"Never give in".... President John McCain Timeline

[Senator Clarence]

This is my first shot at writing a timeline so bear with me...

I have always admired John McCain. He comes from good stock- Navy royalty- and has a love of country no one can deny... and that love has been put to the test. Very few politicians nowadays have the credibility of service and sacrifice that John McCain has .

Everyone knows he was wronged in SC in 2000- that was a travesty of American politics.  This is about what would have happened if he had not been defamed so... and if he ended up winning the South Carolina Primary and the election

Hope you enjoy!
clarence

[Senator Snowstalker]

McCain in 2000? Certainly better than Bush--heck, my progressive dad was a supporter of him in the 2000 primaries (but switched to Gore in the General)

[Senator Clarence]

[Senator Clarence]

The 2000 Presidential campaign is off to a fast start... Vice President Al Gore quickly defeats Former Senator Bill Bradley in Iowa and New Hampshire to become the presumptive nominee. The GOP race is far more complicated... after winning the Iowa Caucuses, many pundits assumed Texas Governor George W. Bush would have a clear path to the nomination. His momentum was halted by Senator John McCain's landslide victory in the New Hampshire Primary.

Now- Governor Bush and Senator McCain head to South Carolina where they will make their case to the voters as to who should be the Republican nominee for President. At Bush HQ, campaign strategist Karl Rove knows that something needs to be done to stop McCain's momentum.  He resolves to run a shadow negative campaign against the well-respected Vietnam Veteran and maverick Senator

"Would you be more or less likely to vote for Senator McCain if you knew that he had fathered a black child out of wedlock," asked a "pollster"
"Hey Jim, did you hear that McCain is gay and cheated on his wife with a man?" said a man to his neighbor
"Mark my words, if you elect John McCain President, you will soon realize he was converted into a Soviet spy when he was allegedly being tortured in Vietnam" said a mysterious "veterans group leader" at an American Legion Post

The 2000 South Carolina Primary is being fought not with debates and TV ads, but with whispers and innuendo. At a campaign meeting in Charleston, McCain resolves to fight back. "I will never give in to this bullsh**t" he says, seething

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

Clarence, I'm excited to see you joining what-if community with this idea. Keep it coming

[Senator Clarence]

Thank you!

[CathKhan]

Clarence, I'm excited to see you joining what-if community with this idea. Keep it coming

[MRX]

YAY!!

[Jerseyrules]

Clarence, I'm excited to see you joining what-if community with this idea. Keep it coming

[Jerseyrules]

Just please don't make him a neocon puppet...maybe no 9/11?  (I can only hope )

[pillage the village, trash the scene]

Clarence, I'm excited to see you joining what-if community with this idea. Keep it coming

[Indy Prez]

Primaries go like this

[Jerseyrules]

Primaries go like this

Interesting.  Maybe Forbes wins in Alaska to really derail the Bush campaign from the beginning? Otherwise, very realistic and I look forward to more!

[Simfan34]

I believe there was a very good timeline on this at AH.com, entitled "Been winning so long, I've lost it", or something like that. I'd love to see your take on a President McCain. One thing will be true- things would be better than they are today.

[Senator Clarence]

Three days before the South Carolina Primary, Senator McCain holds a press conference with his wife Cindy and Congressman Lindsey Graham by his side. In his speech, he denounces Governor Bush and accuses his campaign of the nasty attacks. “Governor Bush and his propagandist Karl Rove have smeared me in a manner that is untrue, unprofessional, unethical, and un-American. After eight years of President Clinton, the American people deserve an honest and positive campaign of ideas. In 1988, then-Vice President Bush and his campaign manager Lee Atwater were responsible for vicious attacks on the record and character of Michael Dukakis. While I voted for Bush as did most Americans, we all realized how vile such negative campaigning is. At the end of his life, Lee Atwater apologized to Michael Dukakis and America for the campaign he had run. I turn to Governor Bush and call on him to apologize to the American people and especially the people of South Carolina for the campaign he has run. I call on him to fire Karl Rove. I call on him to run this race on how he wants to improve our country. To do those things would be to honor our nation and our people, both of whom mean more to me then anything else on Earth.”

McCain’s speech is commended by nearly everyone. Congressman Graham campaigns across the state and on the airwaves for the Senator and he is joined by Congressman Mark Sanford. Evangelical and Christian leaders, previously supporters of Bush, remain silent in wake of the attacks from the Bush campaign.  In a speech the next day, Governor Bush does not deny his campaign’s involvement but says he knew nothing of the nature of the attacks, which he apologizes for. “Senator McCain is an American hero, and my differences with him have to do with his views, not his character.” Momentum is clearly on McCain’s side, who is now seen very sympathetically by most Americans.

The results of the South Carolina Primary are good news for the McCain campaign.

South Carolina Primary
51 McCain
44 Bush
5 Keyes

In his election night speech, Republican frontrunner Senator John McCain looks ahead to the upcoming campaign. “With these dark days behind us, we must move forward a united party ready to take back the Presidency for the American people.”

[Senator Clarence]

After his South Carolina defeat, Governor Bush calls a meeting of his closest advisors- from Karl Rove to Joe Allbaugh to James BAker to HW- back in Texas. HW comes in with an agenda- W needs to leave the race now, with some dignity, to give Jeb a chance in four or eight years. He convinces Baker to go along. 

The race is dire for George W. Bush. Polling has shown him significantly behind nationally to John McCain.  Pundits and consultants are calling McCain the clear frontrunner and McCain is getting an endless stream of endorsements, with Bush getting frequently condemned for the campaign. The first item on the agenda in Austin is Bush's dismissal of Rove as his campaign strategist. It was Rove's negative campaign tactics which backfired and which are now costing George W. Bush the nomination.  Eventually, George HW Bush and James Baker are successful in convincing W to leave the race, despite the older son's resentment of his father's preference for the younger.

That night, Governor Bush announces a press conference the next day in Austin and privately calls Senator McCain. Their conversation is brief but productive with Bush again apologizing for the whisper campaign in South Carolina and letting McCain know he will campaign for him all he needs. McCain, knowing Bush's favorable numbers plummeted, does not plan to follow up. 

"My journey to the White House is ending, but our message of compassionate conservatism will carry on with Senator McCain."

[MRX]

Off and running!

[Indy Prez]

I'm sure McCain put out an ad in which he compared Bush to Clinton and asked him to stop the attack ads, to which Bush responded, 'It's an ol' campaign trick to say stop the dirty ads when you've been din the same all along' or soemthing along thsoe lines. Rather than the race being decided by a speech as it is in so many tls, I hope you consider an alternate campaign strategy by McCain. Go on though, it's interesting.

[SirNick]

I'm sure McCain put out an ad in which he compared Bush to Clinton and asked him to stop the attack ads, to which Bush responded, 'It's an ol' campaign trick to say stop the dirty ads when you've been din the same all along' or soemthing along thsoe lines. Rather than the race being decided by a speech as it is in so many tls, I hope you consider an alternate campaign strategy by McCain. Go on though, it's interesting.

@Indy Prez - IMO, posting maps on other people's TL's is rude unless they ask for it.

Good first TL so far.

[Senator Clarence]

Now the presumptive nominee, Senator McCain has to consider his most important decision yet- who to choose for the Vice Presidential nominee. He gathers his inner circle of Mike Murphy, Rick Davis, and Lindsey Graham to begin considering options. McCain wants to make a historic but risky choice while his advisors urge him to play it safe- "The number 1 rule of a VP pick is do no harm," says Murphy. McCain officially appoints former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker to lead the vetting process and select a candidate.

After Colin Powell refuses to be vetted, the list is narrowed down to-
John Danforth, former Missouri Senator
Phil Gramm, Texas Senator
Mike Huckabee, Arkansas Governor

McCain prefers Huckabee. Governor Huckabee is young, energetic from recent weight loss, a great speaker, and evangelical Christian. However, Baker points out the similarities between Huckabee and President Clinton which rules him out. Danforth is thought to be too moderate to complement McCain, so the nod goes to Senator Gramm.

Senator Phil Gramm is a tall, large figure who ran for President in 1996. Hailing from the home state of McCain's primary rival George W. Bush, he speaks with a low but strong Southern accent. He talks more like a professor then a preacher but the conservative gravitas he adds to the ticket makes him a universally praised choice.

The 2000 Republican Ticket: McCain/Gramm

[CathKhan]

Was JC Watts considered?

[Vote UKIP!]

Was JC Watts considered?

Yeah. Evangelicals would feel comfortable with a McCain/Watts ticket.

Heck, I would

[Simfan34]

J.C. Watts- what ever happened to him?

[Senator Clarence]

No he was not- considered too inexperiecned

[Senator Clarence]

Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Vice President Al Gore considers who to select for his running mate. Campaign advisors James Carville, Terry McCauliffe, and Donna Brazille settle on Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman with Gore. Lieberman politely declines- he does not want to run agianst his dear friend John McCain. Gore realizes that to escape Clinton's shadow and become his own man, he needs to choose a running mate who is not a Washington insider. He has his campaign managers vet all Democratic governors in the country and one name sticks out: Governor Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. In early August, Gore announces Shaheen as the 2000 Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee.

The 2000 Democratic Ticket: Gore/Shaheen


A Gallup poll before the conventions shows the race as following-
47 McCain/Gramm
43 Gore/Shaheen

The choice of Shaheen has given Gore a boost but his favorability numbers remain well behind McCain's. This is due, say pundits, to McCain's popularity following his battles with George W. Bush in the primaries.