In that other universe in which Hillary won...

[Jeebo]

Well, actually, she did win the popular vote by 2.86 million votes, but y'all know what I mean.

Out there in the multiverse, there is an alternate universe (probably more than just one) in which Hillary Clinton has been in the White House for the past four years. She dealt responsibly with the virus when it came along. She did all the things that leaders of other countries did where the virus was reined in much more effectively than we did in this universe. She kept intact the preparations for a viral plague, she heeded the early warnings in January, she instituted a national mask mandate and lockdown, she listened to the experts and the science and the CDC, she did all the things a sane and competent and rational administration would do.

But, of course, despite President Hillary Clinton's every effort to stop the virus and protect Americans, the plague still killed 40,000 Americans to date. In that universe, nobody knows that under her opponent's administration the plague would have been much worse, six times as many U.S. deaths to date. So what do you suppose right-wingers would be doing in that alternate universe? They would be SCREAMING about those 40,000 dead Americans and the utter incompetence of "Crooked Hillary" and her corrupt administration.

And she would have been soundly defeated on Nov. 3. I shudder and cringe at the thought of who her 2020 Republican opponent was, because he/she is now the president-elect in that alternate universe. And I'm trying to figure out whether I would rather be living in that alternate universe in which Hillary has been the president for the past four years and we're going to have President Tom Cotton or President Nikki Haley for the next four years, or in ours in which President Orange Con Man has been the president for the past four years and we're going to have President Joe Biden for the next four years.

-- Ron

[Lokee11]

1. I think I know

Which universe the 240,000+ would rather be in.

FDT!

[Jeebo]

5. I understand your point, but ...

... in that case the difference would be whether those extra 200,000 died during the past four years or the next four years. Or, whether they die this year or next year.

-- Ron

[luv2fly]

2. Either way their inheritance sucks

What a shitstorm to have to deal with.

[Silent3]

3. Yes, I'm absolutely confident that if Clinton won she could have handled COVID twice as well...

...as most of the rest of the world, and Republicans would still eviscerate her for every death. It would be an even bigger talking point than "Benghazi!!!"

And the so-called liberal media would have gone along with this narrative, not quite endorsing it, but always giving at least equal time to the Republican side and barely ever arguing back with facts. They'd have been asking, "Can Clinton's presidency survive this debacle?" by the end of March.

[regnaD kciN]

4. And, of course...

...we'd be down to a seven-person Supreme Court (Kennedy wouldn't have retired, while Mitch would have blocked any of HRC's replacements for the other two seats), and the incoming Republican would be preparing to fill those on Day One.

But...we wouldn't have had kids in cages, or Stephen Miller, or Bill Barr, or "fine people on both sides." Or know how easy it is for a president with at least thirty-four Senate votes in hand to simply thumb their nose at the rule of law and get away with it. We wouldn't have the sickening knowledge of just how fragile American democracy is, and how easy it will be for it to fall in the future.

And, had Trump failed in 2016, there's a good chance the G.O.P. would have purged the MAGAt influence and re-positioned themselves as "responsible conservatives." Meaning that the incoming administration might have been a depressing mix of those of Bush father and son, but not full-on Nazis who are unashamed to admit it.

In short, I'd say the answer to the question would be "ask me again in four years." Because we can be sure that the G.O.P. will do all it can to make sure President Biden faces four years of gridlock, and then blame him for everything that doesn't get done. Will we be facing your hypothetical 2020 scenario in 2024, or will we have moved on from there? The answers are hidden...

[Jeebo]

6. Thanks for thinking that through ...

... more thoroughly than I did.

-- Ron

[In It to Win It]

7. They would be screaming that

1) 40,000 American died ('and climbing', emphasizing the 'climbing')
2) she didn't work with governors to introduce a mask mandate soon enough
3) Jobs were lost
4) She failed to pass a more robust healthcare plan (because of Mitch's fuckery) that would have helped these 40,000 and the hundreds of thousands who are currently filling up America's hospitals
5) She caused the fires in the west coast