Political butterfly effects

[Tekken_Guy]

What seemingly tiny political decisions set off a massive chain reaction with huge impacts on politics. This could be votes, scandals that changed electoral results, etc.

[GP270watch]

Florida 2000 is the biggest example. How different would America look today if whatever happened there, didn't happen?

[GeorgiaModerate]

Florida 2000 is the biggest example. How different would America look today if whatever happened there, didn't happen?

On that note, here's a free story idea: a time traveler goes back to early 2000 and offers Ralph Nader $10 million to the causes of his choice if he doesn't run for President.

[7,052,770]

If Todd Akin doesn't make his stupid remark about abortion and rape, he probably wins the election. Without Akin's remarks setting a national narrative, Richard Murdock's remarks in Indiana on the same subject don't get the same amount of attention, and he wins that race.

That's two more Republican senators in 2012 - 2018, meaning the ACA is presumably repealed in 2017, possibly leading to a big backlash in 2018?? Alternatively, the butterflies could lead to a different strategy from Hillary in 2016 and she doesn't choke away the election.

[Roll Roons]

-Comey doesn't release his letter. Self-explanatory.

-Bill Nelson puts out ads in Spanish and the Broward election administrators don't screw up ballot design. Makes it that much easier for Democrats to take the Senate this year.

-Kirk Dillard wins the Illinois GOP gubernatorial primary in 2010. A moderate from the suburbs, as opposed to strong social conservative Bill Brady from downstate who edged him by around 200 votes. He would beat Pat Quinn easily and would have cruised to reelection in 2018 a la Baker, Hogan or Phil. Republicans would have also been in a good position for redistricting.

-Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich endorses Chris Christie for reelection. No Bridgegate, and Christie likely wins the GOP nomination and presidency in 2016.

-Clyburn doesn't endorse Biden. Biden only wins a weak victory in South Carolina, and doesn't get much momentum on Super Tuesday, causing the primary to drag on for much longer.

[Brittain33]

Jeri and Jack Ryan’s divorce leading to Obama easily becoming a senator and then U.S. President.

For 2000, Elian Gonzales landing in Florida is the butterfly that (possibly) costs Gore the state even before the butterfly ballot and Republican corruption did him in. It wouldn’t have been close enough to steal.

[T'Chenka]

The DNC (and theor donors) deciding to put max effort (even enlisting Barack Obama) to convince Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Bloomberg to all drop out and all support a floundering Joe Biden all inside of a 72 hour (48 hour?) time frame right before Super Tuesday 2020 in a hail mary effort to prevent Sanders from winning the nomination.

[Logical]

If LBJ's attempt at election fraud had failed. Kennedy might have lost the 1960 election, or we could've ended up with a very different president.

[MichaelRbn]

The Clintons move to Chicago at the end of Bill’s term.  Hillary spends the next few years preparing to run for Ryan’s Senate seat in 2004.  Since she’s not in the Senate until then she has no pro-Iraq War vote and is easily nominated for president and elected in 2008.  Obama is appointed to Hillary’s vacant Senate seat.

[Damocles]

-Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich endorses Chris Christie for reelection. No Bridgegate, and Christie likely wins the GOP nomination and presidency in 2016.

God. This was such a stupid and seemingly innocent scandal. Sure, a bit corrupt and not something you’d want anyone to do, but... almost quaint, considering what we’ve got now. Can’t we go back to these simpler times?

[Brittain33]

George Allen letting his hood slip and calling a tracker "Macaca" in October 2006 -> Democrats unexpectedly winning the Senate.

If Paul Wellstone hadn't died in a plane crash in 2002, we wouldn't have had Norm Coleman winning and then contesting a lost senate seat for most of 2009 and preventing Obama from having 60 senators.

Howell Heflin preventing Jeff Sessions from getting a judgeship in the 1980s because he was too extreme, so Sessions turned to elected office and played a key role in Trump taking over the GOP and then played the role he did in the Russia investigation.

 

[NerdyBohemian]

I’m convinced we’d be in Earth’s good timeline if Bill Clinton could have just kept his pants zipped.

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

If Todd Akin doesn't make his stupid remark about abortion and rape, he probably wins the election. Without Akin's remarks setting a national narrative, Richard Murdock's remarks in Indiana on the same subject don't get the same amount of attention, and he wins that race.

That's two more Republican senators in 2012 - 2018, meaning the ACA is presumably repealed in 2017, possibly leading to a big backlash in 2018?? Alternatively, the butterflies could lead to a different strategy from Hillary in 2016 and she doesn't choke away the election.

Uh, Todd Akins gaffe did not suddenly turn a win for him into a 16 point loss. He was definitely headed for defeat even before he made such a gaffe.

[Tekken_Guy]

Here’s another.
-Donald Trump names Tom Price HHS Secretary.
-Jon Ossoff runs for congress.
-Ossoff’s campaign is red hot.
-The nationalized media hype causes a backlash against Ossoff’s campaign.
-Karen Handel wins the Special Election.
-McBath beats Handel in 2018.
-Handel runs again in 2020.
-Marjorie Taylor Greene runs.
-Support quickly consolidates around Handel.
-Tom Graves retires.
-Greene carpetbags to the 14th.
-She wins the primary and the runoff.
-A QAnon congresswoman is coming to Congress.
-Perdue collapses in suburban Atlanta.
-Senator Ossoff.

[SingingAnalyst]

Ford recovers effectively from his 1976 debate gaffe. Polish-Americans aren't offended, and Ford wins OH, WI, and the election.

Since Carter still won more popular votes, and voters are in a reform-minded mood in the mid-1970s anyway, the EC is scrapped in 1977 in favor of direct popular vote, with bipartisan support and little organized opposition.

How Ford's Presidency affects developments in Iran and the energy crisis, and whether Reagan would still run and win in 1980, and who Dems would nominate in 1980, is anyone's guess.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Florida 2000 is the biggest example. How different would America look today if whatever happened there, didn't happen?

On that note, here's a free story idea: a time traveler goes back to early 2000 and offers Ralph Nader $10 million to the causes of his choice if he doesn't run for President.

"No, thank you," Nader replied.

[Ferguson97]

If Obama didn't make a joke about Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondent's Dinner, the 2016 election would've been Jeb Bush vs. Hillary Clinton.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Florida 2000 is the biggest example. How different would America look today if whatever happened there, didn't happen?

On that note, here's a free story idea: a time traveler goes back to early 2000 and offers Ralph Nader $10 million to the causes of his choice if he doesn't run for President.

"No, thank you," Nader replied.

Needs work on the plot.

[darklordoftech]

- If William Henry Harrison lived, the National Bank would be re-established, and I suspect he’d run for a second term against Polk and win.

- Every election from 1876-1892 could easily have gone the other way. Perhaps Weaver could have won in 1892, which would have interesting effects on the party system.

- Perhaps if William Howard Taft didn’t alienate Progressive Republicans, he would have defeated Wilson in 1912.

- If William Jennings Bryan either doesn’t make a speech denouncing Champ Clark or runs himself, Clark or Bryan would have become President instead of Wilson.

- A small difference in the campaign decisions of either Ford or Carter leads Ford to win. Ford then gets blamed for Iran and stagflation, leading to a Democrat winning the Presidency and Democrats keeping control of the Senate in 1980. Democrats get credit for the economic recovery and the fall of the USSR.

[darklordoftech]

- Michigan doesn’t hold its 2008 Democratic primary early, so its votes are counted and Hillary defeats Obama for the Democratic nomination. As a result, Trump stays a Democrat.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

- Michigan doesn’t hold its 2008 Democratic primary early, so its votes are counted and Hillary defeats Obama for the Democratic nomination. As a result, Trump stays a Democrat.

And runs in the 2016 primaries against Clinton's VP.