How would a president Al Gore react to 9/11?

How would a president Al Gore react to 9/11? Of course not with weakness, but judging by his personality, how would the Gore administration react similarly and differently to the September 11 attacks? Would the Iraq War have happened?
 
Why is that?
Because, unlike Bush, he probably wouldn't invade a country with no links to 9/11 and destabilize an entire region. Iraq might be a stable dictatorship today, oppressive but stable.

Afghanistan was actually sheltering Osama and they would probably go in. Considering that they came very close to getting Osama otl fairly early, I could see the extra boots on the ground possibly capturing Osama in late 2001 early 2002 followed by a much smaller footprint on the ground latter in Afghanistan.

Gore, I think would come concentrate on things we could control, like border and airport security, training intelligence to work better cross culturally, etc.

His response would probably be less emotionally satisfying than what Bush did, which could be a problem in itself, but probably more effective than otl.
 
The Republicans would HEAVILY blame Gore for negligencey
There will be a huge rally around the flag affect and it will make the GOP look heartless when there's still bodies in the rumble if they start playing politics.

Gore isn't going to invade Iraq. Iraq was personal for Bush a mixture of finishing his father's legacy and getting revenge for Saddam trying to murder his dad. Also there's not the Neocons in Gore's cabinet and thet desire for the the New American Century
 
The Neocons wer eager to go into Iraq and they would not have gotten what they wanted with Gore. My guess is that they would try and use it against him for failing to go after it if Gore focused on Afghanistan, but the Democrats would probably be counter that while pointing out the past problems.

Hell, if Osama Bin Laden and his followers were captured fairy early on in Gore's tenure, he could use it to crush the Republicans, pointing out they were ager to get to war with another nation based on little evidence rather the quick, effective and thoughtful strategy the Gore adminsitration would've used, hell they could even accuse the Neocons of being cavalier with people's lives as a result (wonder how long before someone would say the Repubs learned nothing from Vietnam?)

This would heavily give the Dems a large advantage in political power and Gore could probably do more than Clinton or Obama could with the political clout he wielded. Furthermore, the Great Recession might be avoided or lessened without the Bush taxcuts and without the excessive spending the Bush adminsitration did on the military.
 
There will be a huge rally around the flag affect and it will make the GOP look heartless when there's still bodies in the rumble if they start playing politics.

Gore isn't going to invade Iraq. Iraq was personal for Bush a mixture of finishing his father's legacy and getting revenge for Saddam trying to murder his dad. Also there's not the Neocons in Gore's cabinet and thet desire for the the New American Century

The GOP would look heartless doing that. Then they would look stupid if Osama was caught early in Afghanistan and savvy commentors would point out that Osama would've evaded capture much longer if the GOP had their way to go to Iraq for little reason.

Granted, Hussein probably would not have lasted against the Arab Spring
 
The GOP would look heartless doing that. Then they would look stupid if Osama was caught early in Afghanistan and savvy commentors would point out that Osama would've evaded capture much longer if the GOP had their way to go to Iraq for little reason.

Granted, Hussein probably would not have lasted against the Arab Spring

Interesting if the Democrats become a coalition of liberals and staunch flag bearers. Democrats do better in the South perhaps?
 
Interesting if the Democrats become a coalition of liberals and staunch flag bearers. Democrats do better in the South perhaps?

I figure maybe. Patriotism and conservatis is unfortunately a conjoined mess in the Deep South though I figure Al Gore's appearance as the "boring, but efficient" president could be played up in the South as some sort of call-back to the traditional father figure that conservatives seem to yearn for.

I do figure that Gore's green practices would help out. Investing a good bit in renewables could help restore jobs in former coal areas and so on which would bring them in closer to the Dems I reckon.
 
I figure maybe. Patriotism and conservatis is unfortunately a conjoined mess in the Deep South though I figure Al Gore's appearance as the "boring, but efficient" president could be played up in the South as some sort of call-back to the traditional father figure that conservatives seem to yearn for.

I do figure that Gore's green practices would help out. Investing a good bit in renewables could help restore jobs in former coal areas and so on which would bring them in closer to the Dems I reckon.


I reckon Gore would win in a landslide in 2004 but by 2008 the Gore coalition would be at loggerheads.
 
I reckon Gore would win in a landslide in 2004 but by 2008 the Gore coalition would be at loggerheads.

Well, by 2008, Gore couldn't run. However, he'd have a much better track record than Bush, assuming he did not go to Iraq while also not doing the crappy tax cuts and so on. He'd handle Katrina a hell of a lot better.

As for 2008, it all depends if a Recession happenes.
 
Well, by 2008, Gore couldn't run. However, he'd have a much better track record than Bush, assuming he did not go to Iraq while also not doing the crappy tax cuts and so on. He'd handle Katrina a hell of a lot better.

As for 2008, it all depends if a Recession happenes.

What I mean is that without Gore the Dems will lose the figure their grand coalition coalesces around.
 
What I mean is that without Gore the Dems will lose the figure their grand coalition coalesces around.
Oooh! THat makes sense.

Granted, depending on what Gore left behind, it would affect things. Let's assume he got a bunch of stuff done: captured Bin Laden and alot of bigwigs early on, dealt with Katrina better, promoted clean energy industries while maybe striking fossil fuel ones and even universal healthcare there.

Now, the 08 Recession was due to various reasons, but I don't know if it could've been fully prevented with Gore 2000. I'm thinking maybe, but I ain't sure. It would mean we may not get a Tea PArty rising since Bin Laden was dealt with early on
 
Oooh! THat makes sense.

Granted, depending on what Gore left behind, it would affect things. Let's assume he got a bunch of stuff done: captured Bin Laden and alot of bigwigs early on, dealt with Katrina better, promoted clean energy industries while maybe striking fossil fuel ones and even universal healthcare there.

Now, the 08 Recession was due to various reasons, but I don't know if it could've been fully prevented with Gore 2000. I'm thinking maybe, but I ain't sure. It would mean we may not get a Tea PArty rising since Bin Laden was dealt with early on


Maybe with a staunch nationalistic and Southern/Union base in the democratic party with growing strength in the plains, history may view the black Democratic party hold as a blip in history ...

Say hello to the return of the Dixiecrats! (Sorry, had to make this dark and dramatic).

In all seriousness though, I hope for biracial coalitions to prop across the South. Conservative yet not racially divisive state governments.
 
Maybe with a staunch nationalistic and Southern/Union base in the democratic party with growing strength in the plains, history may view the black Democratic party hold as a blip in history ...

Say hello to the return of the Dixiecrats! (Sorry, had to make this dark and dramatic).

That I doubt. I doubt the Dixiecrats would be able to make a comeback. Nationalism proably wouldn['t be as big here as OTL, given Bin Laden's early capture. Granted, I imagine more itnernal problems would be examined, such as white collar crime.
 
That I doubt. I doubt the Dixiecrats would be able to make a comeback. Nationalism proably wouldn['t be as big here as OTL, given Bin Laden's early capture. Granted, I imagine more itnernal problems would be examined, such as white collar crime.

My serious prediction was a biracial coalition, which would be positive for the country.
 
Top