do something "historic" to offset the impact of Watergate, to woo a large group that had been hostile to the GOP, etc.; also, notice that he was one of Dole's suggestions to Ford at https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/391990962580238336/ ) Squeaky Fromme or Sara Jane Moore succeeds in killing Ford, making Brooke president.
 
Xenophonte

Xenophonte

African-American Potus

Emperor Julian said:
The only problem with Brooke is that he wouldn't get elected even if he were white; he's far too liberal for the national Republican party.
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Would be the only African American Politician that through the pod, could be in the presidential line of succession?

But becoming in the Potus, for a number of similar events to those described in the Pod.

Loyalty would have at least a part of his political party, despite being too liberal for the Republicans?

Could expect support from the Democrats?

And by the press?
 
Emote Control

Emote Control

Bear in mind, IOTL there are people who think Obama is a terrorist socialist non-black from Kenya, and that's in the 2014. So anyone earlier would face even more open discrimination.
 
Xenophonte

Xenophonte

Rationality

If the type of people who would love you to return the 'clock' to 1860.
They may be more open in their Racial beliefs, but would either its alleged inability main argument, they assert implicit form: that is congenital to their skin color.

If liberal, would say that there is a Red, a Soviet agent in the White House.

But it is doubtful that any Congressman (for more racist it, affirm aloud, '' Urbi et Orbi '' (to the city and the world), '' a Black can not and should not live in the White House, which it is an affront to the nation ... ''

Could be actually overestimate the political rationality of these politicians?
 

Simreeve

After the removal of Agnew, Nixon selects an African-American as his new VP in the belief that this potential succession will reduce willingness to impeach him?
 

Jurgen Wullenwever

Emote Control said:
Bear in mind, IOTL there are people who think Obama is a terrorist socialist non-black from Kenya, and that's in the 2014. So anyone earlier would face even more open discrimination.
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Bill Clinton has been referred to as the first "Black" President, due to growing up in poorer circumstances. Has Obama been poor?
After all, Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas. The phrase "our first Black president" was adopted as a positive by Bill Clinton supporters.
Toni Morrison - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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JIMMY KIMMEL: Do you miss being the first African-American president? I feel like that was -- I feel like you were cheated out of that, that was taken from you.

BILL CLINTON: Yeah, well -- let me say this. I consider it -- I was incredibly fortunate that I was born in a little town in Arkansas and raised by my grandparents largely and my great-uncle and -aunt when my widowed mother went off to become a nurse. And my grandparents were poor white Southerners, who as a class were among the most racially prejudiced people in the South, and they weren't. My granddad ran a country store and the vast majority of his customers were African-American.

So, I was raised in a different way -- at home in the church, at home and the culture. And it was such a gift to me that I grew up free of that and I deserve no credit for it whatsoever, it was the way I was raised. And so, I love being called the first black president, but Barack Obama really is, he deserves it. And it's been thrilling for me for doing what I could since Hillary lost the primary, we've done everything we could to support him and I was delighted we had over 7 million people sign up for the health exchange.
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Frances

Banned
As psephologists pointed out when he was elected POTUS, Obama is not a black American in an historical-cultural sense - he's the child of immigrants, not the descendent of 19th century slaves. Obama could be elected - but a descendent of 19th century slaves that can be tarred with the brush of what the right wing describes as the Jesse Jackson-style "black grievance movement"?

I'm sorry, that's just not going to happen.
 
Xenophonte

Xenophonte

Nixon

Simreeve said:
After the removal of Agnew, Nixon selects an African-American as his new VP in the belief that this potential succession will reduce willingness to impeach him?
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But Nixon would be able to find some African-American Politician so rightist to be pleased with him, even the threat of an impending impeachment, Nixon would be very selective regarding the policy position of candidate.
 
The Kiat

The Kiat

Xenophonte said:
Any thoughts more about the possibility of an African American President in the 80's or 70's and its consequences in America.




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Obama might not even have ran, to say nothing of getting elected. I'm sure a few of his votes came from people who 'wanted to be part of history'.
 

TFSmith121

Banned
Well, you'd need a lot of ripples, but as far as individuals go

Well, you'd need a lot of ripples, but as far as individuals go, there's this man:

charles-young-as-major-usarmy-national-archives-photo-01.jpg


Born in 1864, USMA graduate, full colonel by 1918 - in a better US, he could have been a general officer in the war with Spain or the Great War, which would have been pretty significant.

Obviously, in a US where history had gone differently from 1864 onwards - in any number of possible ways - Charles Young is an interesting figure.

Benjamin Davis Sr. is as well, of course. Either one would make the possibility the first AA president a Republican within the realm of possibility, and with - presumably - the "closest" reality to our own, with as little ASB-ish elements as possible.

Best,
 
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