George W. Bush's political career after defeat in 2000

[President Johnson]

What do you think would have happened to the political career of George W. Bush in the aftermath of the 2000 election, if Gore was declared the winner of Florida (by a razor thin margin)? Texas doesn't have term-limits, so he could have kept running for reelection as governor in 2002 and even 2006. But does he run for president again or is it over? Usually you would say anyone who comes so close could make a case for another try. Though it makes more sense to sit 2004 out and run in 2008. If Gore won reelection, even without the recession, that year would have looked like an easy Republican pickup after Democrats had control over the White House for 16 years.

[Agonized-Statism]

Like Gore, any interest he would have in a rematch would be gone after 9/11, but I don't think it would be in the cards in any case for the hacks who think Gore uses his Captain Planet superpowers to prevent any and all terrorism on American soil. He sort of fell into the governor job, which the feud with Perry made annoying apparently, and then bumbled into the presidency because the bench was otherwise weak. I think he finishes out his term, leaving Texas to Perry in 2002 and the US in 2004 to McCain, maybe tries lobbying for a while, is old news by the time 2008 rolls around if Gore is still president and a proto-Tea Partier captivates the party, traces paintings of the first picture in Google Images for various world leaders, and then goes for MLB Commissioner when Bud Selig retires in 2015, where he remains to 2023.

[BigVic]

He could become a Senator from Texas then MLB Commissioner in 2015

[darklordoftech]

If 9/11 still happens, Bush’s lack of foreign policy experience would probably prevent him from having a chance in the 2004 GOP primaries. McCain’s foreign policy experience would give him a lot of appeal.

[Sir Mohamed]

If 9/11 still happens, Bush’s lack of foreign policy experience would probably prevent him from having a chance in the 2004 GOP primaries. McCain’s foreign policy experience would give him a lot of appeal.

Yup, agreed. As for 2008, he would most likely have been yesterday's news. I think he runs for one more term as gov and then retires from politics in 2007 when his tenure expires. Goes back to the private sector then.

[NewYorkExpress]

I think he retires in either 2002 or 2006 and runs for the Senate in 2012 when Kay Bailey Hutchison retires after her failed primary challenge to Rick Perry and subsequent retirement. I think he'd beat Ted Cruz in the primary, and he'd still be a Senator today, and would be a heavy favorite for reelection in 2024.

[President Johnson]

I think he retires in either 2002 or 2006 and runs for the Senate in 2012 when Kay Bailey Hutchison retires after her failed primary challenge to Rick Perry and subsequent retirement. I think he'd beat Ted Cruz in the primary, and he'd still be a Senator today, and would be a heavy favorite for reelection in 2024.

Dubya honestly doesn't strike me as a guy who would enjoy being a senator.

[NewYorkExpress]

I think he retires in either 2002 or 2006 and runs for the Senate in 2012 when Kay Bailey Hutchison retires after her failed primary challenge to Rick Perry and subsequent retirement. I think he'd beat Ted Cruz in the primary, and he'd still be a Senator today, and would be a heavy favorite for reelection in 2024.

Dubya honestly doesn't strike me as a guy who would enjoy being a senator.

Neither does John Hickenlooper and he ran and won.

[darklordoftech]

I think he retires in either 2002 or 2006 and runs for the Senate in 2012 when Kay Bailey Hutchison retires after her failed primary challenge to Rick Perry and subsequent retirement. I think he'd beat Ted Cruz in the primary, and he'd still be a Senator today, and would be a heavy favorite for reelection in 2024.

I wonder if he would be an outspoken neocon or not.

[NewYorkExpress]

I think he retires in either 2002 or 2006 and runs for the Senate in 2012 when Kay Bailey Hutchison retires after her failed primary challenge to Rick Perry and subsequent retirement. I think he'd beat Ted Cruz in the primary, and he'd still be a Senator today, and would be a heavy favorite for reelection in 2024.

I wonder if he would be an outspoken neocon or not.

I doubt it. That seemed to be more of a Rumsfeld and Cheney thing than an actual Dubya thing. If anything, Bush's own foreign policy views seemed to be more heavily enforced once Condi Rice became Secretary of State, and he wasn't so heavily relying on Rumsfeld in particular.

[Fuzzy Bear]

He could become a Senator from Texas then MLB Commissioner in 2015

Something like that.

MLB may well have turned to W. in the mid-2000s; they had labor troubles and there was talk of actually contraction, where whole franchises would be folded.

[oldtimer]

I think he retires in either 2002 or 2006 and runs for the Senate in 2012 when Kay Bailey Hutchison retires after her failed primary challenge to Rick Perry and subsequent retirement. I think he'd beat Ted Cruz in the primary, and he'd still be a Senator today, and would be a heavy favorite for reelection in 2024.

I wonder if he would be an outspoken neocon or not.

It depends on what Jeb Bush would think at that point, since Jeb would definitely had run for President, and without the stinch of his brother's Presidency he would have fared far better.

[dw93]

He finishes out his term as Governor and then either runs for the Senate in 2002 or returns to the private sector. Jeb! likely sits 2004 out as that'll likely be McCain's time to shine and either runs in 2008 if Gore wins a 2nd term or runs in 2012 after either two terms of a McCain Presidency or after a term of a Democrat that beats McCain in 2008. Either way, the Bush dynasty likely folds in 2000 after a Dubya loss instead of 2008 after two failed terms of Dubya.