Whenever I see a timeline where someone loses the popular vote, it always seems to be a Republican (someone tell me of any TLs where a Dem does it, I haven't seen one yet), but Kerry could have easily done it in 2004. He lost the popular vote by 3% and ended up with an electoral result of 251 (252 if you count the rogue elector for "John Ewards" for President and John Edwards for Vice President).
However, he only lost the state of Ohio by 120,000 votes. Let's say that something butterflies the victory of Ohio to Kerry, pushing him over the limit in the electoral college but does not get him enough to win the popular vote. How would this affect Kerry's term? What happens to the Electoral College now that two elections in a row have not reflected the popular vote? Who wins in 2008? Kerry, McCain, a Clevelanding Bush, or someone else?
However, he only lost the state of Ohio by 120,000 votes. Let's say that something butterflies the victory of Ohio to Kerry, pushing him over the limit in the electoral college but does not get him enough to win the popular vote. How would this affect Kerry's term? What happens to the Electoral College now that two elections in a row have not reflected the popular vote? Who wins in 2008? Kerry, McCain, a Clevelanding Bush, or someone else?