2012: Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) v. Barack Obama (D)

[Big Boy Beto]

Schwarzenegger has the charisma and star power to compete with Obama. Think it could go either way but will hand a narrow win to Arnie. Thinking about doing a TL about this.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger/Gov. John Kasich: 296 Electoral Votes
Pres. Barack Obama/Vice Pres. Joe Biden: 242 Electoral Votes

[KaiserDave]

Obama gets sworn in anyways as the Governator is ineligible.

[Huey Long is a Republican]

change the colors!

also, I doubt Arrnie could win, he isn't even allowed to run for POTUS because he was born in Austria, not america. Obama would be able to paint him as elite and out of touch and would be able to paint Kasich as a fake.

[Big Boy Beto]

change the colors!

also, I doubt Arrnie could win, he isn't even allowed to run for POTUS because he was born in Austria, not america. Obama would be able to paint him as elite and out of touch and would be able to paint Kasich as a fake.

Oops, to used to the usual colours.

I know he isn't eligible, let's just say the Hatch amendment passes.

[Agonized-Statism]

President Barack Obama (D-IL) / Vice President Joe Biden (D-DE)
Fmr. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) / Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) ✓

Basically, charismatic Romney.

[NewYorkExpress]

Assuming Arnold is eligible to run, he's still too moderate to get through a Republican Primary.

Assuming he does that...

President Barack Obama/Vice President Joe Biden (D) 284 EV
Former Governor Arnold Schwarzneggar/Senator Marco Rubio (R) 254 EV

[OSR stands with Israel]

Obama seems to be the guaranteed winner after winning Ohio and a Virginia but the governator shocks the world as Californians revert to 1980s margins to support Arnold giving Arnold the presidency.


With all seriousness give California to Obama of course but flip VA and NH to Arnold

[NewYorkExpress]

Obama seems to be the guaranteed winner after winning Ohio and a Virginia but the governator shocks the world as Californians revert to 1980s margins to support Arnold giving Arnold the presidency.


With all seriousness give California to Obama of course but flip VA and NH to Arnold

I think, in reality, Arnold loses California, though Obama's margin drops significantly, and he wins Virginia.

He doesn't win New Hampshire (though that's more because he never seriously considers picking Kelly Ayotte. If he does that, he adds New Hampshire to his column), and I'd also give him Nevada and Florida (because I think he picks Marco Rubio as his running mate)

[Alben Barkley]

Arnold had a few problems running in 2012, even if we set aside the Constitutional issue and pretend the natural born citizen clause had been repealed:

1. His second term as governor did not go very well and he ended with a low approval rating. There would be plenty of ammunition for Obama to use to attack him from that.

2. Arnold's affair and illegitimate child with his maid had just been exposed. Believe it or not, this still would have been a damaging scandal at that time. It would have especially undermined many Republicans' moralistic arguments and may have dampened evangelical enthusiasm.

3. Arnold would be forced to either pivot to the right, losing his moderate appeal, or stay moderate, risking low turnout among the conservative base even if he somehow won the primary. Romney also had this problem to a degree; he chose the first option but paid for it by being attacked as a spineless flip-flopper.

4. That year, Obama successfully portrayed Mitt Romney as an elitist who was out-of-touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans and who would be unable to solve the economic crisis by acting like a "businessman." It wouldn't be too hard to hit Arnold with a similar line of attack. Nor would it be hard to mock him for being an unserious candidate who should have stuck to the movies.