2004: Al Gore vs Fred Thompson

[bee33]

Suppose Al Gore wins in 2000 and Fred Thompson wins the Republican nomination in 2004.

How do the two Tennesseans do against each other?

[Agonized-Statism]

President Al Gore (D-TN) / Vice President Joe Lieberman (D-CT) ✓
Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) / Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

Thompson was really hyped up at the time. Like Kerry, he would hold up well enough in a foreign policy election, but I doubt he could unseat a post-9/11 Gore before the wars became unpopular. Most people in support of the War on Terror would have no problem with the incumbent, and those against would have less reason to vote for Thompson than they did for Kerry.

[NewYorkExpress]

Fred Thompson might have won in 2008 IRL had he been willing to campaign in the primaries.



Al Gore/Joe Lieberman (D) 50%
Fred Thompson/Mitt Romney (R) 48%

[Alben Barkley]

President Al Gore (D-TN) / Vice President Joe Lieberman (D-CT) ✓
Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) / Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

Thompson was really hyped up at the time. Like Kerry, he would hold up well enough in a foreign policy election, but I doubt he could unseat a post-9/11 Gore before the wars became unpopular. Most people in support of the War on Terror would have no problem with the incumbent, and those against would have less reason to vote for Thompson than they did for Kerry.

Again you seem to assume Gore would have also started the Iraq War and handled the “War on Terror” basically the same way Bush did. It can’t even be 100% assumed that 9/11 would still happen with Gore, but if it did, his response sure as hell would have been very different. It’s absurd to think the Iraq War would still have happened.

[Agonized-Statism]

Again you seem to assume Gore would have also started the Iraq War and handled the “War on Terror” basically the same way Bush did. It can’t even be 100% assumed that 9/11 would still happen with Gore, but if it did, his response sure as hell would have been very different. It’s absurd to think the Iraq War would still have happened.

I have to ask, because this happens a lot: why not post your own equally speculative alternate history rebuttal instead of complaining?