WI Obama and Clinton fought it out till the end?

SO I was going through Time Magazine's Political Cartoon Archives and I found one from the 2008 Election. It was mocking Hilary Clinton's and Barack Obama's bitter fight for the Democratic Nomination. In the cartoon, it shows John McCain taking the Oath of Office, while a beaten and bloody Obama and Clinton both say to each other "If you had just dropped out..."

So this got me thinking, What if Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton continued to fight until Election Day? What if neither dropped out of the race?

How would this happen? Would they both run under Democrat or start their own mini party? What (Besides the chances of McCain-Palin victory) would be the repercussions of them doing so?
 
That's impossible, because Obama had secured 54% of the DNC delegates by June. Neither of them would have run under a separate ticket, because all that would do is elect John McCain. To start a separate party, you need cash, and the Clintons were in debt up to their eyeballs due to their own mistakes. No Democrats have run under a separate ticket since 1948, and Truman still won.
 
The farthest Hillary could have fought it was to the convention. There, Barack Obama would almost certainly be nominated. If, for some reason, the convention could not reach some sort of agreement, the Democrats would probably nominate a compromise candidate of some sort (Al Gore?).

If the former situation occured, Obama might still be elected. If the latter occured, we would probably have President McCain right now.
 
I think a better POD might be if McCain didn't suspend his campaign to go back to Washington and do nothing about the financial crisis, and instead gone on the offensive against Obama. I think that by itself, rather than a longer Hillary/Obama fight, could have secured a McCain victory.
 

Enji_Daimyo

Banned
The financial aspect of the fight on Clinton's part meant that it would be a short fight. It might force Obama to name her as VP. Maybe I'm not sure on what exactly took place during the convention. I think Joe Biden was a compromise.

Maybe the DNC leaders would force a deal.

Now combine that with McCain fighting it out with Obama.

Something much more dramatic would be required to force an Obama loss. Mind you Im not a supporter of him. He just outplayed Clinton and McCain. Look at all the garbage thrown during the campaign and yet he walked away smelling like roses.

Now there are two ideas that might be interesting. A McCain heart attack during the time he chooses to stay and fight. His death leaves Palin as the GOP candidate.

Or, stealing an idea from this thread or another one I read somewhere. The election is close due to X reason. Forcing it to go to legislative branch. For and by some means Obama wins in the house, but Palin wins in the senate.

A wild third option would be her going to McCain or another candidate and running with them.

Good question I hadn't really thought of it. My original thought on a POD for the election was Hillary as VP. I didnt think she could keep going. It might be a better point, an earlier POD with a scandal affecting Obama. Allowing Hillary to have more finances and super-delegates.
 
Now there are two ideas that might be interesting. A McCain heart attack during the time he chooses to stay and fight. His death leaves Palin as the GOP candidate.


a mccain heart attack would lead to Mitt Romney or maybe Fred Thompson as the candidate.

If the presidential nominee dies the VP nominee doesnt move up. instead a second convention would be held to select a new nominee.
 

Enji_Daimyo

Banned
I thought they did? Great more research.

If McCain had already won the primary then died, they would hold another one?

I always thought that is the way it would happen. Do republicans really run theirs that way?

Off to research.

BTW happy New Year,
 
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a mccain heart attack would lead to Mitt Romney or maybe Fred Thompson as the candidate.

If the presidential nominee dies the VP nominee doesnt move up. instead a second convention would be held to select a new nominee.

I believe the RNC (if the Republican nominee) or the DNC (if the Democratic nominee) would choose a new candidate if a nominee dies between the convention and the general election. This scenario has been discussed a lot in this forum in the past.
 

Penelope

Banned
a mccain heart attack would lead to Mitt Romney or maybe Fred Thompson as the candidate.

If the presidential nominee dies the VP nominee doesnt move up. instead a second convention would be held to select a new nominee.

Actually, it would lead to Mike Huckabee as the GOP Nominee (He was the runner up).
 
Actually, it would lead to Mike Huckabee as the GOP Nominee (He was the runner up).


as the prev poster said. The second place guy doesnt just move up. Either the delagates revote or the RNC handpicks someone new.

Huckabee was a bit of a rebel candidate with no insitutional support so the RNC wont pick him and in a convention revote I dont beleive mccain's former delagates would choose him either. Remember there was a bit of bad blood between them.

hence the most likely candidates would be either Romney-your basic vanilla business candidate who had loads of insitutional support or maybe mccain's delagates choose Fred Thompson who was the most similiar to Mccain . Thompson was also the only candidate other than mccain who was not strongly dislike by one of the GOP major factions.

Romney had problems with the evangleicals and Huckabee had problems with the business wing.
Gulliani might be an outside choice- though his moderation on gay rights and abortion might be deal breaker.
 
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