I have a great idea for a poll question:
If you could go back and cast a vote in the 2000 presidential election, for whom would you vote?
- George W. Bush
- Al Gore
Why would it be important to dwell in the past like that? I'll explain my reasoning over the river and through the woods (below)...
History is extremely important to our decisions in the present. More precisely, our view of history shapes our current decisions. So if someone commissioned a poll of voters to see what percentage would still choose Bush over Gore, the results could shape our view of the present and future as well as our view of the past.
Years after the 1960 presidential election, people were asked who they voted for in that election and a vast majority said that they voted for JFK - a much larger percentage than had actually voted for him at the time.
Since the 2000 election was so close, I think it would be fascinating to see who would win a "rematch" today. And if Gore prevailed by a wide margin, which I think is pretty likely, then it would shape how we view the 2000 election going forward.
Granted, many people already realize that Bush has been a terrible president, but to have a poll show that 60 or 70 or 80 percent of people would now have voted for Gore would explicitly show that the 2000 election was a huge national mistake.
It would give the talking heads some evidence to make this point, and at this crucial time when we are all evaluating Bush's tenure as leaves office, it would prove once and for all that the American people made a decision that they now wish they could take back.
(Note: For anyone who is dismayed at the title, please understand that it a tongue-in-cheek reference to an inside joke here at dkos: http://www.dkosopedia.com/... )
Update: Some commenters have said this poll question is unnecessary because we already know what the results would be. However, as recently as 2006, Bush was still beating Gore in a retrospective "matchup." I think that - particularly for those in the establishment - it would be newsworthy if Gore was to give Bush a drubbing at this point. Plus, it would shape the narrative of Bush's legacy.
Update II: One commenter made a great point below: it would be even more interesting to ask both who the person voted for in 2000 as well as who they would vote for today if they could do it over.