George W Bush

[kashifsakhan]

I was thinking about my thread about Lyndon Johnson that i posted a few days ago and thought i'd make a similar one about George W Bush.

Basically in this scenario Al Gore wins the 2000 election by winning both Florida and Tennesee.

What then happens to George W Bush? Does he go back to being a governer, does he try to run again in 2004?

Assuming that 9/11 still takes place, what happens in the 2004 election?

[MasterJedi]

He ends his career in politics more than likely. And there was no chance Gore could win Tennessee, I can see Florida but not Tennessee.

[Joe Republic]

He was only half way through his second term as governor in 2000, so if he'd lost he would have completed it.  As Texas doesn't have term limits for the office of governor, he could feasibly have run for a third term if he'd wanted to.

[Sam Spade]

He was only half way through his second term as governor in 2000, so if he'd lost he would have completed it.  As Texas doesn't have term limits for the office of governor, he could feasibly have run for a third term if he'd wanted to.

If Bush would have run for a third-term, he would have won it without question.  Some people forget, now that we're six years into the Bush presidency, just how popular Bush was in Texas circa 2000.  And if Rick Perry could have gotten 58% in the 2002 election, there's no doubt Bush would have been over 60% in that scenario.

[Michael Z]

Should 9/11 happen, it's very feasible Republicans would have made out that such a thing would have never happened under President Bush. Gore invades Afghanistan but is generally painted as weak on national security. Bush, now in his third term as Gov. of Texas, runs again in 2004 and wins comfortably.

[WalterMitty]

i thought there was a two term limit in texas?


anyway, bush would have finished his second term and retired regardless of term limits.

today he would be president and chairman of the board of the el paso savings bank and trust.

[Reaganfan]

I actually would think John McCain would run and defeat Al Gore in 2004.

[Clay]

9/11 still would've happened, and the US response would probably have been pretty much the same with regard to Afghanistan and the Taliban.  Gore would not have sent troops into Iraq, and there's probably a better chance under a Gore presidency than with a Bush presidency that we would have found Bin Laden by now, possibly even before the 2004 election.

Gore, having never sent troops to Iraq and most likely having caught Bin Laden, would have soared in his approval ratings for a much longer time period than did Bush.  In the Democratic presidential primary, Gore would've gone unchallenged for the nomination, while the Republicans would have a crowded field.  George W. Bush is not among them.  Against any of his Republican challengers, polls would show a landslide Gore victory all the way to November of 2004.

By 2008, and the end of the Gore presidency, the President's approval has sunk somewhat, but in no way dramatically.  Vice President Lieberman decides to run for the presidency and wins the Democratic nomination.  George W. Bush runs and wins the Republican nomination, and picks Rudy Giuliani as his running mate.  George W. Bush wins the presidency in 2008.

By late 2009/early 2010, the U.S. invades Iraq due to concerns that the country is harboring terrorists and secretly producing weapons of mass destruction.  Troops get bogged down in a war they know they'll never win.  Gas prices in the U.S. rise to unheard of prices.  The media reports that the government has been secretly spying on its citizens with warrant-less wiretapping, personally authorized by President Bush.  The Democrat-controlled Congress brings forth the proper measures to impeach the president for his illegal acts.  Before the impeachment, President Bush resigns.  Vice President Giuliani is sworn into office as president.

[kashifsakhan]

By late 2009/early 2010, the U.S. invades Iraq due to concerns that the country is harboring terrorists and secretly producing weapons of mass destruction.  Troops get bogged down in a war they know they'll never win.  Gas prices in the U.S. rise to unheard of prices.  The media reports that the government has been secretly spying on its citizens with warrant-less wiretapping, personally authorized by President Bush.  The Democrat-controlled Congress brings forth the proper measures to impeach the president for his illegal acts.  Before the impeachment, President Bush resigns.  Vice President Giuliani is sworn into office as president.

That last bit seems way exageratted.. I dont see why Bush would get impeached for doing that, when hes already doing it now.

[Joe Republic]

He was only half way through his second term as governor in 2000, so if he'd lost he would have completed it.  As Texas doesn't have term limits for the office of governor, he could feasibly have run for a third term if he'd wanted to.

If Bush would have run for a third-term, he would have won it without question.  Some people forget, now that we're six years into the Bush presidency, just how popular Bush was in Texas circa 2000.  And if Rick Perry could have gotten 58% in the 2002 election, there's no doubt Bush would have been over 60% in that scenario.

Oh I also don't doubt it for a second.  I just used the wrong phrasing in my earlier post.

[Nym90]

By late 2009/early 2010, the U.S. invades Iraq due to concerns that the country is harboring terrorists and secretly producing weapons of mass destruction.  Troops get bogged down in a war they know they'll never win.  Gas prices in the U.S. rise to unheard of prices.  The media reports that the government has been secretly spying on its citizens with warrant-less wiretapping, personally authorized by President Bush.  The Democrat-controlled Congress brings forth the proper measures to impeach the president for his illegal acts.  Before the impeachment, President Bush resigns.  Vice President Giuliani is sworn into office as president.

That last bit seems way exageratted.. I dont see why Bush would get impeached for doing that, when hes already doing it now.

Probably because Clay is assuming there would be a Democratic Congress.

One could also argue that the further away from 9/11 we get, the less acceptable such actions would be, and in this scenario Bush is taking office 8 years later than he actually did.

[Bugs]

Since Bush made the unpopular move in real time of invading Iraq, and still won in 2004, it's unlikely a President Gore would have won handily in 2004, without such a move, unless he made a bold move of his own, such as moving into Iran, and found success there.  He might have won in 2004; he might not have.  Either way, Bush is finished politically.  McCain probably would have been elected in 2004.  Gore missed a great campaign slogan.  He should have said, "First we Polked you, then we Pierced you.  Now we'll Gore you."

[kashifsakhan]

Since Bush made the unpopular move in real time of invading Iraq, and still won in 2004, it's unlikely a President Gore would have won handily in 2004, without such a move, unless he made a bold move of his own, such as moving into Iran, and found success there.  He might have won in 2004; he might not have.  Either way, Bush is finished politically.  McCain probably would have been elected in 2004.  Gore missed a great campaign slogan.  He should have said, "First we Polked you, then we Pierced you.  Now we'll Gore you."

I think finding success in Afghanistan alone would be enough to win him a second term. Especially if that success is in the form of finding bin Laden