2018 Presidential Election

[Marky Bunny]

Saturday May 23rd 2020

Leicester City win the FA Cup for the first time

Leicester City 1 Manchester City 0 (AET)

A Jamie Vardy goal three minutes from the end of extra-time sealed Leicester City's first FA Cup Final victory in their fifth attempt. In a disappointing match both sides cancelled each other out in a match between the teams which finished 2nd and 3rd in the Premier League.

Manchester City's defeat wins that they failed to defend the Cup they won last season after a 6-0 win over Watford. The victory seals a successful full season for Leicester Manager Matt Smith with winning the FA Cup and the third placed finish in the Premier League.

Smith told the BBC after the match "Winning the FA Cup as a Manager is cool".

 

[lord caedus]

Monday, May 25th, 2020

Seaborn marks Memorial Day with nation

President Sam Seaborn led the nation's Memorial Day observances today, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and declaring that the nation "has a debt that it cannot every fully repay" to the soldiers who died in the nation's service.

"The blessings of America come at a high price," Seaborn said in a speech at the cemetery's Memorial Amphitheater. "The men and women we honor today paid the highest price; they gave all they had to give to our nation until they could give no more. It is their courage, devotion and selflessness that has sustained our country through the darkest days of war, and will continue to strengthen us going forward."

The president also honored Gold Star families—those who lost a family member while serving in the military—both in his speech and at a breakfast reception in their honor at the White House hosted by First Lady Lauren Parker-Seaborn.

Joining the president at the ceremony at Arlington were Secretary of Defense Jack Shannon and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Claire Eckhart. The three also visited Section 60 of the cemetery, the primary burial site for soldiers killed in Gaza, Kazakhstan and Qumar.

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Sunday May 24, 2020

Erikson declines Senate run

BY SOREN NELSON

BURNSVILLE — Congressman Leif Erikson (R) announced that he will not run for election to the United States Senate seat held by Peggy Jones (D), and instead run for reelection in the second district. Erikson, the longtime representative for the state's second congressional district that contains the southern Twin Cities metro area, had been courted by Republican leaders as the strongest contender to unseat Jones, who was appointed to the seat after Jack Hunter (R) became vice president.

Erikson said in a statement that he was focused "one hundred percent" on his re-election bid, and disclaimed any intent to seek statewide office. "I've been all over this state, and I'm happiest where I am here in the second [district]," he told reporters.

People familiar with discussions held between leaders of the Republican Party of Minnesota say that the party had hoped to persuade either Erikson or Representative Brett Randolph of the sixth congressional district (representing the north and western suburbs surrounding the Twin Cities) to run against former state representative Glen Addison in the August 11th primary. Addison, the party's gubernatorial nominee in 2016, made headlines after nearly winning despite his odd behavior. But party insiders are worried about his prospects against Jones after a series of bizarre statements about the People's Republic of China (including whether it was in bad taste to "wonder why we didn't let China and Russia duke it out" in Kazakhstan) led to his previous running mate, Waseca Mayor Marcia Ng, saying she would vote for Jones if Addison becomes the Republican nominee.

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Monday, May 25th 2020

Mozembe claims victory in Equatorial Kundu in disputed election

Bitanga — The candidate of the ruling Arkutu Patriotic Party (APP), Minister of Infrastructure Tendo Mozembe, has claimed victory in Equatorial Kundu's presidential election despite opposition claims of voting irregularities and violence reported at several polling locations. With 80 percent of all votes being tallied at press time, Mozembe announced that he had achieved an insurmountable lead in seven of the country's 10 counties, giving him enough electoral votes to avoid throwing the election to the legislature.

The last report from the country's central elections body has Mozembe winning 45 percent of the popular vote nationwide, followed by pastor Sarah Mosambuka of the Coalition for Unity (CU) at 25 percent and senator Roland Tiki of the Arkutu Freedom Party (AFP) with 20 percent. Like the United States, Equatorial Kundu elects its presidents via an electoral college with electors allocated to the winner of each of the country's counties. Only three counties have finalized counting the results, with all awarding their electoral votes to Mozembe. Mozembe currently leads in another four counties, while Masombuka (two) and Tiki (one) are leading in the others.

Pastor Mosambuka has called Mozembe's victory call "premature" and called for an international audit of the election count due to irregularities. "There are too many villages and precincts in areas friendly to President [Uzochi] Nzele and Minister Mozembe that are reporting much higher voter turnout than what has been observed by our campaign and others," Masombuka said. "We want there to be no mistake in who the people of Equatorial Kundu have elected to be their next president."

Pre-election violence has led to the deaths of an estimated 200 people, with several hundred more being wounded across the country as the West African nation goes to replacing its long-time president after months of protests. President Nzele has blamed the violence on "malcontents" and supporters of the AFP, whose alliance with the APP broke down after an attempted coup by supporters of Nzele's former vice president and ex-wife Adeola Muzenda despite ample evidence that APP and government forces have been initiated or provoked attacks.

Once Nzele leaves office, he will automatically become a senator-for-life as a former president "in good legal standing" in spite of the warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in the 2002-2003 genocide of the Induye people (Equatorial Kundu is not a signatory to the treaty establishing the ICC).

 

[PNWKing]

I'd assume that this guy is an ex-Secretary of State or something like that. Or playing himself as a former EPA Administrator or something of the sort.

 

[lord caedus]

I'd assume that this guy is an ex-Secretary of State or something like that. Or playing himself as a former EPA Administrator or something of the sort.

All the Secretaries of State have been cast.

I already told you that Ted Danson has not been cast as a character.

 

[Marky Bunny]

Wednesday May 27th 2020

Footage of Presidential election vote "rigging" in Equatorial Kundu posted on-line

In various clips, polling station officials appear to stash voting slips in ballot boxes and block a CCTV camera at one station with curtains , while a Mother Superior appears to check the votes cast by her order.

The images come after Minister of Infrastructure Tendo Mozembe has been declared the winner. The Equatorial Kundu Central Election Commission declared early on Wednesday that Mozembe had won seven of the countries ten electoral counties, with Pastor Sarah Mosambuka winning two and senator Roland Tiki winning one. Mozeembe is declared to have won 46.76% of the popular vote, Mosambuka 24.88% and Tiki 19.71% with the remaining four candidates picking up the remaining 8.65% of the vote.

The announcement came as a videos emerged across the country. One from a Bitanga suburb shows an election official appearing to stash voting slips in the ballot box. It can clearly been seen that votes are for Mozembe. Soon after, another official is seen putting what is thought to be more ballot papers in the box , all captured on CCTV which had been agreed with independent election observers, including those from the UN, voting officials are supposed to be at polling stations to stop vote tampering and guarantee the integrity of the election. In another from the city of Taganni a man appears to fill a ballot box with slips at an empty polling station as a female election official stands guard. At another polling station in the same region, a group of supporters for Mozembe appear to create a commotion while a man stuffs a ballot box with papers. In another case caught on camera, a group of nuns vote while the Mother Superior appears to check their ballot slips. And in a separate video, a female election official in the region of Averakoi pulls drapes over a video camera to obstruct the view as officials counted votes.

Pastor Mosambuka has yet to concede the election, despite the formal announcement from the Central Election Commission, her campaign team said "she would not be making a formal statement yet, and where still looking into all cases of electoral fraund".

 

[lord caedus]

Wednesday, May 27th, 2020

NCAA men's basketball champions make White House visit

President Sam Seaborn welcomed the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, led by coach Tom Izzo, to the White House today in celebration of their victory in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

It marks the second time Izzo and the Spartan men have visited the White House after their 2000 visit at the invitation of President Josiah Bartlet.

"Coach Izzo and the Spartans gave us a thrilling conclusion to the tournament," Seaborn said, referencing the team's upset 80-79 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks on a strong performance by Cassius Winston, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The president praised Winston's strength and leadership, referencing the star guard's admission that the tragic death of his brother in a train accident in November 2019 filled him with grief and even took away his desire to play basketball.

"Cassius' story is a reminder that sports is more than just a physical game. It's an emotional and personal event for all those involved, and all of us who watch...As a basketball fan, knowing his story and his rise to the challenges thrown at him both on and off the court inspired a deeper appreciation for him as an athlete and as a man who I look forward to seeing continue his career in the NBA."

On a lighter note, the president remarked on the difference between the Spartans' visit and that of the women's national champion, the Baylor Lady Bears, who visited the White House on May 13th. "The question I got asked most by [the Lady Bears players] was 'can we see Tommy and Lea?'," Seaborn said, talking about the First Couple's two month-old twins. "What I've been asked most on this visit is if it's true at the White House you can get any food you want." After a bit of laughter, the president said "And the answer to both was 'yes'."

The Spartans presented the 46th president with a commemorative number 46 jersey, and Izzo joked that the last time he and Seaborn were at the White House together (Seaborn was a staffer in the Bartlet administration at the time of the Spartans' previous visit) "we both had darker hair and fewer wrinkles."

Spartans players stayed on-hand to sign autographs for reporters and White House staffers and afterwards had a reception lunch with the president and his staff.

 

[lord caedus]

Thursday, May 28th, 2020

Equatorial Kundu proceeds towards presidential inauguration despite international criticism

The west African nation of Equatorial Kundu is prepared to inaugurate Minister of Infrastructure Tendo Mozembe to be the nation's next president on June 1st despite international criticism in the wake of voter suppression, violence and ballot-stuffing that critics say have taken place.

Mozembe, the candidate for the ruling Arkutu Patriotic Party (APP) was certified to have won 54 electoral votes yesterday by the Central Election Commission, making him the winner of the election. However, international observers have criticized the conduct of the vote and several videos and clips have raised concerns about the transparency in vote-counting and appear to show several instances of ballot-stuffing by APP supporters.

Observers from the United Nations and the African Union have issued reports criticizing the conduct of the election and declaring it to have "glaring procedural flaws" and to have not been "fair" owing to clear institutional support for Mozembe in addition to instances of clear voter fraud. The State Department issued a statement saying that the "will of the Kundunese people" could not be known "owing to the non-free and unfair election conducted by the government."

The main opposition candidate, Pastor Sarah Masombuka of the Coalition for Unity, has not conceded the election, saying she does not recognize the legitimacy of the results in three counties where Mozembe has been declared the winner (with a combined total of 32 electoral votes) and has asked for a new election conducted by the African Union to take place in there. The five other candidates have all conceded and congratulated President-elect Mozembe.

 

[lord caedus]

OOC: And the infobox for Equatorial Kundu's presidential election:

Cast (all new)
Ntare Mwine as Tendo Mozembe
Whoopi Goldberg as Sarah Masombuka
Kanayo O. Kanayo as Roland Tiki

Spoiler: Notes

• Equatorial Kundu was placed in the OTL southwest corner of Ivory Coast in the old thread. The counties are essentially the OTL departments that make up the Bas-Sassandra District plus the OTL Gagnoa and Taï Departments.
• Each county has three senators and at least one representative, so the minimum number of seats one county could have is 4.
• Yes, the main opposition candidate to Worf's hand-picked successor is Guinan.

 

[PNWKing]

First I ask about Ted Danson, and then his ex shows up in a box...…………………………...……………………...

 

[lord caedus]

First I ask about Ted Danson, and then his ex shows up in a box...…………………………...……………………...

I assure you, the fact that she briefly dated Ted Danson nearly thirty years ago had exactly zero impact on why I chose to cast Goldberg as Masombuka.

Also, Danson's actual wife has been cast as the Senate minority whip (Sarah O'Brien) for the past three years now.

 

[Evilman2011]

Has anything happened with Tom Jordan the Congressional candidate that lost in the 2000 midterms when the white house cut off support

 

[Marky Bunny]

First I ask about Ted Danson, and then his ex shows up in a box...…………………………...……………………...

Can I make clear as the "Thread runner" even I didn't know of that casting, we allow each other (myself @lord caedus and @MountainDew17 to make castings). If you wish to discuss this or any other issues please DM me rather than posting direct onto the thread.
Thanks
Mark

 

[Marky Bunny]

Has anything happened with Tom Jordan the Congressional candidate that lost in the 2000 midterms when the white house cut off support

You have a good memory, I had forgotten that. I am not sure to be fair. @lord caedus does look after the Congressional side of things, so feel free to DM him,

 

[Evilman2011]

You have a good memory, I had forgotten that. I am not sure to be fair. @lord caedus does look after the Congressional side of things, so feel free to DM him,

In S2 E4 "In this White House" During the negotiations with Equitorial Kundu and the Pharma companies Josh says, "how much would it cost to provide free drugs to the Sahelese Republic, Kenya, and the Republic of Equitorial Kuhndu?"

Also in the S2E3 we see on the TV behind Bartlet with the name "Strauss" I couldn't make out a state, but I found it interesting with what ended up happening with Hayden Strauss in this timeline.

Have you guys done anything with the Sahelese Republic?

 

[lord caedus]

Have you guys done anything with the Sahelese Republic?

Not really, but it has been established as basically the OTL Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic state but in control of all Western Sahara.

 

[heatmaster]

It’s mentioned that the Seaborn’s have twins, & are 2 months ago; yet there’s no record of there birth in the thread since then. How come? Thought I’d raise that question!

 

[lord caedus]

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020

Former sultan returns to Qumar ahead of referendum vote

Former sultan Manab bin Hessani has returned to Qumar ahead of the country's vote on a new constitution. The former sultan and his wife arrived in Jabal Nafusah today after nearly four years in exile in the United Arab Emirates. Hessani, who renounced the throne from his exile in August 2016, was greeted when his private plane arrived at the Kalifa Air Base by both Prime Minister Zuben Ahmed and US General Tom Garver, the overall commander of American and British forces in Qumar.

In a brief statement, Hessani said he was "overjoyed to return" to his homeland "where peace...has largely been restored."

The former monarch has been tapped to be the country's first president if Qumaris vote to ratify their new constitution on June 15. The office, as written in the proposed constitution, would be largely ceremonial, and real power would lie with the prime minister and the Parliament. Ahmed and Hessani have had a complicated relationship: from being close allies leading the 2007 overthrown of Sultan Ali Usef ibn Shareef to Ahmed briefly declaring himself head of state in opposition to Hessani in 2016 as the country collapsed. Insiders say that Ahmed was initially hesitant on allowing Hessani to return to become the country's ceremonial president, but acceded after it became clear that no other figure who could receive the necessary three-fifths majority of votes in Parliament was willing to accept the role.

Domestic and international observers have said that the reaction to the former sultan's return has been positive, with Hessani so far not commenting on political issues other than to voice his support for the proposed constitution.

All five parties that have representatives in the Parliament of Qumar have endorsed the proposed constitution, and have called on their supporters to vote "no" on a simultaneous referendum that would see the country annexed to its neighbor of Iran.

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Wednesday, June 3rd 2020

Seaborn pushes Congress to address college loan debt during Princeton commencement speech

Princeton, NJ — President Sam Seaborn returned to his alma mater today to give the commencement speech for Princeton University's graduating class of 2020, calling on Congress to address the issue of college loan debt.

"The average college graduate in this country owes $30,000 in debt," Seaborn said. "Forty-five million Americans owe nearly $1.6 trillion in student loan debt that cannot be discharged through bankruptcy, unlike almost any other type of debt. There is something clearly wrong in a system that hangs so much money over the heads of those who are trying to start a new and better life after attending college and doing the hard work to earn a degree."

The president called on Congress to enact legislation that would reduce the amount of debt loan holders would need to pay back before they adjourn for their summer recess in August.

Seaborn, who graduated magna cum laude from Princeton in 1990 with a bachelor of arts in both pre-law and political science, briefly toured his old haunts before the commencement ceremony and met with several students and faculty afterwards. The president impressed members of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, where he had served as the recording secretary in his last two years at Princeton, in singing the "Major-Generals' Song" from The Pirates of Penzance from memory. A video of Seaborn's performance was posted on social media, where it has been viewed nearly 2 million times as of the writing of this article.

 

[lord caedus]

It’s mentioned that the Seaborn’s have twins, & are 2 months ago; yet there’s no record of there birth in the thread since then. How come? Thought I’d raise that question!

They're newborns, and the Seaborns, like most presidential parents, prefer to keep their children out of the press when possible.

 

[Marky Bunny]

The Pirates of Penzance: Act I. "I am the very model of a modern Major-General"
Arthur Sullivan, W. S. Gilbert

I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical; a
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news, (bothered for a rhyme)
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
I'm very good at integral and differential calculus;
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
I know our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's;
I answer hard acrostics, I've a pretty taste for paradox,
I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus,
In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous;
I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies,
I know the croaking from The Frogs of Aristophanes!
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore, (bothered for a rhyme)b
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.
Then I can write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform,
And tell you ev'ry detail of Caractacus's uniform: c
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
In fact, when I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin",
When I can tell at sight a Mauser rifle from a javelin, d
When such affairs as sorties and surprises I'm more wary at,
And when I know precisely what is meant by "commissariat",
When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery,
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery –
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy – (bothered for a rhyme)
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.e
For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury,
Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century;
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Sir Arthur Sullivan

 

[RRusso1982]

Stupid question. The former Presidents still alive are Newman, Santos, and Walken, right?