Hello Joe!: A President Lieberman Timeline

[Jerseyrules]

Shameless self-bump

[Jerseyrules]

Wellstone Takes NH!

Wellstone: 51%
Lieberman: 49%

"HOW THE F-CK DID THIS HAPPEN?!"
"Well, Joe, you outspent him 5-1, but you didn't make many stops there after Iowa-"
"I WAS ON A GODDAMN TRADE MISSION TO CHINA!  ON BEHALF OF THE F-CKING PRESIDENT!  HE'S NOT DOING sh**t FOR ME EITHER!  JOHN, WHERE THE  DO WE GO FROM HERE?!  THIS IS GONNA ING DRAG OUT WAY PAST SUPER TUESDAY!!"
"Joe, you gotta calm down.  Listen.  We can still win big in Delaware, we can win Washington, and kick his ass on Super Tuesday.  He'll have no choice but to endorse you after that."
"I hope you're right, John."

Whitman Takes NH!
Whitman: 39%
Dole: 36%
Bush: 27%

Jesse Ventura Calls it Quits; Says Will Focus on Governing.

"I would like to thank all of you who supported me, and we've done a great job keeping extremist elements out of our party so far.  But I have made a personal decision to suspend my campaign for president this year.  I have to focus on running the state of Minnesota, and I intend to serve out my term as governor before trying to leapfrog into higher office.  However, the fight against the extremists in the Reform Party is not over, and we must prevent Pat Buchanan from taking this party down a path to suicide."

Trump Enters Race for Reform Party Nomination - is he Just a Placeholder for Ventura?

"I have decided to endorse Donald Trump for the Reform Party's nomination.  This is because of his commitment to Ross Perot's principles of smart government, as well as his status as a non-politician.  I think he's the best man to lead our party and our country, and the best chance to get the Reform Party back into the debates, and once we get there, there's no stopping common sense from reaching the voters."
Some believe the Governor's decision to endorse Trump shows confirms rumors that Trump is only a placeholder to keep the party's federal funding so that Ventura can run for president in 2004, though Governor Ventura denies any such accusations.

[CathKhan]

C'mon, Joe!

[Jerseyrules]

C'mon, Joe!

Waddaya think so far?

[CathKhan]

C'mon, Joe!

Waddaya think so far?

I like it.

[Jerseyrules]

C'mon, Joe!

Waddaya think so far?

I like it.

Thanks .  Update coming soon.

[Jerseyrules]

Dole wins Delaware!

Dole: 37%
Bush: 34%
Forbes: 25%

Lieberman Takes Delaware!

Lieberman: 54%
Wellstone: 42%
Uncommitted: 5%

Dole Crushes Bush in South Carolina!

Dole: 57%
Bush: 38%
Keyes: 5%

Wellstone Takes Washington in Nail-Biter!

Wellstone: 52%
Lieberman: 47%

Image of Wellstone linked from "Ghost in the Machine" deleted because it gave Goohle Chrome malware alerts for the page; my apologies for the inconvenience. -BK

"Dammit Karl!  You f**kin said we'd sweep South Carolina!  You f**kin said it was our last chance to kick that bitch's ass!"
"With all due respect, Governor, we had to focus on later states, and people didn't take to kindly to that last-minute blitzkrieg of negative ads."
"Well, where do we go from here?  Can we still win?"
"Governor, in all honesty I don't see that happening.  The best thing to do now would be to endorse Dole and suspend your campaign, especially if you don't want to see Whitman as our nominee."
"God f**king dammit.  You think I'd get VP?"
"Not if you stay in any longer."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Today, I am announcing my withdrawal from the Republican primaries in support of the next president of the United States, Elizabeth Dole.  Governor Dole has the experience and integrity we need to restore America, and she is the best remaining candidate.  So I encourage all of my former supporters to cast your votes for Governor Dole so that we can ensure a conservative is nominated, and we get a candidate that really deserves that "R" next to her name.  Thank you, God bless you, and God Bless America!"

[CathKhan]

I'm gonna miss the idea of having Karl Rove at the center of the political battle from 2001 to 2009. Oh Well, go Dole! And Lieberman!

[Jerseyrules]

I'm gonna miss the idea of having Karl Rove at the center of the political battle from 2001 to 2009. Oh Well, go Dole! And Lieberman!

Don't worry about rove, he'll be back, as will W. 

[Jerseyrules]

With the weight of the conservatives and establishment now behind her, Dole was now determined to crush Whitman.  She easily trounced "miss-moderate" in Arizona, Michigan, then proceeded to annihilate her in every contest leading up to Super Tuesday.  Dole cruised to an easy victory on Super Tuesday, winning a majority of delegates needed for the nomination, as Whitman barely won Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  With her devastating defeat, Whitman endorsed Dole, who became the presumptive nominee.

Final Republican Results by State:

Yellow = Forbes, Blue = Dole, Green = Whitman (all grey states uncontested, as Dole had no remaining opponents)

However, the Democratic contests were not decided so easily.  Super Tuesday was considered a draw by the press.  While Lieberman won American Samoa, his home state of Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, and Rhode Island, Senator Wellstone took California, Hawaii, Idaho (Caucus), Maryland, New York, North Dakota, Vermont, and the Washington Caucus.  Now, playtime was over.  Lieberman began a blitz of campaigning across the remaining states, bringing in heavyweights like Senator John McCain of Arizona, President Clinton, and Governor Zell Miller of Georgia.  The Vice President cruised to an easy victory in South Carolina, then narrowly lost Colorado and Utah.  He then went on to win Arizona and the Michigan Caucus, while Wellstone took his home state of Minnesota.  Wellstone narrowly won Nevada, and then the Vice President's strategy began to turn the tide.  He finally began to widen the delegate gap between him and his opponent on March 14, when he crushed Wellstone in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.  This was the moment Lieberman was waiting for.  He began to bury Wellstone under an avalanche of negative ads, claiming that now that Lieberman was far ahead in money, polls, and delegates, the nomination was his by right.  He could now campaign against an insurgent, who would weaken the nominee in November.  Yet Wellstone pledged to continue the fight to the convention if need be, and began campaigning as the underdog.  Lieberman won a nail-biter in Illinois, and then was soundly defeated by Wellstone in Wyoming.  Lieberman cruised to victory in the Delaware Caucus before winning another crucial victory in Pennsylvania, then facing another defeat in Wisconsin.  This back-and-forth continued through April and May, with Lieberman taking the Virginia Caucus, then Wellstone winning the Alaska Caucus.  Lieberman won DC, Indiana, and North Carolina, while Wellstone took Nebraska.  The Vice President then took West Virginia before being defeated again in Oregon.  Lieberman took Arkansas and Kentucky while Wellstone took Idaho.  Finally, with victories in Alabama, New Jersey, and New Mexico, Lieberman had the delegates necessary to clinch the Democratic nomination.

Final Democratic Results by State:

Wellstone = Green, Lieberman = Red

[Jerseyrules]

Questions comments concerns critiques etc?

[Jerseyrules]

The next step for both candidates would be the veepstakes.  Dole would choose Senator Al D'Amato of New York while Lieberman chose Governor Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.  As the candidates ramped up their game for the general election, observers would see a very close election on the way.  By August, it became clear that the election would be decided by Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan (the latter two being close, but with a Democratic edge.)  By September, the election was in full-swing.  The debates between the candidates were the most-watched ever, and featured Lieberman and Dole on their a-game, with neither being able to gain the upper hand.  Though Lieberman had a boring voice, he was able to get an audience riled up with the content of his speeches, while Dole had no trouble with speeches and debates.  The major factor in the election of 2000 was the Clinton presidency.  While Dole would quietly crusade for family values in the wake of Lewinskygate, Lieberman would shore up his support by reminding independents and Bible-thumpers that he was the first Democrat to come out against the president in the wake of the scandal, though he had cast the tie-breaking vote to prevent the president's impeachment.  Meanwhile, Lieberman would campaign hard on the economic prosperity of the 90's, the surplus, and keeping it intact while providing some tax cuts to those who need and deserve it.  The percentage of undecided voters shrank rapidly, and each candidate turned to campaigning in the three crucial states of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.  While Liddy focused her efforts on winning over "Reagan Democrats" in these states, Lieberman concentrated on Get-Out-The-Vote efforts.  While Dole focused on gaining support for Congressional Republicans, Lieberman focused almost all of his resources (and the DNC's) on his presidential campaign.  Lieberman's was proving to be more effective as he inched his way up in the polls, finally pulling ahead of Dole after she held a narrow lead in the polls most of the summer.  However, they would still have to contend with the Reform Party, as Donald Trump maintined a consistent 5-7% of voters in the polls, and Nader held about 3-5% as well.  Both major party campaigns largely ignored them, however, turning the bulk of their attention (and passive-aggressive attacks) on each other.

[I Can't Get That Sound You Make, Out Of My Head]

One nitpick - wasn't Casey dead by 2000?

[Jerseyrules]

One nitpick - wasn't Casey dead by 2000?

He died in August (?) 2000.  Regardless, Casey's one of my favorite Democratic politicians.  I would even compare him to RFK, and if he had run in 96 otl, (as he was considering), he would've resembled the senator from New York even more.

[Jerseyrules]

VP CANDIDATE HOSPITALIZED!

This was something the Lieberman campaign didn't anticipate.  Both candidates suspended their campaigns as Governor Casey was rushed to the hospital for another bout of chemotherapy.  His cancer was something he had concealed well from the public prior to joining as Lieberman's number two.  Without the national exposure of a presidential campaign, he might not have made headlines, but the media whispered about the possibility of a replacement candidate.  Lieberman himself refused to comment.

CASEY RECOVERY!

After an intense two weeks (and equally intense surgical procedure), Casey was released from the hospital.  Standing at the clinic's entrance (and bearing a cane), Governor Casey spoke about the need for healthcare reform, capitalizing on tax breaks for providers who give coverage for pre-existing conditions, allowing healthcare to be purchased across state lines, and ensuring the public that after another week, he would resume his rigorous campaign schedule.  The Congress passed a unanimous motion to wish the governor a speedy and full recovery, and the Dole campaign issued a similar statement.  Lieberman's staff cheered wildly as they watched the governor's impromptu speech, and the Vice President himself visited Casey's home in Pennsylvania to monitor his recovery.

[Bacon King]

Just letting you know that there was an image above that was causing Chrome Malware warnings for this page of your story; someone notified me via PM and I checked myself and recieved the same warning. Logged on with my iPhone's browser to delete it without risk. Everything should be fine now; feel free to replace the removed image with something else

[Jerseyrules]

Just letting you know that there was an image above that was causing Chrome Malware warnings for this page of your story; someone notified me via PM and I checked myself and recieved the same warning. Logged on with my iPhone's browser to delete it without risk. Everything should be fine now; feel free to replace the removed image with something else

Thanks; totally sorry if I caused any trouble, I had no idea.