2020 & 2008: Switch the election-year crises...

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

The last two times Republicans were the incumbent party seeking another term, they had to deal with a major crisis in the election year. It definitely didn't help them either time.

My question is: what if the crises switched years? These are two different timelines. The 2020 one is not impacted by the 2008 one. Everything is the same as IRL until the election year.

For 2008, COVID appears in late 2007 and becomes a full-blown global pandemic in March of 2008. There is no financial crisis and any recession is just a result of COVID.

For 2020, a recession starts at the end of 2019 and becomes a full-blown financial crisis in September of 2020. There is no pandemic.

What happens?

[Agonized-Statism]

The technologies that made the lockdowns work for as many people as they did were significantly less widespread, functional, and reliable in 2008. Public schools would probably have to send packets of worksheets via mail and assign homework and group activities via conference call in conjunction with lectures on TV and radio, for example. COVID-07 would inescapably trigger the structural issues that led to the Great Recession anyway, worsen it, and prolong it. Anti-maskers and anti-lockdown types would refuse to vote for McCain and a lot of them might end up writing Palin in. It would be a bloodbath, but also not a presidency Obama would be equipped to handle IMO.

[Blow by blow, the passion dies]

The technologies that made the lockdowns work for as many people as they did were significantly less widespread, functional, and reliable in 2008. Public schools would probably have to send packets of worksheets via mail and assign homework and group activities via conference call in conjunction with lectures on TV and radio, for example. COVID-07 would inescapably trigger the structural issues that led to the Great Recession anyway, worsen it, and prolong it. Anti-maskers and anti-lockdown types would refuse to vote for McCain and a lot of them might end up writing Palin in. It would be a bloodbath, but also not a presidency Obama would be equipped to handle IMO.

Excellent post as always. It's interesting to imagine COVID before social media became widespread

[dw93]

The technologies that made the lockdowns work for as many people as they did were significantly less widespread, functional, and reliable in 2008. Public schools would probably have to send packets of worksheets via mail and assign homework and group activities via conference call in conjunction with lectures on TV and radio, for example. COVID-07 would inescapably trigger the structural issues that led to the Great Recession anyway, worsen it, and prolong it. Anti-maskers and anti-lockdown types would refuse to vote for McCain and a lot of them might end up writing Palin in. It would be a bloodbath, but also not a presidency Obama would be equipped to handle IMO.

President Romney 2012 then

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

The technologies that made the lockdowns work for as many people as they did were significantly less widespread, functional, and reliable in 2008. Public schools would probably have to send packets of worksheets via mail and assign homework and group activities via conference call in conjunction with lectures on TV and radio, for example. COVID-07 would inescapably trigger the structural issues that led to the Great Recession anyway, worsen it, and prolong it. Anti-maskers and anti-lockdown types would refuse to vote for McCain and a lot of them might end up writing Palin in. It would be a bloodbath, but also not a presidency Obama would be equipped to handle IMO.

President Romney 2012 then

I’d argue President Clinton in 2008. It was close enough that her touting her experience would probably be enough.

[dw93]

The technologies that made the lockdowns work for as many people as they did were significantly less widespread, functional, and reliable in 2008. Public schools would probably have to send packets of worksheets via mail and assign homework and group activities via conference call in conjunction with lectures on TV and radio, for example. COVID-07 would inescapably trigger the structural issues that led to the Great Recession anyway, worsen it, and prolong it. Anti-maskers and anti-lockdown types would refuse to vote for McCain and a lot of them might end up writing Palin in. It would be a bloodbath, but also not a presidency Obama would be equipped to handle IMO.

President Romney 2012 then

I’d argue President Clinton in 2008. It was close enough that her touting her experience would probably be enough.

True.

[wnwnwn]

2008



2020