What if - Al Gore had won the 2000 election?

[Rolfe]

They just showed An Inconvenient Truth on C4 here tonight. Interesting and thought-provoking. But maybe the biggest thought it provoked in me was, this guy was THAT close to being POTUS. It could very easily have happened.

I don't know so much about it, not being that close to US politics. But what do forum members think would have happened in that case? Would the big challenges have been met in different ways? Where might we be today if w'd had 8 years of Gore instead of 8 years of Bush? And I mean the world, not just the USA.

I suppose this is where someone points me to another thread discussing this, years ago. But humour me. What do you think?

Rolfe.

 

[Chupacabras]

Well, the jokes would have been on him, for instance.

But seriously, what I heard back then (I'm in MX) is that the election was so close because there was no difference as to the proposals of Gore and Bush. So it came 9/11 and redefined the course of events.

I "guess" there would have been a war in any case.

 

[Thunder]

If Gore had won in 2000, America would be in a much better place today.

 

[Tsukasa Buddha]

Don't you know there is no difference between Bush and Gore?

Time Travel Vote Nader!

 

[Rolfe]

Would Gore have reacted in the same way as Bush to the events of 2000-2008? I would suspect not.

How might he have handled things? For a start, he would have ratified Kyoto. What else might he have done differently?

Rolfe.

 

[portlandatheist]

Al Gore's hair would be much more gray than it is now

 

[Brainster]

Would Gore have reacted in the same way as Bush to the events of 2000-2008? I would suspect not.

How might he have handled things? For a start, he would have ratified Kyoto. What else might he have done differently?

This is highly unlikely. For starters, the Senate ratifies treaties, not the president. And in the 1990s, the Senate voted 95-0 to state that the US should not sign any treaty that did not contain limits on developing nations in addition to the industrialized countries.

Just on past performance, I'd guess that the White House utility bills would have been higher under Gore than they were under Bush.

 

[geni]

The biggest difference would have been a lack of war in Iraq. There is little evidence that Gore cared enough about Iraq one way or another to invade it.

In enviromental terms Kyoto is only of symbolic significance. There might have been more spending on enviromental issues but with a republican congress I suspect Gore's would have been doing more vetoing than new spending.

 

[gdnp]

1) EPA documents on global warming would have been based on science rather than politics
2) we wouldn't have started an unnecessary war in Iraq
3) Tax cuts would have been distributed differently and probably been smaller
4) The Supreme Court would have had 2 conservatives, 5 moderates, and 2 Gore appointees, probably liberal to moderate, rather than 4 conservatives and 5 moderates. The swing voter would probably be Bryer or Souter rather than Kennedy

 

[portlandatheist]

1) EPA documents on global warming would have been based on science rather than politics
2) we wouldn't have started an unnecessary war in Iraq
3) Tax cuts would have been distributed differently and probably been smaller
4) The Supreme Court would have had 2 conservatives, 5 moderates, and 2 Gore appointees, probably liberal to moderate, rather than 4 conservatives and 5 moderates. The swing voter would probably be Bryer or Souter rather than Kennedy

5) Our deficit would be smaller
6) Its possible there would be less funding for AIDS research and to Africa in general with the huge caveat that there would have been more funding for birth control and family planning

 

[Policenaut]

http://www.cfr.org/publication.html?id=4343

"Even if we give first priority to the destruction of terrorist networks, and even if we succeed, there are still governments that could bring us great harm. And there is a clear case that one of these governments in particular represents a virulent threat in a class by itself: Iraq.

As far as I am concerned, a final reckoning with that government should be on the table. To my way of thinking, the real question is not the principle of the thing, but of making sure that this time we will finish the matter on our terms. But finishing it on our terms means more than a change of regime in Iraq.It means thinking through the consequences of action there on our other vital interests, including the survival in office of Pakistan's leader; avoiding a huge escalation of violence in the Middle East; provision for the security and interests of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Gulf States; having a workable plan for preventing the disintegration of Iraq into chaos; and sustaining critically important support within the present coalition.

In 1991, I crossed party lines and supported the use of force against Saddam Hussein, but he was allowed to survive his defeat as the result of a calculation we all had reason to deeply regret for the ensuing decade. And we still do. So this time, if we resort to force, we must absolutely get it right. It must be an action set up carefully and on the basis of the most realistic concepts. Failure cannot be an option, which means that we must be prepared to go the limit. And wishful thinking based on best-case scenarios or excessively literal transfers of recent experience to different conditions would be a recipe for disaster."

- Al Gore

We would have done the same exact thing regarding Iraq. Maybe not exactly the same way but similar events would have occurred in this alternate world.

 

[fuelair]

Don't you know there is no difference between Bush and Gore?

Time Travel Vote Nader!

In minimal syllables, Not a chance in Hell.

 

[Foolmewunz]

5) Our deficit would be smaller
6) Its possible there would be less funding for AIDS research and to Africa in general with the huge caveat that there would have been more funding for birth control and family planning

7) Graduates from Bob Jones School of Cookin' n' Sewin' and Book Larnin' would not have had an automatic pass into the DoJ.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

Gore did win the 2000 election. It was given to Bush by the Supreme Court.

At any rate, surely you're not suggesting that Gore's beliefs are wackier than Dubya's?

ETA: Should've said "wackier and more dangerous".

 

[gdnp]

http://www.cfr.org/publication.html?id=4343

"Even if we give first priority to the destruction of terrorist networks, and even if we succeed, there are still governments that could bring us great harm. And there is a clear case that one of these governments in particular represents a virulent threat in a class by itself: Iraq.

As far as I am concerned, a final reckoning with that government should be on the table. To my way of thinking, the real question is not the principle of the thing, but of making sure that this time we will finish the matter on our terms. But finishing it on our terms means more than a change of regime in Iraq.It means thinking through the consequences of action there on our other vital interests, including the survival in office of Pakistan's leader; avoiding a huge escalation of violence in the Middle East; provision for the security and interests of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Gulf States; having a workable plan for preventing the disintegration of Iraq into chaos; and sustaining critically important support within the present coalition.
In 1991, I crossed party lines and supported the use of force against Saddam Hussein, but he was allowed to survive his defeat as the result of a calculation we all had reason to deeply regret for the ensuing decade. And we still do. So this time, if we resort to force, we must absolutely get it right. It must be an action set up carefully and on the basis of the most realistic concepts. Failure cannot be an option, which means that we must be prepared to go the limit. And wishful thinking based on best-case scenarios or excessively literal transfers of recent experience to different conditions would be a recipe for disaster."
- Al Gore

We would have done the same exact thing regarding Iraq. Maybe not exactly the same way but similar events would have occurred in this alternate world.

I've hilited the portions where I think Gore differed from Bush. The statements say "If" we go to war, and Gore points out that it will not be easy and that we need a plan to keep Iraq from disintigrating into chaos. Bush clearly did not have such a plan, or at least one that worked. I suspect Gore would have been far more likely to allow the weapons inspectors to finish their job.

 

[Puppycow]

7) Graduates from Bob Jones School of Cookin' n' Sewin' and Book Larnin' would not have had an automatic pass into the DoJ.

8) Gore wouldn't have any Nobel Prize or Oscar.

Really, we'll never know. I think that the Vice President Gore and presidential candidate Gore of 2000 and earlier was much more centrist and hawkish than the Gore after the Iraq war started to go south.

Did Gore say anything definitive in the lead-up to the Iraq War, BTW? I know he was very critical after it became unpopular, but what about before?

 

[geni]

We would have done the same exact thing regarding Iraq. Maybe not exactly the same way but similar events would have occurred in this alternate world.

Doubtful. Firstly Gore didn't voice much in the way of objections to Clinton's policy of lobbing explosive things at the place whenever Saddam did something annoying. Secondly Bush had to invest a very large amount of time and political capital in makeing the war happen. Since the democractic base isn't exactly suportive of war in general Gore would likely have had to put in even more time and effort something I really can't see him doing.

 

[Oliver]

If Albert would've won the election:

- North Korea would not have launched today's missile
- he would own 4 Nobel Peace Prizes by now
- Israel and Iran would've fallen in love with each other
- Global Warming would've dissappeared in disgust
- Dubya would've been limited to mess up his own Ranch into bankruptcy
- Obama wouldn't be President
- Teh Gays would dance on top of the White House singing KUM-BA-YAH MY LORD
- Avigdor Lieberman would've been thrown into the sea
- Conservative JREF'ers would have a highly increased post count and some a fatal heart-attack
- I wouldn't have signed up in here
- In spirit of the new administrations environmentalism, the 9/11 hijackers would've used Gliders
- the love for the american way wouldn't have disapeared
- there would be a budget surplus by now and regulations would've avoided the current crisis
- Jesus wouldn't have sent Katrina
- Creationism would exclusively be taught in mental homes

 

[mhaze]

They just showed An Inconvenient Truth ...this guy was THAT close to being POTUS. It could very easily have happened.

I don't know so much about it, not being that close to US politics. But what do forum members think would have happened in that case? ...

Truthfully? An Inconvenience.

 

[Whiplash]

If Gore had won in 2000, America would be in a much better place today.

Such a statement, in and of itself, comes off as blind partisanship. I mean, can you give some specific examples of places that you feel that Gore would have done things differently? I know we can't read minds or make up things, but he has policy ideas and a personality. Surely you could speculate "well, he would have X when Y happened" on at least a few issues?