The Washington Monthly: What if Obama loses?
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/january_february_2012/features/what_if_he_loses034501.php
Its a common complaintweve certainly made it over the yearsthat too much political campaign coverage focuses on the horse race. The packed debate schedule in the current GOP nomination battle has put a bit more focus than usual on the substance of what the candidates are saying, which is good. But even so, most of this coverage has wound up being about whether a given policy position might help or hurt a candidates chances of winning. Whats most important has been left largely unexamined: if one of these candidates actually becomes president and advances his or her policies, what would be the consequences for the nation?
Part of the reason this question is seldom addressed is that its genuinely hard to do; it requires thinking three steps ahead and accounting for numerous variables. But theres also a widespread assumption that extreme positions taken in the primaries will fade in the general election as candidates move to the center, and will disappear entirely once the serious business of governing begins. Surely President Newt Gingrich would not get rid of child labor laws. Surely President Perry would not seek to eliminate three cabinet departments.
We dont think that this year, with this GOP, those assumptions are warranted. And so we asked a distinguished group of reporters and scholars to think through the hitherto unthinkable: What if one of these people actually wins?
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There are several article after that if you follow the link that outline what would happen with a Republican White House, and they\'re all well worth a read, especially for those disillusioned with Obama. The ones about the courts, the environment, and financial regulation are especially good and should be a wake-up call for the disillusioned former supporters thinking of sitting out or voting third party.
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Campaign Promises: What they say is how they\'ll govern. By Jonathan Bernstein
The Tea Party: Picking the candidates and writing the agenda. By Dave Weigel
Congress: The good news is... No more gridlock. By Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein
The Courts: The conservative takeover will be complete. By Dahlia Lithwick
Foreign Affairs: The \"more enemies, fewer friends\" doctrine. By James Traub
The Enviornment: The end of the EPA as we know it. By David Roberts
Financial Regulation: Back to the good ol\\\' days of 2008. By Michael Konczal
Obamacare: It\'s toast. By Harold Pollack