WI Paul Wellstone's plane lands safely?

So, WI Paul Wellstone (and everyone on the plane) doesn't die in the plane crash in October of 2002?

Effects, anyone?
 
And he opposed the Iraq War, which makes him a lot more credible if he runs for president in 2008 (no "I was before the war before I was against it"; assuming he doesn't run in 2004, of course)…
 
Wellstone probably wins by a hair in 2002, making the second Bush tax cut fail in the Senate.
More than a hair, I'd bet. Wellstone was very popular.

Wellstone could be a candidate for President (in the liberal wing, of course) down the line, depending on his health. Either way, avoiding the tax cuts already has some consequences; the recession is probably a little easier, and Bush suffers a political embarrassment. The butterflies could fly everywhere.
 

Driftless

Donor
Wellstone would have continued to challenge Bush and company on how the Banking business regs were being loosened in the early 2000's. Probably too much of a "voice crying in the wilderness" to cause changes to the 2008 meltdown, but....? Probably continued the uphill fight for campaign finance reform?
 
More than a hair, I'd bet. Wellstone was very popular.

Wellstone could be a candidate for President (in the liberal wing, of course) down the line, depending on his health. Either way, avoiding the tax cuts already has some consequences; the recession is probably a little easier, and Bush suffers a political embarrassment. The butterflies could fly everywhere.
there was two parts to the Bush tax cuts: EGTRRA in 2001, and JGTRRA in 2003. the first half of the Bush tax cuts still goes into effect here.
 
there was two parts to the Bush tax cuts: EGTRRA in 2001, and JGTRRA in 2003. the first half of the Bush tax cuts still goes into effect here.
The first half only might be the best of all worlds. :)

And there were also cuts in ‘04 and ‘05. One was called the Working Families something or the other. I mean, Bush kept going to the well on tax cuts and Congress kept going along.
 
And he opposed the Iraq War, which makes him a lot more credible if he runs for president in 2008 (no "I was before the war before I was against it"; assuming he doesn't run in 2004, of course)…

As a then 7th grader growing up in Minnesota, this was the first race I ever got involved in, and obviously, it was heartbreaking. I doubt that he would run for President in 2008 though, because of his MS. Originally Wellstone had been planning to challenge Gore in 2000, but after the diagnosis, he didn't think his health could sustain the rigors of a national campaign.
 

Skollar

Donor
Even without a run for president, Wellstone likely keeps his Senate seat until he can hand it over to a successor.

Without his funeral/memorial service and it's backlash, not to mention no Norm Coleman in his seat, Al Frankenstein likely doesn't get involved in public office, perhaps becoming a larger liberal voice in the media pushing back against Fox News.
 
Even without a run for president, Wellstone likely keeps his Senate seat until he can hand it over to a successor.

Without his funeral/memorial service and it's backlash, not to mention no Norm Coleman in his seat, Al Frankenstein likely doesn't get involved in public office, perhaps becoming a larger liberal voice in the media pushing back against Fox News.
In my opinion without that awful memorial service disaster the Democrats might have kept control of the senate, seeing as the GOP gained only two seats. The Missouri race was extremely close, less than one percent difference.
 
In my opinion without that awful memorial service disaster the Democrats might have kept control of the senate, seeing as the GOP gained only two seats. The Missouri race was extremely close, less than one percent difference.
That could have happened.
Paradoxically, it probably helps Bush in 2004 if 2002 goes worse for him. Because his governing style will have to be different.
 

Skollar

Donor
In my opinion without that awful memorial service disaster the Democrats might have kept control of the senate, seeing as the GOP gained only two seats. The Missouri race was extremely close, less than one percent difference.

It's not a huge stretch to see that. You're removing a large distraction, plus keeping an experienced liberal campaigner in play for the last bit of the 2002 election. If the Democrats keep the Senate, what effect would that have on Bush's 2003-2005 agenda?
 

bguy

Donor
Wellstone could be a candidate for President (in the liberal wing, of course) down the line, depending on his health. Either way, avoiding the tax cuts already has some consequences; the recession is probably a little easier, and Bush suffers a political embarrassment. The butterflies could fly everywhere.

Wouldn't the tax cut just be passed in 2005 if it failed in 2003? The Republicans are pretty much certain to gain senate seats in the 2004 elections (too many seats held by southern Democrats are up that year), so unless the failure of the tax cut causes Bush himself to lose reelection, he will have more than enough senators in 2005 to pass a tax cut. And indeed this could be a huge boost to Bush's second term, since a Bush that opens his second term attempting to pass a tax cut is less likely to attempt social security reform. (It would also give the 109th Congress an actual achievement to talk up which might help lessen Republican congressional losses in the 2006 mid-terms.)
 
Even without a run for president, Wellstone likely keeps his Senate seat until he can hand it over to a successor.

Without his funeral/memorial service and it's backlash, not to mention no Norm Coleman in his seat, Al Frankenstein likely doesn't get involved in public office, perhaps becoming a larger liberal voice in the media pushing back against Fox News.
Meh, I could still see Franken run for office. Most likely a bid for a House seat or for Governor.
 

Ramontxo

Donor
Sorry. For all of us from foreing lands, what funeral disaster? It just seems weird that whatever happened in such a ceremony would have important political consecuences.
 

Skollar

Donor
Sorry. For all of us from foreing lands, what funeral disaster? It just seems weird that whatever happened in such a ceremony would have important political consecuences.

Ok. Have read the Wiki acount and still do not get It all. So sorry.

His memorial service turned into people cheering for the causes he supported and people speaking against President Bush. It actually wasn't that bad, but Fox News turned the narrative around as the Democrats using the memorial service to rabidly attack the President and painted them as anti Bush and anti American when the nation was still dealing with the aftermath of 9/11 and the War on Terror.
 
Honestly, I always got the impression that the whole "funeral disater" was more a creation of the media (and of Jesse Ventura, who has never really needed much reason to feel aggrieved and holier-than-thou). Political junkies and campaign trail journalists like to have their dramatic turning points but I think skepticism is usually justified.

Assuming his health holds up, Wellstone could likely have stayed in the Senate as long as he liked. I imagine he would have been very influential among the left wing of the Dem caucus, which strengthened considerably in 2006 and 2008 (Brown, Sanders, Merkley, etc). And while many people have already pointed out the immediate impact that a re-elected Wellstone would have had in the context of the Bush years, it's also easy to imagine Wellstone would likely have coasted to re-election in 2008, if he so chose. That means a solid liberal vote in favor of an incoming Democratic president's agenda, instead of the drawn out Franken recount. This might mitigate some of the influence that the Lieberman types had over early Obama-era legislation.
 
Honestly, I always got the impression that the whole "funeral disater" was more a creation of the media (and of Jesse Ventura, who has never really needed much reason to feel aggrieved and holier-than-thou). Political junkies and campaign trail journalists like to have their dramatic turning points but I think skepticism is usually justified.

Assuming his health holds up, Wellstone could likely have stayed in the Senate as long as he liked. I imagine he would have been very influential among the left wing of the Dem caucus, which strengthened considerably in 2006 and 2008 (Brown, Sanders, Merkley, etc). And while many people have already pointed out the immediate impact that a re-elected Wellstone would have had in the context of the Bush years, it's also easy to imagine Wellstone would likely have coasted to re-election in 2008, if he so chose. That means a solid liberal vote in favor of an incoming Democratic president's agenda, instead of the drawn out Franken recount. This might mitigate some of the influence that the Lieberman types had over early Obama-era legislation.
I imagine Wellstone would be close with Feingold and they would be allies in the Senate.
 
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