If the Republicans win

[Bluewolf]

Kind of a hypothetical sconario but not a rar. What if Mccain wins the US election with, say 55% share of the vote (close but not enough for any recounts etc). What would the reaction be from the Democratic party with one of their best chances failing? How would the US be affected in the next 4 years (keeping in mind praticallty of Mccains policies and other events that he may persue later on) and how would this also effect foriegn relations? Finally what would your reaction be

[Alyrium Denryle]

The first thing the Dems would ask is "How the fuck did this happen?" their jaws would drop for a while, they would lose their confidence and become spineless puppets. That is how bad it would be.

policy: One word. CLusterfuck

Me: I would finish up my masters and leave the US. My faith in the american people shattered and in disgust, getting my Ph.D in Germany, the UK, or Canada

[Edi]

A McCain victory this time around would be a complete catastrophe, but not for the usual reasons cited (shit economic policy and driving the country to the ground etc). By far the worst thing is that the judges of the SCOTUS are nearly all except for Alito and Roberts (Bush's picks) going to either croak or retire soon or are already conservative fucktards who have no place on the bench (Scalia) and the new president and his party get to pick the successors. So if the Republicans get to pick three more judges there, your country is going to be a long way up shit creek without a paddle, as the overwhelmingly determining factor in the nomination will be blind obedience to ideology without any regard for actually upholding the laws or the constitution of the state.

[Kanastrous]

I've been researching a move to New Zealand.

Just in case.

[Invictus ChiKen]

I'd state and keep fighting to change this government for the better simply because I am to poor to move anywhere.

[Masami von Weizegger]

I'll move to Canada like I would have done if I had lived here in 2000 or 2004. Honest to gosh, I would have!

Seriously though, most of the negative affects described so far are those which everyone postulated on in 2004 (and which largely came true). It'll likely happen again, but more so. Left-leaning citizens will feel disillusioned, the international community will arc an impressive looking eyebrow and wonder what the hell happened, Democrats will be in shock and will probably try and "Republican" themselves up to try again in 2012 and the Republicans will act like that rich Texan in the Simpsons and will do whatever they want, guns a-blazing.

[Col. Crackpot]

A McCain victory this time around would be a complete catastrophe, but not for the usual reasons cited (shit economic policy and driving the country to the ground etc). By far the worst thing is that the judges of the SCOTUS are nearly all except for Alito and Roberts (Bush's picks) going to either croak or retire soon or are already conservative fucktards who have no place on the bench (Scalia) and the new president and his party get to pick the successors. So if the Republicans get to pick three more judges there, your country is going to be a long way up shit creek without a paddle, as the overwhelmingly determining factor in the nomination will be blind obedience to ideology without any regard for actually upholding the laws or the constitution of the state.

Any SCOTUS appointment would have to pass through a Democratic controlled Senate. Quite frankly I like the idea of the parties at parity power wise and not being able to put wing nuts, left or right, on SCOTUS.

[Guardsman Bass]

It depends on whether the Democrats do as well in Congress as they are expected to do. I'd expect a LOT of animosity from them towards McCain, and a lot of attempts to forcibly set the agenda (by sending him repeated bills of the same type of thing, like what they tried to do with SCHIP).

I don't know what the international community's reaction would in total, but at home, most of the liberal people like myself would probably be deeply upset. I don't know if we'd be in shock; we've seen too much shit go down over the past 8-10 years to really be truly stunned by anything, much less another grasping of defeat from the jaws of victory. Some of the Clinton people would no doubt be saying, "Well, I told you so", while planning for 2012.

[Guardsman Bass]

To add, there would probably be a lot of name-calling and blaming within the Democratic Party over who was responsible for this catastrophe. The centrists would probably say that the more staunch liberals cost the election, and vice versa.

That's all assuming the Democrats win the House and Senate (again, with a larger edge in the Senate). If we lost both . . . . Christ, then I would be in shock, and horrified.

[Big Phil]

if McCain is elected I'll expect all you plonkers talking about leaving the country to put your money where your mouths are. I think you're just talking big, however, and aren't going anywhere.

[Rye]

If the Republicans get in, I move to England and I chastise the idiocy of the American public, perhaps later on I mock McCain's torture injuries by starting impromptu mexican waves.

If it genuinely happens, I will be so disgusted with the American people that Rye-America relations may never recover.

[Vympel]

It's not unthinkable. The Democrats are waging the same kind of pussy campaign they always do, letting the Republicans flay them with vicious personality smears, while those fucking idiots wank on about John McCain's service to his country- as if the Republicans gave a fuck about John Kerry's service to his country in 2004.

[Ender]

It's not unthinkable. The Democrats are waging the same kind of pussy campaign they always do, letting the Republicans flay them with vicious personality smears, while those fucking idiots wank on about John McCain's service to his country- as if the Republicans gave a fuck about John Kerry's service to his country in 2004.

Plus there are still all the issues with Diebold and the other dirty tricks that have never been cleaned up.

[Darksider]

while those fucking idiots wank on about John McCain's service to his country- as if the Republicans gave a fuck about John Kerry's service to his country in 2004.

Quite frankly this disgusts me. In veitnam, kerry was awarded three purple hearts, and two other commendations (can't remember which ones exactly) for combat service, and the republitards treated him with utter disdain, launching a smear campaign with veterans who never even served with him.

Meanwhile, McCain crashed three jets, got shot down, spent time in a bamboo cage, and suddenly he's a "war hero."

[SirNitram]

It's not unthinkable. The Democrats are waging the same kind of pussy campaign they always do, letting the Republicans flay them with vicious personality smears, while those fucking idiots wank on about John McCain's service to his country- as if the Republicans gave a fuck about John Kerry's service to his country in 2004.

Plus there are still all the issues with Diebold and the other dirty tricks that have never been cleaned up.

Link

Short version of short Forbes story. 'Yea, our machines don't actually work. You're still stuck with them. Like we said, we'll deliver Ohio to the GOP.'

[Anarchist Bunny]

It's not unthinkable. The Democrats are waging the same kind of pussy campaign they always do, letting the Republicans flay them with vicious personality smears, while those fucking idiots wank on about John McCain's service to his country- as if the Republicans gave a fuck about John Kerry's service to his country in 2004.

What really sunk the Democrats in 2004 was they thought that no one could loose against Bush and put up the lamest horses of a candidate they had. Now they actually have a strong candidate running a campaign that isn't "I'm not Bush"

[AniThyng]

You know, after reading the "Biden says charges are on the table" thread, I think that a coliseum thread with Stuart versus one of the board's respected Obama supporters would be most educational - I am disturbed by his conviction that it would be the Democrats that would be a disaster, as he is clearly not a "retard", and he left before truely expanding on his position and before a satisfactory (IMO) rebuttal of his main points. Who's with me?

[Invictus ChiKen]

That would be a very interesting debate I must say, Stuart vs. a competent Obama supporter, Senators your plebes have spoken!

Give us our circus!

[Patrick Degan]

If the Republikans win...

Expect a further coarsening of the American culture. The Right's propaganda machine have been inculcating their audiences in knuckledragging attitudes toward every aspect of American society and worldview. Expect mindless star-spangled dickwaving and disdain for basic tenets such as fairness and diplomacy to become more acceptable if not popular. Rudeness will be seen increasingly as a virtue while kindness and consideration will be looked upon as unmanly, "French" or whatever other pejorative strikes the propagandakorps' fancy. And the poor will come to be seen by a larger segment of the population as outright irredeemable scum, unworthy of any measure of consideration or aid. Republikans will be all too ready to write off the next major city that suffers a disaster and whole segments of the population while militantly promoting the Cult of the Wealthy.

In short, it will be a decidedly uglier society for another 4-8 years of GOP misrule.

[SirNitram]

Based off of observed trends...

McCain: Healthcare crisis will worsen dramatically. His plan will eliminate group plans for most, and he openly states this. Quick hint: Group plans have specific laws in place requiring more acceptance of pre-existing conditions than individual plans. The effective trillion-plus bill saddled on the middle class continues to cause permenant damage to the economic health of the country. More wars, he's out and out promised that. Further entrenching of lobbyists in all levels of the process.

Now, since McCain is 72, and in bad health overall, an examination of Palin is logical:

Pushing of creationism being taught in the classic 'Teach the controversy' lie. Oh, by the way. That? Illegal. Continued denial on global warming. Pray The Gay Away. Massive increases in earmarks(Wasille, under her management, had 1,000 dollars of Federal aid per capita.). Massive increases in debt(The debt left from her term in Wasilla is 3,000 dollars per capita). Taxes on oil company profits.. Which are then turned into a redistribution of wealth scheme. Emboldening Christian Dominionist and Holy Warrior factions due to association. More investigations shut down, subpeonas ignored, agreements reneged on.

[Anguirus]

The prospect of the Republicans seizing Congress is extremely dubious. McCain winning is not unthinkable, but would be deeply disappointing. I doubt Obama will just slink away in defeat though. If he or other Dems rally a strong opposition I think I can still keep my faith in the process.

[Eframepilot]

What if Mccain wins the US election with, say 55% share of the vote (close but not enough for any recounts etc). What would the reaction be from the Democratic party with one of their best chances failing?

This is outright impossible. McCain cannot win with 55%. That is a landslide victory beyond any current projections. Only some unforeseen factor like, well, God declaring His presence to the world and commanding the faithful to vote Republican could cause that.

At any rate, if McCain won by a margin that large, Democrats would universally acknowledge that a majority of the country are just plain stupid and unwilling to elect a Democrat under any circumstance whatsoever. Even with a slim margin, that would probably still be the most common opinion among Democrats (though "We should have chosen Hillary" would be close).

As for how McCain would govern, well, by choosing Palin he's proven himself so reckless that it's too hard to predict, especially since he wanted Lieberman more. McCain could be like Bush's 3rd term, or he could throw the Republicans under the bus and work with the Democrats, or he could be even more hard-line than Bush and risk provoking WWIII. The only near certainty is that the Supreme Court would end up repealing Roe vs. Wade.

[Guardsman Bass]

That assumes that the Democrats don't take control of Congress and refuse to approve any of his judicial nominees. Of course, if McCain somehow won with 55% of the popular vote, then it probably would cascade into a Republican victory in Congress, too.

Assuming a more likely very close victory for McCain, then one other thing that I think might happen is that the next time around, the Democrats really will play nasty, like the Republicans have. Right now, the Democrats have been holding punches and showing the usual politeness because Obama is supposed to be the candidate of change, and he's riding the possibilities of the end of the Bush Administration for it. If he fails, then the whole "new kind of politics" dealie just dies on the vine.

[Durandal]

A McCain victory this time around would be a complete catastrophe, but not for the usual reasons cited (shit economic policy and driving the country to the ground etc). By far the worst thing is that the judges of the SCOTUS are nearly all except for Alito and Roberts (Bush's picks) going to either croak or retire soon or are already conservative fucktards who have no place on the bench (Scalia) and the new president and his party get to pick the successors. So if the Republicans get to pick three more judges there, your country is going to be a long way up shit creek without a paddle, as the overwhelmingly determining factor in the nomination will be blind obedience to ideology without any regard for actually upholding the laws or the constitution of the state.

The Democratic Congress have an ace in the hole on that one. Once the justices start dying off, simply reduce the size of the Supreme Court. I don't think the Court's size has ever been reduced, but there's no legal reason why they couldn't do it.

[Guardsman Bass]

Wouldn't they have to get McCain to sign off on that? They could over-ride him, but good luck getting the supermajority, especially with the Blue Dog Democrats in Congress.