Would you feel different about Bush if had actually won the 2000 election?

[kentuck]

If the people of Florida had been permitted to recount all the votes and the US Supreme Court had not gotten involved, and Bush then came out with the most votes, would you look at him differently? But knowing that he was behind until the Florida votes were counted, he had to have Florida. That was when he played the Supreme Court card. He could not take a chance on a recount.

But hasn't Bush invited much of the disrespect on himself? Wouldn't many Democrats looked at him a little differently if he had permitted an actual re-count of the votes? But the manner in which he brought in James Baker and the Supreme Court made it impossible to respect him or to trust him?

[frankly_fedup2]

1. No, not at all . . .

I thought he was stupid before the supreme court picked his sorry butt to be our president.

So he did not have a chance with me supporting him ever.

[displacedtexan]

2. No, but that's an excellent question?

Nixon was elected (maybe), and I hated him, too.

[FleshCartoon]

3. Not if he...

...still completely screwed everything up due to his incompetence--and he would have.

Then I would give the foreigners who get irked at America for "electing" him a pass and not argue them down about how the Supreme Court selected him.

But we didn't elect him. His friend Scalia selected him.

[kaitykaity]

4. I don't know.

I'd like to say yes, but I don't think so. I think it would
have just taken me longer to figure out who and what he is
(a mad George III remade for our times).

[OKNancy]

5. If he had won the popular vote

I might be a little less pissed. But there are plenty of other things to hate about him, so that one thing doesn't lessen my loathing much.

[Lucky Luciano]

6. Hell no!

His actions speak volumes. He has truly been the worst president the US has ever known.

[pinto]

7. No. Either way, he's a glad hand front for a bunch of thugs an' thieves.

[belle]

8. No, but I'd feel better about the system in general. and the SC.

[Leprechan29]

25. Definitely

I'd feel better about the system, and a TINY bit better about Bush - But then again, everything else seems a bit more pressing than not allowing recounts to proceed.

[AntiCoup2K4]

9. Even with a legitimate win, he'd still be a fucking idiot.

And he'd still be a Bush which means he'd still do all the fucked up stupid shit he's done (aside from stealing Florida)

The fact that the asshole doesn't even belong in the WhiteHouse probably amplifies the anger, as does his total disregard for the law, the Constitution, the Geneva convention, the will of the American people, or the opinions of the rest of the fucking planet.

[w13rd0]

10. Interesting question....

...though I voted for Gore because Bush ended up scaring me, the recount is when I actually got "passionate" about politics. If the recount had not occurred, I'd likely still loathe Bush, but I wouldn't have had my view of him marred by the "illegitimate" tag this entire time. In which case, I would likely have reacted to him in the same spirit I reacted to Reagan and Bush I, which is to say I hated them, but didn't long for their spending time in a high security prison surrounded by rapists, murderers and child molesters. Though that fate might be too kind, maybe an Iraqi prison...

[acmavm]

11. If he had actually won the election, I would not have had that first

possibly illegal, definitely immoral act to hold against him. But everything after the swearing in has been lie, a theft, mass murder, mass looting of the American treasury therefore the people of the United States. So no, I would feel exactly as I do now. He is totally unfit to serve in any capacity whatsoever that demands decency, morality, integrity, and intellect.

[LizW]

12. Well, if he had actually won

I probably would not feel any different about Bush, but I might feel that the American voters deserved the devastation we have suffered under his misadministration.

I think I would be more depressed, (if possible) if he had been elected. As it is, I have faith that America will come to the polls and vote the bastards out. My big concern is that it is rigged and our votes won't matter.

[Senior citizen]

13. No, I would have assumed that the vote was rigged

but that nobody had managed to prove it.

I know of people who claim to love him, people who have done business with him or used him, and there are people who will vote for him because the cult they belong to does, but I'm not sure that anybody ever respected or trusted him.

[joanne]

15. No difference to me

As someone pointed out... Nixon really did win.... even if Dumbya had won fair and square so what.... he is a criminal and an idiot.

[Radical Activist]

14. At first, yes...

But I never liked him and would have ended up hating him just as much as I do now. But the fact that he clearly stole the election added to my indignation that he was occupying the White House from day one.

[Career Prole]

16. Absolutely not!

I'll go further than that...if a Democrat president had screwed up as bad as bush* I'd want that president out too.

[eileen from OH]

17. Nope. Wouldn't feel differently.

And, though I followed the Florida story closely, when it was all over I (at least partially) let it gooooooo. One of the things I kept clinging to was Bush and his declared intention, during debates, was to have a "humble" foreign policy. I was young (or rather, youngER) and I had no bloody clue what we were getting into. Plus, he did unite the country, post 9/11. Ah, the naivete of (relative) youth.

What galvanized me, rather than 2000, was 2002. Watching Dems fall all over themselves to "support" the President only to see that "support" from our "uniter" repaid viciously at every turn (see: Mary Landrieu and Max Cleland) pissed me off no end. Not just at Bush, but at spineless Dems. So when Dean made his famous "What I Wanna Know" speech at the Cal. Dem Convention I was reborn.

Dean may be gone as a Presidential candidate and I do NOT want to re-fight battles which are over. But no matter who you support, credit Dean with re-invigorating a large segment of the population, no matter what party, with a passion that we'd all felt and which, only in hindsight, goes back to 2000.

eileen from OH

[RC]

18. It would make no difference to me.

I knew what he did to Texas. His baseball stadium scam, oil-less oil companies, tax cuts for his buddies. Social program cut backs.
Texas was just for practice. He runs from the center and slams hard right after he gets in. He has done that three times in a row now. When are people going to learn that bu$h doesn't care about them. It is all about him

[daa]

19. Definitely not

Whether he won or not he is without a doubt the worst loser of a president in the history of the US.

[Old and In the Way]

20. Yes

But he still should be impeached.

[devinsgram]

21. No

Absolutely not, knew he was an idiot from the beginning.

[mithnanthy]

23. No

I would despise him anyway. He's earned my contempt.

[maggrwaggr]

22. Not. One. Bit.

The man had a chance to prove himself after he was appointed.

He blew it.

He had the chance of a lifetime to prove himself after 9/11.

He blew it even worse.

He showed his true colors, which are these:

He is a coward.

A bully.

And a gangster.

[Darranar]

24. If Bush had been fairly elected, I would think him...

a horrid president, not an illegitimate, unelected horrid "president".

[TheFarseer]

26. I voted Gore but

I was willing to give GW a chance. What was he supposed to do, decline the presidency? I actually thought he was doing an OK job for a while. Then he cut taxes for the rich. I was expecting that so it didn't make me that mad. Then he did it again, he gave away the store to the drug companies and the kicker, he invaded Iraq. The rest of that stuff is just stuff that republicans are going to do and you shouldn't be surprised by but Iraq was just way over the top and should be completely unforgivable no matter what party you claim.

[TexasBushwhacker]

27. Not really

Being in Texas, and having experienced the job he did as Governor, I knew he would be incompetent, I just didn't know HOW incompetent. The man never did a thing in his life that didn't take advantage of who his dad was, and even then he screwed it up. When the Supremes made their decision, I didn't feel angry as much as just heartbroken.

Gore did better than I ever would have dreamed. I was truly surprised that the majority of the voters were able to see beyond the shadow of Clinton's "scandal" and judge Gore as the better candidate on his own merits. I had hope with Gore that our country would continue to get better. When Gore made his concession speech, I burst into tears. It wasn't that I thought that our country would get totally screwed up. I just figured it was a big step backward. Who could have predicted exactly how BIG a step backward it ended up being?

[ibegurpard]

28. No

Because even if he had won without a doubt, the fact that he lost the popular vote should have meant that he did NOT have a MANDATE to take this country down an extremist road. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, particularly after 9/11 but he COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY abused my trust.

[in_cog_ni_to]

29. No. I hate the bastard in the WH.

Nothing would change that. He's such a loser.

[mom cat]

30. No, but I'd feel worse about Americans

[DemBones DemBones]

31. Let's put it this way. . .

My memory extends back to Truman's presidency and I never refused to call Nixon or Reagan (or LBJ when we were waist high in the Big Muddy and the fool said to push on) by the title "President." Because of the way he got into the White House, I will always call Little George simply "Bush*" (the asterisk to indicate he was appointed, not elected.)

[yardwork]

32. No.

[Eric J in MN]

33. Legal voters weren't allowed to vote as they were labelled

Legal voters weren't allowed to vote as they were labelled "suspected felons" by Florida's Jeb Bush Adminstration.

But to answer your question, I would have a higher opinion of Bush if he got into office without election fraud.

We're still talking about a low opinion, though.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

34. No. I've disliked him from the very beginning of his political career.

[dsc]

35. Maybe in degree

If he had won the election I wouldn't feel that he was contermanding the will of the people to the extent I do, but that still would leave my deep disgust with the type of person he is and the policies he expouses.

[rexcat]

36. NO!!!

He is heading our country in the wrong direction. He is dismantling the constitution, one amendment at a time.