On this day in Alternate History: May 5, 1991
The unthinkable actually happens
When Dan Quayle ran for vice president, he was immediately met with skepticism. He was the first candidate of the post-World War Two generation to join a national ticket. He was more conservative than his running mate. He soon displayed, over the course of the campaign, a lack of sophistication that the press reveled in discussing.
The Dukakis/Bentsen campaign became increasingly preoccupied with Quayle as a campaign issue. One of their most memorable ads–perhaps their only memorable ad–underscored Quayle’s lack of qualification for the presidency. Bentsen’s “You’re No Jack Kennedy” line is probably the most memorable part of the 1988 campaign. When the presidential candidates met and Bernard Shaw decided to open the debate with hard-hitters, he memorably asked Dukakis about the death penalty. He asked George Bush to defend Dan Quayle.
The American people elected George Bush anyway, but there was always that nagging thought in the back of the American conscience: What if Dan Quayle has to assume the presidency? Is he ready?
And then it happened.
On May 5, 1991, President Bush went out for a jog at Camp David, felt uneasy, pushed through, suffered a heart attack, and died. Dan Quayle was immediately thrust into the presidency.
He fared better than most people expected, and history remembers him far differently than it may have if he had never assumed the highest office in the land. His 1992 State of the Union address, at which he unveiled an expansive “Agenda for American Families” not only gave the Republican base red meat but effectively pinned the Democratic candidates for president that year into taking a number of uncomfortable positions.
His presidency included other dramatic moments to be sure, like the Clarence Thomas nomination which brought the issue of sexual harassment into the national debate in a way that it had not been before. The experience inspired Quayle to remain on the offense as he would throughout the 1992 campaign.
His legacy is complicated. Revered by the Evangelical Right, discounted by the left, Quayle’s presidency is going through something of a reexamination now. He left office unpopular, and he is widely blamed for the tone and tenor of the nation’s fraught politics throughout the Nineties and early 2000s. It didn’t help the memory of his presidency that he stepped in to replace a beloved president who died at the height of his popularity. Marilyn Quayle has always been quick to point out that fact behind closed doors.
What Really Happened: On May 4, 1991, Bush was jogging at Camp David when he began to feel woozy. He asked to see a doctor, which revealed he was suffering from atrial fibrillation. In this scenario, he ignores the discomfort on Saturday the 4th and goes out for another jog on Sunday the 5th. He overdoes it, resulting in a heart attack, and he ends up dying as a result. Dan Quayle assumes the presidency.
Programming Note: This is my idea for a future alternate history story, and you can expect it to become a regular section on the blog in the next few months (hopefully only weeks!)