• spongebue@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    I’m a firm believer that the person who most changed the modern world, or at least this country, completely by accident, is Elián González. Remember him? That whole thing turned off a ton of Democratic voters in Florida. Right before the 2000 election… You know, the hanging chads one that took forever to settle?

    Imagine Al Gore winning in 2000. Imagine 9/11 and the aftermath (including the Iraq war) happening under his leadership… Or not. Maybe Gore would have taken action ahead of intelligence warning that planes would be used as missiles and prevented the whole thing.

    It does make me wonder if that momentum would have continued into 2008 or if the pendulum would have swung to a Republican, but I would be so damn curious to see what things would have been like if his mother made it to Florida with him.

    • MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com
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      2 minutes ago

      I made a similar claim recently. I guess we could go back as the beginning of time, imperialism, the framing of the constitution, manifest destiny, reconstruction, Nixon, Regan, etc. But Gore just felt so recent. So close. Like such an inflection point. Think of what the Supreme Court could look like. It really is just these small changes that turn the tides of history. I know tensions were high, but I think of Franz Ferdinand and how maybe things would’ve played out just the same if he was not assassinated, but there’s this huge unexplored possibility space where things were different. Makes me sad to think people make these decisions and will never see or understand the true consequences of them. I wonder if they saw the destruction of WW1, the holocaust, WW2, the nuclear bombs, the destruction in Gaza and war in Ukraine, if they would maybe make some different choices. I know the 2000 Supreme Court wouldn’t, but it’s nice to think maybe someone would.

    • thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works
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      9 hours ago

      I would go out on a limb and say that due to continuity of Government, Gore’s administration would have likely been able to successfully prevent 9/11 from happening.

      Though I think he would still likely end up a one-term President for whatever reason (akin to Bush Sr.) and we’d likely have gotten John McCain as president for a term before the GFC.

    • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      Al Gore DID WIN! It was proven after the fact, when the Supreme Court gave it to Bush. First time Republicans cheated and won

        • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          You can shove that CNN article up your ass. I was there after the fact. Was 20 years old first presidential election. Gore won it was proven in court. CNN are fucking nazi supporters.

          • spongebue@lemmy.world
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            9 hours ago

            You can shove that CNN article up your ass

            Coming in strong there

            I was there after the fact.

            There as in boots on the ground on the campaign/legal team/whatever or there as in old enough to pay attention to the news?

            Was 20 years old first presidential election.

            Ah, I’ll assume the latter to my question above. How is that any better than someone who says they were 30 and believe the opposite? I’m just not sure why your age should matter here

            Gore won it was proven in court

            Which court? Was that ruling overturned on appeal?

    • AndiHutch@lemmy.zip
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      14 hours ago

      That made a difference, but I also think It also had to do with the literal paid Brooks brothers riot organized for republicans and the Bush legal team which had 3 members who are now supreme court justices. Who cares if the people voted for gore, our supreme court says their vote is more important.

      • xyzzy@lemmy.today
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        12 hours ago

        And Florida’s Secretary of State doing everything she could to stop counts and hand the election to Bush. And the Supreme Court that collaborated with her to do so.

        2000 was actually, incontrovertibly stolen.

      • Azal@pawb.social
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        11 hours ago

        Andrew Johnson. The guy kneecapped Reconstruction, basically was a friend of the confederates and didn’t finish cutting out a rot that would destroy the nation a century later.