The Gipper Goes Down?

What really interests me about this scenario is monetary policy. Under Reagan, Paul Volcker was given a great deal of discretion over interest rates. He was, and still is, one of the smartest economists in the nation and understood that the only way to defeat inflation was through high interest rates. This helped contribute to the early '80s recession in OTL, and made Volcker a popular target of everyone from conservative farmers to liberal senators. Reagan stuck by Volcker largely because 1) he understood what he was doing and 2) he had a CEO mentality and largely deferred to his cabinet (I know Volcker wasn't a cabinet member, but same principal). If Bush is President, does he cave to political pressure and appoint a less tight-money Fed Chairman? Or does he continue to focus on fighting inflation?

The second issue is charisma and salesmanship. Democrats and Republicans alike can agree that Reagan was the best salesman President since FDR. He effectively took many untested policies and sold them to the American public. An obvious example would be the tax cut, which raised many eyebrows among the Dole-Domenici-Packwood Republicans in Congress. It was also anathema to most liberals. Yet, by selling the tax cut and the theory of supply-side economics, Reagan got that major legislation passed. He would do this again and again. Bush lacked this skill entirely, and as President do you think he would be vulnerable in 1984 for that reason?
Another thing most people don't realize is that 1982 will look a lot more like 2010 since Bush is going to be cutting programs as well during a recession.
 
How is this as an alt-1984 map?

genusmap.php


Bush-Haig 300 EV
Hart-Jackson 238 EV

Here the election is relatively close, but because of the good economy and the GOP's hold over the South, Bush pulls through. Democrats probably gain seats in the Senate (if not take back the Senate), though.
 

Thande

Donor
Would Bush get a bit of LBJ-type sympathy in the general election due to Reagan's assassination?

I think a Bush administration at this stage would be good for the US space programme, although of course presidential ambitions are always subject to the whim of Congress on that score. Also depends if the Challenger disaster (or the same thing happening to another shuttle) still happens.
 
I totally think we'd live in a better country today if Reagan had died and HW had become President.

The whole anti-choice and anti-woman thing would have died if we had HW Bush. Koop would have been given more power to fight AIDS. No more voodoo economics.

Outraged conservatives would nominate a total wingnut to run after HW's terms ran out. Democrats would take over after that.
 
Well abortion never becomes a political issue, since Bush was pro-choice, and only really changed so he could run with Reagan. With him gone, that's gone too, and neither the Dems nor GOP will bring the issue onto the political forum.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but after Roe v. Wade in '73, wasn't it was already a political issue?
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but after Roe v. Wade in '73, wasn't it was already a political issue?

Yeah. Bush had already reversed his pro-choice stance when he became Reagan's running mate. And the '80s were when groups like Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition were at their peak.
 
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