[1] Goldwater
[2] Comrade Funk

[Aye.]

Aye.

AndrewTX - Aye
Abstain on all others

[ I ] Cincinnatus
[II] Goldwater Republican
[III] Comrade Funk

Spectacular as always Cathcon, maybe we will see a "New South" coalition for the Republican Party.

Hatfield is somewhat obliged to endorse Warner, were he to run for President, but I imagine there will be a lot of heartburn over foreign policy, putting both of them in an odd spot.

Just keep doing what you do.

What are John Silber, Michael Dukakis and Bill Weld up to?

[Paying Old Debts: 1983]

Paying Old Debts: 1983

Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac

Thad O’Connor gazed upon the door with reverence, before twisting the handle and walking through. As he trotted through the hallway, the head of nearly every worker turned. Some gave looks of intrigue, some of awe, but the majority were those of disgust. After several minutes of meandering, he heard a voice call out from behind him, saying, “You sure have a lot of nerve to be coming back here.” As if anticipated, Thad calmly turned around.

The speaker did not share his tranquility, as evidenced by his hastened march and the rolling up of his sleeves. “What the hell are you doing here, you son of a bitch?” he queried, during his march. Thad took a step back and raised his hands, as if to offer a meager repellant. “While those hands look clean to you, I can see the blood of my uncle as clear as the day it was drawn. Give me one good reason not to hospitalize you,” he continued.

The man in question was Ralph Stevenson, a nephew of Hank’s. Following the death of his uncle he had, for all intents and purposes, taken over the bar, despite it being in his aunt’s name. He wore a plaid shirt and stood at six-feet and three inches in height, but was much leaner than his uncle. His hair was black, shiny, and hung just over his eyes.

“You must forgive me, Ralph. The circumstances regarding your uncle’s death are unconscionable, but they are not my doing. Despite our falling out, I still think of him whenever I gaze upon the façade of my own home, for I owe that to him and so much more.” Said Thad. “Bullsh*t. It was your sonofabitch campaign worker that did the dirty work, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you cooked that little scheme up!” shouted Ralph.

“That man was fired the second his machinations came to light. He was a henchman of Davis Griffin’s, which is more to the point of why I came here.” Responded Thad. “Explain,” said Ralph. “Were it not for your uncle’s cocaine addiction, you likely would have a relative in the Senate. Instead, it ruined his career, our friendship, and ultimately took his life. Davis Griffin was his supplier, and used it to keep Hank under his thumb.”

Ralph eyed Thad suspiciously. “So, if what you say is true, why are you here? I don’t see where I fit into this,” he queried. “It is likely that Cohen will declare again, and Griffin will back him as a means of stopping those sympathetic to my aims. There would be no more fitting end, than for the nephew of Hank Stevenson to thwart his plot. What say you?” Thad asked.

“The bar has fallen behind these past few years, due to my uncle’s mismanagement leading up to his death. I can’t neglect this simply for a long-shot campaign that will end in failure,” said Ralph. Thad looked Ralph in the eyes, responding “For the man who gave so much to me, I will do all I can to reciprocate his generosity. Provided you let me sleep somewhere in this building, I will sell my house and devote the proceeds to repairing this brewery, paying off any debt against it, and to contribute to the finance of your campaign,” he said.

Ralph looked at him with a half-hearted grin. “You’re goddamn crazy. I just hope you know what you’re doing here,” he said. Within two weeks, Ralph had filed to run for Senate, and Thad found himself sleeping in the storage room once more.

Aye

[SPC (L-CA)]

Vice President: Jbrase (R-TX)

Chief of Staff: Napoleon (D-CT)
Secretary of State: SPC (L-CA)
Secretary of Defense: Scott (D-CT)
Secretary of Treasury: Mechaman (L-OK)
Attorney General: wormyguy (L-MA)
Secretary of the Interior: NVTownsend (I-NV)
Secretary of Agriculture: Republitarian (R-NV)
Secretary of Commerce: TheGlobalizer (I-NM)
Secretary of Labor: phknrocket1 (R-CA)
Secretary of Health and Human Services: PiT (L-CA)
Secretary of Transportation: Kalwejt (G-PL)
Secretary of Energy: A-Bob (R-CO)
Secretary of Veterans' Affairs: Cathcon (R-MI)
Secretary of Homeland Security: Rooney (L-IA)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: 20RP12 (R-PA)

[Not To Rest on Laurels: 1983]

Not To Rest on Laurels: 1983

Following the defeat of the National Right to Life Act, the Senate continued with relatively pedestrian business, and Thad hastily departed for Areus’ estate. Upon entering, he was greeted by a hired hand that directed him to the lounge. Thad recognized several of the people there, but there were nearly three dozen, all carried off in their individual conversations, tuned to the cadence of wine glasses clanging every few seconds.

“Oy, over here Thad!” someone called out. He turned his head to see Scott Westman in a leather-upholstered chair, with Alice Luce cradled in his lap. He seemed particularly gregarious, and it was dubious as to whether he was intoxicated by lust or by alcohol. Still, Thad broke from his demure and morose demeanor and greeted him with glee. “I gotta say, it was a close call but we did some fine work.” Westman said. Thad nodded in agreement.

After some idle banter with Westman, Thad excused himself to replete his drink, but was accosted by Areus on his way. “As you wished, the nays accounted for a plurality of the vote,” Thad said with a grin. “Yes,” replied a nonchalant Areus, who continued, “There is still the matter of the senate election in your own Maine. I suggest finding somebody with the wherewithal to finance a statewide campaign, and also with some prior experience under his belt.” Thad nodded with a bit of uncertainty, muttering, “I will try to fulfill your expectations.”

Thad returned to the lounge and jubilance among all as the night went on. The next day, though, Thad had his bags packed and was en route to Maine. The gravity of his task began to sink in on his way back, as Thad pondered, “Who has money? Who can win on their own? Who might be amicable to our cause?”

When Thad arrived in Maine, he stepped out of his car and began walking toward the door of the Stevenson Brewery.

With RI included

here's the Rhode Island results: http://www.elections.ri.gov/publications/

begin modifying your maps

You are a godsend!

However, I'm having a problem opening the PDF's. I get a message that reads "There was a problem reading this document (9)." Followed by "This file contains information not understood by the viewer. Supress further errors?"

EDIT: After a great deal of tinkering I think I've fixed the problem. Merci beaucoup.

Lots of ticket splitting going on in New Hampshire, especially in Rockingham.

George Cabot Lodge

Who was Ted Kennedy's principle primary opponent in that race.

I'm just guessing off the top of my head, but former Governor Endicott Peabody?

Speaker McCormack's son, whose first name escapes me at the moment. Joseph I believe.

Dallas, having looked at a couple pages of this thread, I'm wondering, how many websites did you visit, how many maps did you pour over, and how many strange visits/phone calls did you make to local and state government buildings for all this stuff?

It looks like he got most of his data from the Register and Manual from various years in MA's archives.

There are books of that stuff? Those'd be useful.

Indeed! Though in the near future I may make a call to the Vermont SOS and see if I can get/purchase some data earlier than I already have.

Heckler challenged Martin from the right, and used a phrase that Martin used when he primary challenged the incumbent Republican in 1924 (who was in his eighties, I believe.)

Which is interesting...

Eight years later, in 1966, he was ousted from his seat in the Republican primary by the more liberal Margaret Heckler, who was forty-six years his junior, and later a member of the Cabinet of President Ronald W. Reagan.

How'd she do it and what were the themes of the campaign, etc.?

Basically that Martin was a washed up hack past his prime. His fall from grace from the leadership in '58 and a nobody drawing ~25% in the previous primary showed that there was blood in the water.

And of course, she used this quote:

"I am sure this is not a time for sentiment but the time to put on guard the men best capable of rendering efficient service. Too much is at stake otherwise."

Reading his wikipedia page, I can see why you'd like Martin.

During the New Deal, he stood out as a major opponent of Franklin D. Roosevelt's policies and opposed his internationalist outlook on foreign affairs. However, he supported a few New Deal measures, like the establishment of the minimum wage.

Though it does seem he went a bit to the left in the fifties, though apparently not enough for Heckler (although it does seem strange that in the primary, his support came from the South end of his district which in the general was more Democratic).

Heckler challenged Martin from the right, and used a phrase that Martin used when he primary challenged the incumbent Republican in 1924 (who was in his eighties, I believe.)


Martin was always a "favorite son" of Attleboro and was loved in rural Bristol (he hailed from North Attleboro.) He only lost a rural Bristol area once; Berkley, and that was against Cole who resided in neighboring Taunton. As for winning Fall River, well, there were never many Republicans in Fall River.

Leahy's first election?

Interesting how Brattleboro and its immediate environs were not yet Democratic yet even though the rest of that stretch of the Connecticut was.

Indeed. Sanders did quite well, but ) Brattleboro was almost majority Mallary (49.81%.) Windham used to be one of the more Republican counties in VT and I imagine exhibited a similar pattern (though I lack the data.)

The adjacent election is the infamous Wyman versus Durkin race that ended in a two vote victory for Wyman.

This is pretty awesome.

Thanks man!

As mentioned, '74 Gubernatorial will be up in a few days.

Gubernatorial coming up next.

As a veteran who feels for his brothers overseas, I'm sure nothing would be more gratifying for Thad O'Connor.

James Garner's in the Senate!?

James "Fergie" Ferguson Garner, a nephew of Cactus Jack. His '82 election to Bentsen's vacated seat was seen as a big win for Republicans.

[Pompa: 1983]

Pompa: 1983

After the senate had adjourned their session, Thad made his way to Areus’ estate. Areus Ho’kee, who was unusually anxious, quickly greeted him at the door, and bade him to go to the next room. Thad was quite surprised to find Scott Westman, Jefferson Dent, Lawrence Coventry, and several other colleagues of his already there. Scott motioned for Thad to have a seat on an adjacent couch, and seamlessly included him into the conversation.

“So Thad, how do you think you did?” asked Westman. “Pretty good, I think,” Thad meekly replied. Lawrence turned his gaze over the whole room, as if to inspect them, before asking “Everybody here in opposition, right?”  Everybody merely nodded and hummed in unison, before Westman spoke up once more. “I have to say, Lawrence, this vote was pretty tough for me. But my mind’s made up, and I’ll be voting against.”

Just as Westman had said that, Ho’kee reentered the room. “What’s the status on our opposition, Lawrence?” he asked. “Shaky,” responded Lawrence. “Even those sympathetic to our clique are wavering, such as Warren Ford and James Garner. Mark is also undecided.” Ho’kee merely growled while his face clenched in consternation, and as he did so his wine glass shattered. Thad arose and brandished his palms, urging Areus to calm down.

“If it helps to assuage your concerns, Stevens is voting against the amendment,” Coventry continued. “Also, a handful of Democrats are defecting. Atleast two dozen,” chimed in Dent. “Well, all I can say is, this is the last stop gap. I lack the numbers in the House, and even if a supermajority is blocked, this will still be a defeat unless the nays outnumber the ayes,” said Areus, before storming off to replenish his glass.


VOTE ON THE FEDERAL RIGHT TO LIFE AMENDMENT:

Aye: Howell Heflin (D-AL), Clark Gruening (D-AK), Bob Stump (D-AZ), Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ), David Pryor (D-AR), Bill Armstrong (R-CO), Lawton Chiles (D-FL), Richard McPherson (D-FL), Sam Nunn (D-GA), Herman Talmadge (D-GA), James McClure (R-ID), Alex Seith (D-IL), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Bob Dole (R-KS), Joan Finney (D-KS), Walter Huddleston (D-KY), Wendell Ford (D-KY), Bennett Johnston Jr (D-LA), Russell B. Long (D-LA), John Stennis (D-MS), Patton Wyde (D-MS), Thomas Eagleton (D-MO), James Exon (D-NE), Edward Zorinsky (D-NE), Paul Laxalt (R-NV), Howard Cannon (D-NV), Bruce King (D-NM), Harrison Schmidt (R-NM), Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), Robert B. Morgan (D-NC), John Ingram (D-NC), David Boren (D-OK), Wes Watkins (D-OK), Bob Duncan (D-OR), John Heinz (R-PA), John Murtha (D-PA), Strom Thurmond (R-SC), Larry Pressler (R-SD), Marilyn Lloyd (D-TN), Jim Sasser (D-TN), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Andrew Miller (D-VA), Harry Byrd (D-VA), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Jennings Randolph (D-WV) (45)

Nay: Jefferson Dent (ID-AL), Ted Stevens (R-AK), Dale Bumpers (D-AR), Alan Cranston (D-CA), Pete McCloskey (R-CA), Gary Hart (D-CO), Lowell Weicker (R-CT), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Joe Biden (D-DE), William Roth (R-DE), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Spark Matsunaga (D-HI), Frank Church (D-ID), Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL), Birch Bayh (D-IN), John Culver (D-IA), Dick Clark (D-IA), William Hathaway (D-ME), Thad O’Connor (R-ME), Charles Mathias (R-MD), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Paul Tsongas (D-MA), Mic Ceriel (R-MI), Walter Mondale (D-MN), David Durenburger (R-MN), John Danforth (R-MO), Scott Westman (D-MT), Thomas McIntyre (D-NH), John A. Durkin (D-NH), Harrison Williams (D-NJ), Millicent Fenwick (R-NJ), Jacob Javits (R-NY), Quentin Burdick (D-ND), John Glenn (D-OH), Paul Pfeifer (R-OH), Claiborne Pell (D-RI), John Chafee (R-RI), George McGovern (D-SD), Bob Krueger (D-TX), Jake Garn (R-UT), Lawrence Coventry (R-VT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Santiago St. Avila (R-WA), Jasper Morrill (R-WA), William Proxmire (D-WI), Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), Malcolm Wallop (R-WY), Alan Simpson (R-WY) (48)

Not Voting: Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Carl Levin (D-MI), Max Baucus (D-MT), Warren Ford (R-ND), Mark Hatfield (R-OR), Ernest Hollings (D-SC), James F. Garner (R-TX) (7)

Patton Wyde seems like an intelligent and reasonable man.

This is most gratifying for you to say this, since these senate debates required a good deal of playing Devil's Advocate and I did not want to misrepresent the other side.

[A Feud Between Neighbors: 1983]

A Feud Between Neighbors: 1983

The morning after Thad’s excursion, he found himself in the Senate chamber once more. The importance of his task weighed on his mind, and he paid full attention to the matter at hand. Senator Jefferson Dent had just risen to the podium. “Thank you, Mr. Speaker,” he said in a clear, brisk tone unbecoming of a southern senator; though one Thad was familiar with by now. “I will try to be brief, without sacrificing any important details. What we have here is a bill that, noble intentions aside, is fundamentally bad for this country.

Though only recognized in seventy-three, abortion has been going on for far longer in this country. Despite repressive efforts on the state level to ban choice, it went on in the back alleys. Abortion has been going on since at least the Roaring Twenties, and liberalization has only enhanced the safety of such a procedure, not the frequency.

Structurally, this amendment is not sound, either. What if said child is a product of incest, or rape? What if the mother is poor and doesn’t have the means to support such a child? Also, there is a stunning lack of exceptions for brutal birth defects. This bill is well intentioned, but at best is a tourniquet and at worst an albatross. I think such a law is dangerous.

As a father, who cherished his young first through ultrasound and then in his own arms, I have a bit of experience with this issue. I would not be here before this body to argue so emphatically for it if I did not believe it so myself. I yield the balance of my time.”

Following that, the young, vivacious, broad shouldered senator from Mississippi rose to the podium from the other side. A thick sweat glazed over his face, which had a reddish hue to it, as if he’d been drinking all morning. It was Senator Patton Wyde.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the US Senate, I speak before you here today. I speak about the infant in pain, yet it cannot cry. I speak about the life cut short before its first breath. I speak about the life denied the rights guaranteed by our creator. Today, I speak about the purpose of this bill.

What we have here is a fundamental disagreement on what constitutes choice and what constitutes a human life. Our forefathers enshrined to us, every individual, a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They had no personal stake in The Revolution, yet they offered coin, life, and limb. For such magnanimous men to risk their livelihood, surely these values must be important?

Do not let the distortions of the misplaced senator from Alabama confuse you. Simply because abortions went on in back alleys does not justify legalizing them. Are we to legalize murders simply because they happen in back alleys? Are we to legalize drugs simply because they are dealt and done in back alleys? I implore my fellow senators to take a bold stance in favor of life.”

Humpty Bumpty.

For the 2004 map, Washington is shaded at >50% despite only being 48.41% Kerry. Additionally, Idaho is shaded >50% Kerry despite being >80% Kerry.