What do you all think would be different today had McCain won?

[noahmijo]

This is just one of those curious "What If?" style questions.

This is assuming McCain won fair and square against Gore, which of course means the Bush machine failed to smear him.

Now I know McCain gets little love from everyone here, but personally I don't think he's NEARLY as bad as Bush or would've pulled the same bonehead plays that Bush has pulled in the last 4 years.

I personally believe he wouldn't have ignored the 9/11 reports from the Clinton Admin, and I'd bet anything we wouldn't be in Iraq at least.

That's just me though anyone else?

(For the record yes anyday I would've voted Gore over McCain)

[NMDemDist2]

1. McCain would have been an improvement, course anyone would'a

been an improvement.

I still would have voted Gore, but I wouldn't have had the dread I had when the SCOTUS stopped the counting

[noahmijo]

2. Plus I think if McCain would've won

It would've been fair and square at least.

[Cleita]

14. That's why the real rulers of America couldn't allow McCain

to be the Republican candidate because he might have objected to not winning fair and square. Listening to Randi Rhodes relive the election in Palm Beach, where she had been working at a local radio station at that time, only reenforces the idea to me that the 2000 election was a complete sham staged by Katherine Harris and Jeb Bush, and eventually sealed, signed and delivered by the SCOTUS.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. I don't know if any Repubs aside from an idiot weakling like shrubya

would ever have let Wolfowitz/Cheney hijack foreign policy so completely. So no, I feel that most Repubs would not have gotten us into Iraq, and no Dems.

[yelladawg]

8. Well

The troops would be leaving Pakistan and Afghanistan now. Osama would be captured. Gas would be 50 cents a gallon since Saddam would have increased oil production. George Bush would be in jail after his failed coup attempt. The Cheney gang would be in jail for trying to corner the oil market.

[eyesroll]

4. I personally think McCain would have clobbered Gore, had he been

nominated. He sold himself as a maverick. I still kinda like McCain, even though I agree with maybe 5% of what he says. (And, of course, I would have voted Gore over McCain as well.)

I don't think I'd be as angry as I have been. I consider my political re-awakening to have occurred on Dec. 12, 2000 -- perhaps I never would have been re-awakened, and I wouldn't be here.

Then again, would DU be here at all? It was formed in response to the stolen election, wasn't it?

[noahmijo]

5. McCain is actually my Senator here in Az

I'm in the same boat as you in a way. I agree with maybe 5% of the guy's beliefs but at least he doesn't bullshit and he's not scared to take on his own (remember Rumsfeld forgetting the memo incident?)

He's up for re-election against some no-name Dem.....I'm honestly having a hard time deciding who to vote for. Of course most would shot Dem Dem! however McCain is VERY popular here and is course one of the few if not only Repubs we can count on to shake down the Repub party when necessary at least SOME of the time...

I think I will narrow it down to this if anyone can answer the question: Did he vote in favor of or against Bush's tax cut proposal?

[NMDemDist2]

10. i can't answer that one, but he did just vote for the Star Wars $$

and Stu Starkey is a great guy, he teaches Chemistry at a local Hi School and is very smart and working hard for votes.

edit to add http://www.starkyforsenate.com

[noahmijo]

13. Think he has a chance at winning? I will look into the guy of course

I'm sorry if I rush to call him a "no name" but I haven't heard anything about the guy. I'll look him up right now.


I wonder how much of a chance he has though, because of all the repubs ya gotta admit McCain is pretty much the only Repub that doesn't instill feelings of hate to other Dem voters.

[NMDemDist2]

19. here's the link

http://www.starkyforsenate.com

[noahmijo]

20. Alright Starky has my vote

[NMDemDist2]

23. he really is good on the issues (be sure to look at that page) n/t

[Cleita]

17. I would vote for the Dem for the reason that McCain is probably

going to win anyway. There is no reason to make him think he is more popular than he is. He has been licking Bush's ass more than any independent polictician should lately. Finally, you really don't vote for the politician but the party. Remember those votes in the Senate will always go for the party

[mvd]

30. I agree

I hardly ever agree with McCain, but he has honor. I can't despise him. Yet he is tempermental, which could still be annoying and problematic if he was President.

[amazona]

6. gore or mccain means no 9-11

The world would be a very different place.

All you had to do was read the August memo, then call the CEOs of the airlines and sit down and have lunch with them and say, "Hey, guys, I know you've been taking a lot of s$%@ about planes not taking off on time, but we have an issue there, and I'll have Karl talk to the press and call off the dogs, because it is more important to catch any hijackers than to shave 10 minutes off your take-off time."

I know Gore would have taken this issue seriously -- the Clinton/Gore record speaks for itself, they were always taking crap for being after bin Laden. I believe McCain would have also taken it seriously, since he has no financial motive that I know of to ignore this kind of thing.

Gore would also be my choice over McCain but certainly McCain would be better than the money-grubbing bunch we have.

[Wapsie B]

7. One very important thing would be different.

McCain wouldn't have alienated our allies. 9/11 wouldn't have happened, but that's why the repugs wanted chimpy in the first place. Put a puppet in office, let a Pearl Harbor attack occur on the US giving PNACer's an excuse to invade Iraq.

[TacticalPeek]

9. The Afghan campaign would be more successful.

He would have taken seriously dire warnings during presidential transition, with no predilection for invading Iraq.

May have avoided or minimized 911.

Even with 911, would not have done Iraq until UBL el al. were toast (50 meter target before 300 meter target).
Minus all that, no, or much less unPatriot Act.



Of course, comparatively, Donald Duck could have accomplished more of the above than Too Stupid To Be President.

[teryang]

11. Number of dead in Iraq would be greater

...with more troops there and more bombings. No negotiations in Najaf or Fallujah.

Other than that everything else would be the same.

[neoteric lefty]

12. Yeah, I have never gotten this with the Republican Party

If they would have nominated McCain, the he probably would have beaten Gore by at least 5 pts (I love Gore as much as you do, but her ran a pretty bad campaign). McCain would have given the Republicans everything they want: lowered spending, military strength, conservative values, etc. And yet, they still nominated the child Bush. I am sure I would disagree with most of what he supported but at least the U.S. would have been a much better place than it is today with W.

On the good side (as good as we can hope nowadays), I think that Bush and Co. have f'ed up this country so much, that most Americans will have an extremely bad taste in their mouth in regards to Republican candidates for years to come. I expect a Democrat in the white house and a Democratic Senate in January because of Bush's incompetence.

[noahmijo]

15. Yea I was telling my gf that the other day

I highly doubt voters will look happily towards another "morals and values" president from the Repub party anytime soon....

Are you Kendrick Wilson?

[neoteric lefty]

21. was that question posed to me?

I would answer no. :(

[noahmijo]

24. Yea it was to you sorry for the confusion

That pic you got there for your avator is the spitting image of this guy who used to write for the University of Arizona paper "The Daily Wildcat"

He was a pretty hardcore liberal too...thought just maybe...ah well.

[neoteric lefty]

25. He seems like a good man

even though I live on the other side of the nation.

[noahmijo]

26. Man? He's a kid!!

and a rascally one at that! heh no seriously he can't be older than 25.

Never met the guy but his columns were fun to read now and then.

Where ya livin?

[neoteric lefty]

27. going to school in north-central FL nt

[Lefty48197]

16. Osama would be dead.

.

[wildmanj]

18. mccain

who give a rat's ass---last time i checked he was a bush republican

[Sugarbleus]

22. Yeah, for a republican, I kinda like McCain..

It's hard to say, but I don't think he would have taken us into Iraq. I think he has more military savy also so that he might have bloody well caught our so-called enemies by now.

On the other hand, republicans hold hands for the most part. They part take in the "Lord Mammon's Supper" of Cash over people. Surely he already knows how closely we are tied to the House of Saud.

As a human being, though, I think he has all his marbles and would be a damn sight more honest than bushco has been.

[wurzel]

28. I doubt Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Ashcroft would be in his Admin.

[mvd]

29. These things IMO

- economy would not be prosperous, but maybe there'd be a little more responsibility
- corportate scandals delt with more severely
- abortion rights still at risk
- services too starved
- much less secrecy and fewer scandals in government
- more steps to help the enviornment than Bush has taken
- maybe no 9/11 tragedy, but an Iraq war possible anyway
- less Christian right influence
- too much defense spending, but more help for soldiers

So it would not be good, but just about everything would be better than what we have now.