DBWI: George Bush Beats Dukakis in 1988?

[dw93]

So as we all know, Former Vice President George Bush, who served as Vice President from 1981-1989 has passed away this past Friday. Bush narrowly lost the 1988 Presidential election to then Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, but what if he managed to defeat Dukakis?

How would Bush have managed the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War? Dukakis was quick to gloat after the wall fell in '89, thus causing strain between himself and Mikhail Gorbachev, and as a result, Dukakis was unable to reunify Germany and the Cold War had a rocky end.

Also, how would Bush have handled the early '90's recession? Dukakis replaced Alan Greenspan in 1990 and was quick to get Congress to pass an economic stimulus package before the 1990 midterm election, where the Democrats suffered loses and nearly lost the Senate. Dukakis and VP Bentsen also had a tough re election campaign in 1992 and barely defeated Senator Pete Wilson of California and his running mate, then South Carolina Governor Carroll Campbell. Could Bush win a second term?

 

[Onkel Willie]

So as we all know, Former Vice President George Bush, who served as Vice President from 1981-1989 has passed away this past Friday. Bush narrowly lost the 1988 Presidential election to then Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, but what if he managed to defeat Dukakis?

For one thing, Bush said he'd have responded militarily to Iraq's annexation of Kuwait instead of just slapping Saddam with sanctions. Whether that woud've turned out well is questionable given that Saddam had the largest and best equipped army in the Middle East in 1990.

How would Bush have managed the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War? Dukakis was quick to gloat after the wall fell in '89, thus causing strain between himself and Mikhail Gorbachev, and as a result, Dukakis was unable to reunify Germany and the Cold War had a rocky end.

We could've seen the 1990 August Coup fail. This would've meant Soviet reform or peaceful dissolution instead of the Soviet Civil War we got in the late 90s. Don't need to remind you that that was the bloodiest conflict since WW2, in particular because intervention was impossible. Intervening would have led to the guy in the Kremlin pushing the red button.

Also, how would Bush have handled the early '90's recession? Dukakis replaced Alan Greenspan in 1990 and was quick to get Congress to pass an economic stimulus package before the 1990 midterm election, where the Democrats suffered loses and nearly lost the Senate. Dukakis and VP Bentsen also had a tough re election campaign in 1992 and barely defeated Senator Pete Wilson of California and his running mate, then South Carolina Governor Carroll Campbell. Could Bush win a second term?

The Republicans were never big on such economic interventionism, so no stimulus package I'd guess. We'd probably see austerity measures instead. Bush would go out the same way Carter did.

 

[Divergent54]

Perhaps remove the Iran Contra scandal ? Both Nixon and Reagan right now are seen as crooks with Bush being labelled more so due to the scandalous Senate hearings. His acquaintance with the scandal broke the trustworthiness of the American public of Bush during the late 1980s

 

[Don Corleone]

He was VP, envoy to China, head of the CIA, a successful businessman....he would have had the most impressive list of qualifications in a long time.

One concern I have: After Tiananmen Square, Dukakis revoked China's most favored nation status. Given his relationship with the regime, Bush might have tried more of a carrot approach. Maybe it still would have worked, but I wouldn't want to risk a different outcome for what is now the world's largest democracy.

 

[Maplekey]

Perhaps remove the Iran Contra scandal ? Both Nixon and Reagan right now are seen as crooks with Bush being labelled more so due to the scandalous Senate hearings. His acquaintance with the scandal broke the trustworthiness of the American public of Bush during the late 1980s

No Iran-Contra means that Elizabeth Dole never gets promoted up from SecTransport to SecState, meaning she doesn't have her launching pad to take the White House in '96.

Oh, and just to refresh everybody's memories, here are the 1988 and 1992 EC maps: