2018 Presidential Election
- Thread starter Marky Bunny
- Start date
I should have been more clear that is my fault, he is my favorite but I suspect it will be somebody we never think of. Also how often is the press wrong on favorites? I mean
It will be C.J’s goldfish
I kid
BTW have a happy 4th of July
No problems. It is safe to say it will be someone on that list, no-one else. That is why it is such a long list (27 names), it was nearly 30 names, but three got dropped off.
Turns out that Senate rejection is going to be similar to Francis Urquhart being denied a Cabinet portfolio in House of Cards (the good one) and lead to similar results.
I'm just wondering if Stockard Channing has the strength to toss a journalist from the Capitol Building like we planned.
This is obviously a joke.
mspence
Banned
Seaborn Celebrates 4th
President Seaborn at the Lincoln Memorial, July 4
GNN Newswire-President Seaborn commemorated Independence Day with a speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington Saturday as he prepared to celebrate the holiday weekend with his family. In his speech, Seaborn praised past presidents of both parties while calling on Americans to "remember and cherish the rights that are held by all Americans."
President Seaborn avoided mention of either the Supreme Court's same-sex ruling or the possibility of DC statehood in his speech, however some commentators have taken his remarks as references to both in what could become contentious midterm election-year issues.
Following the brief speech, President Seaborn met with veterans and their families, before returning to the White House with the First Lady and their children.
President Seaborn at the Lincoln Memorial, July 4
GNN Newswire-President Seaborn commemorated Independence Day with a speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington Saturday as he prepared to celebrate the holiday weekend with his family. In his speech, Seaborn praised past presidents of both parties while calling on Americans to "remember and cherish the rights that are held by all Americans."
President Seaborn avoided mention of either the Supreme Court's same-sex ruling or the possibility of DC statehood in his speech, however some commentators have taken his remarks as references to both in what could become contentious midterm election-year issues.
Following the brief speech, President Seaborn met with veterans and their families, before returning to the White House with the First Lady and their children.
Monday, July 6th, 2020
Supreme Court Justice Rachel Carmine announces retirement
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Rachel Carmine has announced today that she will retire from the Supreme Court, giving President Sam Seaborn his first chance to affect the make up of the Supreme Court.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve for 30 years in the federal judiciary, 22 of them on the Supreme Court." Carmine said in a statement. Her retirement, according to her statement, will take effect at noon on July 31, after which she will be on senior status.
The most senior female justice on the Court, Carmine was the fifth (and final) justice appointed by President Owen Lassiter, taking office in 1998. Unlike the president who appointed her, Carmine was a moderate when she took office, the result, Lassiter's biographer Bob Fitzgerald says "of a president weary of another fierce confirmation battle [with the Democrats who controlled the Senate at the time]." Carmine remained a crucial swing vote in her early years on the Court, although she drifted further to the left before joining the liberal wing during the mid-2010s after Glen Allen Walken's three appointments shifted the court to the right.
Carmine was notable for being the first justice from Hawaii and the only Supreme Court justice to have been an eyewitness to the attack on Pearl Harbor, albeit as a three year-old child with her only memory of the attack being "how scared [her] parents were" and hearing distant sounds of explosions and gunfire. At age 81, she was frequently speculated as planning to retire to give a Democratic president a chance to inject new blood into the court.
Well, since the Republicans control the Senate, Seaborn won't be able to nominate anyone too far to the left.
Thursday, July 9th, 2020
Who's on President Seaborn's list to replace Rachel Carmine?
Supreme Court Justice Rachel Carmine's announcement on Monday that she will retire from the Supreme Court, effective July 31, has opened the floodgate to speculation on who President Sam Seaborn will nominate to replace her.
This vacancy will be Seaborn's first chance to affect the make-up of the nation's highest court, something that became a rallying point for Democrats since the court shifted to the right after three appointments by Glen Allen Walken. Seaborn campaigned on making sure the nation's judiciary "is full of wise and talented men and women whose composition reflects our increasing diversity", a pledge to appoint more women and minorities to the federal judiciary. Because only one justice (Roberto Mendoza) is an ethnic minority, speculation is heavy that the president is interested in appointing an African-American, or other ethnic minority, to the court. But there are also plenty of rumors that the president is instead focusing exclusively on female candidates regardless of race, in order to keep the court's current gender balance.
Here are the seven people who have been labelled as the favorites to succeed Justice Carmine:
Derrick Adams of Illinois, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit: Appointed to the Seventh Circuit by Matthew Santos, Adams was mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee in the event of either a second Santos term, or if Jimmy Fitzsimmons had prevailed in the 2014 election. Known for his incisive opinions and previous career as the principal of an inner-city high school, Adams, 63, is seen as a firm liberal.
Ruth Sandberg Cutler of New York, president of Harvard Law School: If Matthew Santos had his way, Cutler would have been a federal judge. But unfortunately, her nomination was stalled long enough by the Republicans that it expired when a new Congress met shortly before Santos left the White House. Instead, Cutler, 57, returned to academia, where she's become one of the leading scholars on constitutional law. When she does voice her own opinions, it seems that she is in the same mold of former justice Joseph Crouch, who she clerked for as a recent law school graduate in 1988.
Olivia Emmett Franklin of South Carolina, U.S. District Court for South Carolina: Franklin, 53, was appointed to the district court by Josiah Bartlet in 2003 and took over as its chief judge last year. She took an unconventional route to the federal bench: she grew up in poverty in rural South Carolina, and became the first person in her family to graduate from college, working several jobs during both undergraduate and law school. After graduating from Harvard Law School, she spent a decade working for advocacy groups in the South before her appointment. Her views have been described as "moderate-liberal".
Ainsley Hayes of North Carolina, former White House Counsel: Hayes is currently a professor of law at the University of North Carolina, but before then worked for each of the three previous presidents, serving as White House Counsel for presidents Santos and Walken. Hayes, 52, is an outspoken conservative, but she and Seaborn are good friends from their days together in the Bartlet and Santos administrations. She would also easily pass through a Republican-controlled Senate. Hayes was spotted leaving the White House earlier today, making it possible that she has already begun to be vetted for the position.
Keisha Kersey Howard of New York, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit: It didn't surprise anyone when Josiah Bartlet named Howard to the Second Circuit in 2004. The daughter of legendary trial lawyer Bernard Kersey, Howard inherited her father's legal acumen and sharp verbal wit. Prior to joining the court, Howard, now 55, was a partner in her father's former law firm and before that, a clerk for Chief Justice Roy Ashland. She has drifted towards the center during her time on the bench, although she remains a firm opponent of tort reform.
Ronald Lin of California, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: A long-time Department of Justice attorney, Lin, 49, was one of Seaborn's first appointments to be confirmed when he was named to the bench in March 2019. Before his well-regarded time in the Justice Department, Lin clerked for former Justice Marianne Brannigan. His record during his brief time on the court indicates a liberal bent, but he has written favorably about school choice and voiced skepticism of affirmative action programs.
Terrence Watkins of Maryland, Maryland Court of Appeals: The chief judge of Maryland's state supreme court, Watkins, 61, is an outside pick for the court. He was a defense attorney in Baltimore County before becoming a trial judge, then was appointed by former governor (and current senator) Joe Derrick (D) to his position on the MD Court of Appeals. Watkins has shown a curious originalist bent to his generally liberal opinions, leading him to break ranks to join his conservative peers in certain cases, depending on the law or case law being discussed.
Thursday July 9th 2020
Senator Howard: "Hayes nomination would be a massive mistake"
Democratic Senator Andrew Howard has responded strongly to the suggestion that former White House Counsel, Ainsley Hayes is rumoured to be on President Seaborn's shortlist to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by the upcoming retirement of Associate Justice Rachel Carmine.
"If these rumours are true, and they seem to be from several sources, it would be a massive mistake. I fear that the President would only be nominating her to try and win favour the Vice-President. I struggle to see how any Democratic Senator could support Hayes to fill such a very important post".
Fellow Democratic Senator Sam McCord from South Carolina was far more cautious "We will have to look at whom the President decides to nominate and judge that person on his or her merits. Republican Senator Michael Rojas told NBS "The President knows he has to make a choice which has to pass the Senate, and the Republicans Senators will need a sensible, moderate choice, not a Liberal activist judge" when he was asked about the President's believed shortlist he replied "There are some interesting names, I have to say based on that list I think four of them could pass the Senate, but I am not going to say whom at the current time".
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I have a question. Is Jeff Haffley still the RNC chairman? If he is, he's been in that role almost 7 years. An awfully long time.
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I've been following this thread for a few months and as a huge fan of The West Wing, I cannot express how much I appreciate all the attention to detail and the sheer longevity of this and the previous thread. My only question is why is this universe's George Bush different from OTL? (I made an account just to ask this since I couldn't find an answer as I combed the threads.)