How Would John McCain Be Remembered if He Won in 2000 and For What?

[Bo]

I think McCain would have won reelection in 2004 if he won in 2000 (and defeated Bush in the SC primary). I think McCain would have been remembered as a poor President because the housing bubble, Great Recession, and financial crisis would have very likely occured/started under his watch, as he and Bush were the same on the economy. However, I think that he would not be considered a Miserable Failure because he would have probably got rid of the Iraqi and Iranian threats without a full-fledged war and because he would have likely tried to be more fiscally conservative/responsible than Bush and to promote renewable energy much more as well. I also think that Hillary would be President now as there would be no Iraq War and thus Obama might not even run (and even if he did, he would lose as the Democratic base would not have any problems with Hillary (such as her Iraq War vote in RL).

[Psychic Octopus]

Good President. He doesn't implement the fiscally irresponsible Bush tax cuts, he's more swift and effective in Afghanistan. He probably would've gone into Iraq, but he wouldn't have done it the "Rummy" way, going for an all-out military force. We leave Iraq shortly after Saddam is deposed of; McCain wins re-election easily. He has a strong response to Katrina, and also, Osama Bin Laden is captured much sooner. The final chapter in his presidency is a weak recession expected in 2009; Which results in Democrat Mark Warner winning the presidency in 2008.

[Bo]

Good President. He doesn't implement the fiscally irresponsible Bush tax cuts, he's more swift and effective in Afghanistan. He probably would've gone into Iraq, but he wouldn't have done it the "Rummy" way, going for an all-out military force. We leave Iraq shortly after Saddam is deposed of; McCain wins re-election easily. He has a strong response to Katrina, and also, Osama Bin Laden is captured much sooner. The final chapter in his presidency is a weak recession expected in 2009; Which results in Democrat Mark Warner winning the presidency in 2008.

I think the financial crisis would have still happened under his Presidency. The main causes of the crisis were the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999 (before McCain's Presidency) and the fact that the Fed kept interest rates too low for too long. This would have still happened under McCain, as he would have wanted a housing bubble to pump up the economy so that he would have gotten reelected. McCain would have passed some kind of tax cuts, but would have made sure to find the money to pay for them (or at least done a better job than Bush in this regard). I think in regards to Iraq, he would have tried bombing Saddam first to see if Saddam would agree to bring the inspectors back in, as McCain would probably have many advisors from Reagan's Presidency who were more cautious when it came to military interventionism. McCain might decide to invade Iraq only if bombing Saddam didn't work. After all, I think that McCain would be more cautious in regards to war than Bush, since unlike Bush, he has actually served in a war. McCain would probably capture bin Laden in Tora Bora in 2001 since I think he would send U.S. troops to capture bin Laden instead of sending local Afghan troops. I think that Hillary would win in 2008, as she had strong Presidential ambitions and due to the fact that a housing bubble recession/Financial Crisis would likely begin in 2007-2008. Hillary would be the best known of the Democratic contenders, and I think the women's vote and her husband's support would have pushed her over the top (it almost did in RL).

[DS0816]

ELECTION 2000

John McCain [R-Arizona] vs. Al Gore [D-Tennessee]

[Bo]

ELECTION 2000

John McCain [R-Arizona] vs. Al Gore [D-Tennessee]

You didn't answer my question at all.

[DS0816]

You didn't answer my question at all.

I did answer … with the poll.

I checked off that McCain would've been good.

2000 being plenty different from 2008, McCain was screwed twice: By Bush and his camp in the 2000 South Carolina Republican primary and, later, in the 2008 general election with Bush's low-approval making any GOP candidate unable to win.

McCain would've been better than Bush. (Then again, the same can be said of just anyone else in that party. With exceptions of Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin, both of whom didn't come along until a few years down the road.)

[Antonio the Sixth]

Overall good President, IMO.

[Bo]

Overall good President, IMO.

I don't think he would be remembered as a good President if the financial crisis and Great Recession would occur/start under his watch.

[SvenssonRS]

Good president, for one arbitrary reason.

He, unlike Bush, is not a hopeless, bumbling monkey. I may disagree with some of his views, but that still doesn't make him a brainless gorilla like Bush.

[Bo]

Good president, for one arbitrary reason.

He, unlike Bush, is not a hopeless, bumbling monkey. I may disagree with some of his views, but that still doesn't make him a brainless gorilla like Bush.

I'm asking how the American people in general would remember McCain if he won in 2000. I don't think they will have a good impression of a President under whom the worst financial crisis in 70 years occured, even if he was very competent in other matters.

[Psychic Octopus]

Good president, for one arbitrary reason.

He, unlike Bush, is not a hopeless, bumbling monkey. I may disagree with some of his views, but that still doesn't make him a brainless gorilla like Bush.

I'm asking how the American people in general would remember McCain if he won in 2000. I don't think they will have a good impression of a President under whom the worst financial crisis in 70 years occured, even if he was very competent in other matters.

They'd overlook it eventually. Truman used to be one of our most hated Presidents, but no he ranks in the top 5.

[Bo]

Good president, for one arbitrary reason.

He, unlike Bush, is not a hopeless, bumbling monkey. I may disagree with some of his views, but that still doesn't make him a brainless gorilla like Bush.

I'm asking how the American people in general would remember McCain if he won in 2000. I don't think they will have a good impression of a President under whom the worst financial crisis in 70 years occured, even if he was very competent in other matters.

They'd overlook it eventually. Truman used to be one of our most hated Presidents, but no he ranks in the top 5.

Truman did not have a massive recession and financial crisis occur under his watch. Also, Truman did not have any real screwups in foreign affairs. The only things you could blame him for is the large amount of corruption in the govt., about most of which he didn't even know.

[Antonio the Sixth]

A recession isn't enough to become extremely unpopular as Bush did. What is not forgiven is the incapacity to take good decision in those times. The reasons why Bush was so unpopular are so numerous that if I enumerated them my post would exceed the maximum size. The economic crisis was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

[Bo]

A recession isn't enough to become extremely unpopular as Bush did. What is not forgiven is the incapacity to take good decision in those times. The reasons why Bush was so unpopular are so numerous that if I enumerated them my post would exceed the maximum size. The economic crisis was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

A recession in itself isn't bad. Many Presidents had one or more occur under their watch. Eisenhower had three recessions occur under his watch, yet he is still considered a good/great President. However, having the worst financial crisis in 70 years occur under your watch (when many people think you could have prevented it) will probably make you a poor President in the eyes of many people for a very long time to come.

[DS0816]

McCain would not be anywhere near as polarizing as Bush. He would've won support in the Electoral College in some states that used to be carried by all winning Republicans: Michigan and Pennsylvania, to name two.

Let's just say, it would been a different story in our nation's history.