Carter in '08!

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

EPIC BUMP!

Go Carter! Hopefully he nominates a younger president for VP...

[HST1948]

I can't wait to see Carter's VP pick.

[Vosem]

Between May 23 and 26, the Libertarian National Convention was held in Denver, Colorado. It was a three-way race between Mary Ruwart, Wayne A. Root, and former Senator Mike Gravel. Six ballots were necessary before a winner was announced. Although Root led in ballots 1, 2, 4, and 5 (tying Ruwart in ballot 3), Gravel's endorsement of Ruwart before the sixth ballot was enough to deliver a victory. In thanks, Ruwart nominated Mike Gravel as her running mate.

On May 27, the Republican Idaho primary was held. Mitt Romney was the winner, garnering 17 delegates, but second-placer John McCain also received 6.

On June 1, Jimmy Carter met with the ex-Governor of Puerto Rico, Sila Calderon, generating speculation that Calderon was in the running for the vice-presidential nomination.

On June 3, Jimmy Carter met with the junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.

The same day, the final Republican primaries are held in South Dakota and New Mexico. No delegates were awarded in South Dakota (but Romney was the winner), while an extremely close race between Romney and McCain in New Mexico saw McCain the winner, getting all of New Mexico's 29 delegates. With Giuliani, Romney, and McCain still essentially tied; it's final; the contest for the Republican nomination will go to the convention, for the first time since 1976.

On June 4, the Republican candidates (including Paul) announce a town-hall debate will be held on June 12.

On June 5, Carter meets with prominent Democratic insider, former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson, who was tasked with finding a vice-presidential candidate for the Democrats in 1984 and again in 2004; this meeting is also speculated to about vice-presidential matters.

The first Republican town-hall debate is held on June 12. Ron Paul dominates the debate with his announcement that he is dropping out, leaving McCain, Romney, and Giuliani as the only candidates.

On June 16, Jimmy Carter holds a gigantic rally in Unity, New Hampshire; notably, among others, the Clintons, Al Gore, and Barack Obama are all present.

On June 27, McCain, Romney, and Giuliani hold another town-hall debate. This one receives much more coverage than the previous one fifteen days earlier, and McCain is seen as the winner.

On July 3, all three Republican candidates met with Arnold Schwarzenegger, allegedly in hopes of some sort of compromise.

From July 10 to 13, the Green Party held its Convention. The frontrunner, Cynthia McKinney, having dropped out to run for a seat in the Senate in her home-state of Georgia, Jared Ball is the only candidate left. However, he is usurped by liberal activist Rosa Clemente, who announces her candidacy at the convention itself and narrowly defeats Ball, who is nominated for Vice President.

Towards the end of July, most candidates were out of the country; Carter visiting the Middle East (recalling the Camp David accords), McCain in Europe; and Giuliani visiting Third-World, Latin American countries, notably showing friendship with Brazil's President, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. Only Romney was actively campaigning in the United States.

On August 2, the Peace and Freedom Party held its Convention for President. 2003 Green Party candidate for Mayor of San Francisco Matt Gonzalez was nominated for President, and prominent American socialist Gloria la Riva for vice president.

On August 3, Ralph Nader announced that he would not be running for President, at all, in 2008.

On August 16, all four candidates held a joint debate in Lake Forest, California, that was moderated by Pastor Rick Warren.

During this period, the media speculated about who Carter would choose for Vice President, and a so-called 'Final Four' were chosen:

• Mike Easley (North Carolina Attorney General, 1993-2001; Governor of North Carolina, 2001-present)
• Hillary Clinton (First Lady of the United States, 1993-2001; Senator from New York, 2001-present)
• Sila Calderon (Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, 1985-1989; Mayor of San Juan, 1995-2001; Governor of Puerto Rico, 2001-2005)
• Barack Obama (Illinois State Senator, 1997-2005; Senator from Illinois, 2005-present)

On August 23, Jimmy Carter announced the nomination of Senator Barack Obama, of Illinois, as his running mate. The Democratic National Convention, also held in Denver, nominated the two unanimously on the 27th; and on the 28th, concluding the Convention, the two gave a joint acceptance speech at Invesco Field.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Official_portrait_of_Barack_Obama.jpg

BARACK OBAMA
The Democratic Nominee For Vice President of the United States

[/center]

Next up: The Republicans!

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Dangit, I wanted Mondale.

[Vosem]

Dangit, I wanted Mondale.

I legit thought about that

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Dangit, I wanted Mondale.

I legit thought about that

That would basically become a President Pelosi TL.

[Vosem]

On September 1, 2008, the Republican National Convention opens in Minnesota. On the first day, all three candidates gave speeches to the convention, and were followed by the President and Vice President of the United States, George Bush and Dick Cheney, neither of whom provided an endorsement.

A ballot was then tallied. The heretofore undecided superdelegates broke 2-1, McCain to Romney, with almost none supporting the more moderate Giuliani. Because of this, McCain took a decisive lead on the first ballot, followed by Romney, and then Giuliani. Nevertheless, all three candidates were very far away from an actual victory.

On September 2, the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, delivered a speech, followed by the First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush, and the Governor of Connecticut, Jodi Rell. Rell had remained neutral throughout the primaries, and her endorsement was highly sought-after by all three candidates.

Two more indecisive ballots were then tallied, and speeches were then given by the former Senator from Tennessee, Fred Thompson (a McCain supporter), the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, John Boehner (a Romney supporter), and the senior Senator from Minnesota, Norm Coleman (a Giuliani supporter).

Another indecisive ballot was then tallied.

The third day opened with the keynote speech, which was delivered by Governor Sarah Palin, of Alaska. The speech was universally praised, and Palin was marked as a future President by Katie Couric, the anchor of CBS Evening News. Palin and Couric would later develop a lifelong friendship.

It was followed by a truly unprecedented moment in recent American political conventions – a debate between the three candidates. Acceding to the spirit of unity, they refused to attack one another, instead laying out their proposals in a gentlemanly manner and criticizing Carter and Obama.

The debate was not considered to have a winner, but Giuliani was thought of as having done especially poorly. He lost a good half of his delegates on the ballot after the convention, most to Romney. The result was a tie between McCain and Romney, with Giuliani far behind. Giuliani's position in  the negotiations had shifted, and nominating him no longer seemed to be a plausible outcome of the convention; instead, he had become a kingmaker.

The ballot was followed by speeches from the former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee; from the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty; from the Governor of Hawaii, Linda Lingle; from the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger; and from rising star and first-term U.S. Representative, Kevin McCarthy.

That night, Giuliani called McCain and informed him that he would be endorsing him – conditionally; he wanted to be Secretary of Homeland Security and also wanted to be able to pick McCain's running mate.

McCain agreed. Giuliani's first choice was Huckabee; however, after McCain called him, Huckabee (who blamed McCain on his own loss in the primaries) declined. Giuliani's next choice for the Vice Presidency accepted.

The next day, September 4, opened with a speech by Rudy Giuliani, in which he endorsed McCain. This was immediately followed by a ballot, in which McCain defeated Romney by a narrow, yet decisive margin. This was followed by an acceptance speech from McCain himself, and a speech by his wife, Cindy.

McCain then announced to the convention his choice for Vice President – the ex-Governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman, who was acclaimed by voice vote. This was followed by speeches from the ex-Governor of Wisconsin, Tommy Thompson; the ex-Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge; the senior Senator from Kansas, Sam Brownback; the ex-Senator from Tennessee, Bill Frist; the junior Senator from Florida, Mel Martinez; the junior Senator from Nevada, John Ensign; the senior Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham; the junior Senator from Oklahoma, Tom Coburn; the U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 5th congressional district, Mary Fallin; the senior Senator from Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison; the Republican nominee in Illinois's 18th congressional district, Aaron Schock; and finally, the convention was closed with a speech from ex-President George H.W. Bush.

[Vosem]

And now, we'll just skip to Election Night coverage. Suffice it to say that the war in Georgia and the financial crisis happened basically as OTL; but that McCain handled the financial crisis much better, pointing out how weak the economy had been during Carter's first term. The debates between McCain and Carter were indecisive, perhaps just a whiff of McCain victory during the foreign affairs debate; however, the single debate between Obama and Whitman was considered a decisive Obama victory.

Election Night will be coverage not just of the presidential election, but also of the Senate and House and gubernatorial races. The candidates are OTL except in Georgia, where the Libertarians nominated Allen Buckley, as OTL; the Greens ex-Rep. Cynthia McKinney; the Democrats ex-Rep. (and 2004 Senate candidate) Denise Majette; and Republican nominee Saxby Chambliss died suddenly, early enough to be removed from the ballot but late enough to make replacement illegal. So Georgia is a three-way race where no one knows what could happen.

It should also be noted that Governor Douglas of Vermont, Governor Schwarzenegger of California, Governor Rell of Connecticut, and ex-Governor Edgar of Illinois have created an influential "Ford Republicans" group, which seeks to elect Republican candidates in states that voted for Ford but have since become safe Democratic states. Their website lists the following states, all of whom voted Ford in 1976 and then voted for Kerry in 2004 by a margin of greater than 9%. Conversely, Carter has done much campaigning in the South, hoping it will endorse him as soundly as it did in 1976.

[Vosem]

Final polling map:

90% Democratic - Safe Democratic
30% Democratic - Probably Democratic
50% Tossup - Tossup
30% Republican - Probably Republican
90% Republican - Safe Republican

Probably + Safe Carter/Obama 238 EV
Probably + Safe McCain/Whitman 111 EV
Tossup 189 EV

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I haven't commented yet because I wanted to read the entire thing, and now that I have, I must say this is awesome. A second Carter Presidency would be awesome and/or hilarious. I hope Mondale gets in Jimmy's cabinet, maybe even have Pat Cadell back. When Teddy Kennedy dies, assuming he does, it woudl be sort of awkward, though.

[Vosem]

6:55. HOST: Hello, and welcome to Live Election Night coverage from MSNBC. I'll be your host tonight, and here to discuss the election results with us as they trickle in are Governor Sarah Palin, of Alaska

PALIN: Thanks.

HOST: , Senator Thomas Carper, of Delaware,

CARPER: Glad to be here.

HOST: Governor Tim Pawlenty, of Minnesota,

PAWLENTY: (nods)

HOST: and, lastly, Governor Tim Kaine, of Virginia. Good to have you with us. So, in just a few moments polls will be closing in the first states, largely in the Eastern United States - Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, and Vermont - and we'll have our first results. In the meantime, any predictions?

PALIN: John's been running a really solid campaign. I'm sure he'll win - with around 300 electoral votes.

KAINE: I'd have to disagree with you, there. The public has blamed Bush for the financial crisis, they've blamed him for the conflicts in the Middle East and the Caucasus - it doesn't matter whose run the better campaign in circumstances like those. Carter will win, solidly - with 300, maybe 320 electoral votes.

HOST: Governor Pawlenty? Senator?

PAWLENTY: Governor Palin hit the dot.

CARPER: I think it's been a really well-fought race, and that it'll be just as close as the two preceding it. I'm sure Carter will win - what Governor Kaine listed is insurmountable - but it'll hang on just one or two states.

7:00. HOST: Well, polling has just closed in the first six states we mentioned earlier - Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, and Vermont - and we can now call several of these states.

We can call Georgia for Jimmy Carter.

We can call Indiana for John McCain.

We can call South Carolina for Jimmy Carter.

We can call Virginia for Jimmy Carter.

We can call Vermont for Jimmy Carter.

And Kentucky is too close to call. Polling was all over the place in Kentucky during the final weeks, and this state will keep us up long past our bedtimes.

Let's take a look at a map now, shall we?

We will be using the same color scheme as in previous elections. Red for Democrats; blue for Republicans; green for states that are too close to call; and gray for states that are still voting. So, with the first five states called, Carter and Obama lead, 39-11. Of course, that leaves 488 electoral votes still to be given out. So, some brief analysis before we move on to downballot races? Governor Kaine?

KAINE: It should be very concerning for the McCain camp that South Carolina was called immediately. It would've gone to Carter anyway, but I don't think anyone anticipated an immediate call.

CARPER: I agree with Governor Kaine.

PALIN: Well, come on. None of this is unexpected, all of these states have gone for whoever they were most likely to go to on the map our host showed before the election. Kentucky is the swing state, and, as expected, it's too close to call. Either camp would have to start worrying when the states you labeled tossups start being called one way or the other. But these results just reinforce what we already know.

HOST: Governor Pawlenty?

PAWLENTY: Sarah's right.

HOST: Okay, now let's move on to the Senate. Georgia's too close to call between Buckley, McKinney, and Majette. And, since in Georgia you must hit 50%, this is just a contest to see who will make it to Round Two. The other elections are more straightforward. In Kentucky, businessman Bruce Lunsford has defeated unpopular Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Lunsford held a lead basically through the entire campaign. And in Virginia, Democrat Mark Warner has easily been elected to the seat of retiring Republican John Warner. That's two Democratic pickups, already, fellas.

CARPER: And what about South Carolina?

HOST: Too close to call, for now. But the way it's shaping up, you should be hearing a call for Conley real soon.

CARPER: Mmhmm. And what about the House?

[Vosem]

Right. I don't know how to work in detailed House results into dialogue, so I'll just list them here.

In Georgia, all incumbents have been reelected, except John Linder in the 7th and Paul Broun in the 10th. Due to the Democratic wave down south, those are too close to call. Their results will be revealed in the dialogue.

In Indiana, all incumbents have been reelected, except Brad Ellsworth in the 8th and Baron Hill in the 9th. Those are too close to call, and their results will be revealed in the dialogue.

In Kentucky, John Yarmuth, Hal Rogers, and Ben Chandler have been reelected. In one of the first confirmed Democratic House pickups, David Boswell has been elected in the 2nd. The elections in the 1st (Ed Whitfield) and the 4th (Geoff Davis) are too close to call, and their results will be revealed in the dialogue.

In South Carolina, not only have John Spratt and Jim Clyburn been reelected, but Linda Ketner won in the 1st and Rob Miller in the 2nd. The 3rd (Gresham Barrett) and 4th (Bob Inglis) are both too close to call; their results will be revealed in the dialogue.

In Vermont, Peter Welch has been reelected.

In Virginia, Glenn Nye has defeated Thelma Drake in the 2nd; Bobby Scott has been reelected in the 3rd; Tom Perriello has defeated Virgil Goode in the 5th; Jim Moran and Rick Boucher have been reelected in the 8th and 9th, respectively; and Gerry Connolly has been elected to the open seat in the 11th. The 1st (Rob Wittman), 4th (Randy Forbes), 6th (Bob Goodlatte), 7th (Eric Cantor), and 10th (Frank Wolf) are too close to call; their results will be revealed in the dialogue.

If someone wants to keep a list of TCTC races independently of mine, so I don't forget anything (I'm rather disorganized when it comes to this sort of thing), they're welcome to do that.

[MRX]

Is this TL ASB Major???

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Is this TL ASB Major???

Dude, this is an awesome timeline, so just go with the flow (why am I starting to sound like a hippie?).