A world without 9/11

[Pragmatic Conservative]

Set up a poll on the Democratic Presidential Primary. I will do this from time to time with aspects of the timeline.

[JG]

Go Hillary!

[DeSantis4Prez]

GORE/DASCHLE!!

[pbrower2a]

What about Gore/Levin?

[Pragmatic Conservative]

from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/United_States_Capitol_west_front_edit2.jpg/1920px-United_States_Capitol_west_front_edit2.jpg
April 3rd House Democrats pass their own version of Republican prescription drug plan
House Democrats have passed their own version of a previous Republican prescription drug pan. The bill which passed largely along party lines differs in a few key ways:
-The full benefits retirement age is not risen to 67
-The US Government will be able to negotiate with drug companies
-Prescription drugs may be imported in from foreign countries as long as they meet FDA standards
-Individuals making under $30,000 and families that make under $50,000 will be able to be covered under Medicare Part D.

The bill moves on the Senate where Senate Republicans have not commented on a potential filibuster.

Polling

George W Bush Approval April 5th 2003
Approve 44% (+1)
Disapprove 54% (-2)
Undecided 2% (-)

Democratic Primary with Gore
Hillary Clinton 30%
Al Gore 26%
John Edwards 13%
Howard Dean 2%
Al Sharpton 1%
Other 2%
Undecided 26%

Democratic Primary with Lieberman
Hillary Clinton 33%
Joe Lieberman 17%
John Edwards 16%
Howard Dean 3%
Al Sharpton 1%
Other 3%
Undecided 27%

Democratic Primary with neither Gore or Lieberman
Hillary Clinton 46%
John Edwards 22%
Howard Dean 4%
Al Sharpton 1%
Other 3%
Undecided 24%

National Polls:
Al Gore 50%
George W Bush 43%
Undecided/Other 7%

Hillary Clinton 52%
George W Bush 44%
Undecided/Other 4%

Joe Lieberman 50%
George W Bush 41%
Undecided/Other 9%

John Edwards 49%
George W Bush 41%
Undecided/Other 10%

Howard Dean 45%
George W Bush 42%
Undecided/Other 13%

 

[Pragmatic Conservative]

from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/United_States_Senate_Floor.jpg
April 30:Democrats overcome Republican filibuster attempt pass prescription drug reform plan
Senate Democrats passed their Senate bill 62-38 with Chafee, Collins, Specter and Snowe Joining Democrats to pass the bill overcoming a Republican filibuster attempt. The bill now heads to President George W Bush desk where he has not committed to signing or vetoing it.


from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/GeorgeWBush_Signature.svg/1920px-GeorgeWBush_Signature.svg.png
May 2:George W Bush signs Prescription Drug reform bill
President Bush has signed the Democrats version of the Prescription drug bill. President Bush who has stated his disappointment with some aspects of the bill has stated that he still backs the basic framework of the bill. Some pundits have speculated the President signed the amended version to help his sagging reelection numbers. While many healthcare activists are happy with passing the bill they are still not satisfied on the reform front wanting to pass significantly more reform which is considered unlikely to be passed at this time. Some conservatives are noted to be unhappy with the latest move suggesting they feel their not getting enough of their agenda passed.

[Pragmatic Conservative]

from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Al_Gore_at_Power_Shift_2011_in_Washington%2C_DC_-_20110415-02.jpg/1600px-Al_Gore_at_Power_Shift_2011_in_Washington%2C_DC_-_20110415-02.jpg
May 17th Al Gore announces Presidential run
2000 Democratic Party nominee and former Vice President announced his Presidential bid today in a speech to supporters in Tennessee. The former VP plans on running a campaign centered around economic populism and environmental stewardship taking a swipe at the Presidents environmental record while being critical of Bushes tax cuts for the wealthy and lack of attention placed on working and middle class Americans. Al Gore becomes one of the front runners along with former first lady Hillary Clinton and seems in good position so far to win a general election against President Bush. The move caused Joe Lieberman to officially decline a run for President with the Senator releasing a statement hours later indicating he would not run for President.


Polling

George W Bush Approval May 20th 2003
Approve 45% (+1)
Disapprove 51% (-3)
Undecided 4% (+2)

Democratic Primary
Al Gore 31%
Hillary Clinton 27%
John Edwards 12%
Howard Dean 2%
Al Sharpton 1%
Other 1%
Undecided 27%

National Polls:
Al Gore 51%
George W Bush 45%
Undecided/Other 4%

Hillary Clinton 51%
George W Bush 45%
Undecided/Other 4%

John Edwards 48%
George W Bush 43%
Undecided/Other 9%

Howard Dean 45%
George W Bush 44%
Undecided/Other 11%
   

[Pragmatic Conservative]

from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Howard_Dean_declaration_of_candidacy_June_2003.jpg
June 5th Howard Dean kicks of Presidential Campaign
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean launched his Presidential campaign today in Vermont promising a repeal of the Bush tax cuts and the unveiling of a plan to introduce universal health care to America. Dean combines his more left leaning economic views with a few more moderate positions on items like gun control which some pundits speculate may help him among more traditionally Democratic rural voters that voted for President Bush back in 2000. Howard Dean currently is at a low level in the polls but may be able to increase his support as he gets his name recognition up.


from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Bush_at_podium_20050428.jpg

June 16th: President Bush unveils Immigration reform plan
President George W Bush has unveiled his Immigration reform plan with the goal of both securing the boarder and providing a path for citizenship for some of the illegal immigrants currently residing in the country. The current proposal has the following items in it:
-Allocates 250 million increase each year for the next 4 years on boarder patrol and security funding.
-Introduce a guest worker program
-Introduce a path for citizenship for those citizens that are illegally in the country and are in good legal standing.

Congressional Democrats have indicated their willingness to accept the above as a general framework for negotiations on immigration reform. The push for immigration reform is likely to spark intense debates and protests by both pro and anti immigration activists.
 

[Pragmatic Conservative]

from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/John_Edwards_debate.JPG_%28528190781%29_%28b%29.jpg

June 25th: John Edwards winner of first debate as Democratic primary begins to kick off
North Carolina Senator John Edwards was the big winner in tonight's Presidential primary debate. Edwards who landed some barbs on both front runners Al Gore and Hillary Clinton was able to articulate a strong positive message while appealing to both progressives and those that were tired of the Clinton and Bush dynasties. One pundit described John Edwards  as the next JFK after the debating noting the Senators strong charisma, youthfulness and ability to think quickly on his feet. On the opposite end of the spectrum Al Gore came off as rusty and seemed to struggle throughout the debate. Hillary Clinton had a decent performance but generally seemed to be outdone by John Edwards. Meanwhile neither Al Sharpton or Howard Dean got much speaking time during the debate.

Who won the Debate
John Edwards 51%
Hillary Clinton 25%
Al Gore 13%
Howard Dean 3%
Al Sharpton 2%
No winner 6%

Polling

George W Bush Approval June 30th 2003
Approve 45% (-)
Disapprove 50% (-1)
Undecided 5% (+1)

Democratic Primary
Hillary Clinton 30%
Al Gore 25%
John Edwards 17%
Howard Dean 3%
Al Sharpton 1%
Other 1%
Undecided 23%

National Polls:
Al Gore 50%
George W Bush 45%
Undecided/Other 5%

Hillary Clinton 51%
George W Bush 43%
Undecided/Other 6%

John Edwards 50%
George W Bush 41%
Undecided/Other 9%

Howard Dean 46%
George W Bush 41%
Undecided/Other 13%
   

[Elcaspar]

I am cautiously optimistic about John Edwards after this. I hope the he gives a real challenge to Gore and Hillary.

[Pragmatic Conservative]

from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/United_States_House_of_Representatives_chamber.jpg

July 23rd US House passes compromise immigration bill
The House passed a comprehensive immigration bill that had been agreed to by both Congressional Democrats and President Bush. The bill which was passed by nearly all Democrats and a plurality contains the following items:
1. 1.5 billion increase in border security funding implemented over 5 years
2. Implement a guest worker program allowing each company to have up to 25% of their workforce be guest workers. Each worker may reside in the county under the program for a period of 1 year before they must apply for permanent residency, citizenship or return to their home country. Individuals that apply for permanent residency or citizenship may still reside in the country and can continue to work until their application is either rejected or approved.
3. Individuals that are illegal immigrants that have not committed any felonies may apply for citizenship. If accepted than these individuals will become citizens after going through a period without committing a felony for 2 year and successful completion of a citizenship course.

The bill is expected to draw mass protests from some conservatives who believe the bill goes too far in allowing a path to citizenship for illegal immigration.


from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/YEAH%21.jpg
July 26th Pro and Anti immigration protesters clash amid immigration reform bill passing house
Pro and anti immigration advocates took the streets in a day of protest for and against the proposed immigration bill that recently passed the house. Pundits expect the bill to pass the Senate before being signed into law. Protests were for the most part peaceful with only minimal arrests among some unruly protesters.

[Frodo]

Another interesting timeline!  Can't wait to see how the Senate votes on that immigration reform bill... 

[Pragmatic Conservative]

from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/8.4.07_YearlyKos_Presidential_Leadership_Forum_%281012105187%29.jpg

August 6th: Hillary Clinton edges John Edwards in second Democratic primary debate
The second presidential primary debate presented a strong assertive performance from Hillary Clinton who clashed several times with the North Carolina Senator who attempted to recreate his strong first debate performance. For the most part Edwards held his own against the New York Senator once again capturing the hearts and minds of many progressives, populists and those wanting to see a change from the Bush-Clinton dynasty. However Edwards struggled to downplay what has been characterized by some as a lack of experience which combined with Clinton's strong assertive performance gave her the edge in this debate. Meanwhile Al Gore performed better than he did in the first debate coming off more personable however the former VP seemed to struggle to stand out from the clash between Senator Edwards and Clinton. The former VP has seen his support bleed to both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards over the past few months as their both appears to be some desire for a fresh face as the Democratic party nominee and the tendency for strong supporters of Bill Clinton to side with Hillary over Al Gore. Meanwhile similar to the first debate Al Sharpton and Howard Dean did not receive much speaking time.

Who won the Debate
Hillary Clinton 37%
John Edwards 31%
Al Gore 16%
Howard Dean 2%
Al Sharpton 1%
No winner 13%


Polling

George W Bush Approval August 15th 2003
Approve 46% (+1)
Disapprove 49% (-1)
Undecided 5% (-)

Democratic Primary
Hillary Clinton 32%
John Edwards 22%
Al Gore 22%
Howard Dean 2%
Al Sharpton 1%
Other 1%
Undecided 20%

National Polls:
Al Gore 49%
George W Bush 43%
Undecided/Other 8%

Hillary Clinton 50%
George W Bush 42%
Undecided/Other 8%

John Edwards 49%
George W Bush 42%
Undecided/Other 9%

Howard Dean 45%
George W Bush 40%
Undecided/Other 15%
     

[Pragmatic Conservative]

from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Capitol-Senate.JPG/1920px-Capitol-Senate.JPG
September 10th US Senate Passes Immigration reform bill
The US Senate passed the Immigration reform bill into law today after a weeks long debate that has been described as highly emotional. The bill passed 71-19 with the support of a majority of both party caucuses though the strongest opposition generally came from conservative Republicans while strong support was found among most Democrats, moderate Republicans and a few establishment Republicans. The President formally signed the bill in a celebratory like ceremony at the rose garden while anti immigration activists have declared that this fight is not over. However it is not clear if and what recourse opponents of this bill have left.

[Andrew Yang 2024]

Edwards is doing very well! Wonder if he can keep this up.

[Pragmatic Conservative]

from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/The_Crowd_at_Soldier%27s_Field_%281043829789%29.jpg

October 1st: John Edwards narrowly wins third debate
North Carolina Senator John Edwards again shined on a crisp Chicago evening in front of thousands of spectators. Edwards was better able to respond questions about his experience which were given by both Al Gore and Hillary Clinton hoping to trip the North Carolina senator up. Meanwhile Al Gore gave his best performance yet though it remains to be seen if it will be enough to reverse his sagging polling numbers. The former VP came across as much more charismatic than he did in either summer debate but still lost to John Edwards in the post debate winner poll narrowly beating out Hillary in that poll. Hillary performed admirably but her performance did not appear to move the needle much. For Howard Dean and Al sharpton it  was another debate of getting only a small amount of speaking time compared to the top three competitors.  

Who won the Debate
John Edwards 34%
Al Gore 22%
Hillary Clinton 21%
Howard Dean 1%
Al Sharpton 1%
No winner 21%


Polling

George W Bush Approval October 15th 2003
Approve 45% (-1)
Disapprove 44% (-5)
Undecided 11% (+6)

Democratic Primary
Hillary Clinton 31%
John Edwards 26%
Al Gore 21%
Howard Dean 1%
Al Sharpton 1%
Other 1%
Undecided 19%

Iowa
John Edwards 33%
Al Gore 26%
Hillary Clinton 25%
Howard Dean 3%
Al Sharpton 1%
Other 1%
Undecided 11%

New Hampshire
Hillary Clinton 32%
John Edwards 28%
Al Gore 22%
Howard Dean 5%
Al Sharpton 1%
Other 1%
Undecided 11%

National Polls:
Al Gore 48%
George W Bush 41%
Undecided/Other 11%

Hillary Clinton 50%
George W Bush 43%
Undecided/Other 7%

John Edwards 50%
George W Bush 41%
Undecided/Other 9%

Howard Dean 47%
George W Bush 39%
Undecided/Other 14%
    

[Elcaspar]

Bump.

[Elcaspar]

I really hope that this TL continues at some point.

[TommyC1776]

Bump

[JustaKitty]

Baby Bush would have still found a reason to go after Saddam with or without
9/11