I've searched this, and surprisingly, there are no WIs on Dean winning the Presidency in 2004. Anyway, what would a Dean administration look like? Who would be apart of it? I imagine the financial crisis would still happen, unless he develops a regulatory zeal, so how would he deal with that?
WI: Howard Dean elected President 2004
- Thread starter vega
- Start date
There was this tl, it was very good but seems to be dead.
I think Dean would try to push for left-wing policies such as universal healthcare but be obstructed by Congress and political realities. He would withdraw from Iraq by 2007 or 2008, but that would just end badly. Essentially, I think he would be a more left-wing version of Kerry in my A Different Path TL. Dean would likely be like Obama, promising change but appointing many of the same people, such as Richard Holbrooke to State. His left-wing base would probably become disappointed in him when he accomplishes little and is less liberal than they thought, especially as he'd e forced to bail out Wall Street in the financial crisis. I don't think he would be a successful President.
I think Dean would try to push for left-wing policies such as universal healthcare but be obstructed by Congress and political realities. He would withdraw from Iraq by 2007 or 2008, but that would just end badly. Essentially, I think he would be a more left-wing version of Kerry in my A Different Path TL. Dean would likely be like Obama, promising change but appointing many of the same people, such as Richard Holbrooke to State. His left-wing base would probably become disappointed in him when he accomplishes little and is less liberal than they thought, especially as he'd e forced to bail out Wall Street in the financial crisis. I don't think he would be a successful President.
Minty_Fresh
Banned
Katrina is probably mishandled by Dean, and the economy still goes in the tank, as the recession was probably on the books since at least the 70s. Dean probably tries to pull out of Iraq sooner than OTL and without getting the Tribal Chiefs on the gvt. side first, meaning there is probably chaos but less American loss of life.
He would not however try to reform Social Security.
So his approval rate by 2008's election would be very low, but perhaps not at the level where he is guaranteed to be blown out.
I think that the Left would become disillusioned with him by 2006, as he would support Israel's war with Hezbollah, and he wouldn't cut and run from Iraq as quickly as they wanted him to.
Its worth discussing however, his absence as head of the DNC. His tenure was very successful in getting a lot of moderate Democrats elected and taking over Congress. Without him organizing the 50 state strategy, the Democratic Party is going to have difficulty winning elections for the same reason they do so poorly at the lower levels right now, and that is a lack of organization and an unequal distribution of fundraising.
He would not however try to reform Social Security.
So his approval rate by 2008's election would be very low, but perhaps not at the level where he is guaranteed to be blown out.
I think that the Left would become disillusioned with him by 2006, as he would support Israel's war with Hezbollah, and he wouldn't cut and run from Iraq as quickly as they wanted him to.
Its worth discussing however, his absence as head of the DNC. His tenure was very successful in getting a lot of moderate Democrats elected and taking over Congress. Without him organizing the 50 state strategy, the Democratic Party is going to have difficulty winning elections for the same reason they do so poorly at the lower levels right now, and that is a lack of organization and an unequal distribution of fundraising.
Not sure why you'd think that, given that the major problem IOTL was Bush turning over FEMA to Michael "Heck of a job, Brownie" Brown out of pure political patronage. Put a competent administrator in there, and things go fine. Also, the city of New Orleans and the demographic groups most hurt by Katrina are core Democratic constituencies, so there's also a more compelling political reason for Dean to care and pay attention to Katrina.
Agreed on that score.
My take: if Dean had been elected in 2004, he would have been elected on a mandate to end the War in Iraq, and that would obviously have been THE major focus of his first 100 days in office. Now, I could imagine that going (1) rather well, (2) poorly, or (3) disastrously, but it seems to me that whatever happened in Iraq would loom large over how Dean's first term as President would be viewed.