A New America Series - 2004 Primaries

[Maxwell]

A New America Series - 2004 Primaries

America was in desperate need of a change, and got one in Sherrod Brown. President Brown, like he was in Ohio, was massively effective, sometimes ruthlessly so. He passed complete troop withdraw from the middle east, an education reform package that increased funding, passed several healthcare measures and put into place several programs that would create ready made jobs. The result was the most booming economy of our time, a high level of domestic prosperity, and a decent foreign policy scene. President Brown has received criticism, however, for his ethics - a few members of his administration were arrested for taking gifts. While Brown is currently out of guilt, this has tainted his image. And despite his effectiveness, Republicans charge that Brown badgers, deals, and gets ugly to get his way. Some like that style, others do not, but Brown's fight has caused Democrats to be loyal to him, and as a result, he sails without a primary opponent and a solid 55% approval rating despite being blatantly partisan.

Republicans are stuck with what some call their most unenthusiastic and moderate field in history. Starting with the religious right candidate of Senator Sam Brownback, a hard right conservative who calls for a complete overhaul of the federal government and a reduction in the federal top tax rate from 45% to 20%. Then we move to Governor Mitt Romney, a tried and true Liberal Republican, who prides his efforts to give affordable healthcare to his residents in Massachusetts and his pro-choice and pro-gay rights views. Senator John McCain remains to the right on other issues, but his main fight is Campaign Finance reform, which he has criticized other Republicans for not making a centerpiece of their campaigns and being "tools" of Wall Street and other special interests. Former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney has criticized President Brown's foreign policy and plans to implement a more hawkish strategy that is popular among Republicans but largely unpopular with the public. Minority Whip John Kasich is a deeply partisan Republican leader, calling for broadbased budget reform and making the election a referendum on Brown's views on abortion. Governor Rudy Giuliani shares Romney's social views, Cheney's foreign policy, and pushes himself as a staunch fiscal conservative, advocating for a flat tax. Governor Gary Johnson, endorsed by Former Congressman Ron Paul, criticizes the field for being anti-liberty and plans a flat tax along with a reduced military and reduced entitlements in order to balance the budget. Finally, there is Senator H. Ross Perot Jr.. Like his father, he's fairly moderate on fiscal issues and is generally skeptical of trade deals. However, he doesn't give off the same enthusiasm, and has been specifically more pro-business and pro-life, to reach a wider Republican audience.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Romney

[Mr. Smith]

keep the democrat

[NeverAgain]

Re-elect the President.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Re-elect the President.

[Clark Kent]

Kasich
Cheney
Brownback
Giuliani
Perot
Romney

In that order

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Brownback

[Cassius]

Kasich/Cheney.

[Maxwell]

Interesting divide between Libertarian v. Liberal v. Vaguely Populist v. Partisan Republican.

[Intell]

Brown.

[Kingpoleon]

Perot for VP!

[Maxwell]

A New America Series - 2004 Primaries

The Republican primaries had a lot of candidates, but the frontrunner was clearly Governor Rudy Giuliani. Praised for his record of knocking down crime in the state, solving a budget crisis, and being a voice in national security, Giuliani was surprisingly popular even as he was racially devisive. The rigors of the campaign, along with a poor strategy, managed to only register him a win in Connecticut. Other candidates rose from his ashes - Senator Sam Brownback beat back the Romney and Perot money machines to win the state, while Romney edged out an insurgent Gary Johnson in New Hampshire. Brownback and Romney would win a significant number of primaries, but not enough to take the nomination. Indeed, the nomination comes down to three people: Libertarian Governor Gary Johnson, who won his native West Coast and the occasional tax haven state like Delaware, Minority Whip John Kasich, who kept a unique coalition of Midwestern moderates, Southern Conservatives who didn't take to Brownback's heavily christian message, and some Northeastern liberals who found Romney robotic, and Senator H. Ross Perot Jr., who won a significant portion of poor, working class voters. Kasich, Johnson, and Perot are in what is basically a three way tie for delegates, so the convention will decide who gets the nomination.



Senate Minority Whip John Kasich (R-OH) - 20.7%, 13 States + D.C.
Governor Gary Johnson (R-NM) - 20.7%, 11 States
Senator H. Ross Perot Jr. (R-TX) - 17.2%, 8 States
Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) - 13.8%, 7 States
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) - 13.8%, 6 States
(beige) Former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney (R-WY) - 10.3%, 4 States
Governor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) - 3.4%, 1 State