Dead or Alive

[heatmaster]

I have been speculating about Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan character and I have been thinking.
Could I be right in thinking the guy is a Republican. I mean in the timeline, set out Edward Bennett, has got to be a Democrat. I think he defeated George H. W. Bush in 1988, and is defeated by Governor J. Robert Fowler of Ohio in 1992, Fowler selects Roger Durling, the Governor of California. To run with him. After Fowler resigns in 1994, Durling becomes President and decides to nominate a Democrat to the Vice Presidency, and appoints Senator Edward Kealty of Massachusetts. A sex scandal forces Kealty out and Durling offers Ryan the Vice Presidency. Ryan accepts and is confirmed. He of course becomes President and offers Rear Admiral Robert "Robby"Jackson, the Vice Presidency on the ticket. Ryan & Jackson win the 1996 election defeating Edward Bennett in a landslide. After serving one full term, Ryan steps down to allow Jackson a shot, Jackson is the Republican nominee and is assassinated , Kealty the Democrat's nominee, wins the 2000 election by default. After four years of Kealty, Ryan is fed up and decides to challenge him in the 2004 election, where the story "Dead or Alive"picks up.
This is the 1996 result for John P. Ryan of Maryland and Robert "Robby"Jackson of Alabama vs. Edward Bennett of Rhode Island. Its 506 to 32.

[heatmaster]

Kealty makes his comeback, by preaching about Domestic issues and the Economy, echoes of Bill Clinton in 1992 (RL).
Kealty wins. Here's the map, the election was close due to Jackson's race and Kealty's sex scandal problem. The EV was273 for Kealty to 265 for Jackson. Kealty prevails, because Jackson was shot to death and calls for calm.

in 2004 Ryan wins 474 EV to Kealty who wins 64. Its another landslide for the former President.

[heatmaster]

It's 2008, the constitution which been amended, in 2001 allowing for President's to serve any number of term's, but not more than two consecutive terms in succession. As Ryan is now therefore legible under the amendment to seek another term, he is reluctant. But the GOP prevail and he agree's under the condition that he never has to run again.
The election is another slam-dunk for the President and he wins in a 49 state sweep winning 531 to 7 for the Democratic sacrificial lamb.

[heatmaster]

It is 2012, Ryan is now 62 and is looking forward to stepping down as President. "Come next January when I'm outta here...I'm good for the easy life!" There is a bit of Ryan fatigue, but his popularity rubs off on his two-term Vice President, I say he's from Ohio and served as White House chief of Staff, to J. Robert Fowler, Roger Durling and Jack Ryan. Before returning to academia, keeping true to his colors, Ryan picked Arnold Van Arnim to be his Vice Presidential nominee.  now Van Arnim is the choice and comes from an electorally rich state. "This is payback, for the hard-time...you have given me over the past two decades...I'm gonna make sure that your ass get's elected Arnie...bank on it!" ribs the President at the GOP convention in Tampa. Van Arnim   
wins in another Republican landslide on November 6, garnering 445 to 93 for the
 Democrat. it's 39 states for Van Arnim to 11 for the Democrat
Here's the map.

[heatmaster]

During the transition period , Vice President & President-Elect, Arnold Van Arnim makes a visit to the White House shortly after thanksgiving and makes President Jack Ryan an offer he hopes he won't refuse, "Jack I want you to be my Secretary of State!" Ryan is dumbfounded. "Arnie you know what I said....never again! I want to retire have peace and quiet with Cathy. I have had enough...for chrissakes man, there is an abundance of talent out there, you got George Winston....he loves that kinda stuff, I'll talk to him, if you want" Arnie appeals to Cathy, "Cathy! he's gotta take it...besides George, said if I could get you take State...well he'll stay on as well" (George Winston had come back as Treasury Secretary at the beginning of Ryan's second presidency). "Remember Jack you said you will never run for public office again...but this not something you have to run for....it's yours on a silver platter!" Jack didn't give Arnie Van Arnim an answer right away, he told him he needed 24 hours to think about it, what do you think Ryan will do, stay on or call it aquits, will Cathy be amenable to her husband staying in Washington, doing basically the same thing he had been doing for the longest time?

[heatmaster]

I think after some hamlet like agonizing, Ryan agree's to be Secretary of State in the newly minted Van Arnim administration. He set's a condition, and it's binding. Just four years, no more and it's not negotiable.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

I'm a cowboy
On a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted, dead or alive
I'm a cowboy
I got the night on my side
I'm wanted, dead or alive

[Smid]

I'm pretty sure Clancy explicitly states that Ryan is a registered independent. Can't remember specifics - I think he said as much when asked to accept the Vice Presidency - tells the President "you know I'm an independent, right?" or words to that effect. I could be wrong, I think he'd probably be more likely to have voted Republican in recent years, but I think he's an independent.

[heatmaster]

That might be true about Ryan being an  "Independent" but Kealty's behavior as well as his conduct as President, would have ensured that he identified more firmly as a Republican, and his being registered as an Independent was a convenient fig-leaf to garner votes, not only from the large bloc of Independents, but maybe an awful lot of Democrats as well.
Also I have concluded that in the final analysis despite President Van Arnim's entreaties, Ryan would have turned down the State Department, and persuaded David Petty to accept the position instead.

[heatmaster]

Arnold van Arnim has served just over three years as President, he and Vice President Harris Flaherty (of Texas) are due to seek reelection to another term in the White House. The Van Arnim administration is confronting the scourge of terrorism, head-on and Jack Ryan Jr. ( the son of former President Ryan is heading up the "Campus" anti-Terrorist network. I think this is how well the Van Arnim-Flaherty ticket does against the Democratic challengers. The EV was 408 for Van Arnim-Flaherty to 130 for the Democrat. The President won 37 states to 13.

[sentinel]

I'm pretty sure Clancy explicitly states that Ryan is a registered independent. Can't remember specifics - I think he said as much when asked to accept the Vice Presidency - tells the President "you know I'm an independent, right?" or words to that effect. I could be wrong, I think he'd probably be more likely to have voted Republican in recent years, but I think he's an independent.

I'm reading it now. He says "the other party" --not an independent. Ryan is indeed a partisan.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I wish I had the patience to read through the saga. Farthest I got was 3/4 through red October.

[Smid]

I'm pretty sure Clancy explicitly states that Ryan is a registered independent. Can't remember specifics - I think he said as much when asked to accept the Vice Presidency - tells the President "you know I'm an independent, right?" or words to that effect. I could be wrong, I think he'd probably be more likely to have voted Republican in recent years, but I think he's an independent.

I'm reading it now. He says "the other party" --not an independent. Ryan is indeed a partisan.

Cheers for clearing that up - it's in Debt of Honour, right? I read that back in 1996, so fifteen years ago and my memory on the specifics was just a little bit foggy. I may have read it again once since then, but not in a long, long while.

[heatmaster]

As Jack Ryan is now out the political business, Arnold Van Arnim is doing alright as the nation's president and the Republican party has evolved into a more centrist right of center party, instead of the extremeists they are in RL, who succeeeds Van Arnim is my question, discuss with names, I was thinking Andrew Shepherd or perhaps James Marshall, my guess is Marshall

[heatmaster]

I reckon Van Arnim has had enough of the presidency and decides not to run, therefore Vice President Harris Flaherty becomes the party nominee, and selects Secretary of State, David Petty. Flaherty is assassinated shortly after being nominated. David Petty becomes the party's new nominee and selects as his running mate, Senator Tom Bell of Colorado. The Democrats nominate Governor James Marshall of Iowa and he selects Senator Kathryn Bennett of New Jersey, The electoral map is 269 for Marshall-Bennett to 269 for Petty-Bell

[heatmaster]

It should be noted that Kathryn Bennett is the widow of former President Edward Bennett, who lost the 1992 election to Fowler and the '96 election to Jack Ryan. There was a 269-269 split in the electoral vote, which means that the House gets to vote for the President and the Senate for Vice President, Marshall defeats Petty in the House, as does Bennett who defeats Bell in the Senate.

[heatmaster]

With the 2020 election on the horizon, America faces yet another constitutional crisis, but Marshall a Persian Gulf veteran and Medal of Honor winner shows his mettle when Air Force One is hijacked by terrorists, he saves lives and is considered the hero of the hour, he is seen as cut from the same mold as Jack Ryan. However months after crisis, Marshall is in a tough dog fight with the Republican, Senator Robert Rumson of Kansas, but nevertheless Marshall-Bennett win 367 to 171 for Rumson Here is my map, but anyone is welcome to give there theory on how a Marshall-Rumson contest might turn out. The reasons why I picked James Marshall, because like Jack Ryan he was played by Harrison Ford and I thought the idea of a woman Vice President, known as Kathryn Bennett, who is the widow of a former President defeated by Jack Ryan would be neat and Glenn Close, she did an episode as a Chief Justice nominee in the West Wing. Here's my map.