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I just finished (a little bit late) watching House of Cards and I was wondering about Frank Underwood taking a different strategy after knowing that he wasn't appointed as Secretary of State.

How would Francis J. Underwood tactics be different to what he did as a Vice President?

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    Welcome to Movies & TV! While it is certainly an interesting thought, I don't know if this question is really answerable in its current form. He was never made Secretary of State, and to my knowledge his plans for this (if they even existed at that point) were never discussed in the show. So I cannot see how answers would be anything but wild speculation.
    – magnattic
    Jun 6, 2014 at 16:02

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It was Frank's feeling of betrayal at NOT being appointed Secretary of State that precipitated his Shakespearian quest to destroy his enemies. If he HAD been appointed he might have been... happy and well-adjusted.

Seriously though, he does explicitly say "We are no longer bound by our allegiances." If he had been given the position he was promised he would have been more likely to work within the system instead of subverting it, and more likely to support his colleagues rather than manipulating and sacrificing them like chess pieces.

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  • Well, he might have been happy with his position. But there is really no way to tell. It could just as well be that he still would be hungry for more power and try to climb the ladder towards presidency. That's a problem with this question, not with your answer though.
    – magnattic
    Jun 6, 2014 at 17:19
  • @atticae I agree, as System Down said: Then we enter the land of wild speculation... But it was an interesting question to ask though, I expected some especulation.
    – Gus
    Jun 6, 2014 at 19:13
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His whole deliciously Machiavellian scheme that was the meat of the first two seasons was only triggered by him feeling betrayed by the administration. So if had been appointed Secretary of State, as promised, then the plan wouldn't have been initiated. Then we enter the land of wild speculation.

I'm fairly sure Underwood would never have been satisfied with being Secretary of State, and would've plotted to get into the Oval Office. But he might've bided his time, gaining credibility and then running for office after Walker's term ended.

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