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Sometimes things don’t quite work out as they are expected to. If you have ever been passed over for a job, or missed out on something that seemed like a sure thing then this list might cheer you up a little. Here are ten people who came very close to the highest office in the land. Some of them missed it by only a few weeks or a few votes. This list excludes people who eventually become president. How different do you think things would have been if some of these men had become president?
In 1948 just about everybody thought Thomas Dewey was going to be elected president. Harry Truman was losing popularity and most people felt that the Democratic vote was going to be split between two third party candidates, Henry Wallace and Strom Thurmond. Dewey was told that all he had to do was not make any major mistakes. Truman, however, wasn’t going to give up. He ran a very vigorous campaign and attacked Dewey on all fronts. In spite of this, many media outlets still did not think it was enough. Early returns from the election led the Chicago Tribune to print their infamous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline. However, as the night went on it became clear that Truman had won the election thanks to swing voters in a few select states. Dewey may have lost the election, but thanks to his infamous headline he is one of the most famous runners-up in history.
Rockefeller was a politician who very much wanted to be president, and in September 1975 he almost got his chance. During that month there were two assassination attempts on president Gerald Ford. The first by “Squeaky” Fromme is the most famous, although her gun was loaded improperly and was therefore harmless. Seventeen days later, however, Ford was shot at by Sara Jane Moore but the bullet was deflected. Nelson Rockefeller was Ford’s vice president by special appointment. Had the assassination attempts been successful, Rockefeller would have been the second president in a row to reach the office without having to win an election.
Very few events better illustrate the rise of Theodore Roosevelt than the Vice Presidency of William McKinley. Garret Hobart had been one of the most powerful vice presidents in history. He worked very closely with the president, and no doubt could have taken over as president if he needed to. Unfortunately in 1899 Hobart died. Around that same time Roosevelt, then Governor of New York, was wreaking havoc on the corrupt political machines. Those in power thought that the best way to keep him quiet would be to make him Vice President. At the time the VP had very few duties. McKinley and Roosevelt won the election easily. Then around six months later McKinley was assassinated and Roosevelt became president. Today Roosevelt is on Mt. Rushmore and remembered as one of the greats. However, it took a few deaths for him to get there. And although Hobart was a well liked public figure, he is mostly forgotten today.
Had Spiro Agnew been able to keep his hands clean, he would have become president. He was Vice President under Richard Nixon in both his first and second term. About a year into his second term it came out that Agnew had been taking bribes in all of his elected offices. These bribes totaled more than $100,000 dollars, which was a great sum in the 1960s. Agnew was forced to resign, and Nixon, who didn’t get along with Agnew, couldn’t have been happier. Nixon, of course, would be out of office due to a scandal in less than a year, but it was Gerald Ford, and not Spiro Agnew, who ended up in the White House.
Hamlin was Lincoln’s vice president during his first term. He was a popular and experienced politician in his day, but his party saw things differently. They felt that adding a southerner to the 1864 ticket would add more appeal. So for the presidential race they kicked out Hamlin and brought in Andrew Johnson. Lincoln and Johnson easily won the election. However, barely a month after the new term began Lincoln was shot and Johnson took over. His presidency is now infamous for being one of the worst in history. It is probably fair to say that if Hamlin had won, he would have made a far better president than Johnson.
Although most one vote margin victory stories are either completely false or exaggerated, this one is absolutely true. In 1868 Benjamin Wade came within one vote of becoming president. Wade was President pro Tempore at the time President Andrew Johnson was being impeached. Wade was next in line to get the job because Johnson had no vice president. His presidency would have lasted around five months until the upcoming elections and would have been the one of the shortest terms in history. However, the vote in the Senate was one short of the needed 2/3 majority and Johnson was allowed to stay in office.
Marshall was Vice President under Woodrow Wilson, and he probably had a legitimate reason to become president. In 1919 Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke which left him unable to carry out his duties as president. Marshall, though, had one major obstacle standing in his way to the presidency. This obstacle was the president’s wife, Edith Wilson. She was going to make sure that her husband finished his term in office, and did so by taking on many of the executive duties herself. She also kept the knowledge of Wilson’s condition a secret. Marshall reportedly never found out the true extent of the president’s stroke until his last day in office. Many go so far as to say that Edith Wilson was the first woman president, but no matter what her real standing was she was certainly closer to the office than Marshall.
Wallace was the Vice President during Franklin Roosevelt’s third term. During this time he showed himself to be quite a radical, at least according to the controlling Democrats at the time. He was a civil rights advocate who was interested in Buddhism. He was also a strong supporter of Russia thanks to a trip he took in 1944 where the real Russia was hidden from him. Also in 1944 rumors were beginning to surface about the health of FDR. Many insiders were worried that he would not survive another term if elected. Leading democrats were worried about Wallace becoming president, so they kicked him off the 1944 Presidential ticket and replaced him with Harry S. Truman. 82 days after the start of the term FDR died and Truman took over. Wallace missed being president by about three months.
In 1876 Tilden won the popular vote over his opponent Rutherford B. Hayes by around 200,000 and was one vote shy in the electoral college. The problem arose when three southern states (South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana) turned in two sets of votes. This led to a scandal that revealed heavy fraud in the voting process in these three states. Eventually a 15 member commission was set up to decide the winner. They voted along party lines and awarded the victory to Hayes. This gave him an Electoral College victory of one vote. Tilden lived out the rest of his life quietly and never ran for office again.
Today Al Gore has many awards including an Oscar, Grammy, and Nobel Peace Prize to his name, but the ultimate prize eluded him several times. Al Gore came very close to the presidency several times while serving as Vice President under Bill Clinton. In 1994 alone there were three attempts on Clinton’s life. In 1999 Clinton was impeached, but he was kept in office. Then in 2000 Gore got his own chance to run for president. The 2000 election turned out to be one of the most controversial in history. Gore got over 500,000 more popular votes than opponent George W. Bush, but highly scrutinized votes in Florida eventually swung the election in Bush’s favor. Today Al Gore seems to be a happy person who is proud of his accomplishments, but he will undoubtedly never forget how close he was to being president nearly a half dozen times.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:39 am
Al Gore rox
July 18th, 2009 at 1:40 am
Sexy Andy rox
July 18th, 2009 at 1:40 am
I think we can all admit it was a blessing in disguise Al Gore lost. I mean after all W. Was such a genius in so many ways. Seriously though thinking of the past 8 years of him makes me shudder.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:41 am
Cool list, didnt know most of these.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:47 am
why did u delete my comment? Is it because I said it is a bit boring today?
July 18th, 2009 at 1:52 am
This was a really great read, I am very glad I came across your site.
July 18th, 2009 at 2:01 am
@ jfrater: i love you!
July 18th, 2009 at 2:05 am
One author – it might be Douglas Hofstadter – wrote about alternative realities. He wrote something like: “I showed a draft of this chapter to a good friend. After he read it, he said ‘My uncle was almost president of the USA. He was the captain of PT-108′.”
July 18th, 2009 at 2:12 am
LOSERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 18th, 2009 at 2:22 am
That’s a lot of people that could have changed America drastically. Who knows what the world would look like? Crazy…
July 18th, 2009 at 2:27 am
@bob (5): we don’t allow advertising of competing sites due to spam issues in the past
July 18th, 2009 at 2:29 am
@lalalakc (7): thanks – in time I may come to love you too!
July 18th, 2009 at 2:42 am
Al Gore has one groovy surname! I can’t say that I know an awful lot about American Presidents, but I feel sorry for some of these men. Although, things could have been drastically different in America today if any of these men were president. Not necessarily in a good way either…
July 18th, 2009 at 3:02 am
You need to untangle the Garret Hobart entry, I can’t figure out who was what, where, and when.
July 18th, 2009 at 4:14 am
Some very interesting points have been made here, it is refreshing to see that your site gets quality visitors.
July 18th, 2009 at 4:43 am
In my opinion this list is quite boring (but that’s my opinion). Then again some lists that I find fascinating may not appeal to others so it’s each to their own
July 18th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Slight correction – Al Gore didn’t win the Oscar. The director of An Inconvenient Truth, Davis Guggenheim (aka Mr. Elisabeth Shue), was the actual winner.
July 18th, 2009 at 4:54 am
Too American this list is; where is Canada?
July 18th, 2009 at 5:07 am
Hello there. Quite an interesting list for me – being into history – once I figured out who was who. ‘Vice’ presidents – funny how those words go together.
‘Gore’ sounds like the arch villan in a horror movie – ‘Tonight: Dr. Gore and the House of the Savage Bloodbath of Death’. 
July 18th, 2009 at 5:15 am
Academy Awards for movies (eg Best Picture or Best Documentary) are usually given to producers and not to directors. Guggenheim was the producer and director. He was probably given the award as producer, and not as director.
“Too American this list is; where is Canada?”
Canada just north of the United States is, Yoda.
July 18th, 2009 at 5:20 am
@the william g (18):
This was a list of top 10 people who almost became president of the United States. why would there be Canadians on a list about the American presidency???
July 18th, 2009 at 5:27 am
im sthiper stherial (from south park about al gore) man bear pig
July 18th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Some of these I knew because I find it kind of ironic that they missed just by a short amount. So close but yet so far.
I didn’t know about Wilson. That was an interesting read. However, very happy that Al Gore and Spiro Agnew didn’t make it. They both are awful.
@astraya (20): I so do love your punchlines.
July 18th, 2009 at 6:05 am
I try to inform and/or amuse whenever possible.
July 18th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Thank God, Gore lost. Otherwise, America would have been spiraling out of control 8 years sooner, the Iraqis who are currently arguing back and forth about the direction of their government would simply be dead under Saddam, bin Laden would have his own show on CNN, and there would be a tofu chicken in every pot and a Smart Car in every garage. Meanwhile in NYC, the site of the former World Trade Center would be occupied by the “United Nations Islamic Peace Center”, and current president Obama would be squashing FBI memos detailing the minutes of its closed meetings.
July 18th, 2009 at 6:29 am
nice list jfrater.
July 18th, 2009 at 6:56 am
I grew up in middle Tennessee with firsthand knowlege of the Gore family and how their radical, socialist, inept and destructive One World politics destroys from the inside out…starting with the small towns and hard-working people’s lives (notice I mentioned the word WORK). “Some Guy in NEPA,” I salute you. You hit the nail on the head.
You forgot to mention EPA Commissioner Ed Begley, Secretary of State BILL Clinton, and Secretary of Defense Sean Penn.
Nice list, j.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:00 am
Cool list, NoahR. I am very glad Algore never became president. Has he finally stopped saying “Hi, I’m Al Gore, and I used to be the next president of the United States” to start all of his speeches?
July 18th, 2009 at 7:14 am
I know it’s a a little bit nit-picky, but wouldn’t it be better to call this list “Top 10 People Who Almost Became President Of The United States”. A lot of countries have Presidents (not to mention companies, etc.).
Was I the only person who saw the title of the list and spent a second or two thinking “President of … ?”
July 18th, 2009 at 7:15 am
Let us not forget Al Gore’s most greatest achievement…The Internet. And Oh yeah…pants. Funny. Moron.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:17 am
hmm…funny how the brainwashed minions still tout the evils of an alternate reality that Al Gore would have chaperoned our country. we would most likely NOT have had sub-prime lending & a disintegrating real estate market, we would have already discovered several alternate, affordable fuel sources that would have already been widely implemented…there would be no ineffective educational program known as “No Child Left Behind” (which really left a whole generation behind)…
yes, bash what might have been under Gore’s leadership. we might actually still be a world superpower, leading the world in advancing energy technologies a decade before the energy crisis was fully accepted by the nation & for all you know, September 11 would just be another day, since he would have payed heightened attention to any air strike threats we would have received! also, the atrocities allowed to happen in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina would never have occurred, since Mr. Gore was far more knowledgeable about weather patterns, the Earth’s cycles & landmasses, than a the eventual president, who was little more than a previous drunk frat boy.
yeah, what might have been would have been terrible!!!
(sorry rushfan, i do love you best, but disagree!)
rtr
July 18th, 2009 at 7:24 am
al gore looks like he has put on 50 pounds.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:28 am
@opschief- Middle Tennessee all the way!
on another note, this is a pretty interesting list.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Interesting list only knew 3 off them, which I read in the media over the years, Im on the other side of the globe to you guys, so ja it was not always on our front pages.
Im just glad Al Gore never made it his head was always in the clouds.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:02 am
@1 Diebolt voting machines anyone?
If you want to know what controls the puppets, er Presidents, I suggest you watch:
History of the Federal Reserve (Money Masters)
It’s a long documentary 3 1/2 hrs. but it will open your eyes(I hope)!
There are many ways to exert control over the masses, one is money the other is religion.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:10 am
@rushfan(28) The oil oligarchy would never allow Gore to assume power, it would upset their plans! I suggest you watch the documentary that I posted above, probably the most astute answer to what we now face with the global collapse and rampant theft of taxpayers money!
July 18th, 2009 at 8:17 am
excellent list! the history/politics ones are my favourites, and this is probably one of your best.
but seriously, hannibal hamlin?! his name sounds like a supervillain’s
July 18th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Ringtailroxy, you’re awesome. Political trolls are the worst. Keep up the good fight.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Nice list, very interesting indeed! I didn’t know about quite a few of these.
It’s ironic how many people bash Al Gore… While I personally don’t think he’d have made the BEST president in our nations history, I’m fairly sure he’d have done better than the frat-boy driveling intellect of our previous experience with good ole Dubya.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Very interesting list…. Spiro Agnew is incredibly fun to say. Who the hell thinks to name their kid “Spiro Agnew”? I love it!
July 18th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Course Al Gore is happy he lost the presidency. He’s made himself into a millionaire milking people off Global Warming hysteria. Oh sorry, its now called Climate Change due to all the non-warming going on.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:56 am
haha Al Gore got fat. I bet Bush will too.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Benjamin Wade (Number 5) wouldn’t have necessarily been President if Johnson had been impeached. Though the order of Presidential succession wasn’t firmly in place yet, today it would be the Speaker of the House, not the President Pro Tempore of the Senate that would succeed if there were no VP. It’s possible back then they may have chosen him, but the Speaker of the House at the time was Schuyler Colfax, so he could have as easily been the next successor to the Presidency.
July 18th, 2009 at 9:20 am
@ringtailroxy (31): Way to go Roxy. You said what I would like to say if I had the words. Al Gore would not have alienated the world from America. You are my hero of the day.
If Spiro Agnew had stayed in office, and been elected president, The Vietnam war would have gone on forever. He was Nixon’s mouthpiece, and did whatever he could to undermine war protesters at every turn. Indeed, he hated anyone that had anything except an ultra-conservative bent and was not shy about it. He was crooked and a master at dirty tricks.
July 18th, 2009 at 9:21 am
General Tits: Bush is a well-known healthnut. (The same lefties in the media who bitched and whined about him taking time out of his busy day to exercise later praised Obama for the same damn thing.) Gore is just plain nuts or believes that most Americans are….and SURPRISE, they are! Anyone who takes a huckster like him and his “concern” for the environment seriously is an idiot. He can go on tv tomorrow and explain with a straight (FAT!) face how his new scheme of trading in “calorie credits” means he can eat all he wants without gaining weight, and the useful idiots would be on the phone to their brokers. What the hell, it worked for carbon! Dude uses enough non-renewable energy to run Disneyland.
Note to anti-smokers (of which I am one): GORE’S FAMILY MADE MILLIONS SELLING TOBACCO!!!!!!! That fact alone should give you pause!
July 18th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Excellent job Noah. Makes for a damn near perfect week of ListVerse awesomeness.
Yeah sure Al Gore might have been a shitty President – what with all his celebrity friends and his delusional concern for the environment, education, health care and all things liberal. But to say Thank god we had Bush – how foolish can you be? Still apologizing for the guy history is likely gonna call the worst President ever is the epitome of stubborn. I learned a long time ago that there is no sin in being wrong or mistaken. The sin is being too pig-headed to accept it despite the overwhelming evidence. Afraid that if all the rhetoric you’ve wrapped yourself up in comes crashing down you’ll have nothing left?
July 18th, 2009 at 9:51 am
29: Yes…, yes you were.
31: Can you cite any sources for your claims? At least you day “most likely NOT” about the housing market. Because I assume you know that a large reason the real estate market fell was because of democratic policy, am I right in assuming that? I’m sure you know about the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 which “required banks to make loans to …to people who normally would be rejected as bad credit risks.” Who was President then? The democratic Carter.
How would we have found this special energy that you state as FACT we would have found had Gore been president? Also, NCLB left a whole generation behind? Really? Where are your sources? Or do you feel a need to not cite any and have us take you at your word?
The most asinine comments, which is SO absurd that it makes me think that your whole comment is facetious is “September 11 would just be another day, since he would have payed heightened attention to any air strike threats we would have received!
also, the atrocities allowed to happen in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina would never have occurred, since Mr. Gore was far more knowledgeable about weather patterns, the Earth’s cycles & landmasses…”
I don’t even think I need to point out how ridiculous this is, all you have to do is read it. But I do hope you are being facetious ‘cuz then it would be really funny!
July 18th, 2009 at 9:53 am
That should be “At least you say…”
July 18th, 2009 at 10:02 am
31 ringtailroxy
July 18th, 2009 at 7:17 am
hmm…funny how the brainwashed minions still tout the evils of an alternate reality that Al Gore would have chaperoned our country. we would most likely NOT have had sub-prime lending & a disintegrating real estate market, we would have already discovered several alternate, affordable fuel sources that would have already been widely implemented…there would be no ineffective educational program known as “No Child Left Behind” (which really left a whole generation behind)…
yes, bash what might have been under Gore’s leadership. we might actually still be a world superpower, leading the world in advancing energy technologies a decade before the energy crisis was fully accepted by the nation & for all you know, September 11 would just be another day, since he would have payed heightened attention to any air strike threats we would have received! also, the atrocities allowed to happen in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina would never have occurred, since Mr. Gore was far more knowledgeable about weather patterns, the Earth’s cycles & landmasses, than a the eventual president, who was little more than a previous drunk frat boy.
yeah, what might have been would have been terrible!!!
(sorry rushfan, i do love you best, but disagree!)
rtr
Hey RTR, since you have somehow dialed into an alternate reality and know these things as fact… how about cluing me in the Powerball Lottery numbers for the next three weeks. I promise I’ll build a solar powered coal burning nuclear power plant with some of the winnings.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:09 am
hey #31… to speculate that al gore could have prevented the mortgage meltdown, found and implemented new alternative fuels, and prevented the destruction in new orleans is ridiculous. i was not a big bush fan either but seriously, is al gore superman? i doubt very highly that he could have prevented the economic collapse. that is not all george bush’s fault. it’s the fault of shady lenders and incredibly stupid borrowers. we’ve had our eye on alternative fuels for decades, but big oil still runs a big part of the show, and would have on al gore’s watch too. to blame the hurricane katrina situation entirely on bush is also insane. people seemed to blame him a lot more than say ray nagin, the idiot mayor of new orleans. all i’m saying is that if i were mayor of a major coastal city that was always in danger of big hurricanes, i would have raised my voice about the lack of preparedness BEFORE the big one struck. okay liberals… tear me a new one!
July 18th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Very good list, I especially enjoyed this one. I read that Gore offically only lost to Bush by 537 votes.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:34 am
I believe that Gore would have been a great president. Instead of spending most of the being of his 1st term at The Crawford Ranch he could have been looking into reports stating Bin Laden was planning on using aircrafts to attack the United States. We would be in flying cars right now if Gore was president.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:40 am
I really think that it’s high time that Listverse get more global. Coz most of the time its all about the West…yeah the wil wild shit
July 18th, 2009 at 10:47 am
53 Skrilla: I really think that it’s high time that Listverse get more global. Coz most of the time its all about the West…yeah the wil wild shit
Who cares what you “think”?
July 18th, 2009 at 10:54 am
@mom424(46) We all seem to think we have a choice over whom we elect, if you do take the time to watch the doc I posted @(35) you will understand the delusion we are living under!
Jstar(47) I agree, global warming is a hoax in order to raise taxes, the sun and sunspot activity causes the fluctuations in Earths temp. Volcanic emissions create more polution than man ever could. This is a natural cycle and some people use our ignorance to sell their madness. Follow the money!
July 18th, 2009 at 11:00 am
How about an entry for “Almost Became First Lady”? with Jane Wyman being the answer.
She was the first wife of President Ronald Reagan, and they divorced in 1948. Quote from Wikipedia…
“Following arguments about Reagan’s political ambitions, Wyman filed for divorce in 1948,[38] citing a distraction due to her husband’s Screen Actors Guild union duties; the divorce was finalized in 1949[19] making him the only U.S. president to have been divorced”
So although she had wanted no part of his career and duties in the Screen Actors Guild, I wonder how she felt when she later realized that she could have been First Lady.
Nice list NoahR— Though I find it a little difficult to imagine “How different do you think things would have been if some of these men had become president?”, because so many of the entries were before my time and I have so little knowledge of the actual proclivities of each “almost”.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Pardon me..Let me amend my opening to read; “Almost Became First Lady of the United States”.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:20 am
lol look jamie has his own wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Frater
July 18th, 2009 at 11:23 am
That picture of Al Gore looks like Bruce the shark from Finding Nemo. Not attractive.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:23 am
a
July 18th, 2009 at 11:37 am
This should be call “Top 10 USA People Who Almost Became President”…
I’m not complaining at all… but, you know, there are others countries. Maybe not as famous or “important”, but still…
Anyway, good job. You’ve done better, but good job.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:42 am
BTW, CONGRATULATIONS, JFrater. You are in Wikipedia!!!!
Keep Up!!!
July 18th, 2009 at 11:55 am
i would have added Henry Clay. And if we could go international, Ricky Ricardo was close to being president of Cuba
July 18th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Samuel J Tilden — won the popular vote and lost the electoral vote by one vote. Violence against African Americans by the Democrats and fraud by the Republicans called into question the veracity of the electoral votes, and the issue was resolved by an Electoral Commission that gave the disputed votes to Rutherford B Hayes. (Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana each submitted two sets of electoral votes, and the commission had to determine which were the right ones – seems Florida can’t avoid voter controversy.)
July 18th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
interesting how Florida is still having a problem with voting fraud over 100 years later….
July 18th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
WHOA! JFrater…..you are seriously good looking! Nice wiki pic
. -a fellow opera singer
July 18th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
nice list but not being an american I cant add any wise words to the comments so I will shut up
July 18th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
D’oh! Missed Tilden at No 2. Sorry….
July 18th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Al Gore didn’t come into himself until he lost to W. Up til then he was kinda dorky and sadly controlled by the whims of his handlers. The loss kicked the shit out of him and he finally became himself. At that point, yes, he would have been a good president. He started speaking truth to power. Later he took up “climate change” and maybe he’s right about that. Even if he’s not, if we all follow his advice the country and world will be cleaner and more habitable for our children. I doubt he could have been a good president until he lost his chance to be one. He says, “you win some and you lose some, and then there’s that little known third category.”
July 18th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
For all of you non-Americans who see anyone here supporting Al Gore, let me speak on behalf of the smarter America. WE ARE MUCH BETTER OFF WITHOUT AL GORE! With his stupid “Global Warming” and other very liberal ideas, we were much better off w/ W.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
@ringtailroxy (31): Wow. Just wow. I couldn’t possibly address all of the fantasies you listed, but I would just like to point out that Ted Kennedy co-sponsored no child left behind, which had bi-partisan support; also most of the Congress voted to go to war in Iraq.
It’s good to see you lefties have moved on from just rewriting history to now actually predicting what life would have actually been like under a different president. You people never cease to amaze me. What on god’s green earth makes you think Gore could have done all of the fantastical imaginary things you listed? He’s just a fucking politician, like any and every other politician! So is B. Husein Obama. Just. another. politician. period. They’re not demigods or superheroes. They’re simply elected officials like every single other elected official. They make grandiose promises and get people like you all excited about how they will single-handedly solve all of the world’s problems, but nothing ever seems to get solved, does it?
If you want to sit back and blame republicans for keeping democrats from doing all of the “good” you think they’re capable of, feel free, but all you have to do is take a look at what they “do” and not just what they “say” and then get back to me.
ps, I still love ya, chica!
July 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
@lostatsea1 (36): I love a good conspiracy theory documentary as much as the next gal, but maybe you should broaden your horizons to some other forms of news. If you look around, you can even find news that doesn’t involve the Freemasons. Shocking, I know, but trust me, there’s more to politics than blaming the oil companies.
July 18th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Great! You’re so right!!!
July 18th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
wow! the comments have turned out to be more entertaining than the original list!
i by no means have a time machine that can reveal “what might have been”. if i did, i would have changed my own life so that i might be a little more successful sooner…or i would charge 10,000$ a trip & be uber rich by now…
speculation is just that, it is the contemplation or consideration of a subject. i really don’t know what would have happened, but neither does anyone else. to say i would is just asinine and missing my points entirely.
i do not claim to know all there is to know about politics, far from it! and i, like many Americans, only know bits n’ pieces of info that i am personally interested in. the rest, well, lets just say i don’t know about it.
the whole “Global Warming” a.k.a. “Climate Change” issue is an interesting one to me…the comment made earlier that volcanoes cause more pollution than people do is just hogwash. yes, a volcanic eruption spews toxic gasses & debris into The atmosphere…but it is natural toxic gases, not gases & waste denatured by production or burning. ever since the Industrial Revolution we have heavily influenced our planet’s weather. Climate change is a natural occurrence, but i have little doubt it is not effected by the advanced nations of the world…if every nation lived as we do in America, Europe, & Australia, we’d need some 5 planets like Earth to provide everyone the same resources & means of garbage control!
would the world be better if Gore won the election? maybe not…but i doubt the U.S. would be in the situation it is in today. regardless of what it could have been, reality is now.
i find it very difficult to locate unbiased documentaries concerning anything political, financial, or religious. (well, the documentary “Jesus Camp” was pretty unbiased from the filmmaker’s POV. which made it all the more disturbing to me, since i drew my own liberal atheist conclusions form it)
i think as individuals, we tend to have allegiance to whatever group most reflects our own principles & ideals, even if we don’t agree with all of them. which explains why i love Rushfan so much. sure, she’s a conservative…but also she’s the most intelligent, eloquent conservative i know. i can accept her views, so long as she delivers them in a logical manner. hopefully, she feels the same way about my opinions…
i’m quite content to be a smelly hippie liberal atheist. this planet is big enough for those like me as much as it is big enough for everyone else’s opinions.
rtr
July 18th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
@Some Guy in NEPA (45):
“Note to anti-smokers (of which I am one): GORE’S FAMILY MADE MILLIONS SELLING TOBACCO!!!!!!! That fact alone should give you pause!”
note to anti-hemp advocates (of which i am NOT one)” George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper!!! These fact alone should give you pause!
just saying…
rtr
July 18th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
@rushfan(72) The documentary had nothing to do with either Freemasons or oil, rather it regarded the private corporation that controls and prints the American dollar.
google creation of the Federal Reserve, you might learn something! They financed both WWI and WWII in order to increase profits…please do some research before replying.
July 18th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
@Some Guy in NEPA (45): Wow I learned something new.
Most of the comments are so dumb trying to predict what will/ could of/ would of happened if so and so was president. Extreme republicans and democrats are both crazy.
July 18th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
@ringtailroxy (74): I would highly, highly recommend you find some climate change docs to watch that aren’t pure unadulterated bullshit. They’re out there, and I think you’d be surprised what the science really shows. Please, please go to the forums and read the articles I’ve linked to in my “Rushfan’s discussion on “climate change” thread. It’s under “special interest” and I’d love to have a more in-depth exchange with you.
Oh, and my best friend that I’ve had since high school is a yoga teaching vegan hippie tree hugger and I manage to still love her! I think you’re a cool chic and I respect your opinions on stuff. I just think you’re maybe more likely to believe what the mainstream media is selling because you’re inherently anti-establishment, but you’ve got to realize, they ARE the establishment! They have motives for what they’re selling. They don’t give balanced reports on shit like climate change because they just push what’s popular and what they think more people want to hear-which is unfortunately usually more likely to be inspired by celebrity worship than anything factual.
Sorry to post and run but my kiddo is waking up from her nap and it’s about to start storming (and I love a good storm!) Later!
July 18th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
@lostatsea1 (76): I was just messing with you, relax.
July 18th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
ringtailroxy(75) Who destroyed hemp production? Dupont and its ‘new’ creation Nylon!
July 18th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
@rushfan (78):
“you’re inherently anti-establishment, but you’ve got to realize, they ARE the establishment”
ack! foiled again by the general media! i try to be anti-establishment, it’s the protester within me, but i find i have more issues with authority than anything else. i even argue with my GPS…
i will boogie over to the forums…haven’t been on there for awhile…
rtr
July 18th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
@rushfan(79) Ok! I’m relaxed now..I do get carried away sometimes! I just can’t understand how most people would rather watch TV and veg out rather than understand the games being played with our lives and the control they wield.
July 18th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
re arrange the letters in spiro agnew and you get ‘grow a penis’
July 18th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
@jay-rod (83): LOl! i just chocked on my Crystal Light!
rtr
July 18th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
jay-rod(83) Bloody Brilliant! LMFAO
July 18th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Hum, but Al Gore won the election… He just didn’t get elected. Haha!
July 18th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I love the history-based lists! poor Thomas Marshall, he was so close.
July 18th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
@ringtailroxy(74) Big fail! There are many reasons that large volcanic eruptions have such far-reaching effects on global climate. First, volcanic eruptions produce major quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2), a gas known to contribute to the greenhouse effect. Such greenhouse gases trap heat radiated off of the surface of the earth forming a type of insulation around the planet. The greenhouse effect is essential for our survival because it maintains the temperature of our planet within a habitable range. Nevertheless, there is growing concern that our production of gases such as CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels may be pushing the system a little too far, resulting in excessive warming on a global scale. There is no doubt that volcanic eruptions add CO2 to the atmosphere, but compared to the quantity produced by human activities, their impact is virtually trivial: volcanic eruptions produce about 110 million tons of CO2 each year, whereas human activities contribute almost 10,000 times that quantity.
sigh! please please f%%%en do some research!
July 18th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Chapter 2.2: Creation of the Federal Reserve System
Jacob Schiff, Paul Warburg, Jekyll Island and the creation of the Fed
* Jacob Schiff (1847-1920)
* John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913)
* The Warburg Brothers
* The Push for a New Central Bank
* The Jekyll Island Conference (1910)
* The Election of Woodrow Wilson (1912)
* Passage of the Federal Reserve Act (1913)
It seems Wilson sold you out!!
July 18th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Rearrange the letters in “George Bush” and you get “He bugs Gore”.
July 18th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
“Gore got over 500,000 more popular votes than opponent George W. Bush, but highly scrutinized votes in Florida eventually swung the election in Bush’s favor.”
I thought it was a few highly scrutinized votes in the U.S. Supreme Court that swung the election.
July 18th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
ringtailroxy(74) haha! Had you there! Yes I totally agree we are F%%%ing up our planet and we have many natural ways to aquire power from our oceans,sun,wind and most important geo-thermal, the powers in control aren’t about to let that happen until we drain the Earth of oil..just a strange thought..was this oil not helping in some way to form a cushion between the plates?
July 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
well gore did win the popular vote.. stupid electoral college.
you should’ve mentioned nader and henry clay, both have run numerous times and both lost
July 18th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Not long after 9/11 happened, I thought to myself, “Thank God Al Gore is not our president.”
July 18th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
@lostatsea1 (88): did you read my post (#74) too quickly? i am glad you recovered so slyly in post 92…
as far as i know, now, this is not recently researched, by hodge-podged info form various sources (including my father, who is a seismologist), there is more CO2 saturation in our atmosphere now than in the past 300,000 years or so…
if memory serves me right, interglacial atmospheric parts per million of CO2 have not been noted higher than 280 prior to the Industrial Revolution in the 1800’s, according to reading taken from ice core samples.
I think you may have misunderstood me earlier-i KNOW that there is no way the earth’s natural burps, farts, and fiery temper tantrums can compare to the amount of garbage we’ve released into our waterways, soil, and atmosphere. even decomposing plant matter that renders pool of water stagnant can never compare to the toxic runoff of, say, a tannery or papermill or factory pig farm!
do i think climate change is real? yes! it’s no hoeey..it’s part of the natural processes of our planet. do i think man caused it? no way! it’s not like the Earth stopped evolving, changing, & aging because humans evolved! it’s just that humans have justified (usually through religious means) their actions against the Earth, a form of “it’s here just for US” mentality.
i do know my species is doomed. extinction is the normal course of evolution-evolve, be adaptable, or perish. it’s not a failure-it’s a testament to how effective evolution works, by conditioning a species so perfectly fitted to it’s niche that if the niche alters, it takes away the species. nuff’ said.
July 18th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
46. mom – Can we be honest? George W Bush is not the worst president ever. William Henry Harrison died 31 days into office, as a result of pnemonia that he caught while delivering his inaugaral address in a snow storm. He is without doubt or competition, the worst president ever.
July 18th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I do wish we would get rid of the electoral college. It served a valuable purpose in the past, when it would have taken months, if not years, to gather and count all of the votes in the country. But now that we have computers and other such technology, the electoral college really doesn’t have as much purpose. It would be nice to elect a president based on popular vote alone, and it seems that it would be a fairer election to me.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I really wish Obama was on this list. We’d be much better off now.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
@lostatsea1 (82): You took the words right out of my mouth, dude. I talk to anybody who will listen about important issues that I care very much about. Everything from politics to international issues and women’s and children’s issues; especially what’s currently going on in our government. I usually get a half-hearted attempt at conversation from my co-workers who are more trying to humor me because they know how I am, but sometimes I find people who care and are actually aware of the world around them, and I really enjoy talking to those people.
Also, when I saw that Zeitgeist documentary about the federal reserve, I was blown away. I didn’t realize the way things were until I saw that, but there honestly isn’t much we as citizens can do about it. And I also agree with you about religion. It is, after all, the opiate for the masses.
Oh, and you seem to be as into documentaries as I am, so I thought I’d mention that I have found several websites with documentaries you can watch online and there are some really good ones out there. Right now I’m watching a series called “Century of the Self.” It’s in 4 episodes and I’m on #4. I only have so much time to watch because I’m busy and have a young kiddo who gets all of my time, but I hope to finish it up soon. Have you ever heard of Edward Bernays?
July 18th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
My favorite man who almost became President is at http://www.franklynch.org, the fully registered and most qualified Democratic Presidential candidate who was excluded from the debates solely because he was not a member of Congress or a governor.
Mr. Lynch introduced the major concepts into the 2007-2008 Presidential race that have defined Obama’s administration today. When Lynch published his website two years ago, in July 2007, none of the candidates, including Obama had ever spoken or written about universal healthcare, energy independence, reforming education, restructuring the auto companies and the financial system, and creating millions of new jobs, yet today all these issues are at the forefront of national policy and debate, making Frank Lynch the idealogical leader of the Democratic Party.
It is sad that Obama does not publicly acknowledge the source of his ideas. I gues it is to preserve hte peresonla power of Axelrod and Emmanuel.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
No Ross Perot?
July 18th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I’m surprised that William Jennings Bryan didn’t make the list.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
VERY cool list.
July 18th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I’m starting to get sick of these American lists.
July 18th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
The title of this is far too general. As some others have said this list should read “Top Ten People Who Almost Became President of the USA”. Not even the introduction made it clear.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
can u trust in a men call “hannibal”
July 18th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
i think 2000 will always be remembered as the mistake that caused the wrong person to become president….but 2004, will always be remembered for how stupid people were to reelect bush simply because no change is better than a new change.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
@ Nicosia (40): “Who the hell thinks to name their kid “Spiro Agnew”?”
Theodore Spiros Anagnostopoulos and Margaret Akers.
I’m not sure why an immigrant father would anglicise his surname then give his son such an obvious ethnic given name.
(I looked that up in wikipedia, by the way. It’s not like I know the names of the parents of former USA vice-presidents.)
July 18th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Why isn’t there McKain in here? You knew that someone named his baby as Sarah McKain Palin to support McKains election? He didnt even ask this about his wife!
July 19th, 2009 at 1:10 am
@ Regret (98):
Do you honestly believe that? You think McCain would have prevented the recession or anything else? Obama wasn’t given the best deck of cards to play the game (all Bush’s fault). If you honestly think that the election of Obama caused all of our problems then I don’t even know what to say buddy; good luck with life cuz i guess you don’t have a complete deck either
July 19th, 2009 at 1:23 am
Why dident you include Aron burr? It was a dead draw betwen him and Thomas Jefferson, then Alexander hamiltion (who strongly hated both of them) presaded the election to jefferson, then Burr responds by shooting Hamiltion
July 19th, 2009 at 2:07 am
@oouchan (23): You think that Al Gore is awful? Don’t forget who his contemporary was. Those WMD’s didn’t really happen…. did they?
July 19th, 2009 at 3:23 am
Gahaha… Gore
July 19th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Thanks, I like it.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:17 am
@Mark (111): Yes. I think he is awful. He is a self-righteous (sp?) twit. Bush was worse, but I can’t stand Gore.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:25 am
@oouchan (113): That makes no sense. Either Bush is worse in which case Gore would have made a better President. Or Gore was worse, in which case Bush was the better choice.
I think I probably prefer the conflict in Iraq over the US trying to push “global warming” down the rest of the world’s throats’ though. Fallout would probably have happened by now…
July 19th, 2009 at 5:42 am
@Mark (114): It does make sense when both are awful. I am not saying Gore would be better or that Bush was. Bush was a bad choice and still more awful than Gore as a human. But whether or not Gore could pull it off? Who knows. He is still an awful person. That is what I said originally.
Also, BOTH were a bad choice.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:45 am
@oouchan (115): Yeah, I can’t think of an American head of government that I like or respect since… probably JFK. Although I think he’s a bit overrated… But then again, Clinton got a BJ in the Oval Office… not bad.
Australia on the other hand, Paul Keating, what a man.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:51 am
According to the The Government Accounting Office, the Bush administration spent $1.6 billion over the last two and a half years on public relations operations. That’s $1.6 billion of your tax money commandeered for, among other things, partisan propaganda here at home, aimed at affecting domestic elections. Included in this figure is a mysterious $15 million paid directly to individual members of the media.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:53 am
@lostatsea1 (119): As reprehensible as that sounds, you’d be hard pressed to find an incubent administration that doesn’t follow suit.
July 19th, 2009 at 6:23 am
@Mark(120): No tax money should be used for propaganda.
I thought Ron Paul would have been a better choice for America, he has warned about the FED.
July 19th, 2009 at 6:36 am
US Strategy of Total Energy Control over the European Union and Eurasia
Nabucco Turkey EU and Obama Geopolitics
Until now the main gas supply for Nabucco should be Azerbaijan, source of large oil reserves to fill another Anglo-American-backed pipeline run by a British Petroleum consortium to bring Baku oil from the Caspian Sea to the west independent of Russia. That Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline was the real reason Washington backed the 2004 Georgian “Rose Revolution” that put the erratic dictator Mikhail Saakashvili into power, pushing out veteran Soviet-era fox Edouard Shevardnadze, who had become too friendly with Moscow for the likes of Bush-Cheney oil geopolitics. This was the reason Georgia invaded South Ossetia.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14412
July 19th, 2009 at 7:07 am
Secret dealings with Iran, Central America drug dealing running, spying on allies with trojan horse software, banking scandals, corruption in the Justice Department, investigative journalists “committing suicide…
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/673.html
July 19th, 2009 at 7:12 am
probably JFK. Although I think he’s a bit overrated… But then again, Clinton got a BJ in the Oval Office… not bad.
Asian Tv
Asian Entertainment News
July 19th, 2009 at 7:15 am
Is there a branch of the US government
that carries out assassinations?
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/672.html
July 19th, 2009 at 7:18 am
I F___ING HATE AL GORE! Just look at that fat, soulless face, I bet there’s pus instead of blood in his veins!
July 19th, 2009 at 8:26 am
That’s a very cool piece. Thanks.
http://thecentersquare.wordpress.com/
July 19th, 2009 at 8:31 am
amusing list
July 19th, 2009 at 9:00 am
@Seriously (110)
I can guarantee you that McCain wouldn’t have been stupid enough to think the way to pull a country out of economic problems is to spend it into oblivion, making it not only a problem for our generation, but now for our grandchildren as well.
McCain also wouldn’t have raped the Constitution by going on a big Socialist power grab.
If you honestly think Obama has done anything good for the country, then good luck with your life because you’re obviously delusional, with no knowledge of history, political science, or US law.
July 19th, 2009 at 10:35 am
interesting
July 19th, 2009 at 10:49 am
@lostatsea1 (35): I’ve watched this and while it blew me away, I’m also skeptical of some of the things they had to say. There isn’t a lot of backup to these ideas as there are only two speakers in a 3.5 hour documentary?
@lostatsea1 (36): Moreso, watch a documentary called The Oil Factor and learn about Peak Oil and its eventual effect on the world.
@mitchsn (41): Its amazing to me that there are people that think global warming is some kind of conspiracy theory. Yes, Al Gore has taken advantage of it but that doesn’t make it any less true.
@Jstar (47): No Child Left Behind is a fabulous program if you like failures of large government programs. NCLB is just another layer of bureaucracy added to a place where the federal government shouldn’t be sticking their noses. NCLB focuses on reading and math and leaves all the other subjects in the dust. History, science, geography, etc are all ‘left behind’. NCLB focusing on MORE standardized testing instead of focusing on the quality of the education. You want a source, how about The National Assessment of Educational Progress Report. That should keep you busy for a while.
@rushfan (71): Please don’t take his comments and group them in with ‘all lefties’. I’m a lefty and I can even the how ridiculous the statements about Gore being able to fix everything are. He’s just another rich, white politicians trying to remain a rich, white politician.
@ringtailroxy (75): Amen! Legalize it now!
@Regret (98): This is an ignorant statement. Neither Obama, McCain, Nader, GWB, or for sure Sarah Palin, have any clue as to how to fix the situation we are in right now. We would be in the same situation we are now, not any better or worse. Republicans opposed the bailout (but voted for it anyways), democrats were in favor of the bailout, but under-funded it. Guess what folks, the bailout needed to be about 3 times as big as it was to have any effect on helping us. Read anything by Joseph Stiglitz and see how we should have been bailed out.
@rushfan (99): freedocumentaries.org
July 19th, 2009 at 11:34 am
@faketree78(133):Thank you for The Oil Factor, I have known about peak oil, but one thig that is not mentioned is that Afghanistan is a major source of opiates with its cash potential. Hemp should be legalized.
Free Energy – Pentagon Conspiracy to Cover up.
http://www.topdocumentaryfilms.com is also a great site.
July 19th, 2009 at 11:56 am
@Regret (98): “I really wish Obama was on this list. We’d be much better off now.”
With a mechanical mouthpiece of the Bush regime?!?!?
As a resident of Arizona he is the one major politician of our state that had the least news coverage, unless the story was to underline his latest “good idea Mr Bush” actions he had taken.
Can’t see how four more years of republican puppetry would do our country any good.
Don’t get me started on Palin.
Sure there were other candidates in the running, but somehow I can’t even remember who they were, now.
July 19th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
And to those that want to slam the O’bama, we gave Bush EIGHT whole years to screw up the country…That included a RE-ELECTION.
And out of those 8 years, it took at least 5 years before majority of Americans finally understood what a mistake had been made.
How about we check things out in a year, before we decide whether O’bama is a mistake.
July 19th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
They were all Born to lose
July 19th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Cool list!
July 19th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
@faketree78(133) oops I hadn’t watched the whole doc at my last post, they did mention the poppy harvests!
July 19th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Al gore is an idiot, he thinks he invented the Internet… Go George bush!
July 19th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
How about we ask our grandchildren if Obama was a mistake. They will be the ones paying his debt. He’ll go down as the man who killed America as we know it.
July 19th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Ok, seriously, and as a self described liberal, I think we were no worse off with bush than we would have been with gore. Have fun everybody.
July 19th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
@lostatsea1 (121): You’re rather naive and impressionable I think. All governments do it, that’s what I’m saying. The fact that you also believe almost every conspiracy theory under the sun about the US’s recent foreign policy supports my hypothesis. The world isn’t perfect. The US could be doing a lot worse than what they are now.
July 19th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
@ringtailroxy (75): And Herman Goring used morphine, ergo morphine is bad and we should ban it.
Your logic there is an association fallacy. Just because old George did or used something, doesn’t mean that that something is a good thing, or even acceptable.
July 19th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
@deeeziner (134): Where’s the logic there? You re-elected him ergo he must have been bad?
Wow
July 19th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
@Jay (139): Learn some proper economics before you comment on economic matters. The economic difference between political parties – especially in a two party system – are non-existant. At least, for the average – or less-than-average as you seem to be – tax-payer. The Republicans might give X more money whereas the Democrats would support Y more. Who cares? The difference to a jackass like you is either that Obama is black, or that you’re too stupid to think about what your party is telling you.
I’m not a Democrat, I’m not a dirty, hippy liberal. I’m Australian, and when I vote, I’m going to vote independent, not even Labour – Australia’s Democrat equivalent.
Economically, all modern governments are Keynesian, look it up, it might help cure the debilitating Uninformus in Extremeus you seem to be suffering from. Don’t worry, it’s only contagious if you feel the need to share your point of view and the only symptoms are an inability to think impartially – there are reports of this being present beforehand, studies are being undertaken to investigate a possible corrolation – and bigotry. The treatment – which only has a low chance of success – is reading and thinking.
Dr Mark,
Solving all your ultra-conservative ailments in time for dinner.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:58 am
I think america would have benefited from a president called Hannibal
July 20th, 2009 at 7:59 am
@Mark(141): The NAU and SPP are fact not fiction, false flag operations and wet work ditto. 9/11 a clever pretext to curtail freedom and increase profits for Haliburton etal.
National Security Alert
http://www.citizeninvestigationteam.com
July 20th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Bush makes you shudder? We have an idiot now in the WH who is spending us into BANKRUPTCY, a VP who has said more stupid irresponsible nonsense things (What’s that Internet number again?) than Bush and Quayle put together and you shudder for Bush? Get a grip.
July 20th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
@Mark(141): Naive! I’m 61 yrs old and have spent years researching these topics, I suppose you think the MK ultra project was also false? The Canadian govt. just settled a class action lawsuit over those experiments or the agent orange & purple tests over CFB Gagetown in the 60s.
http://www.monarchnewphoenix.com
@RLB(147) Obama is a puppet of the global elite who are raping your wealth, who gets the bailout..the banks. The same trick as in 1929. Remember Bush made it illegal for States to deny loans to people who had no hope of repayment.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Strom Thurmond
I wish my name was half this EPIC!
July 20th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
During the 1950s and 1960s Dr. Saul Krugman of New York
University conducted studies of hepatitis at the Willowbrook
State School, an institution for the severely mentally
retarded. Krugman and his staff systematically infected
newly arrived children between the ages of three and eleven
with strains of the virus obtained from the feces of
Willowbrook hepatitis patients.
A Nation Betrayed by Carol Rutz
July 20th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
@Mark(141) These are also fake!!
Dick Cheney’s “Executive Assassination Ring”.
Was British Weapons Expert Dr. David Kelly a Target ?
By Tom Burghardt
URL of this article: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14423
or..
Dr. Gerald Bull spent his life researching, reinventing and creating new methods of missile launching. His munitions science eventually lead to his murder.
modern-canadian-history.suite101.com/…/dr_gerald_bull_missile_scientist
July 20th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
@RLB (147): Wow, you really aren’t all that intelligent, are you? Learn some economics before you spew out the old party lines. Here’s a link, just to give you the most basic possible clue as to why you’re being a wanker :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keynesian_economics
July 20th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
@lostatsea1 (148): You’re either a naive idealist, or extremely gullible.
“…Obama is a puppet of the global elite who are raping your wealth, who gets the bailout..the banks. The same trick as in 1929. Remember Bush made it illegal for States to deny loans to people who had no hope of repayment.”
Wow! And I say that with a real sense of excitement. I’ve never had a chance to talk with someone who actually, truly believe in the NWO.
The CIA killed JFK.
We never landed on the moon (or didn’t do it in 1969 anyways).
Them Jews caused WWII.
Hitler is still alive?
George Dubblya actually ordered the attacks on the WTC.
You wouldn’t happen to also believe that a few million years ago an evil alien overlord killed heaps of aliens with H-bombs, would you?
Refer to my link in 152, then start reading a bit more, and do it impartially. Once you learn some real economics, maybe you’ll stop being a moron. And maybe pigs will fly. But I guess they already do, don’t they? It’s all just a government cover-up, right? And I’m working with them, face it, I’m not even really Australian. I’m actually a Muslim with a huge beard, 12 wives and a lot of explosives. I’m just waiting for Obama Hussein to give me the all clear then I’m going to come and blow you up. We need to get rid of the trouble-makers after all…
July 21st, 2009 at 4:23 am
@Mark(153) Where in any of my posts did I mention Jews? How old are you anyway? You seem overly belligerent and cocky, grow up and respond with something to back up your claims.
Trickle down economics only allows the rich to get richer. I suppose you believe cave dwelling terrorists managed to outwit Norad or they knew the top secret war game being played that day? Please! Have you even taken the time to watch any of the links?
July 21st, 2009 at 9:06 am
Have you ever noticed that all Bush fans are dumb rednecks?
July 21st, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Bush did keep us safe during a dangerously tumultuous time in our nation at least. But it’s a damn good thing Gore didn’t become President. He’s just as dumb as Bush, global warming is turning out to be a complete hoax.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:53 pm
@lostatsea1 (154):
“…Where in any of my posts did I mention Jews?…”
I never said you mentioned Jews in your posts, I just gave examples of claims on par with yours. If you don’t want to be pigeon-holed with the conspiracy nutters, don’t act like one. All you ever post is “Look at what the government is doing!!!!” If you think the government is that bad, why don’t *you* prove it instead of just sending me off to links that are, frankly, disgraceful factless wastes of my time.
“…How old are you anyway? You seem overly belligerent and cocky, grow up…”
Congratulations, you have cleverly deduced that I am a teenager and have effectively nullified anything I have to say. But what about conspiracy theorists? Isn’t there a stereotype there as well? Do I get to discount everything you say because your crazy? Then why should it matter that I’m young? Doesn’t mental function decrease with age? Does that mean that when I’m 40 I’m perfect but the second I hit 41 I’m “too old”? Ageism is crap.
“…Trickle down economics only allows the rich to get richer…”
Yes, it does and I would be very worried about that if:
a) It existed
and
b) It was actually happening
How is the US Government’s economic policy “trickle-down”? It’s only a piece of rhetoric anyway, I really don’t see how people can actually believe politicians period, let alone when they say crap like that.
“…I suppose you believe cave dwelling terrorists managed to outwit Norad…”
Heaven forbid! Criminals outwitting the authorities, no! That’s never happened before, if only there was a precedent for that sort of thing. Oh, wait… I vaguely remember some guy… Dillinger was it? I guess that was the government too? They just wanted to steal all our moneys and make it look like a crime. Boy! I can’t wait to hear your explaination for this one. You’d be great fun at parties!
“…or they knew the top secret war game being played that day?…”
Wow, you’re right. How could a coincidence happen. That is absolutely amazing! The government must have dont it. Thank you, so much, for opening my eyes to the truth that has been hidden from me for all of these years. My eyes have been clouded by facts, but they crumble in the face of such brilliant rhetoric as yours…
Maybe we should start a cult, or better yet, attempt a coup. You’re the perfect cult-of-personality leader, you’re purely rhetorical and live your live believing in completely fictional concepts. Of course, if we want to be really famous, we’ll have to think of a minority to persecute… Hmm… Shall I round up our paramilitary forces or will you? Should they be the pink-shirts, or the yellow-shirts?
Heil mein Fuhrer!
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:52 am
@Mark(157) Factless!! How can you state a fact when you don’t take the time to watch or research? It was the US govt that setup al Qaeda to fight the Russians in Afghanistan. 9/11 movement comprises Physics Professors, Scientists, Pilots, Architects, Engineers and demo experts, I suppose these are all ‘nutters’.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:59 am
@lostatsea1 (158): Some real biologists, with pretty pieces of paper with fancy seals on them on their walls, believe that the narrow Christian definition of “God” created us in his image. Doesn’t mean I have to believe it.
People with degrees can be crazy as well. My father is an engineer. Don’t assume.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:10 am
@Mark(159) ‘People with degrees can be crazy as well. My father is an engineer.’ By that I take it you feel your father is crazy!! If he is indeed an engineer ask him how 210,000 tons of structural steel melted from a low temperature fire in less than an hour, or how this structure fell at free fall speed.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
@lostatsea1 (160): From the large, flying contraption that hit it at several hundred km/hr. I know it sounds crazy, but I find that pretty easy to believe.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:02 pm
@Mark(161) Towers were designed for impact from jetliners also allowance for sway of 18ft. do research before replying!
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:03 am
@lostatsea1 (162): Yes, and buildings are made to be resistant to fire and earthquakes. It doesn’t mean that they won’t fall down if they are exposed to extreme enough conditions.
Frankly, the burden of proof – and I don’t use that term lightly – is on you here. The engineering community agrees with me.
*You* do some research and then come back and make some sense.
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:54 am
@Mark(163):
I have never believed the NIST or FEMA explanations of why these buildings fell. 200,000 tons of structural steel supported 60% of the buildings structure(this is a huge heat sink) kerosene(jet fuel) and office furniture can not cause a structural failure in less than an hour. The outer shell supported a mere 40% of the structure so would necessitate a cutting of the inner supports which would then collapse the outer shell inwards. This was an incredibly well done demolition from the top down with charges placed in lower columns before the planes actually hit the structures, this was testified by the fire dept. and first responders. http://www.AETRUTH911.com are a group of Architects and Engineers who query the govt. report. I have worked with steel all my life and can honestly say that too many questions exist on what actually happened. As this was the impetus for the war in Afghanistan we Canadians may be embroiled in an illegal war!! Building 7 fell at free fall speed and cotained all Enron records also CIA and FBI offices..Larry Silverstein gained 8 billion in insurance claims this after he knew it would cost billions to remove asbestos from these same towers. I always follow the money, who stood to gain from the towers destruction?? who could use the attack to further their aims?? If you recall the day before Rumsfeld admitted to a missing 2.3 trillion from the pentagon!! Do some research as I have and something smells. This issue has been raised in tha Japanese Parliament and in the Italian govt. this has also been raised in Canada but was quickly hushed up! Please do some probing, I wish I was wrong but I am troubled by how quickly the debris was removed from the crime scene. Nano particles of thermite were recovered from the pyroclastic dust cloud which show an advanced explosive which was not manufactured by some cave dwelling anarchists. An Italian politician felt so strongly that he made a documentary called Zero. The Canadian Action Party are pursuing what they feel is one of the most important issues that affect us today. 9/11 spelled the end of freedom, the repeal of the Patriot Act, Posse Comitatus, infringement of the 2nd ammendment and stricter border control. Most insidious is the inclusion of RFIDs in drivers licences and passports, all this came about after 9/11. As in network…I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it!! Please remember the poor souls hanging out of the hole that the plane created gasping for air…how did puny humans survive this inferno but 200,000 tons of structural steel perish?? The black smoke billowing from the tower shows an oxygen starved fire..one burning at a lower temperature than one with adequate oxygen..another reason the people were tempting death to get air. Its hard to grasp but the signs are there..all it takes is to ask… what if?? Obviously the floors did not collapse on impact otherwise those people could not have reached the outer shell. The truth will come out. Most of the fuel was burned at impact!
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:11 am
@Mark(163):”In the debate over the collapses of the Twin Towers on 9/11, the shaking of the earth that accompanied these collapses has played an important role. This shaking registered clearly on seismographs. Less clear, however, are its causes and the times it began. The National Institute of Standards and Technology emphasizes the role of the debris from the collapsing buildings in producing the seismic signals. In assessing NIST’s hypothesis I focus on the collapse of the South Tower and attempt to determine the time the collapse began, the time the debris from the Tower struck the ground, and the temporal relation of these events to the shaking of the earth that accompanied the collapse. I consider both the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s seismic evidence and the evidence provided by a less studied form of seismic instrument, the video camera. I also draw on witness testimony. I conclude that key statements by NIST are false. Major shaking of the earth, and corresponding seismic signals, started well before the debris hit the ground. In fact, it seems certain that the shaking of the earth started before visible signs of building collapse. This evidence is incompatible with the official NIST hypothesis of the cause of the collapse of the Towers.”
http://www.ae911truth.org
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:12 am
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/674.html
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:54 am
http://www.journalof911studies.com/volume/2008/Ryan_NIST_and_Nano-1.pdf
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
there was a MAD comic i once read that had a Star Wars themed Question and Answers.a funny one i read was,
Q:who did Obi-One say was more machine than man?
A:Al Gore!HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Did Gore put on a few pounds or is it just me?
July 24th, 2009 at 4:25 am
@lostatsea1 (164): I feel really sorry for you. Good luck with the rest of your life, you’re going to need it.
July 24th, 2009 at 5:26 am
@Mark(170):Baa! Bleat bleat I hope your happy as a sheep!
July 24th, 2009 at 5:32 am
In 2008, the Fed got really generous with
tax payers money.
Half a trillion went to foreign banks.
But when asked, Fed Chairman was a little
hazy on the details.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/675.html
July 24th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Global Power and Global Government: Evolution and Revolution of the Central Banking System
Part 1
By Andrew Gavin Marshall
URL of this article: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14464
July 24th, 2009 at 5:37 am
“The Financial Services Modernization Act.’
“The Commodity Futures Modernization Act.”
Goldman Sachs wrote them…
Clinton teed them up and Bush & Co. knocked them down the fairway.
Now Goldman owns the new president too.
The bankrupting of America (and the world) on the behalf of a handful of New York investment bankers.
Kleptocracy – government of the thieves, by the thieves, for the thieves.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/674.html
July 24th, 2009 at 5:48 am
@lostatsea1 (171): I sure am. If by sheep you mean an entity capable of thought that is. Unlike you, who’s only able to feel moral outrage about, well, everything you see that doesn’t agree with your sense of “right”, no matter how unfounded or ridiculous that “offense” may be.
Grow a back-bone and start thinking for yourself. I don’t implicitly believe the government like you think I do. I do however, implicitly believe rational logic and the conclusions it draws. Unlike you, who only believe anything that morally offends you, or maybe just anything anti-government. Anarchist?
July 24th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Hey Mark, raising taxes and raising minimum wage doesn’t help the unemployment rate at a time like this. So get off your high horse and learn some economics yourself.
July 24th, 2009 at 11:50 am
And don’t worry Mark they do have a cure for liberalism and it’s common sense.
July 24th, 2009 at 11:55 am
And even if Keynesian policies are the norm, there are varying degrees. No Republican ever wants absolutely no government involvement. They just favor less than their democratic counterparts. There are people besides you who know what’s going on.
July 24th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
@Jay (176): I know economics, unlike you. Raising minimum wages might not help unemployment right now, but nothing is going to. Likewise, do you think that taxing the people less and letting huge companies that employ thousands is a better option?
@Jay (177): If you knew me at all you’d know that I’m not a liberal. I’m on the fence. I’ll vote for whoever’s best for me next election, not the party that I prefer “because”, unlike you.
@Jay (178): “Even if”, it is, there are no if’s or but’s. Of course Republicans want to make you think that they differ from Democrats economically, but the fact of the matter is that the difference is tiny. I agree with you that you won’t find many – if any – who promote fully free-market economics.
July 25th, 2009 at 5:32 am
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/671.html
The new high tech/high speed transactions
giving big banks an overwhelming trading advantage
over retail investors, they’re also creating
a false impression about the health of the stock
market.
These new high tech trading tools have rendered
liquidity calculations (a very important barometer
of market health) totally bogus. The consequences
of this will become apparent when the bottom
falls out of the market suddenly and dramatically
for real.
July 25th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
All Gore does NOT have an oscar. Can we stick to the facts here? The MOVIE won one, for the DIRECTOR, not him.
July 25th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
@lostatsea1 (180): You do realize how crazy you sound right?
July 26th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
How do you know economics when you are debating that raising the minimum wage increases unemployment? This is a simple fact that any macroecon course will explain to you. That being said the republican party is based on the principle of small government with limited government interference. Some within the party may lean more towards the middle than others. I’m sure you are an expert on American politics too though so you already know this. The fact is that straightforward Keynesian priniples do not work in these situations. Look at the Carter administration, look at FDR pre WWII where his policies failed repeatedly until the war bailed him out. I’m sure I am being redundant because you probably know American history unlike me.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
What is with that fucked up picture of Al Gore? Is that even Al Gore?
July 29th, 2009 at 10:11 am
“climate change is conspiracy” = truthers = birthers = quite stupid people
Bu my favourite is conspiracy from post #122
(volcano eruptions cause cooling not warming)
August 1st, 2009 at 10:43 pm
“but highly scrutinized votes in Florida eventually swung the election in Bush’s favor”
That’s quite incorrect. The U.S. Supreme Court halted the recount in Florida by overruling (along ideological lines) the Florida Supreme Court, which had ruled for a recount…which means we’ll never know who really won the vote. Of course, we know who won the popular vote…sigh.
NoahR: I hope you got this wrong because you just didn’t know…
August 1st, 2009 at 10:56 pm
@Jack (156)
“global warming is turning out to be a complete hoax.”
If by ‘hoax’ you mean ‘fairly well-understood phenomenon with plenty of data verification, and agreed upon by an overwhelming majority of scientists’, then yes, it’s a complete hoax!
August 1st, 2009 at 11:16 pm
“How do you know economics when you are debating that raising the minimum wage increases unemployment? This is a simple fact that any macroecon course will explain to you.”
It used to be thought of as a ’simple fact’ that increases in the minimum wage increased unemployment…but empirical studies (as opposed to assertions in textbooks) over the last 20 years have suggested that the relationship is unclear, and probably minimal at most…it always amuses me when people speak of economics in ‘hard science’ terms; when, at its base, it’s about the chaos of individual decision-making…
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:08 am
Other additions to the list:
Charles Evans Hughes: Lost by a very close margin to Wilson in 1916. Later became a Supreme Court justice.
Hubert Humphrey: VP under Johnson, lost ´68 election to Nixon, lost ‘76 primaries to Carter.
Henry Clay: Ran several times as Whig candidate for President between 1820s-1840s. In 1824 he came in third and instructed his electors to vote for J.Q. Adams over Andy Jackson, supposedly in exchange for the post of Secretary of State. This “corrupt bargain” followed him around the rest of his career.
William Jennings Bryan: Ran as Democratic candidate in 1896, 1900, and 1908. Got beat by McKinley twice and then Taft. Was an unstable populist who might well have wrecked the country’s economy. Sort of an American Perón in many ways.
Aaron Burr: The most glaring omission from the list. Back in 1800 when electors had two votes and the guy who came in first was Pres and the second guy was VP, Jefferson (who was supposed to be the presidential candidate of the proto-Democrats) and Burr (who was supposed to be the VP candidate) tied at 73 votes in the EC.
Burr decided he was actually going to try for the top job and started trying to bring over electors who had supported the Federalists to his side. Jefferson and his men managed to stop this maneuver, and the Electoral College finally voted him in as POTUS. Burr had a bizarre career afterward, including a trial for high treason after an alleged plot (in cahoots with the Spaniards) to set up his own empire southwest of the Mississippi.
August 5th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Al Gore’s head looks gigantic in that picture
August 12th, 2009 at 2:49 am
@lostatsea1 (180): Wow, you really are crazy, aren’t you?
August 16th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I thought for sure Henry Clay would be on here, He ran for president something like four times. it 1824, he threw his bid with Adams (John Q.) to keep Jackson out. In ‘32 he lost right out to Jackson, despite wide support from the ‘National Republican party. He ran in 1840 for party nomination, bet war-hero William Henry Harrison (‘Tippicanoe and Tyler, too’). In 1844 he lost to Polk an the expansionism issue. a Slim third-party win in NY gave it to Polk. Lastly in ‘48, he again lost the party nomination. They probably thought he was un-electable or something.
@jurancho above, Well put. You are also especially right about Burr. I need to read the book by Gore Vidal, after “1876″ was so instructive on the Tilden/Hayes debacle. For now, Wikipedia will do. Unless I am quite mistaken, He was quite the dueler. I find hos life, as well as Calhoun’s to be interesting, indeed.
August 21st, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Too bad, if Gore were president of the united states, we wouldn’t be in economy mess or iraq war. we could’ve capture osama bin laden in afghan if it wasn’t for iraq war.
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:57 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLwnqvuTuo8
August 23rd, 2009 at 8:05 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNDxdW found the english subtitles for song!
August 23rd, 2009 at 9:22 am
Take a look at this great video I found called: “The real terrorists” You can view it here: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/322.html
September 13th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Florida’s state motto should be: Fucking up the electoral process since 1876.