Describe (In all seriousness) the American Presidency of the preceding poster

[Dr. Cynic]

As a General, and moderate Southern Democrat, he starts his primary battle as a dark horse, but quickly weeds through the opposing candidates to take on a much more conservative Republican with a low approval rating.

He's swept into office, but his oft hawkish stances drain a weary population. Dispite domestic happiness, his hawkish war policy causes strain, and he is narrowly defeated for re-election.

He later becomes one of America's most respected millitary commentators, and does a far better job of being his successor's strongest critic, and one of the factors in his Vice President's election four years later.

He is well remembered, but considered an average and sometimes above President who deserved two terms.

[Reaganfan]

A liberal candidate who is elected by a 290 EV count in an unpopular conservative year. His policies never make it through the split Congress, and he is opposed by a stauch conservative which results in a landslide re-election defeat.

[Dr. Cynic]

I can't remember if I did yours or not, so I'll just go with this:

Elected winning the electoral, but losing the popular vote. He is derided as a lame duck during his Presidency, and no matter what his agenda, it fails in Congress. He is defeated in his party's primary by a better candidate (Possibly a forumer... For fun, I'm just going to pick one out of the hat and say Colin)

[Joe Republic]

A former failed vice presidential candidate, Watson followed in the footsteps of Ed Muskie, Walter Mondale, Joe Lieberman and John Edwards in running for the top job just four years later.  Succeeding in capturing the nomination and then eventually the White House, "Laughin' Larry" Watson began his first term as President of the United States with a firmly liberal and yet down-to-earth agenda.

Despite making a big deal during the campaign of how he would be able to "win over" the Republican-controlled Congress with the spirit of compromise in order to achieve a shopping list of progressive policies, the actual result was very different.  Seeing no need to compromise with Watson for any reason, Congress either flat out rejected his legislation, or amended them to death.  With almost nothing to show for his first two years except for a handful of token reforms, Watson approached the impending mid-term elections in a clearly frustrated mood.  He presented the nation with a plain and simple choice: they could sweep the Democrats into power and allow them to help him fulfil his agenda, or keep the Republicans in power and let the deadlock continue.  Unfortunately for Watson, he was widely perceived to be the main reason for the "do-nothing" government, and the Republicans increased their majorities in the elections.  He gave the people a choice, and they didn't choose him.

Confronted with at least another two years of a stubborn legislature, Watson had no choice but to review his agenda and moderate it somewhat to achieve any kind of progress.  This of course only served to piss off the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, and didn't really endear him very much to the Republicans either.  Most others just saw this as a sign that he was unprincipled, which on the whole was an unfair judgement.

As his potential re-election loomed, Watson's approval ratings were at the "could do better" level, but at least he had a healthy economy and a relatively clear horizon on the foreign policy front.  His eventual Republican opponent turned out to be an aging senator from the Rocky Mountains, who was widely seen as just a shade too conservative, and had a habit of committing frequent verbal gaffes.  Compared to the relatively youthful and personable Lawrence Watson, the electorate saw no real reason not to grant him another four years, and did so.

Whereas his first term was pretty much a disappointment, his second term was a disaster.  It started off badly when his vice president was embroiled in a sex scandal, which led to his resignation before it could cause any further embarrassment to the White House.  Watson's initial choice of a replacement was unceremoniously rejected by the Republican Congress, for a number of unassuming reasons (the popular belief was that the nominee was simply going to be groomed for a White House bid later on).  His second choice survived the nomination and was confirmed, but was really such a bland and uninspiring character that he really added nothing special to the government.

This debacle was shortly followed by a sudden escalation of domestic conflict in South America; Colombia, particularly.  Having made a 'brotherly' pledge earlier in his administration to provide funding and military support to the Colombian government in their ongoing struggles with the rebels, Watson felt obliged to follow through with his kindly (but somewhat misguided) promise, and massively expanded the U.S. military presence in the country.

It was not long before the protests began from both the Left and the Right.  The anti-war crowd disowned Watson from their ranks, and the Republicans simply balked at the idea of a war that seemingly had no purpose or relative merit to American interests.  Almost as soon as the administration began to use any and all methods of diplomacy to find a "polite" way to withdraw, the violence began to spread into neighboring Venezuela and Central America.  Before long there were even rumors of civil unrest as close to home as Mexico.

The escalation of the war proved to be nothing but a burden to President Watson, whose stated intention was to withdraw from the conflict as soon as possible.  But for every statement he made to this effect, the situation simply got worse, and American forces were drawn further still into the mess.  The number of immigrants into the U.S. (both legal and otherwise) from the troublespots sharply increased.

As the second term of the Watson presidency drew to a close, with no end in sight to the conflict in South and Central America, and with the perceived loss of focus on various domestic affairs, most Americans began to look forward to a new beginning that the next president would bring.  This sentiment couldn't have been reflected better than in President Watson himself.  Starting his presidential career as a wholesome everyman; a "sensible comedian"; he had eventually become distant and even a little bitter and cynical at the country that had abandoned him before he could even really get started.

[Dr. Cynic]

FTR, I would be just like Theodore Roosevelt... He hated the name Teddy... I hate the name Larry.

I also sense Joe hates me, lol.


Joe Republic was given little to no chance of winning the White House when he announced as an independant alternative to the current candidates, both bland and uninspiring individuals. Much like Ross Perot had, he soon took the lead in the polls, but unlike Ross, he didn't drop out and drop back in. He was elected President by a narrow margain. Unfortunately for him, his first two years were bitter disappointments. Democrats and Republicans alike would cause him problems, and cause Joe constant headaches. Nothing he did could pass before midterms, however, he came out of that with a victory when Senators and Congressmen loyal to his agenda came to power.

The rest of his first term was uneventful and he passed decent legislation. Inflation was fairly high, but low unemployment often offset the difference. Re-elected over a charismatic Democrat and iconic Republican, Joe had much more success in his second term. Inflation fell, and the economy picked up a huge boost. However, not all was well, as political opponents strengthend and attacked Joe for, oddly enough, the good he was doing. His loyal congress was swept out of power, and thusly, it made it more difficult for him to get his agenda through, and so he flatly gave up on a real focus and either signed or vetoed legislation based on his political opinions.

Clearly tired of the office after two terms, he retired to his home where he would ocassionally write political fiction and non-fiction. He would be remembered as a good President who had the rug pulled out from under him in the end, and would thus rank somewhere between 10-15.

See, isn't it better to be nice, Joe? lol.

[Joe Republic]

I also sense Joe hates me, lol.

Nuh uh, you'll notice that very few of the bad things in my version of your presidency were really your fault.

Anyway, thank you for my positive write-up.


(Next person skip me.)

[Dr. Cynic]

I also sense Joe hates me, lol.

Nuh uh, you'll notice that very few of the bad things in my version of your presidency were really your fault.

Anyway, thank you for my positive write-up.


(Next person skip me.)

Yeah, I noticed... Once I re-read it, lol... Now you can do a positive one, that way, I can have one of each... I'll do a negative one for you, if you want to make it fair... lol...

[SPC]

For Joe Republic:
Originally an Independent, Joe Republic switches to the Democratic Party as he seizes on an opportunity to get a major party nomination. His major opponents are two liberal Democratic senators: one from Massachusetts, the other from Virginia. They manage to split the far-left vote, resulting in Joe Republic winning the nomination.

His opponent in the general election is a former conservative Republican senator from Virginia, who had been defeated for reelection just four years earlier. Joe Republic defeats the senator 331-214.

His first term is filled with economic success and progress. The unemployment rate reaches a new twenty year low. He promotes tax cuts and pro-growth legislation, much to the dismay of the DNC party leaders. He has higher approval ratings among Republicans and conservatives than Democrats and liberals.

In his reelection campaign, Republicans refuse to nominate an opposing candidate, whereas the Democrats are giving him primary opposition. The liberal senator from Virginia, who lost to President Republic four years earlier, is challenging him again. The liberal Virginia senator manages to win the primaries due to support from DNC party leaders. However, Joe decides instead to run as an independent, which gets him the support of the Republicans. He manages to win a razor thin victory, 276-262.
 
His second term is not as successful as his first, as the Senate and House are more bitterly divided than they were in his first term. In the midterms, the Virginia senator that challenged Joe was defeated, helping improve the bipartisanship in the Senate. Joe leaves office with high approval ratings, but doesn't accomplish half the things he wanted to do.

[Bacon King]

This Republican Californian Congressman ran as an independent to provide a third option for fiscal conservatives in a race with a populist Republican and liberal Democrat. Though he was only third place in EV's, he recieved enough to force the election to the House.

The House is deadlocked for several days. Using his connections and amiable relationships with fellow Congressmen, SPC is able to convince several ideologically similar Congressmen to support him.

On the ninth ballot, SPC has 17 states, while the Democratic candidate has 18 and the Republican has 9. 6 states are tied. However, as the words spreads that the Senate has selected the Democratic candidate Vice President, the Republicans, in 3rd place and tired of deadlock, choose to support SPC.

Although he goes into office with a veep from a different party and no mandate at all, SPC attempts reform. He announces that he will veto any budget containing what he deems as pork. This leads to several severe fights with Congress and eventually causes a major government shutdown.

In the midst of the crisis, he was misquoted as saying that "this shutdown is a good thing." In fact, he was merely pointing out that he believed government was far too large in size, but the damage was done.

Several rocky years later, he declined to run for reelection and was eventually replaced by his own Vice President.

[Reaganfan]

The first independent Governor of Georgia gets an early online draft into the Presidential race, which is between a Conservative Republican and a Liberal Democrat. Each candidate has 30% in the polls and the election is literally a three-way toss up. By the time October rolls around, Governor "King" is included in the debates and gets a boost in polls. On election day, he narrowly gains a slim majority of electoral votes, narrowly defeating the Republican candidate with the Democratic nominee recieving less support than expected.

President King has a quiet term and loses re-election by a narrow margin in the most boring election since 1996.

[Dr. Cynic]

I did a mean one on Naso last time, so to be fair, I'll do something nicer...

Mike Naso was elected Governor of Ohio and served four years as a staunch conservative. Dispite a lack of magnetisim, he won over Republican primary voters with his hawkish stance, when the nation was in the mood for a fight, after a terrorist attack in Boston.

Naso promises the American public a tough policy on the offenders and cruises to victory in a Republican year. Early foreign sucesses help him keep the Republican majority at midterm. The economy does a nose dive, however, and his focus must shift.

Through extraordinary luck, he manages to win a bare re-election, but it's enough to give him more time to work on the sputtering economy. With troops coming home in his sixth year in office, he can now devote all of his energies to the economy.

However, unemployment and inflation, as well as the heightened rich-poor divide skyrocket... There's nothing Naso can do to save his second term (Much like Grover Cleveland). His first term is fondly remembered, but his second is regarded as disasterous to his reputation.

He retires from office to see a Democrat beat his Vice President. He lives in wealthy retirement, regarded as a foreign policy expert, he is often sought after for advice from many Presidents until his death, some years later.

See, I even came up with a nice one for Naso... Now my conscience feels better about that mean one I did of him earlier, lol.

[Reaganfan]

Alright, let me do a positive version for you.

Governor Lawrence Watson of Pennsylvania served four years as Governor before being re-elected easily over a famous Republican football player-turned politican.

Governor Watson declares his intentions for seeking the Democratic Nomination and face a few opponents. The main issue is the incumbant Republican President Butch Davidson's economic recession.

After winning a majority of the Feb 5th primary map, Governor Watson takes his aim directly to the President, and shoots up a double digit lead in opinion polls. He travels across the county, smokes the President on economics in the debate and wins a 350 EV victory on Election Night.

As he comes into office, the recession sinks deeper and the U.S. deficit grows huge. President Watson blames this on the former President Davidson's out of control spending. The President raises taxes in order to help fill the deficit gap, which he announces publically in a televised Oval Office address. His approval rating slips to 41%. By his third year in office, the deficit has become a surplus and President Watson gloats in the limelight as his approval rating shoots back to 55%.

After narrowly winning re-election against a moderate Republican Senator Alan Fanny from Colorado, President Watson takes action against the terrorist government of Al Stupidoa, which claimed the island of Barbados in the Windward Islands. Watson sends in 10,000 American troops and pushes the terrorist army out of the island. The President's popularity skyrocket's to 75% in approval polls. With a strong economy, and large popularity, President Watson leaves office as a good President of the United States, with the Republican President Davidson's Vice President Sam Timbers succeeding him.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Highly Hilarious and bumbling.

[Reaganfan]

Highly Hilarious and bumbling.

I see you didn't listen to the rules.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

He's known as a competent centrist whose able to defuse various issues and broker various deals.

[Reaganfan]

Elected by a slim 271 electoral vote win, the Liberal Senator of Minnesota enters office without a mandate, raises taxes and loses re-election by 450 electoral votes.

[Kevin]

A repeat of the Bush Presidency, sorry Naso.

[Reaganfan]

A repeat of the Bush Presidency, sorry Naso.

So, always in history as the President who had overwhelming popularity and united the country following 9/11, who took the fight to the terrorists, got Saddam and kept the economy strong? Sounds good to me!

[Yates]

For Mr. Naso, I would expect solid Reagan governance, cutting spending as well as taxes, whilst mantaining a strong defense, though I would expect him to attempt to somewhat rebuild our national image.  He would likely be elected and re-elected in fairly close elections, but his approval rating would be a solid 60% throughout his term, most likely.

[bullmoose88]

Yates-Wins a narrow victory in his first term against a fairly popular incumbent (roughly 280-250).

As president he is a successful consensus politician who aggressively pursues centrist policy and is rewarded with a huge mandate (55% or greater PV, 350+EVs). History looks upon him kindly.

[Kevin]

Bullmoose wins large victory in the Electoral College, Leads the nation in a response to a terrorist attack. Then goes on to win reelection and leas the nation through an eventful second term of his Presidency. 

[Kevin]

A very conservative Democrat, Who fellowed soically conservative policies while in office and was reelected by a comfortable margin.

[7,052,770]

Elected narrowly over a very unpopular Democratic incumbent.  His presidency is relatively moderate, and noncontroversial.  Could be defeated 4 years later, but would have a better reelection shot than some would give him credit for.

[Reaganfan]

Governor Harry Nelson of Mississippi is elected in a landslide with 350+ electoral votes in a good Democratic year. His presidency is one of peace at home and abroad but foreign policy troubles growing. He leaves office after two terms as a good-average President.

[MAS117]

Governor Harry Nelson of Mississippi is elected in a landslide with 350+ electoral votes in a good Democratic year. His presidency is one of peace at home and abroad but foreign policy troubles growing. He leaves office after two terms as a good-average President.

In all seriousness, President Naso, worst President in American history (worse then Dubya). How does he elected in the first place?