Talk Elections

Election Night - November 7, 2000 - CBS News with Dan Rather

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6:00 PM Election Update

"Hello, and welcome to the CBS News 2000 election night coverage with your CBS Evening News host, Dan Rather. I'm here tonight in front of America to announce, discuss, and analyze the results of the 2000 elections, of course with the help of my trusty panel of political pundits and experts. We here at CBS are very excited to provide you with an in-depth analysis of the 2000 elections, and with that, let's go to the first poll closings."

"It's 6:00 PM here at CBS News, and we feel ready to call two states in the first batch of poll closings for the presidential race. At this time, we feel we can safely predict that Governor George W. Bush of Texas will win the election in the states of Indiana and Kentucky."

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"Victories in Indiana and Kentucky give Governor Bush a 20-0 advantage in the electoral college over his opponent, Vice President Al Gore. Remember, in order to win the election, a candidate must win at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes allocated to each of the states and the District of Columbia."

8:00 PM Election Update

"Hello, and welcome back to the CBS News 2000 election night coverage with your host, Dan Rather. At this time, a number of new election results are just coming in from around the nation. Before we move to our calls for those states, let's look at the current electoral map for the presidential election."

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"At this time, we have a total of 68 electoral votes for Governor Bush of Texas, compared to an electoral vote tally of 28 for Vice President Gore. 270 electoral votes are needed to win the election. Now that we've seen which states have already been called, let's go on to the 8:00 poll closings."

"According to our most recent reports, the states of Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas, Governor Bush's home state, can all be called as safe for Governor Bush. Meanwhile, we can call the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey for Vice President Gore, as well as the District of Columbia and its three electoral votes. These new poll closings give Governor Bush a total of 121 electoral votes, compared to 119 for Gore. Remember, the magic number for winning the electoral college, and hence the presidency itself, is 270 electoral votes."

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9:00 PM Election Update

"Hello, I'm Dan Rather, and welcome back to the CBS News election night coverage for the 2000 election. It's 9:00 PM, and more poll results are about to be tallied and released to the media. At this time, our current map for the presidential election between Republican Governor George W. Bush of Texas and Democratic Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee is as follows:"

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"For the first time tonight, Vice President Gore is leading in the electoral vote tally, with 145 electoral votes to Governor Bush's 130. Now that we know what the current map is like, let's move on to the new poll closings."

"At this time, 9:00 PM on election night, we can call the states of Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming for Governor Bush. We can also call the states of New York and Rhode Island as safe for Vice President Bush. That brings the electoral tally to 182 electoral votes for Gore, compared to 153 for Bush. We're also getting reports in that Governor Bush is closing in on Vice President Gore in the popular vote tally in the state of Florida, a state that we previously called for Vice President Gore. However, as of this hour, we are standing by our earlier prediction for Vice President Gore in this state."

9:54 PM Election Update

"Hello. Due to recent reports from the electoral database in the state of Florida that Vice President Al Gore's popular vote lead has diminished in this state, we now must retract our earlier call that the state has voted in favor of Vice President Gore. The state of Florida and its 25 electoral votes are undecided once more. We here at CBS News sincerely apologize for calling the state of Florida before a sufficient number of votes were counted, and assure our audience that no future mistakes will be made."

"Our electoral map now stands as follows, with 185 electoral votes for Governor Bush and 167 for Gore:"

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10:00 PM Election Update

"Welcome back to the 2000 election night coverage with CBS News. I am your host, Dan Rather, and at this hour we have a number of calls for the presidential election that we would like to announce."

"At this hour, we can safely predict that the states of Idaho, Montana, and Utah will all go for Governor Bush in the electoral college. This increases Bush's lead to 197 electoral votes over 167 for Gore."

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"For those of you who did not hear our earlier announcement regarding the electoral result in the state of Florida, our earlier prediction that Vice President Gore has won Florida has been recalled due to recent reports that the electoral margin in this state has tightened significantly."

11:00 PM Election Update

"At this hour, we can call the states of California and Hawaii for Vice President Gore. Gore's wins in California and Hawaii, as well as his win in the state of New Mexico that was called earlier this hour, gives Vice President Gore a slight lead of 230 electoral votes in the electoral college, over 217 electoral votes for Governor Bush. Note that the states of New Hampshire, Missouri, and West Virginia were called for Governor Bush earlier this hour."

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2:04 AM Election Update

"Hello. It's Dan Rather here with CBS News for our 2000 election night coverage, in one of the closest election nights of our nation's history. At this time, we believe we can safely call the state of Iowa for Vice President Gore, a state that we were earlier tonight unable to call due to the close electoral margin within the state. At this time, Vice President Gore has a slight lead over Governor Bush in the electoral vote, holding 248 electoral votes to Bush's 246. Note that earlier this hour, we were able to call the state of Washington for Vice President Gore, as well as the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Nevada, and Colorado for Governor Bush."

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2:17 AM Election Update


"Hello, it's Dan Rather of CBS News here, and we feel that we're ready to make a stunning call that will affect the path that our nation will take over the next four years. According to breaking reports from our electoral database in Florida, the people of the state of Florida have decided in favor of Governor George W. Bush of Texas, handing him enough electoral votes to win the presidency. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it right, Governor George W. Bush has been elected the 43rd President of the United States. What amazing news!"

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"With that decisive, I believe our election coverage for tonight is over. I'm Dan Rather of CBS News, and goodnight!"

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*Note that the radical changes are yet to come - I would include them in this post, but the character count limit prevents me from doing so.*

**Feel free to comment!**

The Aftermath of Election Night - December 11, 2000 - CBS News with Dan Rather

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6:30 PM Election Update

"Hello, and welcome back to CBS Evening News with your host, Dan Rather. Tonight, we'll be exploring the presumptive results of the 2000 United States Presidential Election, and determining what tomorrow's Supreme Court decision has in store for America. First, let's look at the current electoral map for the 2000 election:"

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"As we can see, at this point in time, it appears that Vice President Al Gore leads Governor George W. Bush in the electoral college, with 267 electoral votes for Gore compared to 246 for Bush. If you look in the bottom right-hand corner of our electoral map, we can see that the state of Florida remains uncalled, with CBS News having retracted its previous calls for the state made on election night. One should note that as no candidate has reached the 270 electoral votes necessary for election to the presidency and Florida has enough electoral votes to give either candidate the necessary number of votes, the final outcome of the 2000 election relies solely on the outcome of the popular vote in the state of Florida."

"For those of you who are uninformed on the recent updates in the 2000 presidential race, the United States Supreme Court is currently reviewing a decision made earlier by the Florida Supreme Court mandating vote recounts in multiple counties that could give the election to either candidate. While Governor Bush currently maintains an extremely slight lead in the Florida vote according to those tallying the results, a recount could easily switch the outcome of the election in favor of Vice President Gore. Due to the stakes at hand, Governor Bush has filed the court case Bush v. Gore that will challenge the constitutionality of the vote recount - this case is the one currently being decided by the nine justices making up our nation's highest court of law. As the decision made by the Supreme Court is presumably going to be released tomorrow at noon, all we can do at this point is wait. Thank you for watching, I'm Dan Rather of CBS Evening News. We'll be right back with more information."

The Aftermath of Election Night - December 12, 2000 - CBS News with Dan Rather

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12:00 PM Election Update



"Hello, I'm Dan Rather of CBS News, and I've been invited here at this hour to make a stunning announcement regarding the results of the 2000 United States Presidential Election. The United States Supreme Court has just announced its decision regarding the constitutionality of the vote recounts currently proceeding in the state of Florida in order to determine whether Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee or Governor George W. Bush of Texas has won the presidency. In an unexpected 6-3 decision, the Court has decided to maintain the recounts, a move that many political pundits and analysts say will hand Vice President Gore the election. Associate Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Anthony Kennedy have voted in favor of maintaining the recounts, with Chief Justice William Rehnquist, along with Associate Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, dissenting. However, the results are far from final as of now, and either candidate still has the potential to win. Please stay with us over the next few hours so we can relay breaking information regarding the court decision and 2000 election over to you as soon as possible. Thank you, I'm Dan Rather of CBS News."

This will be interesting! Keep up the awesome work!

Results of the 2000 United States Presidential Election - December 17, 2000 - CBS News with Dan Rather

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5:30 PM Election Update



"We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news regarding the results of the 2000 United States Presidential Election. According to early reports released at 5:27 PM this evening by the office of the Florida Secretary of State, Democratic Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee has won the presidential election in the state of Florida by a margin of merely 23 votes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen - if the early results hold to be accurate, Vice President Gore will have won the election in Florida by only 23 votes. According to the results this evening, which may, of course, be subject to change as the processes used to conduct the electoral recount are reviewed, Vice President Gore received a total of 2,912,535 votes, compared to 2,912,512 for Governor George W. Bush of Florida. The recount in the Florida election followed a heated United States Supreme Court case in which the court, as the result of a 6-3 decision, decided to persist in the recounts despite attempts from Bush campaign supporters to stop the recount and assure Bush's victory. For those of you who don't know, Gore's victory in Florida, if uncontested, will essentially hand him the presidency, as Gore will be given all of Florida's 25 electoral votes and hence enough votes to win the majority of the Electoral College, which has elected the president every four years ever since George Washington. Please stay tuned for more on the extremely close results of the 2000 presidential election and the apparent victory of Vice President Gore. I'm Dan Rather; this is CBS News."

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5:57 PM Election Update

"Hello, I'm Dan Rather of CBS News, and welcome back to a report on the breaking results of the 2000 United States presidential election. According to unofficial reports of a press release issued by the Bush campaign team, Governor George W. Bush of Texas has called Vice President Al Gore to concede the election and announce that he will not contest the extremely close results of the Florida recount. Due to Bush's decision not to contest the results of the recount, the presidency is essentially in Vice President Gore's hands, as the Electoral College will meet officially to elect the president tomorrow and the office of Florida's Secretary of State has not, as of now, changed its report that Vice President Gore has won the election in Florida by a mere 23 votes. As of this point in time, CBS News can officially announce that Democratic Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee will be the next President of the United States. After the break, we'll be airing Al Gore's upcoming victory speech, as well as the concession speech currently being planned by Governor Bush, according to the press release received by the media. I'm Dan Rather, this is CBS News."

Fantastic update! The events went IRL until Dec. 12 when the Florida Supreme Court continued recounts which hands Gore the Presidency. Will there be an Iraq War, GFC or 9/11 like in OTL. Can't wait to see how the Presidency of Al Gore goes.

President-Elect Al Gore's Victory Speech - December 17, 2000

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"Thank you very much. Good evening my fellow Americans, I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you tonight.

Our country has been through a long and trying period, with the outcome of the presidential election not finalized for longer than any of us could have ever imagined.

Governor Bush and I put our hearts and hopes into our campaigns; we both gave it our all. We shared similar emotions.

I understand how difficult this moment must be for Governor Bush and his family. He has a distinguished record of service to our country as a governor, and for this I respect him greatly.

This evening I received a gracious call from Governor Bush. We agreed to meet early next week in Washington and we agreed to do our best to heal our country after this hard fought contest.

Tonight, I want to thank all the volunteers and campaign workers who worked so hard on my behalf, I also salute Governor Bush and his supporters for waging a spirited campaign and I thank him for a call that I know was difficult to make.

Tipper and I wish Governor Bush and Senator Cheney and their families the very best. I have a lot to be thankful for tonight. I am thankful for America and thankful that we are able to resolve our electoral differences in a peaceful way.

And I am thankful to the American people for the great privilege of being able to serve as your next president.

I am proud to have Joe Lieberman by my side, and America will be proud to have him as our next vice president. I'm optimistic that we can change the tone in Washington DC. I believe things happen for a reason, and I hope the long wait of the last five weeks will heighten a desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past.

Our nation must rise above a house divided. Americans share hopes and goals and values far more important than any political disagreements. Democrats want the best for our nation. And so do Republicans. Our votes may differ, but not our hopes.

I know America wants reconciliation and unity. I know Americans want progress. And we must seize this moment and deliver.

Together, guided by a spirit of common sense, common courtesy and common goals, we can unite and inspire the American citizens.

Together, we will work to make all our public schools excellent, teaching every student of every background and every accent, so that all children will have the opportunity and ability to succeed in life. Together, we will save social security and renew its promise of a secure retirement for generations to come.

Together, we will strengthen Medicare and offer prescription drug coverage to all of our seniors. Together, we will give Americans the broad, fair and fiscally responsible tax reform they deserve.

Together, we'll have a bipartisan foreign policy true to our values and true to our friends. And we will have a military equal to every challenge, and superior to every adversary.

Together, we will pass comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to combat climate change and assure that our world will be safe, clean, and protected for all of our children and grandchildren.

Together, we will address some of society's deepest problems one person at a time, by encouraging and empowering the good hearts and good works of the American people.

This is the essence of compassionate leadership, and it will be a foundation of my administration. These priorities are not merely Democratic concerns or Republican concerns, these are American responsibilities.

During the fall campaign, we differed about details of these proposals - but there was remarkable consensus about the important issues before us: excellent schools, retirement and health security, tax reform, a strong military, a more well-protected environment, a more civil society.

We've discussed our differences; now it is time to find common ground and build consensus to make America a beacon of opportunity in the 21st century.

I'm optimistic this can happen. Our future demands it, and our history proves it. Two hundred years ago, in the election of 1800, America faced another close presidential election. A tie in the electoral college put the outcome into the hands of Congress.

After six days of voting, and 36 ballots, the house of representatives elected Thomas Jefferson the third president of the United States. That election brought the first transfer of power from one party to another in our new democracy.

Shortly after the election, Jefferson, in a letter titled reconciliation and reform, wrote this: "the steady character of our countrymen is a rock to which we may safely moor ... unequivocal in principle, reasonable in manner, we shall be able I hope to do a great deal of good to the cause of freedom and harmony."

Two hundred years have only strengthened the steady character of America. And so as we begin the work of healing our nation, tonight I call upon that character. Respect for each other. Respect for our differences. Generosity of spirit. And a willingness to work hard and work together to solve any problem.

I have something else to ask of you, I ask every American. I ask for you to pray for this great nation. I ask your prayers for leaders from both parties.

I thank you for your prayers for me and my family, and I ask you to pray for Governor Bush and his family. I have faith that with God's help we as a nation will move forward together, as one nation, indivisible. And together we will create an America that is open, so every citizen has access to the American dream.

An America that is educated, so every child has the keys to realize that dream. And an America that is united in our diversity and our shared American values that are larger than race or party.

I was not elected to serve one party, but to serve one nation. The president of the United States is the president of every single American, of every race and every background. Whether you voted for me or not, I will do my best to serve your interests, and I will work to earn your respect.

I will be guided by president Jefferson's sense of purpose: to stand for principle, to be reasonable in manner, and, above all, to do great good for the cause of freedom and harmony.

The presidency is more than an honor, it is more than an office. It is a charge to keep, and I will give it my all. Thank you very much, and God bless America."

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Sources (includes next post):

-http://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/dec/14/uselections2000.usa13

-http://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/dec/14/uselections2000.usa14

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Notes:

Thanks to everyone who has read or supported this timeline! :D Please vote and feel free to post any comments, questions, or concerns!

Governor George W. Bush's Concession Speech - December 17, 2000

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"Good evening. Just moments ago, I spoke with Al Gore and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States, and I promised him that I wouldn't call him back this time.
I offered to meet with him as soon as possible so that we can start to heal the divisions of the campaign and the contest through which we just passed.

Almost a century and a half ago, senator Stephen Douglas told Abraham Lincoln, who had just defeated him for the presidency, "Partisan feeling must yield to patriotism. I'm with you, Mr president, and God bless you."

Well, in that same spirit, I say to president-elect Gore that what remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside, and may God bless his stewardship of this country.

Neither he nor I anticipated this long and difficult road. Certainly neither of us wanted it to happen. Yet it came, and now it has ended, resolved, as it must be resolved, through the honored institutions of our democracy.

Over the library of one of our great law schools is inscribed the motto, "Not under man but under God and law".

That's the ruling principle of American freedom, the source of our democratic liberties. I've tried to make it my guide throughout this contest as it has guided America's deliberations of all the complex issues of the past five weeks.

Now the US supreme court has spoken. Let there be no doubt, while I strongly disagree with the court's decision, I accept it.

I accept the finality of this outcome which will be ratified tomorrow in the electoral college. And tonight, for the sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession.

I also accept my responsibility, which I will discharge unconditionally, to honor the new president-elect and do everything possible to help him bring Americans together in fulfillment of the great vision that our Declaration of Independence defines and that our constitution affirms and defends.

Let me say how grateful I am to all those who supported me and supported the cause for which we have fought. Laura and I feel a deep gratitude to Dick and Lynne Cheney who brought passion and high purpose to our partnership and opened new doors, not just for our campaign but for our country.

This has been an extraordinary election. But in one of God's unforeseen paths, this belatedly broken impasse can point us all to a new common ground, for its very closeness can serve to remind us that we are one people with a shared history and a shared destiny.

Indeed, that history gives us many examples of contests as hotly debated, as fiercely fought, with their own challenges to the popular will.

Other disputes have dragged on for weeks before reaching resolution. And each time, both the victor and the vanquished have accepted the result peacefully and in the spirit of reconciliation. So let it be with us.

I know that many of my supporters are disappointed. I am too. But our disappointment must be overcome by our love of country.

And I say to our fellow members of the world community, let no one see this contest as a sign of American weakness. The strength of American democracy is shown most clearly through the difficulties it can overcome.

Some have expressed concern that the unusual nature of this election might hamper the next president in the conduct of his office. I do not believe it need be so.

President-elect Gore inherits a nation whose citizens will be ready to assist him in the conduct of his large responsibilities.

I personally will be at his disposal, and I call on all Americans - I particularly urge all who stood with us to unite behind our next president. This is America. Just as we fight hard when the stakes are high, we close ranks and come together when the contest is done.

And while there will be time enough to debate our continuing differences, now is the time to recognize that that which unites us is greater than that which divides us.

While we yet hold and do not yield our opposing beliefs, there is a higher duty than the one we owe to political party. This is America and we put country before party. We will stand together behind our new president.

As for what I'll do next, I don't know the answer to that one yet. Like many of you, I'm looking forward to spending the holidays with family and old friends. I know I'll spend time in Texas and mend some fences, literally and figuratively.

Some have asked whether I have any regrets and I do have one regret: that I didn't get the chance to stay and fight for the American people over the next four years, especially for those who need burdens lifted and barriers removed, especially for those who feel their voices have not been heard. I heard you and I will not forget.

I've seen America in this campaign and I like what I see. It's worth fighting for and that's a fight I'll never stop.

As for the battle that ends tonight, I do believe as my father once said, that no matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shape the soul and let the glory out.

So for me this campaign ends as it began: with the love of Laura and our family; with faith in God and in the country I have been so proud to serve, from Vietnam to the vice presidency; and with gratitude to our truly tireless campaign staff and volunteers, including all those who worked so hard in Florida for the last days.

Now the political struggle is over and we turn again to the unending struggle for the common good of all Americans and for those multitudes around the world who look to us for leadership in the cause of freedom.

In the words of our great hymn, "America, America, let us crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea."

And now, my friends, in a phrase I once addressed to others, it's time for me to go. Thank you and good night, and God bless America."

The Inauguration of President Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. - January 20, 2001

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The Administration of President Al Gore

* President - Al Gore
* Vice President - Joe Lieberman
* First Lady - Tipper Gore
* White House Chief of Staff - Jesse Jackson, Jr.
* Ambassador to the United Nations - Richard Holbrooke
* Administrator of the EPA - Carol Browner
* Secretary of State - John Kerry
* Secretary of the Treasury - Patty Murray
* Secretary of Defense - Wesley Clark
* Attorney General - Charles Burson
* Secretary of the Interior - Cecil Andrus
* Secretary of Agriculture - Heidi Heitkamp
* Secretary of Commerce - Jack Lew
* Secretary of Labor - Bernie Sanders
* Secretary of Health and Human Services - Ted Kennedy
* Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Paul Schell
* Secretary of Transportation - Douglas Wilder
* Secretary of Energy - Bill Richardson
* Secretary of Education - Jim Hunt
* Secretary of Veterans Affairs - Bob Kerrey

Gore took both of Massachusetts' senators

How does Sanders get confirmed?

Governor Paul Cellucci appoints Jane Swift to Kennedy's seat and Mitt Romney to Kerry's, though both of these appointees are defeated in relatively close special elections by Democratic congressmen Ed Markey (defeats Swift) and Barney Frank (defeats Romney).


Sanders contracts HIV after reusing an infected heroin needle. The Senate, uninformed of how Sanders contracted the disease though informed of his diagnosis, confirms him both out of sympathy and the assumption that he will soon have to leave office due to complications from the disease.

I hate people criticizing timelines for being unrealistic as much as the next guy, but this is just stupid.

Or maybe it's just that Bernie Sanders is really good at hiding things...

After all, have you ever met a socialist from Vermont who doesn't do drugs?

Have you?

For you to imply that Bernie Sanders or any socialist from Vermont does drugs is an insult to the people of Vermont. If I were you, I would apologize to the readers and retcon this.

For you to imply that Bernie Sanders doesn't do drugs is an insult to heroin consumers worldwide. How dare you assume that not even one American elected official is among the great opiate-consuming heroes of this world?

I always wondered how a Gore presidency would look like.

The Early Presidency of Al Gore - January to August 2001

- January 23, 2001 - An poll conducted January 20-23 by Gallup, Inc. indicates that President Al Gore's initial approval rating is approximately 65%, around average for an incoming President for the immediate days following the presidential inauguration. However, many analysts hypothesize that Gore's initial approval rating would have been noticeably higher had the post-election proceedings and rulings been not as controversial.

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- April 23, 2001 - One day after returning from the Summit of the Americas in Quebec, President Gore signs into law the Environmental Protection and Restoration Act of 2001 (EPRA), a bill that strengthens environmental regulation by giving more powers to the Environmental Protection Agency, putting stricter limits on corporate emissions of various environmental pollutants, and increasing penalties for large-scale corporate violations of EPA restrictions. The bill also establishes the Climate Concern Commission, a public awareness organization that operates nationwide in order to educate the general public on matters regarding climate change. The EPRA, at 314, 902 words, is the longest bill in American history, and though it contains language deemed by many to be explicitly in support of the Democratic Party agenda, is passed by both chambers of Congress after a heavy campaign by the bill's supporters to convince both Congress and the general public that the bill is a bipartisan effort.

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Globey the Globe, the official mascot of Our World Matters, the children's outreach program of the Climate Concern Commission.

- August 3, 2001 - President Gore meets with Jiang Zemin, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, at a summit in Beijing. The widely-publicized meeting between the two leaders is seen by many as a large stepping stone towards better relations between the two world's most powerful nations, and gives Gore a significant boost in popularity among American voters.

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Please feel free to post any questions or comments! :)

This is a dream come true. :P Interested to see how this goes.

Does Jesse Jackson, Jr. still end up getting hauled away to prison in typical Illinois fashion?

No, the Gore Administration (like any other presidential administration) is good at covering those kinds of things up.

A 9/11 occurs as IRL with the same events. Gore acting on climate change with the EPRA bill signed.

How will President Gore handle the events of post-9/11?!? Will there be a War on Terror and will he send troops to Iraq?!?

This is an interesting timeline.

A Day That Will Go Down in History - September 11, 2001



President Gore: Well of course, Tom, that's the whole point of the reform!

Mayor Menino: I know, Al, but if we do eventually put the whole damned thing into place, it will create a sizeable dent in my city's budget. I'm up for reelection in less than two months; I doubt Boston will be that happy with me if I implement a tax increase of that size so soon.

Secretary Kennedy: Cut me a break, Tom. You know you're up by fifty points in the polls; you really think a Republican can win the race under these conditions?

Menino: I don't want to take the risk.

Gore: Fine, Menino. Fine. We'll try to work some sort of subsidy into the federal budget, but I'll have you know that you're the first mayor we've talked to that hasn't supported it outright. We talked with Hahn in Los Angeles just last week, he didn't give us any of the sh**t you are.

Kennedy: Oh, for God's sake, Gore! We can't afford another subsidy in the federal budget!

Gore: Nor can we afford allowing African Americans to continue to live in these conditions, Ted.

Kennedy: Al, you have to understand that...

Gore: Kennedy, you listen to me, or...

Kennedy: Fine.

Menino: Good.

Gore: No, it's not good, Menino. This is the last time I'll give your city a subsidy like this; don't think I forgot about what we had to do for you with the EPRA.

Menino: But...

Secret Security Agent: Uhh, Mr. President? I need a word with you.

Gore: Not now, Smythies. I'm in the middle of something.

Agent: President Gore, this is serious.

Gore: It can wait.

Agent: No, President Gore! It can't wait! A plane has just crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center!

Gore: Smythies, you can't be serious.

Agent: I am.

Gore: I don't believe this. Menino, turn on the news.

Menino: Alright, Mr. President. Let me just find the remote...

Gore: Now turn to Channel 5...

Kennedy: Oh, God! It's true! There's the spot where the plane must have crashed; I can see it!

Gore: sh**t. F**king sh**t.

Menino: Oh, lord. Is that another plane?

Kennedy: And there goes the second tower...

Gore: You've got to be kidding me. You've got to be f**king kidding me.

Agent: This isn't a joke, President Gore. Two planes have just crashed into each of the towers of the World Trade Center. Mr. President, our nation is under attack.

In Memoriam - September 11, 2001

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"Hello, friends and fellow Americans.

Throughout America's history, our nation has dealt with a myriad of serious challenges and struggles - the Revolution, slavery, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, racism, Korea, Vietnam. All of these situations took a serious toll upon our nation and our people - Americans have suffered, countless lives have been lost, and the the very principles on which our nation has been built have been attacked. Throughout history, we've had days in which Americans around the country began to doubt whether our nation is the safe, secure, and stable place that it has always promised to be.

Today is one of those days. Today, countless Americans suffered, thousands of lives have been lost, and America has experienced an attack unparalleled since the bombings at Pearl Harbor in 1941. No condolence that I or any other can offer can ever make up for the pain, grief, and sorrow that has been forced upon the American people today, but the least I can do is state, in full truth and confidence, that every last American who died in the attacks this morning died a hero. But none died in vain.

For though all of the events and atrocities that I listed were similar in that they took a tremendous toll upon the American people and way of life, they all had one other thing in common - we fought back and we won.

Today will be no different. Today, though lives have been lost, families have been torn apart, and grief has swept our nation like it never has before, we will fight back. We will win.

We will identify those who were responsible for this attack, and we will bring them to justice for what they did. We will do whatever it takes to make them pay the consequences for their actions, and we will make them feel sorry that they ever laid their eyes upon our nation with malicious intent.

For we will overcome. Just like we did with every previous struggle in American history, regardless of its extent or toll, we will overcome the horrendous, terrible attacks that our nation experienced today.

There is nothing any of us can do today to undo these attacks upon our nation. But if we unite, if we stick together, if we agree on what we need to do, then we can make sure that America gets out of this stronger, safer, and more secure than we ever were before.

Thank you, and God Bless."

Guyz make shur to coment

Gore looks repulsive in that photo.

Progress and Problems - September 2001 to July 2002

- September 15, 2001 - A poll conducted September 12-15 by Gallup, Inc. indicates that President Gore's approval ratings have reached an all-time high at 88% nationally, with 98% of Democrats, 77% of Republicans, and 86% of Independents expressing approval for the President. Political analysts come to the quick consensus that Gore's large boost in popularity is largely due to a surge of American patriotism following the September 11 attacks.


- October 7, 2001 - With President Gore's express permission, the United States military begins its invasion of Afghanistan, launching airstrikes toward Taliban military facilities, communications centers, and training camps in the Afghan cities of Kabul, Kandahar, and Jalalabad. President Gore issues a televised speech regarding the invasion, saying that "our nation's campaign against terrorism in all its forms needs to be won" and that "the 3,000 Americans who lost their lives on that fateful September morning will not have died in vain." Gore calls on the Taliban and the Afghan government to hand over Osama bin Laden, telling bin Laden in the television broadcast that "we know what you've done, we know what you plan to do, but we will not, under any circumstances or conditions, allow you to take the life of even one more innocent American."


- January 8, 2002 - President Gore signs the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act into law, initiating a new set of educational reforms that mandate increased funding for education on both federal and state levels, introduce reformed education standards for grades K-12, and establish a new set of comprehensive programs that are designed to help socially and economically disadvantaged children achieve academic success. The bill passes Congress with the support of virtually all Democrats and some moderate Republicans, though receives criticism from the right for allegedly nationalizing the United States education system and for promoting the teaching of evolution, climate change, and comprehensive sex education in classrooms. The NCLB is viewed positively by most of the public, and is seen as a positive mark on Gore's presidency.


- July 3, 2002 - President Gore passes the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), a law that reforms the United States electoral system by putting rigorous limits on campaign funding, establishing harsher penalties for breaking campaign finance laws, and easing national and statewide voting requirements in order to combat voter suppression. The BCRA also introduces a new electoral tallying system that, when implemented, will make the vote-counting process easier, faster, and more accurate. As with the NCLB, the BCRA passes with the support of most Democrats and some centrist Republicans, though is criticized by the right for allegedly supporting voter fraud, both through easing voting requirements and mandating automatic ballot counting.


- July 31, 2002 - As the 2002 midterm elections approach, polls seem to indicate an extremely close race between Democrats and Republicans in both congressional and statewide elections. Political analysts suspect that the polls' indication of a toss-up is likely due Gore's popularity following the 9/11 attacks and the successful enactment of the NCLB and BCRA, countered by the expected surge of the opposing party (currently the GOP) in most midterm elections.

Interesting update!

The Results are In! - Part 2


"Hello, and welcome back to CNN's election night coverage of the 2002 United States Midterm Elections. I'm your host, John King, and right now we're in for an interesting election night, with a variety of Senate seats, House of Representative seats, and Governorships up for grabs."

"As of now, the Senate is under slim Democratic control with a 51-49 Democratic majority, meaning the GOP only has to pick up a net gain of at least two seats in order to take control of the chamber. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is led by the Republicans with a 223-208 majority, meaning the Democrats must pick up a net gain of at least eight seats in order to regain this chamber."

"As 6:00 PM approaches, polls will be closing in the states of Indiana and Kentucky, and due to the new mandatory automated ballot-counting system established by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, we'll be able to call all election results immediately."

"First up - Indiana. Though there aren't any Senate seats or Governorships up for grabs in the Hoosier State tonight, we will be seeing some interesting results in the House of Representatives elections. Here are our results:"

District 1:

✓ Pete Visclosky (D) - 69%
Mark Leyva (R) - 29%

District 2:

✓ Jill Long Thompson (D) - 49%
Chris Chocola (R) - 48%

District 3:

✓ Mark Souder (R) - 61%
Jay Rigdon (D) - 35%

District 4:

✓ Steve Buyer (R) - 70%
Bill Abbott (D) - 26%

District 5:

✓ Dan Burton (R) - 72%
Katherine Fox Carr (D) - 27%

District 6:

✓ Mike Pence (R) - 60%
Mel Fox (D) - 38%

District 7:

✓ Julia Carson (D) - 55%
Brose McVey (R) - 42%

District 8:

✓ Brian Hartke (D) - 49%
John Hostettler (R) - 49%

District 9:

✓ Baron Hill (D) - 53%
Mike Sodrel (R) - 45%

"As you can see, this year's results in Indiana have been a sizeable victory for the Democrats, with President Gore's party picking up the seat of Republican incumbent John Hostettler and holding the seat opened by the retirement of Democrat Tim Roemer. These two races, as well as Democratic incumbent Julia Carson's hold of her widely-contested seat, are seen as major upsets in favor of the Democratic Party, with the Democrats already having picked up one of the eight seats they need to regain control of the House."

"Next up, we'll be examining the Senate and House results in Kentucky, where a plethora of interesting results are certainly in store."


Please make sure to vote and comment! :D

             






                                                ()

How is Gore looking from a job approval standpoint? The results from Indiana seem to indicate that he is moderately popular, though O'Bannon might be playing a role in that as well.

His approval is about 50-45 in favor right now, partially due to post-9/11 sentiments but also the due to the amount of reforms he managed to put into law, even with a Republican-controlled House.

The major geopolitical trends since he was inaugurated are actually pretty surprising - the North (especially the Northeast and northern Midwest) are trending more Democratic due to their favorable impression of a popular, progressive president, while the South is trending more Republican because they view Gore as a traitor who abandoned traditional Southern values even as he tried to portray himself as a Southerner throughout his campaign.

But boy, will that change soon! Hence the 'Radical Changes', of course. FTR, they haven't started yet.

Things Ted Kennedy wouldn't say.

LOL, you're probably right.

Great TL though, Dar.

Eh, it was for the sake of the plot.

But still, considering the amount of federal programs that our hypothetical President Gore put into place, it actually wouldn't be unreasonable for Kennedy to say this.

It will be interesting to see whether Mitch Daniels still becomes governor in 2004, as he gained renown as a member of the Bush Administration.

tbh you should probably cut the results down to just notable races, otherwise it's gonna take forever

I'm going to try to consolidate multiple states to one post and to not include as much extra commentary from now on, but I still want to try to calculate the full results for each state.

The Results are In! - Part 4


"Hello, and welcome back to CNN's coverage of the 2002 United States Midterm Elections. I'm John King, and tonight, we've already seen quite a few surprises. So far, the Democrats have gained a net of one of the eight seats they need to retake the House of Representatives, while the GOP is yet to pick up the two seats it needs to regain the Senate. By far the most surprising result of tonight's coverage has been Independent perennial candidate Gatewood Galbraith's defeat of Republican incumbent Ernie Fletcher and Democratic challenger Ben Chandler Kentucky's sixth congressional district for the House of Representatives. Which party Galbraith decides to caucus with may determine the control of the House if Democrats manage to gain six other net pickups."

"Right now, the clock reads 7:01 PM, and results have just come in for six states - Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia. Here are their results. First, let's look at the Senate races in the states of Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Virginia. Florida and Vermont are not holding Senate elections this year."

Senate Election Results:

Georgia:

✓ Max Cleland (D) - 50%
Saxby Chambliss (R) - 46%

New Hampshire:

✓ Jeanne Shaheen (D) - 52%
John E. Sununu (R) - 46%

South Carolina:

✓ Lindsey Graham (R) - 57%
Alex Sanders (D) - 43%

Virginia:

✓ John Warner (R) - 61%
John S. Edwards (D) - 37%

"No huge surprises in the Senate so far tonight, though Democrats have managed a few substantial victories in close races. In Georgia, Democratic incumbent Max Cleland has defeated GOP challenger Saxby Chambliss in a close race. Cleland, a decorated combat veteran, was able to exploit his military record and moderate reputation in the Senate in order to win the race, though only recently managed to regain lost ground in opinion polls after a few last-minute visits from President Gore. However, Cleland's victory is not to say that Gore's party is expecting a good night in the South tonight, as many opinion polls in southern Senate, House, and gubernatorial elections suggest that we'll be seeing an overall GOP victory in this region this evening."

"Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen has defeated Republican John E. Sununu in another close, yet largely uneventful, Senate campaign. As also expected, South Carolina is sending Republican Lindsey Graham to the Senate tonight as the successor of long-time Senator Strom Thurmond, defeating Democrat Alex Sanders in the general election. The state of Virginia has decided to reelect popular Republican incumbent Senator John Warner as well, easily defeating state senator John S. Edwards, the Democratic candidate. Now on to the gubernatorial results:"

Gubernatorial Election Results:

Florida:

✓ Jeb Bush (R) - 57%
Bill McBride (D) - 43%

Georgia:

✓ Roy Barnes (D) - 48%
Sonny Perdue (R) - 48%

New Hampshire:

✓ Craig Benson (R) - 51%
Mark Fernald (D) - 45%

South Carolina:

✓ Mark Sanford (R) - 55%
Jim Hodges (D) - 45%

Vermont:

✓ Doug Racine (D) - 50%
Jim Douglas (R) - 44%


"Not many surprises here either, though as with the Senate races, there are a number of close elections that have produced interesting results tonight. In Georgia, the Democrats' good night hasn't stopped yet, as incumbent Democratic governor Roy Barnes has defeated Republican challenger Sonny Perdue in what most view an extremely close race. However, the GOP has proven to be victorious in its attempt to defeat Democratic incumbent Jim Hodges of South Carolina, as challenger Mark Sanford of the GOP has won by a comfortable margin. Incumbent Republican Jeb Bush of Florida has also easily won his gubernatorial campaign. Meanwhile in the northeast, both parties have experienced victories, with Democrat Doug Racine winning by a six-point margin in Vermont and Republican Craig Benson proving to be victorious by the same margin in New Hampshire. Both candidates won open seats, though Benson's victory is a pickup for the GOP. Now, to the House."

"In Florida, all 25 incumbents have been reelected, with the exception of Republican Dan Miller of Florida's 13th congressional district, who has retired. He was replaced by Democrat Jan Schneider in a relatively close race against Republican Katherine Harris, famous for her involvement as Florida's Secretary of State during the 2000 presidential election recount. Meanwhile, Florida has been awarded two new congressional districts as a result of the 2000 census, both of which have been won by members of the GOP."

"In the state of Georgia, redistricting due to the 2000 census results has produced quite a complicated scenario. All incumbents have been reelected - albeit with many in different districts - with the exceptions of Republicans Saxby Chambliss and Bobb Barr and Democrat Cynthia McKinney. While Chambliss, of Georgia's third congressional district, retired to run for Senate and was replaced by Democrat Jim Marshall, Barr was defeated in the GOP primary contest by fellow Republican incumbent John Linder, who was redistricted from the eleventh congressional district to Barr's seventh and forced to run against him in the Republican primary. Linder won his general election, though the district he vacated elected Democrat Roger Kahn in his stead. Meanwhile, Democratic incumbent Cynthia McKinney of Georgia's fourth congressional district, viewed by many as too extremist, was primaried by fellow Democrat Denise Majette, who went on to win her general election contest. Redistricting due to the 2000 census also produced two congressional districts in the Peach State, both of which were won by Democrats - Champ Walker in the thirteenth congressional district and David Scott in the fourteenth."

"In New Hampshire, Republican Jeb Bradley has succeeded fellow Republican John E. Sununu as the representative for New Hampshire's first congressional district after the latter's retirement in order to run for Senate. The second district, meanwhile, has seen the reelection of Republican representative Charlie Bass by a comfortable margin. In the neighboring state of Vermont, which only contains one at-large congressional district, popular Independent incumbent Bernard Sanders has won reelection with more than 70% of the vote."

"The state of Virginia, however, has seen the loss of an independent representative, as Congressman Virgil Goode, though reelected, has decided to change parties and become a Republican. Goode was joined by all ten of Virginia's other incumbent representatives in being reelected, putting the state's House delegation at eight Republicans and three Democrats. The state of South Carolina, similarly to Virginia, has seen all incumbents reelected, with the sole exception of Lindsey Graham, who retired to run for Senate - he did so successfully. Graham was replaced by fellow Republican Gresham Barrett in a fairly predictable race."

"So far tonight, we've seen a number of interesting results, with a fair quantity of pickups in the Senate, House, and among Governors. In thirty minutes, our network is expecting to receive electoral results from the states of Ohio, West Virginia, and North Carolina, where a number of interesting races are taking place. Stay tuned; I'm John King, and this is CNN."

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Please feel free to vote and comment! :D

The Results are In! - Part 7


"Good evening, I'm John King, and welcome back to CNN's Election Night Coverage for the 2002 midterms. Right now, the clock reads 9:03 PM EST, and we've just received results from electoral offices in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Before we go to those, however, let's take a quick recap of the electoral results from the state of Arkansas, which were announced at 8:30 PM this evening. In Arkansas, the only state to close its polls at 8:30, this election cycle has seen extremely contested races in both the Senatorial and Gubernatorial elections. With political analysts across the board rating both races as pure toss-ups, the people of Arkansas have certainly had some tough decisions to make today."

Arkansas - Gubernatorial Election:

✓ Mike Huckabee (R) - 57%
Jimmie Lou Fisher (D) - 42%

Arkansas - Senatorial Election:

✓ Tim Hutchinson (R) - 50%
Mark Pryor (D) - 50%

"As shown, tonight's a great night for the GOP in Arkansas, with both of its incumbents - Huckabee and Hutchinson - winning their races, albeit by small margins. These results are sure to come as devastating for the Arkansas Democrats, as Gore's party was hoping for at least one victory in these two highly-contested races - especially in the Senate, where Hutchinson essentially tied Pryor for the victory but came off with a slight 300-vote margin of victory. However, the House elections in Arkansas may come as a slight consolation for the state's Democrats, as all three Democratic incumbents - as well as the sole Republican one - have been reelected by safe margins. Now, on to the 9:00 PM gubernatorial races, where the states of Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming are all seeing their Gubernatorial Mansions up for grab this year - Louisiana will be holding its gubernatorial election in 2003."

Arizona:

✓ Janet Napolitano (D) - 43%
Matt Salmon (R) - 43%
Richard Mahoney (I) - 14%

Colorado:

✓ Bill Owens (R) - 60%
Rollie Heath (D) - 35%

Minnesota:

✓ Tim Penny (I) - 34%
Tim Pawlenty (R) - 33%
Roger Moe (D) - 32%

Nebraska:

✓ Mike Johanns (R) - 71%
Stormy Dean (D) - 24%

New Mexico:

✓ Bill Richardson (D) - 60%
John Sanchez (R) - 39%

New York:

✓ George Pataki (R) - 49%
Carl McCall (D) - 47%

Rhode Island:

✓ Myrth York (D) - 50%
Donald Carcieri (R) - 48%

South Dakota:

✓ Mike Rounds (R) - 58%
Jim Abbott (D) - 39%

Wisconsin:

✓ Jim Doyle (D) - 52%
Scott McCallum (R) - 44%

Wyoming:

✓ Eli Bebout (R) - 50%
Dave Freudenthal (D) - 47%

"As shown, this year's trend of surprising gubernatorial results has definitely not come to a stop at this hour, with 2002 seeing a variety of close races around the nation being decided by no more than a few thousand votes. Most surprising of all at this hour is the gubernatorial result in Minnesota, where Tim Penny of the Independence Party has defeated Republican Tim Pawlenty and Democrat Roger Moe for a seat at the North Star State's Governor's Residence. This race was an extremely close one, with pre-election polling indicating a pure toss-up and each candidate garnering only around one-third of the vote, though the governor that Penny will succeed - Jesse Ventura - is also of the Independence Party."

"Meanwhile, this hour's results have also continued the noticeable trend of gubernatorial pickups in this election cycle, with victorious candidates in Arizona, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin - all Democrats - either defeating their states' Republican incumbents or winning open seats previously held by a member of the other party. While incumbents in Colorado, Nebraska, New York, and South Dakota - all Republicans - have successfully been reelected to their office, Wyoming has seen its Republican candidate, Eli Bebout, replace fellow Republican Jim Geringer after the latter's retirement. Now, on to the Senate, where the states of Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Wyoming are all holding contests this year."

Colorado:

✓ Tom Strickland (D) - 50%
Wayne Allard (R) - 45%

Louisiana:

✓ Suzanne Terrell (R) - 53%
Mary Landrieu (D) - 46%

Minnesota:

✓ Paul Wellstone (D) - 61%
Norm Coleman (R) - 35%

Nebraska:

✓ Chuck Hagel (R) - 82%
Charlie Matulka (D) - 15%

New Mexico:

✓ Pete Domenici (R) - 62%
Gloria Tristani (D) - 38%

Rhode Island:

✓ Jack Reed (D) - 84%
Robert Tingle (R) - 15%

South Dakota:

✓ John Thune (R) - 50%
Tim Johnson (D) - 49%

Wyoming:

✓ Mike Enzi (R) - 78%
Joyce Corcoran (D) - 22%

"As with the gubernatorial results, this hour's Senate results certainly reflect a variety of surprising outcomes, though unlike in the gubernatorial races, the GOP does not seem to have been subject to devastation. Incumbent Senators in Nebraska, New Mexico, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Rhode Island - the former three Republicans and the latter two Democrats - have all won reelection easily, while the states of Colorado, Louisiana, and South Dakota have all seen incumbents - the first a Republican and the others Democrats - defeated in relatively close races to challengers of the opposing party."

"Meanwhile, the eleven states closing their polls at this hour have all seen elections in the House of Representatives, with each state putting every one of their Congressional Districts up for grabs in this cycle. While the states of Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Wyoming have seen all of their incumbents safely reelected, the states of Louisiana, New Mexico, and South Dakota have each seen one retiring representative - those from Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, and South Dakota's At-Large one - being replaced by a member of the same party. New Mexico has also seen incumbent Republican Heather Wilson of the 1st Congressional District defeated by Democratic challenger Richard Romero in a relatively close race. The only party changes seen in the states of Arizona and Colorado have been due to redistricting, with the results of the 2000 Census awarding Arizona two new districts and Colorado one. All three new seats were taken by members of the Democratic Party."

"Meanwhile, the states of New York and Wisconsin have all seen delegation changes in this year's election cycle, with Democrat Tom Barrett of Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District retiring to run for Governor after deciding against facing a potentially hazardous primary against a fellow Democratic incumbent due to redistricting. New York, on the other hand, has seen two incumbent Representatives - Republican Benjamin Gilman and Democrat John LaFalce - retire due to redistricting challenges, while fellow incumbent Felix Grucci of the 1st Congressional District has lost his seat to Democrat Tim Bishop after a close and heavily-contested race."

"In the next hour, CNN will be expecting to receive election results from the states of Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Utah. Stay tuned until then; I'm John King, and this is CNN."

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Please feel free to vote and comment! Thanks! :D

The Results are In! - Part 8


"Hello, and welcome back to CNN's 2002 Midterm Election Night Coverage with your host, John King. At this moment, we're just getting results in from the six states of Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Utah, each of which closed their polls at 10:00 PM EST. Right now, we're going to analyze the Gubernatorial, Senate, and House election results for each of these states - their outcomes could determine who controls Congress over the next two year period, as well as which party controls a majority of state governorships from around the nation. First up, the Senate, where the states of Idaho, Iowa, and Montana are holding elections this cycle."

Idaho:

✓ Larry Craig (R) - 67%
Alan Blinken (D) - 33%

Iowa:

✓ Tom Harkin (D) - 56%
Greg Ganske (R) - 41%

Montana:

✓ Max Baucus (D) - 58%
Mike Taylor (R) - 42%

"No surprises here, with incumbents Larry Craig of Idaho, Tom Harkin of Iowa, and Max Baucus of Montana - the former a Republican and the latter two Democrats - easily winning reelection. Now, to the governorships, where Idaho, Iowa, and Nevada are all holding contests this year."

Idaho:

✓ Dirk Kempthorne (R) - 60%
Jerry Brady (D) - 39%

Iowa:

✓ Tom Vilsack (D) - 55%
Doug Gross (R) - 44%

Nevada:

✓ Kenny Guinn (R) - 66%
Joseph Deal (D) - 31%

"As with the Senate races, there are no real surprises here, as all three incumbents - Democrat Tom Vilsack of Iowa and Republicans Dirk Kempthorne and Kenny Guinn of Idaho and Nevada, respectively - have won reelection easily. This hour hasn't come with any interesting news so far, though results in the House may change that."

"Results in the House tonight seem to be slightly more interesting, though still rather uneventful. All incumbents have been reelected in Idaho, Montana, and Nevada, while Utah and Iowa have each seen one retiring Republican incumbent - James Hanson of Utah's 1st Congressional District and Greg Ganske of Iowa's 5th, who ran unsuccessfully for Governor - being replaced by a member of the same party. Iowa has also seen one incumbent defeat - Republican Jim Leach of the state's 2nd Congressional District has been defeated by Democratic challenger Julie Thomas. Meanwhile, At-Large Representative Earl Pomeroy, a Democrat from North Dakota, has been similarly ousted by Republican Rick Clayburgh. Finally, redistricting in Nevada has given the state a new seat, won by Republican Jon Porter with a safe margin."

"That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned for results from the states of Hawaii, California, Oregon, and Washington at 11:00. I'm John King; this is CNN."

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Please vote and comment, thanks! :D

Is anyone aware of this timeline's existence?

yes i'm still reading this, i just don't really have anything to say

The Results are In! - Part 9


"Hello, I'm John King, and welcome back to the 2002 Midterms Election Night Coverage with CNN. Right now, the clock reads 12:00 AM EST on the dot on November 6, 2002, and we've just received our final election results of the night from the office of the Alaska Secretary of State. However, before we take a look at those, let's recap the 11:00 PM results, which came in from the states of California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington just an hour ago. First, the Senate, where the state of Oregon has held an election tonight."

Oregon:

✓ Gordon Smith (R) - 52%
Bill Bradbury (D) - 45%

"While the reelection of incumbent Senator Smith does not come as a surprise to most, the race was made close by a favorable Democratic climate in the north and a round of last-minute campaigning from President Gore in the days leading up to the election. Now, onto the gubernatorial races, where the states of California, Hawaii, and Oregon are all holding elections this cycle."

California:

✓ Gray Davis (D) - 55%
Bill Simon (R) - 42%

Hawaii:

✓ Mazie Hirono (D) - 55%
Linda Lingle (R) - 42%

Oregon:

✓ Ted Kulongoski (D) - 55%
Kevin Mannix (R) - 42%

"No real surprises here in the gubernatorial column either, with Gray Davis of California winning reelection by a safe margin and fellow Democrats Mazie Hirono and Ted Kulongoski of Hawaii and Oregon, respectively, both replacing retiring Governors of the same party. In an interesting coincidence, it seems that all three races have been won by around the same margin, though heavy campaigning by President Gore on the Pacific coast during the last days before the election did indicate a favorable Democratic turnout."

"Meanwhile, all four states closing their polls at 11:00 have seen races in the House of Representatives tonight, where all Congresspeople from each state are up for reelection every two years. In California, a populous state boasting a total of now 53 Congressional Districts, all but two incumbents have been reelected, with Republican incumbent Steve Horn retiring and being replaced by Democrat Linda Sanchez in the state's 39th Congressional District and incumbent Gary Condit of California's 18th Congressional District being defeated in his primary race by fellow Democrat Dennis Cardoza, who went on to win the general election. Furthermore, due to redistricting allowing California to have a total of 53 seats in the House, a newly-created district - the 21st - has been won by Republican Devin Nunes."

"In the state of Hawaii, Democratic incumbent Neil Abercrombie of the state's 1st Congressional District has been safely reelected, while fellow Democrat Patsy Mink has been posthumously reelected in the 2nd Congressional District despite dying of pneumonia in late September. A special election is expected to be held soon in order to replace Mink. Meanwhile, all incumbent Representatives in both the states of Oregon and Washington have been reelected confidently. Now, on to Alaska, where the Last Frontier State has seen three elections tonight - one for Governor, one for Senate, and one for the state's At-Large House district."

Alaska - Governor:

✓ Frank Murkowski (R) - 56%
Fran Ulmer (D) - 41%

Alaska - Senate:

✓ Ted Stevens (R) - 78%
Frank Vondersaar (D) - 11%

Alaska - House:

✓ Don Young (R) - 75%
Clifford Greene (D) - 17%

"No big surprises here, with Republicans winning races across the board in a solid GOP state. That's all for our 2002 Midterm Election results for tonight, folks, with races in all fifty states having been called and an exhilarating campaign season finally coming to a close. To everyone in the audience tonight, I'd like to thank you for sticking with us on CNN the whole way through, and wish all of America a good night's sleep tonight. John King, signing off."

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Oy vey.

Next up, I'll provide a short analysis of the elections (with Senate/Governor/House maps and results), as well as finally start the Radical Changes once and for all (they begin in 2003 and are quite radical).

Please comment and vote, everyone, thanks! :D

Nice Job, Dar!

The Results are In! - Part 10

Analysis of the 2002 Midterm Elections

Overall, the results of the 2002 United States Midterm elections were great news for the Democrats, with President Gore's party doing relatively well in an election cycle generally toxic for the party of the incumbent Commander in Chief. Though the Republicans held the House with an extremely small 219-216 margin (Independent Representatives Bernie Sanders and Gatewood Galbraith both decided to caucus with Gore's party), the Democrats were able to hold their majority in the Senate, with 51 Democratic Senators (including Independent Jim Jeffords of Vermont) compared to the GOP's 49. Furthermore, the Democrats easily captured the majority of the nation's governorships, boasting 28 Governors compared to the Republicans' 21 and one governorship (that of Tim Penny in Minnesota) won by an Independent. The following is a complete analysis of the 2002 Midterm Elections:

Governorships:

In a hectic gubernatorial election cycle widely regarded as one of the most tumultuous in recent history, a total of fifteen gubernatorial pickups were seen this year, with only twenty-one governorships being held by a member of the incumbent party. Clearly victorious overall in the gubernatorial column, Democrats came out with eleven pickups in the states of Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, while Republicans only picked up four governorships, specifically those in Alabama, Alaska, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. However, Republicans were also able to hold a significant portion of the governorships up for grabs, keeping thirteen in their column while Democrats could only say the same of seven. Meanwhile, the state of Minnesota certainly saw an interesting scenario, with victorious Independence Party candidate Tim Penny holding the seat formerly held by fellow Independence Party member Jesse Ventura. As an outcome of the gubernatorial results in 2002, the Democrats captured a majority of the Governors' Mansions, winning 28 total compared to 21 for the GOP and one for the Independence Party. The following is a map of the 2002 gubernatorial races (60% is a hold and 30% is a pickup), followed by a general map of current gubernatorial party affiliations.

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The historically large amount of party switches in this year's gubernatorial election cycle most likely comes as a result of significant geopolitical affiliation trends between 1998 (the year in which these offices were last up for grabs) and 2002, by which time the progressiveness of President Gore caused a noticeable pro-Democratic shift in the Northern, Pacific Coast, and Atlantic Coast regions, along with a pro-GOP shift in the South likely due to many pro-Clinton Southern conservatives seeing Gore's liberality as an affront to traditional Southern values.

Senate:

Unlike the results in the gubernatorial column, very few pickups were seen in the Senate this election cycle, with each party winning two seats previously held in the other. While the Republicans did see more victories specifically in this election cycle, the Democrats held their majority in the Senate, with seats in Senate Classes 1 and 3 giving Gore's party a 51-49 advantage over the GOP (Independent Jim Jeffords of Vermont currently caucuses with the Democrats). The following is a map of all 2002 Senate races, followed by an overall map of each Senator's party affiliation by state (grey indicates one Republican and one Democrat, while blue and red indicate both Senators coming from the same party - Republicans blue and Democrats red.

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As with the gubernatorial races, the Senate results indicate a pro-Democratic shift in the Northern and Coastal regions due to Gore's popularity as a progressive president, while the South continues its Republican trend due to seeing Gore's policy as a betrayal of traditional Southern values.

House:

While the Gubernatorial and Senate results came as major victories for the Democrats, a disappointment for President Gore's party found itself in the House of Representatives, where Republicans were able to hold onto their majority by a slim 219-216 margin (Independents Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Gatewood Galbraith of Kentucky both caucus with the Democrats). The following is a map indicating which party now controls the majority of House seats in each state (grey indicates a tie between Democrats and Republicans; percentages indicate by what margin the majority party is in the lead in each state).

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The results in the House of Representatives confirm the geopolitical trend seen in tonight's races, with Northern states trending Democratic as an affirmation to Gore's policies and Southern states trending Republican as a rebuttal.

Summary:

Overall, the results of the 2002 Midterm Elections came as good news for the party of President Gore, with Democrats winning majorities in both the Gubernatorial and Senatorial columns, as well as expanding their numbers in that of the House of Representatives. Furthermore, the 2002 election results confirmed a lasting geopolitical trend in the nation, with the pro-Democratic trend of Northern and Coastal areas being balanced out by a pro-Republican one in the South (this is likely due to the varying popularity of President Gore and his policy throughout the nation).

As the beginning of the 108th Congress approaches, Democrats should be expecting a slightly easier legislative path ahead, as they are close to controlling the House and have affirmed their majority in the Senate. However, many challenges for the nation and both parties lie ahead, with economic conditions, social progression, and terrorism both domestically and abroad all acting as catalysts to what is sure to be a contentious next few years. All of these factors, along with the mysterious rise of two powerful new political factions in our nation's midst, are sure to carry with them a host of difficult, vehement, and potentially revolutionizing radical changes in the United States of America.

Season 3 - The 2002 Midterm Elections is now over. Season 4 - Let the Changes Begin has commenced.

EDIT: House results corrected in Tennessee to reflect accurate party makeup.

Make sure to vote and comment! :D

Episode 1 - The Inauguration of the 108th Congress

January 3, 2003





Name Composition of the 108th Senate:

Alabama: Shelby (R) Sessions (R)	Alaska: Stevens (R) Murkowski (R)	Arizona: McCain (R) Kyl (R)	Arkansas: Hutchinson (R) Lincoln (D)	California: Feinstein (D) Boxer (D)	Colorado: Campbell (R) Strickland (D)	Connecticut: Dodd (D) Dejdenson (D)	Delaware: Biden (D) Carper (D)	Florida: Graham (D) Nelson (D)	Georgia: Cleland (D) Miller (D)
Hawaii: Inouye (D) Akaka (D)	Idaho: Craig (R) Crapo (R)	Illinois: Durbin (D) Fitzgerald (R)	Indiana: Lugar (R) Bayh (D)	Iowa: Grassley (R) Harkin (D)	Kansas: Brownback (R) Roberts (R)	Kentucky: McConnell (R) Bunning (R)	Louisiana: Breaux (D) Terrell (R)	Maine: Snowe (R) Collins (R)	Maryland: Sarbanes (D) Mikulski (D)
Massachusetts: Markey (D) Frank (D)	Michigan: Levin (D) Stabenow (D)	Minnesota: Wellstone (D) Dayton (D)	Mississippi: Cochran (R) Lott (R)	Missouri: Bond (R) Carnahan (D)	Montana: Baucus (D) Burns (R)	Nebraska: Hagel (R) Nelson (D)	Nevada: Reid (D) Ensign (R)	New Hampshire: Gregg (R) Shaheen (D)	New Jersey: Corzine (D) Lautenberg (D)
New Mexico: Domenici (R) Bingaman (D)	New York: Schumer (D) Clinton (D)	North Carolina: Edwards (D) Dole (R)	North Dakota: Conrad (D) Dorgan (D)	Ohio: DeWine (R) Voinovich (R)	Oklahoma: Nickles (R) Inhofe (R)	Oregon: Wyden (D) Smith (R)	Pennsylvania: Specter (R) Santorum (R)	Rhode Island: Reed (D) Chafee (R)	South Carolina: Hollings (D) Graham (R)
South Dakota: Daschle (D) Thune (R)	Tennessee: Thompson (R) Frist (R)	Texas: Gramm (R) Hutchinson (R)	Utah: Hatch (R) Bennett (R)	Vermont: Leahy (D) Jeffords (I)	Virginia: Warner (R) Allen (R)	Washington: Cantwell (D) Owen (D)	West Virginia: Byrd (D) Rockefeller (D)	Wisconsin: Kohl (D) Feingold (D)	Wyoming: Thomas (R) Enzi (R)

Full Composition: 50 Democrats; 49 Republicans; 1 Independent

Party Composition of the 108th House:

Alabama: 5-2 R	Alaska: 1-0 R	Arizona: 5-3 R	Arkansas: 3-1 D	California: 33-20 D	Colorado: 4-3 R	Connecticut: 3-2 R	Delaware: 1-0 R	Florida: 17-8 R	Georgia: 7-6 D
Hawaii: 2-0 D	Idaho: 2-0 R	Illinois: 10-9 D	Indiana: 5-4 D	Iowa: 3-2 R	Kansas: 3-1 R	Kentucky: 4-1-1 R	Louisiana: 5-2 R	Maine: 2-0 D	Maryland: 6-2 D
Massachusetts: 10-0 D	Michigan: 8-7 R	Minnesota: 5-3 D	Mississippi: 2-2 T	Missouri: 5-4 R	Montana: 1-0 R	Nebraska: 3-0 R	Nevada: 2-1 R	New Hampshire: 2-0 R	New Jersey: 7-6 D
New Mexico: 2-1 D	New York: 19-10 D	North Carolina: 7-6 D	North Dakota: 1-0 R	Ohio: 12-6 R	Oklahoma: 4-1 R	Oregon: 4-1 D	Pennsylvania: 11-8 R	Rhode Island: 2-0 D	South Carolina: 4-2 R
South Dakota: 1-0 R	Tennessee: 5-4 D	Texas: 17-15 R	Utah: 2-1 R	Vermont: 1-0-0 I	Virginia: 8-3 R	Washington: 6-3 D	West Virginia: 2-1 D	Wisconsin: 4-4 T	Wyoming: 1-0 R

Full Composition: 219 Republicans; 214 Democrats; 2 Independents

In Other News:

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- January 1, 2003 - The annual Times Square Ball Drop, in what is supposed to be a momentous and blissful occasion, instead prompts terror and confusion when a malfunction at approximately 11:58:48 EST sends glass fragments of the ball into the large crowd below, critically injuring three and causing an eruption of widespread panic and fear. According to police reports, the malfunction is caused by the lodging of a Styrofoam cup into a slot in the ball's support a few minutes before its drop, causing a small part of the orb to fracture during its descent. As of January 9, one patient is still in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, while authorities are still to determine whether the cause of the accident was intentional or accidental.

- January 5, 2003 - A poll conducted by Gallup, Inc. between January 3rd and 5th indicates that President Gore's job approval has now steadied out at 68%, likely due to post-9/11 patriotic sentiments along with Gore's popular policy track record.

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- January 7, 2003 - After being approved by the House and Senate, the Homeland Security Act (HSA) is signed into law by President Gore, creating the United States Department of Homeland Security, as well as the cabinet-level position of Secretary of Homeland Security and many other associated offices. The Act also initiates the launch of a new federal intelligence program, created to monitor the actions of suspected terrorists and prevent the nation from experiencing any future terrorist attacks. While the Act receives heavy bipartisan support and is fairly popular in the public, it does receive some opposition in Congress, most notably from leftist Democrats who oppose the intelligence programs established by the Act for constitutional reasons (fourteen Dems in the House and one - Feingold - in the Senate), as well as from a surprising number of conservative Republicans who many analysts say are only opposing the reform out of spite towards President Gore (twenty-three Reps in the House and  ten - Sessions, Craig, Brownback, Terrell, Burns, Nickles, Inhofe, Santorum, Thomas, and Enzi - in the Senate).

Homeland Security Act Senate Roll Call:

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Grey - Both Senators Support
Light Red - One Democrat Opposes
Dark Red - Both Democrats Oppose
Light Blue - One Republican Opposes
Dark Blue - Both Republicans Oppose

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Please comment and vote; I still don't know how many people are actually reading this. Thanks! :)

Great job!

Episode 2 - The Beginning of the Beginning

108th Congressional Leadership:

Senate:

- President of the Senate: Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
- President pro tempore: Robert Byrd (D-WV)
- President pro tempore emeritus: Ted Stevens (R-AK)
- Majority Leader: Tom Daschle (D-SD)
- Majority Whip: Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
- Minority Leader: Trent Lott (R-MS)
- Minority Whip: Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

House:

- Speaker: Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
- Majority Leader: Tom DeLay (R-TX)
- Majority Whip: Roy Blunt (R-MO)
- Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
- Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Other Events:

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January 9, 2003 - In a relatively uneventful special election, Representative Ed Case (D-HI) of Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District easily wins reelection to a full term after being elected late last year to serve for the remainder of the term of Patsy Mink, a long-time Hawaii Democratic politician who died of pneumonia last September after serving in Congress for more than twenty-four years. Case won the election with a fairly large 47% plurality, defeating fellow Democrat Matt Matsunaga and Republican Bob McDermott.

Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District Special Election Results:

✓ Ed Case (D) - 48%
Matt Matsunaga (D) - 35%
Bob McDermott (R) - 13%

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January 23, 2003 - In a widely-expected press conference viewed by >500,000 people worldwide, President Al Gore announces the beginning of official congressional deliberation to pass and initiate the Iraq War Resolution. In the speech, viewed by many as a successful embodiment of both grief for those lost during the 9/11 attacks and patriotism towards the nation for being prepared to make such a commitment, Gore commends both parties for being able to "move past blinding partisan ties and work together towards making a brighter future for America and the world," telling viewers that "America is ready to rise to the occasion and liberate the Iraqi people and the world from the tyranny imposed by the government of Saddam Hussein." The same day, the Resolution is introduced in both chambers of Congress, with House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) each making fiery speeches in support of the legislation. While official debate for the bill will not begin until the details of the original draft are finalized, it is widely expected that nearly all Senators and Representatives will support the initiative due to its public popularity and reinforcement from major leaders of both party establishments. Political news and polling data aggregator Real Clear Politics releases its predictions for the final Senate roll call vote the next day:

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Thanks for reading, and please feel free to vote or comment! :)

And I was just starting to like Gore...

By May, support of the Iraq War will be absolutely irrelevant in determining who you do and don't support :P

*nudge nudge wink wink*

One minor nitpick: Byrd was a fierce opponent of the Iraq War and I don't see him supporting it under Gore.

I'm quite aware of that, but RCP on the other hand...

Gore's approval rating spiked from 50% to 68% in the ~2 months between 11/02 and 1/03?

EDIT: Or were you saying the *margin* at election time was ~50%? In which case saying "50-45" is confusing.

The effects of anti-Gore campaigning during the 2002 midterms by GOP candidates greatly reduced his popularity by election day, though these effects quickly dissipated as the Democrats' victories in 2002 made Gore more popular and widespread discussion about the President introducing the IWR brought back a lot of post-9/11 sentiment and patriotism (however, this did not hurt his standing with anti-Iraq voters, as his position was still unclear and both sides assumed that he would vouch their way). The Gallup poll that showed only 50% support was more of an outlier; if you were to look at a more general trend line around this time his popularity levels would be much more substantial.

I should get back to this...

Episode 3 - The War Begins . . . On Capitol Hill

January 28, 2003




Just this morning, the opening of a new session in the 108th United States Congress was kicked off with a stunning show of support for the newly-introduced Iraq War Resolution, with twenty Senators from the Republican Party coming out in support of the controversial bill supported by President Al Gore, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL).

The group of Senators, consisting mostly of senior and establishment Republicans, was led by current President pro tempore emeritus of the Senate Ted Stevens (R-AK), flanked by fellow senior Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Thad Cochran (R-MS). In a speech viewed by most as fitting for one representing an entire fifth of the world's most powerful legislative body, Stevens highlighted the dangers of letting the Hussein Administration continue to rule in Iraq unchecked, emphasizing the need for unity in both the United States government and in the international community. Charging the Iraqi President with "committing grave crimes that question the very essence of humanity itself," Stevens stressed during his thirty-minute address that "now is a more important time than ever for the people of this nation to realize that - regardless of petty partisan feuds or political labels - we must come together in opposition to authoritarianism and tyranny and in support for this resolution."

His speech was followed by similar ones from McCain and Cochran, both of whom emphasized their extensive military experience in support for the President's plan. The other Senators who announced their support for the resolution during the address included, in no specific order, Richard Shelby (R-AL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Trent Lott (R-MS), Kit Bond (R-MO), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), John Ensign (R-NV), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Thune (R-SD), Fred Thompson (R-TN), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Bob Bennett (R-UT).

The Senate address was followed by a similar one in the House on Tuesday afternoon in which eighty-nine Republican representatives assembled on the House floor to declare their support for the bill. Led by House Committee on Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), the group announced their decision to "stand with the President, the Senate, and the American people in order to take the steps necessary to assure that terrorism is and will remain a thing of the past, not of the future." The representatives were joined later in the day by twenty-six of their Democratic counterparts in the House and one in the Senate (Zell Miller of Georgia), each of whom announced their intentions to join President Gore in support for the Resolution as well.

However, not all of those who have announced their position on the Resolution as of today are in favor of its passage. This evening saw seven Democratic members of the House of Representatives announce their opposition to the Iraq proposal, with Representative Martin Sabo of Minnesota calling the Resolution "something that we cannot let pass knowing that the best interests of the American people are at heart." Joining Sabo and the six other House Democrats was Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who called the legislation "a misguided attempt to protect our nation from terrorism in an effective and humane manner." Feingold criticized the IWR's supporters for "hastily following inconclusive evidence regarding the possibility of a valid threat posed by the Iraqi government," calling out leaders in both parties for "misleading the American people in an attempt to harness the power and support of the military-industrial complex in a clearly uncalled-for use of our nation's armed forces." It has been long thought that Feingold would be the first - if not only - Senator on the Democratic side to oppose the Resolution, as indicated by his past willingness to oppose President Gore on a variety of defense and security matters, most notably the passage of the Homeland Security Act.

In other news, Republican Governors Frank Murkowski of Alaska, Kenny Guinn of Nevada, Craig Benson of New Hampshire, and Mike Leavitt of Utah have all announced their support for the resolution, along with former President Gerald R. Ford.

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Please make sure to vote and comment! Thanks! :D

What is Mitch Daniels up to ITTL? Will he still be a candidate for governor in '04, as I assume he isn't budget director right now?

Having been unable to serve as OMB director due to Gore's election, Daniels has returned to the private sector, though still remains politically active and quite well-liked in the state GOP. He is openly considering a run for Congress in 2004, though there are rumors that he may decide to run for Governor or another higher office instead. He has already ruled out challenging Bayh for Senate, however.

Episode 3 - The Opposition Arises

February 5, 2003



In one of the most tension-filled weeks on Capitol Hill since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks themselves, the beginning of February has seen a large number of legislators from both parties in the House and the Senate announce their support or opposition for the now widely-controversial Iraq War Resolution introduced late last month by congressional leaders and President Gore.

Last week's January 28 announcement by twenty Republican Senators and eighty-nine Representatives in support of the bipartisan resolution did not unite both parties in favor of the legislation as intended, instead leading to a sharp division on both sides of the aisle regarding whether the United States military should take an increased role in toppling Iraq's totalitarian Hussein Administration. The week started off on January 29 with Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) becoming the second Democrat in the chamber to announce his opposition to the legislation, joined by nine more Representatives in the House and prominent state legislator Barack Obama of Illinois. Also announcing on the 29th was New York Governor George Pataki, a Republican, who gave a passionate plea to the American people in support of the legislation. Saying that he "never again wants to see the people of [his] state experience the terrors that occurred on September 11th two years ago," Governor Pataki plead for the nation to "realize that the only way to end this ever-increasing threat once and for all is to engage in military combat against the government and military of Saddam Hussein."

The next day saw a variety of new endorsements in favor of and in opposition to the IWR, with Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE), John Breaux (D-LA), and Fritz Hollings (D-SC) all coming out in support of the legislation in a joint press conference. The three Democratic Senators joined Zell Miller (D-GA) in supporting the resolution championed by their party's figurehead, though plenty of work still remains if Gore's party wants to convince a majority of its officeholders to join him in support for the war.

The first of February was yet another day news-ridden with more announcements of support or opposition to the war, most prominently from former President George H. W. Bush, who joined his son and former Vice President Dan Quayle in announcing their support for the resolution. In a press conference filmed at the Bushes' family ranch in Texas, former Texas Governor and 2000 Republican Presidential nominee George W. Bush said that "while [he] and President Gore were the fiercest of opponents in 2000, now is the time for [them] to come together and unite in order to combat terrorism and fight for a better, safer, and more secure United States of America." The day also saw eight more Governors from both parties come out in support of the resolution, with Jeb Bush (R-FL), Roy Barnes (D-GA), Tom Vilsack (D-IA), Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS), Bob Holden (D-MO), Mike Easley (D-NC), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Phil Bredesen (D-TN) all announcing their decision to stand with the President and congressional leaders in favor of the war.

While February 2nd saw good news for supporters of the IWR, with Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) and Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) both coming out in favor of the resolution along with Governor Paul E. Patton (D-KY), the 3rd saw quite a different story. Though Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Governors Bill Owens (R-CO) and Ruth Miller (D-DE) each announced their support for the resolution, the day also saw three prominent calls against its passage, with Independent Governor Tim Penny of Minnesota and Independent Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont both coming out in opposition to the war. However, by far the most surprising announcement by far was that of United States Representative Spencer Bachus (R-AL), who, during a press conference held in front of his office in Washington, D.C., became the first Republican to come out against the bill's passage. Citing his "faith in God" as a main reason to oppose the resolution, Bachus explained that he "could not trust the Gore Administration to handle such a fragile situation," saying that "this is just another attempt by establishment Washington politicians to corrupt our nation's politics and get in bed with foreign interests." Bachus labeled attempts to pass the IWR as "ineffective, immoral, and illegal," calling upon the nation to "realize that Gore has not, does not, and will not have Americans' true intentions at heart."

Though the fourth day of the month saw four prominent endorsements in favor of the legislation - those of Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) along with Governors Bob Taft (R-OH), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Bob Wise (D-WV) - it also saw Governor Ted Kulongoski (D-OR) come out in opposition to the resolution. However, the magnitude of these endorsements was very little in comparison to those announced earlier today on Capitol Hill, where Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) led ten other Senate Democrats and forty-nine in the House of Representatives to announce their intentions to vote against the legislation championed by President Gore and, until now, supported by the clear majority of prominent Democratic officeholders. In her speech, described by those who viewed it as "something nobody expected" and "purely astounding," Senator Boxer called the potential Iraq War something that "our nation cannot afford to enter itself into," arguing that "the lives of thousands of our nation's parents, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, and children are infinitely more important than the arbitrary and misleading demands of special interest groups." Boxer said that attempting to topple the Hussein Administration is "simply not the best way to go about bringing freedom and democracy to the Iraqi people," arguing that "the cost in the lives of our nation's soldiers and thousands of civilians abroad far outweighs any strategic momentum that could be gained by placing American forces within the Iraqi borders." Boxer's announcement in opposition to the bill's passage was followed shortly by those of three fellow Democratic Governors, namely Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Gary Locke of Washington, and Doug Racine of Vermont, along with former President Jimmy Carter, who called the potential passage of the IWR a "morally abhorrent abandonment of everything that our nation stands for."

The complete list of Democratic Senators who joined Boxer in her call against the passage of the resolution includes the following - Sam Gejdenson of Connecticut, Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, John Sarbanes of Maryland, Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Barney Frank of Massachusetts, Carl Levin of Michigan, Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, and Jack Reed of Rhode Island.

The total number of Senators, Representatives, and Governors who have come out in favor of or in opposition to the Iraq War Resolution now stands as follows

United States Senate - 24 Republicans For, 5 Democrats For, 0 Republicans Against, 14 Democrats Against. (43 Total Decided; 57 Undecided)

United States House of Representatives - 143 Republicans For, 66 Democrats For, 1 Republican Against, 71 Democrats Against (281 Total Decided; 154 Undecided)

United States Governorships - 9 Republicans For, 10 Democrats For, 0 Republicans Against, 6 Democrats Against (25 Total Decided; 25 Undecided)

United States Senate Map -



United States Governorships Map -



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Wow, that was long :P

Please feel free to vote or comment! Thanks :D

Don't worry, that^ was probably the longest poast ;)

February 9 will be fun.

Episode 5 - The Calm Before the Storm

February 8, 2003



The last few days have seen utter and complete chaos continue to erupt on Capitol Hill and around the nation as Governors, Senators, Representatives, and former Presidents en masse announce their fervent yet conflicting opinions regarding the controversial new Iraq War legislation proposed by President Gore and congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle.

February 6 was marked by a variety of endorsements in support of and in opposition to the Iraq War Resolution, with Governor John Rowland (R-CT) and Senators John Edwards (D-NC), John Warner (R-VA), and Max Baucus (D-MT) all coming out in favor of the legislation. However, these endorsements were countered by those of Governor Shannon O'Brien (D-MA) and Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Mark Dayton (D-MN), and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), each of whom announced their intentions to oppose the resolution. While Chafee became the first Senate Republican to espouse an anti-IWR position, he is often seen as one of the few liberals still remaining within the GOP, making his announcement come as a surprise to few.

However, the day also saw a variety of announcements within the House of Representatives include those of three Republicans now openly opposed to the legislation, with Representatives Trent Franks (R-AZ), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Butch Otter (R-ID) all coming out against its passage. In his remarks on the House floor, Representative Franks called the bill "just another ploy by Gore and the Democrats to trick the American people into caving in to foreign interests," saying that "any true Republican should and will join me in opposing this anti-American legislation."

The most prominent endorsement of the seventh was that of former President Ronald Reagan, who, despite suffering from the late stages of Alzheimer's disease, was able to praise President Gore and congressional leaders for "working together to make America safer." However, President Reagan's remarks were nearly outshone by those of Senator Don Nickles (R-OK), who, in a news conference held outside of his office on Capitol Hill, became the first Republican in the Senate besides Chafee to openly oppose the Iraq War legislation. Astonishing millions of Americans nationwide with his piercing remarks, Senator Nickles called attempts to pass the resolution "foolish" and "cowardly," saying that "our nation's government officials should be held truly accountable to the American people and oppose such backwards legislation." Nickles attacked Gore and his supporters as "evil" and "too willing to bow down to malicious foreign interests," calling for Americans to "stand with the true conservatives and oppose these attempts by Democrats and RINOs to destroy our nation's liberty, decency, and prosperity." Also endorsing on the 7th was Democratic Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend of Maryland, who announced her opposition to the proposal.

Just this morning, however, a new controversy erupted as a video recording was released of four members of the Senate Republican Caucus taking part in a heated and nearly physical dispute regarding an undisclosed but clearly contentious topic. According to the footage, Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Mike Enzi (R-WY), soon after exiting a Budget Committee meeting on the Senate floor, found themselves in an intense shouting match with fellow Senators Larry Craig and Craig Thomas of their respective states, both of whom are to their senior. While the subject matter of the argument could not be deciphered as of the time this article was published, the dispute was clearly one of great vehemence, with Senator Thomas even having to be escorted from the building after threatening to "bring [Senator Crapo] to [his] knees" and make him "wish [he was] never born." According to the video release, Senator Craig labeled Senator Enzi as a "piece of low-level, worthless scum who will never understand how sh*t is supposed to be done," with Enzi calling Craig a "idiotic, half-witted, harebrained dumbass" in return. While the video recording did not contain any specifics regarding the nature of the Senators' argument, it is likely that the dispute had to do with a politically-oriented matter, as Senator Crapo was recorded telling Senator Craig that Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) would "hear about this for sure." It should also be noted that both Senators Crapo and Enzi endorsed President Gore's Iraq War Resolution soon after the dispute came to an end, along with fellow Senators Tim Hutchinson (R-AR), Jeanne Carnahan (D-MO), and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR).

The total number of Senators, Representatives, and Governors who have come out in favor of or in opposition to the Iraq War Resolution now stands as follows:

United States Senate - 28 Republicans For, 9 Democrats For, 2 Republicans Against, 17 Democrats Against. (56 Total Decided; 44 Undecided)

United States House of Representatives - 157 Republicans For, 79 Democrats For, 15 Republican Against, 100 Democrats Against (351 Total Decided; 84 Undecided)

United States Governorships - 10 Republicans For, 10 Democrats For, 0 Republicans Against, 8 Democrats Against (28 Total Decided; 22 Undecided)

D - E - A - N! Take your country back again!

Episode 6 - The Revolution Begins

February 9, 2003



The nation spiraled into shock today as Senator Larry Craig of Idaho announced that he, along with thirty other Republican members of the United States Congress, would actively oppose the widely-popular and bipartisan Iraq War Resolution supported by the President and large numbers of Republicans and Democrats alike in both the House and the Senate. In an unexpected speech soon after the Senate congregated late this afternoon, Craig announced that he "would not stand for this malicious abuse of the power of the United States government," accusing President Gore of "bowing down to the interests of tyrannical foreign governments and manipulating the American people" in order to "gain political power and improve his already-tarnished reputation as our Commander-in-Chief." In a stunning rebuke of what was thought to be a widely bipartisan effort, Senator Craig accused those in his own party of "lying to constituents and spreading falsehoods throughout the nation," calling Republicans who have announced their support for the resolution "weak-kneed, cowardly, dimwitted phonies" who should "move to the Democratic Party if they want to keep promoting the Gore agenda."

Craig's comments were quickly denounced by members of both parties, with Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott accusing Craig of "betraying the American people" in "a weak attempt to gain media attention and senselessly oppose a clear bipartisan effort." President Gore called the comments "disgusting," with even Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), an ardent opponent of the legislation, saying that Craig's speech was "uncalled for and blatantly offensive." However, by far the most surprising announcement made in response to Craig's speech was that of Republican Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee, who announced during a press conference that he would be switching to the Democratic Party. Saying that the "extremist ideology of the Republican Party has long since abandoned me and millions of others throughout America," Chafee commented that "the remarks made this afternoon by Senator Craig go to show that the Republican Party can no longer be trusted to truly take care of the interests of the American people." Chafee exclaimed that he would "enthusiastically look forward to working with both Democrats and Republicans to make the decisions truly best for our nation," saying that "though [he] may have abandoned the Republican Party today, [he] will never abandon the people of Rhode Island and of America." Chafee's decision to begin caucusing with the Democrats now gives Gore's party a 52-48 seat advantage in the Senate, while the Republicans still maintain a 219-216 majority in the House of Representatives.

The full list of those who announced their decision with Senator Craig this afternoon to oppose the Iraq War Resolution includes Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), Senator George Allen (R-VA), Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY), Senator Bill Frist (R-TN), Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), along with twenty-four Republican members of the House of Representatives and Governor Steve Largent of Oklahoma. Democratic Governor Frank O'Bannon of Indiana also came out in favor of the legislation this morning.

The total number of Senators, Representatives, and Governors who have come out in favor of or in opposition to the Iraq War Resolution now stands as follows:

United States Senate - 28 Republicans For, 9 Democrats For, 8 Republicans Against, 18 Democrats Against. (63 Total Decided; 37 Undecided)

United States House of Representatives - 160 Republicans For, 80 Democrats For, 39 Republican Against, 101 Democrats Against (380 Total Decided; 55 Undecided)

United States Governorships - 10 Republicans For, 11 Democrats For, 1 Republicans Against, 8 Democrats Against (30 Total Decided; 20 Undecided)

I wonder if Craig's secret gay lover is an isolationist.

Was working on some really great House maps and then realized that I can't use them after 2010. :(

Don't forget, Texas had a mid-decade redistricting in 2003, and Florida is getting a court-mandated redistricting next year. So your maps might not have to wait. You're the author of this timeline after all :)

I had a very strange dream last night that this timeline involved zombies. Thankfully, that is not the case.

That assumes Larry Craig isn't a zombie.

I shall get back to this... sometime.

February 15, 2003

Grief and astonishment overtook the world this morning as news spread of the apparent death of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, with the radical militant group al-Qaeda taking responsibility for the first assassination of a sitting Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in almost 200 years. According to a press release issued by the House of Commons late last night, Prime Minister Blair was shot along with two members of his security detail while participating in an evening jog around his Chequers country home in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The Prime Minister was pronounced dead soon after paramedics arrived at the scene, with one member of his security detail being pronounced dead after arriving at Wycombe General Hospital and three others currently in critical but stable condition.

While the specific motives for the assassination remain unclear, a spokesman for the al-Qaeda terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, labeling Blair as a "gluttonous whoremonger deserving of the violent end to his life of sin and insatiable greed." A police manhunt for the suspected assassin was initiated almost immediately after news of the shooting began to spread, with authorities searching for a man described as dark-skinned, short-haired, and approximately 1.7 meters tall. Any information regarding the whereabouts of the alleged assassin should be reported immediately to Metropolitan Police Services authorities immediately.

Response to the assassination was swift and passionate, with Acting Prime Minister John Prescott calling the shooting a "terrible tragedy that will stay in the hearts and minds of the people of the United Kingdom for years to come," commemorating Prime Minister Blair as "a great man and a true leader who fought and died for the values and freedoms that define this blessed nation." President Al Gore called Prime Minister Blair "an exemplar of righteousness and courage who led his nation bravely in times of great struggle," pledging to work with United Kingdom officials to "bring the cowards responsible for this egregious attack to justice."

While Prime Minister Blair's death will likely serve as a major setback to President Gore's Iraq  War Resolution - the success of a potential invasion relies heavily upon cooperation with the British government - the assassination has lead to increased public support for the war, with today alone having seen a number of public figures come out in support of the IWR in response to Prime Minister Blair's death. In a joint statement released early this afternoon, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Harry Reid (D-NV), Tom Strickland (D-CO), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) have all announced their support for the Resolution, joining former President Bill Clinton, Governors Jim McGreevey (D-NJ),Ed Rendell (D-PA) and Rod Blagojevich (D-IL), and twenty-one Democratic members of the House of Representatives in condemning the Prime Minister's assassination and calling for the invasion to proceed. In a passionate defense of the President's controversial proposed legislation, Senator Schumer claimed that "now is a more important time than ever to take immediate and hard-hitting action against the forces of terrorism that threaten the very well-being of our people and way of life," calling Prime Minister Blair's assassination "just another unfortunate yet glaring reason why we need to put a stop to the atrocities of the Hussein Administration once and for all."

Also having come out in support of the Iraq War earlier this week included Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Max Cleland (D-GA), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), and Evan Bayh (D-IN), as well as Governors Judy Martz (R-MT and Ronnie Musgrove (D-MS). However, these announcements were countered by those of Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT), Suzanne Terrell (R-LA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), each of whom announced their opposition to the proposed resolution. Governor Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) meanwhile became the first Governor to specifically announce that she would not come out in support or opposition to the legislation.

The total number of Senators, Representatives, and Governors who have come out in favor of or in opposition to the Iraq War Resolution now stands as follows:

United States Senate - 31 Republicans For, 19 Democrats For, 10 Republicans Against, 20 Democrats Against. (80 Total Decided; 20 Undecided)

United States House of Representatives - 160 Republicans For, 104 Democrats For, 47 Republican Against, 104 Democrats Against (415 Total Decided; 20 Undecided)

United States Governorships - 11 Republicans For, 15 Democrats For, 1 Republicans Against, 8 Democrats Against, 1 Democrat Uncommitted (36 Total Decided; 14 Undecided)







__________

Please feel free to post any comments, questions, or concerns. Thank you! :D

Woah....PM Prescott. That will get ugly. I hope Labor for their own sake throws Brown into the leadership soon.

Tony Blair assassinated by Al-Qaeda. Didn't see this coming. Can't wait to see how President Gore and other world leaders respond to this tragedy. Conspiracy theorists will be out in force in the coming days and weeks.

Is there any reason for Arizona's shade of grey being different than all the other states on the governorship maps? Or was that just an error? And I'm interested in seeing if Gore sees challenges from Democratic Party in addition to the Republican Party for the next election as well.

Sorry, Arizona is supposed to be blue. Governor Napolitano has announced specifically that she will remain uncommitted and neither support nor oppose the IWR, while the lighter grey color is meant to indicate that the governor of the state in question has simply made no relevant announcement yet.

The 2004 election will certainly be interesting, to say the least. :P

Yeah, I wasn't necessarily sure, but I didn't feel comfortable enough with jumping to conclusions. Thank you :)

Episode 8 - The Empire Strikes Back

February 16 to March 3, 2003



Six. Just six. Six was the magical number.

Six was the number that would decide the fate of millions of lives across the world - the number that would determine the course of history for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Six was the number that an anxious world would lose sleep over, a world that could wait no longer to see if its sons and daughters would live or die.

And President Al Gore was determined to get those six votes.

On Monday, a meeting with Bill Nelson and Bob Graham. On Tuesday, out to lunch with Chris Dodd. On Wednesday, a barbecue with Tom Harkin's family certainly couldn't hurt. And on Thursday, a conference with Ron Wyden and Jon Corzine was on the schedule.

The shock surrounding Prime Minister Blair's assassination certainly would not damage the popularity of a War on Terror - in fact, just last Sunday, President Gore managed to capture the fifty-first, fifty-second, fifty-third, and fifty-fourth votes for the IWR in gaining the endorsements of Ben Campbell, George Voinovich, Tom Carper, and even Herb Kohl. But fifty-four was still six too few.

Finally, on Friday, the President's gamble paid off. Maria Cantwell, Brad Owen, and Bill Nelson down. Three to go.

Sunday saw Joe Biden and Tom Harkin hop on board. Good. Just one left. President Gore could feel the suspense begin to dwindle down.

And just as quickly as the fight to begin the War on Terror began seventeen dreadful months ago when two airplanes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, it was over.

It would one day go down in history as a great irony that the senior Senator from California ended the struggle that the junior Senator from California began. That dreary, misty morning, when Dianne Feinstein stepped outside the doors of her Senate office to announce that the President had, in fact, finally garnered enough votes to override the Senate filibuster, part of America celebrated. Fireworks leapt into the sky with the strength and passion only America could offer, grills were set ablaze in preparation for a celebration that was never to be forgotten, and part of America cheered as it finally became clear that the widely-anticipated War on Terror was to begin.

But another part of America was nowhere near as euphoric. Alone in his barracks, an American soldier deployed abroad crumpled to the floor as the shrill voice of a CNN news anchor confirmed that his Great Unknown was all but certain, that he would likely never see the smiling faces of his wife and children again. A tear rolled down the eye of an Air Force pilot sitting alone in his solitary home on the countryside as he heard the news, praying that he would not once more have to lead the men in his squadron to their deaths at the hands of a foreign enemy.

And in her cold, near-empty office overlooking the Capitol Building, the moment that Barbara Boxer had feared for days was finally upon her. The movement that she had started only a few mere months ago had come to an abrupt and painful end, strangled to death at the hands of the woman that she once considered her closest political ally.

America was divided. But the majority had spoken - a war was to begin. And this was no ordinary war.

Prescott will probably be able to hold on until at least 2005 simply due to the circumstances he's found himself in, but I don't think an eventual leadership challenge from Brown is quite out of the question.

About to get back to this. Thoughts on the IWR?

Will be interesting to see how New British PM Prescott respond to the Iraq War resolution

Great timeline! If you don't mind my asking, who are some potential 2004 challengers to President Gore?

Episode 9 - A House Divided

March 7, 2003



__________


"Have all members voted? Does any member wish to change their vote?"

The floor of the most powerful deliberative body in the world was silent. An eerie sensation crept throughout the chamber, the cool atmosphere serving only as a testament to the sentiment within. Congressmen and congresswomen looked nervously at one another - not making a sound - and waited for the final verdict.

Those few seconds seemed like hours to some, and like days to others. So much was at stake - perhaps more than at any moment in the history of the United States since the Second World War - and it all relied on one small slip of paper resting in the Speaker's hand.

Dennis Hastert adjusted his glasses and looked down at the folded piece of parchment that had just been handed to him. He sighed. Whether it passed or not, this bill would likely one day turn out to be the deciding moment of his legacy. The Speaker shivered at his podium, not knowing whether to blame the cool temperature of the chamber or the paradox of inevitability and uncertainty that he felt within. He cleared his throat and unfolded the slip.

"On this vote, the Ayes are two hundred and seventy-five, the Nays are one hundred and sixty. The motion is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table."

A surge of warmth suddenly filled the chamber, reaching and overwhelming all within its grasp. For some, this was the proudest moment of their political careers - they would be able to go back to their families, their donors, and their constituents, and brag about what was sure to be one of the most glorious successes in the history of the United States House. Across the floor, two hundred and seventy-five souls leapt.

But for another one hundred and sixty members, the warmth that had filled the chamber was of quite a different nature. This warmth was one of shock, of heartache - of anger. For many, all the future seemed to hold was cruel, cruel defeat - the inevitable meetings with disappointed constituents had just become hundreds of time more real, the tears in the eyes of the mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters who were about to see their loved ones shipped off to a place unknown had just become hundreds of times clearer. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones crumpled to the ground, unable to accept the tenacity of her defeat - all to well did she know that across America, hundreds were doing the same.

But it was done. No more fight, no more uncertainty. Confirmation in the Senate was essentially given at this point, and even those most passionately opposed to the war knew that nothing could be done to convince President Gore to change his mind.

And a mere one hour after Speaker Hastert had announced the result of the roll call vote, the House Chamber was silent once more. Not silent with the nervousness and the bated breath of its members, but with utter and complete abandonment. The room in which the fate of the world had been decided was empty.

__________


FINAL HOUSE ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION: Two hundred and seventy-five Ayes, one hundred and sixty Nays. One hundred and sixty-seven Republicans and one hundred and eight Democrats voting for, fifty-two Republicans and one hundred and eight Democrats voting against.

Thanks! :)

That's not something I can fully reveal yet, but I'll float the names Elizabeth Dole, John Hoeven, and Bob Taft.

Exciting!

Ugh, Bob Taft. Ohio hated him.

Episode 10 - The Verdict Awaits

March 8, 2003

FINAL SENATE ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION: Sixty-seven Ayes, thirty-three Nays. Thirty-six Republicans and thirty-one Democrats voting for, twelve Republicans and twenty-one Democrats voting against.

Senators Voting in the Affirmative - Baucus, Bayh, Bennett, Biden, Bond, Breaux, Bunning, Campbell, Cantwell, Carnahan, Carper, Cleland, Clinton, Cochran, Collins, Conrad, Corzine, Crapo, Daschle, DeWine, Dodd, Dole, Domenici, Dorgan, Edwards, Ensign, Enzi, Feinstein, Fitzgerald, Graham of Florida, Graham of South Carolina, Grassley, Gregg, Hagel, Harkin, Hatch, Hollings, Hutchinson of Arkansas, Hutchinson of Texas, Kohl, Kyl, Lincoln, Lott, Lugar, McCain, McConnell, Miller, Murkowski, Nelson of Florida, Nelson of Nebraska, Owen, Reid, Roberts, Rockefeller, Schumer, Shaheen, Shelby, Smith, Snowe, Specter, Stevens, Strickland, Thompson, Thune, Voinovich, Warner, Wyden

Senators Voting in the Negative - Akaka, Allen, Bingaman, Boxer, Brownback, Burns, Byrd, Chafee, Craig, Dayton, Durbin, Feingold, Frank, Frist, Gejdenson, Gramm, Inhofe, Inouye, Jeffords, Lautenberg, Leahy, Levin, Markey, Mikulski, Nickles, Reed, Santorum, Sarbanes, Sessions, Stabenow, Terrell, Thomas, Wellstone

---

Christine Todd Whitman!

I think I've decided to wrap up Season 4 here; Season 5 will start shortly. Expect more on the 2004 presidential race, international politics, and the eventual conclusion of what was for sure a rough start to the Iraq War. If anyone has any other questions or comments, I'd love to take them now! :)

I'm also thinking of maybe starting Season 5 in a new thread because OCD. :P

WE WANT CHAFEE IN 2004!

Looking forward to an exciting cycle, with or without the Chafster!lol

Will there be an anti-Iraq war Primary Challenge for Gore in 2004?

It really depends on how the war goes.

Thanks! The first post for Season 5 should be up shortly.

Episode 1: The Iraq War - Part I (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5056842#msg5056842)
Episode 2: An Update on Domestic Affairs (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5058635#msg5058635)
Episode 3: An Early Look - Election '04 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5059611#msg5059611)
Episode 4: Terror Strikes (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5060205#msg5060205)
Episode 5: And So It Begins (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5060462#msg5060462)
Episode 6: A New Era (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5063611#msg5063611)
Episode 7: Election '04 - Part 4 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5065264#msg5065264)
Episode 8: Election '04 - Part 5 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5067725#msg5067725)
Episode 9: A Final Chance (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5130435#msg5130435)
Episode 10: The Reveal (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=214107.msg5131686#msg5131686)

The Iraq War Resolution signed into law by President Al Gore on March 15, 2003 was very different than the one many expected would be similarly enacted by a hypothetical President George W. Bush. Many - including the former Texas Governor - argued that the resolution did not go nearly as far as it should have in authorizing the use of military force against the Iraqi government, with a number of sitting Republicans in both the House and the Senate who voted against the resolution maintaining that they would have supported it had it given enough powers to the United States Armed Forces for them to, in their opinion, actually win the war quickly and effectively. However, the resolution had been passed as it was, and the war was to begin under the control and advice of President Gore regardless of protest.

By the time the IWR was signed into law, a number of other nations - namely Australia, Poland, and Spain - had passed similar resolutions on their own, well aware of the fact that the United States had begun preparations for an invasion the previous October. The United Kingdom, under the leadership of John Prescott, was to follow only three days later, and on March 29, the so-called invasion began. Many questioned whether the word "invasion" had been used aptly, as very few ground troops from any of the participating nations had actually been deployed, and the lone coordinated missile strikes on Baghdad authorized by President Gore and Prime Minister Prescott left many feeling that the two leaders were not themselves all that invested in a full-fledged attack upon the Hussein Administration. Prime Minister Aznar announced on March 31 that he would not be willing to fully commit more troops to fighting in the region if other nations - namely the United States and the United Kingdom - were not willing to do so as well. In fact, many claimed that Gore's lack of preparation and unwillingness to fully engage left the Iraqi government an opportunity to put its guard up, and by April 2, a rather well-constructed makeshift missile defense system had been developed and placed around the capital.

Nonetheless, Gore remained extremely popular within his own nation's borders, boasting an 81% approval rating as the month of April arrived. Prime Minister Prescott himself was awarded a not quite as spectacular but still significant 64% approval around the same time, a testament of the still noticeable feeling of solidarity inside and between the two nations in light of the two recent separate tragedies that had struck each of them. Furthermore, on April 7, three days after substantial numbers of ground troops were finally permitted to enter Iraqi borders, US troops scored an important victory outside of the city of Najaf, boosting public morale and restoring confidence in Gore's ability to lead the invasion in a competent manner.

However, Gore's good luck did not last long. By mid-April, progress in reaching Baghdad had slowed significantly, and while airstrikes were proving to be effective once again, many began to predict once more that the conflict would take longer than initially expected. Political cartoons depicting Gore and Prescott as ignorant and indecisive flourished, and political analysts suggested that the President's approvals would likely begin to falter once more. The Iraqi cities of Basra and Karbala were providing unexpectedly strong resistance against American and British troops, and with President Gore being forced to focus on domestic matters once more as the 2004 election approached, the leader who only a few weeks ago experienced one of the largest political victories of his career began to perceive melancholy ahead once again.

Thanks!

By mid-April, prospects were looking good for the Gore Administration once more, with a coalition of American and British troops having successfully toppled opposition in the Iraqi cities of Basra and Karbala and the President's approval rating maintaining a rather sturdy hover around 80% - a near all-time high. By April 5, Gore was told by his military advisers that the coalition would reach Baghdad in less than two weeks. And on April 6, the Senate confirmed Laura Tyson as the new Secretary of Treasury, following a prolonged fight that at times seemed unwinnable for the Gore Administration. For one of the first times in three years, Al Gore considered himself a truly happy President.


Meanwhile, the situation that President Gore's colleagues in the Senate and House of Representatives had found themselves facing in recent days was not nearly as favorable. On April 9, the Drudge Report released a video showing a rather serious confrontation between Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) and Senator George Allen (R-VA), with the footage showing Lott grabbing Allen by his collar and uttering some sort of threat before Allen pushes the Minority Leader to the side, causing him to break his glasses. The video of the confrontation was released one week after a congressional staffer allegedly heard Senator John Breaux (D-LA) call fellow Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) a "whiny bitch" shortly after leaving a committee meeting, and while each of the Senators involved declined to comment regarding their motives when asked, some believe that the events may have been correlated.

However, not all news on Capitol Hill was unfortunate. On April 13, Congress passed the Bingaman-Hatch Act of 2003, a bipartisan piece of legislation designed to better regulate corporate misconduct and provide higher accountability for corporate fraud investigations. While some parts of the legislation were cut shortly before being put to a vote in order to ensure majority support in both the House and Senate, the bill eventually passed by respective votes of 351-76 and 64-34, and became law on April 15.

With unprecedented conflicts brewing at home and abroad and history being made at a moment's notice, the 2004 presidential election was sure to be one for the ages.

The first candidate to announce a bid for the presidency was Senator Conrad Burns of Montana, a staunch conservative known for his distinct and often controversial views. Senator Burns made his April 2 announcement at his hometown in Billings, Montana, arguing that America "needs an honest, God-fearing, conservative leader rather than some knee-jerk liberal who can't get things done."

Two weeks after his entry into the race, Senator Burns received his first major challenger - Governor John Hoeven of North Dakota. A popular first-term incumbent, Hoeven had a reputation as a moderate reformer, emphasizing his record as Governor as a main theme in his announcement speech.

While some in the Establishment wing of the GOP were keen to back Hoeven after his announcement, most chose to wait for the candidate of their choice to enter the race before endorsing, with all eyes on 2000 Republican Vice Presidential nominee and former Senator Dick Cheney of Wyoming. While Cheney had not yet announced his candidacy as of mid-April, his frequent appearances at fundraisers and party events in the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire suggested that he was, in fact, ready for a run. Others on the Republican side who had expressed interest in joining the race included Governor Bob Taft of Ohio, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, and Governor Frank Murkowski of Alaska, though each of those listed were yet to initiate a formal campaign. Former Education Secretary and Governor Lamar Alexander also expressed interest in running, though had mostly refrained from engaging in campaign activities in recent months.


Meanwhile, the first candidate to make an announcement on the Democratic side was none other than President Al Gore himself, who, in a televised speech broadcasted on April 18, announced his decision to seek reelection to a second term in office. Gore, emphasizing his nearly 80% approval rating and reminiscing upon the successes of his first term in office, stressed the need to "come together and unite in this time of great urgency," telling the American people to join him in "fighting to promote and defend the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for Americans and world citizens abroad." Gore also emphasized his domestic policy achievements, describing his Administration's "unwavering desire to create a better future for all of the children of our nation, whether that be through education, protecting the environment, or advocating for the introduction of universal civil rights for all" and describing "the fight that all the American people must engage in and embrace in order to secure a brighter tomorrow." As of mid-April, Gore remained virtually unopposed in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, attracting none but trivial opposition.


While there was some talk of an anti-Iraq War protest candidate on the Democratic side, it appeared that there was none to be found for the time being, leaving Gore with near-unanimous support.


__________

Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading! :D

The world was overwhelmed by mourning on April 26 as a coordinated terrorist attack in the Iraqi city of Karbala killed more than two hundred and thirty civilians and injured almost seven hundred others, with the al-Qaeda terrorist group claiming responsibility for the massacre that many say was the largest single terrorist attack on Iraqi soil in modern history.

The attack, which al-Qaeda claims was due to the alleged betrayal of the Iraqi people and way of life by Western leaders, began around 11:00 AM AST when four unidentified suicide bombers associated with the al-Qaeda group detonated their suicide vests on separate crowded city streets, killing a combined estimated one-hundred and ninety or more pedestrians. A fifth bomber was captured by Iraqi police shortly before the planned detonation time and is currently in American custody. The suicide bombing was followed by a series of coordinated shootings around the city, with terrorists in at least two restaurants and one primary school massacring civilians before being apprehended by security. A total of thirty-three children are estimated to have been killed as a result of the attack, with two American and three British peacekeepers among the total two-hundred and thirty casualties.

Response to the attack was swift and hard-hitting, with Iraqi security forces in the region initiating a full lock down of the city to locate the remaining terrorists involved and prevent any co-conspirators from leaving. The international response was also quick, with President Gore calling the massacre an "indefensible and brutal mass murder of innocent men, women, and children who were merely trying to live their lives in peace." Prime Minister Prescott, after speaking with the families of the three British peacekeepers killed, called the attacks "absolutely outrageous" and promised not to back down in the face of increased adversity from opposition groups in the region.

The attack - which many blamed on insufficient security support from American and British peacekeeping forces - followed a rather depressing week for coalition troops on the Iraqi front. On April 23, Iraqi forces successfully prevented the infiltration of a key security outpost outside Baghdad by coalition troops, and the next day, twenty-two Americans were killed when an Iraqi lieutenant masquerading as a civilian detonated a bomb two miles from an American bunker. Both events were widely reported in the American media, and - combined with the recent attack in Karbala - significantly damaged Gore's reputation among the American people as a reliable Commander in Chief.

Things would be getting no better for President Gore, as on May 4, he received his first serious primary opponent for the upcoming 2004 presidential election, with Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana announcing his decision to challenge Gore for the Democratic presidential nomination. In a passionate speech delivered outside his office in the District of Columbia, Bayh pronounced his desire for a "stronger, more confident leader to take the reins of this great nation in such times of trouble," emphasizing the "need of the American people for a President who can navigate through conflict without hesitation or second thought." Senator Bayh's decision came as a complete surprise to most Democratic Party insiders, with many calling the spontaneous announcement a mere attempt to gain attention. However, a Bayh staffer maintained the seriousness of the campaign, revealing that internal polls had suggested President Gore's approval ratings had fallen steeply in past days due to the declining situation on the Iraqi front.

The negative trend was confirmed by the Marist polling firm, which, in a poll released on May 1, suggested that President Gore's approval had fallen a stunning 20 points to 59% compared to where it was one month ago. The Bayh campaign was apparently aware of the trend well before and had collected similar polling numbers through its internals, leading to the Senator's announcement.

Meanwhile, the GOP was seeing its presidential primary begin to gain steam as well, with former Senator and 2000 Republican Vice Presidential nominee Dick Cheney announcing his decision to enter the race. In his announcement at a Republican fundraising event in Iowa, Cheney blasted the Gore Administration for "providing insufficient leadership in the face of the most serious security threat to the American people since the Cold War," attacking Gore for "weak policies and weak leadership that will make for a weak America if he's allowed four more years." Cheney's presidential announcement was followed in rapid succession by those of Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Governor Frank Murkowski (R-AK), and Governor Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID), each of whom announced their decisions to challenge Cheney for the GOP nomination in the first few days of May. While they had not yet announced, Ohio Governor Bob Taft and former Education Secretary Lamar Alexander both remained potential candidates for the GOP nomination, along with conservative activist and 2000 candidate for the GOP nomination Alan Keyes.





While general election polling did seem to imply good news for Republicans, the situation that the GOP had found itself in on Capitol Hill was nowhere near as promising. On April 5, a video was released of Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi vehemently throwing insults fellow Senator Larry Craig of Idaho during a conversation between the two, calling Craig a "loony strumpet so stupid [he] can't put one foot in front of the other" and proceeding to spit on Craig's shoe. The same day, a congressional staffer revealed to CNN that while at a formal event the night before, he had witnessed House Speaker Dennis Hastert throw a full glass of wine at Representative Spencer Bachus and nearly assaulting him before the Speaker was held back by two aides. While news networks and political analysts were still unable to decipher the meaning of the controversy as of early May - all parties involved in the incidents denied any connections - many suggested that the recent happenings signaled severe distress within rival sections of the GOP. Little did they know, the changes were only about to begin.

Oooh boy. This timeline is great!

Thanks!

When I started planning this timeline last June, I essentially created the whole plot before I even started this thread. The purpose of everything that has happened so far is basically to build up to one single main plot point, and that plot point will actually come in the next post so I'm very excited. :P

Plot twist? Ooh!

As Senator Larry Craig approached the Senate floor, Minority Leader Trent Lott clenched his fist so hard that the ballpoint pen within it burst. He didn't notice, of course. Trent Lott was too busy seething with anger, looking into the eyes of the man who he knew would inevitably destroy his political career. He dared Larry Craig to look back.

But Larry Craig didn't. As the Senator from Idaho reached the front podium and calmly handed a stack of papers to the Senate clerk, he chuckled. Larry Craig could not care less what the thirty or so Republican Senators staring at him with eyes of rage thought of him; he was merely there to do business and had no intention whatsoever of going out of his way to appease them. In fact, his intention was to do just the opposite. He turned to an aide by his side and told him to go tell Mr. Nickles he was ready.

A few minutes later, the aide came back - this time with another group of Senators, a very different group than the group that had spent the past few minutes thinking to themselves how nice it would be for Senator Craig to be dead. As the group led by Senator Craig's aide entered the Senate chamber, mouths across the room fell. There were that many?

Thad Cochran couldn't believe what he was seeing. Larry Craig had already convinced eleven other Senators to join him? In the conversations he remembered having with Minority Leader Lott and Minority Whip McConnell, the consensus was that Larry Craig would be able to convince no more than three or four other Senators to join his cause. But there were eleven.

As the group led by the aide approached the front of the Senate floor, Senator Craig went out of his way to greet them each individually. Sam Brownback, Phil Gramm, Craig Thomas, Jeff Sessions, Suzanne Terrell, Conrad Burns, Jim Inhofe, Bill Frist, Rick Santorum, George Allen, and, of course, Don Nickles. They were all there, just as expected. Larry Craig grinned and turned towards the podium. Each of the eleven Senators who had joined Craig spread out behind him, eager to be captured by the unblinking eye of C-SPAN as part of the group of Craig's followers - explicitly not as part of the group of those he was about to address.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the United States Senate, I come here today to address the dishonesty and depravity that has corrupted each and every one of you. I come here today to expose to the American people your unwavering fraudulence.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the United States Senate, I come here today to propose an alternative to the American people who each and every one of you pledged to serve so diligently the moment you first entered this very Senate chamber. Most of you have failed to carry out that pledge, and all of you need to know it. So today, I come here with an alternative for the American people - an alternative that will protect the freedoms and liberties of our nation's people from those that wish to rid of them.

"Today, I - along with eleven other members of the United States Senate, nineteen members of the United States of House of Representatives, and two governors of two of the great states of our nation - have congregated to announce that we will no longer stand for the corruption and misguidance of the establishment of the Republican Party. We will no longer condone the forces that brought our nation into a misguided war, the forces that didn't even care enough to call the families of the twenty-two American soldiers who died two weeks and one day ago today as a result of the war President Gore and the Republican leadership in the Senate started.

"I'll tell you, I called up the families of each and every one of those twenty-two soldiers, and I told them that some of us up here on Capitol Hill would not stand for the travesty that our peers were all too keen to support. I listened to the mothers of those young men cry, and I listened to them tell me that they were no longer going to sit idly by and watch their sons friends die as well. I wasn't either.

"It is because of this that today I am announcing the formation of a Conservative Traditionalist Caucus in the United States Congress, a group of men and women who care more about fulfilling their promise to serve the American people than about fulfilling the desires of their bosses, who care more about the twenty-two young men who were killed in Iraq on April 24 than about the twenty-two old men on the board of the Republican National Committee who couldn't give less of a sh*t.

"While the Conservative Traditionalist Caucus we are forming today will still nominally associate with the Republican Party - by God, we can't just let Gore and the Democrats take over everything - we will not in any way associate with the dishonesty and decadence that has corrupted the Republican Party over the past few months and years. Instead, we will associate only with the values and traditions that have made our country the greatest to have ever found itself on God's green earth - the values that give the mothers of those twenty-two young men the strength to get out of bed each morning and face life's daily challenges knowing that their sons are still looking down upon them from heaven.

"That is all I have to say today. Goodbye."

Senator Craig collected his papers and stepped down from the podium. Senator Lott groaned.

If Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert had one wish, he told himself, he would wish to see Senator Larry Craig struck down by the wrath of God right before his eyes. As the Representative from Illinois sat down with his cup of coffee one dreary morning in his apartment in DC to enjoy the Sunday crossword, he noticed yet another headline regarding the incident that had happened only a few short days ago - "Senator Craig Continues to Bash GOP Leaders; Promises to Expand Newly Formed Caucus." Hastert twitched. That damned Senator from Idaho just couldn't let it go; he couldn't let it rest. Every day, it was more talk of corruption, more talk of how congressional leaders were apparently too underhanded to run a nation. All talk, no sense. All talk, no competence. All talk, and nothing but more attention.

As Hastert continued flipping through the paper, he came across a headline - "FOX Poll Explores Fight for Control of the GOP." Finally, Hastert thought to himself. It was time for some good news, and the poll was sure to confirm that Craig hadn't siphoned away any actual support from the mainstream Republican Party. There was no way the poll could suggest Craig and his damned new cabal was building a real public following, and Hastert knew it.


Dennis Hastert's cup of coffee crashed onto the floor, forgotten. The Speaker could not believe what he was seeing. Twenty-nine percent of Republicans aligned with that idiot's caucus more than the mainstream GOP? Twenty-nine percent? Hastert threw the paper into a wastebasket and grabbed his briefcase. Today wasn't going to be a good day.

______________________________

President Gore was faring no better. Sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, Gore slowly chewed on a biscuit, not even bothering to glance at the news briefing on his desk. An aide walked in.

"Mr. President? You may want to see this."

She handed him a small slip of slightly-wrinkled computer paper. He looked down.


The President sighed. This would be a long race.

Craig vs. Hastert

Both sex offenders of one way or another... This should be fun.

We want Gore in '04!

This week, the 2004 presidential race became even more enthralling as two more major candidates entered the competition for their parties' respective presidential nominations, capping off what many say will one day be looked back on as one of the most eventful months in modern political history.

On May 19, Senator Larry Craig of Idaho - a recent household name due to his part in the founding of the newly-formed Conservative Traditional Caucus - continued his foray into national politics with the announcement of a presidential bid of his own, further angering leaders of the GOP Establishment and assuring a competitive primary season through the upcoming year. In a speech delivered to a crowd of over 7,000 shortly outside the National Mall, Craig declared this year's fight for the Republican presidential nomination to be "the ultimate fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party," attacking other candidates for their alleged "insiderism" and proclaiming to be the only candidate who could "truly bring this party back to the party of Lincoln and away from the party of big money and special interests." While Craig's announcement was widely lauded by supporters of his Conservative Traditional Caucus, the reaction from other groups was not nearly as warm, with current GOP frontrunner Dick Cheney calling Craig "a liar and a cheater who doesn't know what he's talking about" and House Speaker Dennis Hastert labeling him a "bumbling idiot." However, likely the most disappointed due to Craig's announcement was none other than fellow member of the CTC and presidential candidate Conrad Burns, who had previously claimed to be the official candidate of the Conservative Traditional Caucus before Craig's entry into the race. When asked about Craig's announcement, Burns emphasized that he would remain in the race, though failed to comment upon whether he believed he or Craig served a larger role in the development of the CTC itself.

Meanwhile, the Democratic primary race was certainly no calmer, with former Senator Gary Hart of Colorado becoming the second major candidate to challenge President Al Gore for his own party's presidential nomination on May 20. In his announcement speech, Gary Hart called for "more responsible leadership in these times of trouble," attacking Gore for his "poor decision-making skills" and contrasting Gore's alleged "incapability to lead" with his own "experience in making the choices that are best for the American people" throughout his time as a Senator. Emphasizing his position as the only major candidate in either party so far to have announced his opposition to the Iraq War, Hart also attacked Senator Evan Bayh - President Gore's other chief rival for the Democratic nomination - for Bayh's support of more military involvement in Iraq, stressing that "the only way to get us out of this Iraq War mess is to end the war, not to get us further in it."

Of course, the media was quick to discuss Hart's alleged extramarital affair, which had dogged and ultimately derailed his previous presidential campaign in 1988. While the scandal was almost twenty years old, many still questioned Hart's trustworthiness, and during his appearance on the Late Show a day after his announcement, Hart was questioned regarding the morality of his earlier actions.

David Letterman: "Now, Mr. Hart, as people are learning more about you, they're also learning about your history, and many are wondering about the affair that led to the suspension of your earlier presidential bid in 1988. How can the American people put their trust in you to be a moral leader?"

Senator Hart: "You know, David, I can't agree with you more that this election revolves around the morality of our actions. But how can I be attacked for a harmless incident eighteen years ago when our current President - President Gore - is initiating one of the most harmful and unneeded military conflicts in our nation's history? How can you question my morality when it's the other candidates - not me - arguing for a war that has already costed hundreds of lives and has the potential to cost thousands more?"

Hart's response was widely seen as acceptable by the public and the media, and conversation regarding Hart's affair was put to rest soon after.

The same week, two other candidates entered the presidential field of contenders, with Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning and conservative activist Alan Keyes both announcing their bids for the GOP nomination. However, due to the announcements of Craig and Hart, neither of the other entries gained much press attention. The week also saw Ohio Governor Bob Taft announce that he would not mount a bid for the presidency in 2004, coming as a surprise to many.

What are everyone's thoughts so far on the 2004 race? Who do you guys think will win? Suggestions?

Very nice! Keep it up.

What's John McCain up to, though? As the previous primary's runner-up, I always viewed him as someone that could have run again if Gore won the election.

Gore vs Cheney will be fun

The Gore Administration was embroiled in controversy once more last night as video footage leaked by the Drudge Report appeared to show President Al Gore arguing with an anti-Iraq War protester while on his way to attend an economic summit in Boston.

The footage, which the Report claimed to have bought from an anonymous source, appeared to show Secret Service agents escorting President Gore from his limousine to the Saltonstall Building in downtown Boston when a group of protesters emerged, holding picket signs and participating in anti-war chants. As the President and his agents proceeded to move towards the building, one protester walked in front of the door, preventing President Gore from entering the building until the protester was pushed aside by two agents. However, while the Secret Service was trying to convince the President to step into the building and away from the protesters, Gore chose instead to confront the protester who had previously blocked his entry, calling him a "witless imbecile" and a "coward" before being whisked away by Secret Service agents.

The incident was widely reported in the media, with many calling Gore's actions inappropriate or unacceptable. Former Senator Gary Hart, President Gore's main anti-Iraq War rival in his fight to receive the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, was quick to seize upon the President's remarks, saying during a rally in Des Moines that "the only true 'coward' in this race is the man who has chosen to send thousands of young American men and women abroad to die in a war that he started."

Hart's comments were widely recirculated by media outlets, and by late May, it had become clear that President Gore had isolated both the anti-Iraq War and centrist wings of his party.




That night, the President was having dinner with his wife and an old friend in the White House dining room when a staffer walked in. She bent down and whispered something into his ear. President Gore dropped his fork. This couldn't be happening. No. Not to him. This wasn't supposed to be his problem.

*laughs nervously*

Sorry, I mean We Want Gary in the White House!

Get Gary There-y!

I really do need to get back to this timeline soon. The next post will contain yet another #radicalchange; any guesses on what it might be? ;D

Something regarding Lieberman

LETS GO CRAIG '04

LETS CARRY LARRY TO THE WHITE HOUSE
AND KICK OUT AL GORE THE BORE

Wide Stance in the White House!

When will the next update come? What news did Gore receive?

As Senator Daniel Inouye walked into the Oval Office that dreary Thursday morning, he felt a chill creep down his spine. He always knew that President Gore had a tendency to prefer lower temperatures during his meetings - this was not the first time the two had met in private - but he somehow knew that this was no ordinary chill. No, this was different.

"Mr. President," the Senator muttered, stone-faced. He waved a hand to dismiss his staffers from the room and took a seat on the opposite side of the President's desk.

"Senator Inouye," Gore replied, looking up from the stack of papers in front of him. Gore had not actually been reading the papers - he had, in fact, spent the past two hours concentrating solely on the meeting that was about to occur - but Senator Inouye could not know this.

The Senator cleared his throat. "You know, Mr. President, it doesn't have to come to this. We've offered our list of demands, and we've even removed two provisions your advisers deemed unfriendly."

"I don't need your counsel, Senator Inouye," the President retorted, his expression slowly shifting from shock to anger. "My staff and I have made our decision, and there's nothing you can do to change that. I called this meeting to allow you to compromise with me, not to have to listen to you go on and on about your damned demands, or whatever your lot call them."

"I'm sorry, Mr. President, but that isn't my problem. We've issued our ultimatum, and now it's up to you to determine whether or not you will abide by it. I have nothing more to say."

President Gore watched Senator Inouye stand up from his chair and begin to walk out of the room. He felt like a schoolchild reprimanded by his teacher for misbehaving.

The meeting had lasted only two minutes, but it had felt like two hours. The President had one more week. One more week until it would all be over. One more week until it would all begin.

June 10, 2003

CNN - Another stunning blow was dealt to the Gore Administration this Tuesday as seventeen Democratic members of the United States Senate and twenty-five of their colleagues in the House of Representatives announced the formation of a caucus to oppose President Gore's policies regarding the increasingly unpopular War in Iraq.

Led by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who gained national attention earlier this year through her role as the lead opponent of the Iraq War Resolution in the Senate, the group is to be known as the Progressive People's Caucus, or PPC. The caucus will be chaired in the House by Representative Martin Sabo of Minnesota, another anti-Iraq War Democrat known for his fierce criticism of the President's foreign policy.

While rumors of increased tensions between the President and anti-IWR Democrats in Congress had been slowly spreading around Capitol Hill for nearly two weeks now according to an inside source, the formation of the caucus was only officially announced earlier this morning, when Senator Boxer and Representative Sabo participated in a joint press conference outside the latter's office in Washington. Leaving no doubt regarding the intentions of her group, Senator Boxer immediately called out Gore for "ineffective and destructive leadership that has set our nation up for utter failure on the international playing field," promising to "end the caustic war in Iraq as soon as possible and bring the sons and daughters of our nation away from harm and back to their families."

Perhaps even more shocking, however, was Senator Boxer's announcement that she would give her endorsement in the upcoming Democratic presidential primary to Gary Hart instead of her party's incumbent. In a fierce rebuke of the Gore Administration, Boxer emphasized the need for "competent and independent leadership in these times of great trouble for the people of our nation," calling former Senator Hart "a selfless yet courageous leader who has exemplified his ability to take our country in a positive direction throughout his many years in the United States Senate." Boxer was joined in her endorsement of Hart by a number of the members of her newly formed caucus, while others - including Representative Sabo - decided to withhold their endorsement until a later time.

Thoughts?

Is this the same thing Gore held the meeting about/got whispered to about?

Great TL

Yes, I don't think Gore is very happy right now given the situation :P

Welp, that was anti-climatic

I would call it more of a "chain of events," of which this is simply the first step ;)

June 25, 2003

The 2004 presidential election is shaping up to be perhaps one of the most exciting in our nation's history as two embattled party establishments prepare to fend off opposing outside wings - and, eventually, each other - in order to take the helm of a nation that has been torn apart by terrorism and war over the course of the past two years.

On the Republican side, the field has now officially increased in size to ten candidates as former Education Secretary Lamar Alexander of Tennessee announced his bid for the presidency in a rally shortly outside Nashville on Tuesday morning. Stressing a need for party unity, Alexander called on the whole of the Republican Party to "realize and accept the differences that divide us in order to come up with comprehensive, objective solutions that we can all agree upon." Shortly after his announcement, the Republican National Committee announced a tentative debate schedule for the upcoming primary season, with the first debate to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 19 and hosted by NBC.


Many have speculated that the first debate will feature something of a "showdown" between opposing establishment and Conservative Traditionalist Caucus wings of the party, with half of the declared field of ten candidates having so far pledged support to the CTC and the other half having refused to do so.

Meanwhile, the Democrats are faring no better, with chaos having erupted throughout the party following the announcement earlier this month that seventeen Democratic members of the United States Senate and twenty-five of their fellow Representatives would join a caucus formed specifically to oppose President Gore's position on the Iraq War. Already, two members of the caucus in the Senate - Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin - have announced that they would begin the process of leaving the Democratic Party once and for all, with Feingold declaring Gore's support of the Iraq War to be "an unconscionable and unforgivable violation of everything our party once pledged to stand for." According to inside sources, the President and Democratic Senate leadership are "absolutely furious" with Inouye and Feingold's decisions to leave the party, with Majority Leader Tom Daschle apparently refusing to comply with a request by the two Senators to maintain their committee positions after the completion of the transition process. While PPC founder Barbara Boxer was unavailable for comment when asked if she would join Inouye and Feingold in leaving the party, it is widely speculated that she and a number of others in the Progressive People's Caucus will do so if their demands are not met.

Despite the chaotic environment, the Democratic National Committee today also released a tentative schedule of primary debates over the course of the upcoming months, with eight debates to be held between this August and the Iowa caucus next January.


The Hart and Bayh campaigns were quick to criticize the DNC, alleging that the perceived low number of debates was intentionally decided on in order to assist Gore's chance of reelection. In a press release issued by his campaign, Hart insisted that "the scarcity of forums for discussion in this election are just another symptom of an establishment unwilling to give proper recognition to outside viewpoints," with Bayh stating during an interview that "we definitely need more debates this cycle in order to get across the message that the President isn't the only one defining the path our party takes."




Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading! :D

July 4, 2003

Americans woke up to shock and terror this morning as news spread of a horrific terrorist attack on the Tikrit Air Academy in central Iraq, where two suicide bombers with reported connections to al-Qaeda allegedly killed 253 people, including 171 American military personnel and 82 members of the Iraqi Armed Forces.

The attack took place at approximately 12:30 PM Iraqi time - equivalent to 5:30 AM Eastern Standard Time - during a lunch held between Iraqi and American soldiers assigned to participate in the same mission later this month. According to a statement released by the Department of Defense, al-Qaeda had planned for the bombing to happen on the Fourth of July, with papers found in the vehicle used by the bombers revealing that the attack was designed to prevent coalition forces from making key gains in nearby areas used by al-Qaeda for strategic planning.

Among the victims were one hundred and nineteen active duty American military personnel and fifty-two other Americans, along with eighty-two Iraqis, most of whom had some involvement in the coalition-led Iraqi Armed Forces. The bombing was the single deadliest attack on Americans since September 11, 2001, with many in the media and elsewhere labeling the event as "the second 9/11."

Reactions to the terrorist attack were swift and emotional, with President Gore calling the bombing a "travesty of unimaginable consequence" and praising all of those at the Tikrit Air Academy for their "unwavering courage and commitment even in times of great emotional anguish." Gore's remarks were echoed by Defense Secretary Wesley Clark, who called upon all Americans to "mourn with their brothers and sisters abroad on this day of agony," along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who declared that "we will have hope when our enemies try to use fear; we will unite when our enemies try to divide us."

However, not all responses to the attack were as stately as that delivered by the President. In a press conference held outside his Washington office shortly after President Gore delivered an address of his own, Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, founder of the increasingly controversial Conservative Traditionalist Caucus, delivered the following statement:

__________

"Earlier today, I had a conversation with Minority Leader Lott in his office right around the corner. We had a nice chat about our families, and we had a nice chat about the weather.

"We had a nice chat about sports teams and about the fishing trip that he was planning to take later this week. And about thirty minutes in, I looked at my watch and I thought to myself, 'Is this guy ever going to bring the attacks up?' It appeared he had no intention to, so I decided to bring them up myself. So I said to the Minority Leader, 'On a more serious note, what are your thoughts on the tragic terrorist attacks that occurred earlier this morning?'

"I expected Senator Lott to begin to go into detail about how we can best prevent similar attacks from happening in the future, about how we can work with the military to create a strategic plan for keeping all of our sons and daughters fighting abroad away from danger. But no, the Senator's response was nothing along those lines. Instead of opting for a comprehensive discussion regarding our nation's involvement in Iraq - instead of providing the slightest shred of decency on the subject - Senator Lott simply said, 'Well, at least it will screw Gore over.'

"How can I still identify as part of a party that puts mere politics over the lives of our nation's brothers and sisters serving abroad? How can I associate myself with a group of self-centered, egotistical politicians whose first thought after the deadliest terrorist attack since 9/11 is to determine the overt political ramifications it will have?

"The problem between the establishment of the Republican Party and the section of the Republican Party that I have chosen to lead is much deeper than the media chooses to report. The last weeks - the last months - have seen the personal relationship I and my colleagues have with our party's establishment strain immensely, strain to an extent that I am afraid is no longer something that can still be fixed.

"And so it is now that I announce with a heavy heart that I can no longer associate myself with the Republican Party. I can no longer associate myself with a party that puts its politics over its policy, that puts its victory over its values. Today, I announce that I - along with the eleven other senators who joined the first iteration of the Conservative Traditionalist Caucus in May and the ten other senators who have joined it in the mean time - am going to leave the GOP.

"Splitting from the party that first introduced me into politics will be no easy task. Already, staffers from my Senate office are having talks with our colleagues at the Republican National Committee in order to ensure that a political system with more than two parties will not result in an inadvertent split of the conservative vote and seizure of power by the Democratic Party. Over the course of the upcoming months and years, I plan on working with my colleagues in the Senate on both sides of the aisle to ensure that amicable relations are rightfully maintained.

"Right now, I speak to those in the Conservative Traditionalist Caucus who have joined our movement over the last few weeks and months. First, I would like to thank all of you for your unwavering loyalty and support. Without each and every one of you behind our cause, our cause would be nothing more than another short-lived political spectacle. Because of your support, our movement can live on, and it is for that I am eternally grateful. But we must remain respectful of opposing ideologies if we want our movement to succeed. We must understand the needs and desires of all Americans, and we must work together to ensure that no citizen of our great nation is left behind. With your support, we can move forward, and we can turn this caucus into a party. Thank you, and goodbye."

__________

And with that, the two-party system was over. A new era had truly begun.

Welp. Who are all 21 members of the new Conservative party?

Matt Lauer: Good evening, Senator Craig. How are you today?

Larry Craig: I'm doing well. And you?

Lauer: Great. So, as we both know, you have been the biggest news in national politics - international politics, I'd say - in recent days. You and twenty-one other Senators have announced your formation of a new Conservative Traditionalist Party to oppose the current two-party system and try to get a conservative, anti-Iraq War message to the American people. How are you handling all of the new attention?

Craig: Well, Matt, it's definitely something new. I've always been the type of Senator who tries to get his voice heard, but I never expected anything like this to happen.

Lauer: Did you expect this many other members of the Senate to follow you in joining the CTP?

Craig: Certainly not. At first, it was just the twelve of us, but I think that the last few months have definitely shown a lot of other members of the Senate GOP that the Republican establishment really doesn't care about the individual interests of us or our constituents.

Lauer: Of course. Many of us were simply shocked, for lack of a better word, that so many members of the Republican Party in Congress were willing to leave their party as fast as they did.

Craig: Well, I think what most people don't understand is that a lot of the internal strife between my caucus and the GOP establishment happened behind closed doors. In the public eye, it probably was a surprise that so many of us were willing to split so soon, but I can assure you, it was no spur of the moment decision. In fact, even some Democrats - Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, for example - have opted to join our cause for many of the same reasons.

Lauer: And, if I understand correctly, you also have thirty-seven members of the United States House of Representatives on board as well?

Craig: Correct. I believe the current count is thirty-seven in the House so far, or thirty-nine if you count some of the guys we're still having talks with. But this really isn't a movement just taking place in the United States Senate - you can already see that members of both chambers of Congress, and even two Governors so far, have come out in support of what the American people are saying and have been saying for a very long time.

Lauer: One question I'm sure we've all been asking in recent days - will the Conservative Traditionalist Party nominate its own candidate in the 2004 presidential election?

Craig: I don't know yet, Matt, I don't know. Right now, we've been having some pretty good talks with the RNC, and I believe that we're going to try to form some sort of coalition in presidential and congressional elections in order to make sure that the conservative vote remains united. I think the primary election process will be a very good way to see which candidate conservatives want to see go up against the Democrats in November, but it's definitely too early to make any decisions right now.

Lauer: So, you and the four other presidential candidates aligning with the CTP will still participate on the July 19 debate one week from now?

Craig: Yes. At this time, I believe that's the plan.

Lauer: But your party doesn't plan on nominating a candidate of its own?

Craig: Right now, we really want to focus on making sure the conservative vote isn't accidentally split. That would inadvertently help the Democrats retain control, and we don't want that to happen.

Lauer: But you can't give me a straight answer right now.

Craig: It's too early at this point. We're still working out the details.

Lauer: Alright. Well, I'd like to thank you for participating in this interview, Senator Craig, and do take care. This election season will certainly be one for the history books.

Craig: Absolutely, Matt. You too.


Original Senate Members of the Conservative Traditional Caucus (Joined May 9) - Senator Craig (C-ID), Senator Brownback (C-KS), Senator Nickles (C-OK), Senator Gramm (C-TX), Senator Thomas (C-WY), Senator Sessions (C-AL), Senator Terrell (C-LA), Senator Burns (C-MT), Senator Inhofe (C-OK), Senator Frist (C-TN), Senator Santorum (C-PA), Senator Allen (C-VA)

Original Senate Members of the Conservative Traditional Party (Joined July 4) - Senator Hutchinson (C-AR), Senator Grassley (C-IA), Senator Bond (C-MO), Senator Bunning (C-KY), Senator Dole (C-NC), Senator Graham (C-SC), Senator Thune (C-SD), Senator Hutchinson (C-TX), Senator Enzi (C-WY), Senator Miller (C-GA)




Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading! :D

Brian Williams: We here at NBC News would like to welcome all of our viewers at home and abroad to the first Republican primary debate of the 2004 presidential election; my name is Brian Williams and right now we're about to begin here at our debate hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Let's give a big round of applause to our candidates as they approach their podiums, which have been organized based off of each candidate's standing in a compilation of the most recent national polls recognized by our network:


The first question goes to Senator Larry Craig of Idaho. Senator Craig, the past few days have seen you become the subject of immense media and political scrutiny as you - along with four of the other candidates on this stage - announced your decision to leave the Republican Party and form your own party based off of the Conservative Traditionalist Caucus you founded in the Senate two months ago. How can you continue to use the resources of the Republican Party and participate in the their presidential debates even after you have declared your intention to disassociate with them? You have one minute and thirty seconds to respond.

Larry Craig: Well look, Brian. I left the Republican Party because I believe that the party's establishment no longer gives an equal voice to the genuine, true conservative values that I was elected by the people of Idaho to represent. This was no easy process - I had some very good discussions with top leaders of the GOP and members of the Republican National Committee, and we decided that the best way to prevent the Democrats from getting another four years in the White House is to join forces and create a united presidential campaign. I and the four other candidates on this stage who align with the CTP would not be on this stage tonight without permission from the RNC, and for that I am extremely grateful.

Dick Cheney: May I respond?

Williams: Senator Cheney may give a one minute response to Senator Craig's answer.

Cheney: When I registered as a member of the Republican Party forty-four years ago, I knew that no one political institution could perfectly represent all of the American people in every way they so choose. But I also knew that the Republican Party was the best medium of political action for the American people to use to get each and every one of their voices heard. I am loyal to the Republican Party, and I would never, ever think of abandoning the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. I'm not the kind of guy who loses faith when everything doesn't work out perfectly, and I'm not the kind of guy who quits as soon as something doesn't go my way. But as far as I can tell, Senator Craig is. And so I ask - I ask the people in this hall and I ask all Americans watching this debate tonight - why would you support a man who has betrayed his party for political gain? Why would you support a man who has put his own interest over that of the party and the people who were responsible for electing him to office in the first place?

Williams: Senator Craig, you may give a thirty second response.

Craig: You know what, Dick? I'll answer that question for you. You ask, why are the American people supporting me? They're supporting me because they know I put my values over my politics, and they're supporting me because I chose to go in my own direction to fight for the American people rather than work to please the Washington establishment for their money and support. And don't you dare attack the people who elected me to office, the people of Idaho, for the choice they've made. More people are giving me their support in the polls than any other candidate, and I'll tell you, I represent the people of Idaho a lot damn better than the Republican establishment ever could.

Williams: Alright, alright. Senator Lugar, the next question is for you. What are your thoughts on the recent terrorist attack that took place at the Tikrit Air Academy two weeks ago, and how would you as President take steps to ensure that no future attacks of this magnitude occur?

Richard Lugar: Well, that's a great question, Brian, and I'd first of all I'd like to thank NBC News and the Republican National Committee for hosting this great debate this evening. The terrorist attack that occurred in Tikrit on July 4 was the largest single loss of American life since the September 11 attacks two years ago, and my sincerest condolences go out to all of those who lost family, friends, and loved ones as a result of the assault. As President, I would work with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to formulate a comprehensive, effective plan that not only eradicates al-Qaeda and the Hussein Administration from the face of this earth, but also ensures that a strong, democratic government can be put in place in the region once the war is over. Right now, I don't think the Gore Administration is going far enough to...

Conrad Burns: See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. The Republican establishment is so busy drooling about increased involvement in Iraq that they can't even focus on -

Williams: Senator Burns, it is not your turn to speak right now. Please allow Senator Lugar to finish.

Burns: Oh, come on. How can we ignore...

Williams: Senator Burns, it is not your turn to speak. Allow Senator Lugar to finish his answer or you will not be allowed to speak for the rest of the debate.

Burns: Fine.

Lugar: Umm... thank you. As I was saying earlier, I don't think the Gore Administration has done enough at this juncture to make sure that each of America's military bases around the world are adequately prepared to resist attempted attacks or infiltration from terrorist organizations, as was evident in the bombings that occurred in Tikrit on July 4. As President, I will do everything in my power to assure that our brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters serving abroad never again have to face the abhorrence of a terrorist attack, and to make sure that all Americans currently serving in our nation's military are brought home safely and as soon as possible.



Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading! :D

Wolf Blitzer: Good evening, I'm Wolf Blitzer, and right now we here at CNN would like to welcome all of our viewers to the first Democratic primary debate of the 2004 presidential election here at Portland State University in Oregon. Right now, the three candidates - President Al Gore of Tennessee, former Senator Gary Hart of Colorado, and Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana - have each taken the stage, with their podiums ordered using an aggregation of recent national polls. The first question goes to our center-stage candidate, none other than President Gore himself. President Gore, how do you believe your Administration's policies regarding the Iraq War are currently aiding what many are describing as an increasingly critical situation in the region? If you could go back in time and change one decision you've made so far regarding our military's actions in Iraq, what would it be?

Al Gore: Well first of all, Wolf, let me be absolutely clear that our sons and daughters serving abroad have been making incredible progress in recent weeks. Ever since American forces successfully took control of Baghdad back in May, our Administration has been working as hard as possible to ensure that a permanent stable government is put in place in the region, and I believe that our actions are certainly working. Already, the provisional Iraqi government has declared that municipal elections will be taking place throughout the nation over the course of the next two years, and with the help of coalition forces, Iraq will soon be able to transition to a fair and free democratic system of government for the first time in decades. Every week throughout my first term, I've been able to  talk with our soldiers and military commanders currently on the ground in the area, and by all accounts it seems like Iraq is on its way to a much brighter future.

Blitzer: What is your response to the second part of the question?

Gore: Of course. The terrorist attack that took place in Tikrit last month was absolutely devastating, and if I could I would do anything - anything - humanly possible to go back and assure that those one hundred and seventy-one brave American soldiers did not die in vain. Over the course of the next year and a half, I will be working closely with our nation's top military advisers to assure that the right security is put in place in order for every single man and woman currently serving abroad to know once more that they are safe from forces of evil.

Blitzer: Senator Bayh, do you have a response to President Gore's answer?

Evan Bayh: Absolutely, Wolf. Let's be clear - the recent terrorist attack that took two hundred and fifty-three innocent lives at the Tikrit Air Academy would not have happened had this Administration taken the proper steps to make sure that each and every American military installation in the region had the proper security measures necessary to prevent this kind of assault. I've said it once and I'll say it again; America needs to stop treating the War in Iraq like it's just another war, like it's just another part of our foreign policy that only requires some of our attention. The rise of terrorism is the most pressing national security issue our nation has ever faced, and, if elected President, I will make it my absolute top priority to ensure that no more of our nation's sons and daughters at home or abroad are put in harm's way. This Administration has failed the American people by refusing to devote enough attention to national security, and if the people of our great nation allow me to serve as our next Commander-in-Chief, I will make sure that the American people will never again have to endure such atrocities as we have increasingly scene every since September 11, 2001.

Blitzer: Senator Hart, the next question is for you. As we all know, the Democratic Party has throughout the past few weeks seen a number of defections, with members of both chambers of the United States Congress citing what they believe is a failed Iraq War policy on the part of the Gore Administration as a reason to leave their party. Most recently, Senator Barbara Boxer of California and fourteen other members of the United States Senate have announced that they will join Senators Russ Feingold and Daniel Inouye in changing their official party registration from Democratic to Independent. Many of the congresspeople who have left the Democratic Party, including Senator Boxer herself, have already endorsed you in your bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. How can we count on you, Senator Hart, to remain within the Democratic Party when so many of your supporters have opted not to do so?

Gary Hart: Throughout the entire course of my life, I always have been and will always be a loyal member of the Democratic Party. While I respect the decision of Senator Boxer and her colleagues to make the choice that they feel best represents their values, I believe that the best platform for progressives and liberals to get our voices heard is through the Democratic Party, and so no, I have no intention whatsoever to leave anytime soon.



As always, please feel free to comment, and thanks for reading! ;D

Go Lugar/Go Hart! Great job so far!

This is looking better and better. Wonder if Obama will make an appearance.

With all due respect, I find it unlikely that that many democrats would challenge an incumbent.

Time to get back to this! :D

Ed Gillespie sat down on the couch and kicked off his shoes. He had just finished another long day of work as chairman of the Republican National Committee, and now it was time for some rest. He picked up the day's copy of the Fairfax County Times and began some light work on the crossword puzzle inside.

No sooner had he finished the first three clues than his wife came walking up to him. "Ed, you've got a guest."

Gillespie turned around. In the doorway was none other than former House Speaker Newt Gingrich himself.

"Ed, we've got to talk."

"What about?"

"In private, please."

Gillespie escorted Gingrich to his office room and closed the door. "What's up?"

"You know what's up, Ed. CBS released a poll just this morning that had Cheney down five more points and Craig up another six. You know what that means?"

"Of course I do, Newt. Craig has got the damn momentum and he's going to win the damn primary."

"That's right. And you know what the first thing he does once he wins that primary is going to be?"

"Oh, come on, Newt."

"He's coming right for our throats. He's coming right for the party establishment, and you know it. His whole campaign has been one huge scapegoat of any Republican politician not to the right of Barry f*cking Goldwater, and if he wins this thing in the end, we're absolutely done for."

"And what exactly do you plan to do about it?"

"Well, there's only one thing we can do about it if we want to keep ourselves alive. We have to up the ante on painting him as a traitor, and we have to do it fast."

"You know that won't work, Newt. Internals show that attacking Craig for being a traitor just makes his supporters more passionate - I have no idea how continuing to run the same lines over and over again will ever work to our advantage."

"I say we demand he either pledge permanent allegiance to the Republican Party or we get him the hell out of our debates. That should show where he truly stands."

"You seriously think that's going to work?"

"I don't care if it works. I just don't want to see that slimy piece of sh*t back on another debate stage that I paid for."

"Seems awfully risky to me."

"Oh, come on, Ed. What's the worst he can do?"

I think I can hear Craig's supporters striking up "The Rains of Castamere"

September 1, 2003

A political shockwave of historical proportions swept throughout the nation today as Senator Larry Craig announced that he - along with twenty-one other members of the United States Senate and forty-three members of the United States House of Representatives - would officially leave the Republican Party and jointly form a new political party, to be christened the Conservative Traditionalist Party.

Craig's announcement, made this morning during a press conference on Capitol Hill, is undoubtedly one of the - if not the - most significant political changes in American history, with the United States Congress to see a party system composed of more than two major political groups for the first time since before the Civil War. According to Craig, "the American people are tired of the lousy two-party political discourse that has gotten our nation nowhere over the last few decades," with the senator from Idaho asserting that "the CTP is and will be the only way for courageous American conservatives to get our voices heard in this age of liberal establishment elitism."

Many see Craig's decision as having been timed as a response to Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie's announcement three days ago that Craig and other presidential candidates associated with the Conservative Traditionalist Caucus would not be allowed to participate in future primary debates unless they swore allegiance to the Republican Party. When asked if the CTP is planning to contest the 2004 elections separately from the GOP, Craig confirmed that he and like-minded colleagues from around the nation would be spending the next few months working to establish a private CTP primary system for presidential, congressional, statewide, and local races throughout the fifty states. As of the time of the publication of this article, Craig has also released a list of fifty statewide ballot access directors to ensure that his party will have adequate ballot representation in the elections next November.

When pressed for a response to the recent events, the Republican National Committee was unavailable for comment, though various statewide GOP affiliates have released messages condemning Craig's decision as traitorous and uncalled for. The Democratic National Committee, however, released a statement this morning labeling Craig's announcement a "sure display of disunity on the right" and calling on Democrats across the nation to "stand and unite in order to make sure that progressive values score a major victory next November." When asked for her response to the DNC's remarks, Senator Barbara Boxer - who has gained national attention in recent months for her decision leave the Democratic Party in response to the pro-Iraq War policies of President Al Gore - stated that Democrats are "in no way united in this day and age," asserting that "millions of Americans across the nation are thirsting for real progressive change that is no longer represented by the warmongering and corporate association of the Democratic establishment."

As of this time, it is unknown exactly how remaining Republicans in the United States Senate and House of Representatives will respond to the defection of their colleagues. Due to approximately even amount of defections from the Democratic and Republican parties in recent months, both chambers of Congress are expected to remain within the hands of the party currently controlling them - Democrats in the Senate and Republicans in the House - indicating that congressional committee control will likely remain the same provided that negotiations go as expected. More information regarding the ramifications of the formation of the Conservative Traditionalist Party will be provided at a late time.

As of now, all the American people know for sure is that things will never be the same.

---

What are everyone's thoughts on recent events? Predictions? Thanks for reading!

Happy it's back

Happy Gore will win re-election

Sad the lunatics are now in the mainstream.

The far-right and far-left have splintered, now the GOP and the Democrats are Center-right and Center respectively.

RIP 2 party system

1864-2003

Following Senator Larry Craig's historic announcement earlier this month that the Conservative Traditionalist Party would split from the GOP and form a party of its own, Capitol Hill has largely found itself in mass disarray, with failing negotiations and crumbling political institutions becoming the norm of what many have already labeled as the start of the Seventh Party System.

As of mid-September, the composition of the Senate is now almost unrecognizable from where it began at the start of the 108th Congress. The past year alone has seen the death of one incumbent Senator and the resignations of two others, with Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) passing away late last May due to a fatal stroke and Senators Ben Campbell (R-CO) and Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) jointly announcing their resignation from Congress in early July. Both seen as relative moderates in the Senate GOP Caucus, Campbell and Fitzgerald cited irreparably damaged relations within their own party as their reason to resign. While President of the West Virginia Senate Earl Ray Tomblin (D) has been appointed to fill Byrd's seat, United States Representatives Joel Hefley and Jerry Weller  - both Republicans - have been appointed to fill the open seats in Colorado and Illinois, respectively. The decision of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to appoint Jerry Weller to the vacant Illinois seat was particularly controversial, with state Democrats accusing Blagojevich of accepting bribes to fill the vacancy with another Republican instead of a member of his own party. Blagojevich's defense that it would only be appropriate to fill the seat of a vacating Republican with another Republican has been accepted by some, but many remain skeptical of his intentions.

The following is the current partisan composition of the United States Senate:

Democrats (26) - Lincoln, Feinstein, Strickland, Dodd, Biden, Carper, Graham (FL), Cleland, Durbin, Bayh, Breaux, Carnahan, Baucus, Nelson (NE), Reid, Schumer, Clinton, Edwards, Conrad, Specter, Hollings, Daschle, Cantwell, Owen, Tomblin, Rockefeller

Republicans (25) - Shelby, Stevens, Murkowski, McCain, Kyl, Hefley, Weller, Lugar, Roberts, McConnell, Snowe, Collins, Cochran, Lott, Hagel, Ensign, Gregg, Domenici, DeWine, Voinovich, Smith, Thompson, Hatch, Bennett, Warner

Independent Democrats (26) - Inouye, Sarbanes, Markey, Levin, Wellstone, Reed, Boxer, Akaka, Mikulski, Stabenow, Frank, Dayton, Lautenberg, Bingaman, Chafee, Jeffords, Feingold, Corzine, Wyden, Shaheen, Dorgan, Kohl, Leahy, Gejdenson, Nelson (FL), Harkin

Conservative Traditionalists (23) - Craig, Brownback, Nickles, Gramm, Thomas, Sessions, Terrell, Burns, Inhofe, Frist, Santorum, Allen, Hutchinson (AR), Grassley, Bond, Bunning, Dole, Graham (SC), Thune, Hutchinson (TX), Enzi, Miller, Crapo

As of now, the Senate Majority Leader is still Tom Daschle, with a power-sharing agreement between the Democrats and Progressive People's Caucus-affiliated Independent Democrats allowing Democratic leadership to stay in power in return for PPC pluralities on some subcommittees. Meanwhile, the House composition currently stands at 140-130-86-79, with Dennis Hastert maintaining his control as House Speaker and Republicans still in control of most House affairs. Individual controversies have resulted in a much more divided partisan composition, while the House still remains largely dominated by registered Democrats and Republicans. A similar trend can be seen with current state governors, the vast majority of whom have chosen to remain within their original party:

Democrats (21) - Napolitano, Davis, Minner, Barnes, Blagojevich, O'Bannon, Vilsack, Sebelius, Patton, Baldacci, Musgrove, Holden, McGreevey, Richardson, Easley, Kulongoski, Rendell, York, Bredesen, Warner, Wise

Republicans (13) - Murkowski, Owens, Rowland, Bush, Martz, Guinn, Benson, Pataki, Hoeven, Taft, Sanford, Rounds, Leavitt

Independent Democrats (8) - Hirono, Townsend, O'Brien, Granholm, Penny, Racine, Locke, Doyle

Conservative Traditionalists (8) - Riley, Huckabee, Kempthorne, Foster, Johanns, Largent, Perry, Bebout

---

The chaos that has spread on Capitol Hill in recent days has been mirrored by developments in the presidential race.

Almost immediately after Larry Craig's announcement that the Conservative Traditionalist Caucus would sever all ties with the GOP and form a party of its own, Craig - along with Conrad Burns, Alan Keyes, and Jim Bunning - announced that they would leave the Republican presidential primary and jointly enter the presidential primary of the Conservative Traditionalist Party, which is to be privately-funded and held concurrently with those of the Democrats and Republicans. Dirk Kempthorne, on the other hand, announced that he would not follow his counterparts in venturing into the CTP presidential primary, instead choosing to suspend his campaign and endorse Craig. Meanwhile, Representative Spencer Bachus of Alabama announced that he would enter the race for the CTP presidential nomination despite not having initially participated in the Republican primary, bringing the total number of CTP candidates back to five.


The departure of Craig, Burns, Keyes, Bunning, and Kempthorne left the Republican primary race with only five remaining candidates, half the size of their initial field. While Cheney maintained an advantage in national polling, the votes of staunch conservatives who remained loyal to the GOP assisted the remaining candidates who painted themselves as to the right of Cheney, particularly Hoeven.


Meanwhile, the Democratic primary had seen a much more stable last few weeks, with Evan Bayh's post-debate surge mostly settling in and Gary Hart regaining some lost support due to the increased popularity of his affiliation with the People's Progressive Caucus.


General election polls, however, took a wild turn in favor of the Democrats, with the formation of the Conservative Traditionalist Party essentially splitting the right-wing vote into two and allowing Democratic candidates to build up a massive polling advantage.


Generally speaking, Bayh tended to perform best among the Democratic candidates, striking a multipartisan appeal with voters due to his relatively moderate and conciliatory stances. However, Al Gore was still able to overperform Gary Hart, with the highly progressive views of the latter isolating many moderate and conservative Democrats from his column. Richard Lugar also performed notably better than Dick Cheney in general election match-ups, often overperforming the former Republican Vice Presidential nominee by three or so points. Meanwhile, Larry Craig tended to perform best with Gore, Hart, or Cheney on the ballot, though lost some support when Bayh and Lugar were the respective Democratic and Republican nominees.

---

Thoughts on the current state of the race? Suggestions? Thanks for reading! :D

Very good TL!

My views had changed since I last posted here. GORE '04!

Anyways, Larry Craig is a slimy bastard for leaving the party. He already has a caucus, what more can he want?

A lot. :P

The seemingly unstoppable political chaos that has manifested itself around the 2004 presidential election was perpetuated once more this week, with Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart announcing in a shocking revelation Tuesday morning that he was approached by Barbara Boxer to launch an independent bid for the presidency.

In a Milwaukee rally on October 14, Hart revealed that he had been privately contacted the previous week by Progressive People's Caucus leader Barbara Boxer, who allegedly asked Hart to consider ditching the Democratic Party in favor of an independent presidential bid. Accusing Boxer of "conspiring against a unified progressive cause in order to create controversy and advance her own interests," Hart took a strong stand against the movement to split from the mainstream Democratic Party, emphasizing that he would "always stand as a true Democrat and a true believer in our nation's future" and pledging to "always let the American people know where my loyalties lie." Hart's speech was received in a largely positive manner by his audience, though it was clear that some loyal PPC supporters were disappointed by his decision to rebuke Boxer's offer.

Though Barbara Boxer herself was unavailable for comment when asked to respond to Hart's allegations, the reaction from other Democratic candidates was swift. While President Gore praised Hart for "standing up against those who want to tear this party down and expressing his loyalty to our cause," Bayh's response was much more confrontational, condemning Hart for "even being approached by the people who would like to see the Democratic Party in ruins." The reaction from those on the right was much less pronounced, though many in the media saying that Republicans and Conservative Traditionalists alike had secretly been hoping for Hart to accept Boxer's offer in order to create a rift in the American left similar to the one recently created in the American right.

Hart's actions saw both praise and condemnation from Democratic primary voters, with different wings of the party viewing the former senator's announcement from wildly differing perspectives. While mainstream Democrats were largely pleased with Hart's decision to stay loyal to the Democratic Party and out those who had attempted to splinter it, many Democrats affiliated with the People's Progressive Caucus saw his actions as borderline traitorous, accusing Hart of taking Boxer's support for granted and ultimately rebuking it. Shifting views on Hart's actions left him with about the same amount of overall support as he had boasted previously, though resulted in his having an almost entirely different base of voters compared to the one he had drawn from earlier in the primary season. Meanwhile, angered PPC loyalists could no longer rely on Hart for the voice he had offered them previously, leading them to explore a number of other options they had deemed suitable...

---

No hypothetical polls with Hart as 4th party?

That was kind of the whole point of his announcement :P

November 2, 2003

Perhaps the most stunning news in the era of modern political history came today as Senator Barbara Boxer - a liberal firebrand and the founder of the People's Progressive Caucus in the United States Congress - announced that she, together with thirty-two other Senators, ninety-six members of the  House of Representatives, and eleven state governors, would jointly launch the People's Progressive Party to oppose the Iraq War and the administration of President Al Gore.

Coming only weeks after Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart revealed that he was contacted by Boxer to explore a potential independent bid for the presidency, the announcement will likely come to a surprise to few, as recent months have seen tensions between the People's Progressive movement and the mainstream Democratic Party increase to what many have said is a point of no return. In her speech on Capitol Hill, Boxer said that "it is time our nation is given the option to choose a party that truly represents the values of liberty, equality, and justice - a party that refutes the corporate warmongering of those who do not wish to see our great nation progress into the future."

Since September, the People's Progressive Party, along with Larry Craig's newly founded Conservative Traditionalist Party, have both seen their popularity grow in either chamber of Congress and in the public sphere, with multiple Representatives, Senators, Governors, and other public officials changing their party affiliation in recent months due to the increasingly unpredictable political conditions in our nation. Most notably, Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton announced their decisions to join the PPP late last month, with public demand in their home state of New York causing the two Senators who many see to be more moderate liberals change their party affiliation. October also saw Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe - both of Maine - switch to the Progressive Party along with Senators Maria Cantwell, Bill Owen, and Chris Dodd, while Senator Ben Nelson, a former Democrat, is now affiliated with the Conservatives. Meanwhile, multiple United States governors also changed their party affiliations in October, with John Baldacci (ME), Jim McGreevey (NJ), and Ted Kulongoski (OR) all switching to the PPP and John Rowland (CT), Craig Benson (NV), and Mark Sanford (SC) all joining the CTP.

As of the beginning of November, the following is the partisan composition of the United States Senate:


Meanwhile, the House composition currently stands at 127-120-96-92, while our nation's fifty state governors align as follows:

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The announcement of the formation of the People's Progressive Party has also altered the dynamics of the 2004 presidential race significantly, with Boxer stating that she will pursue a bid for the presidency under the People's Progressive banner. While the PPP has not yet established a primary or convention system to select an official presidential nominee, Boxer has stated that doing so is one of her top priorities, emphasizing that "a fair and free system of choosing who represents the People's Progressive movement on the presidential ballot next November is vital to the success and integrity of our party." As of the time of the publication of this article, the only candidate who has suggested a potential run against Boxer for the Progressive nomination is Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee, who announced in a press release this morning that he "is actively exploring joining the race for the Progressive presidential nomination in order to better promote a discussion of good ideas within our party." No other major challengers are expected to launch bids against Boxer for the Progressive nomination, as she is seen by most as unequivocally qualified to lead the party that she was responsible for forming.

---

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Thoughts? Do tell. Thanks for reading! :D

This'll shake things up.

Out of curiosity, what is Bernie doing? Is he still an independent or is he with the Progressives now?

He's a Progressive for sure. No noticeable presidential ambitions as of now, but he'll definitely rise pretty high in PPP House leadership.

With only slightly over a month remaining until the inaugural Iowa caucuses of the 2004 presidential primary season take place, candidates from all four parties across the political spectrum are making their final preparations - or, in some cases, first ones - before the primary elections begin.

On the Democratic side, President Al Gore has regained some ground since the first debate, with the recent passage of the Sarbanes-Bingaman Economic Recovery Act in mid-November serving as a rare example of multipartisan success in what has undoubtedly become a time of historical political tension. However, neither Evan Bayh or Gary Hart have shown signs of giving up soon, with both campaigns gearing up for strong performances in the respective early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, the Republicans have also seen the clear frontrunner in their primary maintain his lead, with former Senator Dick Cheney holding a strong first place in most national polls leading up to the beginning of the primary season. Richard Lugar and John Hoeven are essentially tied for second place as of mid-December, while Lamar Alexander and Frank Murkowski continue to bring up the rear.

However, the atmosphere in the Conservative Traditionalist primary is nowhere near as tranquil. While Larry Craig has maintained a striking lead over all other challengers for the CTP presidential nomination, December has seen two new candidates enter the race, with Governor Rick Perry of Texas and businessman Ross Perot, Jr., also of Texas, both announcing their entries into presidential politics. While the junior Perot is not seen as a major risk to Larry Craig's dominance in the CTP field, Perry could potentially bring with him a large base of southern support, which could threaten what many have seen as the coronation of Craig as the Conservative Traditionalists' first presidential nominee.

A similar situation can currently be seen in the presidential primary of the People's Progressive Party, where the surprise entry of two new candidates has put the dominance of a seemingly inevitable frontrunner at risk. In early December, civil rights activist Al Sharpton announced that he would challenge Barbara Boxer and Lincoln Chafee for leadership of the People's Progressive Party, declaring that "African-Americans need a voice in this party of change" during his announcement speech. Many see Sharpton's announcement as a way to attract more African-American voters to the PPP, which up to now has seen a deficit in minority support compared to the rival Democratic Party. Meanwhile, Senator Russ Feingold has announced his bid for the Progressive presidential nomination as well, arguing that "the People's Progressive Party needs a candidate who has shown through years of experience an unflinching desire for progressive change." Most pundits agree that Feingold will attack Boxer from the left, using his voting record in Congress to portray himself as a more palpable option for voters in what has increasingly become a leftist movement.

---

As the first primary contests approach, leaders in the CTP and PPP have been increasingly rushed to develop coherent electoral and delegate awarding systems for their respective primaries, with both parties frantically piecing together state party infrastructure in an attempt to develop primary systems on par with those of the Democrats and Republicans. Both the CTP and the PPP have adopted extremely liberal primary ballot access rules in order to fight allegations of corruption against Larry Craig and Barbara Boxer, though the extent of these rules is unlikely to significantly affect the primary results.

As per the rules of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act signed into law by President Gore in 2002, all major parties will now operate under the same primary schedule for the 2004 presidential election, which is to be as follows:


2,162 delegates are necessary to win the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party (full delegate apportionment by state found here (http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P04/D-PU.phtml)), while 1,255 delegates are necessary to win the Republican presidential nomination (full delegate apportionment by state found here (http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P04/R-PU.phtml)). The Progressive People's Party has resolved to adopt the same state-by-state delegate apportionment and 2,162 delegate nomination threshold used by the Democrats, while the Conservative Traditionalist Party will award ten delegates to each state for each electoral vote allocated in the 2000 census (map found here (https://uselectionatlas.org/TOOLS/genusmap.php?year=2004&ev_c=0&pv_p=0&ev_p=1&AL=0;9;5&AK=0;3;5&AZ=0;10;5&AR=0;6;5&CA=0;55;5&CO=0;9;5&CT=0;7;5&DE=0;3;5&DC=0;3;5&FL=0;27;5&GA=0;15;5&HI=0;4;5&ID=0;4;5&IL=0;21;5&IN=0;11;5&IA=0;7;5&KS=0;6;5&KY=0;8;5&LA=0;9;5&MD=0;10;5&MA=0;12;5&MI=0;17;5&MN=0;10;5&MS=0;6;5&MO=0;11;5&MT=0;3;5&NV=0;5;5&NH=0;4;5&NJ=0;15;5&NM=0;5;5&NY=0;31;5&NC=0;15;5&ND=0;3;5&OH=0;20;5&OK=0;7;5&OR=0;7;5&PA=0;21;5&RI=0;4;5&SC=0;8;5&SD=0;3;5&TN=0;11;5&TX=0;34;5&UT=0;5;5&VT=0;3;5&VA=0;13;5&WA=0;11;5&WV=0;5;5&WI=0;10;5&WY=0;3;5&ME=0;2;5&ME1=0;1;5&ME2=0;1;5&NE=0;2;5&NE1=0;1;5&NE2=0;1;5&NE3=0;1;5)), indicating that 2,691 delegates will be necessary to win the CTP nomination.

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The attack in Tikrit makes JCL a very angry and sad 🐼. Darth likely kills my older brother ittl.

I'd likely be a GOP/CTP swing voter depending on candidates.

Dole might go CTC but maybe her husband can sway her to remain GOP. Graham, Thune, Allen, Grassley, Snowe, Collins and Hutchinson (TX) are probably staying GOP. Miller and Chafee are probably remaning Democrat and Jeffords is most certainly remaining Independent

Not to discourage you, though, just pointing out stuff that can be changed to make it be more plausible. I really like this TL, and, with a 4 party America, it is interesting to see how things go in the future!


May you please not quote entire updates?

With the far-leftists out of the Democratic party you might as well can call me a Democrat

It's been two months, Darren.

I've been lurking for a long time, and I want to say that this timeline is amazing! Keep on the good work!