If Dean was nominated

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I hate to say it, but this is what would've happened:



not Dean's fault though, the media decided to portray him as a radical, and that's how he was perceived, even though he was actually a centrist. A shame actually.

[English]

They may have even done worse than that. I doubt WA, ME or CT would've survived.

CA, IL, NY, VT, MA, RI, MD, NJ, DC, HI perhaps?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Gore won CT by a wider margin than California, and their current Republican governor is very hated. So he would pull through.

He would've won ME easily because VT is quite similar, and most of the Democrats there are also pro-gun. Also the economy is dreadful. He also would've pulled through in WA due to the crappy economy and overwhelming ABBers.

[kelpie]

I hate to say it, but this is what would've happened:



not Dean's fault though, the media decided to portray him as a radical, and that's how he was perceived, even though he was actually a centrist. A shame actually.

V. unlikely in Michigan, but I wouldn't bet the house on this not happening anyway.

[Ben.]

Afraid this is probably more likely, with a little known VP (no Senator I can think of would have accepted a place on a ticket lead by Dean)…

 


…The real damage would have been in the senatorial races, Breaux, Landrieu and Blanco would help keep the open LA senate seat dem by a wisker, both NC and FL would have been close and Obama would fight tooth and nail to gain his senate seat and wins a tough battle by a surprisingly solid margin… while the DLC and Blue Dogs are left to pick up the pieces of the disaster with the likes of Bayh, Landrieu and Ford thrust to center stage

[zachman]

Dean would not have been the disaster that the media branded him to be.

[© tweed]

Bush/Cheney 515
Dean/Feingold 23

[Ben.]

Dean would not have been the disaster that the media branded him to be.

Afraid he probably would have been... he changed over the course of the campaign from a moderate former governor with a solid record to run on to a liberal radical in favour of breaking up the big media companies, massively expanding trade union power and generally pandering to every whim of the primary electorate from repealing the tax cuts to imposing massive tariffs ... which I found really disappointing... his divisive rhetoric and arrogance as well as his poor TV performances and his weakness on foreign policy would have doomed his campaign... I cannot think of a serious Senator or prominent congressman who would have agreed to run with him on the national ticket... I think that unlike McGovern he would have a Democratic Party united by "ABB" sentiment, however ordinary moderate voters would have been turned off by Dean's abrasive and humourless tone and his apparent weakness on foreign affairs and would simply not have trusted him to run the country...Nader would not have run imho... so the Left wing vote would have been united, however I would imagine that he would have won only about 40-42% of the vote in what would have been a Bush landslide... of very solid proportions with the GOP possibly expanding its control of both the house and the senate (Dean might well  have sunk many southern and moderate candidates for congress) and that would have been the greatest threat of a Dean candidacy, the fact that he would have massively impeded the chances of Democrats winning back control of the senate and hampering Democratic attempts to retain control of a number of key southern senate seats…  
   

[Ben.]

Bush/Cheney 515
Dean/Feingold 23

Feingold wouldn't have accepted the VP spot... I like Russ, he would have concentrated on his senate race... an unknown congressman or congresswoman from the south or midwest would have gotten the nob imho... and I dont think that a disaster on the scale you suggest is possible Dean would have had a solid 40% of the vote thank to "ABB" sentiment... he would however have got very little else...      

[lidaker]

There is no way Dean would have lost Vermont.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Or NY, NJ, and MD. And he would've won California long before many other states on Ben's map Dean wins, why'd you give CA to Bush?

Also Feingold would never be VP since he was up for reelection, and his seat isn't as safe as Lieberman's was. Dean would've likely went with Clark.