The Presidency of America's Maverick

[Shaula🏳️‍⚧️]

I wonder who Feingold endorses. He seems to be closer to Trump ideologically and probably dislikes him less than Clinton.

[OSR stands with Israel]

I wonder who Feingold endorses. He seems to be closer to Trump ideologically and probably dislikes him less than Clinton.

Keep in mind Feingold didnt endorse anyone in the OTL 2016 primaries despite the fact I would say he was closer to Bernie than Trump . So I will say the same thing happens here

[OSR stands with Israel]

George W Bush becomes presumptive Republican nominee after wins in DC and Washington Primaries

Blitzer: Governor Giuliani after tonight's loss in Washington as promised announced he would be dropping out of the race and will be endorsing Senator Bush. Due to that CNN can now project that George W Bush will be the presumptive Republican Nominee for President in their efforts to hold the White House for 4 more years. Before we go to the panel lets take a look at the results in Super Tuesday

Contests Won By George W Bush:

Louisiana: Bush 68% 47 Delegates Giuliani 31%
Kansas: Bush 64% 36 Delegates Giuliani 35%
Wyoming: Bush 74% 12 Delegates Giuliani 25%
Washington Caucus: Bush 58% 10 Delegates Giuliani 42% 8 Delegates
District of Columbia : Bush 52% 16 Delegates Giuliani 47%
Maryland: Bush 58% 18 Delegates Giuliani 41% 6 Delegates
Virginia: Bush 67% 60 Delegates Giuliani 32%
Wisconsin: Bush 61% 37 Delegates Giuliani 38% 3 Delegates
Washington Primary: Bush 57% 12 Delegates Giuliani 42% 7 Delegates


Contests Won by Rudy Giuliani:

Hawaii: Giuliani 59% 16 Delegates Bush 40% 4 Delegates

Blitzer: So lets go over to some of our Republicans on the panel for their reaction

Matalin: I do not think this was a surprise as I think pretty much Governor Giuliani really lost any realistic hopes of being the nominee on Super Tuesday and really the only question was whether there would be an issue with Senator Bush being the party's nominee, and these results in places like DC and Washington both which were places that are definitely more favor to the Governor went the Senator's way it was clear that their was no issue.

Bennett: I pretty much think what happened is that people forget much of a support a candidate has is soft support , meaning while they prefer one candidate to the other its not really by much so once their preferred candidate probability of being the nominee starts to drop so does their soft support.

Its why during primaries the so called Bandwagon effect takes place because the fact is there really isnt that much of a difference between the candidates as the media hypes it up to . What most voters want is to see their party win and when it becomes clear a candidate during the primary doesn't have a chance they will support the other candidate.

Begala: Can I jump in

Blitzer: Sure

Begala: Well the fact is while I agree in broad terms with what William said , the fact is its not exactly true. The winning candidate still has to make efforts to reach out to the voters of the other candidate and Senator Bush did do that . Now of course doing so is much easier than doing so for voters of the other party in a general election, but a candidate still must do that and I think most major candidates learned the lessons from 1964 and 1972 which is you must appeal to voters across your party and not just your individual base.

Blitzer: So before we head out lets show you the overall map and the results one final time.



Texas Senator George W Bush 953 Delegates
New York Governor Rudy Giuliani 505 delegates
Congressman Ron Paul 7 delegates
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney 6 delegates
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee 5 delegates
Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson 1 Delegates


Hillary expands lead thanks to winning majority of states in February after Super Tuesday:

Blitzer: In the primaries since Super Tuesday both Senator Clinton and Mr.Trump have traded blows and with a week to go until Super Tuesday II lets take a look at some of the results since then.

Contests Won By Hillary Clinton:

Louisiana: Clinton 68% 38 Delegates Trump 31% 18 Delegates
US Virginia Islands: Clinton 55% 2 Delegates Trump 44% 1 Delegate
Democrats Abroad: Clinton 61% 4 Delegates Trump 37% 3 Delegates
DC: Clinton 79% 12 Delegates Trump 20% 3 Delegates
Maryland: Clinton 70% 49 Delegates Trump 29% 21 Delegates
Virginia: Clinton 60% 50 Delegates Trump 39% 33 Delegates


Contests Won by Donald Trump:

Nebraska: Trump 56% 13 Delegates Clinton 43% 11 Delegates
Washington: Trump 63% 49 Delegates Clinton 36% 29 Delegates
Maine: Trump: 64% 15 Delegates Clinton 35% 9 Delegates
Hawaii : Trump 67% 13 Delegates Clinton 32% 7 Delegates
Wisconsin: Trump 59% 44 Delegates Clinton 40% 30 Delegates

Blitzer: With us now is Senator Barack Obama for his reaction of these results. So Senator what is your take on these results so far

Obama: Well I think it has been a really productive primary season where we have gotten to get different perspectives from all different view points in our party. With Senator Clinton we got a view point on what you can call a pragmatic liberal perspective, with Mr.Trump you got the populist perspective and with Senator Feingold you got the Progressive perspective.

Blitzer: Do you think the types of attacks and rhetoric that came from Mr.Trump's campaign were helpful though

Obama: I did not like that type of rhetoric at all , but I will say it is still important he ran as his campaign as given a voice to many people in our party that are very indeed very angry with how things are going and want a change. We may disagree with that but it is important in a democracy that all viewpoints are represented and people can express their feelings in the political process.

Blitzer: Do you think the primary is over now

Obama: I do not think we should be in such a hurry to rush things, we have a week left till Super Tuesday 2 and I think its perfectly reasonable to wait till we get those results before calling on anyone to drop out. There is still more than 8 months left till the general election which is more than enough time to unite our party for the general.

Blitzer: Thanks for coming on, Senator Obama

Obama: No problem

Blitzer: James do you agree with Senator Obama

Carville: No I do not because the fact is the Republican primary is over and the longer it takes for ours to be over the more time they have to unite the party and attack ours while we are still going through our process. So I think Mr.Trump should have dropped out as we cannot afford to lose anytime against the Republican

Gergen: I agree with Senator Obama as 8 months is enough time for any party to unite and if the Democrats cannot do it then it is a problem with them not how long this primary went on for.

Blitzer: Ok lets take a look at the map and the overall results



New York Senator Hillary Clinton: 1235.5 Delegates
Businessman Donald Trump: 827.5 Delegates
Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold: 363.5 Delegates
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry: 8 delegates
Former Alabama Governor Don Sieglman  3 delegates
North Carolina Senator John Edwards  2 delegates
Comedian Stephen Colbert 1 delegate


Blitzer: So John What are the chances Donald Trump still has of being the Democratic Nominee.

King: Well if you do the math to see how many delegates each candidate needs to win in order to get a majority of the pledged delegates you can see that Senator Clinton needs 48% of the remaining delegates while Mr.Trump needs over 98% of the remaining delegates to reach that number which is pretty much impossible. For him to win a pluarity he needs more than three fourth of the remaining delegates which is very very hard.

Blitzer: So he must win Ohio to have any shot

King: Not only does he need a comfortable win in Ohio, but also needs a huge upset in Texas . Which is why Mr.Trump has basically posted on his Facebook page that next Tuesday may either be his last day in the campaign or the start of a legendary comeback.

[2016]

I predict a very, very close GE between Senator George W. Bush and Senator Hillary R. Clinton. It might even get closer than the OTL 2000 Election.

AND if Hillary manages to lose a winnable Race Mr Trump will very likely run again in 2012.

[OSR stands with Israel]

President McCain officially endorses Senator George W Bush for President at Rose Garden Event:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXDKKr_-vWY

McCain: Thank You Thank You. As you may all know by this time next year I will be a retired man and we will have a new president who will be responsible for success in the war on terror, helping our economy grow and in making needed reforms which is why it is my high honor to endorse Senator George W Bush for President. As Governor of Texas he was able to work with both parties in order make the reform the state needed and as Senator he has shown he can work with both sides will standing up for what is right as well. I believe his experience as both a Governor and Senator will ensure he is prepared to do this important job on day one and make our nation a better place.

Bush: I want to start of by thanking President McCain for his endorsement and let him know that is indeed a great honor to have an endorsement from a president as great as you. President McCain over the past 7 years has accomplished much for our nation , from putting us on track to win the war on terror to making all sorts of reforms and we must build upon his accomplishments.

Media Member 1: President McCain what do you say to people who will point out the differences between you and the Senator on many sort of policy areas especially given you two were bitter rivals 8 years in the Republican primaries

McCain: Listen the fact is both the Senator and I are different human beings so of course we are gonna have our disagreements but what matters is one does he have the qualifications to do this job and my answer is unambiguously yes, are his policy proposals better than the ones of who his Democratic opponent will be and the answer is again unambiguously yes, and does he have the vision to lead our nation through the war on terror and the answer once against is unambiguously yes which is why I am proud to endorse this man to be our next President.

As for our primary contest in 2000 , the fact is it was 8 years ago and while yes their were many tough moments during it , that is true of any political contest given we all put our hearts in them and the important thing is not to let those feelings linger which I can tell you have not.

Media Member 2: Senator Bush, how do you plan to utilize the President on the campaign trail: Joint Rallies , or Fundraising, or Joint Townhalls .

Bush: The answer is all the above, as the fact is the President has done a great job as President and having him campaign for me will be a huge positive for our campaign so of course we will do all those things. As for where , it is a little to early to decide that

Media Member 3: President McCain, what is some advice you will give Senator Bush during the campaign trail

McCain: Well I dont think he needs any detailed advice but I will say to be himself, choose a good running mate , and to have lots of fun. Anyway we arent gonna take anymore questions so thank you

[OSR stands with Israel]

Since MS, WY were so close to Super Tuesday II in OTL, I will be having them go on Super Tuesday II in this TL

[OSR stands with Israel]

Trump flies back to New York to assess future of campaign after big losses in Ohio and Texas on Super Tuesday II



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq5fVwEx9Q0

Blitzer: Senator Clinton had another big night with huge wins in Ohio and Texas and a sweep of the delegates in Mississippi. Mr.Trump despite wins in a few contests as well made this statement at his speech tonight

Trump: If today was indeed our last day in the campaign I want to thank all of you for your support and let you know that we went way further than anyone thought we did. No democratic candidate for President in the history of our party has come as far as have without being a politician first so no matter what happens I want to let you know what we did was unprecedent, and a great victory. We were able to create a movement and I can tell you this that it will only grow in the years to come and no matter what happens after tonight, you havent seen the last of me and I will be back . Thank You May God Bless You and May God Bless our great country

Blitzer: Before we go to our panel to react to that speech lets look at the results

Contests won By Hillary Clinton:

Ohio: Clinton 58% 83 Delegates Trump 41% 58 Delegates
Mississippi: Clinton 86% 33 Delegates Trump 13%
Texas Primary: Clinton 66% 84 Delegates Trump 33% 42 Delegates
Texas Caucus: Clinton 60% 41 Delegates Trump 40% 26 Delegates


Contests won By Donald Trump:

Vermont: Trump 55% 8 Delegates Clinton 44% 7 Delegates
Rhode Island: Trump 51% 11 Delegates Clinton 48% 10 Delegates
Wyoming: Trump 54% 7 Delegates Clinton 45% 5 Delegates

Blitzer: So Gloria what did you think of Mr.Trump's speech

Borger: Listen was it Bombastic Yes, was it him trying to sell how good he did yes but listen the fact is he tapped into a feeling among Democratic party and will come out with nearly 1000 pledged delegates. Now it is the job of Senator Clinton to find a way to bring those voters in to her camp because even if he endorses her , she still needs to reach out to their voters in order to win

Carville: Well I do think his voters will vote for Senator Clinton as the fact is she is far closer to on the issues with Donald Trump than George W Bush and the Republicans are. She like Mr.Trump wants to expand healthcare access for working class Americans and invest more in our infrastructure for example which is something Senator Bush will not do.

Begala: I do think Senator Clinton will reach out cause I can tell you she is interested in making sure all the voters in our party have a say in which direction our party goes. I also do want to congratulate Donald Trump for doing as well as he did and now look forward to uniting our party so we can win back the White House .

Blitzer: Ok lets look at the map and overall delegate count now



New York Senator Hillary Clinton: 1498.5 Delegates
Businessman Donald Trump: 979.5 Delegates
Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold: 363.5 Delegates
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry: 8 delegates
Former Alabama Governor Don Sieglman  3 delegates
North Carolina Senator John Edwards  2 delegates
Comedian Stephen Colbert 1 delegate


Blitzer: So John what do the numbers say why Mr.Trump would be consider dropping out of the race

King: Well first of for Senator Clinton to now reach a majority of pledged delegates she just needs 32.3% of the remaining delegates while Mr.Trump just cannot reach reach the number of 1626.5. In fact even if you assume Mr.Trump would win every single delegate from now till the end of the primaries he would just get to 1376 delegates meaning hed still be more than  100 delegates behind Senator Clinton.

So my guess is Mr.Trump really will be going back to New York to see if there is any way he can convince the Super Delegates to back him over Senator Clinton cause otherwise this primary is basically finished and Senator Clinton will be the nominee.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Donald Trump officially drops out of the race and endorses Hillary Clinton in joint press conference:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7BsXluIq-0

Trump: Thank You Thank You. For the past year I can tell you I have had lots and lots of fun on the campaign trail and like I said in my speech a couple days ago , what we accomplished on the campaign trail was truly amazing, historic and I truly am thankful for all the support we received in the primaries. Now though the primaries are over and our next president will either be George W Bush who in my opinion is grossly unqualified for the job and could very well be the worst president in the history of our country or Hillary Clinton someone who is a smart tough and a truly competent individual who really can make our country great again.

Due to this I have the high honor to endorse Hillary Clinton to be our next President of the United States and let me tell you that I will do everything I can to unite our great party to make sure she becomes our next president.

Clinton: I want to start out by thanking Mr. Trump for his endorsement and also congratulate him for a well and vigorous campaign he ran. His campaign excited many Americans who for many years have felt like their voices were ignored and I want to let them know that I hear you and will do my best to reach out to you. It is important that we unite as a party this November so we can elect Democrats up and down the ticket so we can pass an actual universal healthcare bill, help out struggling Americans and invest in our future .


Media Member 1: Senator Clinton, in which ways do you plan to involve Mr. Trump in your campaign : will it be through joint rallies , a major speech at the DNC and what else

Clinton: We absolutely will be giving Mr. Trump a major speaking role at the DNC and given how well he did in the primaries it would be insulting not to, and we will be doing some joint rallies as well. Where exactly those rallies will take place, we will have to see but we will be doing some joint rallies as well

Media Member 2: Mr.Trump now that the campaign is over and NBC is still looking for a potential host for the spin off version of the Apprentice will you go back

Trump: No I will not

Media Member 2: Question would you be interested in potentially being a running mate for Senator Clinton given you plausibly could move your residence to New Jersey in time for the Convention or be interested in a cabinet pick

Trump: I do not plan to move outside of New York as I truly love this city and second no I would not be interested in either of those roles either. The fact is I do the best when I am the head of an executive position and neither of those roles would be that. On the other hand their is a Gubernatorial race in the state of New York in two years and a Mayoral race in New York City in a year and I can tell you that I will think very hard at running for either of those .

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Donald Trump officially drops out of the race and endorses Hillary Clinton in joint press conference:

And in today's edition of "Headlines that you could only find in alternate history".


Good chapter.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Secretary of State Joe Lieberman announces thats the US has agreed to a status of forces treaty with the Iraqi Government:



Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/sen-lieberman-reflects-on-24-years-in-senate-sandy-hook

Lieberman: Thank You Thank You. I am pleased to announced the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq have come to an tentative agreement on a status of force treaty. This treaty will allow us to withdraw the vast majority of our troops in the upcoming years but will also ensure we can create some permanent military bases in Iraq to ensure stability in the region . The President has also submitted this treaty to the senate for official ratification and his hope is they ratify it as soon as possible so we can ensure a sense of certainty . As you can see we have handed out a summary of this treaty to each one of you so now I will take some questions

Media Reporter 1: When you say that US troops will not take part in day to day operations what does that mean

Lieberman: That means if the Iraqi military is conducting an counter terrorism operation for example we will not take part unless we are asked to assist by the Iraqi Government. Our troops when on official business will be stationed at designated military bases at all times unless we get that request.

Media Reporter 2: What types of forces will be deployed there : the Air Force or Marines or Non Combat Advisors

Lieberman: Listen this is a question you should ask the secretary of defense not me and in fact a question you should ask whoever the Secretary of Defense 3 years from now as they will be the ones making that decision.

Media Reporter 3: When you say US troops will be subject to Iraqi Law when outside their bases what does that mean. Will they be tried in a court

Lieberman: Well what that means is anytime they are outside their bases they will be required to follow local law and if they are found not to they will be removed from the deployment immediately. They will not be subject to a court of law there but they will be removed from deployment and potentially face more sanction if found to have done something serious.

Media Reporter 4: When you say protect from invasion do you mean from Iran or Syria

Lieberman: We mean any invasion from any nation. Anyway thank you and that will be all for now

CNN White House Correspondent: For our viewers who may be wondering what some of the key points of this treaty is lets put it up on the screen for all of you to know

US Status of Force Treaty with Iraq:

- All But 25,000 troops will be withdrawn by December 1st 2011

- After Jan 1st 2011 , US troops will remained stationed at different military bases in Iraq and will not take part in day to day operations unless requested to by Iraqi government

- US troops will protect Iraq from potential invasion from its neighbors

- US troops who do not follow Iraqi day to day law when outside their military bases must be removed from deployment immediately

[2016]

Given how Trump closed out his Campaign and said how much he loved New York there are two things he could do:

# 1 If Hillary becomes President angling for a Cabinet Spot

OR

# 2 Run for New York City Mayor with the Blessings from the Clintons in 2009.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Bush's Potential Vice Presidential Picks:

Blitzer: So Lets take a look at some of the potential vice presidential picks for Senator Bush. Keep in mind Former UN Ambassador Condoleezza Rice took her self out of the running so she wont be on this list.  

The Favorites:


Rudy Giuliani:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rudy_Giuliani_(cropped).jpg

Mitt Romney:



Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg

George Voinovich:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Voinovich,_official_photo_portrait,_2006.jpg

Bill Frist:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_Frist_official_photo.jpg

Tim Pawlenty:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tim_Pawlenty_official_photo.jpg

Bobby Jindal:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bobby_Jindal,_official_109th_Congressional_photo.jpg

Slade Gorton:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slade_Gorton,_official_Senate_photo_portrait.jpg

Potential Wildcards:

Michael Steele:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Steele.jpg

Paul Ryan:



https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Ryan_official_portrait.jpg

Fred Thompson:



https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fred_Thompson.jpg

Brian Sandoval:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brian_Sandoval_2010.jpg


Alveda King:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuDkmXTmC00

[OSR stands with Israel]

Clinton's Potential Vice Presidential Picks:

Blitzer: Now lets take a look at some of the potential vice presidential picks for Senator Clinton. Keep in Mind that Senator Russ Feingold took himself out of the running

The Favorites:

Joe Biden:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joe_Biden,_official_photo_portrait,_111th_Congress.jpg

Ed Rendell:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ed_Rendell_ID2004_crop_(cropped).JPG

Tom Vilsack:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Vilsack,_official_USDA_photo_portrait.jpg


Jay Rockefeller:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jay_Rockefeller_official_photo.jpg

Evan Bayh:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evan_Bayh_official_portrait_v2.jpg

Phil Bredesen:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Governor_Bredesen.jpg

Bill Richardson:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_Richardson_at_an_event_in_Kensington,_New_Hampshire,_March_18,_2006.jpg


Potential Wildcards:

Harold Ford Jr:



Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Harold_Ford%2C_Congressional_photo_portrait.jpg?20130110200951

Barack Obama:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barack_Obama.jpg

Tim Kaine:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gov._Tim_Kaine_(cropped).jpg

Sherrod Brown:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sherrod_Brown,_official_Senate_photo_portrait,_2007.jpg

Wesley Clark:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd-3P2Jru8g

[BigVic]

Hillary beating Trump…in a primary!

[OSR stands with Israel]

Labour Lose Majority in UK Elections but remain in power through a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTE6cTBrGcA

Labour Party (Gordon Brown): 318 Seats(-66)
Conservative Party(David Cameron): 240 Seats(+67)
Liberal Democrats(Nick Clegg): 63 Seats(+5)
Others: 29(-2)

Result: Labour Short by 8

Overall Government: Labour-Liberal Democrat Coalition


Cooper: Voters across the United Kingdom yesterday delivered a blow to the UK's governing Labour Party , bringing them down from majority status to plurality status. As a result of these results, their Prime Minister had to make a deal with the leader of a third party in order to remain in power through a coalition government. With us now is Jonathan Freeland from the Guardian to discuss more about the results. So Jonathan why did Labour lose their majority and was it a mistake for them to call this election.

Freeland: Well the fact is after 11 years of having massive majorities , fatigue does start to set in and we saw that all through last year when former Tony Blair's poll numbers declined heavily and it seems to have effected Gordon Brown as well. Was it a mistake, its hard to say as if the trend line continued they very well could have been ousted from power two years from now while with this coalition government they will at least be in power for another 5 years.

I will also say that while it does suck to lose a majority this result is better for them than a narrow majority would have been like which was realistically the only other option as they were not gonna keep their large majority.

Cooper: Why is that

Freeland: Well for the simple reason  that if they had a small majority , the left flank of their party that has been frustrated with how Labour has governed would have had power in a small majority government and that could have resulted in a lot of infighting in the party which voters in the UK do not like and that easily could have resulted in the party collapsing. Now with a coalition government they do not need to worry about that and they potentially have a chance to actually to shake of voter fatigue as this is a change.


Cooper: Now I know in the UK party leaders are usually ousted after losing elections so what happens to David Cameron now

Freeland: While the Conservatives didnt gain as much as they wanted the fact is they actually won more votes than Labour nationwide and still made significant gains nationwide. Due to this David Cameron almost certainly will remain the party's leader and probably lead them to their next election in 2012 or 2013 .


Cooper: Thanks for coming on

[BigVic]

Labour Lose Majority in UK Elections but remain in power through a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTE6cTBrGcA

Labour Party (Gordon Brown): 318 Seats(-66)
Conservative Party(David Cameron): 240 Seats(+67)
Liberal Democrats(Nick Clegg): 63 Seats(+5)
Others: 29(-2)

Result: Labour Short by 8

Overall Government: Labour-Liberal Democrat Coalition


Cooper: Voters across the United Kingdom yesterday delivered a blow to the UK's governing Labour Party , bringing them down from majority status to plurality status. As a result of these results, their Prime Minister had to make a deal with the leader of a third party in order to remain in power through a coalition government. With us now is Jonathan Freeland from the Guardian to discuss more about the results. So Jonathan why did Labour lose their majority and was it a mistake for them to call this election.

Freeland: Well the fact is after 11 years of having massive majorities , fatigue does start to set in and we saw that all through last year when former Tony Blair's poll numbers declined heavily and it seems to have effected Gordon Brown as well. Was it a mistake, its hard to say as if the trend line continued they very well could have been ousted from power two years from now while with this coalition government they will at least be in power for another 5 years.

I will also say that while it does suck to lose a majority this result is better for them than a narrow majority would have been like which was realistically the only other option as they were not gonna keep their large majority.

Cooper: Why is that

Freeland: Well for the simple reason  that if they had a small majority , the left flank of their party that has been frustrated with how Labour has governed would have had power in a small majority government and that could have resulted in a lot of infighting in the party which voters in the UK do not like and that easily could have resulted in the party collapsing. Now with a coalition government they do not need to worry about that and they potentially have a chance to actually to shake of voter fatigue as this is a change.


Cooper: Now I know in the UK party leaders are usually ousted after losing elections so what happens to David Cameron now

Freeland: While the Conservatives didnt gain as much as they wanted the fact is they actually won more votes than Labour nationwide and still made significant gains nationwide. Due to this David Cameron almost certainly will remain the party's leader and probably lead them to their next election in 2012 or 2013 .


Cooper: Thanks for coming on

Gordon Brown doing a Theresa May calling a snap election and losing his majority

[OSR stands with Israel]

Senator Russ Feingold explains why he isnt interested in being VP:

King: Senator Feingold many have wondered why you said no to VP given many people think you being VP would actually unite all wings in the party and think youd be a wonderful choice. Was it cause of any problems between you and Senator Clinton, too much disagreement

Feingold: Number 1 is that I think I can do more for the agenda I have laid out in my last two presidential campaigns as a senator than I could as VP. Number two and most important is I do not think the primary purpose of a Vice President is supposed to be to balance out a ticket as for an administration to work very well both the President and Vice President pretty much have to be in agreement especially on foreign policy and as the campaign showed Senator Clinton and I have our differences on that .

King: So are you saying she is the lesser of two evils

Feingold: No I am not saying that at all, as I think she definitely will be a good president. Her plans for example on issues such as healthcare, and childcare would help out countless amount of working people in this nation and she has a concrete plan to help us address the issue of Global Warming which is why I am fully behind her campaign. Number two you do not need to support everything about a candidate when you are voting for them as you can believe they will be a good president despite opposing them on certain things , but being their Vice President is a whole different story as now you have to help them implement parts of an agenda you may not agree with or you get chaos in the White House and I do not want to do either.

King: Dont you think you can help Senator Clinton win by being her running mate though

Feingold: Listen I also think the choice for Vice President is overrated when it comes to elections as people primarily elect a president and not a vice president but that does not mean I am not doing anything to help. In fact my top advisors from my campaign and top advisors from Mr.Trump's campaign are working with Senator Clinton's campaign to develop a policy platform that can help unite our party for the fall and I think that is more important.

King: Are you worried if this interview can make some people to believe you arent fully behind Senator Clinton

Feingold: No I am not as I have not said anything that people already dont know . Saying I now agree with Senator Clinton on stuff we both clearly disagreed on during the primaries would mean I was either lying now or on the campaign trail and I am not gonna lie and I hope your network and the others don't.

I am 100% behind her candidacy and intend to do everything I can to help her win as I believe she will do a good job as President and potentially be remembered as a great president.


King: Ok thank you for coming Senator Feingold

Feingold: Anytime

[2016]

If I were Hillary Clinton I'd pick Bayh or Bredesen as VP. Both of them would put IN & TN in play.

[President Johnson]

Jay Rockefeller for vice president!

[2016]

Jay Rockefeller for vice president!

Rockefeller is too old. With Bayh or Bredesen there is a reasonable chance they can run for POTUS themselves.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Breaking News: Tim Russert, long time moderator of Meet the Press dies of a heart attack:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIWt4dJ6RIw

Blitzer: We have some sad news to report and that is Tim Russert , long time moderator of NBC's Meet the Press has died of a heart attack. Tim Russert was well renowned as a moderator on the longest running Sunday Show on Television in asking tough but fair questions and here are some highlights of some of his best moments on air. 

Here is a statement from President McCain reacting to Tim Russert's passing

McCain: I was very saddened to hear of the death of Tim Russert who was a great moderator of Meet the Press and was everything a journalist should aspire to be like. As someone who had been on his show multiple times as senator and later as President, I can tell you that he was a great person too and I want to give my condolences to his family on behalf of the nation.

Blitzer: NBC has said that Tom Brokaw a former anchor on NBC Nightly News will be moderating Meet the Press until they find a full time moderator for the program. We want to end by giving our condolences to Tim Russert's family and friends 

[OSR stands with Israel]

Senate Officially Ratifies Iraqi Status of Forces Treaty:

Cooper: The Senate earlier today overwhelmingly ratified the Iraqi Status of Forces Treaty that will create permanent military bases in Iraq but at the same time significantly reduce the involvement of US troops on day to day affairs in Iraq. The Treaty Was Ratified by a vote of 88 Ayes to 12 Nays with many even anti interventionist senators voting yes on the treaty although Senator and Former Presidential Candidate Russ Feingold still voted No. Here is the list of the 12 senators who voted no

Senators who voted no:

Daniel Akka(D-HI)
Jeff Bingaman(D-NM)
Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
Robert Byrd(D-WV)
Kent Conrad(D-ND)
Russ Feingold(D-WI)
Ted Kennedy(D-MA)
Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
Carl Levin(D-MI)
Bernie Sanders(I-VT)
Brian Schweitzer(D-MT)
Ron Wyden(D-OR)


Both Senator Clinton and Senator Bush voted yes on this treaty so Iraq isnt expected to be that big of an issue on the campaign trail.

[OSR stands with Israel]

CNN Releases First Official Battleground Map for the Election

Blitzer: With 4 months left to go till the election CNN is now ready to release its first battleground map so lets go over to John King at the Magic Wall to see how it looks like

King: Yes and here it is and as you can see currently Senator Clinton starts out with a very narrow advantage over Senator Bush with 179 electoral votes compared to his 176 with 183 of them being declared tossup





Blitzer: Thats a pretty large battleground

King: Yes it is and that is cause while 4 months may not seem like much, remember in those 4 months we will see both candidates pick their running mates, see both parties put on their conventions, see the fall campaign in full swing and of course see both candidates debate multiple times so we have a long way to go and due to that CNN is being very conservative in this map.

One example of that is in Indiana which we have colored in Lean Bush, and many may ask Indiana isnt it one of the most solidly Republican states in the nation. That is correct but the fact is Senator Evan Bayh may be picked as Senator Clinton's running mate which potentially may put Indiana in play, the key word being potential so due to that we didnt want to make it seem like the state is Solidly Bush yet. Now if Senator Clinton does not pick Senator Bayh as her running mate, I am almost certain we will move Indiana into the Solid Bush category so the key here is patience.

Blitzer: So what are some states currently marked in Lean that has the best chance of coming in play

King: For the Democrats one state they are looking into maybe putting effort in contesting it is Virginia a state as you know has only gone to the Democrats once since 1952 , of course being in President Johnson Landslide win back in 1964. The reason though they are putting effort into it is because the fastest growing region in the state is also the region that is trending the most towards them and that is Northern Virginia. 4 years ago Senator Biden became the first Democrat since 1964 to win Fairfax County and since then the county has moved more and more into the Democratic camp and now the question is can they expand their gains into nearing Loudon and Prince William County. If they can then well we could see Virginia be competitive, otherwise no.

For the Republicans the state they are looking into trying to put into play is Michigan which of course has not gone Republican since Senator Bush's father won it back in 1988. Now of course when his father did it he did it by dominating the Detroit suburbs and racked up massive margins in Oakland and Macomb Counties . Senator Bush also hopes he can make inroads into some of the more democratic leaning rural parts of the state to try to offset some of the losses Republicans have had in the Michigan Suburbs. If he can do that then Michigan can potentially be in play otherwise no it cannot.


Blitzer: So there at the moment are many many paths both Senator Bush and Senator Clinton can take to get to the magic 270

King: That is correct Wolf

Blitzer: Despite that Ohio is gonna be very important to both camps especially Senator Bush

King: Yes as you know Ohio has only voted for the loser twice in the modern era in 1944 and 1960 so that makes it very important for both camps but even for more for Senator Bush given that no Republican has ever won the White House without carrying Ohio. Now some people may argue its a coincidence which is why I have gone back over the past 20 elections to see how Ohio has voted in relative to the deciding state. The deciding state being basically what state would it take for the winning candidate to lose if you go down the list from the states they won by the smallest margin to the largest and this is what I got.

More Republican than the Deciding State: 14 times
More Democratic than the Deciding State: 2 times(1964, 1984)
Deciding State: 4 Times(1936, 1968, 1972, 2004)


So as you can Republicans have needed Ohio in 18 of the past 20 elections and the two they didnt need , the fact is in one of them they had no prayer of winning and in the other they were certain to win so really in any non massive landslide race they have needed Ohio every time.

Blitzer: Further shows the importance of Ohio. Ok thanks John and we will be coming back to see how the map looks during what is shaping up to be a very exciting presidential campaign.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Hillary Clinton's Vice Presidential Shortlist:

Brown: Senator Clinton's team just released her shortlist for whom she is considering picking as her running mate. So John as we go over each pick what would be their benefits from an electoral perspective

King: Campbell lets pull up the battleground map and now lets go over each pick

Tom Vilsack:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Vilsack,_official_USDA_photo_portrait.jpg

King: Governor Vilsack as you know is a good friend of the Clintons, and was a pretty popular governor of Iowa. With him on the ticket , she would not only be favored to win that state but probably neighboring Minnesota and Wisconsin which have similar voters. That would bump her total on this map from 179 to 206 and in this case this would mean she would lead Senator Bush even if you move Florida into his column as hed only have 203 in this case.

Brown: What are some weaknesses he has

King: Well some weaknesses is he wouldnt really bring any excitement to the ticket really and in close elections that could be a deciding factor as in that case turnout becomes very important.

Jay Rockefeller:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jay_Rockefeller_official_photo.jpg

King: As you may remember Senator Rockefeller was picked by Senator Biden last time and many pundits believed he did a decent job as the Vice Presidential candidate in a race many thought was unwinnable for the Democrats. Now picking him will instantly mean West Virginia would be in the Democratic column and would put an end to any hopes Senator Bush had to put that state in play and in a close election , taking any state of the table for the other side is important. Also keep in mind there are voters similar to what you see in West Virginia in South East Ohio, South West Pennsylvania, and Eastern Kentucky and as you can see all 3 of those states are battleground states and worth 48 electoral votes which would be huge.

Brown: What are some weaknesses hed face

King: Well out of these 4 he probably would be the easiest to attack as being too liberal which could hurt with moderates elsewhere and probably does not help with young vote outreach as well. That could hurt the ticket out west which is a region Senator Clinton hopes to do better in than Senator Biden did.

Evan Bayh:



Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evan_Bayh_official_portrait_v2.jpg

King: Senator Bayh is someone that potentially could make a state which is as solidly Republican as Indiana in play which would be huge which otherwise would not be in play as we would move in to Solid Republican if he is not the pick. He also would probably help Democrats most among conservative independent voters which are pretty much in every battleground state.

Brown: What would be some weaknesses

King: Picking him would probably alienate many Feingold/Trump supporters the most and could help Ralph Nader out a lot as well which could very well sink her chances. So I would say he is the most high risk high reward pick she can make out of the 4

Harold Ford Jr:



Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Harold_Ford%2C_Congressional_photo_portrait.jpg?20130110200951


King: Senator Ford would probably help the ticket in the Southern Battleground and keep in mind that no Democratic candidate in history has ever won the White House without winning multiple states in the Former Confederacy so picking him would help down there. Also he probably would help excite African American voters and potentially young voters as well which could help the ticket in many battleground up north as well.

Brown : What are some of his weaknesses

King: His weaknesses is he is by far the least experienced which could hurt among many voters that care about that and it can also cause him to make many mistakes on the campaign trail that more experienced politicians would not. Remember in a close election any factor matters and I will say the Vice Presidential pick probably matters more than it has in any election in a long time.


Brown: We will be waiting to see for sure who gets picked

[2016]

This is going to be one hell of a Close Election I think. 2008 ain't like 1988 when George H. W. Bush made it three times in a row a Republican got elected to the White House.

I think Hillary Clinton will make life down in Florida very difficult for Senator Bush because of the AA & Hispanic Vote.

From 2000 to 2008 the Hispanic Vote in the Sunshine State, particularly in the I4-Corridor increased dramatically. Orange County, Hillsborough and Pinellas comes through my mind.

Looking at the Map Senator Hillary Clinton can actually win the Election without Ohio:

She has 179 right now. You add Florida (27), Virginia (13), New Mexico (5), Nevada (5), Oregon (7), Washington State (11), Pennsylvania (21) and New Jersey (15) she would be at 283.

And if she doesn't win Virginia she would drop down to 268 but could get there with either Minnesota (10), Wisconsin (10), New Hampshire (4) or Iowa (7).

Ohio & Virginia are MUST-WIN States for Bush and so are Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri, Tennessee and Louisiana.