Maverick (a McCain TL)
- Thread starter John Fredrick Parker
- Start date
John Fredrick Parker
Donor
October 2000
The first debate between Gore and McCain fell on the third. The topic ranged greatly, from foreign policy, to domestic issues (like Campaign Finance Reform, gas prices, healthcare, and education) to issues of character and decision making style. Most debate watchers came away with the sense that the Vice President was the winner, with McCain's coming off as "overly aggressive" and "jittery", while Gore got good marks for his calm defensive style. McCain was also criticized by some by some pundits for having a "muddled message" when it came to Gore's character, with him praising his adversary's service one minute ("when war came to Vietnam, we both answered the call of our country") then attacking him the next (with the fundraising scandal getting special notice). The GOP scrambled to make their comeback.
Two days later, the Vice Presidential between Engel and Gephardt came and went; as with most all such contests, it had virtually no impact on the larger presidential race. That said, the pundits generally agreed that Gore's running mate was the overall winner, though Engel avoided any massive gaffes. As if the debate weren't low stakes enough already, during the very hour the two men were addressing the county live, a more interesting an important development came out of Europe as the Bulldozer Revolution overthrew infamous Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Still, coming on the heels of the first debate, the GOP was getting more and more nervous.
The second presidential debate on October 11 proved to be a turning point; McCain had been honing his debate skills for the past several days, sharpening his answers and mentally preparing a more patient "presidential" image. His work payed off, which was helped even more as over half the debate was devoted to questions of foreign policy, a strong issue for the senator. More pundits came away saying McCain had won then Gore, though all and all it was considered a less one sided victory than the first.
Hours after the two candidates left the stage, yet another event from overseas would come into play; the USS Cole, a United States Navy guided-missile destroyer stationed in the Yemeni port of Aden, suffered an explosion killing 17 of its crew, injuring several others, an attack for which Al Qaeda, an international Islamic Extremist terrorist organization, was determined to be responsible. Within hours of this determination, Senator McCain was making the rounds on television, calling for a strong military response against the organization. As the Clinton administration weighed its options, the Gore campaign equivocated on how to respond to the press, giving the Republican candidate a boost in the polls. Combined with the positive response to the second debate, this made the brought the candidates to a dead heat by the time they met for the last time prior to the election.
The final debate fell on October 17th, and by then McCain had found his form; it only helped him further as he was now in his element, as the final debate was done in the town hall style. The Arizona Senator looked at ease, connecting with members of the audience, while Gore's body language proved more problematic, even committing the big "gaffe" of the night as it was now his turn to be considered "too confrontational". Even though most of the questions dealt with substantive domestic policy issues, McCain by this point was on topic and found a gravitas balance of detail and field tested language; he frequently used the words "common ground" when getting into said details.
And so, going into November, Senator John McCain once again had a slight lead in the polls. Vice President Gore and his campaign still held out hope, but unless events once again intervened, the contest did not look promising...
The first debate between Gore and McCain fell on the third. The topic ranged greatly, from foreign policy, to domestic issues (like Campaign Finance Reform, gas prices, healthcare, and education) to issues of character and decision making style. Most debate watchers came away with the sense that the Vice President was the winner, with McCain's coming off as "overly aggressive" and "jittery", while Gore got good marks for his calm defensive style. McCain was also criticized by some by some pundits for having a "muddled message" when it came to Gore's character, with him praising his adversary's service one minute ("when war came to Vietnam, we both answered the call of our country") then attacking him the next (with the fundraising scandal getting special notice). The GOP scrambled to make their comeback.
Two days later, the Vice Presidential between Engel and Gephardt came and went; as with most all such contests, it had virtually no impact on the larger presidential race. That said, the pundits generally agreed that Gore's running mate was the overall winner, though Engel avoided any massive gaffes. As if the debate weren't low stakes enough already, during the very hour the two men were addressing the county live, a more interesting an important development came out of Europe as the Bulldozer Revolution overthrew infamous Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Still, coming on the heels of the first debate, the GOP was getting more and more nervous.
The second presidential debate on October 11 proved to be a turning point; McCain had been honing his debate skills for the past several days, sharpening his answers and mentally preparing a more patient "presidential" image. His work payed off, which was helped even more as over half the debate was devoted to questions of foreign policy, a strong issue for the senator. More pundits came away saying McCain had won then Gore, though all and all it was considered a less one sided victory than the first.
Hours after the two candidates left the stage, yet another event from overseas would come into play; the USS Cole, a United States Navy guided-missile destroyer stationed in the Yemeni port of Aden, suffered an explosion killing 17 of its crew, injuring several others, an attack for which Al Qaeda, an international Islamic Extremist terrorist organization, was determined to be responsible. Within hours of this determination, Senator McCain was making the rounds on television, calling for a strong military response against the organization. As the Clinton administration weighed its options, the Gore campaign equivocated on how to respond to the press, giving the Republican candidate a boost in the polls. Combined with the positive response to the second debate, this made the brought the candidates to a dead heat by the time they met for the last time prior to the election.
The final debate fell on October 17th, and by then McCain had found his form; it only helped him further as he was now in his element, as the final debate was done in the town hall style. The Arizona Senator looked at ease, connecting with members of the audience, while Gore's body language proved more problematic, even committing the big "gaffe" of the night as it was now his turn to be considered "too confrontational". Even though most of the questions dealt with substantive domestic policy issues, McCain by this point was on topic and found a gravitas balance of detail and field tested language; he frequently used the words "common ground" when getting into said details.
And so, going into November, Senator John McCain once again had a slight lead in the polls. Vice President Gore and his campaign still held out hope, but unless events once again intervened, the contest did not look promising...
I think it will be good for American democracy for McCain to win a clean-cut victory rather than the narrow, controversial "victory" of Bush in OTL. I imagine New Mexico, Michigan, maybe even Pennsylvania or at least a Congressional district of Maine coming into play. And Florida should be a clear victory.
On the other hand, without Bush's more religious, Southern support, and without Karl Rove's strategizing, West Virginia will probably still go to Gore, along with Gephardt's Missouri. Arkansas and Tennessee could also be in play here.
On the other hand, without Bush's more religious, Southern support, and without Karl Rove's strategizing, West Virginia will probably still go to Gore, along with Gephardt's Missouri. Arkansas and Tennessee could also be in play here.
John Fredrick Parker
Donor
November 6, 2000
Within an hour of polls closing on the west coast, news network across the country were ready to declare the next President of the United States.
Interestingly, the night of the election large states were either called within a couple hours of their polls closing, or, in the case of Michigan and Pennsylvania, ended up being awarded to the Vice President. It was the smaller states whose results would make the difference, with Oregon being the last state to put McCain over the edge to victory.
When the national popular vote was tallied, the senator from Arizona saw over 55 million cast in his name, bringing him within half a percent of winning an outright majority; still, he managed nearly four million more (and 3.5 points) more than his opponent, in an election with a fairly standard post Watergate voter turnout level.
The Vice President called to congratulate the President Elect within minutes of the election being declared, and gave his concession speech less than half an hour later.
Within an hour of polls closing on the west coast, news network across the country were ready to declare the next President of the United States.
Electoral College Results
McCain / Engler - 275
Gore / Gephardt - 262
McCain / Engler - 275
Gore / Gephardt - 262
Interestingly, the night of the election large states were either called within a couple hours of their polls closing, or, in the case of Michigan and Pennsylvania, ended up being awarded to the Vice President. It was the smaller states whose results would make the difference, with Oregon being the last state to put McCain over the edge to victory.
When the national popular vote was tallied, the senator from Arizona saw over 55 million cast in his name, bringing him within half a percent of winning an outright majority; still, he managed nearly four million more (and 3.5 points) more than his opponent, in an election with a fairly standard post Watergate voter turnout level.
The Vice President called to congratulate the President Elect within minutes of the election being declared, and gave his concession speech less than half an hour later.
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John Fredrick Parker
Donor
And now, before I get into the McCain Presidency proper, I thought I'd do a pop culture update for a development from one of the butterflies that has already flapped:
May 2002
George Lucas hadn't begun writing the script for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones until several months after the premier of Phantom Menace; the poor to mixed response to Episode I among fans had made him very cautious, and in the earliest months of 2000, he found himself struggling so hard to put together a draft he felt good about that he took (what he considered to be) the desperate step on bringing in a script doctor. Fortunately, Carrie Fisher was somebody who had experience with this by this point, and whose previous work on Star Wars gave Lucas' ego enough familiarity to ask.
As earlier drafts of Episode II have not been made publicly available as yet, it's hard to say how much of a direct impact Ms Fisher had on the finished product; one thing we do know is that Fisher's presence in the writing process had a noticeable impact on the role of Owen Lars. Lucas had already settled on Owen as Anakin's new step brother when he started writing the Episode II, originally planning for him to have a very minor role where he meets his Jedi brother on Tatooine. "Initially, I was going to have Anakin stop by his home planet, to discover that his mother had been captured by sand people; Carrie thought this needed to be integrated more into the plot, so she suggested having Shmi kidnapped by the Sith. That led to idea of Owen Lars seeking out Anakin, and the film came together a little more."
Another thing that is known is that it was her who suggested the twist of Darth Dooku's identity. "I had only the vaguest notion of the villain when I started writing the script" Lucas later recalled. "I knew I wanted a new Sith Lord to enter the picture, be the point man leading the Separatist forces, and then have this big light saber battle at the end where said guy cuts off Anakin's arm and duels Yoda. But aside from that, by the time I called Carrie, I really didn't have anything besides his role in the plot." Fisher had a sudden inspiration at one point discussing the script issues; "at first I was skeptical, but the more I thought about it, the more I really liked the idea, and the rest is history."
The Binks Twist wasn't the only thing point of controversy among fans; Aurra Sing, upon her small cameo in the podrace scene from Phantom Menace, became a favorite among the fan community, who began developing her character as a bounty hunter, giving her a role in the expanded universe. Lucas gave her a larger role in Attack of the Clones as Boba Fett's lover and partner, though the fact that she dies in the film did raise issues with some already released EU materials.
Domestically, Attack of the Clones went on to become the second highest grossing film of 2002, with only Spiderman beating it out; though with less than half its revenue coming from overseas, the film ranked fourth in terms of world box office.
----------
May 2002
George Lucas hadn't begun writing the script for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones until several months after the premier of Phantom Menace; the poor to mixed response to Episode I among fans had made him very cautious, and in the earliest months of 2000, he found himself struggling so hard to put together a draft he felt good about that he took (what he considered to be) the desperate step on bringing in a script doctor. Fortunately, Carrie Fisher was somebody who had experience with this by this point, and whose previous work on Star Wars gave Lucas' ego enough familiarity to ask.
As earlier drafts of Episode II have not been made publicly available as yet, it's hard to say how much of a direct impact Ms Fisher had on the finished product; one thing we do know is that Fisher's presence in the writing process had a noticeable impact on the role of Owen Lars. Lucas had already settled on Owen as Anakin's new step brother when he started writing the Episode II, originally planning for him to have a very minor role where he meets his Jedi brother on Tatooine. "Initially, I was going to have Anakin stop by his home planet, to discover that his mother had been captured by sand people; Carrie thought this needed to be integrated more into the plot, so she suggested having Shmi kidnapped by the Sith. That led to idea of Owen Lars seeking out Anakin, and the film came together a little more."
Another thing that is known is that it was her who suggested the twist of Darth Dooku's identity. "I had only the vaguest notion of the villain when I started writing the script" Lucas later recalled. "I knew I wanted a new Sith Lord to enter the picture, be the point man leading the Separatist forces, and then have this big light saber battle at the end where said guy cuts off Anakin's arm and duels Yoda. But aside from that, by the time I called Carrie, I really didn't have anything besides his role in the plot." Fisher had a sudden inspiration at one point discussing the script issues; "at first I was skeptical, but the more I thought about it, the more I really liked the idea, and the rest is history."
The Binks Twist wasn't the only thing point of controversy among fans; Aurra Sing, upon her small cameo in the podrace scene from Phantom Menace, became a favorite among the fan community, who began developing her character as a bounty hunter, giving her a role in the expanded universe. Lucas gave her a larger role in Attack of the Clones as Boba Fett's lover and partner, though the fact that she dies in the film did raise issues with some already released EU materials.
Domestically, Attack of the Clones went on to become the second highest grossing film of 2002, with only Spiderman beating it out; though with less than half its revenue coming from overseas, the film ranked fourth in terms of world box office.
I'm not sure but there is something wrong with your electoral result.
I used 270towin simulator to check your version of 2000 but I get different numbers, even if McCain still wins.
I used 270towin simulator to check your version of 2000 but I get different numbers, even if McCain still wins.
John Fredrick Parker
Donor
OK, I just redid the math, by hand this time, and got numbers fairly close to my original results (291 to 247). Not sure what's going on here...
With these margins, it doesn't matter really.
I compared 270towin and wikipedia electoral college in 2000 and they are the same.
You should have made a mistake in the electoral college.
I compared 270towin and wikipedia electoral college in 2000 and they are the same.
You should have made a mistake in the electoral college.
It's good. As for legislation, a Patient's Bill of Rights could be passed and signed into law. Cap and trade and immigration reform are also possible, but 9/11 will complicate things, delaying the latter until the second term.
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John Fredrick Parker
Donor
January to August 2001
The 43rd President of the United States took the Oath of Office on January 20, 2001; following this, he gave one of the more memorable inaugural addresses in recent memory, though not without its share of controversy. McCain's speech began with the usual inaugural fare, thanking his predecessor and taking time to note the extraordinary nobility of America's democratic experience, that one party peacefully hands over the reigns of power is considered normal; from there he delved into two key themes -- the role of America in defending democracy abroad, and the task ahead of revitalizing democracy at home. His section on foreign policy reiterated Kennedy's famous words of "pay[ing] any price, bear[ing] any burden", an allusion that was greeted with both praise and concern. As to the latter, his speech made some allusions to Reagan, though notably different: "The key question for our time is not the size or role of government; patriotic Americans have always and will continue to have honest disagreements on that subject. No my friends, the key question for our time is, 'For who does the government work?' Do we preserve a government of the people, by the people, and for the people? Or do we allow the connected and privileged few to take the work of governing from us, and to answer only to them?"
A month later, President McCain built upon this governing philosophy when he gave his first address to Congress. Most of the items on his domestic agenda were pretty rote -- some shoring up of Social Security, some modest tax cuts, mostly boring items that many compared with Clinton's latter term. He did touch on healthcare issues as well, voicing support for both a Patient's Bill of Rights (proposed by Democrats) and a Medicare perscription drug benefit (proposed by Republicans). The President also touched on some issues he wanted to see action on without yet putting forward any solid proposals of his own, most noted among them being immigration. However, the bulk of his political capital went towards what he expected to be his biggest challenge with the legislature -- campaign finance reform.
The summer saw many of these efforts come to fruition -- the Campaign Reform Act was proposed in the House in April, and was signed by the President in August; the Patient Protection and Medicare Modernization Act was introduced in the Senate in June, finally getting passed and signed early 2002; and also in June, a bill was introduced that sought to make significant reforms to the US immigration system, offering a path to citizenship for millions living in the country without the proper paperwork, while providing resources for stronger enforcement both of the border and of unlawful hiring of undocumented immigrants. This last bill would not come to fruition in the 2001-02 Congress, in no small part because other events and issues would take center stage...
The 43rd President of the United States took the Oath of Office on January 20, 2001; following this, he gave one of the more memorable inaugural addresses in recent memory, though not without its share of controversy. McCain's speech began with the usual inaugural fare, thanking his predecessor and taking time to note the extraordinary nobility of America's democratic experience, that one party peacefully hands over the reigns of power is considered normal; from there he delved into two key themes -- the role of America in defending democracy abroad, and the task ahead of revitalizing democracy at home. His section on foreign policy reiterated Kennedy's famous words of "pay[ing] any price, bear[ing] any burden", an allusion that was greeted with both praise and concern. As to the latter, his speech made some allusions to Reagan, though notably different: "The key question for our time is not the size or role of government; patriotic Americans have always and will continue to have honest disagreements on that subject. No my friends, the key question for our time is, 'For who does the government work?' Do we preserve a government of the people, by the people, and for the people? Or do we allow the connected and privileged few to take the work of governing from us, and to answer only to them?"
A month later, President McCain built upon this governing philosophy when he gave his first address to Congress. Most of the items on his domestic agenda were pretty rote -- some shoring up of Social Security, some modest tax cuts, mostly boring items that many compared with Clinton's latter term. He did touch on healthcare issues as well, voicing support for both a Patient's Bill of Rights (proposed by Democrats) and a Medicare perscription drug benefit (proposed by Republicans). The President also touched on some issues he wanted to see action on without yet putting forward any solid proposals of his own, most noted among them being immigration. However, the bulk of his political capital went towards what he expected to be his biggest challenge with the legislature -- campaign finance reform.
The summer saw many of these efforts come to fruition -- the Campaign Reform Act was proposed in the House in April, and was signed by the President in August; the Patient Protection and Medicare Modernization Act was introduced in the Senate in June, finally getting passed and signed early 2002; and also in June, a bill was introduced that sought to make significant reforms to the US immigration system, offering a path to citizenship for millions living in the country without the proper paperwork, while providing resources for stronger enforcement both of the border and of unlawful hiring of undocumented immigrants. This last bill would not come to fruition in the 2001-02 Congress, in no small part because other events and issues would take center stage...
November 6, 2000
Within an hour of polls closing on the west coast, news network across the country were ready to declare the next President of the United States.
Electoral College Results
McCain / Engler - 275
Gore / Gephardt - 262
Interestingly, the night of the election large states were either called within a couple hours of their polls closing, or, in the case of Michigan and Pennsylvania, ended up being awarded to the Vice President. It was the smaller states whose results would make the difference, with Oregon being the last state to put McCain over the edge to victory.
When the national popular vote was tallied, the senator from Arizona saw over 55 million cast in his name, bringing him within half a percent of winning an outright majority; still, he managed nearly four million more (and 3.5 points) more than his opponent, in an election with a fairly standard post Watergate voter turnout level.
The Vice President called to congratulate the President Elect within minutes of the election being declared, and gave his concession speech less than half an hour later.
Nope. No way in hell that McCain wins Oregon and Wisconsin if it's that close. Sorry, but nope. My wife's from Oregon and the state has been blue since 1988.