DBWI What if Obama had never been Chicago Mayor

Suppose there had not been a sudden death of a Chicago Mayor and Obama had gone straight from the state legislature to the US Senate instead of serving 4 years in City Hall Chicago.

In what ways, if any, would his Presicency be different
 
He wouldn't be president! Legislators rarely make the leap to POTUS, you' ve got to have some experience running a large political organization, like a state government or at least a large important city.

The GOP would have eaten him alive on this, if his dem primary opponents didn't first.

(OCC:Surely you saw this one coming?;))

IN fact I bet his dem opponents would have made statements and/or ads, that the Right could have used in the general election.

Much like GHW Bush coined the term "voodoo economics" in his attacks on President Reagan.
 

Dom

Moderator
Just a gentle reminder to veer away from roleplaying in the DBWI threads, guys, unless you want it moved to shared worlds.
 
As a Senator he could be Kerry's VP in 2008 if the Edwards scandal isn't butterflied away. Considering how close the election was, the increased black turnout may put him over the top. Allen might make a racist gaffe and lose that way, too.
 
I don't see how he could have beteen Mike Ditka for Senate, I'm sorry. Even if he'd won, I doubt he could have helped Kerry beat Allen in 2008, No VP Edwards Scandal or not. He might be a good nominee for the Dems in 2016 though.
 
Just a gentle reminder to veer away from roleplaying in the DBWI threads, guys, unless you want it moved to shared worlds.

I'm confused. This is a discussion about a alternate historical event. OUr responses are what our views of the event would be in that TL, right?

I am not trying to be disagreeable, I really don't understand what line I am approaching/crossing.

If anything, I would think we would be in danger of moving to Chat?:confused:
 
I don't see how he could have beteen Mike Ditka for Senate, I'm sorry. Even if he'd won, I doubt he could have helped Kerry beat Allen in 2008, No VP Edwards Scandal or not. He might be a good nominee for the Dems in 2016 though.

Ditka was one of Obama's mentors actually. He could easily stand aside. Why not 2012, like OTL? Allen isn't suddenly going to become an economic genius.
 
Well, considering his performance as Mayor, for which he only served one term, I can't imagine him to do all that much better as President.
 
Well, considering his performance as Mayor, for which he only served one term, I can't imagine him to do all that much better as President.

This.

Ditka was one of Obama's mentors actually. He could easily stand aside. Why not 2012, like OTL? Allen isn't suddenly going to become an economic genius.

... You are aware that Ditka is a Republican, right? I fail to see how he would be a mentor to Obama, a Democrat.

As it stands, Obama hasn't entered the Dem Promnaries, and even now, Allen is leading an unknown Dem challenger in the Gallop polls by 6%. Something that will only increase as the unemployment rate finally drops below 5% in the next month or so.
 
I'm confused. This is a discussion about a alternate historical event. OUr responses are what our views of the event would be in that TL, right?

I am not trying to be disagreeable, I really don't understand what line I am approaching/crossing.

If anything, I would think we would be in danger of moving to Chat?:confused:

This thread is confusing. A DBWI is supposed to be a WI from an alternate world in which an event that did happen in OTL did not and so ask what if 'it' did. This thread takes us into a world where Obama became mayor of Chicago at some point in time in the last decade and then apparently US senator and asks WI he had become Senator rather then mayor. I call these AWWIs (alternate world what ifs), and they usually become confusing and muddled quickly.
 
I was curious about the effects of Obama having been Mayor before he was President.

The specific sequence I was imagining was some kind of sudden vacancy for Mayor and Obama being elected between 1998 and 2001 and his still being elected as Senator 04 and President 08.

I deliberately did not put anything about the Presidency to allow others to comment on it
 
This thread is confusing. A DBWI is supposed to be a WI from an alternate world in which an event that did happen in OTL did not and so ask what if 'it' did. This thread takes us into a world where Obama became mayor of Chicago at some point in time in the last decade and then apparently US senator and asks WI he had become Senator rather then mayor. I call these AWWIs (alternate world what ifs), and they usually become confusing and muddled quickly.

OTL Event: Obama becomes Senator of Illinois in 2004.
TTL Event: Obama becomes Mayor of Chicago in 2003 (and therefore doesn't run for Senator).

So, the DBWI is: What if Obama became Senator instead of Mayor.

I mean, I think I understand what you're saying, but I'm still not quite sure why this wouldn't be considered a DBWI.
 
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