WI: Obama the Republican?

So is this a "WI the republican party had moderate enough positions to include someone like Obama in" or is it "WI someone who looks and sounds just like Obama but with totally different politics emerges" ?
 
One could make the case that Obama could have wound up in the Charlie Crist wing of the Republican Party—populist but believes in the free market, and socially doesn't really care.

However one would have to come up with a "Rockefeller Republican wing survives" timeline to get a good chance at making Obama a Republican.
 
Well that or "What someone influential in Obama's life was a Republican/Conservative?", or "WI Obama becomes disenfranchised by the Democratic Party?" or something more simple than completely reordering reality just to fit THE OBAMA into the Republican Party. :p

Because really, political beliefs aren't THAT hard to change, alter, or whatever over time, specially throughout our early lives, as apparently some people seem to believe. That or to become disenfranchised by decisions, stances, or whatever by the party one currently follows.

Because doesn't these sort've questions necessitate the idea that said individual doesn't share the beliefs of the OTL version?? So what needs to be changed is not the party itself, but the individual....

But I digress, back to the original discussion.... ;)

If he was a Republican, he'd be called an "Uncle Tom", or a "House Negro" by the Left, (like they do to most Black Republicans/Conservatives, oddly enough) would probably be seen as a racial traitor by a SEEMING majority of the Black Community, who are seemingly tied at the hip with the Democratic Party at times.

Now as to whether or not he'd get an presidential nomination? Who knows, the Republicans would possibly see this as a chance to show that they aren't the "Racist, Sexist, Bigotted Homophobes" that the Political Left loves to portray them as, at times, in the media. But that still wouldn't save him from being portrayed as an "Oreo" by said media if he were to get the nomination. It'd be MUCH different than how they treat him in the OTL, that's for sure. Which is sad when you really think about it.

e_e *grumbles*
 
Well that or "What someone influential in Obama's life was a Republican/Conservative?", or "WI Obama becomes disenfranchised by the Democratic Party?" or something more simple than completely reordering reality just to fit THE OBAMA into the Republican Party. :p

Because really, political beliefs aren't THAT hard to change, alter, or whatever over time, specially throughout our early lives, as apparently some people seem to believe. That or to become disenfranchised by decisions, stances, or whatever by the party one currently follows.

Because doesn't these sort've questions necessitate the idea that said individual doesn't share the beliefs of the OTL version?? So what needs to be changed is not the party itself, but the individual....

But I digress, back to the original discussion.... ;)

If he was a Republican, he'd be called an "Uncle Tom", or a "House Negro" by the Left, (like they do to most Black Republicans/Conservatives, oddly enough) would probably be seen as a racial traitor by a SEEMING majority of the Black Community, who are seemingly tied at the hip with the Democratic Party at times.

Now as to whether or not he'd get an presidential nomination? Who knows, the Republicans would possibly see this as a chance to show that they aren't the "Racist, Sexist, Bigotted Homophobes" that the Political Left loves to portray them as, at times, in the media. But that still wouldn't save him from being portrayed as an "Oreo" by said media if he were to get the nomination. It'd be MUCH different than how they treat him in the OTL, that's for sure. Which is sad when you really think about it.

e_e *grumbles*
`

I would have thought that Obama would be even more popular if he was a Republican. In fact until the rise of Obama I was always convinced that when the US got a viable African-American presidential candidate they would be a Republican. My reasoning being that it would be harder for them to be portrayed as an Jesse Jackson-style activist (Obama has very successfully avoided being portrayed as this). Also I would think that it would attract at least some middle-class African-Americans to the Republicans.

Similarly I would expect (and still do basically) that when eventually in the future the UK has an ethnic minority leader of a major party (the UK equivalent would be person of South Asian Muslim background) they would most likely be from the Conservative Party, as they would IMHO be more likely to be trusted by white Britons.
 
Similarly I would expect (and still do basically) that when eventually in the future the UK has an ethnic minority leader of a major party (the UK equivalent would be person of South Asian Muslim background) they would most likely be from the Conservative Party, as they would IMHO be more likely to be trusted by white Britons.

Already happened with Benjamin Disraeli. :cool:

(Jewish is an ethnicity, so he was an ethnic minority. Just pre-empting any nitpickiness)
 
I dunno... the Republican party as it now stands absorbed the Dixiecrats on the long march from Johnson to Reagan. There are undeniably majority pockets in certain red states that will never vote for a black president. Hell, in every state... but certainly in the Republican strongholds, i.e. those without major important urban centers.

I think yes, either GOP would have to be different (say, Nixon in 60, the GOP are the civil rights party, the Dems hold onto the south, no Goldwater pres, no Reagan pres)... or Obama would have had to grow up in a different state. People with very diverse backgrounds (Indonesia, Africa, Hawaii, Chicago) more often end up as liberals, for reasons I could argue.

If he WAS Republican, the name would still trip people up I think. And I think he'd run a `historical' primary season, come in second or third, and get put on as the VP slot... in 2012 or 2016.

Although I can almost guarantee you... Had Clinton won the nom this year, we'd be seeing a black Republican man (suggestions?) as McCain's VP.
 
I could see him as A Republican as a Republican in the mold of Teddy Roosevelt. As far as him getting the nomination most pundits would have said John McCain did not have a shot at getting the nomination this year, so anything is possible.
 
No,Alan Keyes just seems to be loud and obnoxious and I'm a die hard conservative. He might have offered it too Condi, but I doubt she would have accepted.
 
I dubt the changes need to be that big. He is a self made man and one guy that went to Colombia at thee same time as him is the VP candidate for the Liberterians IIRC. He could turn out as a Tomas Sowell-ish person.
 
I cannot imagine Obama as an Alan Keyes Republican.

I could imagine him as a moderate Republican, though I feel it is unlikely that he would get electoral office.

I could also imagine him as a Republican if the Parties had not changed their natures in the last 140 years.
 
If he stays in Chicago, then no, Barack won't get anywhere, though,
he might be a good candidate in 2006 against Todd Stroger ITTL, but that might be pushing it

That said, I think TTL Barack stays out of politics.
 
I think Republican-Obama could be elected to something. After all, he would still be charismatic and have the other qualities he have now. If he doesn't become a buissnessman of course, but I still think he would go into politics.
 
It's really difficult for Republicans to be elected in Chicago. Really difficult. So he has to be moved to a less difficult area.
 
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