Eternal Sunshine of the Democratic Mind

[The Other Castro]

Eternal Sunshine of the Democratic Mind

Kirsten

November 9th, 2016

The Junior Senator from New York stared up at the television screen. Like many Democrats that night, she was in shock. Agony. Confusion. However, unlike many Democrats that night, she also sensed something quite different: Opportunity. Trump’s victory looked right back at her mockingly, but she had already moved on in her mind to the future.

She knew just as well as anyone that the 2020 Presidential race had already begun. Any minute not spent planning her run was now a minute wasted, and falling behind her potential competitors. Kirsten Gillibrand intently picked up her phone and dialed one of her closest allies. After two rings, Howard Dean answered the call.

[Blackacre]

Okay, you have my attention

[BuckeyeNut]

Attention piqued.

[The Other Castro]

Thanks, this will be similar to a previous TL I wrote in that most of the updates will be in the form of POV chapters from players (though not necessarily candidates) in the 2020 election. I'm open to suggestions of characters or events throughout this as I take it through the midterms and eventually the 2020 presidential race.

[America Needs R'hllor]

This PoV form is very intriguing. Could you link your previous TL?

[The Other Castro]

This PoV form is very intriguing. Could you link your previous TL?

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=217403.0

I didn't take it very far, but I plan to continue this one for some time.

[The Other Castro]

Bernie

November 10th, 2016

“I’ll be almost 80, are you serious Jeff?”

“Trump will be only a few years younger than you, and you’re in great shape. We both know you could have easily beaten him this year if the DNC hadn’t been in the bag for Clinton. At least give it some thought, you have some time to think about this after all.”

Bernie Sanders, along with his Democratic colleagues, had gone through the stages of grief and was now dealing with the ramifications of a Trump presidency. With the question of how to get rid of him, everyone’s minds immediately turned to the question of which Democrat would have the best chance of winning. The tides were turning in the Democratic Party, and with Trump’s victory came the possibility of change. In Bernie’s mind, from the ashes they would be reborn, and the party would finally start listening to him and follow his lead.

“I’ll think about it, but for now let’s try to keep this under wraps. This party needs new leadership if it has any hopes of succeeding in the future.” After a few moments, he added, “I want to speak to Elizabeth.”

[The Other Castro]

Martin

November 11th, 2016

Martin’s staffer pressed the post button as Martin looked over his shoulder, wondering if this was the right move. He knew that he came across as bland, boring even, but he also knew in his heart of hearts that he could have defeated Trump. DNC Chair was a long shot with big names already lining up behind Keith Ellison, but he had to keep his name in the mix any way he could now that he was out of office.

What do I do next? Martin O’Malley thought to himself. His aides were blunt with him after his loss in the Iowa Caucus. Lack of charisma, they said. Too much power already behind Hillary and Bernie, they said. Well, 2020 would be a wide open race, and he had just as good of a shot as anyone, right? Little did Martin know that the power bases were already being built at that very moment, but behind whom would be a story for the not too distant future.

[MAINEiac4434]

*Breathes heavily*

#Kirsten2020

[The Other Castro]

Chris

December 2nd, 2016

“You don’t think this last one is too provocative?”

“That’s what we need to go for, Senator. If you really want to explore a run, you need to show Democrats that you’re someone that can go punch for punch against Trump. I guarantee you someone from his team will respond.”

President-elect Trump had made his latest headline news in speaking with the President of Taiwan, a move that Senator Chris Murphy wanted to capitalize on to get his name out there.

Chris Murphy was well aware of his name recognition problems. It was a challenge he had faced in his 2012 Senate run against Linda McMahon. Connecticut wasn’t a big state, a swing state, or honestly that interesting of a state to most Americans, but that wasn’t going to stop his ambitions.

As luck would have it, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway saw his tweet, and responded in kind on CNN:

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This wouldn’t be the first time that things went Chris Murphy’s way in furthering his 2020 goals, but only time would tell if the country, and the Democratic Party, was ready to choose another Northeastern liberal with a tinge of elitism.

[The Other Castro]

Joe

January 7th, 2017

It had been a month since Joe started talking about running again in 2020, and he was grateful for the reaction to it. People cheered him on, encouraging him to go for it, saying how good a president he would be. Joe Biden knew that he was the right man for the job, and that he would have easily beaten Donald Trump in the general election. He had regretted every second since that fateful day in the Rose Garden when he announced that he would sit the race out.

“Hillary Clinton? God, I should have known better,” he thought to himself.

But still, he remembered why he had declined in the first place. Beau had just died, and he knew in his heart that he didn’t have it in him to run a full campaign at the time. Then again, 2020 was still 4 years away, and 4 years is a lifetime in politics.

The day before, Joe Biden as President of the Senate had read aloud the confirmed votes of the Electoral College, and as expected Donald Trump had won while a record number of faithless votes were cast.

Donald Trump - 302
Hillary Clinton - 223
John Kasich – 13

So that was that. Donald Trump had officially been elected President, and nothing would prevent his inauguration. Maybe that thought, and the great urge among Democrats to already be rid of Trump, was what had caused the 2020 talk to already begin in the media. The biggest thing working against Joe was his age, but even that wasn’t too much worse than the incoming President.

Even if he didn’t end up running, Joe knew that he had keep his name relevant in order to maintain some power in the Democratic Party. Even the slightest missteps could throw their message off track and ensure 8 years of Trump. The Vice President could not let that happen.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Very unique timeline...

[The Other Castro]

Elizabeth

June 21st, 2017

Elizabeth opened an email from one her staffers with the subject line “New Poll #s”. It was Public Policy Polling’s second poll of the hypothetical 2020 Democratic primary field, and once again Elizabeth Warren found herself stuck in third place. However, she was not discouraged by this early indicator. Bernie had heavily hinted to her over the last few months that he would not seek the nomination again, and she had it on good authority that Joe Biden would reach a similar decision. Additionally, she was settling in well in her new position on the Armed Services committee, a spot she had eagerly fought for. Elizabeth was aware of her reputation as a liberal lion on domestic policy, but she needed foreign policy credentials if she wanted to present a full alternative package against Trump. That is, if she actually decided to run.

If she was going to run for President, it wasn’t because she wanted the job for the sake of power. Back in 2011, there were policies that she needed to see through, but could not from just a position on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. So she ran for Senate, and now she found herself in a similar position in the aftermath of Trump’s inauguration.

One by one his cabinet picks were confirmed, and she couldn’t help but feel powerless as her fellow Senators put up little resistance. She could handle Chao and Mattis, and could stomach DeVos and Zinke, but the people like Puzder, Ross, and Mnuchin made her blood boil. Senator Elizabeth Warren could only do so much, but President Elizabeth Warren on the other hand…

She hid the thought away as she closed the email. A meeting of the Democratic Caucus on Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist was coming up later in the day, and she needed to do some last minute research on Judges Neil Gorsuch and William Pryor.

[Kingpoleon]

Didn't Kasich ask electors not to vote for him? If it weren't for that, he might have been able to get another 33 electoral votes.

[The Other Castro]

Didn't Kasich ask electors not to vote for him? If it weren't for that, he might have been able to get another 33 electoral votes.

The faithless electors were almost entirely Democrats, and they knew that they wouldn't actually get someone else elected, so it didn't really matter what Kasich wanted.

[The Other Castro]

Andrew

October 4th, 2017

The previous night had been a good one for the Governor of New York. The framework for Andrew Cuomo’s candidacy in 2020 had been in place for years, but now the number of his potential competitors had dwindled by one. Mayor Bill de Blasio, no friend to the Governor, had met his untimely political end after an electoral duel with an ambitious comptroller. 2020 only had room for so many New Yorkers, and Andrew was determined to be one of them.

NYC Democratic Mayoral Primary Runoff
Scott Stringer – 52%
Bill de Blasio – 48%

Though Bill de Blasio had survived politically after an indictment against him was never produced, Democrats were weary of supporting another politician with the scent of scandal around him. The primary runoff finished him off for good. At the same time, Governor Cuomo failed to see the difficulties that such an outcome would pose to him later on in his career path. Corruption was such an old song that Cuomo and countless others could sing along in harmony, and nowhere was it stronger than in Albany. (Sorry for the Hamilton reference)

Andrew hummed a jolly tune that he had long forgotten the name of, as the usual stream of emails came in. Another key staffer was hired, another foreign trip planned, and another step taken to ensure his success in the Democratic primaries to come. He would not make the same mistakes that Hillary had made. The right people had been paid to make sure that did not happen. There would be no last minute FBI announcement to hand Trump another victory from the jaws of defeat.

At a deeper level in the pre-campaign of Andrew Cuomo, opposition research operations were already taking place against his future opponents. The information on Senator Gillibrand he would hold until the time was right, but a particular Senator from New Jersey needed a warning shot before he got too big. Many months later, it would end up being a mistake Cory Booker never let Andrew Cuomo forget.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This is sooooo well written, I'm really digging it!

[The Other Castro]

This is sooooo well written, I'm really digging it!

Thank you!

[The Other Castro]

Cory

November 7th, 2017

Cory was working the crowd at the Phil Murphy victory party when the call from CNN came in. For the first time since Donald Trump’s election to the presidency, Democrats had reason to celebrate. They had grown increasingly frustrated by the developments in Congress, as every Cabinet appointment was confirmed with minimal debate. Even Secretary of State Tillerson’s hearings were met with an unexpected lack of drama as Senators Rubio, Graham, and McCain all voted for confirmation.

Democrats itched for a fight, but at the same time needed to show support for Minority Leader Schumer in his talks with President Trump on infrastructure. However, once the conversation turned to Obamacare repeal and immigration restrictions, the gloves would finally be able to come off. For now, they rejoiced in whatever victories they could score.

Along with the gain in the New Jersey Governorship, Democrats had maintained control in Virginia with the election of Ralph Northam. They had also made small but important gains in the legislatures of both states, as well as in the newly redrawn districts of North Carolina.

New Jersey Gubernatorial Election
Phil Murphy – 54%
Jack Ciattarelli – 43%

Virginia Gubernatorial Election
Ralph Northam – 49%
Ed Gillespie – 45%

Most important for Cory Booker, however, was his gain of an important executive ally in the Democratic wars to come. But, which battles would he fight in? Cory faced a predicament similar to candidates that had run in previous years, in that he would be up for reelection in the Senate at the same time as a possible Presidential run. The filing deadline wasn’t until March 30th of 2020, well after several primaries would take place. For now, he would commit to running for reelection, and get over the filing bridge when the time came.

As Governor-Elect Murphy approached the stage, Senator Booker glanced for a moment back at Wolf Blitzer’s furry face filling the television screen. Names scrolled along the bottom, revealing the winners and losers of the year. Most of them gave Cory hope for the future, like Mayor-elect Stringer and Congresswoman-elect Sally Harrell of Georgia’s 6th congressional district. It had been a decent election for Democrats, but the true test of their strength as an opposition party would come in 2018.
 

Later that night…

Cory continued to stare at the compromising picture of himself attached in the email. The only people that had seen it were him and his chief of staff, and neither knew the true identity of the sender. Whoever the slimy bastard was, Cory Booker would not be deterred. The photograph had been taken from the back, but Cory, and more importantly the person with him, could still easily be recognized. He angrily closed the email as the image of the short blonde hair left his sight.

[The Other Castro]

Very well written! Keep it up!

Thank you!

[The Other Castro]

Amy

January 23rd, 2018

Amy hoped for the best as she watched the replay of her speech on MSNBC. 20 minutes earlier, she had given the Democratic response to President Trump’s first State of the Union address. She caught bits and pieces of her speech as she multitasked by finishing some emails.

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Amy Klobuchar thought she had done pretty well, though her voice did sound a little too folksy in the response. But, maybe that was what the Democratic Party needed right now. The DNC under Keith Ellison had been making good inroads in places some Democrats were ready to give up. It was nice to have her Minnesota colleague running the operations of the party, and very soon it might come in handy. The Midwest was a region Democrats would be desperate to win back in 2020, and a candidate from Minnesota could have a leg up on the party’s New Yorkers and Californians.

Though Amy thought of herself as good on paper, she also knew there was plenty of work to do to establish herself as a presidential contender in time for the primaries. Her selection for the Democratic response to the State of the Union was a great gift, and would help get her name out there. For this year’s midterms, she planned to travel around the country and help her colleagues win reelection.

The Senate map was daunting, but most of her fellow Senators were holding their own. Republicans were getting formidable recruits in Missouri and West Virginia with Ann Wagner and Patrick Morrisey, but Democrats were determined to turn 2018 into a wave election against Trump. They had achieved encouraging recruits as well in Arizona and Texas with Kyrsten Sinema and Beto O'Rourke.

President Trump’s job approval rating of 43% would work well enough for Democrats come election time, though they were determined to drag that number lower still if they truly wanted to regain the Senate. As long as nothing too unexpected happened, they would be in good shape come November.

[RaphaelDLG]

The people demand more

[The Other Castro]

The people demand more

The people shall have it.

[The Other Castro]

Tulsi

July 15th, 2018

The young Congresswoman from Hawaii was quite pleased with herself that morning. She felt little regret for what she had done. Even when she heard the sadness in Senator Hirono’s voice, she maintained her resolve. Politics is a game for the strong, and Mazie just couldn’t handle it.

An hour earlier, Tulsi Gabbard had completed the last in a series of phone conversations with the Senior Senator from Hawaii. Like a homicidal masseuse, Tulsi liked to apply enough pressure until the kill was secured. She had made it clear to Senator Hirono her intention to run in the coming senate primary, and gave two choices: Drop out, or face humiliation. It was an ultimatum that Senate Democrats were not used to receiving.

Tulsi Gabbard had been running an operation on the sidelines over the past few months, and had gathered data to demonstrate to the Senator that she was outraising her and outpolling her in hypothetical primary polling. At the risk of being defeated in a primary, Mazie Hirono had at last decided to drop out. Her decision would be announced in a few days, after which Tulsi would heroically swoop in. Privately, this was one more step in her path to the Presidency. As ambitious as she was, even she thought 2020 would probably be too soon to run as an announcement would be required just months after taking office in the Senate.

Apparently Tulsi had been too deep in thought, as her phone had been buzzing long enough for one of her interns to inform her of it. She checked her phone and realized there were 6 new texts. She read a few words of the first message and immediately turned on CNN.

“…and I am told that the total death toll has now risen to 15 people, with another 32 suffering serious injuries. It is unknown at this time how many, if any, of these victims were members of the teams themselves. For those just joining in, we have breaking news out of Moscow today where there has been some kind of dual explosion at the final match of the FIFA World Cup. According to witness accounts and footage of the event, two large blasts occurred at around the same time with one in the stands and another closer to the field. We are told that this happened almost directly after Argentina’s victory over Germany, and that multiple athletes may have been wounded or killed as well – OK – We can now confirm that two of the members of the German team have died, and one player for Argentina has also died. As of this moment, we are still working on the identities of these individuals and other members of the crowd that have lost their lives in this horrific event.”

Tulsi’s head swam with ideas. A terrorist attack would be a great opportunity for her to engage in foreign policy debates. She would wait for Trump’s daily scheduled tweet, and then respond in a supportive manner. She had been cultivating an above-politics/team player persona during the Trump Administration, and voters loved bipartisan moves like that. Perhaps attacks like these would even allow her to move up her presidential timetable. That would be a decision for another day.

[Gass3268]

Did you just kill Messi?