I was just thinking...

[King]

If Gore had won the 2000 election like he probably should have, Joe Lieberman would be the rubber stamp Democratic nominee for the President of the United States right now.


The butterfly [ballot] effect?

[Joe Biden 2020]

If Gore had won the 2000 election like he probably should have, Joe Lieberman would be the rubber stamp Democratic nominee for the President of the United States right now.


The butterfly [ballot] effect?

Yes, but he probably wouldn't have been the Democrats worst internal enemy if he had been VP for 8 years.

[King]

If Gore had won the 2000 election like he probably should have, Joe Lieberman would be the rubber stamp Democratic nominee for the President of the United States right now.


The butterfly [ballot] effect?

Yes, but he probably wouldn't have been the Democrats worst internal enemy if he had been VP for 8 years.

Exactly.  History changes completely.

[WalterMitty]

gore did win the election.

[King]

gore did win the election.

Nah, he technically didn't win.  He finished in 1st place, but had his title stripped and given to the runner-up.

[7,052,770]

gore did win the election.

well, technically Bush won, as 271 electors cast their votes for him and Congress didn't throw any of those votes out.

[specific_name]

gore did win the election.

No he didn't. We use the electoral college remember

Regardless, what makes people thing that Gore would have lasted two terms. Unless you think Bush "did" 9/11, it would have happened anyway. How would Gore have handled it, and why would it have been well enough to assume he'd get reelected and his VP would still be looking good for the nomination after eight years? If Gore carried FL in 2000, we might be talking about an incumbent Republican up against....god knows who. This sounds like a "what if."

[Torie]

LaPore changed history. She is one of the most influential women of the 20th century.

[King]

gore did win the election.

No he didn't. We use the electoral college remember

Regardless, what makes people thing that Gore would have lasted two terms. Unless you think Bush "did" 9/11, it would have happened anyway. How would Gore have handled it, and why would it have been well enough to assume he'd get reelected and his VP would still be looking good for the nomination after eight years? If Gore carried FL in 2000, we might be talking about an incumbent Republican up against....god knows who. This sounds like a "what if."

Gore would've received the same 90% approval ratings when it happened and would've been able to get a rubber stamp Democratic Congress in 2002 off that support and would've been able to beat some crap 2004 GOP candidate based on that emotion like Bush did.

[The Mikado]

Eh...Lieberman would've been in for the primary of his life in 2008.  Even everything else aside, Mrs. Clinton wouldn't set aside her White House hopes for someone like Holy Joe.

[specific_name]

gore did win the election.

No he didn't. We use the electoral college remember

Regardless, what makes people thing that Gore would have lasted two terms. Unless you think Bush "did" 9/11, it would have happened anyway. How would Gore have handled it, and why would it have been well enough to assume he'd get reelected and his VP would still be looking good for the nomination after eight years? If Gore carried FL in 2000, we might be talking about an incumbent Republican up against....god knows who. This sounds like a "what if."

Gore would've received the same 90% approval ratings when it happened and would've been able to get a rubber stamp Democratic Congress in 2002 off that support and would've been able to beat some crap 2004 GOP candidate based on that emotion like Bush did.

That's assuming a lot. Bush won pretty narrowly in 2004. It was hardly some kind of landslide. We'd never know if Gore would have invaded Iraq, I suspect not, but who really knows. My point was simply that a two term Gore presidency is not a sure thing, even if he won FL back in 2000.

[Mr. Morden]

Eh...Lieberman would've been in for the primary of his life in 2008.  Even everything else aside, Mrs. Clinton wouldn't set aside her White House hopes for someone like Holy Joe.

I agree with that.  Lieberman would have had a much tougher path to the 2008 Democratic nomination than, say, Gore did to the 2000 nomination.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Mrs. Clinton wouldn't set aside her White House hopes for someone like Holy Joe.

Would BRTD support Clinton or Lieberman?

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Al Gore would have succombed to the wishes of John Kerry, Lieberman, and other Neoliberals who had his ear and invaded Iraq. The GOP would have regained the majority it lost in the 2002 Dem landslide, and George W. Bush would re-emerge as a candidate to reinstate a "humble foreign policy" after sixteen years of Clinton/Gore/Lieberman foreign policy adventures that damaged our military efffectiveness.

Oddly enough, it really could have happened like that

[Lief 🗽]

Al Gore would have succombed to the wishes of John Kerry, Lieberman, and other Neoliberals who had his ear and invaded Iraq. The GOP would have regained the majority it lost in the 2002 Dem landslide, and George W. Bush would re-emerge as a candidate to reinstate a "humble foreign policy" after sixteen years of Clinton/Gore/Lieberman foreign policy adventures that damaged our military efffectiveness.

Oddly enough, it really could have happened like that

Ironically, that's probably exactly what would have happened.

[dead0man]

Al Gore would have succombed to the wishes of John Kerry, Lieberman, and other Neoliberals who had his ear and invaded Iraq. The GOP would have regained the majority it lost in the 2002 Dem landslide, and George W. Bush would re-emerge as a candidate to reinstate a "humble foreign policy" after sixteen years of Clinton/Gore/Lieberman foreign policy adventures that damaged our military efffectiveness.

Oddly enough, it really could have happened like that

Ironically, that's probably exactly what would have happened.

Would they have nominated Bush again in '04 though?  I doubt it.

I do agree Gore would probably lose in 2004...probably to McCain or some Hawk as Gore might not have been as "aggresive" in fighting terrorism as Bush was.  Plus Gore makes a sh**tty cheerleader whereas it seems to be the only thing Bush is good at.

[Downwinder]

Al Gore would have succombed to the wishes of John Kerry, Lieberman, and other Neoliberals who had his ear and invaded Iraq. The GOP would have regained the majority it lost in the 2002 Dem landslide, and George W. Bush would re-emerge as a candidate to reinstate a "humble foreign policy" after sixteen years of Clinton/Gore/Lieberman foreign policy adventures that damaged our military efffectiveness.

Oddly enough, it really could have happened like that

Ironically, that's probably exactly what would have happened.

The 'what-ifs' are endless though.  Consider this: 
The Gore Administration pays attention to security alerts in the summer of 2001, and the 9/11 plot is narrowly averted.  The country is shaken, but not thrown on it's ass.  National security is upped, but the Iraq War never happens, because the White House is not packed with people who are going to MAKE it happen, by any means.  But the economic landscape is still wobbly, and Gore is a little weak headed into the 2004 re-election.

Without 9/11 and the Iraq War, hawkish types like Senators McCain and Lieberman never really blossom into full war-mongers.  Lieberman continues to be a reliable, liberal Vice-President, and McCain continues to play the maverick, and is the presumptive 2004 nominee.

Who wins in that scenario?  And who lines up for 2008?

You could spin these possibilities for days.

[specific_name]

Al Gore would have succombed to the wishes of John Kerry, Lieberman, and other Neoliberals who had his ear and invaded Iraq. The GOP would have regained the majority it lost in the 2002 Dem landslide, and George W. Bush would re-emerge as a candidate to reinstate a "humble foreign policy" after sixteen years of Clinton/Gore/Lieberman foreign policy adventures that damaged our military efffectiveness.

Oddly enough, it really could have happened like that

Ironically, that's probably exactly what would have happened.

The 'what-ifs' are endless though.  Consider this: 
The Gore Administration pays attention to security alerts in the summer of 2001, and the 9/11 plot is narrowly averted.  The country is shaken, but not thrown on it's ass.  National security is upped, but the Iraq War never happens, because the White House is not packed with people who are going to MAKE it happen, by any means.  But the economic landscape is still wobbly, and Gore is a little weak headed into the 2004 re-election.

Without 9/11 and the Iraq War, hawkish types like Senators McCain and Lieberman never really blossom into full war-mongers.  Lieberman continues to be a reliable, liberal Vice-President, and McCain continues to play the maverick, and is the presumptive 2004 nominee.

Who wins in that scenario?  And who lines up for 2008?

You could spin these possibilities for days.

Yes, exactly. It's interesting but fruitless.

[MODU]

gore didn't win the election.

Sorry, had to fix your error.

[King]

Would they have nominated Bush again in '04 though?  I doubt it.

The 2000 election was so close that the Dems probably would've renominated Gore had he run again in 2004.  I think the same could be said for Bush.