McCain's Way | A History of the Maverick's Presidency

[Lord Admirale]

McCain's Way

In tribute to Senator John McCain's half-century of public service

President-elect John McCain greets his supporters after a stunning victory over Senator Barack Obama (November 5, 2008)

[TheSaint250]

Great idea of a tribute!

[Lord Admirale]

Great idea of a tribute!

Thank you!

[Lord Admirale]

Prelude

Senator McCain on the campaign trail

Senator John McCain and his running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, knew they were fighting an uphill battle against the Democratic ticket of Senator Barack Obama and Governor Tim Kaine. President Bush had suffered low approval ratings due to the unpopular Iraq War and the worst economy since the Great Depression. However, the Maverick politician was determined to become president.

In the first debate, many pundits were surprised with how well McCain performed against Senator Obama. In the vice presidential debate, Governor Pawlenty was seen as the clear victor over Governor Kaine, as many considered Kaine's constant interruptions of Pawlenty to be disrespectful and obnoxious. In between debates, McCain also ran a positive campaign and refused to attack his opponent, stating he wanted to stick to the issues and avoid needless attacks.

In the second presidential debate, Senator Obama went on the offensive Senator McCain and frequently stated that "a vote for McCain is a vote for four more years of President Bush." McCain fired back, stating "President Bush and I have had many disagreements throughout the last eight years, and I can safely assure you that a vote for me is a vote for a new beginning."

Senator Barack Obama accuses McCain of being another four years of George W. Bush

Many likely voters considered McCain's calmness and ability willingness to criticize the administration to be one of his strengths, and McCain most polls indicated that McCain scored a victory over Senator Obama in the debate. With McCain's poll numbers improving in key swing states, including taking the lead in Ohio, Florida, and Tim Kaine's home state of Virginia, the Obama campaign launched an advertising blitz against McCain and Pawlenty. When McCain was asked by the press on the negative attacks on him, McCain simply said "These ads do not matter at all for this country. What matters for this country is rebuilding our economy, reforming immigration, and making the United States, and the world with it, a better place."

In the third debate, Senator Obama continued to attack Senator McCain on his support of the Iraq War and claiming that McCain's victory would be akin to reelecting George W. Bush, however McCain deflected a majority of Obama's attacks. Most regarded the third debate to be the most intense debate of the election season, however most polls indicated a tie between the two candidates.

McCain on the campaign trail on November 1

Despite his gains in many swing states, McCain still lagged behind Obama, however the race was considered to still be competitive.

[The Govanah Jake]

Interesting..

[_]

The polls are missing something, I know it.

GO MCCAIN!!!!!!

[Lord Admirale]

The polls are missing something, I know it.

GO MCCAIN!!!!!!

[Edgeofnight]

the best part of this world is no Palin tbh.

[Lord Admirale]

the best part of this world is no Palin tbh.

Undoubtedly

[_]

the best part of this world is no Palin tbh.

[Lord Admirale]

Update coming Monday, I'm out of town for the weekend. Stay tuned.

[BigVic]

P.O.D. Someone other than Sarah Palin as running mate.

[Lord Admirale]

Election Night 2008 (Part I)

7:00 PM EST -

Polls have closed in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia. We can project that Indiana and Kentucky will go to Senator John McCain, and Vermont will go to Senator Barack Obama. Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia are too close to call.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 19 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 3 EV

7:21 PM EST -
We can project that the State of South Carolina will go for Senator McCain.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 27 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 3 EV

7:30 PM EST -
Polls have closed in Ohio and West Virginia, the former being a crucial state for both campaigns. However, we can project that Senator McCain will take the State of West Virginia.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 32 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 3 EV

7:43 PM EST -
We can project that Senator McCain will take the State of Georgia.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 47 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 3 EV

8:00 PM EST -
Numerous polls have closed across the nation, with many being lucrative for both campaigns. For Senator Obama, we can project he will win Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, his home state of Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. For Senator McCain, we can project he will win Alabama, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. The states of Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania are too close to call. Senator Obama has now taken the lead with 78 electoral votes to McCain's 67 electoral votes.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 78 EV
Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 67 EV

8:30 PM EST -
Polls have closed in Arkansas and North Carolina. We can project that McCain will take Arkansas, however North Carolina is too close to call.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 78 EV
Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 73 EV

9:00 PM EST -
Multiple polls have closed across the nation. We can project that Senator Obama will take the states of Michigan, New York, and Rhode Island, while Senator McCain will win the states of Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 131 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 130 EV

9:08 PM EST -
We can project that Senator John McCain will take the State of Mississippi.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 137 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 130 EV

9:12 PM EST -
We can project that Senator McCain will take the State of Louisiana.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 146 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 130 EV

9:45 PM EST -
We have major projections to make; despite the Obama campaign's attempts at flipping these two southern states, we can project that Senator John McCain will win the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia. These two wins are crucial for McCain's path to the presidency. Along with this, Barack Obama's path to victory is narrowing as polls in Ohio and Florida have been indicating lukewarm turnout in urban areas, while other polls in Pennsylvania have indicated that a large shift in Republican votes in Western Pennsylvania pose a threat to the Senator's path to victory.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 174 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 130 EV

(sorry for the wait, I've been feeling a bit sick since I got back home)

[Lord Admirale]

Election Night 2008 (Part II)

9:53 PM EST -
We can project that Senator McCain will carry the State of South Dakota

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 177 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 130 EV

10:00 PM EST -
Multiple polls have now closed at this time, and we can project that Senator Obama will take the State of Iowa, while Senator McCain will take the State of Utah. The states of Montana and Nevada are too close to call as the Obama campaign has focused heavily on those two states this year.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 182 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 137 EV

10:03 PM EST -
We have a projection to make, Senator Obama will carry the State of Wisconsin. This state barely went for John Kerry in the last election, however the Obama campaign can breathe a sigh of relief as they will win Wisconsin.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 182 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 147 EV

10:17 PM EST -
We have a major projection to make, Senator Obama will carry the State of New Hampshire. Despite its small electoral votes, New Hampshire can make a huge difference as we saw in 2000 when then-Governor George W. Bush carried the state over Vice President Al Gore.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 182 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 151 EV

10:25 PM EST -
We can now project that Senator McCain will carry his home state of Arizona.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 192 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 151 EV

10:32 PM EST -
Despite hosting the Republican National Convention and having its governor on the ticket, the State of Minnesota will stay in the Democratic column tonight.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 192 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 161 EV

10:35 PM EST -
We have another projection to make, Senator Obama will carry the State of New Mexico.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 192 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 166 EV

10:47 PM EST -
We have a major projection to make, the State of Missouri will go for Senator John McCain.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 203 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 166 EV

11:00 PM EST -
Polls have closed in multiple states, with California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington going to Senator Obama, and the State of Idaho going to Senator McCain. Senator Obama has now taken the lead with 243 electoral votes, while McCain trails with 207 electoral votes

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 243 EV
Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 207 EV

[Lord Admirale]

Election Night 2008 (Part III)

11:12 PM EST -
We have a very important projection to make, Senator John McCain has just won the State of Florida and its 27 electoral votes. This is one of McCain's largest wins of the night as his chance of victory tonight is nearing 50% as we speak. The loss of Florida is also bad news for the Obama campaign, however the race is far from over. Senator Obama is holding a 5-point lead over Senator McCain in Pennsylvania and a 3-point lead over McCain in Nevada, while Colorado and Ohio are virtually tied.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 243 EV
Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 234 EV

11:18 PM EST -
We can project that Senator John McCain will take the State of Montana.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 243 EV
Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 237 EV

11:52 PM EST -
We have another major projection to make, Senator John McCain will win the State of Ohio. This is another crucial win for the McCain campaign. As we look at McCain's headquarters, his supporters are growing more and more energized as McCain has now taken the lead in the electoral college. In contrast, Obama's headquarters is growing much more solemn as John McCain has a 60% chance of winning the presidential election. Along with McCain's victory in Ohio, Senator Obama's lead in Pennsylvania has shrunken to 4.5 points.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 257 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 243 EV

12:17 AM EST -
We have a projection to make, Senator Obama will carry the State of Nevada.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 257 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 248 EV

12:28 AM EST -
We have another projection to make, Senator McCain will win the State of Colorado. This puts him only four electoral votes away from the presidency, and if he wins traditionally Republican Alaska, Senator Obama will be eliminated from securing the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. With this in mind, all eyes are on Pennsylvania. If John McCain is able to edge out a victory over Barack Obama, he will secure the presidency. If Obama keeps his lead and hangs onto the state, the fate of the presidency will fall on the House of Representatives, making this the first time since 1824 where an election did not conclude with any of the candidates securing the required electoral vote total to win. Tonight, the Keystone State will truly be the keystone to the presidency.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 266 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 248 EV

[NewYorkExpress]

I'm guessing McCain is elected by the House, and Kaine by the Senate (simply because even the most hard-right Republicans at the time, like Sessions and DeMint would be embarrassed by Palin's lack of knowledge).

[UWS]

I'm guessing McCain is elected by the House, and Kaine by the Senate (simply because even the most hard-right Republicans at the time, like Sessions and DeMint would be embarrassed by Palin's lack of knowledge).

Actually, Tim Pawlenty is McCain's running mate in this scenario instead of Palin.

[BigVic]

If that happened in real life, there would be calls to abolish the Electoral College. First Florida in 2000, Ohio in 2004 and Pennsylvania in 2008. If McCain wins, will the EC go?!?

[NewYorkExpress]

I'm guessing McCain is elected by the House, and Kaine by the Senate (simply because even the most hard-right Republicans at the time, like Sessions and DeMint would be embarrassed by Palin's lack of knowledge).

Actually, Tim Pawlenty is McCain's running mate in this scenario instead of Palin.

Ah...whoops... well... Blame Palin being so much more memorable than Pawlenty... and I'm not sure people like Sessions or DeMint would approve of him anyways.

[OSR stands with Israel]

I think McCain wins PA because in OTL even when McCain was leading in the polls, I dont think people thought the GOP could win back the House.

[Lord Admirale]

Election Night 2008 (Part IV)

1:00 AM EST -
We can project that Senator John McCain will take the traditionally Republican state of Alaska. This successfully eliminates Senator Obama from securing the required 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. If Barack Obama holds onto his narrowing lead in Pennsylvania, the election will go to the House of Representatives.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 269 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 248 EV

2:37 AM EST -

BREAKING NEWS

PENNSYLVANIA CALLED FOR MCCAIN WITH 99% REPORTING - JOHN MCCAIN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATESAfter a nail-biting night, with eyes fixed on the Keystone State for hours, and a stunning turn of events for both major presidential campaigns, we can project that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a state that has not voted for a Republican since 1988, will go to Senator John McCain. This effectively erases any chances that the Obama campaign had at winning the White House and puts John McCain as the President-elect of the United States. Pundits are now considering this the greatest upset since "Dewey Defeats Truman" in 1948, but we can assure that McCain's supporters are very pleased with the results. At Obama's headquarters, the mood has turned extremely glum and disappointed by Senator Obama's performance tonight.

✔ Senator John McCain (R-AZ)/Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) - 290 EV
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)/Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) - 248 EV

2:48 AM EST -
It has been reported that Senator Obama has called President-elect McCain to concede the race. This is truly a stunning night for both campaigns.

[mcmikk]

the best part of this world is no Palin tbh.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

McCain victory TLs aren't done very much. Fascinating TL.

[Lord Admirale]

Final election results

(House and Senate are up next!)

[DFL]

Many likely voters considered McCain's calmness and ability willingness to criticize the administration to be one of his strengths

Wonder if we'll see a truly Maverick McCain in the White House?