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Post by american2006 on Nov 13, 2020 15:03:00 GMT
(Note to Lordroel: I was joking earlier when I said I would spam threads, these are just ideas I came up with).
Four US Presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. The first was assassinated by a segregationist. The second was assassinated by a crazy person. The third was an anarchist. The fourth was a communist. Your challenge is to make an OTL Presidential assassin a US President and NOT screwing up the US completely.
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kyng
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Post by kyng on Nov 13, 2020 18:03:43 GMT
Interesting one  . Though, the obvious question is: why don't they get executed? Garfield's and McKinley's assassins were both put to death before the next presidential election, and Lincoln's and Kennedy's were both shot dead before they could stand trial (were it not for that, I expect they would both have been executed too). We'd probably need to set up a situation where the death penalty is abolished before an assassination - or an assassination takes place in a state which does not have the death penalty (note that, even as late as 1963, it was not a federal crime to kill the President of the United States - so, JFK's assassination instead fell under local jurisdiction) But, really... I think the only way we can do this is if a Vice President ever gets into a nasty argument with their President, and assassinates them . Can't think of any obvious candidates for this, though! |
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Post by american2006 on Nov 13, 2020 18:23:16 GMT
Interesting one . Though, the obvious question is: why don't they get executed? Garfield's and McKinley's assassins were both put to death before the next presidential election, and Lincoln's and Kennedy's were both shot dead before they could stand trial (were it not for that, I expect they would both have been executed too). We'd probably need to set up a situation where the death penalty is abolished before an assassination - or an assassination takes place in a state which does not have the death penalty (note that, even as late as 1963, it was not a federal crime to kill the President of the United States - so, JFK's assassination instead fell under local jurisdiction) But, really... I think the only way we can do this is if a Vice President ever gets into a nasty argument with their President, and assassinates them . Can't think of any obvious candidates for this, though! That’s true, I didn’t even think of it. No matter how you put it, it’s a stretch. Maybe one of the following: John Wilkes Booth) North secedes instead of the South when some real hard-line Southerner (maybe Davis) is elected president in 1856, 1860, or 1864, perhaps defeating Seward. Booth launches his political career here, perhaps with some time in the Southern Army. Assuming the border states would stay in the Union, the South wins narrowly. However, President Davis stops after two terms and Booth is elected President on the Democratic Parties ticket. It’s a long shot, but probably the most likely of the four. Charles Guiteau) While in his 20s, he launches a career in the Union Army and becomes a person of importance, and maybe leads the charge on a victorious battle or two. Then, he runs for the Senate in Illinois, is tapped by Rutherford B. Hayes to lead the War Department, and is elected by the Republican Party in 1880. Another big long shot. Leon Czolgosz) This is the most unlikely one. Let’s say he becomes a Democrat and is small-government (but not an anarchist, as in OTL). In the 1890s he’s elected to the US House of Reps, then under a William Jennings Bryan presidency becomes Governor of New York. When Bryan goes away, Teddy Roosevelt runs and is elected to two terms, 1909-1917. He leads America through an unpopular World War One. During this time, Czolgosz becomes a Senator, and in 1917 challenges whomever TR’s choice to replace him is, and wins. Lee Harvey Oswald) The Soviet Union never forms, Communism develops in America rather then Russia. During WWII the US stays neutral under a Republican president, and this makes the GOP unpopular. At this point the GOP is the Conservative party, but the Democrats are dead because the Great Depression never happened, meaning the GOP had 30 years of White House rule. Then, Oswald found a communist party and is elected against a unpopular Republican, let’s say Nixon. |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Nov 13, 2020 19:05:49 GMT
(Note to Lordroel: I was joking earlier when I said I would spam threads, these are just ideas I came up with). Four US Presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. The first was assassinated by a segregationist. The second was assassinated by a crazy person. The third was an anarchist. The fourth was a communist. Your challenge is to make an OTL Presidential assassin a US President and NOT screwing up the US completely. If the assassin was a Vice president, in lets say a duel when dueling was still going on in the United States, you could have a assassin becoming president, otherwise i do not think it is possible. |
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Post by american2006 on Nov 13, 2020 20:00:38 GMT
(Note to Lordroel: I was joking earlier when I said I would spam threads, these are just ideas I came up with). Four US Presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. The first was assassinated by a segregationist. The second was assassinated by a crazy person. The third was an anarchist. The fourth was a communist. Your challenge is to make an OTL Presidential assassin a US President and NOT screwing up the US completely. If the assassin was a Vice president, in lets say a duel when dueling was still going on in the United States, you could have a assassin becoming president, otherwise i do not think it is possible. True, but the point of the AHC is to make an OTL assassin the president. It would be very hard regardless, |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Nov 13, 2020 20:26:42 GMT
If the assassin was a Vice president, in lets say a duel when dueling was still going on in the United States, you could have a assassin becoming president, otherwise i do not think it is possible. True, but the point of the AHC is to make an OTL assassin the president. It would be very hard regardless, Impossible, only the intervention of a Alien Space Bat could make it happen. |
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Post by american2006 on Nov 13, 2020 20:33:00 GMT
True, but the point of the AHC is to make an OTL assassin the president. It would be very hard regardless, Impossible, only the intervention of a Alien Space Bat could make it happen. Not quite... I mean... one of them’s an actor... two presidents were former actors... one of them never served in political position... Ones a communist... socialism is like communism... Bernie Sanders almost got elected (JUST AN EXAMPLE KEEP CURRENT POLITICS OUT OF THIS PLEASE!)... And a number of presidents were stalwarts, and crazy. Nothing like to say ‘bout the anarchist though. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Nov 14, 2020 10:02:37 GMT
Guys
As I read it, especially given his examples american2006, is referring to someone who OTL was a assassin becoming a President. I.e. instead of killing a President they for whatever reason end up as a President. Not that they still kill a President of the US then despite that become President later on.
There is one cheap route out of it. The OP doesn't explicitly state the President is a US one. So you could have say Booth serving in the US army during the invasion of Mexico and killing Santa Anna during the war, then probably aided by that starting a political career and ending up President. However I suspect that wasn't what american2006, intended. 
Steve
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Post by american2006 on Nov 14, 2020 15:24:50 GMT
Guys
As I read it, especially given his examples american2006 , is referring to someone who OTL was a assassin becoming a President. I.e. instead of killing a President they for whatever reason end up as a President. Not that they still kill a President of the US then despite that become President later on.
There is one cheap route out of it. The OP doesn't explicitly state the President is a US one. So you could have say Booth serving in the US army during the invasion of Mexico and killing Santa Anna during the war, then probably aided by that starting a political career and ending up President. However I suspect that wasn't what american2006 , intended.
Steve
That is exactly how I meant it, but I didn't even consider that possibility for Booth. |
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