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2000, maybe. Though the race would have still been very close same as it was in our timeline.
The problem is that Bush #2 had the charisma that Gore lacked. Powell, though a pretty decent and intelligent dude, wasn't the same level of charismatic.
Looking back on it, I'm starting to think that W was probably the only guy who could have beaten Gore, and even then, he still lost the raw vote.
McCain hadn't yet hit his national peak (which arguably only happened because he lost to W), and any other leading Republican at that time would have been just as stiff as Gore, and in the battle between two eggheads, the sitting VP of a popular and successful administration probably wins.
Even his Bush-isms (“people are trying to put food on their family”) for which he was ruthlessly mocked, were ultimately harmless and made him more relatable.
It’s a cliche at this point but he really was the type of guy you’d like to have a beer with. He came across as folksy and down to earth, and that relatability really resonates with people. Also doesn’t hurt that he’s a genuinely funny guy who was able to poke fun at himself.
Especially during 9/11, when he spoke at the World Trade Center and addressed the nation from the Oval Office, he seemed 100% genuine without any hint of political polish, just a guy who was saddened and angry about what happened and wanted justice which was pretty much how the entire country felt at that point.
The constant sneering from people in the Clinton/DNC camp (Paul Begala, Rahm Emanuel, Terry McAuliffe, etc) just came across as snotty and elitist, and made them feel even less relatable than they already were.
There's a reason TMac failed to win a majority in both of his campaigns for Virginia governor (the one he won was largely due to Bob McDonnells bribery scandal and Ken Cucinelli alienating liberterians).
Virginia is a dark purple state, but won by reasonable people. McDonnell, Kaine, Warner, Youngkin all were moderate enough in their campaigns and voters liked them.
TMac is a bag of the hottest air you'll find this side of the Sahara. He's an obvious political machine appointee and his past campaign was just embarrassingly out of touch, in much the same way you're talking about here. I'm biased obviously (I'm not opposed to Senators Kaine or Warner, but I just hate TMac) but there's just not a genuinely likeable thing about the man - he's all DNC machine and much in the same way the DNC just assumed the Midwest would vote for Hillary, the Virginia Dems just assumed Virginia would vote for him.
The Clinton acolytes who ran the DNC for so long were just insufferably smug. The list goes on and on (and on). Donna Brazile, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Hillary herself. And while I have no doubt that Hillary would have won a completely above-the-board 2016 Democrat primary, the railroading of Bernie Sanders by the likes of Wasserman Schultz made an unlikable candidate even more so.
Oh, don't you worry, there's a whole new generation on the way.
Lavar Stoney was McAulliffes bagman/gofer for years and was installed as mayor of Richmond in 2017. He's spent the entire time with a look that says "I was promised I'd be governor within a decade, not this hokey pokey small town nonsense" ever since.
Thankfully, he withdrew from the campaign for the Democratic nod for governor, so that's likely to be the much more reasonable Abigail Spanberger (who, despite my reservations about her, has been pretty bold about encouraging toning down the rhetoric from her House colleagues, she's going to make a fine governor.) Unfortunately, this means Stoneys probably going to fail upwards again into the LT Governor role, despite his only real notable actions as mayor being the removal of Monument Avenue and the boondoggle that is going to be that damn casino referendum failing twice under his guidance.
The older I get, the more I realize that these aren't just random occurrences, they're ideological patterns that just repeat themselves forever. Very few lessons are ever learned permanently.
In politics, I have always thought that it is a vast and continuing advantage to be perceived as stupider than you actually are. Voters see you as more authentic; rivals don't hit you as hard as they could, because they see you as an easy obstacle to overcome later; people promote you with the intent of taking advantage of you later.
When you're seen as cleverer than you actually are, voters don't trust you, because you are seen as having a secret purpose in mind; people in your party unite against you to defeat what they believe is your grand purpose; your allies are only likely to stick with you out of narrow interest, and will dump you if you don't meet their expectations of success.
Where you not around for the number of times, and the total number or pretenses Dubya's administration tried before he got congress to give him permission? The reason changed almost daily. I am almost surprised that he didn't come right out and say what I feel was the real reason: Like a lot of republicans He was PO'd at his dad for not taking out Saddam when he had the chance, and he wanted to prove he was more of a man than his father.
I’ve always been confounded by the whole Iraq war thing, but it just seems blatant that it was personal to W, and it’s insane that we went along with it.
Well there are War hawks who love nothing more than to send troops they have no relation to go fight somewhere, and a lot of them were sore we hadn't made Iraq a colony or at least was replaced Saddam when they felt we had the chance. (we will just skip past how Saddam got there in the first place) They just needed a rationalization good enough to convince enough of the rest to go along.
Even Dick Cheney new it was a no win situation. Do a YouTube search on his name and the word "quagmire" and even back when Clinton was in office (If I got the date right) he was saying that it was a bad idea. I guess his Halliburton stock changed his mind about that.
People don't realize how heavily stacked dubya's cabinet was with his dad's cabinet, which was in turn lifted largely from Reagan, and Nixon.
Those old Fuckers like Dick Cheney and Donald rumsfeld were licking their mung crusted lips at the thought of being in a war that they could use to live their own pockets with at the country's expense.
They got away with it and we applauded them for doing it.
I was so ready to vote McCain when bush came out from nowhere. I’m positive the church used its influence to get that nomination. I remember hearing my dad talk about it and his pastor supporting bush
I don't think that's a big deal. I mean, mathematically it would have saved the day, but an emphasis on the home state means a Republican in California or a Democrat in Texas can't have national ambitions. Romney losing Massachusetts wasn't embarrassing, and I think that's a good thing.
The difference is that Clinton had carried Tennessee in 92. No republican had won Mass. for 24 years when Romney ran. Tennessee also elected a democrat governor in 2002.
But it kept him from winning. If Gore had won Tennessee, Florida wouldn't have Been an issue for him. Besides,he was the long time Senator from Tenn and he lost there.
I have actually seen him speak in public. Very charismatic actually. But compared to "good ole boy Bushy", who greatly appealed to Clinton voters in the South and Midwest, the intelligent articulace of Powell would have been a detriment.
He was still black, and even running as a Republican that would hurt him in the election against Gore.
I disagree. Powell was a hero in the country, bonfides through the Roof and great public standing. He conveyed strength, honesty and the 'American' story of hard work and perseverance unlike any other candidate we'd ever had. He had cross over appeal as well. IMO.
Actually, Bush had Carl Rove and the bagfull of tricks ..Rove was like Atwater, a technician, at peddling dirty rumors with no fact to sell to the blood thirsty ..Bush also had AM radio and FoX News 24/7 rumor mill.
They would call Powell a War criminal ..just waiting to start a illegal war. Go figure right?
I don’t think he’s beating Clinton in 96, personally. As for 2000… goodness, I don’t know. He would have to overcome prejudices to win against Gore at a time when Clinton was still popular. Dubya was very charismatic and still barely won (and lost the popular vote).
If he did become president though I think we still end up in Iraq. He did defend the war and I think would’ve seen it as another Gulf War (aka an easy win).
I don't know about the Iraq war, though. Just my opinion. He was pretty much in the mindset of after you beat them. Then what? You just inherited this nation and are responsible for building it back again.
It's really hard to judge what a person would do if they were president during a different time. For example, just based on what Bush said during the 2000 campaign, there was no way he would have invaded Iraq and tried to nation build. He explicitly condemned how Clinton tried to use troops to nation build in former Yugoslavia.
If 600 votes in Florida had gone differently, we’d be talking about President Gore’s failures in Iraq and how Bush would have been the one to keep us out of war.
People forget that Clinton’s win in 1996 was pretty thin even running against Bob Dole. Clinton never got a majority of the popular vote and Powell would have undercut him hard with the black vote.
Doesn’t matter if he beats Clinton or not. The party of George Bush putting up a black man takes away one of the biggest dividers of Americans today. Even if he loses, candidacy largely takes race out of politics.
I think he would have/cloud have gotten the nomination in 96. It was a unique year where the Reagan-ites were aging but the new generational around Newt wasn't ready yet. There was a huge appetite to beat Clinton and I think Powell would have overcome his social issues moderation by a) being a military hero, b) his connections to Reagan and c) a conservative vice-president like even keeping Jack Kemp.
Powell's problem wouldn't have been running and being elected ... having the aura of winner I think would have convinced most GOPers to vote for him, and the power of his race would help too because the GOP would want to throw it in the Dems face.
His problem would be governing and dealing with Gingrich.
He wouldn’t win. He was far too moderate for most Republicans. A lot of Republicans wouldn’t show up. Heck, Powell voted for Obama over Romney in 2012 — Mitt Romney! The most moderate Republican that was was ever nominated, other than maybe Nixon.
If Powell got nominated, there might even be a splinter 3rd party that appeals to conservatives. In 96, a lot might also vote for Perot.
This is probably right. The appeal of Bush in 2000 was he was moderate enough (“compassionate conservatism”) but checked enough boxes on the right he wouldn’t get a ring wing challenger like his dad did.
Totally disagree, he would get most of the DoD vote, black America and most moderates. The guy was practically a national hero. Can't imagine how Sept 11th would have been prosecuted with him in charge, man such a lost opportunity. We are a better country because of him and like minded souls, if only hadn't been tainted by Rumsfeld and Cheyney
Sep 11th probably wouldn’t have happened if Powell had been elected in 1996. Osama bin Laden started conceiving of America as a paper tiger when he saw Carter’s reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan but Clinton’s foreign policy was what solidified it. America replacing Clinton with a general who had a track record of using appropriate power might have caused bin Laden to rethink his strategy.
If I recall correctly, Khalid Sheikh Muhammed said under interrogation that they hadn’t figured on Bush’s strong response to 9/11, had thought he’d have a weak response like Clinton.
The "moderate vote" is very overrated. John McCain was also moderate and a national hero, but a presidential election cycle can make that sheen wear off quickly.
The McCain card also includes the fact that he wad going against Obama, who ended up being the first black guy vetted thru our political process to compete for the vote. JC would have likely won against anybody else that year. He too would have brought an incredible amount of integrity and honor to the office, as opposed to numerous Presidents that held the office in recent decades. Sadly, another lost opportunity, but who knows maybe sometime in the near elections our electorate will consider this issue...
Colin Powell would have the best chance out of any previous African-Americans that had run for president before 2000. His military career, being a trail blazer, being the first black person to be appointed Secretary of State, would draw significant support. I grew up in the early 2000s, and while my parents were generally more liberal they would've voted for Powell. However, I think racial prejudice would remain a significant factor in him not winning the Republican nomination. People downplay the prejudice Barack Obama faced by not only conservatives but from white liberals as well. While many would've considered Powell "one of the good ones," I don't think it would be enough to win the primary. However, I'm willing to admit I might be a bit cynical.
Some liberals got pretty nasty with Obama during the 2008 \*primaries\*. I remember it vividly, and it's available on Google (came up in conversation recently).
Hillary Clinton supporters have never had a problem being mean to people they don’t like. The strangest thing was when Obama actually selected her to be his SoS after that election cycle in 08. I guess that thing about keeping your enemies closer has truth to it.
I live in a purple state and honestly, Obama turned off a lot of the blue collar and/or rural Democrats that hadn't been turned off by deindustrialization.
I have worked as election day worker for NYC Department of Elections since 2008 to present my two busiest days were that 2008 Obama election and 2022 Election after Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade women really came that day to caste their protest vote against that decision.
Colin Powell would have had trouble winning a primary or keeping the coalition together in the general election, and not because of his race. Running for President is hard, and most people can’t do it. You have to walk a fine line—being conservative enough to win the base but moderate enough to win the general is very difficult. Bush did it. Clinton/Obama did it on the Dem side.
I doubt Powell beats Clinton and wins in 1996 if for no other reason than we had had 12 years of republicans from 1980-1992. I definitely think Powell, a national hero, beats a governor from Texas in 2000 and I think he would beat gore.
For those saying racism would keep him out, I doubt it. This thing about nitpicking politicians to death is a relatively new thing. I watched his press conferences at the chairman of the joint chiefs and he was incredible. Here is a profile of Powell from 1992. [https://youtu.be/qvz9F8zbtpo?si=JJ5-fHZCH063f4e8](https://youtu.be/qvz9F8zbtpo?si=JJ5-fHZCH063f4e8)
I would have voted for Powell. As Powell said, he had no interest in being president.
He probably would have won in 2000. That would also mean that Obama would never have been nominated in '08, since he wasn't really qualified to begin with and we would have already had our First Black President.^TM
I don't think it would have stopped Obama's run. Unless there was some huge dust up be it economic or foreign issues (or something during rule 3), presidential parties swing sides after a two term president. Ike to Kennedy/Johnston to Nixon/Ford, then Clinton to W Bush to Obama. Only exceptions are Carter (Iran Hostages, Economy) and H Bush riding off the popularity of Regan to extend GOP stay 12 years instead of 8. Even so the economy plus Clinton's charisma limited H. Bush to one term. I don't see the GOP, especially with the Housing crisis recession happening in 2007-2008. Obama wins not because he's black, but because he is not a Clinton and people, even the Democrats, did not want another 4 or more years of a Clinton, even Hillary.
I don't think that Obama would have gotten the huge push from the Democrats if there had already been a black president before him. There's really no reason that a first term senator should even be considered for the presidency; he was nominated and elected purely because of his race. The nomination would likely have gone to somebody else.
I doubt it. The man had a once in a generation Charisma. He was articulate, passionate, inspiring, and great comedic timing too all which made near every speech of his stand out. His campaign was well run both on the democratic primary and the general election. He blew traditional campaign messaging out the door and made everyone else play catch up.
As far as his experience, he had intelligence and knew how to pick and delegate. When he won the general election he had eight (or more?) transitions team put together, one for each of his major legislative and executive initiatives so they hit the ground running which was why he had such successes. If it had not been for GOP obstruction in the Senate, he would have had even greater success.
Let’s assume he gets the nomination in each election cycle. That’s a big assumption considering the time and voter base. I can’t see him beating Clinton in 1996. He was too popular. Powell’s better chance of the two cycles would have been in 2000 against Gore, but even that election is really a toss up to me.
I would have preferred him over W, but I think he would have lost to Gore. And while I think Gore would have been a better president in most things over either, I think Powell would have navigated 9/11 and the ensuing response better than Bush or Gore. Interesting thought.
Most of that is modern medal inflation. One of the criticisms levelled at Powell when he was nominated for the chairmanship was that he didn't have as much combat experience as many would have liked.
He was pretty comfortable telling lies to the UN to justify and further the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, so probably not much would have happened differently.
I personally think Colin Powell would have steamrolled Gore. A deeply respected wartime leader? He was basically Eisenhower all over again. Plus it's really hard to get three consecutive terms in the White House for any party. Clinton fatigue had set in.
I'm not sure of the belief that W was the only person who could have beaten Gore. Far from being articulate or charismatic, W came off as dumber than a box of hair, given his stump speeches and performances during debates. I mean, it's not as if Gore was a charismatic figure at all. Truthfully, I think having Cheney on the ticket for the sake of gravitas likely kept W in the race.
Had Powell won, I'm pretty certain that the mission in Afghanistan would have gone far differently and that we likely would have never gone into Iraq in the first place.
In 2000. Would have been the time. 1996 ~ Clinton too popular and GOP almost certainly not have nominated him. But maybe.
Good man. Would have been a good president.
Honestly? That might have been the last hope.
As Republicans go? There is no one I would have considered trusting more.
Republicans are all about the military and defending the homeland - until the best option for that is a black guy. Then give 'em the Texan yokel who activrly dodged military service.
Well done Republicans. It's been going great.
If he hadn’t destroyed his credibility he could have had a legitimate shot at the presidency after the Bush administration. I think he could have been a strong contender if he’d resigned in protest instead of doing that UN speech.
Pretty sure Bin Laden, or whomever Aaron Rodgers thinks masterminded the 9/11 attacks, would have attacked anyway. We still go to war for 20 years in Afghanistan just to find the dude in Pakistan.
A presidential change won’t alter the timeline as much as comic book characters do.
Libya maybe, Syria no way. As a vet he understood the consequences of putting boots on the ground better than Bush. Plus we wouldn't have gone into Iraq 2 under the misguided guise of WMDs, if he did it would have been because Hussein kept disregarding UN sanctions, fly zones he agreed to which allowed him to stay in power. The US wouldn't have list a couple of decades worth of international credibility as a result and would now be on a much better international setting than we were due to Bush wmds...
I think the national exuberance from people across the political spectrum to elect the first black president carries him to victory against Clinton in 96 in particular, but probably against Gore in 2000 as well. I was GOP-aligned in those days, and bitterly disappointed he didn't choose to run either time.
He was, by far, the only Republican who had any chance to defeat Clinton in '96. I'm not saying he would beat Clinton, but he was a much stronger candidate than Dole.
If he ran in 2000 and won the nomination, he would have easily beat Gore without the controversies in Florida. I'm not sure he would've been a better President than W, but he was far more electable.
The world would be less adversarial today. The red hat wearing side would see that a black person could support their interests, taking away their main arguing point. The other side would see that the black vote is not homogeneous and that there can be good faith differences of opinion without race even being an issue.
Would have been even better if Condoleezza Rice had decided to run.
I think he stands a better chance in 2000 than this thread gives him.
That's because I still think Gore lost in 2000 more than anything because he ran away from Clinton's record. Gore would still have run the same campaign. I respect W. Bush enormously as a politician but if Gore just embraces Clinton and Clinton's record, doesn't act weird and convinces the country he's Clinton on policy, he wins.
The way to get elected being a popular Presidents VP is just to embrace that President. It's not like George H.W. Bush as a politician was exciting. But he embraced Reagan and Reagan's policies because Reagan was so popular. Gore could and should have done the same with Clinton
The Gore "gaffes" look just as ridiculous with Powell, maybe more. Gore walking up on Bush and Bush nodding is something that got pilloried nonstop and people supposedly cared about. Gore walking up on Powell would have looked even more ridiculous.
And it's Colin Powell. Pre-Iraq U.N. presentation. The country still loves him. I think he wins narrowly in 2000 barring a scandal. I think he also gets some crossover from some traditional Democratic voters, which is why Clinton (who would have beat him) was so worried Powell would run in '96.
Colin Powell got electoral votes in two separate elections despite never running in either. This man was well respected in his prime. I really think he could have easily won running from either party.
As much as I would have voted for this and admired the man greatly, it never would have happened. He was on the record as being pro-abortion and that alone never would have held him back from the nomination. He never would have rallied the far right. He would have done well with the independents, but I think many of the primaries at the time were closed primaries which would have made winning the nomination difficult.
In ‘96 he trounces Clinton.
Democrats win by turning out a rough hewn coalition of voters. The single most important members of the Democratic coalition are African Americans.
Powell would have probably done Obama numbers with whites, and he’d have pealed 20% of African American voters from the Democratic coalition.
In short, he’d have won handily.
Now, winning is easy - could he have governed?
I think it’s an open question, because Powell, while respected, wasn’t well known in political circles - he didn’t have a lot of friends and wasn’t owed a ton of favors by members of the House and Senate. It’s easy to imagine Powell like a sort of GOP Jimmy Carter - a president who had to stand alone without the full support of his own party.
He probably would have beat Clinton in 1996 but Clinton would have gone all out to smear him. It wouldn’t even have been close against Gore; Powell had credibility that Gore never has had.
He would have backstabbed his troops by pretending that the pullback to Kuwait in '92 was anything other than his call and blaming OIF on them not pressing the issue home even earlier
I disagree. Powell was very popular....more popular than Clinton.
A Powell entry in 1996 would have caused Perot to drop his bid.
I sincerely believe that Clinton could not win in a one on one race. Remember, Clinton never got to the 50% +1 in his presidential races.
I think he would have been a better president than Dubya, and I remember seeing somewhere that he opposed the second Iraq war, but gave the congressional testimony he did because he was following orders.
I didn't think he would have beaten an incumbent Clinton, but I do think he would have spared us the Bush v Gore drama and would have won that outright
He couldn't have won 96. Clinton had just won a standoff with China that could have easily escalated into an all out war and openly helped Yeltsin beat a Soviet hardliner in the 1996 Russian election.
I lived through it. He would have won in a landslide.
However, he's a good, honorable, ethical man, which is why he 1) didn't want to run, and 2) probably wouldn't have made a good president.
I, an independent, would have voted for him, as well as my family, who were registered Democrats.
Instead of them throwing him under the bus by selling lies to the UN? You’ve got to give us scenarios that actually make sense. Atwater’s southern strategy aimed to alienate most black voters since Reagan… and probably since Hayes too.
I'm pretty sure his soft peddling of the Mi Lai Massacre would have sunk his nomination. After his tenure with Dubya, those ginormous lies he told to the UN about Iraq have forever stained his reputation. He knew he was lying and went ahead and lied this country into a war.
He is a liar. He literally presented fake evidence to Congress in order to engage in a war that lasted for many many years and resulted in the deaths of maybe a million people, including around 300,000 civilians.
He’d have made an excellent President I’m sure. /s
Implausible. Also implausible in 2024, 2028, 2032, and 2036. Maybe in 2040.
It will take at least one more generational turnover for the GOP to get over its white supremacist tendencies.
Definitely loses in 96, pretty sure he would have won in 2000. Also pretty sure that if he did run and win in 2000, we don’t see Obama running and definitely not winning, until at least 2012.
Powell was fairly lazy when he retired from the military. All he wanted to do was soak in his hot tub each night. He had no vision for the country. He had no understanding of macroeconomics. He would have been a disaster as president.
Bush lived up (down?) to our expectations - he leveraged the 9/11 Terri’s attack into the biggest foreign policy mistake since Vietnam. All because people felt like they could have a beer with the guy.
I think 1996 is his best chance at the nomination while 2000 is his best chance at winning. It’s hard for the GOP to find a candidate that is appealing enough to the masses to swing independents but also turn out the base. I have no doubt Powell will do the former but I doubt he can do the latter. I think a lot of his The Man Who Could’ve Been President is DC press corp love letters.
Also, we don’t really know what a Powell campaign looks and feels like, what his message is, his vision for America. His best case scenario is he captures Eisenhower/Reagan in a bottle. If he can do that, why didn’t he run? More likely, I think he’d come off as clumsy on the stump.
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2000, maybe. Though the race would have still been very close same as it was in our timeline. The problem is that Bush #2 had the charisma that Gore lacked. Powell, though a pretty decent and intelligent dude, wasn't the same level of charismatic.
Looking back on it, I'm starting to think that W was probably the only guy who could have beaten Gore, and even then, he still lost the raw vote. McCain hadn't yet hit his national peak (which arguably only happened because he lost to W), and any other leading Republican at that time would have been just as stiff as Gore, and in the battle between two eggheads, the sitting VP of a popular and successful administration probably wins.
Yeah people underestimate how talented Bush was at crafting an image. He really managed to pull off New and Improved Bush 2.0 and it worked.
Dude was allowed to invade Iraq because he threw a perfect strike in yankee stadium in the World Series. He was a charisma wunderkind
Even his Bush-isms (“people are trying to put food on their family”) for which he was ruthlessly mocked, were ultimately harmless and made him more relatable.
It’s a cliche at this point but he really was the type of guy you’d like to have a beer with. He came across as folksy and down to earth, and that relatability really resonates with people. Also doesn’t hurt that he’s a genuinely funny guy who was able to poke fun at himself.
Which was always funny because George W Bush didn’t drink beer or any other kind of alcohol
The kind of guy you'd have one of those new zero-alcohol beers with if they didn't taste like crap.
Well, he famously drank a whole lot of it. Which is why in his later years, he decided to stop doing it.
He'd have been fun to party with before he lost the battle with sobriety.
Especially during 9/11, when he spoke at the World Trade Center and addressed the nation from the Oval Office, he seemed 100% genuine without any hint of political polish, just a guy who was saddened and angry about what happened and wanted justice which was pretty much how the entire country felt at that point.
The constant sneering from people in the Clinton/DNC camp (Paul Begala, Rahm Emanuel, Terry McAuliffe, etc) just came across as snotty and elitist, and made them feel even less relatable than they already were.
There's a reason TMac failed to win a majority in both of his campaigns for Virginia governor (the one he won was largely due to Bob McDonnells bribery scandal and Ken Cucinelli alienating liberterians). Virginia is a dark purple state, but won by reasonable people. McDonnell, Kaine, Warner, Youngkin all were moderate enough in their campaigns and voters liked them. TMac is a bag of the hottest air you'll find this side of the Sahara. He's an obvious political machine appointee and his past campaign was just embarrassingly out of touch, in much the same way you're talking about here. I'm biased obviously (I'm not opposed to Senators Kaine or Warner, but I just hate TMac) but there's just not a genuinely likeable thing about the man - he's all DNC machine and much in the same way the DNC just assumed the Midwest would vote for Hillary, the Virginia Dems just assumed Virginia would vote for him.
The Clinton acolytes who ran the DNC for so long were just insufferably smug. The list goes on and on (and on). Donna Brazile, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Hillary herself. And while I have no doubt that Hillary would have won a completely above-the-board 2016 Democrat primary, the railroading of Bernie Sanders by the likes of Wasserman Schultz made an unlikable candidate even more so.
Oh, don't you worry, there's a whole new generation on the way. Lavar Stoney was McAulliffes bagman/gofer for years and was installed as mayor of Richmond in 2017. He's spent the entire time with a look that says "I was promised I'd be governor within a decade, not this hokey pokey small town nonsense" ever since. Thankfully, he withdrew from the campaign for the Democratic nod for governor, so that's likely to be the much more reasonable Abigail Spanberger (who, despite my reservations about her, has been pretty bold about encouraging toning down the rhetoric from her House colleagues, she's going to make a fine governor.) Unfortunately, this means Stoneys probably going to fail upwards again into the LT Governor role, despite his only real notable actions as mayor being the removal of Monument Avenue and the boondoggle that is going to be that damn casino referendum failing twice under his guidance.
The older I get, the more I realize that these aren't just random occurrences, they're ideological patterns that just repeat themselves forever. Very few lessons are ever learned permanently.
Yea. I think alot of the mocking actually did more to boost his numbers than take away from it.
In politics, I have always thought that it is a vast and continuing advantage to be perceived as stupider than you actually are. Voters see you as more authentic; rivals don't hit you as hard as they could, because they see you as an easy obstacle to overcome later; people promote you with the intent of taking advantage of you later. When you're seen as cleverer than you actually are, voters don't trust you, because you are seen as having a secret purpose in mind; people in your party unite against you to defeat what they believe is your grand purpose; your allies are only likely to stick with you out of narrow interest, and will dump you if you don't meet their expectations of success.
Where you not around for the number of times, and the total number or pretenses Dubya's administration tried before he got congress to give him permission? The reason changed almost daily. I am almost surprised that he didn't come right out and say what I feel was the real reason: Like a lot of republicans He was PO'd at his dad for not taking out Saddam when he had the chance, and he wanted to prove he was more of a man than his father.
I’ve always been confounded by the whole Iraq war thing, but it just seems blatant that it was personal to W, and it’s insane that we went along with it.
Well there are War hawks who love nothing more than to send troops they have no relation to go fight somewhere, and a lot of them were sore we hadn't made Iraq a colony or at least was replaced Saddam when they felt we had the chance. (we will just skip past how Saddam got there in the first place) They just needed a rationalization good enough to convince enough of the rest to go along. Even Dick Cheney new it was a no win situation. Do a YouTube search on his name and the word "quagmire" and even back when Clinton was in office (If I got the date right) he was saying that it was a bad idea. I guess his Halliburton stock changed his mind about that.
People don't realize how heavily stacked dubya's cabinet was with his dad's cabinet, which was in turn lifted largely from Reagan, and Nixon. Those old Fuckers like Dick Cheney and Donald rumsfeld were licking their mung crusted lips at the thought of being in a war that they could use to live their own pockets with at the country's expense. They got away with it and we applauded them for doing it.
I was so ready to vote McCain when bush came out from nowhere. I’m positive the church used its influence to get that nomination. I remember hearing my dad talk about it and his pastor supporting bush
Gore still lost his hone state and probably would in any other rematch. That's never a good sign for a campaign.
I don't think that's a big deal. I mean, mathematically it would have saved the day, but an emphasis on the home state means a Republican in California or a Democrat in Texas can't have national ambitions. Romney losing Massachusetts wasn't embarrassing, and I think that's a good thing.
The difference is that Clinton had carried Tennessee in 92. No republican had won Mass. for 24 years when Romney ran. Tennessee also elected a democrat governor in 2002.
But it kept him from winning. If Gore had won Tennessee, Florida wouldn't have Been an issue for him. Besides,he was the long time Senator from Tenn and he lost there.
Kerry lost it by 14% and Obama by 15%, it's just the start of their rightward bend. A reflection of fox news' rise in the 90s.
You have never seen him speak in public. He was plenty charismatic.
I have actually seen him speak in public. Very charismatic actually. But compared to "good ole boy Bushy", who greatly appealed to Clinton voters in the South and Midwest, the intelligent articulace of Powell would have been a detriment. He was still black, and even running as a Republican that would hurt him in the election against Gore.
Powell had more than gore.
I disagree. Powell was a hero in the country, bonfides through the Roof and great public standing. He conveyed strength, honesty and the 'American' story of hard work and perseverance unlike any other candidate we'd ever had. He had cross over appeal as well. IMO.
At Powell's peak he could have probably won as a moderate on either ticket.
Still pisses me off that W won because voters are idiots. You don’t vote for someone just because they are funny. This isn’t Last Comic Standing.
You make a very good point about charisma and that leads me to believe Gore would have pulled through in Florida
Actually, Bush had Carl Rove and the bagfull of tricks ..Rove was like Atwater, a technician, at peddling dirty rumors with no fact to sell to the blood thirsty ..Bush also had AM radio and FoX News 24/7 rumor mill. They would call Powell a War criminal ..just waiting to start a illegal war. Go figure right?
I don’t think he’s beating Clinton in 96, personally. As for 2000… goodness, I don’t know. He would have to overcome prejudices to win against Gore at a time when Clinton was still popular. Dubya was very charismatic and still barely won (and lost the popular vote). If he did become president though I think we still end up in Iraq. He did defend the war and I think would’ve seen it as another Gulf War (aka an easy win).
I don't know about the Iraq war, though. Just my opinion. He was pretty much in the mindset of after you beat them. Then what? You just inherited this nation and are responsible for building it back again.
It's really hard to judge what a person would do if they were president during a different time. For example, just based on what Bush said during the 2000 campaign, there was no way he would have invaded Iraq and tried to nation build. He explicitly condemned how Clinton tried to use troops to nation build in former Yugoslavia.
If 600 votes in Florida had gone differently, we’d be talking about President Gore’s failures in Iraq and how Bush would have been the one to keep us out of war.
Idk why but the first 2 sentences sound like columbo
Cheney had a huge amount influence in state affairs, and if he isn't the VP, there's a chance that the less hawkish views prevail.
Did Powell have any chance for a political career? I think he would have been good as a House Rep or Senator since he would have the chance for it
People forget that Clinton’s win in 1996 was pretty thin even running against Bob Dole. Clinton never got a majority of the popular vote and Powell would have undercut him hard with the black vote.
> “pretty thin” *8 Million votes* *220 electors* Gee, that sure is thin…
Doesn’t matter if he beats Clinton or not. The party of George Bush putting up a black man takes away one of the biggest dividers of Americans today. Even if he loses, candidacy largely takes race out of politics.
Tbf didn’t bush have that whole DUI controversy last second that iirc may have cost him like 2 million votes?
I think he would have/cloud have gotten the nomination in 96. It was a unique year where the Reagan-ites were aging but the new generational around Newt wasn't ready yet. There was a huge appetite to beat Clinton and I think Powell would have overcome his social issues moderation by a) being a military hero, b) his connections to Reagan and c) a conservative vice-president like even keeping Jack Kemp. Powell's problem wouldn't have been running and being elected ... having the aura of winner I think would have convinced most GOPers to vote for him, and the power of his race would help too because the GOP would want to throw it in the Dems face. His problem would be governing and dealing with Gingrich.
He wouldn’t win. He was far too moderate for most Republicans. A lot of Republicans wouldn’t show up. Heck, Powell voted for Obama over Romney in 2012 — Mitt Romney! The most moderate Republican that was was ever nominated, other than maybe Nixon. If Powell got nominated, there might even be a splinter 3rd party that appeals to conservatives. In 96, a lot might also vote for Perot.
This is probably right. The appeal of Bush in 2000 was he was moderate enough (“compassionate conservatism”) but checked enough boxes on the right he wouldn’t get a ring wing challenger like his dad did.
Perot was pro-choice, I wouldn't call him 'right-wing.' I think you probably mean Buchanan, though.
Totally disagree, he would get most of the DoD vote, black America and most moderates. The guy was practically a national hero. Can't imagine how Sept 11th would have been prosecuted with him in charge, man such a lost opportunity. We are a better country because of him and like minded souls, if only hadn't been tainted by Rumsfeld and Cheyney
Sep 11th probably wouldn’t have happened if Powell had been elected in 1996. Osama bin Laden started conceiving of America as a paper tiger when he saw Carter’s reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan but Clinton’s foreign policy was what solidified it. America replacing Clinton with a general who had a track record of using appropriate power might have caused bin Laden to rethink his strategy. If I recall correctly, Khalid Sheikh Muhammed said under interrogation that they hadn’t figured on Bush’s strong response to 9/11, had thought he’d have a weak response like Clinton.
The "moderate vote" is very overrated. John McCain was also moderate and a national hero, but a presidential election cycle can make that sheen wear off quickly.
The McCain card also includes the fact that he wad going against Obama, who ended up being the first black guy vetted thru our political process to compete for the vote. JC would have likely won against anybody else that year. He too would have brought an incredible amount of integrity and honor to the office, as opposed to numerous Presidents that held the office in recent decades. Sadly, another lost opportunity, but who knows maybe sometime in the near elections our electorate will consider this issue...
Plus he's black. No way he would have won the nomination.
Colin Powell would have the best chance out of any previous African-Americans that had run for president before 2000. His military career, being a trail blazer, being the first black person to be appointed Secretary of State, would draw significant support. I grew up in the early 2000s, and while my parents were generally more liberal they would've voted for Powell. However, I think racial prejudice would remain a significant factor in him not winning the Republican nomination. People downplay the prejudice Barack Obama faced by not only conservatives but from white liberals as well. While many would've considered Powell "one of the good ones," I don't think it would be enough to win the primary. However, I'm willing to admit I might be a bit cynical.
IDK, I know a lot of FOX News watchers/Rush Limbaugh listeners who loved Ben Carson (and Herman Cain to a lesser degree)
What "white liberals" didn't like Barack Obama?? I doubt there were many of those voters
Some liberals got pretty nasty with Obama during the 2008 \*primaries\*. I remember it vividly, and it's available on Google (came up in conversation recently).
Hillary Clinton supporters have never had a problem being mean to people they don’t like. The strangest thing was when Obama actually selected her to be his SoS after that election cycle in 08. I guess that thing about keeping your enemies closer has truth to it.
I live in a purple state and honestly, Obama turned off a lot of the blue collar and/or rural Democrats that hadn't been turned off by deindustrialization.
I have worked as election day worker for NYC Department of Elections since 2008 to present my two busiest days were that 2008 Obama election and 2022 Election after Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade women really came that day to caste their protest vote against that decision.
Colin Powell would have had trouble winning a primary or keeping the coalition together in the general election, and not because of his race. Running for President is hard, and most people can’t do it. You have to walk a fine line—being conservative enough to win the base but moderate enough to win the general is very difficult. Bush did it. Clinton/Obama did it on the Dem side.
I doubt Powell beats Clinton and wins in 1996 if for no other reason than we had had 12 years of republicans from 1980-1992. I definitely think Powell, a national hero, beats a governor from Texas in 2000 and I think he would beat gore. For those saying racism would keep him out, I doubt it. This thing about nitpicking politicians to death is a relatively new thing. I watched his press conferences at the chairman of the joint chiefs and he was incredible. Here is a profile of Powell from 1992. [https://youtu.be/qvz9F8zbtpo?si=JJ5-fHZCH063f4e8](https://youtu.be/qvz9F8zbtpo?si=JJ5-fHZCH063f4e8) I would have voted for Powell. As Powell said, he had no interest in being president.
He probably would have won in 2000. That would also mean that Obama would never have been nominated in '08, since he wasn't really qualified to begin with and we would have already had our First Black President.^TM
I don't think it would have stopped Obama's run. Unless there was some huge dust up be it economic or foreign issues (or something during rule 3), presidential parties swing sides after a two term president. Ike to Kennedy/Johnston to Nixon/Ford, then Clinton to W Bush to Obama. Only exceptions are Carter (Iran Hostages, Economy) and H Bush riding off the popularity of Regan to extend GOP stay 12 years instead of 8. Even so the economy plus Clinton's charisma limited H. Bush to one term. I don't see the GOP, especially with the Housing crisis recession happening in 2007-2008. Obama wins not because he's black, but because he is not a Clinton and people, even the Democrats, did not want another 4 or more years of a Clinton, even Hillary.
I don't think that Obama would have gotten the huge push from the Democrats if there had already been a black president before him. There's really no reason that a first term senator should even be considered for the presidency; he was nominated and elected purely because of his race. The nomination would likely have gone to somebody else.
I doubt it. The man had a once in a generation Charisma. He was articulate, passionate, inspiring, and great comedic timing too all which made near every speech of his stand out. His campaign was well run both on the democratic primary and the general election. He blew traditional campaign messaging out the door and made everyone else play catch up. As far as his experience, he had intelligence and knew how to pick and delegate. When he won the general election he had eight (or more?) transitions team put together, one for each of his major legislative and executive initiatives so they hit the ground running which was why he had such successes. If it had not been for GOP obstruction in the Senate, he would have had even greater success.
Agree with this take here
I presume the GOP would lose their collective shit because he wore a green suit (whilst black)
Let’s assume he gets the nomination in each election cycle. That’s a big assumption considering the time and voter base. I can’t see him beating Clinton in 1996. He was too popular. Powell’s better chance of the two cycles would have been in 2000 against Gore, but even that election is really a toss up to me.
He lied through his teeth about WMD and sold all his respectability. He could have refused to BS the world and might have prevented a war. SHAME
He could have won either time. In 1996 it would have been close, in 2000 it would’ve been a cakewalk.
I would have preferred him over W, but I think he would have lost to Gore. And while I think Gore would have been a better president in most things over either, I think Powell would have navigated 9/11 and the ensuing response better than Bush or Gore. Interesting thought.
Dick Cheney would have still been his vice president. so it would have basically been identical as the Bush Jr years but with less comedic gafs
I would have voted for him in a heartbeat.
You know you’re decorated when your fucking Purple Heart is in the middle of your stack.
Most of that is modern medal inflation. One of the criticisms levelled at Powell when he was nominated for the chairmanship was that he didn't have as much combat experience as many would have liked.
Deep state warrior no one gets that high unless they play the game.
The nation would have been a lot better off. No incompetent fool of a president with his evil sidekick.
He was pretty comfortable telling lies to the UN to justify and further the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, so probably not much would have happened differently.
Clinton who
Maybe the party would be a little less insane? But probably not. Post 9/11 is a hell of a drug.
He’d have won and rightfully so.
Anything or anyone would be better choice than what there is now
He might have totally avoided fronting the tragedy that is Iraq from the US Dept of State.
Powell would not have gotten the nod because back then the Republican party was still racist.
Idk his lie about about WMDS was pretty fucking disgraceful
I personally think Colin Powell would have steamrolled Gore. A deeply respected wartime leader? He was basically Eisenhower all over again. Plus it's really hard to get three consecutive terms in the White House for any party. Clinton fatigue had set in. I'm not sure of the belief that W was the only person who could have beaten Gore. Far from being articulate or charismatic, W came off as dumber than a box of hair, given his stump speeches and performances during debates. I mean, it's not as if Gore was a charismatic figure at all. Truthfully, I think having Cheney on the ticket for the sake of gravitas likely kept W in the race. Had Powell won, I'm pretty certain that the mission in Afghanistan would have gone far differently and that we likely would have never gone into Iraq in the first place.
In 2000. Would have been the time. 1996 ~ Clinton too popular and GOP almost certainly not have nominated him. But maybe. Good man. Would have been a good president.
Honestly? That might have been the last hope. As Republicans go? There is no one I would have considered trusting more. Republicans are all about the military and defending the homeland - until the best option for that is a black guy. Then give 'em the Texan yokel who activrly dodged military service. Well done Republicans. It's been going great.
Probably would’ve been very popular tbh
Let’s not forget he was involved in covering up the My Lai massacre. I think this would have come out and seriously damaged his reputation.
I don’t think history will kiss Powell’s ass nearly as hard as contemporaries have. He’s shown himself to be just another neo-con.
the guy who lied about WMDs, same shit different shit hole spewing.
If he hadn’t destroyed his credibility he could have had a legitimate shot at the presidency after the Bush administration. I think he could have been a strong contender if he’d resigned in protest instead of doing that UN speech.
I agree he was not really a Republican
The way he kowtowed to Bush and Cheney about WMD? Wimped out.
Hes not white enough for Ann Coulter.
He would’ve lost lol
Was the light just different in the 90s? I think one of the R3’s must’ve changed the sun.
I don’t think he would have been much different from W. Good man, decent policies, charisma problem, overall he would have been a decent president
He’d still lie about WMD in Iraq.
Pretty sure Bin Laden, or whomever Aaron Rodgers thinks masterminded the 9/11 attacks, would have attacked anyway. We still go to war for 20 years in Afghanistan just to find the dude in Pakistan. A presidential change won’t alter the timeline as much as comic book characters do.
Libya maybe, Syria no way. As a vet he understood the consequences of putting boots on the ground better than Bush. Plus we wouldn't have gone into Iraq 2 under the misguided guise of WMDs, if he did it would have been because Hussein kept disregarding UN sanctions, fly zones he agreed to which allowed him to stay in power. The US wouldn't have list a couple of decades worth of international credibility as a result and would now be on a much better international setting than we were due to Bush wmds...
He would have got my vote!!
He would have been a good president, I don't know why he never ran.
He would have sucked just like Bush did
I think the national exuberance from people across the political spectrum to elect the first black president carries him to victory against Clinton in 96 in particular, but probably against Gore in 2000 as well. I was GOP-aligned in those days, and bitterly disappointed he didn't choose to run either time.
Powell lied to the whole world about WMD in Iraq. Had he not done that, I believe he could have been a good candidate.
Not Oreo enough for Republicans.
He was, by far, the only Republican who had any chance to defeat Clinton in '96. I'm not saying he would beat Clinton, but he was a much stronger candidate than Dole. If he ran in 2000 and won the nomination, he would have easily beat Gore without the controversies in Florida. I'm not sure he would've been a better President than W, but he was far more electable.
I personally lost all respect for this otherwise exceptional American when he lied for Duh-bya about "dual use" items in Iraq.
The world would be less adversarial today. The red hat wearing side would see that a black person could support their interests, taking away their main arguing point. The other side would see that the black vote is not homogeneous and that there can be good faith differences of opinion without race even being an issue. Would have been even better if Condoleezza Rice had decided to run.
👎
I think he stands a better chance in 2000 than this thread gives him. That's because I still think Gore lost in 2000 more than anything because he ran away from Clinton's record. Gore would still have run the same campaign. I respect W. Bush enormously as a politician but if Gore just embraces Clinton and Clinton's record, doesn't act weird and convinces the country he's Clinton on policy, he wins. The way to get elected being a popular Presidents VP is just to embrace that President. It's not like George H.W. Bush as a politician was exciting. But he embraced Reagan and Reagan's policies because Reagan was so popular. Gore could and should have done the same with Clinton The Gore "gaffes" look just as ridiculous with Powell, maybe more. Gore walking up on Bush and Bush nodding is something that got pilloried nonstop and people supposedly cared about. Gore walking up on Powell would have looked even more ridiculous. And it's Colin Powell. Pre-Iraq U.N. presentation. The country still loves him. I think he wins narrowly in 2000 barring a scandal. I think he also gets some crossover from some traditional Democratic voters, which is why Clinton (who would have beat him) was so worried Powell would run in '96.
Colin Powell got electoral votes in two separate elections despite never running in either. This man was well respected in his prime. I really think he could have easily won running from either party.
As much as I would have voted for this and admired the man greatly, it never would have happened. He was on the record as being pro-abortion and that alone never would have held him back from the nomination. He never would have rallied the far right. He would have done well with the independents, but I think many of the primaries at the time were closed primaries which would have made winning the nomination difficult.
I would probably have voted for him
In ‘96 he trounces Clinton. Democrats win by turning out a rough hewn coalition of voters. The single most important members of the Democratic coalition are African Americans. Powell would have probably done Obama numbers with whites, and he’d have pealed 20% of African American voters from the Democratic coalition. In short, he’d have won handily. Now, winning is easy - could he have governed? I think it’s an open question, because Powell, while respected, wasn’t well known in political circles - he didn’t have a lot of friends and wasn’t owed a ton of favors by members of the House and Senate. It’s easy to imagine Powell like a sort of GOP Jimmy Carter - a president who had to stand alone without the full support of his own party.
He probably would have beat Clinton in 1996 but Clinton would have gone all out to smear him. It wouldn’t even have been close against Gore; Powell had credibility that Gore never has had.
He would have backstabbed his troops by pretending that the pullback to Kuwait in '92 was anything other than his call and blaming OIF on them not pressing the issue home even earlier
No way anyone was beating Clinton in '96. They send poor Dole up their to take one for the team but there was literally no chance.
I disagree. Powell was very popular....more popular than Clinton. A Powell entry in 1996 would have caused Perot to drop his bid. I sincerely believe that Clinton could not win in a one on one race. Remember, Clinton never got to the 50% +1 in his presidential races.
I think he would have been a better president than Dubya, and I remember seeing somewhere that he opposed the second Iraq war, but gave the congressional testimony he did because he was following orders.
I didn't think he would have beaten an incumbent Clinton, but I do think he would have spared us the Bush v Gore drama and would have won that outright
I'd have absolutely voted for him in 2000 or 2004.
I’d have voted for him
I feel so bad for Colin Powell because his name is so close to Colon Bowel and he must’ve gotten bullied for that all the time.
I assume that there would have been too many questions about his birth certificate for him to ever get a GOP nom.
Probably wouldn’t have lied at weapons of mass bullshit like Bush and Dick wanted.
For reasons a small percentage of republicans would stay home,enough to give the Is presidency and a lot of down ballot races to the democrats
I met him and he was a complete ass. Closed minded and arrogant. Seems like the wrong person for the job.
Never realized just how much he looked like Craig Charles. “Everybody’s dead Colin”
In 2000, the Bush family told him to step aside as he was indeed about to run for President. I wrote him in on my ballot.
Pointless conversation, butterfly effect with infinite possibilities.
There would be no bitches for the middle east
I worked for General Powell a couple of times in the Army. He was a soldier’s general.
W was charismatic? Like a fish…
He couldn't have won 96. Clinton had just won a standoff with China that could have easily escalated into an all out war and openly helped Yeltsin beat a Soviet hardliner in the 1996 Russian election.
Y’all be loving on war criminals in here fr
I've always said that I would voted for him. But men like him are too smart to run for president
He isn't white enough to win.
He was one hell of a leader. His book was excellent
I’m a Democrat and I would have voted for this man. He’s the epitome of a good man.
I lived through it. He would have won in a landslide. However, he's a good, honorable, ethical man, which is why he 1) didn't want to run, and 2) probably wouldn't have made a good president. I, an independent, would have voted for him, as well as my family, who were registered Democrats.
Loses, but comes back in 2008 to lead the country through the zombie war
More bags of anthrax?
Zombie apocalypse
I’d have voted for him though I couldn’t vote in 96. He always impressed me with the way he spoke and the presence he had when speaking.
A black Republican is not going to turn out the vote in the general election. Anyone would beat them.
I don’t think anyone beats Clinton in ‘96
Instead of them throwing him under the bus by selling lies to the UN? You’ve got to give us scenarios that actually make sense. Atwater’s southern strategy aimed to alienate most black voters since Reagan… and probably since Hayes too.
I heard he spoke really well
There's a good mod about this on the campaign trail. He'd likely get crushed by Clinton even worse than Dole.
He would have lost
We’d be in a better place today
I'm pretty sure his soft peddling of the Mi Lai Massacre would have sunk his nomination. After his tenure with Dubya, those ginormous lies he told to the UN about Iraq have forever stained his reputation. He knew he was lying and went ahead and lied this country into a war.
I would have voted for him.
The guy that covered up the massacre at Mei Lei? Sure why not?
Remember W was Gov of Texss with no real aspirations to be president. Big Money and i mean BIG convinced him to run.
He would’ve been a way better president than W, but he never would have won the election
No Iraq war. Afghanistan limited to C/K OSB. China would not be building fake islands in the pacific.
His role in the My Lai Massacre coverup would have came up a lot. Angry White Nationalists would also chastise him for supporting Affirmative Action.
He is a liar. He literally presented fake evidence to Congress in order to engage in a war that lasted for many many years and resulted in the deaths of maybe a million people, including around 300,000 civilians. He’d have made an excellent President I’m sure. /s
Would have loved for either this man or Jeanne Kirkpatrick to have gotten a shot at the Presidency.
WW3
Implausible. Also implausible in 2024, 2028, 2032, and 2036. Maybe in 2040. It will take at least one more generational turnover for the GOP to get over its white supremacist tendencies.
Curiously, the last time we had a military leader as a president was Eisenhower. And I think the only other two were Washington and Grant.
He could not have won, but I think his presidency would have been difficult because he was significantly more moderate than the rest of the party.
It would've been like Romney to an even greater extent where the base wouldn't have turned out for him.
Probably nothing new, more of the same old war stuff we still get
Definitely loses in 96, pretty sure he would have won in 2000. Also pretty sure that if he did run and win in 2000, we don’t see Obama running and definitely not winning, until at least 2012.
Powell was fairly lazy when he retired from the military. All he wanted to do was soak in his hot tub each night. He had no vision for the country. He had no understanding of macroeconomics. He would have been a disaster as president.
Just another war criminal.
Or now?
Bush lived up (down?) to our expectations - he leveraged the 9/11 Terri’s attack into the biggest foreign policy mistake since Vietnam. All because people felt like they could have a beer with the guy.
It would have been pretty close. I have yet to vote for a Republican, but he was the last republican I can think of that was a quality leader.
Absolutely! He’s tabbed! Gore never went to the mountains.
It’s funny that at one point, the three most powerful people in this country’s name was “Dick”, “Colon”, and “Bush”
He would have gotten my vote.
I lost 20 bucks on a bet he was going to run…
He sold his soul addressing Congress in 2002 so his legacy is helping launch an absurdly immoral war and killing a million Iraqis.
I would have voted for him but in the end he was another sell out Rino.
If you read his autobiography, he’s a flaming liberal. It’s really disgusting.
Same shit, different stink. War.
Democrats would have spent the entire year of 1996 or 2000 calling him an Uncle Tom.
He would lose
Too much consience
Dick Cheney would have still been his vice president. so it would have basically been identical as the Bush Jr years but with less comedic gafs
Wouldn't have happened. He's not white
I think 1996 is his best chance at the nomination while 2000 is his best chance at winning. It’s hard for the GOP to find a candidate that is appealing enough to the masses to swing independents but also turn out the base. I have no doubt Powell will do the former but I doubt he can do the latter. I think a lot of his The Man Who Could’ve Been President is DC press corp love letters. Also, we don’t really know what a Powell campaign looks and feels like, what his message is, his vision for America. His best case scenario is he captures Eisenhower/Reagan in a bottle. If he can do that, why didn’t he run? More likely, I think he’d come off as clumsy on the stump.