DBWI: How Would George W. Bush Have Handled 9/11 and the Financial Crisis?

[Amadeus]

I know this is relatively recent history, but just to set the stage for this DBWI thought experiment I'll recap the past 20 or so years of US history. In 2000, after a nail-biting election campaign, Vice-President John Kerry defeated George W. Bush and became the 43rd American President. Kerry, a tall Boston patrician, had been chosen by Bill Clinton to be his running mate in 1992. Clinton picked Kerry over Al Gore and Bob Graham in order to ideologically and geographically balance the Democratic ticket. After eight years at Clinton's side Kerry waged an aggressive campaign against Bush, touting the incumbent's popular record of peace and prosperity. Bush tried to paint Kerry as a dishonest and out of touch elitist, but these efforts weren't enough to overcome broad public satisfaction with the status quo.

The following year, President Kerry was forced to reckon with the devastating 9/11 terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Today, Kerry's legacy is largely defined by his response to the attacks. Although Kerry's foreign policy was popular, his inattention to the 2001-03 recession allowed the Republicans to make gains in the 2002 midterms. Kerry's friend Arizona Senator John McCain exploited popular discontent over Kerry's domestic policy to narrowly defeat him in 2004. As President, McCain faced an even tougher situation when Hurricane Katrina and the late 2000's financial crisis occurred under his watch. McCain's responses remain controversial to this day.

But lately I've been thinking: how would George W. Bush have handled 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Financial Crisis had he won in 2000?

 

[overoceans]

I know it that being a supposed Daddy's Boy was always considered a handicap for W., but I think in the case of 9/11, it could've served him well.

Geroge HW Bush was of course known for having charted a moderate and cautious approach on the mideast, eg. resisting pressure to overthrow Sadaam after the Gulf War, taking a relatively hard line with Israel over settlements. If junior had relied on dad's advice and maybe even recruited some of his personnel, he likely would've delivered a respone to 9/11 that was about as thoughtful and measured as the one seen IOTL from Kerry.

 

[Enigma-Conundrum]

I know it that being a supposed Daddy's Boy was always considered a handicap for W., but I think in the case of 9/11, it could've served him well.

Geroge HW Bush was of course known for having charted a moderate and cautious approach on the mideast, eg. resisting pressure to overthrow Sadaam after the Gulf War, taking a relatively hard line with Israel over settlements. If junior had relied on dad's advice and maybe even recruited some of his personnel, he likely would've delivered a respone to 9/11 that was about as thoughtful and measured as the one seen IOTL from Kerry.

Bush also liked being his own man though - I mean, his dad DESPISED Donald Rumsfeld, but he still chose him as his running mate. I doubt Bush would’ve picked his father’s favorites in some sort of attempt to impress him and be a different leader than him. I don’t know, maybe Cheney (seeing as he was heavily involved in the Bush campaign) gets State or his old job back at the Pentagon, but I really don’t see too many of Poppy’s friends making it into W’s White House.

 

[Dolan]

Mc Cain's "Heartfelt Conservatism" managed to returned Republican core to The North and sway majority of Black, Latino, and Muslim votes with adoption of progressive economics and healthcare reforms (that many Democrats decried as Socialism), while doubling down on traditional social values.

Without 2004-2012 Presidency of McCain, I could see Democrats being the one adopting more progressive economic outlook instead.

 

[Don Corleone]

I'm not sure the Democrats would be more economically progressive at this point, even without McCain. The Pacific Coast and DC to Boston corridor became too urbanized while also becoming extremely wealthy. This made the Democrats the party of the rich. But with the GOP being the evangelical party, social conservatives found a more natural coalition with economic liberals than they had with Wall Street (that bull-market statue is too close to a golden calf).

President Landrieu is most likely the last Democrat of her type. Don't be surprised if Bezos is the nominee this year.

 

[CountDVB]

The Enron scandal would've been glossed over and that was pretty much why Bush didn't do much afterwards and lets be honest, McCain's reforms are basically oayish, but pragmatic at best.

Meanwhile, the Dems are on the verge of civil war within and the Repiblicans are also pretty much there. If things contine, we may SOMEHOW get a third party

 

[Galba Otho Vitelius]

The younger George Bush argued during the debates for a "humble" foreign policy (exact quote was "we should be humble but strong") and elsewhere criticized the Clinton administration use of the armed forces for nation building. After the McCain administration we forget that there was a Republican who argued for this. So his response to the 9-11 attacks if anything would have been more restrained than Kerry's. I can even see him being criticized for being too passive and losing to Kerry in a rematch. As for economic policy, a Republican administration would have done tax cuts as soon as possible, assuming they had control of Congress, and I am not getting into current politics by speculating if this would have helped.