Post by mcnutt on Apr 8, 2018 18:05:10 GMT
I am rereading Battle for America 2008, a book about the 2008 election. The section that discusses how John McCain seriously considered picking Joe Lieberman as his running mate caught my attention. It was seen as message that he would work for consensus and reform the political system. McCain and Lieberman also had a close relationship. I think it is probably ASB that McCain would risk angering the Republican base but what if he took that risk? He could not have a won a majority of votes of the Republican Convention delegates for a pro choice liberal. He would have named Sarah Palin as his substitute choice. He would have gotten all her negatives without her positives. Social conservatives would have been angry with McCain she would not have helped as much as she did OTL. The popular vote would have been Obama 55 % McCain 40 % Barr 2 % Keyes 1% and write ins for Palin 1%t. The Electoral College would have been Obama 417 McCain 121. That would have been Obama's OTL states plus Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Arizona. OTL Obama's victory in Indiana and Virgins lowered the number of states that had not gone Democratic since 1964 from 11 to 9. ITTL South Dakota and North Dakota bring it down to 7. The social conservative no shows mean that two more Republican Senator's lose: Kentucky's Mitch McConnell and Georgia's Saxby Chambliss. So the Democratic Senate is 62 rather than the the OTL 60. Even if Scott Brown gets the money and the attention to win the special election to replace Ted Kennedy,he only reduces the Democratic Senate margin to a still filibuster proof 61. So in 2010,the Dream Act passes. There is also more Democrats in the House, 287 rather than the OTL 259, With more Democratic votes, the Public Option is part of the Affordable Care Act.That is one of the changes from this POD that still effects today's politics. Many employers save money by switching their employees to the Public Option. A majority of Americans have government health insurance. America has socialized medicine. The Public Option is new third rail. President Trump can not sabotage it. Also there is no controversy over DACA.There is no DACA. Dreamers are protected by federal law. The last change is John Cronyn is Senate Majority Leader.
