Imagine that Barbara Jordan and not Ronald Reagan succeeded Jimmy Carter as President of the United States making her the first female, african american and gay PotUS. How will she deal with the problems of the 1980s? And will she serve two terms?
Imagine that Barbara Jordan and not Ronald Reagan succeeded Jimmy Carter as President of the United States making her the first female, african american and gay PotUS. How will she deal with the problems of the 1980s? And will she serve two terms?
And you've mentioned the two PoDs that would make this TL possible:Barbara Jordan being elected POTUS in 1980 is not going to happen because by the end of the '70s Jordan's mobility and stamina were (increasingly) compromsed by MS - to the point that she did not run for re-election to the House in 1980. Given her health, there's a reasonable likelyhood that, had Carter selected her to be his running mate in 1976, she would have served as VPOTUS for that one term only. Jordan's MS can't be hand waved away. These health issues aside, unless Jordan is the VP during Carter's 1st term and he dies in office or resigns, Jordan will not be the Democratic nominee in 1980, she simply doesn't have the political clout or standing to pull it off.
And you've mentioned the two PoDs that would make this TL possible:
- Carter stepping down near the end of his first term or shortly after the beginning of his second (stroke? heart attack?)
- Jordan did not have MS and could become Carter's VP
While not likely (Probably even less likely than Bush's pretzel killing him) I had the vision of Carter drowning while trying to fight off the swamp rabbit that attacked him in 1979.