In the alternate universe where the SCOTUS didn't stop the recount 8 years ago today.....

[scheming daemons]

...what do you think the world is like?


Here's my view of what this alternate universe would've looked like:


1. President Gore didn't ignore warnings about terrorists planning to use airplanes to attack ..... and instead acted on the intelligence and 9/11..... like the New Year's Eve planned attack on LAX in 1999..... was thwarted before it could occur.

2. Because of #1, the war in Iraq never occurred, the tax cuts for the rich never occurred, and subsequently the $1 trillion dollars from the war and billions from tax receipts from the rich were instead used to continue paying down the debt (as we did in the final four years of Clinton's administration) and instead of a $10 trillion debt, we'd be down to about $3 trillion now.

3. Because of #2, the DJIA would've continued its long bull run and been around 15,000-16,000 right now. Maybe near 20,000.

4. President Gore's emphasize on "greening" the US economy would have resulted in in 30% of the cars on the road being electric, and another 30% being hybrid. The "Big Oil" companies would have accelerated their evolution toward other energy forms (by necessity). We'd be well on the way toward reducing the amount of greenhouse gases the world is producing.

5. President Gore's FEMA would've been prepared for reacting to Katrina and instead of 1600+ deaths, there would've been less than 100 in New Orleans. Because of #2, the federal government would've had the funds to repair New Orleans in short order.

6. The 4000+ of America's best and brightest that perished in Iraq would instead be safely working in private industry and raising their families. The tens of thousands of wounded would be productive members of society instead of a financial strain on our health care system..... a health care system that would be covering the 40 million who lack coverage in OUR universe.

7. Incredible advances in science would've occurred because of a partnership with the government instead of a government restricting their research. Countless cures would've been discovered during the past 8 years.

8. The 4th Amendment would still be intact.

9. Because of #1 through #8.... the world would've never heard of Barack Obama, as there would be no need for someone like him to come along. (This is the only downside in this alternate universe).

Please add to the list......



This is what we've all lost because the SCOTUS, 8 years ago today, allowed a coup d'etat to occur in this country.

[tekisui]

1. President Elect Lieberman?!?!

[T Wolf]

2. I would hope that his true self would have revealed itself and he would NOT be PE now. nt

[BzaDem]

3. I agree with most of it, but the current financial crisis had little to do with our national debt.

So I don't think 3 follows from 2. I think there still would have been some crisis. How much depends on what kind of regulation would be passed by Congress and signed into law by Gore (and how much the regulating agencies would use their existing power to regulate).

[FrenchieCat]

4. #1 could have happened, without #2 happening....

Gore could have been defeated in 2004 because of 9/11 attacks which would have only been linked to what Clinton and Gore didn't do....and we know the GOP would have attacked that to no end.

However, Gore would not have gone into IRaq.

So Bush might have run and became President in 2004, running against Gore in a rematch(since he would have been the loser in 2000) due to 9/11.....and Bush could still have started the Iraq War, just later.....

That means that Bush might have ran for re-election in 2008, and because of Iraq (which Obama would have opposed in 2005 instead of 2002) which he would have lied about and mismanaged not matter the year.

If we assume that Bush would have ran and won reelection in 2008...due to not changing horses in a middle of a war.......

Then Obama would not run until 2012, after speaking at the 2008 National Convention, and the economic failure now would have started late and not occurred till election year 2012.

In otherwords, we would have only delayed the inevitable....possibly. :(

[CTyankee]

5. Unfortunately, as my late psychologist friend once said, people only change

when they get a kick in the pants. Well, we've got PE Obama because so many Americans got that kick in the pants.

Why, oh why, are we always "too soon old and too late smart"?

[wyldwolf]

6. Star Trek Enterprise would have gotten a 6th and 7th season

...cause it finally got pretty good in season 5.