YATES ELECTION 2008

[Yates]

Welcome to Election 2008.  Every day, this thread will be updated to include the day's top news stories from the campaign trail.  President Frank Towns is popular, but a strong Republican nominee could make this a race to watch.  On the Republican side, Senator Ken Vancin seems to be the frontrunner at this time, but in politics, things could change in an instant. 

Let the election begin.

[Yates]

TIME MAGAZINE
COVERAGE OF ELECTION 2008


TOWNS AND KANTON: THE PERFECT POLITICAL PAIR
IS THIS WHITE HOUSE DUO UNSTOPPABLE IN 2008?

“They complement each other perfectly,” says political commentator Dick Morris.  “Towns has charisma, looks, and a remarkable past.  Kanton has experience and connections.  Put the two together and you’ve got yourself the perfect political pair.”

One could hardly describe the Towns/Kanton campaign in Election 2004 as perfect, however.  They squeaked out a win over President George W. Bush, winning 272 electoral votes (270 are needed).  A few thousand votes in Ohio elected Towns over Bush.  During the campaign, Towns made countless gaffes and errors in his speeches that nearly cost him the election.

At the time of his election, Towns was nothing but a former one-term Senator from the tiny New England state of New Hampshire.  He was indistinguishable as a Senator, having a traditional, mainstream Democratic voting record.  So, how did he win?  The answer is simple: his life story.

From a young age, Frank Towns wanted to be a pilot.  He attained his pilot’s license at age 17 and has been flying ever since.  In 1987, Towns flew daily from a small town in rural Mongolia to Beijing and back.  His plane, the Phoenix, usually carried Western businesspeople.  On a summer day that year, the Phoenix crashed in the arid Mongolian desert. 

They had no escape.  Their food and water supplies were rapidly decreasing.  The temperature was at a constant 110 degrees.  There were rumored to be violent nomads in the area.  They were hopeless – until one passenger had an idea.  An American engineer on board suggested that they attempt to rebuild the plane.  Within two days, the rebuilt Phoenix landed safely in Beijing.

For months, Towns was on the front cover of every major magazine, on every major talk show, on radio channels across the nation – he was the hero of 1987.  He returned to New Hampshire and formed Phoenix Aviation, an airline based in Boston.  In 1996, he was asked to run against Senator Bob Smith.  He won.

To Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kanton, Towns was a rising star.  When Towns flirted with a Presidential bid in 2000, public opinion polls showed him ahead of George W. Bush by up to ten points.  Towns passed on that race.  After Al Gore lost in 2000, however, Towns was viewed as the consensus nominee in 2004, and decided not to seek re-election to the Senate.

Towns was perceived as a hero, and was nationally popular; however, he had very little government experience.  When he selected Kanton as his running mate, Americans had the whole package.  Towns/Kanton was elected, albeit narrowly.  Despite a few bumps here and there, the Towns Administration has had a successful first term.  Towns has an approval rating constantly over 60%. 

The popularity of Frank Towns and the experience of Tim Kanton make the two a political duo with unique appeal in today’s politics.  The electorate is more divided than ever before, especially after Election 2004, but Frank Towns and Tim Kanton are the best deal Democrats can get.

[jokerman]

Very interest, Yates; developing a good movie's plot into this story.

[Yates]

Very interest, Yates; developing a good movie's plot into this story.

Indeed.  Frank Towns was the captain from Flight of the Phoenix, for those who have not seen the 2003 movie.

[Yates]

KEN VANCIN FOR PRESIDENT
AN ANALYSIS OF THE SENATOR’S PRESIDENTIAL BID
 

Youth and experience: two desirable qualities in a Presidential candidate.  However, these two qualities seem to be mutually exclusive.  Every young candidate has charisma and good looks, but little experience.  Every experienced candidate is old and boring.  Not anymore.

Ken Vancin is 43 years old, and is a United States Senator.  He has formerly served in his town’s council, the West Virginia legislature, a United States Representative, and Governor of West Virginia.  He is known to give not only rousing speeches, but also professorial lectures on policy.  He is thought of as kind and personable, but is a vicious politico and a strong leader.

Is Ken Vancin the perfect candidate for President?  He very well may be, but he chose the wrong year to run.  Most obviously, Vancin is choosing to run against Frank Towns, a fairly popular President with moderate appeal.  Vancin has an ultra-conservative voting record, with little appeal to centrists, and no appeal to those of other parties.

However, in Vancin’s ideology lies a deeper problem.  In this election, the Republican Party will drastically change.  Just as how the Democratic Party lost the Blue Dogs in 2000, the Republicans might lose their moderate wing in this election, if a very conservative candidate is nominated.  As of now, the Republican Party has a major advantage over the Democratic Party because of its party unity, in contrast to the disloyalty we see in many moderate Democrats.

Ken Vancin is not the candidate to keep the Republican Party united.  If not him, then who, you may ask.  Senator George Boland, one of Vancin’s opponents for the nomination, is known to be a moderate Republican, in the style of Nelson Rockefeller and Gerald Ford.  However, he, too, is not the candidate to unite the party, as the religious right would abandon him.

Until the Republicans can find a candidate who can unite the entire party, they will have trouble winning elections.  Ken Vancin may be a superb candidate, but in these changing times, he may not be the best captain for a sinking Republican ship.

[Lincoln Republican]

Very interesting story.  Good work.

[Yates]

Very interesting story.  Good work.

Thank you, Winfield.  Tonight, two other Republican candidates will be introduced: Senator George Boland and Congressman Jim Wessex.

[Yates]

MSNBC EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JIM WESSEX



Matthews: Welcome back to Hardball.  We are now going to show you my exclusive, one-on-one interview with Congressman and Presidential Candidate Jim Wessex.  Congressman Wessex specifically asked for this interview to be shown unedited.

==================================================

Matthews: Congressman Wessex, thank you for joining us this evening.

Wessex: Thanks for having me here, Chris.

Matthews: Let’s get right to the point.  Your campaign is not looking so hot right now.  You are consistently placing third in the polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.  You are far behind Senator Vancin and Senator Boland.  Do you still expect to win this thing?

Wessex: Chris, I’m so glad you asked that question, because many Americans are wondering why they should vote for me if I’m not “in the running,” so to say.  I am the most experienced candidate in the race.  I was elected to Congress in 1980, as part of the Reagan Revolution.  I am not one of the most senior members of the California delegation.  I am the only candidate in the race who has consistently supported a balanced budget, and I have always shown party loyalty.  I am the true conservative in this race.  The American Conservative Union gave me a perfect 100 score for my Congressional voting record.  Senator Vancin received an 88, and Senator Boland received a 52.  Republicans will see that I am the true representation of their party, and all Americans will see that I’m the best man for the job.

Matthews: Well, no one is seeing that right now, it seems.  Why do you believe you have such low poll numbers?

Wessex: I think polls can be misleading, Chris.  Rasmussen Reports just released a poll which polled Republicans on their approval of each of the three major Republican candidates.  Vancin and Boland both have disapproval ratings of over 25%.  My disapproval rating is a mere 7%. 

Matthews: Why, then, are you so far behind in public opinion polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina?

Wessex: Because I’m not a publicity hound like Vancin or Boland, I’m less well-known to most Americans.  As the race progresses, Americans will begin to know who Jim Wessex is, and why they should vote for him.  My campaign manager is Ed Gillespie, former Republican Party Chairman.  We’ve got great strategy planned, and we’re going to win.

Matthews: Congressman Wessex, thank you very much for joining us.  All of us wish you good luck in your campaign.

Wessex: Thank you very much, Chris. 

[George W. Hobbes]

Keep it up Yates.

And Vancin for Prez'it!

[Yates]

RASMUSSEN REPORTS: ELECTION 2008
TOWNS LEADS ALL THREE REPUBLICANS

TOWNS     41%
VANCIN     38%

TOWNS     42%
BOLAND     38%

TOWNS     44%
WESSEX     34%

VANCIN LEADS OTHER REPUBLICANS IN NATIONAL POLL

VANCIN     31%
BOLAND     23%
WESSEX     10%

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Note: An in-depth analysis of these poll numbers, along with an interview with Senator George Boland, will be featured on tomorrow's Wolf Blitzer Reports.         

[George W. Hobbes]

Update?