If Gore were president think about how different everything would be...

[Hippo_Tron]

2000-2002

1) The House would still be GOP controlled and the Senate may be ours depending on who Lieberman was replaced by and if Jeffords would've still decided to switch parties.

2) There might have been a tax cut (for the middle class) as a compromise with the Republican controlled House but not nearly the size of Bushes.

3) We would have an education program that actually has some funding and not an empty promise.

4) We wouldn't be ending unemployment and welfare benefits for families out of work.

5) Invasion of Afghanistan still would've happened (maybe) and we would continue to fight terrorism.

6) No mention of an Iraq war.

7) Democrats would've probably won both houses in 2002.

2003-

1) No tax cut once again, revenue to actually spend on essential domestic programs.

2) Hopefully there would be legislation to keep jobs in America and not exported to other countries.

3) Medicare bill would be MUCH better.

4) Economy would be the same if not better, Gore's policies would be more effective in job growth.

5) No Iraq war... No waste of money and human lives, no wasting resources that could be used to fight terrorism more effectively, no lowered approval ratings.

6) Republicans wouldn't really have anybody strong to run against Gore for 2004.

7) Gore's approval rating is very high because of 9/11, Improvements in the economy, and no Iraq war.

Thus Gore's re-election is a sure bet and the Democrts have the white house for another 4 years and the US and the world is a better place because of it.

This is a VERY short list, so feel free to post your own.

[jmaier]

1. The missed

opportunities are heartbreaking. We simply CANNOT let a travesty like this happen again.

[maveric]

2. No. 5

Invasion of Afghanastan would not happen if 9/11 was prevented as I suspect Al Gore would have done.

[Hippo_Tron]

6. Definately a possibility...

As the Clinton efforts to capture Binladen would've carried over to the next administration

[Cleita]

13. I think so too because they would have actually

looked at the Hart-Rudman Act and taken the recommended precautions.

[evil_orange_cat]

34. I agree... 9-11 doesn't happen if Gore is president...

because he alerts the intelligence community to investigate things like "TERRORISTS TRAINING AT US FLIGHT SCHOOLS!"

I recommend Franken's book "Lies and the Lying Liars..."

Operation Ignore was in effect.

[funkyflathead]

3. No Afghan invasion I hope

You aren't serious he would have invaded Afghanistan?

[Hippo_Tron]

4. Alright I'll ask you...

How do you think he would've responded to 9/11, I'm interested.

[funkyflathead]

7. No warfare I hope

I always thought of Gore as the man to use peace and diplomacy first.

[Hippo_Tron]

11. I'm sure Gore would've thought about it a lot more than Bush did...

And maybe he would've come up with a better solution than invasion of Afghanistan, however, I think that it might've been inevitable. This is actually a tough one.

[durutti]

19. Oh, PLEASE...

n/t

[Eric J in MN]

5. much more

NO Total Information Awareness (re-funded last week)
NO Patriot Act
NO mass detentions of people who broke minor immigration laws without telling their families where they were (I hope)
NO rightwing nominees for federal courts, (instead of one after another)

[tritsofme]

8. Youre wrong, 6 months after 9-11

when UBL was not found, the Republican Congress would have impeached him.

[Hippo_Tron]

14. And again we would've had another joke of an impeachment...

Which would barely pass the house and not even get a simple majority in the senate. This would've made the GOP controlled House look like asses and help us win the house in 2002.

[rock]

9. I assum Gore would've implemented his own

security suggestions which he made as VP. In which case, the grave tragedy of 911 would not have happeded. This alone is enough to despise anyone who supported the illegal ascension of bushsucks* to the presidency.

[demvoter]

12. At least we wouldn't have to worry

About Social Security (remember the lock-box)
Unfortunately the repuglicans found the key to the lock-box. :scared:

:kick: bu$h and co out

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

17. Not to kiss Bush's ass..

but I think it's dangerously silly to blame 9-11 on totally on Bush. The unreconstructed Right does that to Clinton all the time, and I'd rather not sink that low..

[Hippo_Tron]

33. It's all questionable...

I'd just say that it's more likely that Gore would've continued to go after Binladen as Clinton had.

[Old and In the Way]

10. Sad, what coulda/shoulda been.

But I don't believe 9/11 would have happened. I think Gore would have marshalled UN support to treat AQ as a criminal threat and have used our superior technology to surgically deal with the problem.

Perhaps he would have also understood that it was time to take a different road on our energy needs in the 21st century. The timing would have been perfect for a "man on the moon" vision to recreate our economy focused on decentralizing our energy requirements.

Should have started 25 years ago...alas, too much money to be made for the Republican Roilists.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

15. I'm glad you pointed out the Afgahanistan war under Gore..

it got on my nerves every time idiot pundits kept saying that if Gore were President during 9-11, we'd be speaking Arabic and they'd be no war on terror. You know who they are.

[RC]

16. You missed something...

The evil repugs would have hounded President Gore worse than they did Clinton. Even to the point of impeaching Gore for embarrassing the US by picking his nose in public or something equally as stupid..

[durutti]

18. Disagree w/ some of this stuff.

4) We wouldn't be ending unemployment and welfare benefits for families out of work.

Just like Clinton didn't push welfare "reform"?

5) Invasion of Afghanistan still would've happened and we would continue to fight terrorism.

9/11 was not an act committed by Afghanistan. It was committed by Osama bin Laden. Afghanistan warned the U.S. prior to the attack, and offered to hand bin Laden over to a neutral third country. Had that path been followed, we might well know here bin Laden is today. War has succeeded only in dispersing al Qaeda operatives (making it more difficult to apprehend them) and turning Afghanistan into Somalia.

9/11 should have been treated as a police matter. War was not justified, IMO.

6) No mention of an Iraq war.

The policy of "regime change" in Iraq was formulated under Clinton. The neocons welcomed the move. Many folks who were in the Clinton administration (and presumably would have been in the Gore administration) are pro-war.

More importantly, Iraq's oil is a huge prize for the U.S. ruling class, no matter who's in power. The class interests are the same.

1) No tax cut once again, revenue to actually spend on essential domestic programs.

Doubtful. DLC Democrats are all about cutting programs. More likely to go towards paying off the national debt.

2) Hopefully there would be legislation to keep jobs in America and not exported to other countries.

Definitely not. Clinton and Gore were and are huge fans of outsourcing/WTO/NAFTA/FTAA/etc., as is the Democratic Party generally in recent years.

3) Medicare bill would be MUCH better.

Doubt it, for the same reason as #1.

4) Economy would be the same if not better, Gore's policies would be more effective in job growth.

Presidents do little to affect economic growth. Gore wouldn't have utilized Keynesian, program-inspired growth, and probably wouldn't have passed tremendous tax cuts for the middle- or lower class Americans. So I'd say the economy would be about the same.

5) No Iraq war... No waste of money and human lives, no wasting resources that could be used to fight terrorism more effectively, no lowered approval ratings.

As I said, I think there's still a good chance an Iraq invasion would've been on the agenda. Even if Gore didn't mention Iraq, the media would.

[RBHam]

20. 9-11 would never have happened on Gore's watch...

Like Kennnedy, he wouldn't have signed off on the plan.
Junior Bush is no Jack Kennedy.

Friendly Fire
Book: U.S. Military Drafted Plans to Terrorize U.S. Cities to Provoke War With Cuba

By David Ruppe, ABC News

N E W Y O R K, May 1 — In the early 1960s, America's top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba

Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban émigrés, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities.
The plans were developed as ways to trick the American public and the international community into supporting a war to oust Cuba's then new leader, communist Fidel Castro.

America's top military brass even contemplated causing U.S. military casualties, writing: "We could blow up a U.S. ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba," and, "casualty lists in U.S. newspapers would cause a helpful wave of national indignation."

more...

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/jointchiefs_010501.html

[Looiewu]

21. Gore and 9/11

9/11 was in the advanced planning stages during the election, and would have taken place regardless of who was in the White House. Remember that AQ was pissed at the United States in general, not at any political party. OSB considers all of us to be infidels...

I believe that Gore's response to 9/11 would have been dramatically different though. I also believe that we would have had another attack in the Untited States.

[NewJeffCT]

24. ah, but

The Hart-Rudman report was completely ignored by the Bush Regime until after 9/11, and there were many, many other warnings that were ignored as well. Remember, when the Bush Regime took office, they said that Clinton was too obsessed with Osama and terrorism in general and that their top defense priority at the time was Star Wars...(Only days before 9/11, Bush threatened to veto an increase in anti-terrorism funding because the money came from Star Wars)

If Gore had won, the suggestions of Hart-Rudman would have been put in place and Clinton's war on terror that would have started in late 2000/early 2001 would have been going. Instead, the Bush Regime gave the Taliban a huge gift for fighting drugs. Talk about mixed messages!

[amazona]

22. 911 wouldn't have happened

Gore would not have sat on the Aug. 6 daily briefing. He would have warned the airlines of the possibility of coordinated hijackings. Also, John O'Neal (sp?) would not have been told to stop investigating the Al Queda threat and he would not have quit the FBI. The higher-ups in the CIA and the FBI who were bowing to the Whistleass administration's wish not to embarrass the Bin Laden family...they would have still been on track to investigate the Bin Ladens and the other multiple clues proving that Al Queda was getting in place for a cheap strike. If necessary I'm sure Gore would have struck strategically at Al Queda just as Clinton did. But if we had gone into Afghanistan to close down Osama and Omar, without 911, you had better believe the wingnuts would have been howling to impeach. It would be a circus and we would have no idea of how lucky we were. Even some liberals would be yelling at Gore for striking in Afghanistan.

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. Repeat after me: Gore would not have deferred national

security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney. Gore would not have deferred national security to Dick Cheney...

[csc]

25. things would be great

GORE IS THE REAL PRESIDENT BUSH IS JUST BOUGHT BY THE OIL COMPANIES BY THE SUPREME COURT.

if Gore was president 9/11 would not have happened and 3000 people would be alive today because gore thinks in a world scope but bush doesnt think at all. how many terrorist attacks did we have during the Clinton-Gore years? NONE! ZIP! ZILTCH! NONE! the only one we had was in the rightwing wacko state of Oklahoma because rush limbaugh and other radio bigots like SEan Hannity and Neil Boortz incited Timothy McVeigh with all there racism and hatred.

if gore was president we wouldnt have this screwed up economy because the best way to run an economy is with fairness and compassion and its not fair for a select few to have all the money. WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION PEOPLE FAIR REDISTRIBUTION. i get so mad at this screwed up capitalist world. i would just be afraid that gore wouldof kept his socialist leanings secret like he did for 8 years just to make congress and the rightwing media happy. its refreshing to see Gore in public making the speechs he should have made in 2000 without the media manipulating him. robot. SCREW THEM.

if Gore was president we wouldn't have thousands of troops in our unilateral war againat iraq dying every day. saddam would still be in power but they would be better with saddam than some death pentalty loving racist capitalist bigot like iditot BUSH!!!! BUSH IS A IDIOT! GOD I HATE HIM!

we wouldn't have that screwed up drug program for seniors either. it makes me sick because it gives money to private companuies instead of the state to manage for fairness instead of profit. i hate profit because profiut is what rich white guys do to exploit the poor. this program is racist and its going to screw up the senior. when you get old you get dumb (thats just science dont whine at me) and seniors can't make the smart decisions this free market version would make them. thats why the state should just do it because th seniors would have to think about anything and theyd get the right treatments they are entitled too. seniors get exploited by charlotins selling aluminum siding so they are going to get exploited by rich white guys selling pills without a safety net? You bet.

eduation would finally get the money it deserves. some schools have budgets less yes less than $10,000 per student but rush limbaugh is going to make like 300000 billion dollars with his rightwing ranting. IS THAT FAIR?

Bush makes me sick and if gore were president i wouldnt need a medical plan because i wouldn't barf every day like ive been doing every day since that cold and screwed up day in january 2000!!!!!!!!!!!!

[txnaggie]

26. If Gore had been president on 9-11-01...

He would have been promptly IMPEACHED and removed from office for being part of the previous administration that did nothing for 8 long years as the Al Queada threat gathered (WTC bombing #1, Kobi Tower bombing, Embassy bombings, USS Cole bombing, etc). Lieberman would have become president, and then all hell would have really broken loose given a Jewish president conducting an anti-terrorism war against Muslim extremists.

[amazona]

27. previous administration did PLENTY

It is well known that Clinton was crucified by left and by right for the bombing of Al Queda training camps, etc. On left and on the right, he was considered to be a bit nutty on the topic of Osama bin Laden. He kept him on the run for many years and probably would have caught him if he hadn't constantly been sandbagged by the Republicans in the Congress and right-wing hysteric radio.

The Millennial bombings were blocked, as were the planned attacks from multiple airliners originating in the Phillipines.

I believe Gore would have continued Clinton's fight against Al Queda and kept them running, so they wouldn't be able to attack in America.

However, as the Bush family has done business with the Bin Ladens for years, practically the first thing Chimpy did when he got into office was call off investigations that might "embarrass" the Bin Laden family or the nation of Saudi Arabia.

There is little doubt in my mind that 911 could not have happened if Gore was in office. The would-be hijackers would have been arrested, and the media would be screaming that Gore was making a big deal over nothing...just as they screamed at Clinton whenever he tried to make capturing Osama an issue.

[littlejoe]

28. go back even further.

What if John Kennedy hadn't been assassinated? There would not have been an escalation in the Vietnam war. He was to pull troops out just before he was murdered.

What if Bobby Kennedy had not been assassinated? We wouldn't have had Richard Nixon or Gerald Ford in the White House.

My how vastly different of a world this would have been.

[Jackson4Gore]

30. 9/11 may not have happened under Gore, but if it did

he would have invaded Afghanistan. He has said he would have done the same Bush did, but sent in more troops to enforce the presence.

[JasonDeter]

29. This kind of pathetic reporting would not be happening!:

http://msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3772109&p1=0

particularly this line in (my)quotes:

"Only one U.S. soldier is known to have been killed" by hostile fire since the announcement of Saddam's arrest. Saddam loyalists and Islamist fighters have killed 200 U.S. soldiers since Washington announced an end to major combat on May 1.



I would hate to be the family of that "only one" soldier killed in a war of choice! How outrageous and pathetic American media has become.

[jbm]

31. and...

instead of destroying the environment we would be taking steps to preserve it. I also believe that Gore would have put a lot of focus on developing an alternative fuel source.

The alternative fuel source is probably my biggest issue. If we had that,the new technology would save our economy,lessen the environmental dangers,and solve a lot of the problems in the mid-east,cause terrorists that have no source of money aren't going to be much of a threat to anyone.

[FlemingsGhost]

32. Sigh. Since you have your crystal ball out...

Will the Sox finally win the Series next year?

(on edit: typo)

[LOL]

35. ya, and just maybe

he'd get the feds out of the states business regarding pot laws, now that it could be of some personal interest:smoke: :shrug:

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

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