President Lloyd Bentsen

Here's an Interesting scenario, its a bit of a stretch but here it goes...Let's say that the duke is assasinated on Oct 12th 1988 while on the campaign trail by some neocon wacko, the day before the last scheduled presidential debate between then Vice President George H.W. Bush...Bentsen gravely takes the position of the Democratic Nominee for President...

Would the sympathy vote from a Dukakis assasination combined with a general sense of having a now a truly "Presidential" candidate on the top of the ticket be enough two swing tightly contested states lnto the Democratic Column? States such as Vermont, South Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, Delaware, North Dakota, Maryland, Maine, Conneticut, Missouri, Illinois, Pennyslvannia, Colorado and California? Who would Bentsen pick to be his Running...Jackson, Cuomo, Biden(In order to shore up the northern liberal base)? Also how might a Bentsen Presidency look like?
 
Here's an Interesting scenario, its a bit of a stretch but here it goes...Let's say that the duke is assasinated on Oct 12th 1988 while on the campaign trail by some neocon wacko, the day before the last scheduled presidential debate between then Vice President George H.W. Bush...Bentsen gravely takes the position of the Democratic Nominee for President...

Would the sympathy vote from a Dukakis assasination combined with a general sense of having a now a truly "Presidential" candidate on the top of the ticket be enough two swing tightly contested states lnto the Democratic Column? States such as Vermont, South Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, Delaware, North Dakota, Maryland, Maine, Conneticut, Missouri, Illinois, Pennyslvannia, Colorado and California? Who would Bentsen pick to be his Running...Jackson, Cuomo, Biden(In order to shore up the northern liberal base)? Also how might a Bentsen Presidency look like?

Cuomo is likely, though John Kerry, Paul Tsongas, Al Gore, Dick Gephardt , Dale Bumpers, Bill Clinton are names to think about. i think John Kerry is most likely because of his ties to Dukakis and Massachusetts.

any way i'd like to think Bentsen could pull it off
 
Cuomo is likely, though John Kerry, Paul Tsongas, Al Gore, Dick Gephardt , Dale Bumpers, Bill Clinton are names to think about. i think John Kerry is most likely because of his ties to Dukakis and Massachusetts.

any way i'd like to think Bentsen could pull it off

Yeah, I think his presideceny will probably end up looking alot like a sort-of-a Proto-Clinton Presidency, esp with his known moderate stance on legislating. Also did Dukakis have any ailments or illnesss that we know no about? I just think a possible Heartattack or Anuresim could easily happen in TTL, if Dukakis let Lee Atwater's attacks get the best of him...
 
Yeah, I think his presideceny will probably end up looking alot like a sort-of-a Proto-Clinton Presidency, esp with his known moderate stance on legislating. Also did Dukakis have any ailments or illnesss that we know no about? I just think a possible Heartattack or Anuresim could easily happen in TTL, if Dukakis let Lee Atwater's attacks get the best of him...

his wife was a real mess

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_D._Dukakis

maybe they take up drinking together as things go to hell for the Campaign
 
Cuomo is likely, though John Kerry, Paul Tsongas, Al Gore, Dick Gephardt , Dale Bumpers, Bill Clinton are names to think about. i think John Kerry is most likely because of his ties to Dukakis and Massachusetts.

any way i'd like to think Bentsen could pull it off

Not Cuomo. If he didn't go for the nomination (and would have received it, in 1988, in all probability) he won't take the VP slot. However there's a very high chance he winds up on the Supreme Court.

Biden is out. Brain surgery.

Dale Bumpers, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, and probably Gephardt are all out—the Democratic Party isn't going to run a pair of Southerners.

John Kerry is a good possibility. Also think Governors: Richard Celeste of Ohio is popular, five years into his service as Governor, and satisfies both Northerners and the electoral big industrial state math.
 
Not Cuomo. If he didn't go for the nomination (and would have received it, in 1988, in all probability) he won't take the VP slot. However there's a very high chance he winds up on the Supreme Court.

Biden is out. Brain surgery.

Dale Bumpers, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, and probably Gephardt are all out—the Democratic Party isn't going to run a pair of Southerners.

John Kerry is a good possibility. Also think Governors: Richard Celeste of Ohio is popular, five years into his service as Governor, and satisfies both Northerners and the electoral big industrial state math.


Your probably right about Cuomo, He might however take the Vice Presidency if Bentsen can convince him that it will help heal the party and the nation after Dukakis' Death. Also would Jackson be that bad of a Running Mate choice? It would help further unify the party as he was the runner up to Dukakis and assure the Black Base who might be alil uneasy by Bentsen's old Southern Background? John Kerry also would be an extremley good choice...

Im thinking about possibly developing this into a full fledged timeline, how might Bentsen react the fall of the Berlin Wall and to the collapse of the Soviet Union? Also how does he handle Reagan's left over debt? He should be alot more successful than Bush 41 trying to convince the Democratic Congress to act on the budget.
 
Your probably right about Cuomo, He might however take the Vice Presidency if Bentsen can convince him that it will help heal the party and the nation after Dukakis' Death. Also would Jackson be that bad of a Running Mate choice? It would help further unify the party as he was the runner up to Dukakis and assure the Black Base who might be alil uneasy by Bentsen's old Southern Background? John Kerry also would be an extremley good choice...

Im thinking about possibly developing this into a full fledged timeline, how might Bentsen react the fall of the Berlin Wall and to the collapse of the Soviet Union? Also how does he handle Reagan's left over debt? He should be alot more successful than Bush 41 trying to convince the Democratic Congress to act on the budget.

Jackson? Nah. You can't put an angry scary black man on the ticket. Acceptable blacks to the American public are still a little ways away—Wilder in '89 Virginia, mainly.

Kerry is solid, but I think the Dems would lean towards a Governor—and Celeste in Ohio punches most of the buttons under consideration.

As for 1992 I will continue to throw out my favourite dark horse of that time period—Republican Governor Carroll Campbell of South Carolina as the GOP nominee for that year. (After all, seeing the same names gets boring: Dole, Kemp, et al.)


As for the timeline: go for it :).
 
As for 1992 I will continue to throw out my favourite dark horse of that time period—Republican Governor Carroll Campbell of South Carolina as the GOP nominee for that year. (After all, seeing the same names gets boring: Dole, Kemp, et al.)

John McCain? Donald Rumsfeld? Dick Cheney? Lamar Alexander? Phil Gramm? Arlen Specter? Christine Todd Whitman?

those are all the names i could think of who'd really run
 
John McCain? Donald Rumsfeld? Dick Cheney? Lamar Alexander? Phil Gramm? Arlen Specter? Christine Todd Whitman?

McCain's too close to the Keating Five scandal at the time but otherwise I agree with you. However, like I said, they're all fairly common names in the '90s political talk which is why I like Campbell.
 
Jackson? Nah. You can't put an angry scary black man on the ticket. Acceptable blacks to the American public are still a little ways away—Wilder in '89 Virginia, mainly.

Kerry is solid, but I think the Dems would lean towards a Governor—and Celeste in Ohio punches most of the buttons under consideration.

As for 1992 I will continue to throw out my favourite dark horse of that time period—Republican Governor Carroll Campbell of South Carolina as the GOP nominee for that year. (After all, seeing the same names gets boring: Dole, Kemp, et al.)


As for the timeline: go for it :).


Celeste does seem as if a Pretty good choice for VP, Also a Progressive like GOV Bob Casey of PA could also work since he necessarily guarantee's that states electoral votes into the democratic Column(PA was really close in OTL 1988). But although Bentsen was a moderate when it came toward economic policy he was pretty liberal on social issues, that may clash with Casey's staunch Pro-Life Supporter...Other Candidates could include Gov Madeleine May Kunin of Vermont,Paul Tsongas and Dick Gephardt are all possibilites as well

Also any ideas on a Bensten cabinet(Am I right to think that it would be as inclusvive as OTL Clinton's and Anne Richards' Gubnetorial cabinent in otl) I was thinking about former ambassador to the UN Andrew Young as Secretary of State any other Ideas?
 
Also any ideas on a Bensten cabinet(Am I right to think that it would be as inclusvive as OTL Clinton's and Anne Richards' Gubnetorial cabinent in otl) I was thinking about former ambassador to the UN Andrew Young as Secretary of State any other Ideas?

we may see both Bill and Ann in his Cabinet, but yes it's likely that it would be very Inclusive.

as for Secretary of State why not Warren Christopher? :confused:
 
we may see both Bill and Ann in his Cabinet, but yes it's likely that it would be very Inclusive.

as for Secretary of State why not Warren Christopher? :confused:

I like Christoper as a pick, but I think Young does have the credentials to be a successful Secretary of State as well, Im still weighing both as options...I also think that Bentsen will leave Ann in Texas as she is one of the last few that could keep Texas from switching to the GOP, who know's If he actively campaigns for her in '94(If he wins reelection), she may be able to beat George W. Bush in the General. Also, Im not sure what kind of post Lloyd would give Bill...Possible Secretary of Treasury as he was known for his econmic strength in Arkansas, which would set him up for David Pryor's seat in '97 if he retires around the same time as in OTL...
 
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