Imagine, if you will, an alternate America. Instead of electing George Washington president in 1788, America chose its first president one year later. Now extrapolate that America (America+1, we'll call it) into the future. Every presidential election has now taken place just one year later. Yes, it's unrealistic to think that in America+1, nothing would have changed between 1788 and now, but let's just pretend that everything stayed the same ... up until 2008 that is.
America+1 is a lot like our America. The nation has grown tired of wars in the Middle East, certain social issues divide the county and the economy has taken a grave turn for the worse. In America+1 though, 2008 is not an election year – 2009 is. Unlike our 2008 presidential election where the candidates were decided by non-economy issues but then thrust into a campaign where the economy was the main issue, the America+1 presidential election has been almost completely shaped by the worsening economy.
In America+1, the voters have no interest in a candidate who promises "change" but has no experience running a government or creating jobs. They want the economy fixed and they want it fixed yesterday. As the strongest in a pool of Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton easily secures her party's nomination, knocking off a certain freshman senator from Illinois in the early rounds of the primaries. "The only change we want today is the change in our pockets," America+1 says.
As the 2009 Iowa caucus rolls around, a number of Republicans are jockeying for their party's nomination. You have John McCain, the war hero; Fred Thompson, the former actor; Rudy Giuliani, America's mayor; Mike Huckabee, the Bible-thumping former governor. All decent candidates, but not one who can answer the economic riddle that America+1 is facing. They are only supporting characters in this caucus anyways. With the economy on its mind, Iowa+1 gives one Republican a resounding caucus victory: Mitt Romney.
Former governor who mastered healthcare in Massachusetts, the businessman with an unblemished record of success, the one who saved the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics – with America+1 in need of a president who can fix the economy, it's no wonder Romney breezes through the primary/caucus season, easily wrapping up his party's nomination. There's a job that needs to be done, and the GOP+1 is intent on getting its man into the White House to take it on.
Armed with Bobby Jindal, the wunderkind governor of Louisiana+1, as his running mate, Romney runs circles around Hillary as the two face off before the general election. The Democratic Party has few answers when it comes to the economy, especially against a man who has run a business of his own and knows how to create jobs. Election night in America+1 holds a landslide victory for Romney, thanks to a campaign that focused on how to fix the economy and spent little time fighting the culture battles that had dragged the GOP+1 down over the end of George W. Bush's presidency. America+1 celebrates Romney's inauguration in January 2010, letting the man with the tools and the knowledge to heal the nation's economic wounds get to work.
Meanwhile, in America's 2010, the freshman senator from Illinois has completed his first year in the presidency. Numerous financial institutions are now under federal control. The auto industry has been torn asunder. Thanks to $600 billion bailout after $600 billion bailout, the national debt has reached unimaginable levels. Once 2012 rolls around in America, Mitt Romney, the also-ran for the 2008 Republican nomination, is waging a second campaign for the White House. The job he is seeking in 2012 is an even bigger challenge than the one he sought in 2008. Not only does he have to fix the economy still, but he must first peel away the mistakes of an unexperienced president.
In 2012 America, Mitt Romney would envy 2012 America+1's Romney if he knew he was out there. Those of us in 2009 America should envy 2009 America+1 too ...
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What I'm about to say won't be new to those who have been listening to me vent about Mike Huckabee over the past almost two years. For those of you who haven't heard it though, this may seem a bit harsh, but here it goes:
Imagine, if you will, an alternate America. Instead of electing George Washington president in 1788, America chose its first president one year later. Now extrapolate that America (America+1, we'll call it) into the future. Every presidential election has now taken place just one year later. Yes, it's unrealistic to think that in America+1, nothing would have changed between 1788 and now, but let's just pretend that everything stayed the same ... up until 2008 that is.
