What If Bill Clinton Was A Republican?

I've read a few things lately in the political chat that makes it seem like Clinton is more to the right than the left. I'm not sure if that true, but it got me thinking, what if he was a republican?

A few questions

1) What POD would you need to make Clinton a republican? I've heard that the reason he wanted to be President was because he met JFK, and JFK was a democrat. I'm not sure if that's true, but perhapse he met Eisenhower instead? or possibly Nixon? :p

2)What sort of path would his political career take? would he still become president?

3) If he were to become president, how would this happen and when?

4) How would a republican Clinton be different from a democrat one?

Bonus Question 5) What happens to Hillary?
 
I think you just managed to destroy the Republican Party. If he met Ike, then maybe he would become an Eisenhower Republican. As for Nixon... good gravy, what an unholy alliance; Tricky Dick and Slick Willy, the dyanmic duo.
 
A GOP Clinton would likely be only slightly to the right of OTL Clinton, somewhat in the McCain or pre-2000 GWB mold. Now, here's something from My Life worth paying attention to as regards the "JFK was a Dem" business.

Originally posted by Bill Clinton in My Life

"In Indiana, Robert Kennedy became the first New Democrat, before Jimmy Carter, before the Democratic Leadership Council, which I helped to found in 1985... He understood in a visceral way that progressive politics requires a hand up, not a handout."
 
Well, you could have Bill work for Winthrop Rockefeller, Faubus' Republican successor (and Rocky's brother) who ran against the infamous Justice Jim Johnson. That gubernatorial campaign's chronicled in My Life. One major problem was that all the OTL period Southern Republicans were Dixiecrat converts such as Strom, John Tower, Claude Kirk and others.
 
Would he ever get elected to something important? Arkansas is a very blue state on the state level. For instance, it has elected a grand total of three governors and one senator from the GOP since reconstruction. admittidly, since clinton's first term as governor, 2 of the five governors have been republicans, but still, the odds are rather stacked against an arkansas republican rising to prominence.

As for what sort of career he would take, i would imagine that he would look somewhat similar to McCain circa 2000, maybe getting his start riding reagan's coattails in 1980 or 1984. Probably a moderate republican, tied to but not truly in touch with the conservative ascendency. As for a presidency, i dont really see that happening. Leaving aside the problems inherent in his getting elected in Arkansas as a republican, well, the GOP's structure for chosing Presidential candidates has already been rather more heirarchy-oriented than the democrats, and breaking on might be rather difficult.

Best guess: Reagan wins his two terms as IOTL, Bush loses in 1988 to a moderatly competent democratic candidate (i dunno; since we're dealing with clinton, how about Gary Hart never gets caught having his affair...;)). If hart wins reelection, his successor is (best guess) some sort of conservative republican, and i don't like clintons odds of being that guy (though it is possible). So lets say that Hart gets hit with the aftermath of Reaganomics, scandal or two, loses in 1992. Cop out is for clinton to replace him, but we can be more interesting. Lets say that the republicans go with a strong conservative, maybe Cheney, in 1992, but ideological extremism hampers the presidency, and we see a backlash comparable to what happened during the Lewinsky mess. Cheney, like Hart, is a one termer, being replaced by a sorta-liberal democrat (I'm thinking Wellstone, Wilder, or Harkin; Kerrey is also possible). Lets give generic democrat, say, two terms. Meanwhile, Clinton perhaps runs a dark horse challenge to Cheney in 96, losing, but drawing a following. He runs in 2000 or 2004 as a moderate republican, and wins. viola.
 
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