alternatehistory.com

1981-1990: Ronald Reagan/George H.W. Bush (Republican)
1980 def - Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale (Democratic), John Anderson/Patrick Lucey (National Unity)
1984 def - Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro (Democratic)
1988 def - Lloyd Bentsen/Al Gore (Democratic), Ron Paul/Scattered (Conservatives for Limited Government and Against a Third Term)

The last major political events of Reagan's Presidency was the repeal of the 22nd Amendment's two term limit, and his successful campaign for a third term then subsequent impeachment when he was found "incapable of executing the office of the Presidency". Despite being on the conservative fringe in the US, Reagan's third term actually led to a flight of pro-limited government Conservatives on the extreme right from the Republican Party, with their campaign against Reagan winning a third term eventually transforming into two movements on the far right - first of these was the slightly more moderate National Values Alliance mostly built from the religious right, and second was the extremist Patriot Party focused on White Nationalists and Neo-Nazi opposition to "Big Government".

1990-1990: George H.W. Bush/vacant (Republican)
1990-1993: George H.W. Bush/Bob Dole (Republican)

Bush was sworn in as President to succeed Reagan, and after an internal party battle eventually selected Dole as his VP in the hopes of building a consensus between the right (on the verge of leaving the party anyway) and moderates - the result of this was alienating both sides. Bush presided over little, with the abortive invasion of Iraq to stop its occupation of Kuwait being aborted after a series of missteps and the announcement that Iraq had a functional nuclear bomb. Bush was utterly humiliated, with the right bleeding away, and a conservative Southern Democratic statesman sweeping into power on the heels of his failed Presidential bid just four years before.

1993-1996: Lloyd Bentsen/Bill Clinton (Democratic)
1992 def - George H.W. Bush/Bob Dole (Republican), Pat Buchanan/Pat Robertson (National Values Alliance)

It would not be unfair to call Lloyd Bentsen the second coming of JFK. A hugely popular moderate Democrat, Bentsen set about to balance the budget, cutting public spending whilst increasing military expenditure and aid to the ailing Russian state, followed rapidly by sanctions against the regime after an attack on Caucasian citizens in reprisal to terrorism. With the economy booming in part thanks to "Reaganomics" Bentsen was able to pass a tax cut (again furthering comparison to JFK) and sold it all with a certain folksy charm which his charismatic VP could easily match. When the 1996 election came round with the right divided the pair's poll ratings were sky high and Bentsen won over 90% of primary votes as an attempted challenge from Denis Kucinich evaporated after a poor New Hampshire Primary performance. Then, days after the convention ended, tragedy struck as a white nationalist extremist shot the President in Dallas where he died hours later. The assassin had hoped to create chaos and further the aim of "Patriot" Party nominee and John Birch Society member Arthur R. Thompson - the exact opposite occurred with, Clinton winning 55% of the vote and the right utterly routed, whilst Thompson won less than 1% (largely due to his failure to denounce the terrorist in the immediate aftermath).

1996-1997: Bill Clinton/vacant (Democratic)
1997-2001: Bill Clinton/Joe Lieberman (Democratic)
1996 def - Donald Rumsfeld/Phil Gramm (Republican), Pat Robertson/Alan Keyes (Christian Freedom), Arthur R. Thompson/Sattered (Patriot)

Bill Clinton, with a heavy heart, took office in order to finish his predecessors work. He presided over further tax cuts and deregulation, leading to one commentator dubbing him "The best Republican President since Reagan" and this, along with his very Conservative running mate, alienated many left wing Democrats. With both parties having pivoted to the centre many began to formulate a left wing breakaway to match the one on the right and give voters a real choice for a left wing party. With the "Bentsen effect" having largely worn off and a number of investigations made into the President's personal conduct and a left wing splinter after Kucinich failed again in his primary challenge, Clinton narrowly lost reelection.

2001-2009: John McCain/Elizabeth Dole (Republican)
2000 def - Bill Clinton/Joe Lieberman (Democratic), Ron Paul/Mike Pence (Christian Freedom), Dennis Kucinich/Bernie Sanders (Left Democrats)
2004 def - Al Gore/Hillary Rodham (Democratic), Mike Pence/Mike Huckabee (Christian Freedom), Bernie Sanders/Ralph Nader (Progressive)

Clinton was followed by yet another moderate President, albeit one from the Republican Party this time. McCain was essentially a candidate of the status quo, enacting no major economic reforms, and only really pursuing a new set of policies abroad, where he sponsored and then provided military support for a coup against Saddam by a group of his generals. This spiralled out of control, with Jihadists springing up across the country, whilst Saddam was only prevented from dropping a nuclear bomb on his own army at the last possible moment. The dictator's regime collapsed, and McCain was able to destroy his nuclear weapons and their production facilities, securing his reelection despite the conduct he had caused destroying Iraq and spilling over into Syria. The economy, though not perfect, under McCain was at least stable and though he enacted a modest tax rise this had broad bipartisan support, but led to a large contingent of Christian Freedom congressmen being elected in the 2006 midterms. McCain nevertheless seemed likely to be the second President to win a third term... until a recession started and McCain attempted to raise spending to stimulate the economy. Many in his own party did not support such a policy, but with much of the right now gone off into the wilderness, he won the nomination again only to lose the election to yet another Arakanasan Democrat in favour of balancing the budget and limiting government spending.

2009-2013: Blanche Lincoln/Mark Warner (Democratic)
2008 def - John McCain/Mitt Romney (Republican), Rick Santorum/Rick Perry (Christian Freedom - No Third Term), Sherrod Brown/Elizabeth Warren (Progressive)

Lincoln's tax cuts and austerity policies of course only made the recession worse as it spread abroad with the total collapse of the Euro and the Greek, then French, then German eocnomies. Lincoln's attempt to pull troops out of Iraq only made things so much worse as well, and by 2010 she had performed so badly as President that the Progressives stole a quarter of Democrtaic Cobgressional seats and the party was reduced to a congressional rump. With the eocnomic crash, the highly organised white nationalist cells which had lain dormant since the Bentsen assassination suddenly sprung up once again, and began a vicious terrirotist onslaught against the state. When the President failed to stop an attack on the WTC which the FBI already knew was being planned any chance of her being reelected was gone, and it was only suerdelegates defying the popular will which allowed her to beat a challenge from Jerry Brown (leading to his defection to the Progessive Party at long last). The Democrats lost the electionas the Progressives, promising raised spending, surged into third place.

2013-0000: Lindsey Graham/Olympia Snowe (Republican)
2012 def - Blanche Lincoln/Mark Warner (Democratic), Sherrod Brown/Anthony Weiner (Progressive), Mike Pence/Rand Paul (Christian Freedom)
2016 def - Jerry Brown/Kirsten Gillibrand (Progressive), Jim Webb/Tulsi Gabbard (Democratic), Tom Cotton/Ted Cruz (Christian Freedom)

From the ashes of the inferno that was the Blanche Lincoln Presidency rose President Lindsey Graham. An airforce veteran and political moderate, Graham essentially represented a more human McCain-ism, without the baggage of the previous Republican President, an idea reinforced by his choosing Maine's Olympia Snowe as his Vice President. Graham cracked down on Domestic Terrorism quickly with the Security Act (2013) expanding the surveillance and domestic security powers of the federal government. This was criticised by both the left and the pro small state right, but it was passed easily with Republican and Democratic votes. Graham further put troops back into the Middle Dastm securing key oil wells but unable to stop the rising tide of Jihadism as it scoured Syria and then swept back to the East into an attack on Iran which could only stem the tide and not reverse it. Playing on the fears of the American people, but also passing a stimulus package, Graham left his Democratic rivals in the dust as the Pogresives narrowly beat them to second place and Christian Freedom came just 1% behind them. Although seemingly authoritarian under ten surface, Graham had restored security and brought eocnomic recovery to the USA, but the Progressive political machine seems to be unstoppable even by anpopualr incumbent, especially as the Democratic Party implodes. However, there is increased talk that Graham may drop Snowe and select Democrtaic nominee Gabbard as his running mate in alliance with the Democrats to keep the centrist establishment in power... Most worryingly the 45 surviving state Patriot Parties have reformed into a new far right party with a ferrying amount of support for its invert Neo-Nazi white supremacism...

First 2020 Opinion Poll - Zephyr Teachout/Cornel West (Progressive) - 27.2%, Lindsey Graham/Olympia Snowe (Republican) - 24.7%, Ted Cruz/Steve Bannon (Christian Freedom - No Third Term) - 21.5%, Tulsi Gabbard/unannounced (Democratic) - 19.6% , Richard Spencer/unannounced (Its Our Nation) - 5.4%


(I wrote up a very similar list the other day but was unable to get to what I really wanted - this should be better).