2010 US Presidential Election

[Marky Bunny]

US Politics.com

Wednesday June 23rd

DNC announce line-up for the Democratic convention in Jackonsville

The DNC has announced it's line-up of speakers for the DNC to be held in Jackonsville, Florida.
There are few suprises although Monday night is given to two people who have been less than supportive of President Santos, former Secretary of State, Lewis Berryhill and Former Vice-President Bob Russell.

Democratic National Convention​

Jacksonville-Florida, Monday July 26th to Thursday July 29th​

Monday July 26th
Primary:
- Lewis Berryhill, former Secretary of State
- D. Wire Newman, former President of the United States
- Robert Russell, Former vice President of the United States
- Carol Gelsey, Congresswoman from Florida

Others:
- Michael Dashowitz, Senator from New York
- C.J. Cregg, former White House Chief of Staff
- Noah Gellman, Congressman from Virginia
- Mike Franco, Secretary of Defense
- Joanne White, Senator from Hawaii
- Josh Lyman, DNC Chair
- Kurt Breech, Governor of New Hampshire
- Andi Wyatt, candidate for Senator from Maryland
- Dale Killey, former Senator from Alabama (via satellite)
- Simon Ratner, candidate for Governor of New Mexico
- William Wiley, Senator from Washington
- George Montgomery, Senator from Illinois
- Mark Hanson, former Senator from Wisconsin
- Laura Connolly, Governor of Iowa
- 10 other Gaza and Kazakhstan military veterans and veterans' family members

Tuesday July 27th
Primary:
- KEYNOTE ADDRESS : Sam Seaborn, candidate for Senator from California
- Mark Sellner, Speaker of the House
- Jed Bartlet, former President (via satellite, with former First Lady Abbey Bartlet)
- Christopher Parker, Secretary of the Treasury

Others:
- Mitch Bryce, Chairman of the CEA
- Lloyd Russell, Senator from New Mexico
- Mark Katzenmoyer, Governor of Wisconsin
- Justine Avery, Senator from California
- Larry Barton, candidate for Governor of Alabama
- David Kuhio, Mayor of Honolulu
- Cal Tillinghouse, Congressman from Texas
- 9 local politicians (from around the country), and minor party chairmen and some civilian economists

Wednesday July 28th
Primary:
- VP ACCEPTANCE : Wendell Tripplehorn, Vice President of the United States
- Eric Baker, former Vice President (introduces Tripplehorn)
- John Hoynes, former Vice President
- Ryan Lyndell, Senator from Massachusetts

Others:
- Roland Pierce, Jr., Mayor of Quincy, MA (to discuss his ill father)
- Mallory O'Brian (to discuss her father, Leo McGarry)
- Ron Avery, Former Mayor of Ithaca
- Nate Singer, White House Chief of Staff
- 9 other businessman and fundraisers

Thursday July 29th
Primary:
- PRESIDENTIAL ACCEPTANCE: Matt Santos, President of the United States
- Helen Santos, First Lady (introduces Santos)
- Andrew Thorn, Senator from New York
- Will Bailey, Congressman from Oregon

Others:
- Bobby Rimmer, Governor of Arkansas
- Tom Grissom, Senator from Washington
- Maria Lopez, White House Press Secretary
- 5 others (non-politicians)

 

[urisade]

WEDNESDAY, JUN 23, 2010 10:53 PM

Sportsfan-in-Chief: President Santos in South Africa

President Matthew Santos poses for the cameras outside Pretoria

PRETORIA, South Africa - The sheer joy showed in his eyes. President of the United States Matthew Santos almost teared up following Landon Donovan's 91st minute goal in yesterday's Group C match against Algeria. Immediately after the game, Santos and a few close aides (including Chief of Staff Nate Singer) were escorted down to the locker room to talk to the US Men's National Soccer Team.

The American players, overcome with happiness, gave Santos a standing ovation. Many hugged the President, high-fived the man, showing love to America's commander-in-chief.

After quieting down the American team, Santos had this to say:

"Men, you did your country proud. The millions watching at home in the states will never forget the sacrifice and effort all of you you put into this game.You may have been denied opportunities by the officiating staff, but you did not let that drag you down. You proved the character of America, the determination of a country to prove itself. And I applaud you all for that. You are all number one in my book!"

Santos immediately received another round of a applause from the team. He circulated the locker room, shaking hands, talking to the players, and posing for pictures with the then-shirtless, celebratory team.

Santos left the locker room soon thereafter en route to Johannesburg International Airport, where Air Force One was waiting, but not before talking to some American fans along the way.

"It was unbelievable" said Michael Barr, of Pittsburgh, PA, "We were just here to watch the games, and then we won, and on top of that President Santos himself talked to us! This couldn't get better!" However, Santos' secret service detail discouraged wading into the crowds, and soon he was ushered into his car and whisked away to the airport.

Air Force One took off at approximately 3:00 AM local time, and is expected to land in Washington at 5:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.

 

[urisade]

Swampland.
A Blog About Politics.

How Alexander Could Win It All

Posted by Jay Bose

When most people heard the announcement on March 22nd, they forsaw another failed independent run in the making. General Nicholas Dwight Alexander was not the first American to attempt to run as an independent, and odds are that we won't be the last either. Time and time again independents have come up, but have failed to be truly competitive. True, George Wallace might have garnered Electoral Votes in 1968, and so did Strom Thurmond in 1948, but these men were merely symbolic of a minority of American citizens raging at the machine. They never would have been able to capture the White House.

But this time there is a independent candidate of a different caliber. In fact, you might say that the closest analogue to Nicholas Alexander would be Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, though Alexander has a ways to go in terms of popularity. But he can get there. There are a few things that Alexander could do which would, in effect, make him competitive against Santos and Walken.

1) Focus on the Fundamentals - It's not a secret that General Nicholas Alexander provides a different outlook than the other two candidates. While Santos and Walken have spent a majority of their lives in Congress (although Santos has war experience, it is trumped by Alexander easily), Alexander hasn't, and that could be something his campaign could exploit, becoming the ultimate 'outsider' who could change up the political game in Washington. Plus, the United States still has troops stationed in Israel and Kazakhstan, so someone with military experience could be best adept at handling those situations. If Alexander hits the ground running from the foreign affairs standpoint then he could take away the best case Republicans usually have for office - military might. If he is able to do that, it might get Alexander neck-and-neck with Walken, but he would need to....

2) Chart a Social Agenda The unfortunate thing for Alexander is that his candidacy is very much similar to that of Walken when it comes to social issues. However, he would be smart to place himself in the center, proving a viable option to what is largely a center-right country, away from the policies of the left and Matthew Santos, and not quite like Walken, who is further to the right. If Alexander can set himself as the social moderate, as someone whose willing to replicate the days of peace of the past, as he has already said that he wants to continue the legacy of the Bartlet days. But, to do that he'll need to...

3) Get Money, Lots and lots of Money As current estimates will tell us, Alexander currently comes in third in terms of fundraising, behind Walken and Santos. But it's not a very close third. In the month of May, Walken raised an estimated 41 million, followed by Santos' 37 million dollars. In that same month, Alexander only managed to raise 13 million dollars. However, that number is up from 7 million in the previous month for Alexander. What Alexander needs is a high-profile financier, a character like Frank Hollis, the American billionaire who, it was rumored, once offered CJ Cregg 10 Billion dollars to fight a cause of her choice. Hollis has a knack for independent candidates, and has endorsed them in smaller races. If he gave Alexander his endorsement (and more importantly, his money) the race could be blown wide open.

There you have it people, three things that Alexander could do to blow this race wide open and get his own chance to take the White House. It might also help if he dumped Woodside, but that's not a requirement, Woodside is still trending very high in public opinion polls among the elderly communities.

If the Alexander campaign follows these steps, it just might have a chance this November. It already committed massive funds to campaign strategist Bruno Gianelli, whose track record is nothing less than impressive.

 

[Westbrook 49]

washingtonpost.com

The Mix.

With the upcoming Speakership election tomorrow, The Mix is going to do one last Speaker Stakes. To be honest, this is one of the coolest, strangest phenomenons I've ever seen in Washington history, even though much of the press is overlooking it.

5: Jim Arkin(R-Idaho). No, I haven't lost my mind. Arkin is an extreme longshot, but if he gets the Independents to swing to his side, he'll have a majority-Albeit an extremely thin one. But Arkin would have to use a lot of political capital in order to convince enough Representatives to back him as the Speaker.

4: Becky Reeseman(D-Michigan). Reeseman has yet to endorse any candidate, though it's widely believed that Gelsey has an edge in getting her support. However, Reeseman is one of the biggest opportunists on Capitol Hill, and with eyes toward a larger office, she will most likely back whichever candidate gives her the most political currency.

3: Mark Sellner(D-Massachussetts). Sellner has rallied quite nicely in the past few days, and being named as a speaker at the Democratic National Convention hasn't hurt his profile. But Sellner's basic problems-A troublesome election at home, combined with distrust in the caucus and tepid, back-and-forth support from the White House-continue to haunt him.

2: Mark Richardson(D-New York). With Sellner's resurgence and Gelsey's dominance, Richardson has been deprived of a lot of media attention. But with a solid coalition behind him, Richardson could be a compromise choice. My read is that Richardson is looking for a more advanced leadership position in the House and Party as a whole, and might-Might!-be willing to accept a position as 2nd banana.

1: Carol Gelsey(D-Florida). The acknowledged front-runner, Gelsey has put herself forward not only as a excellent Speaker candidate, but a leader for the Democratic Party as a whole. Unless a major bombshell emerges-or somebody cuts a deal-Gelsey will be the Speaker tomorrow, and you can look for her to shake things up. Though she's a confirmed liberal, she's also practical, and an ally of DCCC Chair Noah Gellman. If Walken wins, he'll have a determined opponent, and if Santos is reelected, Gelsey will be a great partner-But not a White House stooge either.

Tomorrow will be a busy day on Capitol Hill.

 

[urisade]

Walken Gaffe about US Men's National Team?

June 24th, 2010
Sun Times Media Wire

Republican nominee for President and former Acting President Glen Allen Walken was in Chicago today meeting with Republican leaders and local figures. He spent a majority of his time in the northern surburbs, which become pivotal 'swing' areas during the election.

During a visit to Glencoe, Illinois, the former Acting President held a mini-town hall with local citizens who had gathered to see the Republican nominee. He answered many of their questions, ranging from his policy on Kazakhstan to Taxation.

However, one question stood out to all those involved.

Little Tom Rojens, of nearby Highland Park, asked Walken, "Were you happy when Donovan kicked that ball into the net?"

Walken paused for a moment, and then another moment. It seemed that he did not recognize the name Donovan, obviously a reference to USA Men's National Soccer Team Captain Landon Donovan, who had scored in the 91st minute to secure the United States passage into the next round of the FIFA World Cup.

After about three to five minutes, Walken, who had broken his trance, replied with "Yes." And then proceeded to leave immediately thereafter. That led to mixed opinions among local residents gathered there.

"He seemed almost robotic on that last question," said Bradley Johnson, of Glencoe, "maybe he was just having an off-day."

Other residents wondered if Walken was even aware of the World Cup at all, and one citizen who preferred not to be named said that "We don't need another leader who doesn't care about the passion of the world, this may just be soccer, but it's the beginning of so much more if he acts like this."

Fortunately, local Congressman Jasper Irving (R - IL 10) was on hand to return the jubilant mood of the crowd. Irving made statements reaffirming Walken's commitment to American values and tough stance on foreign policy, two very important things the people of the 10th Congressional District believe.

However, time will tell if this interview will have much of an impact upon Walken and the campaign. It certainly wasn't his best.

 

[urisade]

Tom Cruise as United States Congressman Jasper Irving, Republican from the 10th District of Illinois

 

[urisade]

The Huffington Post Blog, June 24, 2010

I Guess Soccer Isn't an 'American' Sport?

Or so former Acting President and Republican nominee for President would have us believe. Glen Allen Walken, during a visit to a state that he truly has little chance to carrying next fall, made a major gaffe. In fact, this could only be rivaled by then-Republican Nicholas Alexander's scream during the primaries. Actually, the General's scream was more explainable.

I'm going to go off on a limb that Walken did not watch the USA-Algeria match, which was the pivotal game of the world cup. In fact, it has already been declared by several sports pundits to be one of the best games of all time, beaten only by the Miracle on Ice. For a candidate whose party thrives off the nostalgia and the 'US can beat anyone' mentality, you'd think that this would be right up Walken's alley. But I guess not.

Maybe Walken had better things to on Wednesday morning, but he had no rallies planned until after the scheduled game. Maybe he wanted to sleep in? Doesn't want to end up breaking his hand like Vinick during the '06 election. Is it just me or do the Republicans have a knack of nominating candidates with some sort of major flaw - Vinick with his age and health, and then now Walken, with, well, if you can't figure it out, just think it over for a minute. He's not exactly a Jenny Craig spokesman.

But back to my main point: for someone who plans to represent the United States of America on a global level for the next four years, who will be the ambassador to a soccer-loving world, ignorance of the most popular sport on the planet is not wise. So please, Mr. Walken, know the sports teams of your country. And remember, our enemies and friends globally will judge us based upon everything, and not knowing about the worlds largest sporting event isn't a good way to make a first impression.

Oh, and Landon Donovan, he's only the best thing to happen to American soccer since, well, ever. You might want to know that.

 

[Westbrook 49]

politico.com

Democrats and Republicans Arrive on Capitol Hill for Special, Private Session of Congress; Will Determine Speaker of the House.

There is a sense of nervous anticipation as Congress gathers today to determine who will be the Speaker of the House(One writer here had a great suggestion to make it more interesting: Open it up to the public, and call it "Capitol Idol." Any takers?).

Speaker Mark Sellner is on hand, and is fighting for his job, and probably his political career along with it. Carol Gelsey has been in her office all morning, taking calls and rallying support, while Mark Richardson was seen having breakfast with several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, looking easy and relaxed.

The process today will be a long and somewhat confusing one-First, the House will go into private session, per the request of the Republicans. This is so the House parliamentarian, Thomas Sorkin, can determine who is the Majority party. After this is done, the House will take a break, to be used for some last minute dealmaking, lunch, normal business, etc. Then, whichever party is named the Majority will go into a private caucus, where they will cast secret ballots to determine who will be the next Speaker.

After that, the House will be opened to full, public session, and there will be a voice vote of all Representatives to determine which candidate will be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Today is going to be interesting, to say the least.

 

[Jay Cruger]

Guys I just discovered another Republican candidate from 2002 named Leder that we missed :

BRUNO
You don't want the money. You want the issue. [sits] You should have waited until the fall when the bell rings and then we hammer them with it. Then Kalmbach, Leder, Ross, O'Rourke, Stephens - whoever gets the nomination - has it hanging around their necks they're nicotine pushers. Plus, you get the money. The sooner you get I know what I'm talking about, and I'm on your side, the sooner your world gets better. Of course, you got the money. I'm amazed they didn't send it to you with candy and a stripper. Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio - three swing states you could have brought over with that. That's an election.

From the West WIng Script Manchester II

 

[Marky Bunny]

Friday June 25th

LASTEST ELECTION MAP

Solid Walken=157 +17
Lean Walken=74-6
Total Walken=231 + 11
Solid Santos=148+22
Lean Santos=126 -42
Total Santos=210 No Change
Toss-up=97-11

 

[Westbrook 49]

BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS


Democrats Declared House Majority as Congress Breaks; Allen, Hanson and Woodside All Caucus With Dems.

As the House broke from it's private session, House parliamentarian Thomas Sorkin declared the Democratic Party the majority, as Independents MacKenzie Allen, Stoker Hanson and Franklin Woodside all declared themselves as members of the Democratic Caucus. This gives the Dems a razors-edge one vote majority.

Now, after a short break, the Democrats will convene a private caucus, for the purposes of determining who will be the next Speaker of the House. The choice is between current Speaker Mark Sellner, Congressman Mark Richardson and Congresswoman Carol Gelsey.

 

[KahukuMan10]

ooc: Thanks Marky for putting Kuhio in the convention. Also, does anyone have a list of senate races going on? May look into going to another state.

 

[Westbrook 49]

BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS


DEMOCRATS BREAK CAUCUS; SELLNER DEPOSED AS SPEAKER; GELSEY CHOSEN AS NEW PARTY NOMINEE; VOTE TO BE HELD IN 15 MINUTES.

Mark Sellner has become part of history-He's the first Speaker of the House ever to be deposed during his term. Now, Carol Gelsey will be the party's nominee, and in a few minutes will very likely be sworn in as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The vote to elect Gelsey will be held in 15 minutes. Gelsey requires only a simple majority to gain the Speakership.

 

[Westbrook 49]

C-Span, CNN Holding Live Coverage of House Speakership Election, Follow on TV or Online.

Congresswoman Carol Gelsey has entered the Chamber of the House, and is sitting with the Democratic Congressional Delegation, waiting for her chance at history. She's oddly calm
Mark Sellner is sitting in the back, looking shell-shocked and disgusted, also like he's trying to put on a good face for the cameras.
Mark Richardson is actually the happiest seeming of them all-He's joking and laughing with Congressman Paul Chang, one of his supporters in the recent election.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are occupying their side of the aisle with a lot of quiet grimness, though there are looks over to the Democratic side. It's unknown if they will try to cause any trouble, though Jim Arkin doesn't look like he's about to explode any bombs on the floor.

 

[Westbrook 49]

BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS

Carol Gelsey Named Speaker of the House of Representatives; First Woman To Hold the Office; Surprises Come as Arkin, Templeton and Sellner Vote Yea on Election

In front of a packed House Chamber and the millions of people watching on TV, Carol Gelsey was sworn as the Speaker of the House of Representatives at 11:00 PM, the first woman ever to hold that office. Surrounded by her family and members of the Democratic Caucus, Gelsey was handed the gavel by Tim Marky, the Clerk of the House, and raised it triumphantly in the air.

What was surprising was the voting patterns of the House. Gelsey received the vote of every Democratic member of Congress, including that of Mark Sellner, the man she removed from office. She also got the votes of Independent Democrat Nathan Templeton, and perhaps most shocking of all, House Minority Leader Jim Arkin. Total, Gelsey received 225 votes for Speaker, with 4 other Republicans voting for her, while the rest of the Republicans voted "Present."

Gelsey will give a press conference tonight, and appear on several morning talk shows tomorrow.

 

[Marky Bunny]

ooc: Thanks Marky for putting Kuhio in the convention. Also, does anyone have a list of senate races going on? May look into going to another state.

Actually, to be fair Tim Thomason did the convntions line-ups.
For the senate races check with Disupted.

 

[Alexander Hamilton]

Washington Post, June 25, 2010

Rafferty Announces Convention Challenge

The long simmering feud between left leaning Senator Ricky Rafferty (D-OR) and the White House burst into the open on Thursday evening when the Senator announced on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show that she would lead a fight at the Democratic Convention in Jackonsville for a platform plank censuring Secretary of State Arnold Vinick and his policies and another resolution calling upon the Santos Administration to jettison its Free Trade program and adopt a "Fair Trade" policy.
Senator Rafferty told the MSNBC audience that the Democratic Party "must go on record as being totally opposed to this last remaining influence of the Lasssiter policies of laissez faire job destruction and imperialist over commitment".
Commenting further, the Senator said that "Matt Santos made a deal with the Devil when he invited Arnie Vinick into his Cabinet and let this Republican infiltrator dictate foreigh trade poicy as well as most aspects of diplomacy. My fight at Jacksonville will be to save the soul of the Democratic Party and to save the Santos Presidency."
There was no immediate formal reaction from either the White House or the State Department to Senator Rafferty's announcment. However, in a call from Secretary of State Vinick to this reporter, the Secretary said that pursuant to his agreement with President Santos, he would take no role in partisan politcs this election year and would therefore not attend either the GOP or Democratic National Conventions.
Secretary Vinick then stated that his plans for the week of the Democratic National Convention included spending time at his daughter's house in Carmel, California where he intended to have some Napa or Sonoma Valley wine, some California cheese and some San Francisco chocolate, all of which, he noted "were having very good export sales to China, Japan and India, at least partly as a result of Matt Santos' Free Trade Treaties with those countries."
There were also confirmed, but anonymous, reports that Democratic National Chairman Josh Lyman did not react well to Rafferty's announcement, with several sources stating that Lyman called Senator Rafferty "a publicity seeking b***h who can't stand the thought that Liz Clark is on a national ticket and she isn't and that Carol Gelsey is Speaker of the House and she is a largely, and rightly, ignored Senator."

 

[disputed]

politico.com, Friday June 25th

Walken To Attend USA vs. Ghana Match Tomorrow

Scott Garrett, a spokesman for Glen Walken, has confirmed that the Republican Presidential candidate is travelling to South Africa attend tomorrow’s World Cup fixture between the US and Ghana.

Walken was criticized earlier in the week for what many seen as a lukewarm response to the national soccer team’s victory over Algeria that saw them progress to the 2nd round of the tournament.

Garrett said “President Walken has always been a big supporter of US soccer and lobbied heavily to keep the Kansas City Wiz in his home state. He’s very disappointed by the reporting of the press conference from the other day – he had recorded the match and intended to watch it on the plane back from Illinois, his reaction was disappointment at not being able to avoid discovering the result.”

It was also confirmed that Walken will meet the team after Saturday’s game before returning the US to continue his campaign.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Yep. I was smart enough to add in Kuhio, but idiotic enough to forget about Skinner (a character I liked!). To be fair, we have kinda an overflow of Republican characters and an underflow of Democratic characters, due to the nature of the thread and Santos' incumbency.

Transcript of last night's Late Night Show with John Tompkins

JT: So this Speaker of the House thing is all the news today. You hear about this Frank?

FJ: Oh yeah.

JT: Yeah, well, I was thinking the other day. We have a hot new woman Speaker. A hot Latin President. And even a nice-looking Supreme Court Justice from a few months back. Man, if this is how we elect our leaders today, Walken has no chance.

*rimshot*

JT: Speaking of Walken, I heard he lost 60 pounds this year. And to celebrate, he gained 80.

FJ: Yeah, you're one to talk.

JT: Shut up, Frank.

 

[Marky Bunny]

Friday June 25th

LASTEST NATIONAL POLL

Walken 46%
Santos 44%
Alexander 8%
Others (Buckner, Hall) 2%