The Next Decade

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

President Obama's Second Cabinet:

Secretary of State: John Kerry
Secretary of the Treasury: Alan Krueger
Secretary of Defense: Leon Panetta
Attorney General: Jeff Bingaman
Secretary of the Interior: Linda Lingle
Secretary of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack
Secertary of Commerce: Rebecca Blank
Secretary of Labor: Hilda Solis
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Shaun Donovan
Secretary of Transportation: Joseph Boardman
Secretary of Energy: Steven Chu
Secretary of Education: Arne Duncan
Secretary of Veterans' Affairs: Max Cleland
Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano

The most high-profile appointment was of course of Senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry of Massachusetts. This left a vacant Senate seat; Governor Deval Patrick appointed former Congressman John Olver as a placeholder, intending to run for the seat himself in 2014.



Despite Obama's presidential victory, congressional elections were mostly a wash. However, the lame duck session of the 112th Congress agreed to reduce the filibuster requirement to 55 seats; some Republicans agreed to this because Democrats would only have 52 votes (counting Bernie Sanders and Angus King), and because they hoped to take the Senate in the future and ally with conservative Democrats on some issues.

President Obama's first order of business would be the passage of the American Jobs Act. First proposed in late 2011 at a joint session of Congress, this smaller stimulus package included tax cuts and infrastructure spending. Criticized by Republicans as another example of over-spending, the legislation nonetheless passed in March by the minimum needed; 55-45, with John Hoeven, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski joining all 50 Democrats and the two Independent Democrats. After concessions which included some spending and tax cut riders, the bill also narrowly passed in the House with support from all Democrats and a few Republicans.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

On April 3rd, 2013, Obama was faced with the second great issue of his second term. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal Clinton appointee, retired from the court.. With Obama having won last November, she knew for certain that her successor would be a liberal, hopefully a younger one. As expected by most pundits, his choice would be in Judge Diane Wood of the Seventh Circuit of the Court of Appeals; also a Clinton appointee.



With the filibuster weakened, her confirmation went smoother than those of Sotomayor and Kagan. She would be confirmed by a 59-41 vote.

2013 had been going smoothly for Obama thus far; a second stimulus and a new Supreme Court appointee before the summer, with unemployment levels steadily declining and Q1 GDP growth at a decent but not great 2.4%. However, the summer would hold two new problems totally out of any human's control. Firstly, despite the summer of 2013 being relatively average, the scorching heat of the last year would come back in a new way, as food prices began rising in May, especially corn, soy, and nearly all meats and other animal products. (due to most farm animals being fed a corn-heavy diet). The administration was divided on how to deal with the new crisis; price controls were proposed but quickly discredited. In the end, President Obama reluctantly decided to wait for the issue to pass, instead tackling the root problem.



Gallup Presidential Approval Ratings: September 1st, 2013

Approve: 50%
Disapprove: 44%

August Jobs Report: Unemployment down to 7.6%

At the beginning of September, as produce, dairy, and meat prices were beginning to fall again, the President visited Nashville, Tennessee, to meet with former Vice President Al Gore and discuss the proposed RIEA (Renewable and Innovative Energy Act).

"For decades, each president has made a commitment to end our dependence on foreign oil, to support renewable energy research while refining the use of fossil fuels through investments in scientific research. But until now, we have failed to deal with what may be the most critical issue of the 21st century; the need to pursue sustainable, affordable, and green energy sources. There is no one solution for this problem. From wind and solar to nuclear and clean coal, we can utilize many energy sources and not only provide millions of new and innovative jobs, but to lead the world in the reduction of carbon emissions."

The RIEA contained a wide range of ideas; the media nicknamed it "the green stimulus", something used in both positive and negative contexts. Millions would be invested in research on harnessing solar and wind energy more effectively, as well as tax credits encouraging the construction of newer, more efficient coal plants. Two more controversial measures would also be included; the elimination of oil industry subsidies and the revival of the New Deal-era CCC. Though met with more bipartisan support than usual, there were opponents of various stripes; senators from states where the oil industry was powerful and the stricter fiscal conservatives. Senator Rand Paul called it "yet another unconstitutional, big-spending government power grab by this administration".

Due to the bill continuing subsidies for ethanol, which disappointed progressives (who were still backing the legislation) and conservatives (who weren't) alike, four "farm belt" Republicans also supported it; John Thune, Mike Johaans, Tommy Thompson, and Chuck Grassley. The RIEA eventually passed 56-44, with six Republicans (Thune, Johaans, Thompson, Grassley, Corker, and Collins) voting for it and two Democrats dissenting (Manchin and Begich). Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack called it "what we'll truly go down in history for". Obama's approval ratings increased to 55%, and the Democratic Party seemed strong for the 2014 midterm elections. But there was a year left for the tables to turn.

VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION, 2013:

Tom Perriello (D)-54%
Ken Cuccinelli (R)-45%

NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION, 2013:

Chris Christie (R)-55%
Richard Codey (D)-45%

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Thoughts?

[mondale84]

Thoughts?

Great job Snow, keep it comin!!!!!

[Jerseyrules]

Thoughts?

Great job Snow, keep it comin!!!!!

^^^^^
Rand Paul 2016!

[MRX]

Any new updates?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Woah, totally forgot about this. I hope to have an update cooked up by Sunday.

[Frodo]

On April 3rd, 2013, Obama was faced with the second great issue of his second term. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal Clinton appointee, retired from the court.. With Obama having won last November, she knew for certain that her successor would be a liberal, hopefully a younger one. As expected by most pundits, his choice would be in Judge Diane Wood of the Seventh Circuit of the Court of Appeals; also a Clinton appointee.



With the filibuster weakened, her confirmation went smoother than those of Sotomayor and Kagan. She would be confirmed by a 59-41 vote.

Diane Wood?  Aren't there any African-American woman judges that a re-elected President Obama can pick from instead to replace Ruth Bader Ginsberg?  

[MRX]

Report?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

2014 Midterm Elections:

Democrats: 48 (-2)
Independent Democrats: 2 (0)
Republicans: 50 (+2)

With Vice President Biden as the tie-breaking vote, the Democratic Party retained control of the Senate.

Pickups:

Alaska: Sean Parnell (R) beats Mark Begich (D)
Louisiana: Bill Cassidy (R) beats Mary Landrieu (D)
Maine: Hannah Pingree (D) beats Bruce Poliquin (R)
Montana: Steve Daines (R) beats Denise Juneau (D)

House Results:

Republicans: 232 (+5)
Democrats: 203 (-5)


John Boehner (R-OH) remained Speaker, while Xavier Becerra (D-CA) would remain House Minority Leader.

Gubernatorial Elections:

Democrats: 23 (+5)
Republicans: 27 (-4)

Pickups:

Arizona: Terry Goddard (D) beats Ken Bennett (R)
Connecticut: Tom Foley (R) beats Dan Malloy (D)
Florida: Alex Sink (D) beats Rick Scott (R)
Maine: Matthew Dunlap (D) beats Paul LePage (R)
Massachusetts: Scott Brown (R) beats Martha Coakley (D)
Michigan: Gretchen Whitmer (D) beats Rick Snyder (R)
Pennsylvania: Joe Sestak (D) beats Tom Corbett (R)
Rhode Island: Elizabeth Roberts (D) beats John Robitaille (R)
South Carolina: Vincent Sheheen (D) beats Nikki Haley (R)

[MRX]

Democrats aren't gaining in 2014?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

The economy is slowly improving. However, Democrats were overstretched in the Senate, and the GOP had some unpopular governors elected in 2010. The House results are negligible.

[MRX]

The economy is slowly improving. However, Democrats were overstretched in the Senate, and the GOP had some unpopular governors elected in 2010. The House results are negligible.

Perhaps some of these new governors can put their support behind the National Popular Vote Compact, and get it passed before the 2016 election. That should be interesting.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

The 2014 elections were overall a wash; Republicans took seats from the overstretched Democrats in the Senate, while many unpopular Republican governors were knocked out. Obama's first two years of his second term had overall been successful; an energy bill had been passed, a Supreme Court justice appointed, and by the end of 2014, the United States finally exited Afghanistan, closing the longest war in American history. But for the final two years, he would not be the center of American politics. Instead, the 2016 race would begin, and neither party had a clear frontrunner.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

As a bonus:

Texas Gubernatorial Election, 2014



Rick Perry (R): 51.7%
Julian Castro (D): 45.9%

[MRX]

Really. There's a good chance that Perry'll be gone come 2014.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Castro came close and Perry was fairly weak, but in the end, Texas is still Texas, and the incumbent president is a Democrat. Perry might not be around after 2018, though...

[MRX]

Coming back to this?

[MRX]

Snowstalker, can you please tell us more about the RIEA?