Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

What If Counterfactuals Never Existed?
New Republic ^ | 20 Sep 2014 | Cass R. Sunstein

Posted on 09/29/2014 1:04:58 PM PDT by oblomov

Altered Pasts: Counterfactuals in History by Richard J. Evans (Brandeis University Press)

As everyone knows, the supreme court 
ruled six–three for Al Gore in the great dispute over the Florida recount in 2000. As everyone also knows, Gore emerged as the ultimate victor in that recount, and with his poetic and moving inauguration address he managed to unify a badly divided nation. For a long period, the Gore years continued the peace and prosperity established under President Clinton, punctuated by the successful prevention of an apparent terrorist plot in 2001, by the enactment of health care reform in 2003 (mocked by critics as GoreCare), and by aggressive steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, culminating in the historic Copenhagen Protocol, ratified by the U.S. Senate in 2005.

It was not until the nation’s financial collapse, beginning in 2007, that Gore’s presidency started to unravel. Senator John McCain, a longtime critic of Gore’s “failure to respect free markets,” succeeded in convincing the American public that the collapse was partly a product of the Democratic Party’s “regulatory overreach,” and he was able to trounce Senator Joseph Biden in the 2008 election. Now in his second term, McCain has presided over a successful recovery (with unemployment levels down to 8 percent from their high of 13 percent in 2010). But his own legislative agenda, including repeal of GoreCare and immigration reform, has been stymied by what McCain calls the “do-nothing Senate,” 
which has a slim Democratic majority. Many insiders think that the Democratic nominee in 2016 will be Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. According to University of Chicago law professor Barack Obama, a specialist on election law, “Klobuchar is perfectly positioned to win her party’s nomination—and to triumph in the general election as well. She’s audacious.”

(Excerpt) Read more at newrepublic.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: algoreisnotmygod; algoreisnotmyprez; counterfactual; fakebutaccurate; goreloser; historiography; history; liberalism; mentaldisorder; mythmaking; revisionisthistory; sunstein
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last
An intellectually engaging article from Obama's former regulatory czar. I have long been interested in counterfactual history, and I tend to come down on the side of Evans and Churchill that it's often useless navel-gazing. As a means of exploring causation and the "inevitability" of historical change, it can be a useful starting point.
1 posted on 09/29/2014 1:04:58 PM PDT by oblomov
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: oblomov

it’s really just fantasy for the losing side. they can watch west wing and the secretary and wish all day long.


2 posted on 09/29/2014 1:09:18 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man ( Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

Looks like a study exercise for Winston Smith.


3 posted on 09/29/2014 1:09:49 PM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

Q: What If Counterfactuals Never Existed?

A: There would be no Democrats


4 posted on 09/29/2014 1:10:57 PM PDT by Ray76 (We must destroy the Uniparty or be destroyed by them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

Counterfactuals existed until I went back in time and undid them.


5 posted on 09/29/2014 1:12:31 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Larry Lucido

it’s the “educated” person’s way of playing the “what if...” game.


6 posted on 09/29/2014 1:18:14 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man ( Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

It’s funny that the first person that I thought of when I read the word Counterfactuals is Al gore....


7 posted on 09/29/2014 1:19:08 PM PDT by PATRIOT1876
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

Don’t even need to change an election outcome.

What if the 20th hijacker flight instructor got through to the beauracracy enough for them to raid the hijacker’s background? Then the airlines would harden the cockpit doors and added flight marshalls. No trillion dollar loss, no wars in two other countries. No ISIS. Etc.


8 posted on 09/29/2014 1:19:47 PM PDT by cicero2k
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

Yeah, if your aunt had different plumbing, she’d be your uncle :)


9 posted on 09/29/2014 1:32:06 PM PDT by ExGeeEye (The enemy's gate is down...and to the left.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov
Actually, the recount was done. All the big media organizations collaborated in hiring a national accounting firm to do it. They filed FOIA requests to get the ballots in every Florida county. They did the recount several ways, every method proposed by both the Gore and Bush campaigns. Gore lost every one.

And that was without recounting the military ballots that had been tossed.

The story appeared in one Sunday edition of the New York Times and then disappeared down the liberal memory hole.

10 posted on 09/29/2014 1:46:28 PM PDT by colorado tanker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov
Q: In a world where mankind is ruled by a giant intelligent beaver, what food is no longer consumed?

A: Cheese danish

Defense: In a world ruled by a giant beaver, mankind builds many dams to please the beaver overlord. The low lying city of Copenhagen is flooded. Thousands die. Devastated, the Danes never invent their namesake pastry.

11 posted on 09/29/2014 1:51:42 PM PDT by wbill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wbill

First thing that came to my mind too.

Fun for ages eight through eighty, join us!


12 posted on 09/29/2014 2:12:15 PM PDT by SpaceBar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

What if Superman studied Karl Marx?


13 posted on 09/29/2014 2:16:50 PM PDT by dangerdoc ((this space for rent))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

—surprised that there is no mention of Harry Turtledove——


14 posted on 09/29/2014 3:17:37 PM PDT by rellimpank (--don't believe anything the media or government says about firearms or explosives--)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

Cass Sunstein is one of the vilest Big Government Statists in the country.


15 posted on 09/29/2014 3:25:37 PM PDT by kiryandil (making the jests that some FReepers aren't allowed to...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kiryandil

Agreed. I posted it on FR since it was not a particularly vile book review (if you don’t count the counterfactual musing about Gore and Klobuchar).


16 posted on 09/29/2014 3:44:38 PM PDT by oblomov
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: oblomov; fieldmarshaldj; BillyBoy; AuH2ORepublican; Clintonfatigued; sickoflibs; GOPsterinMA

President Gore would have had a GOP Congress, no Gore care would have passed.

Rats have the Senate? So we’re saying McCain’s first midterm in 2010 was that bad a buttkick? I doubt it.

Amy Klobuchar? For President? President of what? The NOW? LOL.


17 posted on 09/29/2014 4:43:06 PM PDT by Impy (Voting democrat out of spite? Then you are America's enemy, like every other rat voter.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oblomov; fieldmarshaldj; BillyBoy; AuH2ORepublican; Clintonfatigued; sickoflibs; GOPsterinMA

And Biden as the rat nominee for President in 2008 is the biggest laugh of all.


18 posted on 09/29/2014 4:44:36 PM PDT by Impy (Voting democrat out of spite? Then you are America's enemy, like every other rat voter.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Impy; AuH2ORepublican; cva66snipe; sickoflibs; NFHale; Clintonfatigued; BillyBoy
"Gore emerged as the ultimate victor in that recount, and with his poetic and moving inauguration address he managed to unify a badly divided nation."

I'm having to badly suppress a viscerally derisive fit of laughter at this Communist fantasy horseshit. Manbearpig couldn't deliver a unifying speech to save his life. He's one of the most smug, self-righteous, arrogant and elitist assholes ever to reach high office. He can't speak to anyone without talking DOWN to them, like we're toddlers getting his pearls of wisdom. I find it amazing that during the 8 years he served with Clinton, that even Bubba didn't punch his lights out at some point because he is so insufferable.

19 posted on 09/29/2014 4:56:28 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Impy

Presuming Manbearpig got a second term, how does Cassie think that Klobuchar would’ve won a Senate seat in 2006 ? 2006 would’ve been a landslide reaction against Gore and Mark Kennedy would’ve won the race (and a lot of the 2000 turds that floated in would’ve been flushed).


20 posted on 09/29/2014 5:02:03 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson