WI: Jerry Brown nominated in 1992

I think that this is actually one of the more intriguing what-ifs of the 1992 election, and even of the 90s as a whole. Brown definitely had a bit of a reputation (“moonbeam”), but he was the Governor of the largest state in the country, a really important one electorally at the time, and had a superior personality to Dukakis for campaigning. Would he have matched Clinton’s performance? I assume Perot would have still run.
 
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Perot's thunder has been stolen. He loses more than anyone in this scenario.

Hell, I think he might not even run in this scenario, or if he did and dropped out like IOTL, might not rejoin the race. Governor Brown had the kinds of ideas that appealed to Perot, so I imagine he'd just throw his weight behind the Brown campaign.
 
He's less charismatic than Clinton but more than Dukakis.

Brown was simultaneously the most right-wing and the most left-wing man in the room as well as an anti-establishment populist who was attacking a vague idea of a "bipartisan Incumbent Party in Washington".

He wanted to abolish the progressive income tax, establish a 13% flat tax, establish a 13% VAT, put in place single-payer, and abolish the Department of Education. He also wanted to raise the corporate tax, supported living wage laws, and opposed NAFTA.


Brown said he wanted Jesse Jackson as his running mate. If he picks Jackson, then he goes down in a landslide. If Brown wants an African-American running mate, I think Doug Wilder would be much better.
 
Brown said he wanted Jesse Jackson as his running mate. If he picks Jackson, then he goes down in a landslide.
That's probably going too far. While Jesse Jackson was controversial, he was still a mainstream(ish) figure. I don't doubt that Jackson would hurt the campaign, but Bush's approval ratings were in the 30s during the election. It would take more than a poor Democratic running mate to win him the election.
 
Perot endorses Brown, Brown wins by a fair margin, though smaller than OTL Clinton because Brown's unorthodox ideas would lose him support.
 
That's probably going too far. While Jesse Jackson was controversial, he was still a mainstream(ish) figure. I don't doubt that Jackson would hurt the campaign, but Bush's approval ratings were in the 30s during the election. It would take more than a poor Democratic running mate to win him the election.

The open antisemitism would a big issue.
 
The open antisemitism would a big issue.

I second that. Jackson might not even get the VP slot if Brown pushes for him at the convention. Jewish delegates (in particular from NY, FL, and IL) would rebel against him. That plus the fact that Jackson is already disliked by the Democratic establishment to begin with means he is almost certainly not nominated, embarassing Brown even before the general election.
 
If Jerry Brown wants an African-American running mate, which I think was part to do with wanting Jackson, there's much better options then Jesse Jackson.

Doug Wilder (Governor of Virginia) comes to mind.
John Conyers wouldn't be a bad option either given how he was Chairman of the Oversight Committee and a Civil Rights leader.
Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman in congress and Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus.
William H Gray III was Chair of the House Budget Committee, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and House Majority Whip.
Louis Stokes was chair of the house intelligence and ethics committees.
 
John Conyers as VP would definitely be a shitstorm for a President Jerry Brown. I'd imagine sexual harassment allegations would come out earlier than OTL.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that Jerry wasn't really considered a serious candidate in 1992. Brown's career is kind of meandering. His governorships were fairly mainstream, but he grew unpopular during the end of his first tenure and after losing the '82 Senate race went off (and really, as early as his 1980 presidential campaign) went off in some weird directions. By '92 had been out of elective office for nearly a decade at this point, was running a campaign with little funding or media attention, and was mostly seen as a cuckoo has-been. His victory in the Connecticut primary came as a shock, as Clinton was already perceived to have wrapped up the nomination.

Now, not saying Brown winning is impossible, but by the time he won in Connecticut it was already quite late in the primary season and Clinton was already far ahead in terms of delegates, and you probably need a very different Brown campaign or a Clinton campaign that goes even more disastrously off the rails.
 
Carter power will soon go away... I will be Führer one day... I will command all of you!
Your kids will meditate in school! Your kids will meditate in school!

;)
 
If he wins the nomination and then the Presidency, he's likely to be even less successful domestically than Clinton was in his first term. Clinton's budget just barely passed by one vote, Brown's would have so many conflicting elements (like a flat tax rate and a higher corporate tax rate simultaneously) that it probably wouldn't be passed. The government could possibly be shut down while Congress scrambles to draft a budget that satisfies their constituents, their donors, and the wrath of Moonbeam all at the same time. It would be hugely embarasing to Brown and to Democrats generally. From my research on the 1992 campaign, even those close to Brown expected him to be terrible at PR while President. So like Clinton he won't be very persuasive when it comes to advocating for bold policies.

The million dollar question is, does Brown pivot and co-opt GOP policies to get reelected as Clinton did? If yes, then he's projected to win a second term come 1996. If no, then Brown's best hope to stay in office is attacking the GOP Congress and boasting of an improved economy.

Oh, one minor butterfly is that Colin Powell might be promoted to the rank of Five Star General. In OTL, Clinton's team prevented him from getting the promotion possibly due to the fact that he was touted as a GOP challenger in 1996. A different President (not just Brown, it could have been anyone else) might not be so suspicious of Powell - who at the time was not yet politically active - and he might get that coveted fifth star.
 
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