DBWI: Ronald Reagan and James Dean swapped fates?

[TheDetailer]

Ronald Wilson Reagan and James Byron Dean are two of the most influential Californians in American history, both staring in many hit films during the 1950s in particular. But they went down two very different paths. One would go on to die tragically in a car crash during the peak of their career, becoming known as one of those celebrities who were gone too soon, while the other would go on to run in politics, becoming Governor of California, and eventually successfully in achieving the highest office in the land - President of the United States of America- with his two term presidency considered a golden age, and one of the most highly rated presidents of all time.

But what if the two fates were somehow swapped? What would be different?

 

[Admiral Bloonbeard]

Reagan was a newdealer and a ardent Democrat. I can see him becoming the new FDR.

 

[Mr. Magi]

Huh... I imagine Reagan would likely be a stronger anti communist than Dean was; different age gap making that more likely since he has 20 years on Dean. He'd also likely emphasize different things if he was in office; he did do a lot of roles playing veterans and respected them quite a bit himself even if he didn't serve in a combat capacity in WWII. So likely his big things would probably be veteran care reforms, since the time where he'd probably run, the sixties to seventies, that needed some serious overhauling.

Still, his death was pretty horrid; went out after hours of fighting for his life in the ICU from a drunk driver smashing him while he was driving back from filming that unreleased Bancroft movie in '43. Right on the heels of winning best leading role in King's Row.

No Dean though means Detroit probably suffers the fate New York did too; he won his campaign on his promises to save the steel belt and his long love of car racing. Man paved the way for road safety, rebuilt the highway system, and tried to save manufacturing as best he could. He also pushed for gay rights, which definitely earned him enemies during his stint as president.

 

[MNM041]

No Dean though means Detroit probably suffers the fate New York did too; he won his campaign on his promises to save the steel belt and his long love of car racing. Man paved the way for road safety, rebuilt the highway system, and tried to save manufacturing as best he could. He also pushed for gay rights, which definitely earned him enemies during his stint as president.

A lack of a Dean admin pretty much means we'd see more manufacturing jobs go oversea, and it would probably take longer than it did for same-sex marriage to be legalized. Given that it only became legal in 2006, I'd honestly wonder whether it would have even happened by this point.