2010 US Presidential Election

[ajm8888]

BBC.CO.UK/News
Friday November 3rd 2017

Romanova warns another coup may soon take place.

Russian President Natalya Romanova addressed the Russian nation tonight and warned her people that another coup may soon take place. She warned that despite attempts to stamp out foreign backing to the coup plotters the men and women who helped support the last coup will find a new man to support. Romanova warned her people, "I won't be around long after the coup to complain." Romanova spoke from the heart, in her own terms, to tell the Russian people that she is worried not about her survival but the survival of the nation she governs.

"The fools that will oust me will cause our Federation to shatter. Every ethnicity, every religion, everyone that does not fit into the their box will be eliminated. Or at least they'll try. They think the Russian people will sit back while the devil terrorizes them? They won't. I have seen the Russian People, they will fight after they see their friends and family killed. This regime that follows me if it succeeds in ousting me in an extra-constitutional means will not be able to have the respect of the armed forces, the police, and the people."

Romanova warned her people that if another coup occurs she and her government will be liquidated and many people viewed as the opposition would be eliminated. These people she warned only want Russia as a bank and a place to evade prosecution for crimes in other countries.

Romanova's main concern is she expressed to the West was not the feeling they were involved in the coup but a complete lack of interest in the welfare of he Russian people. "It would be ideal if I could say there is a plot being concocted against Russia by other countries. I could point at a nation and say "Look There! There is the plot!" Sadly this entire affair shows me that Western nations aren't interested in the well being of the Russian people. They only care about our nuclear arsenal, and even then you think they would try and keep Russia stable when they found out about this coup. What I find it to be is a complete apathy towards the fact my country is on the map. I just think the West would not care who is running Moscow or if Russia falls apart or worse starts taking back former Soviet Republics. I fear Western leaders want to be on quiz shows and talk shows more than prevent another coup in Russia. Our national stability is at stake, yet Europe and America remain silent. If I am to blame for their lack of interest so be it. I am not exaggerating the seriousness of my claims."

Romanova's speech has concerned many people in Russia as they fear a coup will target them. Lesbian activist Ludmilla Kraznova told BBC that. "If Romanova is as worried as she sounded then I think she is not making this up."

There has been recent panics in Moscow and other cities showing that people are scared of a coup.

If Romanova is right and a coup does take place no one knows what will happen next.

 

[disputed]

nbs.com, Saturday November 4th

Clark and Gault Clash in Inpromptu Iowa Debate

In a remarkable incident on Saturday morning, Vice-President Liz Clark and Kansas Governor Peter Gault exchanged barbs in a Iowa café after a scheduling mix up resulted in both campaigns descended on Brewed Awakenings on Saturday morning.

The candidates attempted to make the best of the situation meeting and greeting voters until somehow the subject of whether Gault would support the Vice-President if she became the nominee in light of her views on abortion.

Gault tried to equivocate and move on but under goading from Clark campaign manager Daniel Kline he said that he “expected his party’s nominee to abide by the party platform of being passionately pro-life. I’m not sure that’s the Vice-President’s stance.”

This appears to have triggered a furious back and forth between the candidates with Clark saying Gault was “unelectable” and a Gault advisor, possibly communications Chief Dave Bentley seemingly suggesting that Clark was “too dumb to be President.”

The remarkable clash came on a day where a new poll in the Hawkeye State suggested that the race was narrowing into a genuine 3 way battle, with former White House Chief of Staff Henry Shallick ahead with 32%, Clark second on 28% but Gault making progress on 21% suddenly in striking distance of Shallick.

 

[Marky Bunny]

Monday November 6th 2017

Fight to the finish in New Jersey & Virginia Gubernatorial races as final polls have both basically ties

There was a hectic weekend of campaigning in both New Jersey and Virginia ahead of the Guberatorial elections on Tuesday.

Final polling has both elections in effective ties. In New Jersey Republican Congressman Jack Fowler leads 43-42 in the poll of polls over Democratic Newark Mayor Kelly Hoffman, whilst in Virginia the final poll of polls shows Democratic candidate Richmond Mayor Bobby Tyler leading former White House Director Leg Affairs Cliff Calley 45-43.

Calley was out campaigning in the state with current incumbent Joel McKissock, before being joined by President Walken in a surprise campaign rally in Fredericksburg on Sunday. Bobby Tyler was being supported by the Commonwealth's two Democratic Senator's Brandon Jefferies and Lou Thornton, and West Virginia Governor Chuck Black.

In New Jersey Kelly Hoffman was joined on the campaign trail by former Governor Kate Crossley and her son Alex who is running for Democratic Senate nomination, along with the current Governor Annie Long who decided not seek a second term. Congressman Fowler was joined at a rally in Newark taking the fight was he said "into Mayor Hoffman's backyard" by New York Governor Rob Cole, Maryland Governor Owen Wells and Pennsylvania Governor Morgan Mitchell.

 

[disputed]

nbs.com, Tuesday November 7th

Thorn Arrival In New Jersey Marks Growing Confidence, on both sides

In a surprise appearance New York Senator Andrew Thorn, who is fast emerging as the new front runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination, stumped for New Jersey Gubernatorial candidate Kelly Hoffman as signs looked increasingly promising for the Democrat candidate in tonight’s off year election.

Thorn has appeared somewhat reluctant to engage in front line campaigning beyond focusing on his own bid for the White House but the thrilled the crowd in Edison, NJ attacking “out of touch” Republican contender Jonathan Fowler and linking him to the “same failed thinking that has hollowed out the middle class across our country.”

The appearance marks a significant change in tact for the Thorn campaign and in the response they are receiving across the country. California Senator Sam Seaborn has led in most polls for almost a year but with a lacklustre campaign so far Thorn now sits atop the majority of surveys. With that lead is coming significant endorsement support and an appearance with Hoffman shows that the party’s candidates are increasingly keen to be seen with the man they feel is in the ascendancy.

 

[disputed]

politico.com, Tuesday November 7th

Seaborn Campaign “collapsing” under the weight of serious staff in-fighting

After almost a year as the undisputed front-runner for the Democratic nomination, suddenly California Senator Sam Seaborn doesn’t have his problems to seek and reports from an anonymous source suggest things may be teetering on the brink of collapse.

The source told Politico that the entire campaign has been blighted by a series of ongoing debates over strategy and positioning by senior advisors. Erstwhile Campaign Manager Ryan Pierce has fought valiantly to hold the warring factions together but is described in the article as “a lamb trying to mediate a pack of lions.”

The suggestion appears to be that former Bartlet allies Josh Lyman and CJ Cregg are pushing entirely different strategies and the result is a campaign rife with mistrust and communication issues. Cregg believes that Seaborn needs to distance himself somewhat from his previous time in the White House as part of the Bartlet and Santos administrations and focus on the future agenda whilst Lyman believes it’s the candidate’s experience that is his key selling point. “It’s chaos, the message changes every day, the delivery changes, the tone changes depending on who is in the room.” It's also thought that Sam's old mentor, disgraced White House communications Director Toby Ziegler has been playing an informal role in communication.

With a New York Times poll out over the weekend showing Seaborn falling 6 points behind New York Senator Andrew Thorn the concern in Orange County continues to grow but there is no suggestion that a clear strategy is emerging. “The Senator is playing very well on the ground, he’s a natural communicator and he’s really taken to retail politics – but the big stuff, the vision is almost entirely missing.”

 

[Marky Bunny]

Wednesday November 8th 2017

Tyler wins big in Virginia, "Too Close to Call" in New Jersey as recount looks certain

Democratic Mayor of Richmond Bobby Tyler was victorious in the Virginia gubernatorial election.

With 96% of the vote counted Tyler leads Cliff Calley by 55.21% to 45.06%, a margin of over ten points a far bigger win than the final polls had been suggesting.

Meanwhile in New Jersey, the race is a virtual dead heat, with 97% of the votes counted, Democratic Mayor of Newark, Kelly Hoffman leads Republican Congressman Jack Fowler by just over 300 votes. It seems certain that the race is heading towards a state wide recount once all the votes have been counted.

 

[teg]

politico.com, Tuesday November 7th

Seaborn Campaign “collapsing” under the weight of serious staff in-fighting

Yeah he isn't going to last very deep into the primaries.

teg

 

[Marky Bunny]

Wednesday November 8th 2017

New Jersey re-count underway

A full state-wide recount is underway in the New Jersey gubernatorial election. With all the votes counted Mayor Kelly Hoffman has a lead of 433 votes over Congressman Jack Fowler (1,043,959 votes to 1,043,526 votes, a margin of 0.01%). Former Police Offier George Decker running as an Independent polled 2.39% of the vote (51,234 votes).

 

[Marky Bunny]

Thursday November 9th 2017

New Jersey Gubernatorial election to come down to "two disputed counties" after state-wide recount

The New Jersey gubernatorial race is likely to be decided by further re-counts in just two counties.

A state-wide recount has seen Mayor Hoffmans lead shrink from 433 votes to 179 votes. Both campaigns then asked for a further re-count each, the Democrats in Mercer County and the Republicans in Passaic County. A spokesman for the Fowler campaign said "We want all the votes counted, it is clear after the state-wide recount that we have the momentum, and we believe that the Congressman will be the winner of this election". No-one from the Hoffman was prepared to speak to NBS, other than the official statement that was released giving notice of the request of a re-count in Mercer County.

 

[Marky Bunny]

Friday November 10th 2017

Still no Result from New Jersey Gubernatorial race

The result of the New Jersey gubernatorial election remains on a absolute knife-edge this morning.

Official recounts from two counties, Mercer and Passaic have resulted in Mayor Kelly Hoffman's lead being reduced to just 97 votes out of over 2 million votes cast. The closest margin US gubernatorial election history came back way back in 1912 when the Kansas gubernatorial race was decided by just 29 votes. Rumours are that 105 years later this election could be as close.

Neither campaign at the moment has any intention of conceding the election, and the New Jersey Secretary of State, Alison Roper (a Democrat) said the process "would take as long as possible to get the result the people voted for".

 

[disputed]

desmoinesregister.com, Saturday November 11th

Seven Takeaways From the Iowa Democrats JJ Dinner

It was a fascinating night in Des Moines last night as the leading Democratic Presidential candidates gathered for the annual Jefferson Jackson dinner - often a key date in the race for the first in the nation caucus now only two months away.

The night is unlikely to be seen as a game changer but did certainly cemented the race into the two front runners, the two outside bets and the rest as the top five candidates spoke to a packed audience.

Here are the seven biggest takeaways:

1. Iowa Democrats are more and more certain it’s a two horse race and seem to be splitting between those prepared to stick with Sam Seaborn despite his recent mis-steps and a ever increasing number of donors and members openly backing New York’s Andrew Thorn.
2. The top two candidates performed well. Thorn was punchy, direct, highly focused in his attacks on the Walken administration, he’s growing into his role as the front runner and his ever growing war chest makes him look formidable. Perhaps the most interesting story of the night though circled around Seaborn who reportedly ripped up his speech thirty minutes before going on stage, rewrote it himself and delivered his best speech of the campaign. he channeled his former boss President Bartlet in the “not nearly enough” segment of the speech.
3. Rudi Robinson isn’t out of the race, at least not in the Hawkeye State. At one point the former Indiana Pacer NBA star looked like he might be on the road to being the countries first ever African American President but he’s always lack to oratory flair needed to catapult him into the top tier. Last night he gave by far his best performance of the campaign, he attacked both President Walken and his chief opponents for being “completely out of touch with everyday Americans” and renewed his call for a single payer healthcare system.
4. Kurt Carner isn’t going to be the nominee. The Montana Governor was booed for criticising Robinson’s “naive believe that the state can cure all ills” and saying that “America doesn’t want socialised medicine”. He’s a very capable performer and could compete where other Democrats stand no chance but it’s tough to see exactly how he thought he’d win the nomination.
5. Paris Stray made a big impact despite not getting on the stage. She protested the snub by taking out a ten minute TV ad on local TV and delivered an epic rant on how the race was slanted in favour of “establishment, chosen candidates”. Stray has grown significantly in this race - she’s not going to win, but she’ll be the name on many lips when the party starts talking VP.
6. The biggest disappointment was Pennsylvania’s Michael Kellner. His everyman routine has played pretty well in Iowa but somehow on a big stage it seemed to shrink him, his lack of charisma makes these kind of set piece his major achilles heel and while he sits next to Robinson as the candidates who could spring a surprise if Thorn and Seaborn stumble his path seems less clear.
7. It’s clear the gloves are coming off. Whether it was Robinson hitting the front runners, Thorn continuing his taunt that Seaborn thinks he should be “coronated” or all of the candidates taking a shot at the new front runner’s wealth it’s clear we’re entering the final straight, as desperation sets in expect the nasty level to continue to grow.

 

[Marky Bunny]

Saturday November 11th 2017

Republicans urge Fowler to concede New Jersey election as Hoffman's lead goes back up after latest re-count

As the result of the New Jersey Governors race is no closer to being formally announced, NBS understands that several high profile Republicans have called on Congressman Jack fowler to concede the election. A second state-wide recount now has Mayor Hoffman ahead by 148 votes, but the Secretary of State Alison Roper declared today that she was" not happy that still all vote cast had actually been counted" she sent home election officials to return on Monday.

The 2006 VP nominee Ray Sullivan is understood to have called Congressman Fowler today and told him that he should "bow out gracefully" whilst his friend Maryland Governor Owen Wells we understand said that it does "look very likely that you have lost it, although only by a hundred or so votes".

No-one from the Fowler campaign was available for comment tonight.

 

[TWWFan]

politico.com
November 12, 2017

The Seaborn Campaign and the death of the Bartlet Democrats

In 2010, after Matt Santos was defeated in his reelection bid by President Glen Allen Walken, the Bartlet Democrats, the moderate-liberal wing of the party named for former President Bartlet, seemed poised to make a resurgence. CJ Cregg, Bartlet's Chief of Staff, was being rumored to run for every available office in her native Ohio. Josh Lyman, Bartlet's Deputy Chief of Staff and Santos' Chief of Staff, left the Santos Administration to become Chairman of the DNC. Sam Seaborn, Bartlet's Deputy Communications Director during his first term, and Matthew Santos' Deputy Chief of Staff, had been elected to represent his home state of California in the United States Senate. Will Bailey, who served as Bartlet's Deputy Communications Director, Vice President Bob Russell's Chief of Staff, as well as Russell's campaign chair in his unsuccessful bid to become the party's 2006 nominee for President, before ultimately returning to work as Bartlet's Communications Director, was making a name for himself as a congressman from Oregon. The stage seemed set for someone from the Bartlet wing to become the Democrats' 2018 nominee.

That someone was supposed to be Senator Sam Seaborn.

Seaborn's campaign has been poorly organized and ineffective from the start. Facing an unexpectedly strong challenge from Andrew Thorn, the Seaborn campaign has withered when hit with tough questions and has seemed determined to get in its own way. Leaks about potential VP choices have made Seaborn seem arrogant, and stories of infighting between CJ Cregg and and Josh Lyman, his close friends and former co-workers, has killed all momentum. To make matters worse, the Seaborn campaign seems to have no position on Toby Ziegler, the controversial White House Communications Director who was fired by President Bartlet after he leaked information about the existence of a top-secret military space shuttle. Many consider Ziegler as an end-justifies-the-means hero, but many others consider him a traitor for leaking state secrets and leaving President Bartlet and Ms Cregg out to dry. Ziegler, as Senator Seaborn's former boss in the White House, is rumored to have strong influence within the campaign, which frustrates many Democrats.

Seaborn has been accused of assuming the nomination would be his, and it's been a total detriment to his campaign. If he wants to turn it around, he needs to undergo complete and total overhaul of his campaign. Otherwise, he might squander the last, best chance the Bartlet Democrats have at taking back control of the White House, and by extension, the Democratic Party.

 

[disputed]

nbs.com, Monday November 13th

Senate Confirms Quincy As Walken Leaves Supreme Court Legacy

After a surprisingly contentious confirmation process Solicitor General Joe Quincy was this morning confirmed to the Supreme Court, filling the seat vacated by the retirement of Justice David Dreifort. The final vote tally was 76-22 – with significantly more opposition than the White House expected including three Republican Senators, Sam Wilkinson of Kansas, Davis Roberts of Texas and Barbara Layton of North Carolina.

Mr Quincy released a statement immediately afterwards thanking the President and speaking of his “deep honour and humble gratitude” at being confirmed. The White House also made a statement saying that Quincy would be an “exceptional Justice”.

The opposition seemed to be led by the more liberal elements of the Democrats with votes against being registered by the likes of Virginia’s Brandon Jeffries, Washington’s Andrew Howard and Clare McAuley of Delaware. The Republican opposition appeared to centre around previous statements by Quincy that he “had no interest in revisiting” Roe vs Wade.

With Quincy confirmed in what is likely to be President Walken’s last appointment to the court, the White House can take stock in the significant role that the President has taken in reshaping the court for the immediate future. His three appointees, Justice Judith Rand, Justice Howard Weston and no Justice Quincy has swung the court to the right for the first time in decades but most observers will point that his decision to avoid activist judges and focus on wider experience bodes well.

Democrats remain frustrated that the court has moved against them and that with Rand, Quincy, Weston, Mulready and Hoyt none of whom is older than 62 that it will be sometime before they can reclaim their dominance. That the court now only contains two true liberal Justices – Bartlet appointees Evelyn Lang and Robert Mendoza and one moderate liberal in Santos appointee Edward Appleton that a future Democrat President will face an uphill battle to deliver significant social change.

 

[disputed]

 

[disputed]

washingtonpost.com, Tuesday November 14th

The Mix, Senate Line

It’s a long shot for the Democrats to reclaim control of the Senate but they’ve certainly has some good luck as of late. Arizona looks more competitive than expected, in Indiana former Governor Stephen Kendrick took a pass, Wisconsin’s Nolan Kinnaird can’t get out of his own way and the less said about Charlie Forrester the better. Still with a deficit to overturn made worse by very tough ground in Montana and North Dakota Majority Leader Cody Riley looks comfortable in his post for a few years to come.

So to the line……

10. Georgia (R): The remarkable story of Senator Charlie Forrester’s affair with the wife of the man he succeeded in the office and the revelation that Debbie Cameron shared campaign information with Forrester has thrown this race into doubt. Some Republicans want Nick Cameron to contest the primary with Forrester but Senior Senator Max Lobell and Governor Mike Schofield have both apparently intervened in an attempt to avoid what they see as potential catastrophe. Either way, this suddenly looks like it could be competitive. Democrats are throwing their efforts into enticing one of the state’s well known Congressmen into the race. Jesse Heyward of the the 2nd District and Michael Albright of the 12th are the dream candidates, they’ve both left it late but it as of Monday Albright looked all but certain to declare.

9. Minnesota (R): Senator John Roscoe’s decision to rejoin the GOP drops this race well down the line. He is still likely to face a tough election battle but the removal of the risk of a three way contest is a huge boost to his chances. He will however face a primary as conservative State Senator Tate Marker has thrown his hat into the ring but that’s a challenge he’ll expect to see off.

8. Florida (R): It’s tough to know if Seth Randall can hold on. Some thought he’d retire, his approval ratings are (slightly) underwater, but Randall is one of Washington’s great survivors, he has fans in his party and no shortage of enemies but what’s for sure is that he won’t go quietly. His machine has viciously attacked billionaire Congressman Brian Wayne who is contesting the primary – although increasingly “contested” may be relative. The General looks equally tough with a three way contest underway for the Democratic nod. Any of Congressman John Tandy, who narrowly lost in 2010, Congresswomen Lucy Royle or fellow representative Alicia DeSantos look like serious challengers. A brutal contest beckons.

7. Virginia (D): The announcement that former Governor Rob Buchanan intends to seek the seat currently held by liberal firebrand Brandon Jeffries makes for a potentially combustible battle in the Commonwealth. Buchanan maintains high name recognition and left office with a 65% approval rating. Jeffries ability to court controversy hasn’t played brilliantly at home so he’s certainly vulnerable – the Democrats will plough money into the race but it’ll be close.

6. Indiana (D): Indiana is shaping up to be the marquee battle of the cycle after Lieutenant Governor Kris Jennings confirmed that he was running. He’s picked up the endorsements of current Governor Emily Rudden and her predecessor (and former Treasury Secretary) Stephen Kendrick and has established himself as the clear front runner. Jennings is a formidable opponent at the best of times but with Senator Robinson embroiled in a run for the White House the GOP undoubtedly fancy their chances in the Hoosier State.

5. West Virginia (D): Attorney General Sam Hedrick is the heavy favourite to win the Republican primary despite a crowded field. If he avoids any mistakes the AG looks well placed against first term Senator Michel Higgins who has been a somewhat unremarkable Senator though has maintained his popularity by thumbing his nose at the more liberal elements of his party.

4. Arizona (R): Louise MacDonald’s support of amnesty has thrown the Republican race into chaos. The incumbent is suddenly vulnerable in a primary against. Immigration hawk Henry Stern is gaining ground and a shock is certainly possible. The Democrats have their own contested Primary to navigate with Party State Chairman Ed Martell and former Congressman Tony McMichael trying to fend off local TV newscaster Bobby Mills.

3. Wisconsin (R): With Congressman Drake Hedley passing, former political talk show host Nate Bradshaw is the favorite for the Democratic nomination. He’s backed by his wife Nicole Henderson and looks to have cleared the field of serious competition. Bradshaw will face an able opponent in Nolan Kinnaird but there is no shortage of opposition research to throw at the incumbent. A close race for sure but clearly the Democrats number one pick up target.

2. Montana (D): With veteran former Senator George Wirth running well ahead of incumbent Stephanie Leary in polls, the hopes of Democrats seem to lean on the possibility that Leary stands aside for outgoing Governor Kurt Carner once his run for the White House is over or that Wirth is somehow upset by conservative challenger Donnie Atkins. Neither looks likely and Wirth looks on track to return to Washington where he spent 24 years representing the state before retiring in 2012.

1. North Dakota (D): With Governor Jamie Mueller in, Senator Jay Mattock is in series trouble. Polls give the Governor a solid lead and while the DNC and DSCC and prepared to commit resources to help Mueller’s popularity it looks very much like this is strongly in the column of Republican pick-up.

 

[Marky Bunny]

Wednesday November 15th 2017

Fowler "Ready to concede" New Jersey election

NBS understands that Congressman Jack Fowler is ready to concede the New Jersey gubernatorial election to Newark Mayor Kelly Hoffman.

A week of recounts, and the finding of some "missing ballots" left Congressman Fowler trailing Mayor Hoffman by 336 votes as last night, although the state government was "not ready, just yet" to formally announce the result. A Fowler campaign insider today NBS "The senior players in the Fowler campaign have been urging the Congressman to concede the ekection, and feel now his ready to do that within the next day or so".

 

[Star Eater]

There really ought to be more updates on stuff besides "this election" and "that election." It's difficult to care about them when you've little idea what's actually happening beyond elections; it's a trap that so many political TLs fall into

 

[KingCrawa]

There really ought to be more updates on stuff besides "this election" and "that election." It's difficult to care about them when you've little idea what's actually happening beyond elections; it's a trap that so many political TLs fall into

The West Wing itself didn't tend to tell us what was happening beyond the Beltway.

 

[Marky Bunny]

There really ought to be more updates on stuff besides "this election" and "that election." It's difficult to care about them when you've little idea what's actually happening beyond elections; it's a trap that so many political TLs fall into

I have tried to give you a broad overview of the world at large who is in power, etc. I and my fellow writers have done loads of background stories for the UK, and to a lesser degree the US.
I think we give a good overview of the political scene in the United States and the UK (and to a lesser degree China, Russia, Iran, Canada, Germany and Australia).

As in the real world, news does focus on elections, especially as we head into a "Double Presidential Nomination" contest.

This is a political timeline with elections, but I think we have done some good stuff on the issues in the US (The rebalancing of the Supreme Court, Roe v Wade, Immigration, terrorism) & in the UK (The EU, Railways policy, Equal marriage & the Church of England), that is actually quite a lot when you think about it.