AHC: an Arab becomes President of U.S.A.

[whitecrow]

Inspired by this thread. Your challenge is to come up with a post-1900 scenario where an ethnic Arab is elected to the office of President of the United States of America. Although the person has to be an Arab, he/she does not have to be a Muslim.

You get silver metal if you create a scenario where USA’s Commander-&-Chief is Muammar al-Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein or some other Arab who in OTL is an infamous dictator in the American psyche.

You get gold metal if you create a scenario where Osama Bin-Laden becomes America’s president!

 

[Xachiavelli]

Inspired by this thread. Your challenge is to come up with a post-1900 scenario where an ethnic Arab is elected to the office of President of the United States of America. Although the person has to be an Arab, he/she does not have to be a Muslim.

9/11 would need to be butterflied away somehow for this to work.

You get gold metal if you create a scenario where Osama Bin-Laden becomes America’s president!

Not technically an Arab, but still an interesting idea

 

[whitecrow]

9/11 would need to be butterflied away somehow for this to work.

Or you could have an Arab elected pre-9/11.

Not technically an Arab, but still an interesting idea

Really? Wasn't he Saudi?

 

[Lycaon pictus]

If John Zogby had won his first election in upstate New York, he might never have gone into polling. Then, have him run for governor when Cuomo retires, and from there…

 

[Ganesha]

Really? Wasn't he Saudi?

He was Saudi, and definitely an Arab. Xachiavelli is incorrect. (So nice to use the past tense "was" with that bastard's name).

I think it's odd to go for Muammar Qaddafi and bin Laden and such, though I can see the AH appeal.

Or you could have an Arab elected pre-9/11.

This is your most likely scenario. As long as they're Christian, it wouldn't be too ridiculously tough to have an Arab president before 9/11. And in any case, having an Arab President might butterfly away 9/11. The biggest problem would probably be the strong opposition the Israel lobbyists and Jewish vote would put up.

Some likely candidates: James Abdnor, Senator from South Dakota 1981-87.
George J. Mitchell, Senate Majority Leader from Maine.
Victor G. Atiyeh, Republican governor of Oregon 1979-1987.

But your most likely candidate is the one and only Ralph Nader, who is 100% Lebanese and speaks fluent Arabic.

Cheers,
Ganesha

 

[Xachiavelli]

He was Saudi, and definitely an Arab. Xachiavelli is incorrect. (So nice to use the past tense "was" with that bastard's name).

Really? My bad, i always thought he was an Afghan

 

[black angel]

in our time we have Senator John E. Sununu and his father Governor (and White House chief of staff) John H. Sununu, John E. Sununu was beaten by a Democrat, Jeanne Shaheen, who isn't arab but is married to one, Congressmen Darrell Issa, who is getting so well known for trying to take down the AG is Arab, the man that ran CENTCOM after Tommy Franks from 2003 till 2007, John Abizaid was Arab, Vicki Kennedy is arab, Mitch Daniels Governor of Indiana (who's name has been floated for Mitt's Veep)

mostly these people are Lebanese with the odd Palestinian or Syrian thrown in, almost all of a Christian background, almost none thought of strongly as Arab so it'd be easy for some one like Sununu, Shaheen or Daniels to become President and no one would say anything much about it

points if any one can make Archie Roosevelt's (grand son of TR, and member of the CIA) wife, Lucky, President (Druze Lebanese)

 

[Ganesha]

Really? My bad, i always thought he was an Afghan

No, he moved to Afghanistan after getting kicked out of Sudan in in 1996, following being kicked out of Saudi Arabia in 1992.

In any case, what's the most plausible way to get Nader (or one of the others) elected President?

Cheers,
Ganesha

 

[glenn67]

I believe that Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana is of Lebanese or Syrian descent.

Former Governor John Baldacci of Maine is part-Lebanese (and he is a cousin of George Mitchell).

Former Senator James Abourezk of South Dakota (1973-1979) might have been Presidential timber.

 

[d32123]

I believe that Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana is of Lebanese or Syrian descent.

I think we have a winner.

 

[Ganesha]

I think we have a winner.

Yup. Daniels is definitely the best candidate after 9/11, and Nader is almost certainly the best candidate before 2001.

Cheers,
Ganesha

 

[Xachiavelli]

A couple of questions i need to ask:

• Do they have to be fully Arab?
• If not, how Arab do they have to be?
• Do other Middle Eastern ethnicites (Kurd, Berber, Persian, etc) count?

 

[Xachiavelli]

Yup. Daniels is definitely the best candidate after 9/11, and Nader is almost certainly the best candidate before 2001.

Cheers,
Ganesha

True, but short of killing off Bush and Gore just before the election how could you possibly get Nader elected?

 

[d32123]

True, but short of killing off Bush and Gore just before the election how could you possibly get Nader elected?

Make him a Democrat and change his politics to make him electable.

 

[Ganesha]

A couple of questions i need to ask:

• Do they have to be fully Arab?
• If not, how Arab do they have to be?
• Do other Middle Eastern ethnicites (Kurd, Berber, Persian, etc) count?

I don't think so, according to OP. They just have to be "ethnic Arab", which means they have at least some Arab descent and identify as such. Which also answers your third question - no, other ME ethnicities don't count.

Cheers,
Ganesha

 

[Xachiavelli]

Make him a Democrat and change his politics to make him electable.

Yeah i guess that could work

 

[Jason222]

In world anything possible Arab President might be so good Palestinian Arabs. Many Lebanon Arabs that live USA refugee Lebanon war and hate them. He might just likely bring us second war with Lebanon. Try create south Lebanon christian. If Palestinian three ways go because Palestinian and does look to pro Palestinian must pro Israel Prisdent the other he push back into Peace process and third is he try push USA and Israel war. Of course could lead nuclear one.

 

[EWHM]

Someone of Egyptian ancestry who is a Coptic Christian might be doable prior to 2000. A lot of people of Egyptian ancestry look more or less like Greeks or Southern Italians, and both of those ethnicities are pretty electable in the US on the national stage.

 

[Jonathan Edelstein]

No love for Donna Shalala?

 

[Porthos]

True, but short of killing off Bush and Gore just before the election how could you possibly get Nader elected?

Make him a Democrat and change his politics to make him electable.

Have him go into politics in the 70s at the governor/congressional level instead of waiting until the 90s at the presidential level. Back then the difference isn't as great politically speaking and maybe his politics gets shifted anyways.