Post by mcnutt on Nov 25, 2017 4:30:44 GMT
In 2008, for a time, John McCain favored picking Joe Lieberman as his running mate. He was advised that a pro choice Vice Presidential candidate would alienate much of the Republican base and insure a messy floor fight at the convention. What if he never received this advice? He would announce Lieberman as his choice but then the Republican convention would reject him. Not only his pro choice stance but Lieberman's mostly liberal voting record would turn off a majority of the delegates. I think McCain would have picked Palin as his substitute choice. She would win the nomination. McCain would have alienated much of the Republican base. So he gets all of Palin's OTL negatives without her OTL positives. With social conservatives stay at homes and protest votes McCain does worse. In the popular vote, Obama wins 54% McCain 40% Barr 3% Palin 2%. Obama wins his OTL states plus Georgia.Missouri,South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana. So the Electoral College is 400 Obama and 138 McÇain. Democrats win 275 seats in the House. In the Senate Mitch McConnell loses. With a stronger Democratic House Majority the Public Option is included in the Affordable Care AcT. The Public Option proves popular. Trump loses in his efforts to repeal it. In the 2010 special election to replace Ted Kennedy, Republican Scott Brown is not going to end the Democratic filibuster proof majority, so he may not get the money and attention he needs to win. Even if he does win, he reduces the Democratic Senate majority from 61 to a still filibuster proof 60. in 2010 the Dream Act passes. In 2017, there is a different Republican leader in the Senate and there is no controversy over DACA. There is no DACA. Dreamers are protected by federal law.
