DBWI: George W. Bush wins reelection in 2004

What do you mean? He couldn't stand, he was barred from running from a fifth term

I think He means Dubya not H.W.

and Honestly, how? He was a total disaster as a president from basically day one, there just isn't a non-asb way.

Nothing short of massive election theft or ASB intervention is going to make it happen.
 
You have to think Bush would have responded better to Katrina than Kerry, given how the latter was roasted for elitist aloofness in the days after - who can forget the famous 'let them eat cake' cartoon? Responding to a disaster like Katrina might have been a golden opportunity to revive the 'compassionate conservatism' he originally made his presidential bid about.
 
I remember talking to an American Couple when I was in Antigua just before that election and me being me quite bluntly had a pop about the people in the US voting in Dubya the first time round (Yeah yeah - I'm to diplomacy what King Herod was to Child care).

Then it got awkward :eek:

I sort of got the impression that as he is the POTUS then one should not insult him etc - he was the choice of the people etc - and it turned out that they had voted for him first time round

Like I said 'Awkward' - they gave their reasons - and I did get it

When I pressed them on voting for him the second time round they brought up something I had not appreciated before then.

Their attitude was that as the USA was effectively at war then it was not the done thing to vote against the current POTUS - I got the impression that they felt that it was un-patriotic or some such.

I'm not joking they were genuinely torn - they could see that he had been the wrong choice but there was this whole unwritten unvoiced rule 'Support the troops - you had to vote for Bush' deal

I didn't get it but then I'm not an American

I guess in the end not enough people got the memo and off Dubya went to work on his golf swing

Still...maybe if he had won he might have somehow avoided that double dip recession :confused:
 
Never going to happen. The guy was an aberration (let's not forget he didn't actually fucking win in 2000) and couldn't get so lucky to sneak in again after launching war after war for no discernible purpose.

Kerry could focus the "war on terror" thing very cogently, doing the "as a war hero..." thing, and Bush just seemed totally on tilt.
Honest to God if that guy was re-elected Iran would have been invaded in 2005, I 100% believe that.
 

shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
Maybe if something big, like a terrorist attack, happened during his term, Bush could harness the support and seem like a stronger leader, standing in the face of global terror. He could use this to support the Afghan intervention perhaps. Maybe that islamic group who tried to bomb the Twin Towers back in '93 follow up with something big, like a smallpox attack in the subway or a plane into the statue of liberty- this would cause a big patriotic boom that he can use to justify goig to war for, allowing him to sweep into a second term.
 

shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
OOC: 9/11 and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq still happen.

OOC: Really? Dang, I was kinda getting the impression from this he still invaded Afghanistan and went for Iraq, but 9/11 didn't happen, resulting in The War on Terror being seen as pointless because they didn't have the energy that 9/11 gave it. I mean, "Launched a war for no discernible purpose" is kinda what tipped me off, because unless he never did anything to help Katrina, I'm finding it unlikely he couldn't win a second term.
 
OOC: Really? Dang, I was kinda getting the impression from this he still invaded Afghanistan and went for Iraq, but 9/11 didn't happen, resulting in The War on Terror being seen as pointless because they didn't have the energy that 9/11 gave it. I mean, "Launched a war for no discernible purpose" is kinda what tipped me off, because unless he never did anything to help Katrina, I'm finding it unlikely he couldn't win a second term.

OOC: Well, Bush did not win by that big of a margin. More people getting upset over of Iraq and Afghanistan, seeing them, as either 'unless' or 'a failure' would give John Kerry victory in the election. I mean, no 9/11, but still Afghanistan and went for Iraq can happen, it's just that 9/11 is what gave him the power for invasion.

If you what, no 9/11, but still Afghanistan and Iraq can be it.
 
I think He means Dubya not H.W.

and Honestly, how? He was a total disaster as a president from basically day one, there just isn't a non-asb way.

Nothing short of massive election theft or ASB intervention is going to make it happen.

OOC - that was kind of the point - that HW was president.
 
Maybe if something big, like a terrorist attack, happened during his term, Bush could harness the support and seem like a stronger leader, standing in the face of global terror. He could use this to support the Afghan intervention perhaps. Maybe that islamic group who tried to bomb the Twin Towers back in '93 follow up with something big, like a smallpox attack in the subway or a plane into the statue of liberty- this would cause a big patriotic boom that he can use to justify goig to war for, allowing him to sweep into a second term.

Well, they been a few terrorist plots, like Al-Qaeda. They did bomb some of our embassies, and even the USS Cole. If anyone could do a major attack, it would have be Al-Qaeda.
 

shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
The US would have started a war with Iran in 2005/06 after Ahmadinedschad's remarks on nuking Israel.

Okay, I know Bush is seen as dim for his reaction to Katrina, but he wouldn't have been dim. To go for Iran he would have gotten past Powell, who would stay on for a second Presidency, and Powell would have had none of that shit. They would have pressed to have a UN inspection, but not a full on war, like IoTL.

And anyway, Ahmadinejad only said that in jest and because he felt comfortable because he saw Kerry as weak; with Bush this comment would be butterflied.
 
Hillary would've walked 2008, theres no chance a Republican could've been elected after the crash.

It means we'd never have Mitt Romney in the White House in '08:D
 
Well that would mean no John McCain presidency in 08.

Since ether Edwards or Biden and maybe Hillery (being she might have more interest in running if Bill is not Chef justice) one of those three would of been on top of the ticket for the democrats.
 
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