In the United States, every little boy and girl is told that they can be president. This seems to be the reason why, in an alternate history scenario, anyone can be and possibly will be proposed as a possible president, senator, governor, congressman or any other type of politician. For example, if Jimi Hendrix lives, there is a high possibility of someone asking “What if Jimi Hendrix ran for office and became president?”. If James Dean lives, then Senator Dean is a distinct possibility. “President Anybody” is rampant in alternate history discussion and scenarios, and appears to especially involve celebrities. This may be because of Ronald Reagan's political career after having been an actor, as well as the political careers of various former actors (such as George Murphy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jesse Ventura), musicians (such as Sonny Bono) and sports stars (such as Jack Kemp and Bill Bradley).

The problem with “President Anybody” is that it often ignores the fact that not everyone wants to be a politician and even of those who do, not everyone will want to be in a higher or the highest office. After all, how many politicians have existed who sought no higher office than the highest they achieved? And politics and political office are no simple task to just be walked into.

This is not to say the “President Anybody” concept is always negative. After all, there are individuals who very well could have sought elected office and even the presidency. However, for them to do so in a quality scenario requires legitimate justification.

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