Election Night 2016

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

BRIAN WILLIAMS: Hello and welcome to NBC's coverage of tonight's presidential election, along with the 435 House seats and 34 senate seats up for grabs. We're right now seeing a very similar situation to 2012; an unpopular incumbent president, presiding over a stagnant economy. Still, we have also seen President Romney campaigning vigorously nationwide in search of an upset. But will Governor Feingold unseat him? We'll find out tonight.




Next post will show a recap of President Romney's first (only?) term.

[Bo]

Nice job so far, Snowstalker! Make sure to mention how Romney handled foreign affairs.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

In the 2012 elections, President Barack Obama was narrowly unseated by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, owing to sluggish economic growth and voter anger at both parties' establishments.

Romney/Jindal-282
Obama/Biden-256

In the Senate elections, Republicans took open seats in North Dakota and Virginia while defeating incumbent senators in Nebraska and Montana, while Democrats picked up a Senate seat in Nevada. Including one independent who caucused with the Republicans (Olympia Snowe), the GOP had a total of 50 seats, which combined with the Vice President gave them control of the Senate. In the House, Democrats gained some seats (going up to 207), but failed to retake the House. The most notable gubernatorial election was the Wisconsin recall, in which former Senator Russ Feingold defeated incumbent governor Scott Walker.


President Romney's Cabinet:

Vice President: Piyush "Bobby" Jindal
Secretary of State: Dick Lugar
Secretary of the Treasury: Carly Fiorina
Secretary of Defense: Lindsey Graham
Attorney General: Fred Thompson
Secretary of the Interior: Sean Parnell
Secretary of Agriculture: Ben Nelson
Secretary of Commerce: Meg Whitman
Secretary of Labor: Scott Walker
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Mike Huckabee
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Steve Preston
Secretary of Transportation: Ray LaHood
Secretary of Energy: Mark Parkinson
Secretary of Education: Michelle Rhee
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Elizabeth Dole
Secretary of Homeland Security: Rudy Giuliani

Also, thank you for the feedback.

[sentinel]

Doubt Ray LaHood would stay on, but I'm looking forward to this

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

THE FIRST TWO YEARS

The immediate effect of Romney's election was a slight bump in the market, possibly a positive reaction to a new president. Despite this, the new president's first major action was not an economic bill, but instead the repeal of "Obamacare", and a renewed fight for a different bill with greater free market influence.

"I support the President's move as a step towards affordable health care coverage based around the free market and states' rights to create their own health care plans." -Speaker John Boehner

"In these tough economic times, health care isn't the top issue. We need to focus on job creation to bolster our economy."-Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid

Like the Obama health care plan, Romney faced criticism from both the left and the right, with many conservatives alleging that this was still a liberal plan. They weren't quite off base--Romney's plan took most of its substance from "Obamacare" itself, only repealing the individual mandate and adding elements more palatable to fiscal conservatives. Despite this, the much-publicized health care struggle was a drag on Romney's approval ratings.

Foreign policy was somewhat more successful for the president. Obama had left Libya by late 2011, but by 2014 the majority of troops had left both Iraq and Afghanistan. The relative success in both nations was seen as Obama's last laugh.

The other main note was that, like Obama, Romney became increasingly unpopular with the Republican base. One major element was Romney's signing of an extension to unemployment benefits, and, despite not raising taxes, failing to permanently extend the Bush tax cuts.

The 2014 midterms, like 2010, resulted in a shellacking for the incumbents. Due to the fact that 2014 already consisted mostly of Democratic senators, however, gains were limited. Still, the Democrats retook both houses of Congress.

GA: John Barrow (D) defeats Saxby Chambliss (R)
KY: Jack Conway (D) defeats Mitch McConnell (R)
OK: Brad Henry (D) defeats James Inhofe (R)
SC: Vincent Sheheen (D) defeats Joe Wilson (R)

D: 54
R: 46

[hcallega]

Interesting take on the midterms. Can't say I mind, though I wonder if the Democrats will ever hold a senate seat in OK and SC in the current political climate.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Brad Henry was an extreme; a very popular governor running against a senator who has a lot of things you can criticize about him, all while running a Manchin-style campaign attacking both parties. Remember that Oklahoma is still a somewhat Democratic state on the non-federal level.

[tmthforu94]

Brad Henry was an extreme; a very popular governor running against a senator who has a lot of things you can criticize about him, all while running a Manchin-style campaign attacking both parties. Remember that Oklahoma is still a somewhat Democratic state on the non-federal level.

Not really. Republicans have caught up to Democrats now in voter registration. Republicans control the Governor's mansion (look at Fallin's margin, too), as well as 70% in the House and 2/3's of the Senate.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Maybe replace Henry with Freudenthal in Wyoming.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

That seems even less plausible.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

How about Julian Castro in Texas?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Oh, he was elected Governor.

[GLPman]

Good so far. Could you post Romney's approval numbers?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

By July 2015, many wondered if Romney's career had ended in one fell swoop. Though not as serious as the 2008 economic crash, it seemed as if the slow but steady recovery had been replaced with what had been feared for 7 years--a double-dip recession. Romney's actions were immediate. The president immediately announced an economic bill, intended to stimulate job growth. The proposed legislation would, among other things, lower the corporate tax rate to 25%, as well as create few New Deal-style projects to build a high-speed rail network.

President Romney's main opposition to the bill was from the Tea Party. Michele Bachmann, Romney's rival in the 2012 primaries and leader of the Tea Party Caucus, called the bill "a stimulus in disguise". Kentucky senator Rand Paul praised the bill's tax cuts, but condemned the
infrastructure programs as "something we'd expect from Obama." He also claimed "a very important announcement" within the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the Democratic primaries were heating up. The main contenders were Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, with appeal based on his record on crime and his cleanup of Baltimore as mayor, New York governor Andrew Cuomo, running a socially liberal, fiscally centrist, and anti-corruption campaign, and Wisconsin governor Russ Feingold, with a pro-labor campaign with extra emphasis on campaign finance reform.

[Gass3268]

With Mitch McConnell losing in 2014, who is the new Minority Leader in the Senate? Also did Harry Reid remain the leader for the Democrats after losing the Senate in 2012?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Majority Leader is Harry Reid, Minority Leader is John Cornyn.

[HST1948]

Please continue. This is fantastic! I think the may be one of the first 2016 Tl's if I'm not mistaken.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I saw a couple others, including an excellent one by RogueBeaver.

[HST1948]

I saw a couple others, including an excellent one by RogueBeaver.

Thanks I'll have to take a look at them.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

"Though some might call me crazy, or they might say that I'm harming the party, I feel as if I have no choice but to run. The centrists in Washington care about their own re-election. I care about bringing back constitutional values to our nation."

At the footsteps of the Jefferson Memorial, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul announced his intentions to seek the presidency, challenging President Romney. Much like his father Ron, Rand had gained quite an internet following and was popular with the Tea Party wing of the GOP. However, his reception among the Tea Party was mixed. Though some welcomed a more conservative challenger, others, like Michele Bachmann, stated that the risk of allowing a Democratic president was simply too high to afford a challenge, and that Romney needed the Republicans' full support.

Meanwhile, the Democratic primary was heating up. Polling showed a dead heat between progressive Russ Feingold and New Democrat Andrew Cuomo, with Martin O'Malley close behind. Other candidates included West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, and Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Poll up.

[HST1948]

Poll up.

This is absolutely fantastic! Please continue!

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES

The GOP primaries were never truly in doubt, despite the base's dissatisfaction with President Romney. After losing all the early states (his best showings were 35% in Nevada and 31% in South Carolina), Rand Paul dropped out, though notably refused to endorse Governor Romney. Despite being weakened by the Senator's insurgent campaign, Romney hoped to spin the campaign into a strength, showing him as moderate compared to the far right Paul. Paul later ran for re-election to the Senate, winning unopposed in the state primary. He vowed to continue his conservative crusade from the Senate, opposing "anti-constitutional" policies of Presidents Romney and Obama, reserving extra criticism for Romney for keeping many of the 44th President's policies. Unlike the wash that was the Republican primary, the Democratic primaries seemed much more hectic, with no clear frontrunner.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES-PART 1

Unsurprisingly, the first victory of the Democratic primaries went to Russ Feingold, who easily won the Iowa Caucus with O'Malley in second and McCaskill in third; Cuomo effectively skipped the state to focus on other early states. That strategy rewarded him with New Hampshire, with voters there admiring his socially liberal record; in 2011 he pushed through a bill that made New York the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage. By 2016, the states of Illinois, Colorado, and New Jersey had also allowed same-sex couples to marry.

South Carolina was a contest between Cuomo and O'Malley, with both pursuing the black vote. Eventually, O'Malley's record on urban redevelopment and crime gave him a boost among Democrats in Columbia and Charleston, and with it his first primary victory. On the same day, the Nevada caucuses were held, and Cuomo won the state easily.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES-PART 2

Super Tuesday brought a wave of states for all three candidates. O'Malley performed the poorest, only winning Maryland, Delaware, D.C, Virginia, and Georgia. Meanwhile, Cuomo won in Connecticut, his home state of New York, Alabama, Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Colorado, bringing a New Democratic coalition of socially liberal Westerners, blacks, and Hispanics. Feingold, on the other hand, was boosted by progressives and organized labor, winning out in Michigan, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Missouri, West Virginia, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kansas, and California; however, the latter victory was an almost even split of delegates between him and Cuomo. In that state, Feingold focused on the Bay area and the Central Valley, while Cuomo's base was in SoCal.

If you prefer just a map: