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Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century

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DavidJWilliams
04/05/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
On behalf of President Andrew Harrison, I'd like to express my gratitude at your inclusion of him in this list. He's particularly pleased to be followed by the first alien president, though he notes that in reality he is still ruling in the year 2110, twenty-two years after seizing power, though he promises to step down once the emergency is over. The New Patriot Act remains in effect, so please log off this website now pending further authorization from the government.
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Alasdair Wilkins
04/05/09

@DavidJWilliams: You're very welcome, sir. Now when's Isaac Asimov going to show up and thank me for always putting him in my posts?
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ShadRS
04/05/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
How could you forget Dunkelzahn?! Though I suppose he was president of the United Canadian and American States and not the USA, but he was the first Dragon President! He's also memorable for the shortest time in office: 10 hours 23 minutes and 8 seconds, and then he was assasinated.
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AmishJohn
04/05/09

@ShadRS: These things happen when you hire pinky bodyguards.
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TrueCrime
04/05/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
Wasn't Dan Quayle our president in Knight Rider 2000? Just sayin'.
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jesustonighter
04/05/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
Im just glad we had the master in the uk
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vulcanized
04/05/09

@jesustonighter: Yeah, that worked out well for everyone.
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TheAlmanac
04/04/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
I hate to mess up your snug chronology, but Gary Nance is sworn in as the 45th POTUS at the end of Dave, making President Mitchell 44th...
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Alasdair Wilkins
04/05/09

@TheAlmanac: They actually say that? Wow, that's a bit weird, considering they were only on 42 when they made the movie. Eh, I really just needed a way to make the Luthor/Ross/Van Horne thing work with McCallister as 51st. I'll live with my 20th century part being a bit off.
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Alasdair Wilkins
04/05/09

@TheAlmanac: Because I clearly have nothing better to do, I just checked the screenplay for Dave and there's no mention of which number president either Mitchell or Nance is. Not to say it couldn't be in the final movie, but I think for now I'm officially not going to worry about it. The fact that I was worrying about it is something I should probably think deeply about.
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B
04/04/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
I wonder what it means that Arnold is President in three different alternate futures.
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gertymac
04/04/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
Did Life on Mars specify Malia? I thought they just said President Obama and then "she and her sister".
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icy_one
04/04/09

@gertymac: Sasha was born in 2001 and would be ineligible to serve in 2035.

Unless the Constitution were changed...
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gertymac
04/04/09

@icy_one: Born in 2001? I feel old.
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Alasdair Wilkins
04/04/09

@gertymac: Technically Malia couldn't be elected in 2032 either, but it's close enough that you can fudge it. I also did go to the trouble of coming up with a highly convoluted explanation, but decided to not bother with it because I figured nobody would care that much.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
04/04/09

@Alasdair Wilkins: I knew it had to be Malia too.

She might have gotten the job like Gerald Ford, appointed VP sometime after her 35th birthday by Pres. Oprah.

Or the constitutional change that gave us President Ah-nuld knocked a few years off the age.
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quixote23
04/04/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
Not exactly sci-fi and not so much a future president as an alternate-timeline president, but it's worth mentioning Prez Rickard from the Sandman story "The Golden Boy" by Neil Gaiman.
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Alasdair Wilkins
04/04/09

@quixote23: I would have loved to include the ludicrousness that is Prez Rickard - if I do a 20th century list, he's the first one on there. Well, other than all the ones who preceded him chronologically. You get the idea.
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wolfman-al
04/04/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
About the fictional late 20th century presidents, what about President Tom Beck from the bore fest Deep Impact? Or president Thomas J. Whitmore from Independence Day? C´mon, if you counted Dave, you mustn´t forget these!

And then there are the presidents Palmer and Logan from 24.
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Alasdair Wilkins
04/04/09

@wolfman-al: To be honest, my focus here was primarily on the 21st century (as the title pretty much says), so I just chose fictional 20th century presidents that I found interesting and would set up the list nicely. If I do a followup list of alternative 20th century presidents, I'm sure I'll figure out a way to slot them in.

As for the 24 guys, I decided that, as far as the early 21st century is concerned (the part we're actually, you know, living in), I should err on the side of presidents with more scifi elements. Thus Luthor & co plus comic depictions of Obama seemed to be more scifi than the 24 presidents. Also, to count all five or six of the 24 presidents would have made it impossible to get to Robert McCallister at 51st, which is what the series always said he was.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
04/04/09

@Alasdair Wilkins: And how exactly is "Jack and Bobby" scifi, do tell?
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Alasdair Wilkins
04/05/09

@Evil Tortie's Mom: It isn't, but the very fact that they were setting the presidential part in 2041 made it futuristic, if not scifi. I was more concerned with making 2001-2009 clearly scifi than the rest of the list, as otherwise I'd just be picking contemporary drama. Also, there were way, way more choices for the present than the future (unsurprisingly), so I thought I should err on the side of the more scifi choices.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
04/05/09

@Alasdair Wilkins: Hmph. It will do till you can find a proper SF reference for 2041, then.
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Platypus Man
04/04/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
OK, I never read the story, but according to Wikipedia (and I know that's not exactly perfect), the president in Asimov's "The Tercentenary Incident" is Hugo Allen Winkler, not Henry Irwin Winkler. And given that it was published in 1976, if his name were Henry Winkler, people (Asimov included) would have noticed the similarity with Henry Franklin Winkler AKA The Fonz, who had had the role for 2 years prior.

So yeah, I could be wrong, but I'm just saying.

Nice list though!
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Alasdair Wilkins
04/04/09

@Platypus Man: You're totally right and I've gone ahead and fixed it. I feel especially silly about this because I'm an Asimov fanatic. The names must have somehow got transposed along the way.
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Pope John Peeps II
04/04/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
That "kryptonite asteroid" plot from DC comics must be high on the all-time stupid list of all-time stupid plots. It was so devastatingly retarded...

Superman launches an asteroid at the earth comprised of the ONE SUBSTANCE that can harm him? Devastatingly brilliant criminal. Oh, and what's the reason people suspect Superman? Because the asteroid is MADE OF KRYPTONITE.

It's like a giant circle of stupid. I know comics aren't exactly known for their stories, but at least put in more than 15 minutes of furious scribbling on writing these plots, okay?
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IraeNicole
04/04/09

In reply to Science Fiction's Presidents Of The 21st Century
So in the next century we will get three female presidents, two of which are black, an openly gay VP president, possibly an Asian president, another black male president, and a robot? Well that is a bit of a condolence in a future that sucks.
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OW-Holmes:Bringer of Fear
04/04/09

@IraeNicole: But no Latinos. If I've said it once, I have said it a thousand times. The future is racist.
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TheAlmanac
04/04/09

@OW-Holmes: Actually, President McAllister was seen by some as Latino because his father was Mexican. The truth about his parentage was a campaign issue for him.

(Yes, I did watch that "impossibly high-concept show"...)
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Alasdair Wilkins
04/04/09

@TheAlmanac: By the by, I meant no offense by calling it "impossibly high-concept". But man, that was one hell of a unique premise.
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♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
04/06/09

@IraeNicole: What is this "next century" you speak of? We've only got 3 years left!

:)
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