President Dan Quayle

On 1/8/92 CNN came within seconds of announcing that George Bush had died. What had really happened is he threw up on the Prime Minister of Japan. I have seen ATL's wherein Bush chokes on his vomit and dies. Almost universally Quayle serves no significant time as President.

But ... what if George Bush had died early in his first term? What would a Dan Quayle Presidency look like?

The Soviets manage to win the Cold War.

In 1989 Su was toasted. But, for international policy it could mean some chaos, and less help for Eastern European Democracies.

I think we would see little effect. Dan Quale although no genius is not as stupid as the press made out. If the press would be looking at me for every single mistake I would look stupid because as a human being I will make mistakes particularly when someone is looking over my shoulder to find them.

wakie said:

On 1/8/92 CNN came within seconds of announcing that George Bush had died. What had really happened is he threw up on the Prime Minister of Japan. I have seen ATL's wherein Bush chokes on his vomit and dies. Almost universally Quayle serves no significant time as President.

But ... what if George Bush had died early in his first term? What would a Dan Quayle Presidency look like?

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Well Quayle is arguably a lot brighter than Bush the Lesser, but doesnt come with the cohorts of advisors and businessmen that the current incumbent has to sort his mess out

Therefore President Quayle would be less disastrous than imagined but not able to great things because he can't command the support on the extreme right. He would struggle and lose

IMVHO

Grey Wolf

Dan Quayle

Quayle would not need the help of the Religious Right. He would have had the help of other not so extemist members of his party that would have been alienated otherwise, if he had courted the Bible Belt Bush-rangers. Quayle would have been seen as a more moderate answer to the fanatical outlook of that other president.

I agree with the person who said Quayle was smarter than his reputation. I always thought most people missed the boat completely on Quayle. The problem wasn't his intelligence -- it was his extreme conservatism.
I believe if he'd become president, he would have been the most conservative president of the post-war era -- up to that time. Whether he's more conservative than GWBush, I don't know.
If he'd become president in early 1992, the question is, is he the Republican nominee for president later that summer? He probably is, if only because there just isn't time for anyone else to mount a serious challenge to him. Pat Buchanan is already in the race, but he just turns off too many people. Some Republicans, in private, might be thinking about a way to deny him the nomination, but I don't know if they succeed.
If he is the nominee, the combination of Quayle's ultra-conservatism, the weak economy, and his perceived lack of intelligence cause him to lose in November of 1992.

The only variable is this: of course, there will be an outpouring of grief for President George H.W. Bush that makes him much more popular in death than he was when he was alive. At the same time, new President Quayle has a honeymoon with the American people. Does this change the political landscape enough to enable Quayle to win in November of 1992?
I say probably not. By the fall of 1992, the honeymoon has worn off, and people see President Quayle as an ultraconservative lightweight leading America at a time when the economy is sluggish. I say he still loses.

Who does Quayle take for his running mate in 1992?

Bob Dole might have made an interesting running mate for Quayle in '92, although he was really too old for the job (I know he was nominated in '96, and he was definitely too old by then).

Kevin in Indy said:

Bob Dole might have made an interesting running mate for Quayle in '92, although he was really too old for the job (I know he was nominated in '96, and he was definitely too old by then).

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I was thinking Pete Wilson or J.C. Watts myself.

1-20-91

1991
January 17th
Operation Desert Storm begins with a massive air attack on Iraq

January 18th
Mid morning
President Bush Departs DC for a major political rally in California.
late morning
Air Force One is reported crashed, in the High Rockies.
late afternoon
VP Daniel Qualye is sworn in as the 42nd President

January 20th
3 AM
Iraq Commando- Attack destroys 4 dams on the upper Missouri, Platte, & Yellowstone River.
Pre Dawn
The Surging waters from the Blown Dams take out the next series down stream
Dawn
The Wave of Water some 100~150 feet high, traveling at 250 mph reaches the Yellowstone/Missouri junction and head for Bismark ND
morning
President Quayle arrives at his office for his first Official day as President
He is meet with the information that all contact with the city of Omaha Nebraska has been lost. A flight from Kansas City AFB is sent.
20 minutes later
The pilots reports a wall of water 10 miles wide, 300 feet high, Moving at 400 mph,

February 9
US/Alliance ground forces enter Iraq. There is no public peace protests, no TV commentators talking about the A-10 Tank battles as a "Highway of Death' No US stopping after 4 days

February 15
US forces enter Baghdad, It is not the functioning city as OTL's GW2, this looks more like Berlin 1945.

February 18
Massive demonstrations against the US in cities across the MId East

February 20th St Louis

Standing in front of the twisted wreck of the Arch
President Quayle wins the upcoming Presidential election.

......Whe have keep troops in Europe for 45 years to protect the Peace. Whe have troops in Korea 40 years after the War To protect the peace.
If the US has to station a Soldier in every Door Way in the Middle East, Whe will Have Peace. ................

Kuralyov said:

The Soviets manage to win the Cold War.

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I don't think the Soviets could have won the Cold War. Their economy was on the verge of collapse for a long time because they were wasting their resources. They would need a part and rather than ordering it from across the street, they'd have it shipped from miles away. There were lots of other wasteful things like that going on, because central planners would have to be gods to make decent economic calculations. The Soviet Union would have gone broke under any circumstance.

Quayle's presidency would have probably been similar to that or George W. Bush. Instead of pulling out of Iraq after achieving victory, he would have had Saddam hung and tried to start a new government in Iraq. Iraq would have fallen into Civil War and both the Shias (Iranians) and Sunnis (Al Qaedans) would have battled for the government. Quayle would have also gone to war with Iran and Syria eventually and we'd be stuck with a worse disaster in Iraq and years earlier.

Clinton would have run anti-war, but then supported the war after being elected and surging the troops. This would have been a disaster and brought about Clinton's defeat in the succeeding election. Then our new president (probably Ross Perot) would have ended the war and gone on to be re-elected in 2000. Who knows who would've been elected in 2004 after Perot's terms ended.