In the
television showA television program , television programme , or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television...
Commander in Chief, a
political dramaA political drama can describe a play, film or TV program that has a political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events. Dramatists who have written political dramas include Aaron Sorkin, Robert Penn Warren, Sergei...
aired by ABC, the fictional character
Mackenzie Spencer Allen, played by
Geena DavisVirginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist.-Early life:...
, is the first female
President of the United States. She usually is called "Mac" by those close to her (except some relatives) and "Madam President" by others.
Life and politics
Mackenzie Spencer Allen is the daughter of Michael Allen, a lawyer in his days, and Katherine "Kate" Spencer Allen, the owner and manager of a restaurant. She was born in late 1960, in
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
. She is educated in public schools, and goes on to marry Rod Calloway, by whom she has three children; fraternal twins Horace ( a liberal who is older by four minutes) and Rebecca (a conservative who disapproves of her mother's decision not to resign); and Amy, who is very young. All three children also attend
public schoolIn most of the world, excluding England and Wales and some Commonwealth countries, a public school is an educational institution that is funded with tax revenue and most commonly administered by a local government or government agency...
, following in the footsteps of both Allen and her husband. After serving as a
prosecutorThe prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
, Allen is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives twice as an independent representing a
districtA congressional district is an electoral constituency that elects a single member of a congress. Countries with congressional districts include the United States, the Philippines, and Japan...
in Connecticut. When she graduates from
law schoolA law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- United States:...
, she is recommended to her first job by Anthony Prado, who would eventually become her
National Security AdvisorThe Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief adviser to the President of the United States on national security issues...
.
Vice President
Allen is a moderate
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
who is encouraged by fellow moderates in her party to run as an
IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
when a
far rightFar right, extreme right, hard right, ultra-right or radical right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within a political spectrum...
Republican secures victory in the
primary electionA primary election , also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election...
.
Both she and her husband, Rod Calloway, are surprised at the suggestion; both assumed that they were going to ask Rod, who was then
Attorney GeneralIn most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.-Usage:The term has traditionally...
of Connecticut. After four years in Congress, she decides not to seek a third term, outraged that
campaign financeCampaign finance refers to the fundraising and spending that political campaigns do in their election races. As campaigns have many expenditures, ranging from the cost of travel for the candidate and others to the purchasing of air time for TV advertisements, candidates often devote substantial...
reform measures are failing and unwilling, in her own words, "to be part of a corrupt system that couldn't heal itself." She is then
chancellorA Chancellor is the head of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as President or Rector.In most Commonwealth nations, the Chancellor is usually a titular non-resident head, often with a Pro-Chancellor as practical Chairman of the governing body ; the actual chief executive of a...
of the
University of RichmondThe University of Richmond is a private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students...
, with expertise in Middle Eastern affairs. One evening, while dining with the then
Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
, Theodore Roosevelt "Teddy" Bridges, she is asked to be his
running mateA running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
. She is then elected as Vice President on a ticket with Republican Bridges, although she technically remains a political independent. She accuses Bridges at first for only wanting her for being a woman, as she would help him greatly with his 40 percent approval rating among women. Bridges admits to this, but also advises her it would open the door for women in politics. Mackenzie is, at first, skeptical about running, for she worries about her lack of experience, having only served four years in the
United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
, and about running as an Independent for a Republican. She is elected along with Bridges, and Rod becomes her
chief of staffThe White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President...
.
Rise to the Presidency
About two years into his term of office, Bridges suffers a massive
strokeA stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to a hemorrhage...
which soon leads to his death, causing Allen to succeed to the presidency. However, prior to his death, Bridges and key figures in the Republican Party urge Allen to resign her office before Bridges' death so that
Nathan TempletonNathan Everett Templeton, played by Donald Sutherland, is a fictional character on the television drama Commander in Chief.A Republican from Florida, Templeton is the primary antagonist of independent President Mackenzie Allen....
, the Republican
Speaker of the House of RepresentativesThe Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat representing California's 8th congressional district....
, would instead be in line for the presidency in the event of Bridges' resigning. Bridges would have to resign, if he had survived, to receive treatment, and would be paralyzed. His absence would be for well over a year. The cabinet is afraid of having an Independent as President, and all urge Mackenzie to resign. Bridges refuses to resign before Allen, while he is still alive. Allen, after thinking about it, has her Communication Director draft a resignation speech. However, after talking with Templeton, who shows prejudice against both
MuslimsIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
and women, Allen decided to take the oath of office, and be inaugurated as the nation's first female president.
Madam President
Her first act as president is to rescue a Nigerian Muslim woman who was
sentenced to death"Death Sentence" is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov....
by
stoningStoning, or lapidation, refers to a form of capital punishment. For the method of metalworking using sharpening stones see stoning ....
for having sex outside marriage. She appoints as her Vice President
Warren KeatonGeneral Warren Fitzgerald Keaton is a fictional politician and the Vice President of the United States on the ABC television series Commander in Chief. He was portrayed on the program by Peter Coyote.-Political:...
, the
DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
running mate of the man whom she and Teddy Bridges had defeated in their election. Rod becomes
First Gentleman of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the President of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president...
, and her mother Kate Spencer Allen becomes her White House Hostess.
While on board
Air Force OneAir Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States...
en route to negotiate a trade deal between protesting airline unions and managers, Allen suffers a ruptured
appendixAppendix may refer to:In documents:*Addendum, any addition to a document, such as a book or legal contract*Bibliography, a systematic list of books and other works...
requiring several hours of surgery and at least a day of recovery. Prior to surgery she invokes the 25th Amendment, believing the Senate President
Pro Tempore would temporarily assume the presidency. Templeton steps up instead, costing him his seat in the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(though in reality, a special election would be scheduled to fill the vacancy and he could return to his seat in 90 days). With his new position of power, he quickly forces an end to the airline labor strikes, undoing Allen's weeks of careful negotiations. He is officially
Acting PresidentActing President of the United States is a reference to a person who is legitimately exercising the Presidential powers even though that person does not hold the office of the President of the United States.-Origin of the position: Constitution :...
for approximately one day during Allen's medical leave.
The series ended right before the election season began between Templeton, Allen and an unknown Democrat. Polls early on showed Allen and Templeton tied, but after his day as president Templeton surges in polls. Allen puts the race back into a dead heat with her apparent town hall performance win. The town hall was considered the "first presidential debate" with just potential and announced presidential candidates attending. The series cuts off so we do not find out who won the election.
Bridges, while alive, had intended to appoint Allen to the United States Supreme Court and have Templeton be his vice-president; however, Bridges dies before re-election, and Templeton refuses, saying a move to the vice-presidency would be a demotion.
Resume
- Private sector
- Prosecutor
- Independent Congresswoman
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
from ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
(two terms; four years)
- Chancellor
A Chancellor is the head of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as President or Rector.In most Commonwealth nations, the Chancellor is usually a titular non-resident head, often with a Pro-Chancellor as practical Chairman of the governing body ; the actual chief executive of a...
of the University of RichmondThe University of Richmond is a private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students...
- Prominent researcher, expert on Middle Eastern politics.
- Republican nominee for Vice President as an independent
- Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
- President of the United States
The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Current Cabinet
- Vice President - Vacant
- Secretary of State - Martin Wye
- Secretary of Agriculture - Francis Barnes
- Secretary of Defense - Francis Mills
- Attorney General - Carl Brantley
- Secretary of the Treasury - Stan Dennison
Senior Staffers
- Chief of Staff - Jim Gardner
- White House Press Secretary - Kelly Ludlow
- National Security Advisor - Anthony Prado
- Special Aide to the President - Vince Taylor
Former Cabinet and Senior Staffers
- Vice President of the United States - Warren Keaton
General Warren Fitzgerald Keaton is a fictional politician and the Vice President of the United States on the ABC television series Commander in Chief. He was portrayed on the program by Peter Coyote.-Political:...
(D)
- Attorney General - Melanie Blackston
- Secretary of the Interior - Charlie Witherspoon
- National Security Advisor - Roman Wolfe
- White House Press Secretary - Hale Richardson
- Deputy White House Press Secretary - Alex Williams
Alexander Williams is a retired English goalkeeper.-Playing career:A product of the Manchester City youth scheme, he made his first team debut in the 1980-81 season, Succeeding Joe Corrigan in the City goal, he made a total of 125 appearances in six years, including two consecutive seasons where...
- Presidential Secretary - Ruth