Since Bush ran as an isolationist who denounced "nation building," I think he might've cancelled Cuomo's plans on Korea and Israel. I imagine that Asia and the Middle East would be less stable than they are today. But at least the Iraq War would probably have never happened.
DBWI: Mario Cuomo Doesn't Run in 1992
- Thread starter Amadeus
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Since Bush ran as an isolationist who denounced "nation building," I think he might've cancelled Cuomo's plans on Korea and Israel. I imagine that Asia and the Middle East would be less stable than they are today. But at least the Iraq War would probably have never happened.
OOC: Oh the irony
On a different topic, anyone see the swearing in of all the Congress?
OOC: Oh the irony
On a different topic, anyone see the swearing in of all the Congress?
Yep. Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin will definitely have his hands full for the next two years. Durbin and incoming House Speaker Ryan, who replaced Boehner after his retirement last year, seem to be on okay terms. Hopefully they can work together to get some meaningful legislation passed before Romney's term is up. I don't want a repeat of Gore's presidency, where the President was a lame duck after Congres flipped.
Who do you think are going to be big power players in the new Congress?
I think in the Senate, John James is going to be a force. Even though he was one of the few Republican pickups in the Senate, he brought the house down in Michigan when he upset Debbie Stabenow in November. He’s extremely passionate about his beliefs, and I see big things for him in the future. I heard he’s already working with other African American Republican Senators like JC Watts and Tim Scott about how to reach out to the African American community with their causes.
For Democrats, I have a keen interest in Beto O’Rourke. Here’s a progressive Democrat who managed to get elected in a reliably red state. The thing about him is he is so energized when it comes to public speaking or town hall events that you can’t help but be amazed by how he does it. I see him as a presidential candidate in the future. Like John James, I’ve heard he’s already making moves to work with Senators in other red states, like Jason Kander in Missouri, and how to energize the progressive base.
I think it's great that the GOP has expanded it's base with African-Americans and Hispanics in recent years. Some have tried to credit President Romney, but it's really due to demographic changes more than anything else. Minorities still vote overwhelmingly Democratic and are expected to for a long time due to the Dems' policies on racial issues and economic equality. It doesn't help that many prominent right wing figures like Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham continue to promote a message of hostility against non-white immigrants. Then of course there's Donald Trump, who was fired from "The Apprentice" in 2017 after posting a series of racist Tweets. Afterwards he formed his own network to promote his right-wing views. There's talk of Trump running for President as an independent in 2020. If he goes through with a campaign, he would only split the vote with Jindal and hand the election to the Democrats. Which, knowing Trump's reputation as a troublemaker, is probably what he wants - I'm sure he'd be happy to sabotage the GOP just to spite Romney who he hates with a vengeance.
I think Romney has helped somewhat. A lot of his policies so far have benefited minorites, which have allowed people like John James to run on a platform such as that. Didn’t you see how he got 41% of the African American vote? That’s basically unprecedented for any Republican candidate.
I agree that people like Trump, Ingraham, and Carlson are stoking the racial flames when it comes to these groups. Even as a conservative myself, I can’t stand them. They are what is dragging the Republican Party down. I swear Trump will run in 2020 just to spite Romney. He’s definitely the type of person who will.
Believe me, the Trump News Network is so far right, I’m surprised companies actually advertise on it, or that’s it’s still running.
Well, I think Romney's increased black support in 2016 was due in part to his criminal justice reform bill and the fact that Biden was roundly criticized by activists for his support of Cuomo's punitive crime measures in the 1990s. And to be fair, Romney played a major role in bipartisan immigration reform. I also commend his strong stand against the white supremacists in Charlottesville. While Romney is solidly conservative on economic issues, he has proved to be more moderate and even somewhat liberal on social issues (although certainly not as liberal as his Governorship of Massachusetts when he was pro-choice). The right wing backlash against Romney's policies is probably a leading reason why Trump is growing in popularity.
Actually the 41% was referring to John James, even though Romney’s African American support in 2016 was unusually high. His stance against the Neo-Nazis in Charlottesville was praised throughout every single type of media outlet out there. It showed us how Romney does.
I just hope Trump doesn’t get too many followers that he is able to influence the 2020 election.
I remember that some people called Romney's speech after the rally his, "tear down this wall" moment. I think Romney handled the incident well, but his bold stand against Russian meddling in the 2016 election is probably the best thing he's done. After hearing that Russia had hacked the election, Romney immediately moved to condemn Putin and implement sanctions against Russia with wide bipartisan support. This helped to take the wind out of Biden's sails and push Romney over the finish line in 2016. Romney has been far from perfect as President, but I do respect the good things he's done and standing up to Putin was one of them. Unfortunately Trump doesn't feel the same way. Just today he tweeted out that, "POTUS is very UNFAIR to Russia! Meanwhile, our borders go UNPROTECTED! MAGA!" I'm really sick of his silly online rants, which unfortunately will only get worse if he runs for President.
A recent Gallup poll showed that Trump would get 14% of the vote if he makes a third party bid for President in 2020. If he does, the GOP will be in a world of hurt next election cycle.
You gotta be kidding me. He’s polling that high? His Twitter rants are so childish. Can’t stand it.
Just to steer the conversation away from you know who, many people like to think of President Cuomo as the Democratic Reagan. What do you think would've happened to the Democratic Party had Cuomo never been President?
Hmmm...good questions.
It’s a possibility that Mario Cuomo would remain one of the biggest politicians never to run for higher office. We would always be wondering “What if...?” Honestly, I think without Cuomo, you would see a revitalization of the Republican Party, with bigger gains than what was seen in the 90’s. They might have also lost in 2000.
Instead of 2002, I think the Republican Revolution might've happened in 1994 given how close many of those races were. At least if Clinton, Tsongas, or Brown had won in 1992. Had Bush been re-elected I imagine that the Dems would've expanded their majority in 1994, rather than losing seats as they did in OTL. A less competent Democratic President might not even be re-elected in 1996. Tsongas probably wouldn't even run for re-election due to his health, paving the way for someone like Deukmejian to reclaim the White House for the GOP.
Cuomo was able to mitigate a lot of the type of gains Republicans made in 2002. Take someone like Jerry Brown, there’s no way he could win re-election in 1996. Someone like Deukmejian would’ve destroyed him.
I meant that the type of gains that the Republicans made in 2002 are gains that Cuomo prevented in 1994.
I see. A lot of that was due to Cuomo's oratory and popularity with working class people. Gore didn't have either, and it certainly cost him.
Also, has anybody else seen the HBO movie "The Special Relationship"? I just watched it the other day, it focuses on the friendship between President Cuomo and Prime Minister Blair. Both men had a lot in common: progressive, charismatic Catholics who lead their respective parties to power after years in the wilderness. The intervention in Kosovo and Cuomo's role in the Irish Peace Process serve as major plot points. I thought the film was alright: Michael Sheen was good as Blair and Al Pacino shined as Cuomo in one of his first good roles in years. However, I found the story to be dry and slow.
It was a good movie. Al Pacino as Mario Cuomo is an example of great casting.
Yeah, Gore didn’t have that same connection. The Democratic Party’s losses were devastating.
I agree. Pacino doesn't look exactly like Cuomo, but he perfectly captured the former President's distinctive voice and physical presence in every scene. It's no wonder that Pacino's work as Cuomo earned him the 2011 Golden Globe for Best Performance in a TV Movie.
OOC: Any other examples where popular culture changes as a result of the POD? Fun fact: in OTL Pacino actually did win the 2011 Golden Globe for Best Performance in a TV Movie for his work in "You Don't Know Jack." The parallel wasn't intentional on my part, I only found that out after writing my post.
OOC: Talk about coincidental. I may have one that’s like “Vice” directed by Adam McKay. Instead of being about Dick Cheney, it’s about John McCain
Yeah. It was great. What did you think about that movie that just came out on Christmas about the McCain administration directed by Adam McKay. It’s called, “Maverick.” Martin Sheen was incredible as McCain, but I can’t help but notice the movie might have been just a little bit anti-Republican and anti-conservative. McKay makes it no secret he hated the Iraq War.