Renegade Down - Presidents of the United States
Presidents of the United States
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois / Senator Joe Biden of Delaware (Democratic) 2009-2013
2008: Senator John McCain of Arizona/Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska (Republican)
2012: Frm. Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts/Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin (Republican)
Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware / Vacant (Democratic) 2013-2014
President Joe Biden of Delaware / Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York (Democratic) 2014-2021
2016: Businessman Herman Cain of Georgia/Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan (Republican)
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky / Frm. Governor Scott Brown of Massachusetts (Republican) 2021-2025
2020: Vice President Kirsten Gillibrand of New York/Secretary Xavier Becerra of California (Democratic)
Governor Peter Buttigieg of Indiana / Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada (Democratic) 2025-2033
2024: President Rand Paul of Kentucky/Vice President Scott Brown of Massachusetts (Republican)
2028: Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa/Frm. Senator John James of Michigan (Republican)
Vice President Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada / Representative Jay Jones of Virginia (Democratic) 2033-present
2033: Senator Peyton Manning of Tennessee/Senator Jennifer Sullivan of Florida (Republican), Governor Erin Stewart of Connecticut/Frm. Representative Patrick Murphy (Federalist)
Something of a new idea I'm working on, not sure how far I'll take it. Basic idea is that President Obama is assassinated sometime in 2013 by a rogue gunman, plunging the nation into mourning and catapulting Joe Biden into the Oval Office. As a result of the assassination and Biden's personal charm, he enjoys record approval ratings for much of 2013 going into 2014. Despite pressure from the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party, President Biden selects New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (Pro-Clinton, centrist, woman, young, gets along with Uncle Joe and doesn't upstage him) and his Vice President and she becomes the nation's first woman to hold the post.
2014 Midterms go somewhat similar to OTL, but with the assassination still fresh in people's minds, the Democrats perform slightly better. Struggling to deal with a combative and obstructionist congress, President Biden attempts to make gun control the defining issue of his presidency, pushing for stronger background checks, bans on certain firearms, etc. While it plays well with Democrats, Independents are left mixed and Republicans are bitterly opposed. The NRA suggests that Biden is capitalizing on Obama's death to push a radical liberal agenda. Still, despite the rocky relationship between Biden, Congress (Although Joe is better able to manage the relationship better than Obama), and conservative media, his own personal popularity and blue-collar appeal is enough to secure re-elected come 2016 (Despite a meager challenge from the left) against an increasingly right-wing, populist Republican Party and their nominee, Doctor Ben Carson of Maryland. But, never able to recapture a majority in either the Senate or the House, much of Biden's remaining time is as a lame duck President, largely relegated to issuing stern calls for reform and accusing the Republicans of shirking their responsibilities to the American people. Even the most emotional moments of his presidency, from Obama's funeral to the tragic passing of his own son Beau, garner little political capital for any real or meaningful change.
Come 2020, after more than a decade of a Democratic White House, Americans narrowly elect Kentucky Senator Rand Paul to the Presidency. A bitterly divided Democratic primary leads to a great deal of resentment against Vice President Gillibrand, who is accused of rigging the primary in her favour by the party's increasingly left-wing base. A number of traditionally Democratic voters stay home or vote for a third party, handing the Republicans their first taste of power since the Bush II Presidency. Unfortunately for President Paul, his more Libertarian leanings, or his attitude, don't exactly mesh well with many within the GOP caucus, further dividing an already splintering Republican Party, which is unable to capitalize on much of anything during Paul's first two years in power. Democrats retake both houses of Congress, and set the stage for a comeback in 2024 under Democratic rising star, Indiana Governor Pete Buttigieg.
Update 01/23/2019: After careful consideration and some discussion with friends, I've decided to retcon the 47th President of the United States to Missourian Nicole Galloway.
Update 07/28/2019: Again, after careful consideration, and the long felt feeling that some of my choices were obscure for the sake of being obscure, I've decided to retcon the list again.
Update 01/11/20: Decided to continue the list into the 2030s. Most of the infoboxes presented will still reflect the original stop date, January 2025.