Decision Points: The Presidency of Al Gore
- Thread starter hcallega
- Start date
d32123
Banned
Without the Iraq War and Bush tax cuts it probably won't be nearly as bad. Might even be delayed somewhat. We'll see. Also McCain might be able to play the "it's the Democrats fault" card successfully considering that he's taking office after 12 straight years of Democratic rule.
Well I was rooting for Gore, but this result is plausible (sayeth the amateur in American politics). 
GG, McCain. Good luck on the next four years.
Marc A
GG, McCain. Good luck on the next four years.
Marc A
Stolengood
Banned
Damn. Ahhh, well; we can't have everything...
Let's just hope Johnny Mac doesn't balls this one up.
Let's just hope Johnny Mac doesn't balls this one up.
I can't deny how bummed I am that Gore lost without (seemingly, I might be overreacting) having done too much at all during his one term. That said, the perception that he didn't do a whole lot probably hurt his chances. On a (third) hand, I do find it weird that despite having received a considerable rally-around-the-flag bounce, the Democrats still lost both of the post-9-11 elections. In the TL it looks plausible, but it still doesn't feel quite right.
Quite expected. Twelve years is a long time to maintain popularity as the incumbent party in any political system (except Japan's possibly), and sadly nobody in this alternate universe knows that Gore has headed off a whole host of problems caused by Bush. Hopefully McCain will continue Gore's work for the most part, although he might be more tempted to meddle in Iraq and the Middle East in general.
One thing I suspect that could happen in Iraq is that McCain will support dissident groups, which in turn leads to civil war breaking out when the Arab Spring kicks off. That of course would turn the Arab Spring into a far broader international conflict than in OTL (with wars raging in Syria, Libya and Iraq at least, and possibly more instability in other countries). I can't imagine McCain being as stupid as Bush (although I don't personally think Bush was stupid, just horribly misguided and poorly advised) was at least. (Says nothing I know)
teg
One thing I suspect that could happen in Iraq is that McCain will support dissident groups, which in turn leads to civil war breaking out when the Arab Spring kicks off. That of course would turn the Arab Spring into a far broader international conflict than in OTL (with wars raging in Syria, Libya and Iraq at least, and possibly more instability in other countries). I can't imagine McCain being as stupid as Bush (although I don't personally think Bush was stupid, just horribly misguided and poorly advised) was at least. (Says nothing I know)
teg
Depending on if Edwards still dicks around as he did OTL. In which case, I'm guessing Clinton/Bayh, Clinton/Richardson, or maybe (forgive me #based AH gods) Clinton/Obama.
If Obeezy even rises to the relative prominence he had, which is unlikely, with no Iraq War to rally against.
Exciting election! I was scrolling a line at a time to maintain the suspense.
The housing bubble is (seemingly) still on the horizon, correct? Unless the Gore presidency had some regulatory effect on sub-prime bundling...?
Any chance Colin Powell will be making an appearance in a McCain cabinet? Ray LaHood's also been phenomenal at the helm of Obama's DoT. As a minority Republican from Illinois, he'd make a good addition to any cabinet, especially one trying to establish its moderate credentials. If McCain's going to keep up the tradition of reaching across the aisle to fill a slot, there are lots of Democrats in Republican-leaning districts he might be able to poach. A pro-life Dem for HHS might be the safest appointment.
I'm not sure Hillary Clinton can win the nomination with what amounts to Bill's 12-year legacy so fresh in people's minds. I have to think that 12 years of fresh-faced southern white men will also hurt Edwards' chances of winning the nomination. The 2008 primary cycle is definitely going to belong to the liberal wing of the party after 8 (or depending on who you're talking to, 16) years of compromising.
It's true that Clinton and (especially) Edwards are probably capable of slewing left, but they'll probably already find Paul Wellstone camped out when they get there. Maybe Russ Feingold, too.
The housing bubble is (seemingly) still on the horizon, correct? Unless the Gore presidency had some regulatory effect on sub-prime bundling...?
Any chance Colin Powell will be making an appearance in a McCain cabinet? Ray LaHood's also been phenomenal at the helm of Obama's DoT. As a minority Republican from Illinois, he'd make a good addition to any cabinet, especially one trying to establish its moderate credentials. If McCain's going to keep up the tradition of reaching across the aisle to fill a slot, there are lots of Democrats in Republican-leaning districts he might be able to poach. A pro-life Dem for HHS might be the safest appointment.
I'm not sure Hillary Clinton can win the nomination with what amounts to Bill's 12-year legacy so fresh in people's minds. I have to think that 12 years of fresh-faced southern white men will also hurt Edwards' chances of winning the nomination. The 2008 primary cycle is definitely going to belong to the liberal wing of the party after 8 (or depending on who you're talking to, 16) years of compromising.
It's true that Clinton and (especially) Edwards are probably capable of slewing left, but they'll probably already find Paul Wellstone camped out when they get there. Maybe Russ Feingold, too.
Great way to finish up the campaign HC, I actually wasn't expecting the win to be that close. I though McCain would be able pick off Michigan and Pennsylvania which would have allowed him to run up his totals a little bit. But it's also really hard to beat an incumbent, especially given the effects on congressional races on the grounds of certain swing states.
So I am exciting to see what Mac's takes the White House is going to be like, but give Al a good send off with maybe a small legislative victory at the end of his term and a solid farewell speech to end it on....Keep it comming Hc
So I am exciting to see what Mac's takes the White House is going to be like, but give Al a good send off with maybe a small legislative victory at the end of his term and a solid farewell speech to end it on....Keep it comming Hc
An exciting election campaign! Well written.
Don't count your 2008 chickens yet Paul. There's no reason why the probable economic collapse coming in TTL's future must follow the time table of its OTL counterpart. If the sharp decline occurs 6 months earlier then in OTL, McCain might be able to make enough right moves to save his presidency. If it happens 6 months later, well, that's a problem for McCain's second term.
Don't count your 2008 chickens yet Paul. There's no reason why the probable economic collapse coming in TTL's future must follow the time table of its OTL counterpart. If the sharp decline occurs 6 months earlier then in OTL, McCain might be able to make enough right moves to save his presidency. If it happens 6 months later, well, that's a problem for McCain's second term.
That carries its own problems; if the crash happens in McCain's second term, then it's harder to shift blame to the Democrats.