Reaganfan
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« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2010, 09:33:20 PM » |
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President Beau Ainsworth came to office as a man seen by many to have risen to political stardom out of nowhere. Becoming Governor of Tennessee in the Democratic wave of 2030, the then-53 year old father of four dominated Democratic politics the following two years.
Just three months after taking office, a quiet March afternoon was shattered when the largest and strongest tornado in American History leveled the city of Chattanooga. As the two-mile wide tornado claimed 567 lives in the city itself, with over 100 more killed in the outskirts of the city, Governor Ainsworth was thrust into the national spotlight. President Reynolds, a 49 year old conservative Republican whose popularity, one time near 80% at the end of his first term was now in the low 20s, was seen as incompetent in the wake of the tragedy. Being a Republican clearly adored by conservatives, his tight-buttoned business suits and large frame eyeglasses soon projected him as an "old-style" type of politician, reminiscent of President George Herbert Walker Bush. However, given his first term popularity, Reynolds was able to slide by re-election without so much as losing more than four states. However, times had changed drastically, and President Reynolds' outgoing popularity was almost as low as it would ever get.
This was in contrast to Governor Ainsworth, whose leadership was seen as compassionate and faithful and as an everyman trying hard to help people grieve and recover from the disaster. The recovery was dealt significant blows as that August yet another tornado struck the city. While much smaller and weaker, it still caused damage, claimed three lives, and disrupted recovery efforts. Two weeks after, rainfall caused from a Gulf Coast hurricane stalled over portions of Kentucky, Ohio, Alabama and Tennessee causing devastating flooding throughout the state. Rivers throughout the state swelled and flooded portions of the state, once again promptly putting Ainsworth in the spotlight. Beau Ainsworth soon had national name recognition. His choice to be Time Magazine's Man of the Year was solidified when a mid-December ice storm essentially shut down the state, once again putting Ainsworth in the news as a man destined to lead people through disaster.
Soon, people and pundits began tossing around the idea of Ainsworth running for President. Indeed, polls showed that in a hypothetical race, Ainsworth would beat most Democratic challengers, and most Republicans, even coming close to beating Senator James McCroley, a 20 year veteran of the Senate from Louisiana and a war hero during the Gulf and Iraq wars, a man destined and anticipated by many people to be the next President of the United States.
When he threw his hat into the ring in early 2032, his only elected experience had been as Governor of Tennessee for one year, and many Democratic opponents touted him as "unelectable" and "inexperienced". Ainsworth touted his record as his experience and his popularity as proving his electability. One of the main reasons why Ainsworth was popular was due to his strong appeal to independent voters. After choosing Independent Senator Vince Murphy of New Hampshire, who caucused with Republicans, as his running mate, the Ainsworth/Murphy ticket campaigned on a "middle of the road" platform that crippled the McCroley/Johnson campaign. Senator McCroley, 17 years older than Ainsworth and much more hot-headed, campaigned touting that Ainsworth was "inexperienced" for the job, and chose long-time Iowa Senator Frank Johnson as his running mate. Along the way, Johnson made several gaffes and was seen as a troublemaker for the McCroley campaign. Nevertheless, the foreign policy debate proved to be a major help to Senator McCroley, who surged even in the polls in the final weeks.
By election night, pollsters and pundits were split evenly on the election result. Many thought that McCroley's experience, long-time statesmanship, and heroic Military record would prove the Ainsworth campaign as nothing more than a fad. However, in the end, the states of Tennessee and Virginia put Ainsworth over the top, defeating McCroley by about 300 electoral votes. The popular vote margin, however, was much closer. In the end, Ainsworth only beat McCroley in the popular vote by 325. It was seen as a bitter defeat for McCroley, whose Senate campaign two years later would put his leadership, policy ideas and legacy in doubt. For Ainsworth though, it was just the beginning.
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