America: 2000-2016

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
We are now able to project a winner in the state of Iowa.

PRESIDENT
State

[X] Dick Durbin

Like Wisconsin, Iowa is a border state of Illinois, so Durbin initially had the upper edge here.

Electoral Vote Tally
Kyl: 241
Durbin: 152

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
We now have some big prizes to give to the Durbin campaign.

PRESIDENT
California

[X] Dick Durbin

PRESIDENT
Hawaii

[X] Dick Durbin

PRESIDENT
Washington

[X] Dick Durbin

California is solidly Democratic.  In a way, Washington and Hawaii are too, but Durbin’s quick victories here are a good sign.  Oregon is too close to call at this time.

These victories also dramatically tighten the electoral vote tally.

Electoral Vote Tally
Kyl: 241
Durbin: 222

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
We are now ready to make a major projection.  The state of Colorado will be won by Senator Dick Durbin.

PRESIDENT
Colorado

[X] Dick Durbin

This victory is a symbol of the Democratic Party’s new strength in the West.

Electoral Vote Tally
Kyl: 241
Durbin: 231

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
We are now ready to project that Dick Durbin has won the state of Oregon.  No real surprise here.

PRESIDENT
Oregon

[X] Dick Durbin

The electoral college is closer than anytime this evening.

Electoral Vote Count
Kyl: 241
Durbin: 238

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
We are now ready to make a very important projection.  Senator Dick Durbin has won the state of Missouri.

PRESIDENT
Missouri

[X] Dick Durbin

Not only is Missouri usually a bellwhether state, it is also one of the key states in the Midwest.  Durbin’s home state is really helping him out, helping him win Wisconsin, Iowa, and now Missouri.  Tim Pawlenty’s status as a Midwesterner does not seem to be helping his ticket at all.

For the first time tonight, Dick Durbin is leading in the electoral vote tally.

Electoral Vote Tally
Durbin: 249
Kyl: 241

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

can we have an update on the popular vote?

Nationwide Popular Vote
(As of this moment)
Dick Durbin: 48.13%
Jon Kyl: 48.07%
Tom DeLay: 3.49%
Other: 0.31%

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
It’s time to project a winner in the last undecided Midwestern state.

PRESIDENT
Minnesota

[X] Dick Durbin

This is the home state of Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Pawlenty, and the Kyl campaign expected to win this, along with several other Midwestern states.  It seems as though Durbin has swept through the Midwest, shattering the hopes of the Republican ticket.

Electoral Vote Tally
Durbin: 259
Kyl: 241

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
We now have a huge projection to make.  Senator Jon Kyl will win the state of Pennsylvania.

PRESIDENT
Pennsylvania

[X] Jon Kyl

This traditionally Democratic state is part of the trifecta which usually wins Presidential elections.  With this victory, Kyl has attained all three states in the trifecta.  He could still lose the election, but he is in fine shape, once again taking an electoral vote lead.

Electoral Vote Tally
Kyl: 262
Durbin: 259

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

I'm not sure if I am counting wrong, but shouldn't Kyl have 265 electoral votes?

You are prematurely counting Alaska, most likely.

[Yates]

Will you be posting exit polls for NV, WV, NH, and AK, or would that just take more time?

I will post exit polls before the last state.

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
We can now project that Jon Kyl has won the state of Alaska.  This is hardly a surprise.

PRESIDENT
Alaska

[X] Jon Kyl

Electoral Vote Tally
Kyl: 265
Durbin: 259

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
We can now make a call in New Hampshire.  New Hampshire has been one of the closest states during this entire evening, and now, with 99% of precincts reporting, we can make a call.

PRESIDENT
New Hamsphire

[X] Dick Durbin

Now, the only two states remaining are Nevada and West Virginia.  If Jon Kyl wins either one, he wins the election.

Electoral Vote Tally
Kyl: 265
Durbin: 263

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

Election Night 2008
We can now project a winner in Nevada.

PRESIDENT
Nevada

[X] Dick Durbin

Win or lose, Dick Durbin will be known as the first Democratic candidate to truly win the West in a long time.  He won New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and the Pacific coast.  This is an extraordinarily accomplishment.

With this victory, Durbin once again takes the lead in the electoral vote tally.

Electoral Vote Tally
Durbin: 268
Kyl: 265

It all comes down to West Virginia.

Election Night 2008

[Yates]

West Virginia Exit Polls

Which factor contributed most to your vote today?
Economic Issues: 39%
National Security issues: 28%
Social Issues: 19%
Other: 14%

Do you believe the country is headed in the right direction?
Yes: 67%
No: 20%
Unsure: 13%

Voter Information

Female: 51%
Male: 49%

>65: 33%
50-65%: 29%
35-49: 21%
18-34: 17%

West Virginia results will be posted at 12:30.

[Yates]

Election Night 2008

We have a winner.

Winning the state of West Virginia
-and-
The 2008 Presidential Election


Jon Kyl
46th President of the United States

This was the closest election in United States history.  Jon Kyl won the popular vote by less than one tenth of a percentage point, and won the electoral college vote by only two votes.



I hoped you have enjoyed reading the 2005-2008 section of my timeline as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Yates

[Yates]

Ahh... Too bad... How's the Senate, Governors, and House now?

I will be making a comprehensive post on all of those races tomorrow afternoon.

[Yates]

Great work on 2008, I enjoyed reading it. Durbin may not have won, but he is still 1/2 of what makes Illinois' Senate delegation the best.

Thank you for your kind comments.

Senator Durbin was up for re-election in 2008, but chose to run for President instead.  He was replaced in the Senate by Comptroller Dan Hynes.

[Yates]

Tomorrow, the 2009-2012 period begins.

[Yates]

The Leaders

President: Jon Kyl
Vice President: Tim Pawlenty

Speaker of the House: Mike Pence
House Majority Leader: John Shadegg
House Majority Whip: Jeb Hensarling
House Minority Leader: Ed Markey
House Minority Whip: Rahm Emanuel

Senate Majority Leader: Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Whip: Harold Ford
Senate Minority Leader: John Ensign
Senate Minority Whip: Kay Bailey Hutchinson

The first true update will come tomorrow.  Tonight's update was merely to give you all a look at who will be the major players in this section of the timeline.

[Yates]

My friends, I am sorry that I have not updated this in over a week.  Please allow me some more time, but this is not dead, and not over. 

[Yates]

An update will be posted tonight.  I thank readers for accepting me back and for your interest.  I look forward to the continuation and completion of this timeline.  It is the reason I have returned.

[Yates]

As a reminder, we will be resuming where the timeline left off after the election of Jon Kyl as President in 2008.  This is not to self-promote, but I would urge anyone who plans to follow this timeline to read it up until this point.  The world in this timeline operates independently from real life and much of what will happen is a result of what I have written in the past twenty or so pages. 

[Yates]

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. –Abraham Lincoln
AMERICA: 2000 - 2016

THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT JON KYL



January 20, 2009 marks the end of Wesley Clark’s Presidency.  Scholars, politicians, diplomats, and the American public all agree that his tenure as President has been among the most successful in United States history.  A few days earlier, President Clark had delivered his farewell address to the American people, urging his successor to aim for a more peaceful world.  “If history teaches us one lesson: peace and prosperity are brothers,” says Clark.  The soon-to-be-former President intends to retire quietly after a long and dignified career of serving his nation.

As the era of Clark and Holbrooke concludes, President-elect Jon Kyl and Vice President-elect Tim Pawlenty seek to create their own legacy.  As new Speaker of the House Mike Pence has built the Republican campaign on, Kyl seeks to make the 21st century the “new American century,” ensuring the United States remains the dominant world force in the decades to come.  Modeling his White House after his predecessor’s, Kyl creates a trio who will effectively govern the nation.  Vice President Pawlenty will be overseeing domestic policy.  Treasury Secretary-designate Christopher Cox, one of Kyl’s rivals for the 2008 Republican nomination, will be overseeing economic policy.  Finally, Secretary of State Bill Richardson will be continuing in his role in a bipartisan manner, charged by the incoming President to cement America’s role as the leader of the free world.

Despite the unity of the executive branch, Congress appears to be heading towards a renewal of hostilities from the days not long ago when Jon Kyl and Dick Durbin led their parties into battle before every vote.  House Speaker Pence, Majority Leader John Shadegg, and Majority Whip Jeb Hensarling have prepared an ambitious agenda including establishing a national flat income tax.  Their efforts will meet fierce opposition from Democrats, led by Minority Leader Ed Markey and Minority Whip Rahm Emanuel.  The more dignified Senate appears equally divided, with the Democrats led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Whip Harold Ford, who many see as the new face of the Democratic Party.  The Senate Republicans are led by Minority Leader John Ensign, President-elect Kyl’s reported protégé, and Minority Whip Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

With the looming battles upcoming in Washington, all players and decision-makers take Inauguration Day to celebrate the peaceful transfer of power that has led America to where she proudly stands.  At noon on the dot, Jon Kyl takes the oath of office to become the 46th President of the United States.  His inaugural address conveys his determination.  “For too long, government has charged itself with the mere maintenance of America’s greatness,” he declares.  “It is time for an era of responsibility to begin.  I speak of the responsibility of every generation to leave our nation in the hands of our children stronger than when we inherited it from our parents.”  Addressing the issue of foreign affairs, “It is our deepest prayer that humanity’s darkest hours are behind us, and we can now progress towards a world where fear is replaced with hope.  America will no longer settle to be a passive example for nations to follow, but an active guide for people who want to change their own nation to make it more democratic, free, and equal.”  

After his well-received address, President Kyl enters the Oval Office for the first time as its occupant and holds a short meeting with his top aides.  “We may have four or eight years here, but I want us all to act as if today is our last day in office.  The results we can accomplish in this building in one day can change the lives of millions of Americans.  Let’s get to work.”

NEXT: Will the Republicans’ legislative agenda succeed or succumb to opposition?  Also, President Kyl may not realize his dream for a more peaceful world.

[Yates]

2009


Speaker of the House Mike Pence

Despite barely winning the 2008 Presidential election, President Kyl begins his term with high approval ratings due to his well-received inaugural address.  Along with Speaker Pence and Senator Ensign, Kyl outlines three goals for his first one hundred days in office: 1) establishing a flat income tax system; 2) passing a treaty with Russia to reduce each nation’s nuclear stockpiles by half; 3) creating a national school voucher program for lower-income students.  Though the second goal is expected to receive unanimous approval, the others are likely to meet fierce opposition from Democrats, who maintain a majority in the Senate.

In his first international trip, President Kyl travels to Moscow to meet with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.  The two speak frankly of the dangers of nuclear weapons, having so recently seen nuclear war and its consequences.  Along with diplomats and advisors, the two leaders tentatively agree to the Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty (NART).  The treaty entails the destruction of half of each nation’s nuclear stockpile to be enforced by the IAEA.  While the treaty would likely be approved by the United States Senate, Medvedev is unsure of the response from the Russian Duma or his predecessor (some would say boss) Vladimir Putin.  Despite the uncertainty over Russia’s approval of the treaty, President Kyl and Secretary Richardson return home to high approval of their diplomatic mission.

CNN POLL
February 16, 2009
Do you approve of the job President Kyl is doing?
[67%] YES
[22%] NO
[11%] UNSURE/IN BETWEEN

Back in Washington, the House is locked in intense debate over a bill to revise the tax code into a national flat income tax.  The bill was largely written by Majority Whip Jeb Hensarling and Republican Conference Chairman Eric Cantor and is supported by most House Republicans.  However, some moderate Republicans stand in opposition, most notably Congressman Dave Reichert, who sits on the powerful Ways and Means Committee which controls tax policy.  “The progressive tax system ensures that those who benefit most from America’s freedom contribute most to her well-being,” says Reichert.  “While taxes need to be constantly re-examined and ideally lowers, a flat tax places undue burden on those who cannot afford to shell out more money to the federal government.”  The Republican House leadership responds to such challengers by threatening committee seats and advancement opportunities.  The brutality is matched by the Democratic Whip, Rahm Emanuel, who engages in the same tactics.  The bill eventually passes the House on exact partisan lines and moves on to the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Whip Harold Ford have pre-empted the bill’s arrival in the Senate by individually meeting with all Democratic Senators.  Senator Mike Ciresi of Minnesota notably stands against his party, supporting flat tax as a method to stimulate the economy.  He is joined by several other moderate Democrats such as Joe Lieberman.  Schumer is hesitant to use forceful measures to pressure his Senators to vote a certain way.  Meanwhile, Republican Leader John Ensign and Whip Kay Bailey Hutchinson have unified their party in favor of the measure.  Both Schumer and Ensign agree not to filibuster.  The American public is surveyed as being strongly opposed to the proposal, with nearly 70% in opposition.  This is credited largely to a media campaign by Senator Ford to portray the bill as elitist and the bill’s authors and supporters as not aware of the suffering of ordinary Americans.  Despite this, the bill passes Senate and is signed by President Kyl on March 11, 2009.  

Conservatives hail the passage of the flat tax as a historic achievement and much credit is given to Speaker Pence, who included the measure as a hallmark of his legislative agenda.  However, the majority of Americans are upset at Congress having passed a bill so overwhelmingly opposed by the public.  Senator Barbara Boxer calls the Republican Party “completely numb to the pain of the American people.”  Privately, Boxer leads a challenge to Schumer’s leadership of the Senate caucus, though first urging Harold Ford to challenge his boss.  When Ford refuses, Boxer begins soliciting support to run for Senate Majority Leader.  After gathering over thirty signatures from frustrated Democratic Senators, Boxer forces an election.  Schumer stands down and Boxer is elected unopposed, with Ford remaining Whip.  Boxer’s first order of business as Majority Leader is to punish disloyal Democrats with a revocation of key committee assignments.  Upon being stripped of his committee seniority, Senator Ciresi announces his switch to the Republican Party.  “The new Democratic leader is evidently not a supporter of one’s American right to have an opinion and act in the interest of one’s nation,” says Ciresi.


Senator Mike Ciresi

The Democratic media campaign against flat tax is effective and results in shrinking approval ratings for President Kyl.  Nevertheless, he urges Congressional Republicans to proceed with his second major domestic agenda item: a federal school vouchers program.  The attention of Washington and the entire nation is diverted on March 29, 2009 when disturbing news is reported:

*Disclaimer* The events portrayed below are not at all the wishes of the author and are merely being described for the purposes of entertainment.

CHECHNYAN TERRORISTS ATTACK MOSCOW METRO, AT LEAST 50 DEAD

[Yates]

Tonight: What will the Russian leadership's response be to the attack?  Also, how will the rest of the Republican Agenda pan out?  Stay tuned as 2009 becomes the year of a world in decline.