Alternate Veeps challenge!

Choose a president, then give him an alternate veep. Simple. Not really.

Why was this veep selected?
What impact does this have on the presidency? If any?
Might this veep be elected president in his own right?

Have fun!
 

jahenders

Banned
GW Bush a few alternates:
1) Rumsfield -- was apparently on the short list for quite some time. He may wield less influence than Cheney, but might be similar in some ways.

2) Colin Powell -- was considered but apparently wasn't interested. He'd definitely have influenced toward more consensus. Likely no Iraq invasion. Being the first black man in the presidency, he'd lessen the "excitement" for a later black presidential candidate.

3) McCain -- was considered. Would probably improve working relationships with Congress. Likely no Iraq invasion.

4) Ridge -- seriously considered. More consensus building


Choose a president, then give him an alternate veep. Simple. Not really.

Why was this veep selected?
What impact does this have on the presidency? If any?
Might this veep be elected president in his own right?

Have fun!
 

jahenders

Banned
George HW Bush:
- John Kemp
- Bob Dole

Would remove a major laugh track vector on the presidency. Dan Quayle wasn't actually that bad, nor was he nearly as foolish as he's painted OR as many other politicians, but he was successfully painted so by the media and it stuck and made him ineffective. Joe Biden has said MANY more FAR dumber things.

Choose a president, then give him an alternate veep. Simple. Not really.

Why was this veep selected?
What impact does this have on the presidency? If any?
Might this veep be elected president in his own right?

Have fun!
 
Richard Nixon:
John Volpe (apparently Nixon's second choice IOTL)
That choice would butterfly away a Ford presidency. I think it would do likewise for a Rockefeller VP nomination/confirmation: probably it wouldn't have gone over too well to have a couple of northeasterners in the top slot. Possibly Volpe would have chosen Bob Dole upon his succession after Nixon's resignation assuming the Volpe choice doesn't affect Watergate (which I doubt it would). Then the GOP ticket for 1976 is pretty well set going in.
 
Zachary Taylor and William Henry Harrison both offered the VP slot to Daniel Webster, he turned both men down, and as history obviously went Millard Fillmore and John Tyler got the spot on those tickets instead; and later succeeded to the Presidency.
 
What about Evan Bayh instead of Joe Biden?

http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2015/02/10/biden-vice-president-bayh-axelrod/

Axlerod says Bayh was the runner-up to Biden in 2008 but was too "low key" compared to Biden and didn't connect with Obama. What if Bayh has been more upbeat or if something had happened with Biden (major gaffe, health issue, whatever) to keep him off the ticket?

I don't think VP Bayh would have changed the outcome of 2008 or 2012, but it would have a huge impact on the 2016 race with a much younger VP looking to succeed his president...
 
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