The Gipper Goes Down
From Alternative History
On March 30, 1981, Ronald Wilson Reagan had been President of the United States for 70 days. Elected by a landslide over Jimmy Carter in 1980, the 70-year-old Reagan had already had a big success when the Americans held hostage in Iran were released minutes after his inauguration. Reagan, a former actor and Governor of California, was looking to become a much-loved American leader and to have a profound impact on America. He did have that impact, but probably not in the way he'd expected. On that day, Reagan left the Hilton Hotel after an appearance there, with his Press Secretary, James Brady, in tow. A young, Jodie Foster-obsessed man called John Hinckley Jnr, fired six shots from a revolver at the President. Brady was critically wounded, a secret service man was killed, and Reagan was rushed to hospital unconcious. He was pronounced Dead on Arrival, assassinated by a disturbed young man. Tecumseh's Curse had struck again - every US President elected in a year ending in 0 had died in office, from Harrison to Reagan.
Vice President George Bush was summoned, informed what had happened and immediately took the oath of office. His first action as President was to launch a full investigation into the Reagan assassination. No conspiracy was revealed and Bush attracted criticism for politicising the death of his predecessor.
Next on the agenda was choosing a new Vice President. Bush chose the Secretary of State, Alexander Haig, a former White House Chief of Staff and four-star general. Haig was confirmed by both Houses of Congress in record time, and the Senate confirmed his replacement at the State Department, National Security Advisor Richard V. Allen. Reagan was dead and the brief Reagan era a memory as President Bush and Vice President Haig got on with the job.
By the time of the 1984 Presidential election, President Bush had seen a slump in popularity. Unable to capture the hearts and minds of Americans as Reagan had, Bush dropped from a 76% approval rating just after the assassination to just 42% in January 1984. Bush nevertheless pressed on with re-election. He and Vice President Haig were re-nominated for their positions. The Democrats nominated former Vice President Walter Mondale for President, with Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro his running mate and the first woman nominated by a major party for Vice President.
The campaign was not seen as a juggernaut, and the voting public at times seemed disinterested. While military spending had increased under Bush, he was having a hard time selling economic programs and was widely seen as uncharismatic. Nevertheless, he managed to attract enough support to win re-election. Bush won 49% of the popular vote to Mondale's 47% and 290 electoral votes to Mondale's 248.
Bush's second term saw the largest political scandal since Watergate, namely, the Iran-Contra scandal. Rumours and allegations started to surface in 1985 that the government had traded arms for hostages in Iran and used the money to finance the Contras, the opposition to the Sandanista government in Nicaragua. The scandal rocked the Washington establishment. The man at the centre of the affair, Oliver North, wrapped himself in the flag and pleaded anti-communism. The National Security Advisor, John Poindexter, and North were indicted and tried. President Bush denied all knowledge, but nobody believed him. It was clear to everybody that the President had authorised everything, including breaking U.S. law to fund the Contras.
On December 19, 1987, the U.S. Congress began impeachment proceedings, charging President Bush with "gross misconduct" in the Iran-Contra scandal. The President was left with little choice, and on January 16, 1988, he resigned from office, the second President to do so, both within fifteen years. Alexander Haig became President in an election year. The Democratic candidate, Michael Dukakis, was leading the tainted Haig by ten points in the polls. In November, Haig and his new VP, Jack Kemp, were defeated by Dukakis and running mate Lloyd Bentsen. They brought with them sweeping victories for the Democrats in the Congress. The Republicans were tainted with the stench of corruption, first Watergate, then Iran-Contra. It would be more than a decade before they recovered.
Presidents of the United States since 1981 (The Gipper Goes Down)
Vice Presidents of the United States since 1981 (The Gipper Goes Down)
1984 U.S. Presidential Election (The Gipper Goes Down)
1988 U.S. Presidential Election (The Gipper Goes Down)
1992 U.S. Presidential Election (The Gipper Goes Down)
1996 U.S. Presidential Election (The Gipper Goes Down)
