I'm sure you wall remember my
A Very Different World timeline, it got off, but I thought it was too rosy. So, I am redoing it. No need to worry though, my "Dawn of a System" TL shall continue as well. To clear things up, Edwards didn't have the specific affair that brought him down, and John McCain and Hillary Clinton did not run for President.
A Very Different World
Powell endorses Giuliani
October 13th, 2008
Former Secretary of State and General Colin Powell today endorsed Republican Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani as the polls between the two candidates remain virtually tied. Colin Powell said that
"Edwards would ruin what we have been working on in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yes, we made mistakes in the past, but I feel that Giuliani would bring us out of this mess we're in." Powell later went on to say that
"Giuliani is the future of the Republican Party. He is a moderate. Something that both the far-left and far-right need to accept is that moderate isn't a bad word, it should be a badge of honor." Powell also cited John Edwards' proposed economic policy as a reason for endorsing Giuliani, saying that Edwards would
"Drag America further into a recession." Despite this endorsement, no major improvement has been felt for Giuliani in the nationwide polls. While polling in states like Nevada, Colorado, and Indiana have improved, polling in Florida, Ohio, New York, and Virginia remain unchanged, all key states that Giuliani needs to win, or could win that would provide a big electoral boost on election day. Colin Powell will appear at several campaign events in New York over the next few weeks in support of Giuliani, as well as some other swing states like New Hampshire and Ohio.
Edwards slams Giuliani in final debate
October 15th, 2008
Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards slammed Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani on National Security and the economy during the final Presidential debate at Hofstra University in Giuliani's native New York. Edwards in particular said that
"Electing Rudy Giuliani to the Presidency would be like giving George W. Bush a third term." Edwards cited Bush's failure to react to the failing economy, and his national security policies as reasons to oppose Giuliani as President, repeating the sentiment that many Americans believe that a Giuliani/Perry Presidency would continue the policies of the Bush/Cheney Administration. Giuliani fired back however, and despite polling behind Edwards for the debate, saw a boost in support among his supporters, saying that
"I'm not George W. Bush, I am not a carbon-copy of the man, I don't spend my vacations with Laura Bush in Crawford, Texas. I am Rudy Giuliani, I spend my vacations in New York City with my beautiful wife. President Bush and I are not clones." Despite polling high at that point, Giuliani shot himself in the foot when education came up. Edwards, who supports every American going to college in his
College For Everyone proposal won in the debate on that issue after Giuliani said
"Everyone shouldn't be in College. College isn't for everyone." Despite many Americans agreeing with Giuliani, many considered it to be offensive. 54% of voters polled believe that John Edwards won the debate. This is the second defeat at a debate for the Giuliani campaign. Despite winning the last two debates, Giuliani's Vice Presidential candidate Rick Perry lost both of his Vice Presidential debates against Barack Obama, serving as a major embarrassment for the campaign.
Will Perry lead to Giuliani losing New York?
October 23rd, 2008
Another Texas Governor in a high office? To many Americans, particularly to key moderate voters in the northeast that Republican Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is attempting to court, the though of Rick Perry as Vice President seems to be putting off a lot of voters. While it seems that as the Presidential campaign enters its final weeks that northeastern states are predominantly Democratic, voters in New Hampshire and New York are torn between Edwards/Obama and Giuliani/Perry on election day. While Giuliani seems to have had a love affair with New Hampshire during the early days of the Presidential election, the romance between the candidate and the key state is wearing out.
"Rick Perry is too conservative for our tastes." says New York Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat,
"Giuliani I think we can stomach, but Rick Perry is turning out to be a bad omen for Giuliani." Polls recently indicated that Giuliani is behind John Edwards in both states, but still within the margin of error for the two. Gaffes earlier in October and later in September seemed to have solidified many moderates to the Democratic ticket, rather than the perceived "Republican Trifecta" of moderates, conservatives, and undecideds that Giuliani intended to create by choosing Perry in August. Perry, many believe, will be an extension of George W. Bush into the White House, something that many American voters don't want.