Midterm Game Thread

[GoTfan]

Sanders Campaign Schedule

May

May 2: Form Exploratory Committee

May 8: Register as Democrat

May 17: Declare candidacy for US Senate in Vermont

May 18: File to run in Democratic primary

May 19-30: Build campaign team + small donor network

June:

June 1-15: Meet with Democratic county chairs across the state

June 16-25: Rallies in Burlington, Montpelier and Rutland. Barnstorm in Windsor, Addison and Orange Counties.

June 25-30: Town hall meetings in Newfane, Middlebury, Newfane and Manchester. Rallies held in Bennington and St. Johnsbury

July

July 1-12: Washington DC for Congressional duties.

July 13: Fly to California.

July 14-20: Campaign for DA Kamala Harris' Senate bid, attending rallies in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

July 21: Return to Vermont

July 22-31: Rallies in Woodstock, Hyde Park, Chelsea and Newport. Barnstorm in Chittenden, Washington, Windham and Caledonia counties

August

August 1-15: Fundraisers across the state.

August 16-27: Congressional duties

August 28: Rally in Rutland

August 29: Fundraiser with Hillary Clinton at Battlebro Country Club

August 30-31: Barnstorm in Essex County

September

September 1-10: Fundraisers across the state

September 11: Memorial for 9/11 terror attacks

September 12: travel to California.

September 13-17: Appear at rallies and town halls for DA Kamala Harris.

Spember 18: Return to Vermont

September 19-25: Barnstorm in every county possible

September 26-27: Rest

September 28-30: Congressional duties

[NewYorkExpress]

Hillary Clinton Schedule,  Part 3

September 1-2  Tour Hurricane Katrina Damaged Areas in New Orleans, Louisiana (With Bill Clinton, Mary Landrieu, Kathleen Blanco and Ray Nagin)

September 3-9

Fundraisers Across New York City.

September 10, 2005

Rally on behalf Anthony Weiner for Mayor of New York City, Shea Stadium, Flushing, Queens, New York

Anthony Weiner will fight for the citizens of New York City every day as Mayor. He's a tough as nails fighter, the exact opposite of what we have in City Hall right now. It's my honor to endorse Anthony Weiner for Mayor of New York City.

September 11, 2005

Attend 9/11 memorial services, Ground Zero, The Financial District, Manhattan

Attend New York Giants game vs Arizona Cardinals, at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.

September 12-14

Senate Duties, Washington D.C

September 15, 2005

Rally on behalf of Doug Jones, Louis Crews Stadium, Huntsville, Alabama
Doug Jones was once told by his superiors at the Justice Department that he'd never be able to get convictions when the Ku Klux Klan bombed a church in Birmingham. Well, he proved them wrong. And he's going to keep fighting for you as Governor of Alabama, not because it's politically convenient, but because it's the right thing to do.

September 16, 2005

Rally on behalf of Chris Coleman for Mayor of Saint.Paul, Minnesota, Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul Minnesota.

Randy Kelly endorsed George Bush last year. He endorsed a President who has been sending residents of Saint Paul to Iraq and Afghanistan to die, to prop up governments, that because of our mismanagement are now going to fail. That's grounds to throw him out of office.

September 17, 2005

Attend Syracuse Orange Football Game vs Virginia at the Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York

September 18, 2005

Appear on Meet the Press, from Syracuse, New York

So, Senator, with the amount of travel you've done, is it safe to say you're not worried about reelection?
No, I'm not Tim, and why should I be? My colleague, Senator Schumer just got almost 72% of the vote last cycle. I'm pretty confident I can match that, if not exceed it.
So, looking ahead to the next couple of years, are you thinking about running for President at all?
Am I thinking about it? Yes, I am. I'm well aware the fight would be difficult if I did run, but an open seat race, after a President who has managed to bungle two wars, and the response from a hurricane? Of course I'm thinking about running for President in 2008. But I won't make any promises about whether or not I'm running until this race is over. I owe the people of New York the ability to focus on one campaign at a time.
Speaking of New York Politics, the primary for Governor looks interesting from an outsiders prospective. Care to give us your thoughts?
I really like Tom Souzzi, but I just don't see how he beats Eliot Spitzer in the primary. If I were him I'd drop down and run against Peter King, or run for one of the Republican held State Senate seats in Nassau County. I'm not going to endorse anyone in this race, but that's my personal opinion.
That's a drastic contrast to your feelings on the Senate race in California.
Well, I have very different reasons for endorsing Kamala Harris.
Thank you for your time, Senator.
Always a pleasure to be here Tim.

September 19-29

Senate Duties, Washington D.C

Rally on behalf of Kamala Harris, Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

We're seeing a new wave of young talent come and make waves in politics. First it was Barack Obama, and now it is Kamala Harris. I am delighted to join Senator Sanders in endorsing a bright new star in California politics, and someone who will almost certainly be one of the brightest stars in Senate when she wins.

September 30, 2005

Meet with campaign staff, Chappaqua (discussion about 2006 Senate Race/2008 Presidential Election)

[Orwell]

DCC Announcement

DCC to begin campaign season early in 2006

Today in a press conference at the Capitol, DCC Chairman Rahm Emmanuel announced the formulation of the Democrats plans to retake the House of Representative in 2006, it has been widely believed that the Democrats would make a major push to retake the House in the upcoming election as President Bush's popularity and the popularity of the war in Iraq lags. At the announcement this morning, Emmanuel elaborated on his plan in tandem with DNC Chair Howard Dean to run campaigns across the nation and put all 50 states in play for Democrats up and down the ballot. The Democrats also released the list of seats making the preliminary Red to Blue list for the 2006 cycle, these include the trio of Republican-held seats in Connecticut, 4 Republican-held seats in Ohio, North Carolina's 8th and 11th districts, among others. It is believed the DCC will begin a huge fundraising push to dominate the airwaves against the GOP in the future.

[VirginiaAaron]

Sen. George Allen September Schedule

Image from Wikimedia Commons

September 1-9: Fundraise for '06 Senate campaign throughout VA
September 10: Fundraise in New York for Senate campaign
September 11: Attend memorials in New York City, Shanksville, and Washington, D.C.

A few hours ago, I spoke with Catherine Hernandez, who lost her father in these attacks. She told me, that her father, Norberto, was a pastry chef in the World Trade Center. She said he was the kindest, sweetest soul you have ever met. Whenever Norberto would leave his kids for work or wherever he may be going, he would say to Catherine and her siblings, "‘Te amo. Vaya con Dios." To Catherine, to her family, and to all of the victims of these terrible attacks, I say, God be with you, and that it's people like you that make America the greatest nation on the planet, and it's people like you that got us through those challenging times. We must never forget.

September 12-15: Return to Virginia, barnstorm across the state for Jerry Kilgore
September 16-19: Make speeches in Iowa and New Hampshire to test the waters for a 2008 presidential campaign
September 20-25: Barnstorm, speak, and fundraise across Virginia for Jerry Kilgore and for General Assembly candidates
September 27: Rest
September 28-30: Senate duties

[Left Wing]

Doug Jones September schedule
September 1-10: Meet with Alabamans affected by Katrina and deliver groceries from Costco to them.
September 11: Travel to the 9/11 Memorial Walk in Birmingham

Remarks to press on 9/11/05
Look, I'm not here to answer political questions, I'm here to honor those who lost their lives that day. Though Alabama was not the physical target of the attacks, we felt pain collectively as a nation and we will never forget what happened four years ago.

September 12: Endorse Sam Jones for election as mayor of Mobile.
September 13: Spend 20,000 $ to get an opinion poll showing Alabaman's approval of Bob Riley's handling of Katrina and George W. Bush's handling of Katrina
September 13-14: Take two days to rest and drive to Huntsville
September 15: rally with senator Hillary Clinton in Huntsville
September 16-23: Barnstorm Limestone and Madison counties
September 23-30: Host various fundraisers for Alabama state house and senate candidates.

[nerd73]

I would like to play as Mac Thornberry.

[VirginiaAaron]

Sen. Allen's 2006 Campaign Strategy

Senator George Allen (R-VA) realizes that depending on his opponent, he could either cruise to re-election or go down in stunning defeat. The Allen campaign is trying to make the election about Virginia, with highlights of the national implications of this race. He plans to highlight his introduction of the Balanced Budget Amendment, the Line Item Veto, Paycheck Penalty Legislation, the National Innovation Act, and the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research & Development Act. He hopes to emphasize his bipartisanship in the Senate, in particular, working with Senator Lieberman and Senator Wyden to pass the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act.

He plans on running ads to promote Allen's work on maintaining a balanced budget, which can appeal to suburban voters. He wants to also focus on issues that appeal to both parties in Virginia, issues that are embraced by both parties such as the death penalty, right-to-work laws, and Second Amendment rights (on a national scale, these are all dividing issues but in VA, the parties are more united). Allen also wants to play down his support for the Iraq War and make this race about Virginia, not about George Bush. As 2006 comes closer, Senator Allen plans on cutting down on visits to early presidential primary states.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

[KaiserDave]

Douglas for Senate Strategy

Governor Douglas and his team, led by Campaign Chairman State Senator Phil Scott and Treasurer Dustin Degree are formulating a strategy that will win the U.S. Senate election in Vermont for Governor Douglas. Jim will spend the year of 2005 building awareness of his campaign among key Republican figures and core Republican voters, and make overtures to the liberal voters who have powered his landslide reelection in 2004.

Governor Douglas will remind core GOP voters of his effective management of the state's finances, his opposition to new taxes and fees in Vermont, and his tempered moderation compared to the self declared "democratic socialist" Bernie Sanders. Key GOP figures and donors, who have been excited for such a gubernatorial campaign for some time should be easy to sway to Governor Douglas, who is not expected to have significant primary opposition.

Governor Douglas's overtures to liberal voters will be based on his existing popularity as Governor, his independent nature, and always attempting to localize the race based on his effective gubernatorial leadership and fiscal stewardship. Governor Douglas will stake on maverick positions on national issues, usually to the left of Republican orthodoxy, and criticize both "Washington dysfunction" and "extremism in both parties." With moderate Democrats, Douglas will always emphasize his moderate views.

Autumn 2005 Schedule

All items are interspersed between day to day Governing duties, all unmentioned days are rest or day to day governing duties


September
September 11: Remarks on the 9/11 Attack

September 11th was a day that we will never forget-we must never forget. I..will never forget seeing people jump from the highest floors to avoid the inferno. Those images have burned themselves into my mind, and into the national consciousness. We must never forget what we lost, and we must never forget the spirit of selflessness and sacrifice that emerged among so many good, decent Americans.

September 15-19: Meet with focus groups of Vermonters to discuss the issues September 28: Fundraiser in Brattleboro with major statewide GOP donors
October
October 6: Fundraiser in Rutland City with major statewide GOP donors
October 12: Meet with Senator Jeffords and Leahy on a non campaign economic opportunity conference
October 14: Unveils Campaign Slogan "The Third Way" to emphasize Douglas's difference from both right wing Republicans and partisan Democrats
October 15: Speech to the University of Vermont on leadership and crisis management
October 21: Meet with former President George H.W. Bush in Kennebunkport
October 28: Fundraiser in Bennington with major GOP statewide donors
October 30: Town Hall in Manchester
November
November 1: CNN Appearance to introduce himself to a national audience, notes his bipartisan credentials and talks about being a Republican governor in a Democratic state
November 8: Congratulates Jon Corzine and Tim Kaine on their gubernatorial victories (Assuming this is the same as RL) in a brief press release
November 10: Creates campaign MySpace Account
November 12: Delivers speech "Why I am a Republican" at the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation in Plymouth Vermont firmly defining himself as a moderate Republican, a one nation conservative and not a Ronald Reagan/George W. Bush conservative.

I'm a member of the Vermont Republican Party, because as a young man I was inspired by statesman and Vermont heroes like George Aiken and Robert Stafford. These were men of integrity, who put country before party. They were not afraid of standing up to bullies, like Senator Aiken did when he so boldly denounced Joseph McCarthy. They weren't afraid to buck pressure, like how Robert Stafford angered a lot folks in Washington with his unafraid environmentalism. These are the ideas of patriotic, sensible men, and these are the ideas that are key my Republican identity. I am a Republican because like President Coolidge I put faith in individual men and women, in families, rather than bureaucrats to make decisions on people's lives. And I am a Republican because like President Eisenhower I believe that our government works best when it works together for the common good, not dominated by partisan squabbling or the excessive influences of big business or special interests. I'm a Republican because I believe in good, trusted government

November 16: Holds fundraiser in Stowe with major GOP statewide donors
November 28: Organizes Campaign Panel of Small business people, worker's leaders, and community associations on working together for Vermont chaired by Jim Douglas

[NewYorkExpress]

OOC: First I thought we were doing until September, then I thought we were doing until the end of September...anyways, when does the turn end?

[S019]

Turn ends end of September, I thought that was clear

[NewYorkExpress]

Turn ends end of September, I thought that was clear

Okay, because someone went to October and November.

[KaiserDave]

Turn ends end of September, I thought that was clear

I sometimes like to get ahead of myself for my own organizational purposes. I'm sorry if that's confusing. Loving the game.

[NewYorkExpress]

Tom Suozzi Schedule, September 2005

September 1-15

Attend to duties as Nassau County Executive

September 15-30

Bus Tour of Upstate New York, stopping in Buffalo, Rochester, Watertown, Albany, Binghamton, and White Plains.

[S019]

I haven't forgotten about this and will have the turn results and the next turn posted all at once (since what happens this turn WILL impact the next turn), I'll make it known once I'm starting to look at this turn, until then, you are free to edit your turn or submit your turn, if you forgot

[KaiserDave]

Love this game
Will we get an update soon?

[KaiserDave]

Love this game
Will we get an update soon?

[S019]

Love this game
Will we get an update soon?

I have been trying to get time into my schedule, but with a heavy school coarse load, it's been really hard, I will start scoring the turn tonight, finish scoring tomorrow night, and have the new turn up tomorrow night, I think I'll have to make turns end on the weekends from now on, since my weekdays are packed. As I am starting the scoring, this means the turn extension is over and all turns sent are now final.

[S019]

End of Turn 1

Candidate Balances (how much you have left after this turn):

Hillary Clinton: 2,500,000

Doug Jones: 1,570,000

Tom Suozzi: $1,800,000

George Allen: $3,100,000

Jim Douglas: $3,200,000

Bernie Sanders: $3,275,000

Kamala Harris: $2,000,000

John McKinney: $2,000,000

Harold Ford Jr.: $2,000,000


Committee Balances (how much you have left after this turn):

DSCC: $9,350,000
DCCC: $10,000,000
NRSC: $10,000,000
NRCC: $10,000,000

Credit Balances (how much you have left after this turn):

Hillary Clinton: 5

Doug Jones: 1

Tom Suozzi: 5

George Allen: 5

Jim Douglas: 1

Bernie Sanders: 3

Kamala Harris: 5

John McKinney: 5

Harold Ford Jr.: 5


BREAKING NEWS: THE RECAP OF THE EARLY 2006 CYCLE

Both Candidates Raise Big Money in Tiny Vermont

The tiny Green Mountain State has emerged as a key Senate battleground, and both candidates raised over $3 million in the first weeks of the 2006 campaign, a campaign heavily based on effective fundraising has set up both candidates very well as the race emerges as a key target in the battle for Senate control. Throwing another twist into the race outgoing Senator Jim Jeffords, who famously switched to an Independent caucusing with the Democrats, to give the Democrats Senate control in 2001 has endorsed the Republican, Governor Jim Douglas who is facing the Democratic incumbent Congressmen Bernie Sanders. Vermont moved to a tossup almost instantly in the major prognosticators ratings

DSCC EYES PA, MN, OH, VA, and TN as Senate cycle opens

The DSCC has set its eyes on the seats that it hopes will lead Democrats to retaking the Senate. The national Democrats have already circled PA and OH, where they viewed incumbents Mike DeWine and Rick Santorum as vulnerable, and have recruited US Representative Sherrod Brown and State Representative Todd Eachus, respectively in both races. In addition, the DSCC landed its top recruit in the VA SEN race in outgoing Governor Mark Warner. Mr. Warner had been rumored to be a considering a Senate run and now puts the Virginia race firmly on the map, most outlets immediately moved it to tossup. Virginia is also one of two states where the Democrats went on the air, buying airtime for a radio ad attacking incumbent Senator George Allen. Senator Allen, however raised an impressive $3.1 million and will not go down without a fight. The DSCC brought its first TV ad of the cycle in TN buying a 30 minute spot supporting the candidacy of Congressman Harold Ford Jr., however TN remains lean Republican in most ratings. Additionally, the DSCC recruited Hennepin County Commissioner Amy Klobuchar for the Minnesota Senate race. However, Mrs. Klobuchar is not that much of a well known candidate and Minnesota remains a top pickup opportunity for Republicans, however Democrats have made it clear that they won't let it go without a fight.

ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA

Senator Dianne Feinstein remains the favorite against San Francisco DA Kamala Harris in a California Senate primary that has been closely watched by people all across the nation of all political beliefs. Ms. Harris received a huge boost when she was endorsed by New York Senator Hillary Clinton, a move that privately bothered Mrs. Feinstein. The Senator has been weighing retirement fearing that a primary that once looked like she'd coast, may not be as easy as she expected.

JONES RUNS AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN IN DEEP-RED ALABAMA, WILL IT MATTER?

Alabama has long been a red state, however Democrats have smelt blood in the water there this year. Governor Bob Riley is not terribly popular and many Democrats view him as vulnerable. The party is currently divided between a divisive three way primary between former US Attorney Doug Jones, Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley, and former Governor Don Siegelman. Jones has run an aggressive campaign and has spent nearly $500,000 in the opening stages of the campaign and has challenged Mrs. Baxley and Mr. Siegelman to a debate. Governor Riley meanwhile has been seeing somewhat of an approval bump from Hurricane Katrina, but this race will remain a Tossup.

Next post will include the next turn as well as the polling updates, also let me know if you like this end of turn format and also if you do fundraisers please specify a cost per person and/or how many people you expect to attend it, makes scoring this a lot easier, otherwise I have to make up numbers plug them into a calculator and see if they make sense.

[KaiserDave]

Instructions noted
Love love love the news format

[NewYorkExpress]

Also love the news format.

[Left Wing]

ditto to the previous two comments

[KaiserDave]

Can we make a chat thread to avoid clutter?

[NewYorkExpress]

Can we make a chat thread to avoid clutter?

That would be very much appreciated, and is in line with other election games.

[KaiserDave]

Pat Bradley/WMAC

Jim Douglas Interview on Radio Vermont WDEV

Host: Hello, coming at you from U.S. Route Two Waterbury Vermont, WDEV AM radio station. Today we've got the distinct pleasure of hosting Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, and candidate for United States Senate to boot! Glad to have you Governor on this fine December day!

Douglas: Thanks, happy to be on, always good to be snugly inside on a day like this.

Host: So Governor, what ultimately caused you to pull the trigger on running?

Douglas: Well it was not an easy decision, and I would certainly prefer to be Governor of this great state than be a United States Senator. I think Montpelier works a lot better than Washington, and I certainly prefer spending my time in Middlebury than in the national Capitol, but I believe that we all have a duty to serve our country, as Americans, and a duty to our state as Vermonters, and its for that reasons that I feel that I needed to run. Senator Jeffords, a giant of the Senate is resigning, and I think that will leave a hole in the Senate where his presence was felt. I will try my best to fill that spot and serve the people of Vermont, and so I've decided to run.

Host: You say you don't want to be a Senator, so why are you running?

Douglas: Well, one's patriotic duty is more than a question of want. I believe that I can do good work in the United States Senate for the people of Vermont, and give Vermonters a voice in the Senate that puts people before politics, and upholds fairness, dignity, respect. I believe that the legacy of Senator Jeffords, who carved a great path in his time in the Senate should be continued, I hope I can do that, and I ask the good people of Vermont for their vote. Washington may be broke, but I want to help fix it.

Host: Now onto Washington. Right now the Senate is embattled in a Supreme Court confirmation battle. Democrats are fiercely opposing President Bush's nomination of Samuel Alito, saying he's an arch conservative, much like Robert Bork, and not suited to be on the bench. Do you agree?

Douglas: Well, I think Judge Alito is very qualified for the bench, but beyond the question of qualification I believe that we need to hear from the man himself in January when he will face the Judiciary committee. I think President Bush made the wrong call nominating Harriet Miers, that was a partisan pick, it was designed to serve political ends, and she was entirely unqualified. Judge Alito is definitely a more qualified pick that Ms. Miers. In general when I look to a Supreme Court appointment I look for the Judge's commitment to objectivity, to neutrality, they should be divorced from politics and politicians as much as possible. It should be the job of the Court to interpret the law, not make the law. I think Justice O'Connor is a good example of a fine Justice, Justice Souter and Breyer as well. I look forward to seeing Judge Alito's confirmation hearing.

Host: How do you view the Court's decision in the highly controversial Bush vs. Gore decision?

Douglas: Well it's hard for me to say much on the legal reasoning, but at the end of the day it probably would have been best to let the recount play out. I think that decision has damaged our political discourse.

Host: Moving on from the nation's highest court, there is the persistent issue of the war in Iraq. The Iraq Study Group just released a bipartisan report declaring that "the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating." How do you view the mission in Iraq Governor?

Douglas: Well it's veered off in an uncontrollable direction. We're committing more men, more resources, more materials, we're sending dollars we could use at home to Iraq every day. Well...are we accomplishing the mission? No, I don't think so. Saddam Hussein is going to be executed later this month, no biological or chemical weapons have been found, no evidence of a nuclear program. If there was a mission, we haven't pursued it. I think Senator Jeffords had the right idea when he voted no on authorizing the use of force given what's occurred since 2003. It wasn't an easy vote, or a popular vote by any measure, but in hindsight Senator Jeffords made the right call.

Host: What should we do now?

Douglas: Well I think we should refocus. The Global War on Terror is worth fighting, we can never allow what happened to us on September 11th to ever happen again. But we're not protecting Americans by staying in Iraq, when we send a billion to Iraq to develop their country, that's 1 billion we're not using to develop our roads, our bridges, that's 1 billion we're not investing in working people, that's 1 billion we're tossing onto the mounting debt. Let's start to withdraw from Iraq. And remember, we still haven't found Osama Bin Laden. That should the the primary focus of our efforts. The Taliban harbored Osama Bin Laden, we should continue our efforts to wrest control of Afghanistan from them and their warped view of Islam. We need to work with President Putin to achieve that as well. As for Iraq, it's a war that's pretty clearly, not worth fighting.

Host: Funny you bring up Putin, you majored in Russian Studies did you not?

Douglas: I did, I did. Middlebury of course. Loved my time there, had the pleasure of being College Republican Chairman and majored in Russian Studies. You know if President Bush wants to send me to Moscow to talk to President Putin on making Afghanistan stable, I'd be happy too. Moy russkiy neplokhoy.

Host: Alright Comrade. About President Bush. How do you view the Bush Administration in general?

Douglas: Well, not all too favorably. I think President Bush has brought a lot to the White House, his words to the nation after 9/11 were particularly meaningful, and I think he brings an earnest desire to improve our government, but I think he's been swamped with this endless war in Iraq, by these ethics issues in his Administration, and I think he's lost focus on these key domestic issues. Education, jobs, and the health of our constituent states. I think his Cabinet has issues, just look at Secretary Rumsfeld, I'm of the view he should step down after the examples of incompetence we've seen. If I'm elected I'll work with the President to refocus on these kitchen table issues, improve Vermont's quality of life, get more infrastructure spending in Vermont, and do my best to bring the issues that concern Vermonters to the President's attention, especially those relevant to farmers. If I can get the White House to focus on farmers in Vermont and not nation-building in Baghdad, I consider that a win.

[NewYorkExpress]

So, did the October turn start?

Can I post my Hillary/Suozzi schedules?