2010 US Presidential Election

[JoeMulk]

http://www.salon.com/

SOME WANT A NEW PARTY

At a joint press conference in Washington DC Jim Buckner (the 1998 Green Party nominee), Seth Gillette the former Democratic senator from South Dakota and nominee of the Progressive alliance and Paul Cooke the former Republican congressman from California and recent Libertarian Party nominee along with Nadia Gonzalez the head of the Tuscon Arizona chapter of the Youth In Revolt announced the formation of a "Third Party alliance." The inclusion of Gonzalez was surprising as many have seen the YIR as simply wanting to work within the Democratic Party, and while the majority of them feel that is a more productive strategy some have been discussing the formation of the Youth in Revolt Party. The joint statement read as follows "We the undersigned feel that in the marketplace of ideas that is America our ideas need to be heard and that the Democratic and Republican parties essentially prevent others from having a voice. We come together with many different ideas but with the common goal of working towards a more robust Democracy."

The group calls for among other things the opening of future presidential debates to third party candidates, Instant Runoff Voting, the abolition of the electoral college and proportional representation. Many within the alliance favor public financing of elections although that was taken off the list of objectives due to a philosophical objection from the Libertarians.

[JoeMulk]

An exclusive trailer has just been released for the new John Hoynes produced series!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp6xUuMh5rA

[WestVirginiaRebel]

POLITICO

Democratic Leaders Express Skepticsm Over Third Party Talks

Washington-Several leading Democrats, among them House Speaker Carol Gelsey and incoming Senator Sam Seaborn, have expressed serious doubts about the effectiveness of a third-party effort being led by Jim Buckner which includes Nadia Gonzalez, the head of the Tuscon, Arizona chapter of the Youth in Revolt movement.

"I appreciate their idealism, but this is a time for progressives of all stripes to try and work together," Seaborn said. "It's the wrong time for a third party when they could be working with us to advance our common ideas and values."

For once, former rivals George Montgomery and Senate Minority Leader Arthur Breech were in agreement. "I believe in standing up for one's ideals as much as the next guy," Montgomery, who has been critical of Seaborn's efforts at bipartisanship, responded. "Ms. Gonzalez seems sincere, but this sounds like a vanity exercise by Buckner."

"The Republicans are moving forward because they're united," Mr. Breech added. "We need to do the same...this will only increase the perception that there is a civil war brewing within the Democratic Party."

Mr. Buckner did not say what candidates, if any, his new party might be fielding in future primaries, although he has expressed personal support for Alex Minolli in the Massachusetts special election.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

New Details Emerging About Third Party

Washington-New information about what is being called the Third Party Alliance (TPA) by founder Jim Buckner is being put forth in the form of a "Manifesto For America" as described by Nadia Gonzalez, the former president of the Tuscon chapter of the Youth In Revolt. The document, which was posted on the group's website Tuesday, sets forth a number of policies and posititions that have long been advocated by both Democrats and Republicans but which have rarely been put into practice, something that the TPA says it hopes to change.

"This is not just a liberal or conservative movement," Ms. Gonzalez wrote on the site. "Rather, it is a combination of what we think are the best ideas from both sides that we believe will help the American people. We welcome all points of view and all comers. So, if you're interested, welcome aboard!"

Reaction to the new group continues to come in from leaders of both the Democratic and Republican parties, both of which are giving mixed reactions to the group's goals.

"I think it's good," incoming West Virginia Senator Charles Oakley said. "We need more debate and honest discussion in Washington these days, and maybe these folks will help keep both sides on their toes."

"It doesn't matter what other people think," Representative Steve Stevens (R-FL) added. "The TPA wants to help create real change in Washington, and I think the establishment will definitely smell what they're cooking."

Others, including Congressman Ed McBain (D-MN) also offered support. "For once I agree with my colleague, Mr. Stevens," McBain said. "This is the sort of new thinking that we need in Washington. Too many were elected simply to read votes, not lead. Maybe the TPA can help change that."

For his own part, Mr. Buckner was vague about what candidates the new party would be fielding in future races, although Howard Stackhouse has been informally mentioned as a possible future Presidential candidate. The legendary former Senator has remained active since his retirement, giving lectures on autism, civic responsibility, and political integrity.

[JoeMulk]

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...1t:429,r:0,s:0

HAYES APPOINTED

It has been confirmed that Ainsley Hayes former White House legal council in the Bartlett administration in spite of being a noted Republican has been appointed Roger Baker's defense counsel in the Penetrobe trials which are slated to begin sometime next month.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

POLITICO

Skinner Courts TPA

Montpelier, Vermont-Senator-Elect Matthew Skinner, who as one of the few openly gay Republicans to hold office made headlines by getting elected to the Senate in 2010, has raised some eyebrows by saying that he'd be "willing to work with" the Third Party Alliance as opposed to either his own party or the Democrats "if they become a serious force in American politics-and I think they can."

"I think this thing's got a lot of potential," Skinner said. "I think they're going to start attracting a lot of people, especially newcomers who want to make a difference, from both sides-and I think that's what the two major parties are really scared of."

For his own part, TPA founder Jim Buckner welcomed Mr. Skinner's support. "We're looking forward to serious dialogue with anyone who's willing to listen," he said. "The TPA is there for all Americans," a line that is seen by some as a swipe at the GOP for its historically troubled relationship with the gay community.

Mr. Skinner is said to be considering meeting with Mr. Buckner after the new Congress is officially sworn in. Mr. Skinner was a Presidential candidate in the 2010 Republican primaries.

[Westbrook 49]

No and No to both of these

Originally Posted by JoeMulk

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...1t:429,r:0,s:0

HAYES APPOINTED

It has been confirmed that Ainsley Hayes former White House legal council in the Bartlett administration in spite of being a noted Republican has been appointed Roger Baker's defense counsel in the Penetrobe trials which are slated to begin sometime next month.

Hayes is still White House Counsel, as she's staying on from the Santos Administration.

Originally Posted by WestVirginiaRebel

POLITICO

Skinner Courts TPA


Senator-Elect Mike Skinner

Montpelier, Vermont-Senator-Elect Matthew Skinner, who as one of the few openly gay Republicans to hold office made headlines by getting elected to the Senate in 2010, has raised some eyebrows by saying that he'd be "willing to work with" the Third Party Alliance as opposed to either his own party or the Democrats "if they become a serious force in American politics-and I think they can."

"I think this thing's got a lot of potential," Skinner said. "I think they're going to start attracting a lot of people, especially newcomers who want to make a difference, from both sides-and I think that's what the two major parties are really scared of."

For his own part, TPA founder Jim Buckner welcomed Mr. Skinner's support. "We're looking forward to serious dialogue with anyone who's willing to listen," he said. "The TPA is there for all Americans," a line that is seen by some as a swipe at the GOP for its historically troubled relationship with the gay community.

Mr. Skinner is said to be considering meeting with Mr. Buckner after the new Congress is officially sworn in. Mr. Skinner was a Presidential candidate in the 2010 Republican primaries.
________

I didn't see any pics of Sen. Skinner on the thread, so I thought that one might work.

Denny Crane-the TPA's Candidate?

Dude-He's show-casted.

Charley Lang as Congressman/Senator Matthew Skinner.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Originally Posted by Westbrook 49

No and No to both of these



Hayes is still White House Counsel, as she's staying on from the Santos Administration.



Dude-He's show-casted.

Charley Lang as Congressman/Senator Matthew Skinner.

Edited...

Is there anyone else on the Republican side, though, that Shatner could play as a possible coup for the TPA? (I picked him as a nod to Crane, who was a gay Republican.)

[Westbrook 49]

hmmm....not sure. There aren't really a lot of gay Republicans named in this world.

[Prometheus_2300]

I have an OOC question, and I hope I don't seem belligerent.

Wasn't the Progressive Alliance made as a result of the same factions that are behind this new possible third party? What's the difference now? Not to mention the fact that the Progressive Alliance has only 2 congressmen (Sen. Seth Gillette PA-ND, and Rep. Randy Celeste PA-CA) and got stomped everywhere else in 2010?

[WestVirginiaRebel]

I think this is a combination of frustrated liberals (former YIR members like Gonzalez), libertarians, and independents. The remnants of the Progressive Alliance probably joined just to survive at this point.

[KahukuMan10]

Originally Posted by Prometheus_2300

I have an OOC question, and I hope I don't seem belligerent.

Wasn't the Progressive Alliance made as a result of the same factions that are behind this new possible third party? What's the difference now? Not to mention the fact that the Progressive Alliance has only 2 congressmen (Sen. Seth Gillette PA-ND, and Rep. Randy Celeste PA-CA) and got stomped everywhere else in 2010?

Originally Posted by WestVirginiaRebel

I think this is a combination of frustrated liberals (former YIR members like Gonzalez), libertarians, and independents. The remnants of the Progressive Alliance probably joined just to survive at this point.

I'll wait for Marky or someone else to decide one way or another. But effectively the PA is exactly what the TPA is. A unification of disgruntled liberals, conservatives, and moderates alike. For which I see no reason for the TPA to exist.

[JoeMulk]

Originally Posted by Westbrook 49

hmmm....not sure. There aren't really a lot of gay Republicans named in this world.

You could create him as the President of the Log Cabin Republicans, or maybe a lover for Skinner.

[Westbrook 49]

Originally Posted by JoeMulk

You could create him as the President of the Log Cabin Republicans, or maybe a lover for Skinner.

Skinner already has a longtime partner, and I don't want him to have an affair at the moment.

WVR, a question: Did you want the character of Denny crane or Shatner as an actor casted?

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Originally Posted by Westbrook 49

Skinner already has a longtime partner, and I don't want him to have an affair at the moment.

WVR, a question: Did you want the character of Denny crane or Shatner as an actor casted?

I had him as actor casted as a nod to Denny Crane, although I suppose having him appear as Denny Crane could work, too (and he could be somebody else who, if he ever got into a confrontation with him, wouldn't be intimidated by Josh Lyman)

Speaking of which, does he face any challenge to his leadership of the DNC a la Michael Steele from the Republicans in OTL?

[Westbrook 49]

Originally Posted by WestVirginiaRebel

I had him as actor casted as a nod to Denny Crane, although I suppose having him appear as Denny Crane could work, too (and he could be somebody else who, if he ever got into a confrontation with him, wouldn't be intimidated by Josh Lyman)

Speaking of which, does he face any challenge to his leadership of the DNC a la Michael Steele from the Republicans in OTL?

Highly unlikely. He's got plenty of popular support, as he's a good fundraiser, and the party needs an enforcer. Also, Presidents Bartlet and Santos each hold Josh in high regard, and would not look kindly on an attempt to challenge him. So no he isn't challenged is my answer.

[JoeMulk]

PEOPLE MAGAZINE



Recently disgraced Washington DC lobbyist and playboy is seen here with an entorage at a recent party at his Penthouse apartment in October. Zoe Bartlett, daughter of former president Bartlett has been rumored by the National Enquirer to have had an affair. The rumors are currently unsubstantiated.

[Tim Thomason]

I'm a little out of practice here, but as the resident Star Trek expert, I reserve the right to cast William Shatner. However, I'll incorporate some of WVR's idea, and give you:

politicalbiographies.com
Mike Skinner

Young State Senator-elect Mike Skinner shortly before his set term in the Vermont Senate (1966)

Robert Michael "Mike" Skinner was born on March 15th, 1935 to Eloise Skinner, an unwed teenage mother. He never knew or met his biological father, and was raised in state orphanages after his mother's tragic death during a robbery in 1943. Despite a tough youth on the streets of Burlington, Skinner overcame his adversity, enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 1954 and serving overseas during the early stages of the Cold War. He served for ten years, receiving a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1962.

As a Marine Corporal, Mike married Mary Wouters in January 1957, two months before the birth of their son, current US Senator-elect Matthew Robert Skinner (Mike was overseas during much of the pregnancy). In 1963, after the death of John F. Kennedy, Mike was spurred to enter politics, leaving the service when his tour was up and running for Montpelier City Council in 1964. Although he lost, he gained employment as a part-time police officer in Montpelier and would run for Vermont State Senate in 1966. He was elected as a Democrat in his local district before tragedy struck, and his wife of nearly 10 years, Mary, died in an automobile accident. Young Matt Skinner was seriously injured in the crash as well, but would recover. A single father now, Mike resigned from his State Senate job before he started, to stay close with his family.

Mike would ascend the ranks of the Montpelier Police Department, going from part-time officer to Detective, to Assistant Chief, and finally Commissioner in 1983. He retired in 1992, although he still serves on local Police Boards. He married Tabitha Stevens in 1974, and his son Matt came out to them in 1977. Mike was quoted in Out! magazine as saying that he was at first ashamed and angry at Matt for his "lifestyle choice" and was distant and almost detached from his son for 10 years after he came out, but has since grown to accept Matt's lifestyle, and is now good friends with Matt's long-term partner, Iain Thompson.


Mike Skinner with Massachusetts Governor Isaac Sidley (D) at a Mexico Benefit Rally in August. Ironically, the two served together in the Marine Corps, with Sidley as Skinner's commanding officer for a brief period in 1963.

[Westbrook 49]

The Five Best Presidents America Never Had.

Top Five Presidents America Never Had:
With the recent death of Sidney Gregg and selection of Arnold Vinick as TIME's Man of the Year, we thought that we would take a look at the great Presidents in American history-That never existed. Whether they ran and lost, or never ran at all, these men would have been great leaders-Or at least were thought of as such before public opinion changed.
We came up with a pair of historic examples, and a trio of far more recent possibilities, and we hope that this inspires some debate for anyone we may have missed.


5. Alexander Hamilton: Secretary of the Treasury (1789-1795); Never Ran for President.
The nation's first, and most influential Treasury Secretary, Hamilton was a major player in politics, but never sought the big chair himself.
While most of his modern contemporaries never liked him, considering him a egotistical, arrogant jackass, history has been kinder to Hamilton, who has become a leading figure in the founding of the country and of modern finance. Hamilton influenced the 1880 Presidential election most obviously, but also had a hand in 1796 election. Much of his policies still have an influence today, and if not for his duel to the death with Burr, who knows what would have happened in Hamilton's future?



4. Robert F. Kennedy: Attorney General (1961-1964), Senator from New York (1965-1968); Campaigned for President in 1968.
Bobby Kennedy was not like his older, more glamorous brother. But he was possibly more talented, ruthless and intelligent. We'll never know what kind of leader he could have been.
Kennedy's assassination, following his brother's death, practically eliminated the Kennedy line from Presidential ambitions. Their mythos still stands, but it is wrapped more in tragedy and speculation, the faded glory of Camelot now.



3. John Hoynes: Former Congressman and Senator From Texas, Vice President (1998-2003); Campaigned for President in 1998 and 2006.
This seems hard to believe now, but Hoynes had it all laid out. He was going to sweep to the nomination in '98, use moderate-liberal policies, and transform the Democratic Party into the moderate, centrist group. With Texas firmly in Democratic hands, Hoynes would have two terms, and write his own legacy in the history of the party and the nation. But then Jed Bartlet comes out of New Hampshire on his dark horse, and suddenly Hoynes is playing second fiddle (Recently released campaign memos from the Hoynes camp suggested that Hoynes actually admired Bartlet, sought his endorsement in the New Hampshire primary, and thought that he would be a good Secretary of the Treasury or Education). Even then, Hoynes was a young, still-vital political giant within the party, the heir-presumptive, with the Oval Office just footsteps away. Then the infidelity/leak scandal breaks, and Hoynes is out in the cold, and his attempt to comeback is also destroyed by infidelity.
While he's finished in politics, he is making a career in Hollywood, but it still has to burn inside at the thought of what could have been.


2. Sidney Gregg: Secretary of State (1989-1991), Senator from Wisconsin (1982-1988; 1994-2000); Campaigned for President in 1998.
Sidney Gregg never had the tolerance to put up with the endless idiocies, inane stories and plain stupidity that compromise a Presidential run, otherwise nothing would have stopped him. And it is the nation's loss.
Gregg was a superb diplomat, combining the perfect amount of progressive idealism and hard-nosed realpolitik, as well as prodigious technical skills, to become one of the best Secretaries of State in memory. Even after he departed the State Department, Gregg maintained his interest in foreign affairs, becoming a quiet advisor to Leo McGarry, and formulating Democratic responses to Republican policy. President Bartlet offered Gregg his old position as Secretary of State, but Gregg pushed for his protege Lewis Berryhill-As well as turning down the offer of UN Ambassador. After Gregg's retirement, he returned to Wisconsin full-time, and started up the Gregg Institute at his old alma mater of Wisconsin-Madison. The Gregg Institute is one of the preeminent foreign affairs centers in the world, and has a growing domestic politics and security affairs department as well. Gregg's recent, tragic death reminded a lot of people how good he was-and what he could have been.



1. Arnold Vinick: Senator from California (1982-2006), Secretary of State (2006-Present); Republican Nominee in 2006.
Ah, what could have been, especially since we have what is for comparison.
If not for an ill-timed nuclear meltdown, Arnold Vinick would be President right now, likely having claimed a 2nd term, looking to end his legacy. While it's doubtful that Vinick would have claimed a 50-state landslide save for San Andreo, the possibility was there. After a close election, in which real issues were really discussed, and a campaign filled with twists and turns, it ended with Vinick losing. But then, in a move that shocked everyone, Vinick agreed to become Secretary of State to Santos, a fairly stunning act of patriotism and nonpartisanship. With the actions of the past 4 years, it is intriguing to wonder how it all would have been different with Vinick sitting in the Oval, rather than at Foggy Bottom. Perhaps in some alternative universe, that's how it happened. But here, we have Vinick as our spokesman for the world, and we're left to wonder about what could have been.

[JoeMulk]

Did Ted exist in the West Wing universe?