The Future

[Akno21]

My prediction of the future will begin with the First Presidential Debate.

SEP. 2004
At the First Presidential Debate, in Florida, President Bush does a good job of staying on message, making himself look like the steady leader, while Kerry looks aloof, even though he shows himself to have a better grasp of the issues.

OCT. 2004
Most national polls conclude that President Bush has a 5 point lead over Senator Kerry. At the Vice Presidential Debate, John Edwards does not dissapoint, but Cheney scored points with his base with some partisan rhetoric. At the following Presidential Debates, Bush emphasizes his tax cuts, and repeats the line "John Kerry will raise your taxes" over ten times. Although Kerry scores points on health care and education, the polls are not looking for him heading into November. A Gallup Poll shows Bush leading 49-44, and an NBC/WSJ poll shows an even larger lead, 50-44. In swing states such as Wisconsin, it appears Bush's constant negativity towards Kerry will end up hurting Mr. Kerry, as Bush has a 4% lead in that state heading up to Nov. 2.

NOV. 2004
Kerry spends the entire month of November up until election day in the Upper Midwest, hoping to hold ground there, while Edwards is roving through Florida. Bush is also in the Upper Midwest, while Cheney roams through Pennsylvania and Ohio. On election night, Bush appears to have a lead in Electoral Votes, although several states are too close to call. As the day moves on to Nov. 3, the map looks like:
 


Bush: 265
Kerry: 231
Florida, Minnesota, and New Mexico are still too close to call on the morning of November 3rd. Neither state has been called for either candidate at all, as the media has been very cautious.

More later...

[Akno21]

NOV. 2004
Soon, rumors surface out of Florida that African-Americans were told they were not eligible to vote, and that there may have been some errors with the electronic voting. On Nov. 3, at 6:00, Minnesota announces that after all the votes had been counted, Kerry had won, by a small margin of 980 votes. The next day, New Mexico announced Kerry won that state, by around 1000 votes. Once again, Florida is the decisive state. Finally, on Nov. 6, just as reporters were getting comfortable in the same hotel rooms they had lived in for months four years earlier, Florida announced that George W. Bush had won the state, by 789 votes. The Democrats were angry, but they could do nothing about it.

Final results for 2004.



Republican: George W. Bush/Dick Cheney: 292
Democrat: John Kerry/John Edwards: 246

[7,052,770]

drat!

[Hermit]

This sounds familiar...

[Gabu]

RECOUNT!!!

[Akno21]

RECOUNT!!!

There is no paper trail!

[Akno21]

NOV. 2004
The Democrats win Senate seats in Illinios, Alaska, and Colorado. The last two are close, but Illinios features Obama winning by 34%. However, The Republicans win in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, with Florida being very close. The Senate remains 51-48-1, in favor of the Republicans.

[Platypus]

bloody Floridians

[Akno21]

Whoever has the power, this thread should be moved to the Presidential Elections Trends Board.

[nomorelies]

Why no paper recount.

[Akno21]

Why no paper recount.

Because with e-voting, there isn't a paper trail.

[ATFFL]

Why no paper recount.

Because with e-voting, there isn't a paper trail.

With some machines there is no paper trail, with most there is.

[Gabu]

RECOUNT!!!

There is no paper trail!

Oh yeah.  I suppose it would be beneficial to read the whole thing...

[Akno21]

JAN. 2005
The day of Bush's re-inaguration as President is non-coincidentally the day many groups Bush despises decide to hold protests. In an effort to show the world that even though the Republicans control all of the government, it is truly a 51-49 split, and nothing more, separate rallies backed by Planned Parenthood, NCAAP, and the ACLU all take place. The hundreds of thousands of protesters that show up to their best to make the inaguration a painful process. Many eggs are thrown at the Presidential motorcade, and they attempt to make enougn noise to drown out Bush's speech, before police put them down. Although no one is hurt, it does send some warning signs.

FEB/MAR. 2005
Bush beat Kerry in the Popular vote by about 1 percentage point, so he is not extremly popular. He continues his polarizing ways when he asks Congress for another tax cut, continues to paint a rosy picture of Iraq, and attempts to subtly cut social programs, all before the dawn of spring.

APR. 2005
Senator Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island has called a Press Conference. In it, he announces that the current GOP leaders do not share Republican goals of a balanced budget and a humble foreign policy, as promised by President Bush back in 2000. He says "When I look at my colleagues, and I realize I have more in common with Joe Lieberman than my own Majority Leader, I think it is time for me to go." Finally, Senator Chaffee announces he is switching registration to Democrat, narrowing the GOP lead in the Senate to 50-49-1, with the Independent leaning Democratic.

[King]

Making every vote 50-50 and Cheney giving it to the Reps anyway.

[Akno21]

MAY 2005
The Senate passes a budget amendment that would increase government spending for stem cell research. With Democrats and Jeffords united on the amendment, and 17 Senate Republicans also in favor, the Presidential Veto was overriden. However, George W. Bush was not going to let that stop him from getting his agenda passed. As the price of Middle Eastern oil kept rising, support for drilling in the Arctic increased.

JUNE 2005
In a huge vote, the Senate votes to drill in ANWR. Democrats B. Nelson, M. Landrieu, and B. Lincoln vote with the GOP, while Republicans O. Snowe and S. Collins voted with the Democrats, making for the bill passing 51-49.

SEP. 2005
The United States once again meets with North Korea and its neighbors in multi-lateral talks. The negotiations go nowhere, and there are rumors that South Korea wants the United States to leave and let other nations handle the situation. Kim still wants bilateral talks, which Bush won't give, and there is a stalemate.

[Akno21]

OCT. 2005

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announces she will retire. President Bush announces he will appoint Samuel Alito of the third curcuit for the slot. In confirmation hearings, Democrats feel his nickname "Scalito" is well-deserved. But never the less, he becomes the next justice, and pro-choice advocates become yet more worried.

JAN. 2006

Under mounting political pressure, President Bush announces that troops will begin to pull out of Iraq by the end of the year. With the death toll at 2, 750, support for the war is at an all-time low of 33%, and the GOP is worried about the midterm elections in November.

FEB. 2006

Senator Hillary Clinton of New York announces she will not seek a second term, fueling speculation about a possible Presidential run in 2008.

[Akno21]

MAY 2006
In response to Iran's growing nuclear capabilities, Israel takes similar action to what it took against Iraq in 1981, by destroying the plants. On May 13, a team of Israeli bombers takes out the Irani Nuclear facility. The move causes a ripple effect. Less than five hours after the occasion, President Bush announces that he supports the action taken by the Israeli's. The next day, the United Nations passes a motion condemning Israel. Iran then moves troops into Iraq, attempting to destabilze the country in a way to get back at the United States, which supported the action. By the end of the month, 350 American soldiers have been killed in April.

JULY 2006
Jim Jeffords of Vermont announces he will become a Democrat, effective immediatly.

NOV. 2006
The Senate is split 50-49-1 heading into the 2006 midterm elections. The Democrats hold on to Washington, Minnesota, New Jersey, Michigan and Florida, while they gain Virginia, due to the candidacy of former Gov. Mark Warner. The Republicans hold onto Pennslyvania, Tennessee, Montana, Missouri, while they gain Nebraska. The Senate remains tied at 50 for each party, with Cheney giving the GOP the edge.

[opebo]

JAN. 2005
The day of Bush's re-inaguration as President is non-coincidentally the day many groups Bush despises decide to hold protests. In an effort to show the world that even though the Republicans control all of the government, it is truly a 51-49 split, and nothing more, separate rallies backed by Planned Parenthood, NCAAP, and the ACLU all take place. The hundreds of thousands of protesters that show up to their best to make the inaguration a painful process. Many eggs are thrown at the Presidential motorcade, and they attempt to make enougn noise to drown out Bush's speech, before police put them down. Although no one is hurt, it does send some warning signs.

FEB/MAR. 2005
Bush beat Kerry in the Popular vote by about 1 percentage point, so he is not extremly popular. He continues his polarizing ways when he asks Congress for another tax cut, continues to paint a rosy picture of Iraq, and attempts to subtly cut social programs, all before the dawn of spring.

APR. 2005
Senator Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island has called a Press Conference. In it, he announces that the current GOP leaders do not share Republican goals of a balanced budget and a humble foreign policy, as promised by President Bush back in 2000. He says "When I look at my colleagues, and I realize I have more in common with Joe Lieberman than my own Majority Leader, I think it is time for me to go." Finally, Senator Chaffee announces he is switching registration to Democrat, narrowing the GOP lead in the Senate to 50-49-1, with the Independent leaning Democratic.

Good for Chaffee!