Alternate Presidents of the United States

The Brown presidency was considered a fine example of functioning bipartisanship. He had worked hand in hand with Senate Majority leader Al Gore to ratify the Kyoto protocol and gain Congressional approval to take the military into the Sudan to end the genocide. President Brown didn't get along with everyone, his stance on same sex marriage drew critiscim even in his home state, and some of the more conservative Republicans threw fits over his taxcuts for veterans and military families in the middle class and below.

Unfortunately it came to an end, not due to impeachement or assassination, but a bug. Although many doctors, including the Surgeon General and CDC, had warned of pandemics, a new and strong strain of the Spanish flu appeared in the beginning of 2007. To make matters worse, two of the largest pharmecutical companies reported a lack of vaccines, a tainting of a scale that brew many conspiracy theories. Both President Brown and Vice President McCain declined to recieve the vaccines, which was meant to be an act of self sacrifice, but instead lead to tragedy. The Vice President was hospitalized in Phoenix, after contracting the flu while on vacation. It was less than a month before he died, only days after President Brown was taken to the Bethesda with symptoms of the flu.

It was from his hospital bed, that he resigned the office of President, passing it to former Governor, current Congressman, and Speaker of the House of Representatives from Vermont and a doctor as well....

President Howard Dean 2007-2013
 
'Dr. Dean' became President amid an international pandemic, and quickly went about quarantine as President. Elected to a term of his own in November of 2006, running unopposed, but having taken General Colin Powell, a Republican, as his Vice President. Turnout was estimated at an abysmal 15%, due to the ongoing pandemic.

As the pandemic raged, Dean moved to nationalize the nation's health insurance and hospital system under the umbrella of the 'National Health Administration' to help further coordinate resources against the disease, achieving a longstanding goal of his party in the meantime. With the quarantine effectively stamping out the virus as a threat by early 2009, Dean was faced for the first time with a referendum on his own time in office, with the upcoming midterm election in 2010.

Dean would be rewarded for his deeds, increasing Democratic majorities and allowing him to further press his progressive reform agenda. The economy, how ever, reeling from the effects of the pandemic itself, would become an albatross around Dean's neck as he left office in 2013. His successor, Vice President Colin Powell, would become the nation's first black President with his inauguration in 2013.

25. William McKinley (R-OH): 1897-1905
26. Theodore Roosevelt (R-NY): 1905-1913
27. Charles E. Hughes (R-NY): 1913-1925
28. Alfred E. "Al" Smith (D-NY): 1925-1933 [1]
29. Herbert Hoover (R-IA): 1933-1945
30. Alben W. Barkley (D-KY): 1945-1953
31. Adlai E. Stevenson (D-IL): 1953-1957 [2]
32. Joseph Kennedy (D-MA): 1957-1958 [3]
33. George Smathers (D-FL): 1958-1963 [4]
34. Charles Halleck (R-IN): 1963-1965
35. Nelson A. Rockefeller (R-NY): 1965-1979 [5]
36. Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill (D-MA): 1979-1989
37. Peter Landon (R-KS): 1989-1995
38. Jeffrey Banner (D-FL): 1995-2001
39. Scott Brown (R-MA): 2001-2007 [6]
40. Howard Dean (D-VT): 2007-2013
41. Colin Powell (R-NY): 2013-Present [7]

[1] First Catholic President.
[2] Assassinated.
[3] Resigned from office.
[4] Impeached.
[5] Died in office.
[6] Died in office.
[7] First African-American President.


Because we've reached 2013, I propose we restart this game with a different POD than the first. In that vein, the second round will begin with...

Theodore Roosevelt (P): 1913-1919
 
Theodore Roosevelt (P): 1913-1919

Theodore Roosevelt's return to the White House under the banner of a different Party shocked the political foundations of the United States. From then on, America would have a Three-party system.

TR's Achievement in his time in office was bringing America into the Great War on the side of the allies, allowing for a speedy end to the war in 1917. On the domestic front, he continued many of his policies from his first time in office, and did much to improve the lives of African-Americans in the US.

He died unexpected in office on March 1st,1919.

Hiram Johnson (P),1919-1929
 
President Johnson succeeded President Roosevelt after his untimely death, and would go on to lead the nation during the 'Roaring Twenties'. Elected to a term of his own over Democrat James Cox and Republican Frank Lowden in 1920, Johnson would press for a minimum wage, restrictions on immigration, and the noted Civil Rights Act of 1925 after winning a second term against Calvin Coolidge and James Davis.

His second term focused on Johnson's push to dismantle Jim Crow in the South, leading to a popular backlash against Johnson near the end of his term as the Democrats retook the Senate in 1926. He would not stand for a third term, and retired from the White House in 1928, endorsing Irvine Lenroot for the Presidency.

ALRED E. SMITH (D-NY): 1929-1933
 
Alfred E. Smith was elected the first Roman Catholic President in 1928 and ended 16 years of Progressives in the White House. His selection of House Majority Leader John Nance Garner of Texas ensured that the Democrats held the South.

While Smith inherited a prosperous economy from his predecessor, the bottom would fall out from the stock market crash in October 1929 that triggered the Great Depression. Smith's opposition to saving the failing banks or spending money to jump start the economy was politically disastrous as the Progressives swept the 1930 midterm elections. By 1932, the unemployment rate reached 22 percent.

While Smith would be forever known as one of the worst Presidents in history, his predecessor would rank among the greatest Presidents

HERBERT HOOVER (P-CA): 1933-1941
 
Herbert Hoover was not "that" progressive, but he knew that he had to take measures to fight the depression. His first order was to cure the needs of the poor populace. He increased social security, and initiated many programs to create new jobs for the masses, and to improve the infrastructure. Under his presidency, many highways, railroads and dams were built, that he earned the nickname, "Herb the Builder".

He would beat Democrat John Nance Garner easily in the 1936 election, after the Republicans officially endorsed Hoover. As the Republicans and Progressives cooperated together in Hoover's second term, hopes were sparked, that the two parties might reunite in the future.

Hoover didn't seek a third term, as he saw his goals completed. By the time his presidency ended, the economy was slowly recovering but the infrastructure was superb, and the huge number of highways would actually trigger the boom in the automotive industry after the war.

Wendell Wilkie (P-IN): 1941-1944
 
Wendell Wilkie would be known as the first war time Preisdent since Theodore Roosevelt, when a Japanese Atack on Pearl Harbor lead to the First Japanese-American War. After the loss of much of the American Pacific fleet, it was unhill challenge which Wilkie never saw to its conclusion.

America saw it's first major victory against Japan after they re-captured the Midway Islands, and fought of the Japanese invasion of Hawaii.For Wilkie, he would call this "America's Finest achievement."

Unfortunatley for Wilkie, he was assassinated by a alleged escaped Japanese Prisoner of War, a incident which is still unclear to this day.

Wallace H. White (P),1944-1949
 

Penelope

Banned
Wendell Wilkie would be known as the first war time Preisdent since Theodore Roosevelt, when a Japanese Atack on Pearl Harbor lead to the First Japanese-American War. After the loss of much of the American Pacific fleet, it was unhill challenge which Wilkie never saw to its conclusion.

America saw it's first major victory against Japan after they re-captured the Midway Islands, and fought of the Japanese invasion of Hawaii.For Wilkie, he would call this "America's Finest achievement."

Unfortunatley for Wilkie, he was assassinated by a alleged escaped Japanese Prisoner of War, a incident which is still unclear to this day.

Wallace H. White (P),1944-1949

President Wallace H. White would remembered mostly for his incredible handling of the final years of United States involvement. With the nation shocked by the assassination of former President Wilkie, President White would be forced to draw the nation back together, and beat back the Japanese and Germans in the Second World War.He would ultimately, after scrutiny by historians, be blamed for the nuclear bombings of Salzburg and Hiroshima, and would also be blamed for the accidental nuclear explosion in Portland, Oregon, which housed the "Sparking Project", the attempt to construct a working nuclear weapon.

The accidental destruction of a homefront U.S. city and the destruction of two more abroad would be too much for the American public to bear, even though the Second World War was a victory.

Wilbur J. Sparkson (D-CA) 1949-1961
 

Penelope

Banned
26) Theodore Roosevelt (R-NY): 1901-1909
27) William Howard Taft (R-OH):1909-1913
28) Theodore Roosevelt (P-NY): 1913-1919
29) Hiram Johnson (P-CA): 1919-1929
30) Alfred E. Smith (D-NY): 1929-1933
31) Herbert Hoover (P-CA): 1933-1941
32) Wendell Wilkie (P-IN): 1941-1944
33) Wallace H. White (P-ME): 1944-1949
34) Wilbur J. Sparkson (D-CA): 1949-1961
 
OT: Wilbur J. Sparkson is a fictional person, right?

The former actor and governor pledged to "Make America competitive again". A cold war against the Soviet-led eastern bloc was ahead, and Sparkson knew that America had to show a strong presence in Europe and Asia.

But the first tasks were on the "home front". Highest priority enjoyed the rebuilding of Portland, Oregon which had been renamed into "Rebirth, Oregon", to symbolise America's rebirth from tragedies and crises. Under his term, America's economy also became stronger, a legacy of the Hoover presidency. Sparkson wanted to stimulate domestic demand, and cut taxes and also deregulated some portions of the economy, notably the automotive and the consumer goods industries.

Another achievement had been the "Stevenson Plan", developed by Secretary of State Adlai Stevenson. The rebuilding of war-torn Europe and Asia, and the establishment of Democracies were the main parts of the plan. Soon, America, Europe and Asia grew politically and economically closer. As a result of that, the "International Economy Community (IEC)" and the "International Defense Pact (IDP)" were formed.

In 1952, he beat Harold Stassen (P) and Robert Taft (R) in the election in a narrow victory. In 1956, Sparkson would repeat his victory, when he was elected in a landslide. But his third term wouldn't have been a piece of cake, as his first two were.

The so called "Crash of '57" happened, when several consumer good and automotive manufacturers went bankrupt. They produced more goods, than they could have sold as they weren't no markets left. Europe, Asia and South America were flooded with their goods (Which earned America the reputation of producing cheap goods of rather bad quality), but they stopped with their innovations, and sold the same products for several years. Eventually, European and Japanese manufacuters would outsell them with even cheaper, but more reliable consumer goods. This period would be referred to as the "Downfall of an economy". President Sparkson declined any state intervention, and as he put it, "The government can't produce cars and tellys."

But not only car companies and electronic companies went downhill, soon enough other branches followed as well, and the Dollar lost dramatically on worth. The end of the story was, that many major companies were sold to foreign companies. Sparkson was blamed for that, and soon he was called "Al the second". Subsequently, he didn't seek a forth term (Both house were controlled by a Progressive-Republican coalition anyway).

Richard Nixon (R-CA) 1961-1968
 
The first Republican POTUS since William H. Taft, President Nixon promised to restore confidence in the American economy after the Crash of '57. With his progressive allies in Congress, Nixon pressed through a series of economic bills to strengthen the ailing financial sector and put Americans back to work in a number of ways.

As unemployment declined in early 1964, Nixon declared he would seek a second term, and went about engineering a merger of the Republican and Progressive Parties, under the simple aegis of the 'Progressive Republican Party'. Nixon would defeat conservative Democrat Joe Kennedy in 1964, and would spend his second term focusing on environmental issues and improving the lot of African-Americans in the South.

By 1967, Nixon had navigated the nation out of the recession and was planning on seeking a third term in the White House before he suffered a serious stroke in 1968, leading the Congress to invoke the 25th Amendment and allow his Vice President, Wayne Morse, to serve out his term as President.

Wayne L. Morse (PR-OR): 1968-1974
 
President Morse was an effective at passing his "Compassionate Society" program through Congress, and effectively took charge of the nation after Nixon's stroke. During his term, Morse focused on building a national highway system funded by the states and creating the Office of Economic Opportunity. A sharp recession with 6% inflation and 9% unemploymetn in 1971, coined the term "Morosonomics". The 1972 election would go to the House, which would elect the conservative Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Gov. Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) Vice President under President Morse.

Morse was stumping for the Progressives in the 1974 midterm elections, championing his healthcare plan, he was assassinated by Arthur Bremer in Charlottesville, Virginia. Robert Kennedy was sworn in on Apr. 8th.

Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY)

Apr. 8, 1974- Jan. 20, 1985
 

Penelope

Banned
President Robert F. Kennedy was inagurated under international strife, with President Morse assassinated, many of the Progressive Americans would take to the streets, demanding that President Kennedy be removed from office, and an election between the two parties take place.

Ultimately, Kennedy, being a man of the people, would allow this, and ordered that an election take place on November 7th, 1974. The special election would be close, but ultimately Kennedy would come out on top of Jerry Campbell, the Progressive candidate.

His first full term, contrary to what many believed, was excellent. The Soviet Union was put on the backburner, and Buzz Aldrin would become the first man to walk on the moon, at the age of 47, in 1977. The highway expansion started by his predecessor would continue, and a controlled urban expansion plan was presented and passed by Congress. The best economic peace time since President Sparkson's term would occur, and it was no suprise that he was re-elected to a second term by over 60% of the vote in 1979. His second term would be a similar story of success, with a plan for putting a man on Mars by 1985 being produced, and a plan for expanding healthcare to all Americans. This, "New Healthcare Initiative" would be passed by an Democrat-Majority Congress. His now waning popularity would see him elected to a third term, which would be much, much less successful than his first two. The economy would take a downturn beginning in 1984, and a terrorist attack in Boston Harbor by Ukranian extremists would send the economy into a further negative spiral on November 19th, 1984. His approval would jump from 67% to 31% in days.

However, his legacy would not be one of negativity, but rememberance. On January 20th, 1985, Johnny Benson would assassinate President Kennedy in Madison Square Garden. He would later claim insanity, but was sentenced to death. Meanwhile, Vice President Dennis Orlando would be sworn in.

President Dennis Orlando (D-WA) 1985-1988

OOC: Remember, elections are now in the style of 87-91-95-99-03. Presidents are sworn in on even years.
 
The Orlando administration would be a difficult one. Orlando, more of a preacher than a politician, was unable to handle the economy. The congress would be split between several parties during his administration, preventing any laws from being passed. After an assassination attmept by Alaskan nationalists, he was left crippled and weak, a living symbol of what the Democratic party had become. In 1987, he would be defeated by musician turned politician Les Paul.

President Les Paul (R-WI) 1988-2000
 
President Les Paul (R-WI) 1988-2000

Lester 'Les Paul' Polfuss was known for many years across America as a well regarded musician. His introduction into politics surprised many of those around him, and even he couldn't seem to give a could answer for why he made the change. All people knew was that one day he found himself runing for the senate in Wisconsin, and he never looked back.

In 1987, He took the Republican Party by storm and was easily crowned their nominee. In the election, he won by a landslide against incumbent
President Dennis Orlando. During his time in office, he managed to recharge the American Economy, as well as intervene in many foriegn affairs issues.For his leadership during the African Crisis, he was given the Nobel Prize for peace.

Les Paul left office with an approval rating of over 60%, and is often called the best President to serve in the past half-century. His hand-picked successor would be eleccted to replace him in 1999.

President Steve Miller (R-WI), 2000-2006*

*Resigned From Office
 
Ron Paul was made famous for being outspoken against the rapidly growing military-industrial complex. He began as a doctor, and worked in a church giving care to those who could not afford to pay for medical bills.

He was then elected to Congress and spent over 20 years there. He then ran unsuccessfully for president in 1988, and then returned to congress, where he remained until he was picked by Steve Miller as his running mate in the 1999 election.

They won the presidential election in 2 electoral landslides (1999 and 2003), and Paul's presidency began with President Les Paul's resignation. He then was sworn in as president, and appointed former Governor Mitt Romney as his VP.

Ron Paul (2006-2020)
 
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