DBWI: Bush 41 defeated?

In 1992, President George H. W. Bush defeats former Senator Paul Tsongas by a 52-46 margin, after surviving Ross Perot's primary challenge. Tsongas was at one point leading Bush 54-36 (after the Democratic National Convention IIRC). Before the first debate, Tsongas was still leading the president 49-42. And then the rest is history, Bush was assassinated in November 1995, leading to the presidency of Jack Kemp. Kemp is reelected in 1996 over Mario Cuomo due to the strong economy, though only by a 49.6-49.3 narrow margin. And then, he is defeated in a landslide after a series of scandals and the Dot Com Bubble Burst by _______________ in 2000 with a 54-42 margin, ending 20 years of Republican rule.

However, Tsongas is soundly beaten by Bush after the disastrous debates. What would happen if the debates are canceled for whatever reasons, and that Tsongas is elected? While I like Bush and that he is rated as one of the greater presidents for his foreign policy, Tsongas would be better than that crook Jack Kemp. However, Tsongas would have died in 1997. With the stress of the presidency, he would probably die even earlier in OTL. And then we get President Gore. How would a Tsongas presidency from 1993-96 and after his death a Gore presidency from say 1996-2005 be like, assuming that he is reelected in both 1996 and 2004? Would the OTL GOP takeover of the House of Representatives in 2006, which it maintains until today, happen much earlier in TTL?
 
Remember that slick charmer, William Jefferson Clinton? People thought he was actually going to win the nomination and the presidency. Then he said he didn't inhale. And then all the revelations about Gennifer Flowers and Paula Jones came out, and suddenly... hot potato! People couldn't disassociate from him fast enough.

If Clinton had gotten into the Oval Office, I think the GOP would take over the House in 1994 and basically hold on to it until now, at least off and on. And Lord have mercy! Imagine the immense damage then House Minority Leader Newton Gingrich would have done had he become Speaker of the House. Maybe cause the Government to be shut down over some petty dispute, maybe impeach Clinton if he got caught doing sexcapades in the Oval Office, maybe cause a few scandals of his own.
 
In 1992, President George H. W. Bush defeats former Senator Paul Tsongas by a 52-46 margin, after surviving Ross Perot's primary challenge. Tsongas was at one point leading Bush 54-36 (after the Democratic National Convention IIRC). Before the first debate, Tsongas was still leading the president 49-42. And then the rest is history, Bush was assassinated in November 1995, leading to the presidency of Jack Kemp. Kemp is reelected in 1996 over Mario Cuomo due to the strong economy, though only by a 49.6-49.3 narrow margin. And then, he is defeated in a landslide after a series of scandals and the Dot Com Bubble Burst by Bill Bradley in 2000 with a 54-42 margin, ending 20 years of Republican rule.

We can read Wikipedia too. ;)

Presumably with Bush being a "Loser" and a Republican House majority from 1995 onwards and without the (In my opinion long overdue) liberal backlash under President Bradley, the Republicans might track more to the right. The Bush Republicans and Reagan Republicans have been at odds for a long time, going back to when they were the Roosevelt/La Follette Republicans and the conservative Republicans really. The success of Bush's Presidency and Kemp's attempt at a middle road between Bush and Reagan policies have helped define the party's ideological message, and Jeb never would've been elected President in 2008 without his father coming before him.

If so, this also means right-wing third parties are stunted; no three or four Constitutionalists and Libertarians in the House, certainly...
 
Can you imagine Gingrich being Speaker of the House? He thought he would not be caught with his mistress Callista Bisek in September 1998 which forced him to resign as House Minority Leader and from Congress. What a mess that was, and it took three ballots to elect Henry Hyde as the new Minority Leader.

It still could not prevent the Democrats from trouncing the Republicans in the 1998 midterm elections.
 
Kemp gets a bad rap. He got involved with innovative public housing reform that involved giving residents literal ownership in their homes. I read in a couple articles (yeah, yeah, Rolling Stone and Variety magazines aren't seen as canon, but, still) that Kemp was really unfairly harpooned by the attack dogs sicced on the suspicion of how some of the buyout funds went in a confusing direction.

I think with time he'll hopefully get some credit for putting some life back into beleaguered urban centers in America. The stats are there for whoever wants to read them.
 
Kemp gets a bad rap. He got involved with innovative public housing reform that involved giving residents literal ownership in their homes. I read in a couple articles (yeah, yeah, Rolling Stone and Variety magazines aren't seen as canon, but, still) that Kemp was really unfairly harpooned by the attack dogs sicced on the suspicion of how some of the buyout funds went in a confusing direction.

I think with time he'll hopefully get some credit for putting some life back into beleaguered urban centers in America. The stats are there for whoever wants to read them.

Yeah. For all his faults and stupid decisions, Kemp deserves credit along with Bradley's New Urbanism programs and others for giving the American downtown a second chance.
 
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