Talk Elections

Today, the world was given the most shocking news development since the mass terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001: George Walker Bush, president of the United States, suffered fatal cardiac syncope after choking on a pretzel. His death took place sometime between 5:35 and 6:30pm (EST), and he was officially declared dead at 6:30. White House physician Richard Tubb announced the death to millions of shocked viewers around the world at 6:45pm.

Bush, who would have turned 56 in July of this year, was the healthiest president since Ronald Reagan, who at age 70 survived a nearly fatal assassination attempt. Bush had abstained from alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes since the 1980s, and had long maintained a vigorous exercise routine that included jogging and weightlifting. His vigorous exercise kept his heart rate below normal, which made him more susceptible to fainting. Dr. Tubb says he believes that his low heart rate was a strong contributing factor to the President's fainting and ultimate death after choking on a pretzel.

Vice President Richard B. "Dick" Cheney, who will be turning 61 on January 30, took office as president at 6:40pm, approximately five minutes after President Bush was officially declared dead and five minutes before White House physician Richard Tubb broke the announcement. He offered a few words to the shocked, apprehensive outside world:

"Today, America lost a hero. George W. Bush was a kind, caring, loving, generous man who always held his nation's best interests at heart. He has truly left a blessed memory among those who knew him, and even among those who didn't. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the Bush family, especially his parents, wife, and two daughters. May God give them, and give us all, the strength to continue after this tragic loss. And may the nation give me the strength and approval to carry President Bush's mantle toward the future; a future that all of us would like to live in."

President Cheney's approval ratings on his first day in office hover in the 70s.

Bush was survived by his parents, former President George Herbert Walker Bush and former First Lady Barbara Pierce Bush; his wife, now-former First Lady Laura Welch Bush; his daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush; brothers John ("Jeb"), Neil, and Marvin Bush; and sister Dorothy Bush Koch. He was preceded in death by his sister, Pauline Robin Bush.

President Cheney. I look forward to seeing where this goes. :)

This will be great :)

Very interesting indeed

Cool, but that seems like a mean spirited title.

I didn't intend for it to seem mean spirited. I meant for it to symbolize how different--and probably better--a Cheney presidency would be as opposed to W.'s RL presidency.

I don't see the title as mean spirited. The guy dies choking on a pretzel (thats mean) but he could have killed him off in a much meaner way :p

Not that W dies, but the fact that the words "America's New Dawn" are coupled with the words "The Death of George Walker Bush". That's what I found a bit odd.

It's because the death of George W. Bush symbolizes the beginning of a new era in American history: the Cheney era. As I said earlier, the title symbolizes how different a Cheney presidency would be as opposed to what really happened during W.'s tenure. I'm sorry if it sounded mean spirited, and I did not intend for it to sound that way if it did.

President Cheney, as an extra precaution due to his own health history, appointed Michigan governor John Engler as vice president. Engler was easily confirmed by the Congress. He also retained all cabinet members except Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, who was fired over disagreements concerning the neoconservative elements of administration policy and replaced by FedEx CEO Fred Smith. HUD Secretary Mel Martinez resigned to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida and was replaced by Deputy HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. In 2002, the Department of Homeland Security was created and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was appointed as its first secretary. Several less important changes were made at cabinet-level departments.

The most important initiatives during the start of President Cheney’s tenure were in the area of foreign policy. Almost immediately, he began speaking with European leaders concerning the development of a new missile defense shield that would protect the U.S. and its allies from North African or Middle Eastern attacks. He also upgraded current missile defense programs.

Starting in the spring of 2002, the Cheney administration began pushing for a U.S. incursion in Iraq, which, according to them, was harboring WMD and sponsoring terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda. The administration continued to press for war until autumn, when the Congress passed a joint resolution in authorizing U.S. military force in Iraq. The U.S. invaded the country on March 20, 2003. Less than thirty days later, the U.S. was able to declare victory. In July, Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed, and in December, Saddam Hussein was captured.

Beginning in August, President Cheney initiated troop surges in Iraq and Afghanistan to facilitate the fight against sectarian violence there. By October, visible decreases in terrorism had occurred and President Cheney’s plan had been proven successful. President Cheney’s approval ratings, which had been stuck in the forties and fifties during the prewar push and during the months of violence immediately preceding the war, had recovered and were now in the sixties.

On the domestic policy front, President Cheney enacted a historic tax cut that would become known as the “Cheney tax cut”. He also added a new prescription drug benefit to Medicare; signed several free trade agreements; enacted a nationwide ban on partial-birth abortion; enacted broad new measures to combat forest fires; and launched a global initiative to combat HIV/AIDS.

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I'll post the 2002 midterms the 2004 presidential election soon. Feel free to ask questions or make suggestions. :)

I hate to well...hate, but, this is no different than a Bush Presidency.

Is there a major difference between the OTL Bush Presidency and this so far? I'm guessing the anti-AIDS campaign is part of it given Cheney and Dubya's differences when it came to gay rights. I wonder how the '04 election will turn out. Maybe Dean will get a shot or Edwards will pick up more steam? Continue. :)

IRL, 2003-2004 was a reorganization period for Iraqi insurgents. The U.S. focused on forming a new government and paid too little attention to preventing terrorist attacks. ITTL, Cheney launches a strong counterinsurgency program before the insurgency really heats up. That way, the war will be much smoother and there will be no need for additional troop surges later on (i.e., in 2007-08).

The anti-AIDS campaign is, ITTL, a two-tier project with anti-AIDS operations in both Africa and the United States, with a good chunk of the American anti-AIDS funding going to areas with relatively large gay populations.

Just remember that the House and Senate both need to confirm a new VP.

Edit made. Thanks for drawing my attention to that.

Overall, the 2002 midterms produced favorable results for Republicans. Republicans picked up two Senate seats and nine House seats, but suffered a net loss of one governorship, with Democrats gaining three governorships (in short, they were the same as IRL).

The Democratic primaries in 2004 were far less exciting than most pundits had hoped they would be. Sensing President Cheney's then-vulnerability in December of 2002, former Vice President Al Gore joined Howard Dean and John Kerry in forming an exploratory committee to run for president. Dean and Kerry both terminated their exploratory committees soon thereafter, quickly endorsing Gore. The only other candidates to enter the race were minor-leaguers such as Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich. Gore went on to win every primary, with Sharpton and Kucinich winning barely over 20 delegates each. He selected Florida senator Bob Graham as his running-mate.


There was much speculation that President Cheney would forgo reelection due to his past history of heart problems and his reported unhappiness with his job. This speculation ended in May 2003, when President Cheney announced that he would run for reelection and filed papers to do so. He, like Gore, won a largely uncontested primary. Vice President John Engler remained on the ticket as Cheney's running-mate.


The general election campaign revolved around many issues, including the economy, the War on Terror, homeland security, and social issues such as gay marriage. President Cheney touted the strength of the economy, the stability of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the strong anti-terrorist measures that the Bush and Cheney administrations had undertaken since September 11. Gore called for an end to "Cheneynomics" and for a return to "the growth and investment of the Clinton years". Gore also criticized the U.S. mission in Iraq, questioning intelligence reports asserting that WMD existed in the country at the time of the 2003 invasion. Both candidates voiced strong support for gay marriage, though they differed on abortion (Cheney being pro-life, Gore being pro-choice).

Despite President Cheney's popularity, the polls remained neck and neck for most of the election. The lead often shifted between the two, especially in battleground states such as Michigan, Ohio, and Florida. On election night, President Cheney claimed a close, yet decisive, Electoral College victory over Gore. Cheney won the popular vote by little over three million votes, or just over two percent.


In the Senate, Republicans picked up four seats, creating a 56-43-1 Republican majority. In the House, Republicans gained three seats and Democrats lost two, for a 229-203-1 Republican majority. (In short, they were the same as IRL, only with Pete Coors winning in Colorado.) Now that President Cheney had been reelected and the Republicans had cemented their control of the Congress, the president was free to push his own agenda.

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Again, feel free to comment, ask questions, make suggestions, etc. :)

Can we see the primary map for the Dems? Also, given that this started in 2002, aren't you going a bit fast? I mean within a couple of updates we'll be right at present day. Given that, I personally would've gone at a slower pace.

2004 Democratic primary map -
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Gore

I actually thought I was going a bit fast, too. I think that I'll go into greater detail by posting individual results for midterm elections and primaries, and talk more about specific policies implemented during the non-election oriented parts of Cheney's term.

You really made him make you a red map? lol

I skimmed through it & didn't realize until later that Gore won every state.

Don't feel bad. I miss some details too because I skim through a lot of TL's and pick out important details instead of really sitting down and taking the time to read them word-by-word.

Dick Cheney as president? I just threw up a little.

First off, thanks to everybody for reading and commenting. I really appreciate it :)

Secondly, I'm still working on Cheney's rather chaotic second term and will be posting an update either sometime during the weekend or during next week.

On January 30, 2005, ten days into President Cheney’s first elected term, Iraq held its first free elections to select a national assembly that would draft a constitution. There was surprisingly little violence at the polls, and the event was considered a major success. In February, President Cheney announced that the vast majority of U.S. troops would leave Iraq in the next twenty months (or by November of 2006, in time for the midterm elections). Immediately after the announcement, his approval rating rose until it reached the early low 70s.

Beginning in February, President Cheney continued to press European countries on the creation of a missile defense field to ward of potential terrorist attacks from North Africa and the Middle East, namely member countries of the “Axis of Evil”: Libya, Iran, Syria, and, in Asia, North Korea.

In the first two months of President Cheney’s immigration, political debate was centered on immigration. Cheney proposed the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006”, which included increased funding for border security; new guest worker programs; increased enforcement of existing immigration laws; and some provisions of the DREAM Act. In April, the bill finally passed the Senate but failed in the House. An optimistic President Cheney remarked that, “now that we’ve pressed for immigration reform, future leaders will be more willing to debate the issue and press for reform, as we have.”

On May 10, 2005, while giving a speech at Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, President Cheney survived an assassination attempt perpetrated by Vladimir Arutyunian, who threw a live Soviet-manufactured RGD-5 hand grenade at the podium where Cheney delivered his remarks. The grenade did not explode because a red tartan handkerchief tied tightly around it suppressed the firing pin. Arutyunian killed an Interior Ministry officer during his arrest, and was given a life sentence in prison in January 2006.

Beginning in the summer of 2005, a controversy arose concerning Iran’s nuclear program, which the U.S. feared could lead to aggressive military actions on the part of Iran against the United States and her allies, primarily Israel. Throughout the years of 2005 and 2006, key members of the Cheney administration, especially State Secretary Robert Zoellick and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, pressed for UN intervention against Iran, which Secretary Rumsfeld described as, “a dangerous rogue dictatorship that, if able to develop nuclear weapons, will pose a threat to all free nations”. The UN took no action at all, and by April 2006, Iran announced that it possessed enriched uranium.

August started off on a good note for the administration. The economy was still holding on and around 96,000 troops had left Iraq, signifying a quickening end to the conflict. However, on August 28, Hurricane Katrina swept the Southeast Coast, destroying New Orleans and damaging President Cheney’s term…

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As always, feel free to make a comment, complaint, or suggestion, or to ask a question :).

Remember the Russian perspective about a missile shield. Our "defense" is also a way of keeping their missiles out limiting their ability to respond to NATO/US aggression, or limiting their own aggression. It puts an absurd amount of power into our hands, throwing off the regional balance.

Why would Rumsfeld leave? I recall remembering that being one of the biggest disagreements Dubya and Cheney had, so I think Rummy could've stayed on at least a little longer.

I read in Dubya's book that Rummy submitted his resignation shortly after the 2004 election because he was so embarrassed by Abu Ghraib, but that Dubya rejected it and convinced him to stay on longer. Rummy told Dubya to keep his resignation on hand if he felt that it was time for him to go. During the final stages of the "White House shakeup" of 2004-2006, Dubya finally gave in and let Rummy resign. I don't recall him explaining Cheney's opinions on the situation.

Of course, I could be totally wrong. I read the book a few months after it came out, which was little more than a year ago.

Also keep in mind that, as of yet, Cheney's efforts have amounted to nil. I'm not sure if, as the TL progresses, he'll get his wish or not. But I'll keep your advice in mind ;).

I lol'd with the title.

Well, at least Republicans won't be running in 2008.

Who said so? ;)

I'm currently working on Hurricane Katrina. Should I cover the entire thing in one big post, or should I cover it in a series of small updates that are kind of like news flashes? I lean toward the latter, but I'd like to know what ya'll think before I go on.

Make Katrina a non-issue.

It won't be as big an issue as it was IRL, but it will definitely have a negative impact on Cheney's term.

Any other thoughts?

Crap. I just typed a full update but my session timed out before I could finish. But with God's will, I will get it done today!

6pm (EST) - Just over an hour ago, Tropical Depression Twelve formed over the southeastern Bahamas, north of Puerto Rico. Mostly composed of leftovers from the previously dissipated Tropical Depression Ten, the depression is expected to move in a northwestern direction toward Florida. As it continues on its path, it is expected to turn into a tropical storm or low-category hurricane. Landfall is expected there within the next 96 hours. Stay here for updates as they come.

7:23pm - Just under an hour ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Miami-Dade/Broward county line, between Hollandale Beach and Aventura as a Category 1 storm. We have differing reports as to the death total, but we do know that somewhere between five and nine people have definitely perished. There are also reports of downed trees, damaged houses, moderate flooding, and even tornadoes all around the Kendall/Sunset area. Currently, the storm is moving in a southwestern direction through Coral Gables and southwestern Miami, and is expected to leave the state via the--thankfully uninhabited--Everglades National Park.


After leaving Florida, the hurricane will most likely mellow out and be demoted into a tropical storm. As it nears the Gulf of Mexico, it will once again escalate into a Category 1, 2, or 3 storm. A second landfall is expected in the New Orleans area in the next 96 hours. Stand by, and we will deliver updates as they come.

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Finally :P Please review :)

8:35pm (EST) - In the face of Hurricane Katrina's impending western landfall, Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco has officially declared a state of emergency. Louisiana's emergency and response recovery program is now under the partial control of the director of the state office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. President Cheney has also directed that FEMA, the Army National Guard, and the Air National Guard be sent to the state to coordinate early emergency support efforts. Overall, there are more than a thousand FEMA personnel and federal troops in the state of Louisiana.

8pm - After learning the Hurricane Katrina had reached Category 3 intensity, officials in St. Charles Parish, St. Tammany Parish, and Plaquemines Parish [Louisiana] have ordered emergency mandatory evacuations. Jefferson Parish and St. Bernard Parish ordered optional evacuations in most areas, but ordered mandatory evacuations in low-lying areas. New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has also announced a state of emergency and has called for optional, state-controlled evacuations for most of the city. Low-lying areas, such as Algiers and the 9th Ward, received mandatory evacuations. The city's Superdome is to be used as the evacuation zone, with the city supplying minimal food and water resources.


President Cheney, utilizing the Stafford Act at the request of Governor Kathleen Blanco, has declared a federal state of emergency in the state of Louisiana. So far, the reaction from the federal government has been swift; some 3,000 new Army and Air National Guard troops have been deployed to the area, as well as more FEMA personnel, all rich with emergency food, water, medical equipment, etc., etc.

Also tonight, National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield briefed President Cheney, Governor Blanco, Mayor Nagin, and Mississippi governor Haley Barbour concerning the status of the hurricane. Currently, it is still a Category 3. Stay right here for updates as they come.

1pm (EST) - In the past thirteen hours, emergency preparations for the second landfall of Hurricane Katrina have reached a new urgency. Just before 1am this morning, Hurricane Katrina reached Category 4 intensity with 145mph winds. At 7am, it became a Category 5 with maximum sustained winds reaching 175mph, gusts of up to 215mph, and a central pressure 902 megabars.

At 10am, New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin announced in a press conference that the entire parish of Orleans would be placed under mandatory evacuation orders. Following Nagin's remarks, Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco stated that the evacuation had been declared at the urging of President Cheney, who had called her just before the conference was called.


Shortly after Nagin's press conference, the National Weather Service released a bulletin predicting "devastating" damage.

By noon today, some 20,000 people had packed into the New Orleans Superdome, which was designated yesterday as the city's main shelter for evacuated citizens by Mayor Nagin. The Louisiana National Guard had delivered six truckloads of water and nine truckloads of MRE's, just enough to provide for the mass of people packed into the dome. As of now, some 4,900 Army National Guard troops and 960 Air National Guard troops have been deployed to the area.


President Cheney, once again utilizing the Stafford Act at the cooperation of the area's governors, has declared states of emergency in Alabama and Mississippi, as well as a "major disaster" in Florida. Stay right here for updates as they come.

You had me, right up to the fanciful approval ratings for Dick Cheney.

I started a TL with this exact same premise and POD on the Alt Hist Wiki, though mine was called "Pretzel of Doom" and your's is much better/realistic. Please go on!

Interesting. A president Cheney timeline after the "Pretzel of Doom" No different than Bush's 2nd term IRL. Interesting to see if there's a GFC and his response to Hurricane Katrina. Approval ratings in the 70s after re-election

This is four and a half years old. It's a necro.

Uhm, W was horrible, but the warmonger Cheney? I'd rather have Cruz or Trump. But well written story.