America's Maverick Part 2: Madame President

[President Johnson]

Lmao, Trump will indeed be fun.

Interesting that Coakley wins here. I guess she's definitely winning the next regular relection here. So Liz Warren never happens.

[OSR stands with Israel]

So Clinton got Education and Infrastructure.

OSR, are the uninsured rates going to be lower since the plan passed seems a bit larger?

You mean Healthcare not Infrastructure right . As for your second question the answer is yes according to projections, but only time can tell if it will in actuality.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Breaking News: Major Earthquake in Hati causes Catastrophic loss of life



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfL5PiUDCCg

Blitzer: The news out of Hati keeps getting worse and worse as we are told that it is very possible tens of thousands of people perished due to this earthquake. Christiane why has it become so catastrophic

Amanpour: Well the reason for this is the earthquake also caused severe damage and in some case destroyed the important infrastructure you need to respond to devasting natural disasters like this such as hospitals, transport facilities , communication systems and even the control tower at its main international airport. This along side with the fact that roads have been blocked due to lots of debris has made it very hard for rescue efforts as well.

Blitzer : Out thoughts certainly will be with the people of Hati along with the rescue workers


Congress passes bill that will authorize the State Department to provide up to one billion dollars in aid to Hati :

Cooper: President Clinton earlier today signed a bill that was just passed by congress that would provide Hati with 1 billion dollars of emergency aid to help with them with their efforts to recover from this major Earthquake. We are told that the money will be used to help rebuild critical infrastructure in the nation and also help provide relief to the survivors as well.

Secretary of State Nunn also announced he has already created a team at the state department that will be responsible for providing the aid as soon as possible so Hati can start recovering.

President Clinton recruits former President's McCain, Bush and Carter to help with recovery efforts.

Hillary Clinton: The situation in Hati following their devasting earthquake has really been a horrifying thing to watch but it is important that we not only sit back and watch but do something to help. It is why I am pleased that Congress has authorized our state department to do exactly that but in my opinion we can do even more if we all come together which is why I have invited Presidents McCain, Bush and Carter to help with the recovery.

McCain: I want to join in with the President to offer my sympathies to the Haitian people for this horrific tragedy and let them know that not only my thoughts are with them but the thoughts of all the people in our nation. I also agree with the President that is not only important to have them in our thoughts but to do help which is why I am glad to work along side Presidents Bush and Carter to help create a national effort to ensure the people of Hati have all the help they need to not only recover from this but come out stronger.

Bush: I also want to echo the words of Presidents Clinton and McCain by offering mine and Barbara sympathies to the Haitian people and also join in agreement with them that we must do more than offer thoughts. It is why I am currently working with the Points of Light Foundation to help not only bring in a lot of donors but also when it is safe to go to Hati to send thousands of volunteers to help them rebuild.

Carter: Rosalyn and I also would want to join everyone in offering our condolences to the Haitian people and let them know that our thoughts our with them . I am also honored to work with President's McCain and Bush to help with the recovery efforts in Hati. I want to also add that it is not only important that people donate to help Hati recover from this horrific earthquake but also donate to the right charities and organizations and in making sure each of these charities and organizations have enough money . The reason is each of these charities and organizations can only focus on one area to really be able to help so it is important that each charity that will be responsible for helping in each area has the resources they need to help Hati fully recover.

Clinton: I want to once again thank Presidents McCain, Bush, and Carter for stepping up to the plate for this important role and I am confident that their efforts to help the Haitian people will be successful

[OSR stands with Israel]

Excerpts of President Clinton's 2010 State of the Union Address



Souce: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/app/uploads/2019/02/RTX6LFXE-1024x683-e1549455385158.jpg

Speaker Pelosi: Ladies and Gentleman , its my high honor to welcome to you , the President of the United States!!(Standing Ovation)

Clinton: Speaker Pelosi, Vice President Rockefeller, members of congress, distinguished guests and my fellow Americans , over the past few weeks we have been watching the news coming out of Hati with horror and also with a sense of determination to do something to help, and as your president I can tell you that I could not be prouder than to have seen how many Americans so far have donated to the relief effort(Standing Ovation). It is why I think Congress should pass a bill that allows Americans who donate to charity but use the standard deduction to deduct up to $500 from their taxable income(Applause). Over the past year I have also been proud to see the work members of both parties have done on issues such as healthcare and education and I look forward to working with you to achieve more for the people(Applause).

It is why I believe Congress must address our broken childcare system in our nation and that starts with passing a law that gives workers in America 12 weeks of Paid Maternity and 6 weeks of Paid Paternity Leave. It is beyond absurd we make new mothers and fathers in this nation choose between taking care of their new born baby and their paycheck especially given how important it is for new born babies to spend time with their parents(Applause). It is high time we join not only the  rest of the developed world but also the vast majority of the world in general in giving paid maternal and paternal leave to our workers(Applause). Next we also must expand the Child Tax Credit along with make preschool universal for every 4 year old in America to help working families cover some of the expenses that are needed to raise a kid(Applause). For those who would call this proposal partisan, I would ask them isn't promoting families one of the core values of conservatism because this proposal would do exactly that (Applause) .

Now nothing in my opinion can be more important in ensuring our kids have a good future which is why in my next budget I will be proposing a bill that will increase our investment into renewal energy(Applause). One of the most important things we can do to help improve our future is by addressing the issue of Global Warming and while we have made a good start with the cap and trade system, it is important now we build on what we have now(Applause). This is why I believe Congress should one increase our investment in renewable energies and in doing so we can not only create jobs now, help the environment but also help potentially start new industries for future generations to work in(Applause). Next an important thing is we must have an economy that encourages innovation which is why I propose a change in the tax code which will increase the Research and Development Tax Credit , and create a tax credit to incentivize companies to expand into areas that are considered to be economically struggling(Applause). In exchange I propose increasing the corporate rate from 25% to 30% to ensure that not only can we pay for these tax credits but also help bring down our deficit(applause) which is also critical in ensuring our future(Applause).

Now to ensure we have a good future, we not only must ensure we have a strong economy but also ensure our nation can remain a strong promoter of the cause of liberty across the planet(Applause). Over the past few months , It has warmed our hearts to see so many brave Iranian Men and Women take to the streets to protest for their basic individual rights which is why we are doing all we can right now to ensure their right to protest has been protected(Applause). To do so we also must continue to build relations with our allies along with building new relationships in across the world with nations as to solve challenges we face in the future such as terrorism, acts of aggression, and climate change it is something we can address better together than we can separately(Applause). I am confident that together we can help make this better future , Thank You May God Bless You and May God Bless America.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Breaking News: United States Supreme Court upholds Former President McCain's campaign Finance Law in a 5-4 ruling



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unyswl36q8w

Blitzer: This is just in to CNN and that is that the Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling has upheld Former President McCain Campaign Finance Law in a 5-4 ruling. Lets put on the screen now which justices votes in the majority to uphold and which voted in the dissent to strike it down. So Jeffrey any surprises here

Majority: Stevens, Ginsburg, Breyer, Cook, Obama
Dissent: Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Clement

Toobin: Well from the start we knew that Justices Stevens, Breyer, and Obama would vote to uphold it while Justices Scalia and Thomas would vote to strike it down. The question now became if any the other 3 would join the 4 in upholding it and with Justice Clement it was well he is very conservative but he was also nominated by President McCain so he could potentially uphold it which we know he did and with Justice Kennedy he is generally considered to be the most moderate member on the Scalia Court but he also ended up voting in dissent. On the other hand Justice Cook someone who is fairly conservative but not very much so decided to vote to uphold the reform and thanks to that the reform now will remain law for years to come. 

Blitzer: The Former President also just reacted by posting a tweet which praises the decision from the Supreme Court and called it a great day for American democracy .


Electoral Reform clears the necessary 2/3 mark in the House as members of both parties agree to reform:

Cooper: The House earlier today voted on a constitutional amendment in a bipartisan fashion that would reform the way we conduct our presidential elections and here are some of the key changes.

Key Changes:

1. Binds The Electors to the candidate they are pledged to vote for

2. The National Popular Vote Winner will receive 15 Electoral Votes

- This provision will not go into effect until the 2016 Election

3. Any state where the margin between the top two candidates are within half a percentage point will be required to conduct a state-wide recount to determine who won the state

4. A Candidate who wins the popular vote of an individual state shall be awarded all the states electoral votes .

- This provision will not go into effect until the 2016 Election

5. Congress Shall have the Power to reject any changes made to election laws that take place within a year of the presidential year.

- The rejection of such changes shall be only applicable to the presidential race
- This provision will not go unto effect until November 8th, 2015

6. If no candidate still wins a majority of the EV the election is thrown to the House of Representatives where each representative gets One Vote for President and Each Senator Gets a vote for Vice President between the top 2 candidates.

Cooper: This proposed amendment we are told is expected to also pass the senate but then will face a more difficult hurdle in the ratification stage when 3/4th of states must agree to ratify such an amendment.



Gang of 14 Senators from both parties agree to Childcare Benefits Bill :



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3rdPOkY4_M

Brown: The Gang of 14 which comprised of 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats have come to an agreement on a Childcare Benefits Bill. The 7 Republicans in the gang of 14 were : Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Lincoln Chafee, Arlen Specter , Michael Steele and Lisa Murkowski while the 7 Democrats were : Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln, Caroline Kennedy, Harold Ford Jr, Evan Bayh , Mark Warner and Dianne Feinstein. 

Major Provisions:
- Require all businesses with 50 or more employees to provide 12 weeks of paid maternal leave with the first 6 weeks being full pay and the next 6 weeks being half pay.

- Create tax credits for businesses with 50 or less employees to provide some sort of paid maternal and paid paternal leave

- Expands the Child Tax Credit to $1,500 dollars a year

- Changes the percentage of of Child and Dependent Care Costs from 20-35% to 20%-45%

Brown: As you can see in this agreement there are many parts of President Clinton's original plan that did not make it through the gang of 12 negotiations such as the paid paternal leave portion, and the free pre school plan both of which were fully struck from the bill. Also the paid maternity leave portion was also modified where weeks 7 through 12 are half paid leave rather than also being full paid. So David what do you think of this

Gergen: I think its yet another example of what can be done when both sides work together. This bill gives a little of what both parties want on the issue, with Republicans getting what they want on taxes and the Democrats getting paid maternity leave in the bill. My guess is while currently this bill has 61 votes , my guess is Republicans will be probably be doing a lot of internal polling on this bill and when it is voted on by the Senate you could potentially see much more than 61 votes.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Clinton solved Education, Healthcare, and now it looks like Childcare. She'll certainly have a lot to run on in 2012 even if she loses control of both houses in November, as seems likely.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Clinton solved Education, Healthcare, and now it looks like Childcare. She'll certainly have a lot to run on in 2012 even if she loses control of both houses in November, as seems likely.

Which President do you prefer so far: John McCain or Hillary Clinton

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Clinton solved Education, Healthcare, and now it looks like Childcare. She'll certainly have a lot to run on in 2012 even if she loses control of both houses in November, as seems likely.

Which President do you prefer so far: John McCain or Hillary Clinton

It's close. Probably Clinton on most domestic issues but McCain on foreign policy/military /taxes. Given how hard the early 2000s were from the latter standpoint, I'd go with McCain.

[2016]

OSR,
I like both McCain & Clinton Presidencies. However after 2016 I expect some big U-Turn by both Parties moving into their respective corners.

[OSR stands with Israel]

House and Senate pass Gang of 14 Childcare proposal and President Clinton signs it into law:



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

Blitzer: The Senate a couple days ago passed the gang of 14 childcare proposal which got 66 votes . The 5 Republican senators who joined the ones in the gang of 14 were Gordon Smith, George Voinvoich , Judd Gregg, Pete Coors, and Norm Coleman. In the House today every Democrat voted for the bill along with 31 Democrats , meaning it also easily had the votes needed to pass . So Soldad the bill did seem to get a lot more bipartisan support than originally thought

O'Brien: I do think that once the bill was guaranteed to pass you saw a few more Republicans come out to say they support this. Honestly I am surprised that more Republicans did not come out to support this bill given a good deal of their base wanted this bill to pass and once the 60 number was hit , there really wasn't any negative consequences they could face for passing this.

Blitzer: Ok lets now head to the White House Where the President is about to speak

Clinton: Thank You Thank You. Today is a great day for working families all across America as thanks to the hard work of members of both parties in Congress, we now will have a system that reduces the pressure that raising young kids can cause(Applause). Raising infants and young kids itself is very hard but it becomes even harder if mothers are forced to choose between being with their newborn baby or having money to pay for the bills. Thanks to the bill , working mothers all across our nation no longer will have to worry about making that choice(Applause). Also thanks to the expansion in the child tax credit, more working families will have the money they need to help raise their families(Applause). Now of course there is one thing left before this bill becomes reality so let me do that thing right now

President Clinton signs Bill



Clinton's Investment Proposal In Doubt as 4 Democrats come out against it, putting it only 1 vote away from failure:

Blitzer: President Clinton's Investment Proposal so far remains in doubt given the fact that so far 4 democrats have already come out against it and 3 more are undecided. For people at home who don't remember it was her proposal that proposed increasing corporate rates in additional for tax credits which the President says would spur innovation and create jobs. Here is a full screen on the senators who support or oppose this bill

Republicans in Support: None
Republicans that are Undecided: Lincoln Chaffee
Republicans in Opposition: All Other Republicans

Democrats in Opposition: Joe Manchin, Evan Bayh, Ben Nelson, Harold Ford Jr
Democrats that are Undecided: Daniel Mongiardo, Blanche Lincoln,  Dianne Feinstein
Democrats in Support: All Other Democrats


Current State of the Vote: 47 Ayes, 49 Nays , 4 Undecided

Blitzer: So Dana do you think this bill will pass the senate

Bash: Well keep in mind that even if it does pass the senate, it also needs to pass the house where the democratic majority is smaller and is even more reliant on the votes of moderate to conservative democrats than the senate. So at this moment its hard for me to see how this proposal can pass into law even given rules surrounding reconciliation, you still need a majority in both houses.

Former Vice President Al Gore returns to the White House to talk about Climate Change:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUO8bdrXghs

Cooper: Former Vice President Al Gore returned to the White House today to talk about the importance of combating Climate Change and here is a clip from that

Gore: Thank You Thank You. Over the past many years we have done a good job in laying the ground work for dealing with climate change from cap and trade to investments in green energy but it is important to understand that the job we have done so far is only the ground work and we must build upon that work. It is why I believe not only should the federal government substantially increase investment in green energy and green infrastructure but so should state governments and also the business community as dealing with this issue will require all of our efforts and I believe we can succeed.

We also must work with nations from all across the world to address this issue as climate change is not only an American problem but a global problems and to address it we need a global solution. It is why I believe the United States along with developed nations all across the world should invest in helping build up alternative energy in the developing world. It may not be an easy but it is something I believe we can accomplish and it is something I am willing to help not only President Clinton and the current congress but future presidents and future congresses as well as this effort will be an effort that will take many years and maybe even many decades as well.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Senate Passes Electoral Reform Amendment, officially sending amendment to states for ratification

Blitzer: The Senate Earlier today voted for and passed the electoral reform constitutional amendment meaning now that amendment will be sent to the states where 3/4th of the states must now agree to ratify it. That means if just 13 states refuse to ratify the amendment, this reform will not take place. Now with us is John King who is at the magic wall to show how easy it is for this to fail.

John: Wolf, As well all know currently the way the electoral system works is it most benefits the close states as keep in mind there is no difference between winning 60% of the vote in a state and winning 50.1% as if you win a state even by one vote you take all the electoral votes in a particular state. So if you see these are the states which last time were within 5 points.



As you can see there were just 14 states within 5 points last time which is more than enough to block this amendment and if you bump that number to say 7 points that number jumps to a whopping 22 states. Add to the fact that Nebraska wont like the fact that every state will be forced to go to winner take it all here and you could have up to 23 states here that could refuse to ratify the amendment.

So yes passing it out of congress may have been the easy part.

Blitzer: Is there anything that advocates can do to push this

King: Pretty simple and that is swing states may not remain swing states forever . Keep in mind Illinois in the 20th century voted for the winning candidate all but twice and was considered one of the major swing states . Now its safely democratic and we can say the same about Texas which from 1928 to 1988 voted for the winner all but once and now is safely Republican so things change.


Breaking News: Explosion at Deepwater Horizon causes Massive Oil Spill:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tq91E9WRRY

Cooper: If you are just joining us, what you are currently seeing is the site of the Gulf of Mexico after the worst marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry . The oil spill was due to a massive explosion that occurred due to the fact that high-pressure methane gas from their well expanded into the marine riser which then rose into the rig which caused a major explosion. In response to this EPA Administrator Lynn Scarlett announced that the EPA will be doing a full scale investigation into the explosion and will then make changes to ensure something like this never happens again. She also said that the EPA will be getting to work as soon as possible to ensure as much oil can me removed from the Gulf of Mexico as possible but warned that we will be dealing with the effects of this spill for months if not years. Attorney General Waxman also announced that the Justice Department will be launching a full scale legal investigation into this to see how responsible BP was for this explosion and whether or not their will be civil or even criminal consequences for what happened. So Jeffrey what are some of the things that can happen

Toobin: Well first things first is that they will be investigated for negligence and it is hard to see how not  at the very least , BP will be sued for civil negligence  .

Cooper: What could be the size of such a lawsuit

Toobin: It could easily become a multi billion dollar lawsuit given the size of this disaster but very likely the investigation will last months and it may take until sometime next year until a suit or criminal charges are brought foreward.

Cooper: Ok Thanks Jeffrey

[BigVic]

2008 was the first election since 1824 to be thrown into the House

[2016]

I doubt the New Electoral Reform will be ratified BUT props to Pelosi, Boehner, Reid and Kyl for at least trying.

[President Johnson]

I doubt the New Electoral Reform will be ratified BUT props to Pelosi, Boehner, Reid and Kyl for at least trying.

Yeah, will probably fail in the State Legislatures.

[OSR stands with Israel]

President Clinton visits Brussels to talk about a potential trade deal with the European Union




Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir5KSEP6nqw

Clinton: I just had an excellent meeting with the President of the European Commission Joe Barroso where we spoke about multiple issues from how we can improve our trade relations together , to working together to deal with climate change along stand together against foreign threats to freedom. It is my belief that working together to improve our relations is critical as we both share many of the same values, goals and also improving trade ties will improve our economies. While we have not come to an agreement on a trade deal yet , we have made progress in the negotiations which is important as that makes us closer to such a deal. Anyway I won't be taking any questions at the moment so have a nice rest of your day

Long Time Senator Arlen Specter defeated in Stunning Upset by Club For Growth President Pat Toomey:



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

Brown: We have some breaking news to report and that is CNN can now project that long time Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter has gone down to defeat in the Republican Primary by Conservative Insurgent and current Club For Growth president , Pat Toomey. So John Why Was CNN able to call this race

King: Well with 90% in you can see that Mr.Toomey has jumped out to nearly a 7 point lead and what you can see from the counties around Philadelphia is that there are just not enough votes for Senator Specter to win now , so due to this he will go down in defeat. Now of course many Democrats are also happy by this result as they didnt really think they had a shot to defeat Senator Specter but believe a Sestak vs Toomey race will be a pure tossup that can go either way given that the Mr. Toomey won't have one the benefit of incumbency nor the same ability to attack moderate democratic voters the same way Senator Specter did. This is not to say Mr. Toomey is not a bad candidate but this race now will be the definition of a tossup.

Brown: As we know many conservative groups campaigned for Mr. Toomey and the claim by many was there was not much of a difference between Senator Specter and a Democrat at this point. So Glenn what is your reaction

Beck: I am extremely happy by these results of course and let me say that the reason we say that is not just cause Specter votes against us one or two issues but that he consistently shown that he is interested in growing the size of government, votes for very pro regulatory executive appointments, liberal judges so yes I understand that Mr. Toomey is more likely to lose but the fact is we still have a 50/50 chance with him and if he wins , he will be a far better senator than Specter .

Wallace: With all due respect to Glenn, I disagree here and think it was a mistake to try to primary Specter . The fact is Republicans need to pick up 5 senate seats to take back the senate which is not an easy task at all given the map this year and the last think we should have done is add a senate seat we already have to the battlegrounds as now that task gets even harder.

Gergen: Let me jump in and say even if you think that Arlen Specter is no different from a democrat other than party affiliation , that still makes a huge difference. If he is the deciding vote that makes Jon Kyl the Majority Leader, that means the chair of every senate committee will now be headed by a Republican and that is huge. So even if he was no different than a democrat once a bill came on the floor, having Republicans in charge of the committees means the bills that do come to the floor itself will be more conservative and this is something people forget to take into account.

Brown: Well this is a senate race that we will be watching


Clinton suffers first major legislative set back of presidency as Senators Daniel Mongiardo, and Lincoln Chaffee Come out against Investment Proposal:

Blitzer: President Clinton suffered her first major legislative defeat of her presidency earlier today as Senator Daniel Mongiardo and Lincoln Chaffee announced today they would not be supporting the President's Investment Proposal. This means that her proposal will not get the support of any Republican as well as fail to get the support of 5 Democrats meaning there will not be enough votes to pass it through the senate. So Dana why did they come out of it

Bash: Well Wolf , they both claimed that they don't believe policies such as that should be pushed through the reconciliation process and due to that would not support the bill as it currently is . Something else to keep in mind is that it was very very unlikely that this bill would have had enough support to pass the house so many of the undecided senators decided it was just not worth risking political capitol for a proposal that would not pass.

Blitzer: So with this proposal going down in defeat, is there any other plans Democratic Leadership has with the budget

Bash: We are told that there likely wont be any major changes but there will be a slight tick up in funding going towards alternative energy

[2016]

OSR,
I wonder if Marco Rubio runs for Governor in 2010 since there is no chance he primaries Senator Jeb Bush.
Maybe he picks someone like Illena Ross-Lehtinen as Running Mate if he wins the GOP Governor Nomination.

[OSR stands with Israel]

OSR,
I wonder if Marco Rubio runs for Governor in 2010 since there is no chance he primaries Senator Jeb Bush.
Maybe he picks someone like Illena Ross-Lehtinen as Running Mate if he wins the GOP Governor Nomination.

Yah he is running and his opponents in the Republican Primary are Rick Scott and Charlie Christ.

[2016]

OSR,
I wonder if Marco Rubio runs for Governor in 2010 since there is no chance he primaries Senator Jeb Bush.
Maybe he picks someone like Illena Ross-Lehtinen as Running Mate if he wins the GOP Governor Nomination.

Yah he is running and his opponents in the Republican Primary are Rick Scott and Charlie Christ.

Tough Race for Marco! Probably wins the Primary in a squeaker.

[Orwell]

OSR,
I wonder if Marco Rubio runs for Governor in 2010 since there is no chance he primaries Senator Jeb Bush.
Maybe he picks someone like Illena Ross-Lehtinen as Running Mate if he wins the GOP Governor Nomination.

Yah he is running and his opponents in the Republican Primary are Rick Scott and Charlie Christ.

Tough Race for Marco! Probably wins the Primary in a squeaker.

I think Crist has a better chance ITTL because he was friends with McCain IRL. Though that might not have been until 2006. Unless he wasn't elected AG in 2006.

I think it's anyone's race, Scott might be at a slight advantage because of his personal wealth, but Rubio's grassroots support, and Crist's "experience" play might all play well.

[2016]

OSR,
I wonder if Marco Rubio runs for Governor in 2010 since there is no chance he primaries Senator Jeb Bush.
Maybe he picks someone like Illena Ross-Lehtinen as Running Mate if he wins the GOP Governor Nomination.

Yah he is running and his opponents in the Republican Primary are Rick Scott and Charlie Christ.

Tough Race for Marco! Probably wins the Primary in a squeaker.

I think Crist has a better chance ITTL because he was friends with McCain IRL. Though that might not have been until 2006. Unless he wasn't elected AG in 2006.

I think it's anyone's race, Scott might be at a slight advantage because of his personal wealth, but Rubio's grassroots support, and Crist's "experience" play might all play well.

If Jeb is still popular in Florida that's going to help Rubio. Marco almost certainly has inherited the Jeb Bush Political Operation in FL.

[OSR stands with Israel]

OSR,
I wonder if Marco Rubio runs for Governor in 2010 since there is no chance he primaries Senator Jeb Bush.
Maybe he picks someone like Illena Ross-Lehtinen as Running Mate if he wins the GOP Governor Nomination.

Yah he is running and his opponents in the Republican Primary are Rick Scott and Charlie Christ.

Tough Race for Marco! Probably wins the Primary in a squeaker.

I think Crist has a better chance ITTL because he was friends with McCain IRL. Though that might not have been until 2006. Unless he wasn't elected AG in 2006.

I think it's anyone's race, Scott might be at a slight advantage because of his personal wealth, but Rubio's grassroots support, and Crist's "experience" play might all play well.

Keep in mind that President's and Former Presidents usually do not get publicly involved in partisan primaries for open races (well until Trump IRL) so McCain will probably stay out.

It will still be close given those 3 things you mentioned. The winner of the primary will be revealed in an update where I will list out all the battleground Senatorial and Gubernatorial races right before I cover the midterms.

[Orwell]

OSR,
I wonder if Marco Rubio runs for Governor in 2010 since there is no chance he primaries Senator Jeb Bush.
Maybe he picks someone like Illena Ross-Lehtinen as Running Mate if he wins the GOP Governor Nomination.

Yah he is running and his opponents in the Republican Primary are Rick Scott and Charlie Christ.

Tough Race for Marco! Probably wins the Primary in a squeaker.

I think Crist has a better chance ITTL because he was friends with McCain IRL. Though that might not have been until 2006. Unless he wasn't elected AG in 2006.

I think it's anyone's race, Scott might be at a slight advantage because of his personal wealth, but Rubio's grassroots support, and Crist's "experience" play might all play well.

Keep in mind that President's and Former Presidents usually do not get publicly involved in partisan primaries for open races (well until Trump IRL) so McCain will probably stay out.

It will still be close given those 3 things you mentioned. The winner of the primary will be revealed in an update where I will list out all the battleground Senatorial and Gubernatorial races right before I cover the midterms.

Yea, but Crist as being a well-known McCain supporter and I assume he has some good photo op's and I think the "McCain wing" would favor him in the primary over the much more conservative IRL Tea Party-aligned guys, when the McCain wing, Moderate Maverick, wing has been prevailing in the GOP quite a bit.

[OSR stands with Israel]

OSR,
I wonder if Marco Rubio runs for Governor in 2010 since there is no chance he primaries Senator Jeb Bush.
Maybe he picks someone like Illena Ross-Lehtinen as Running Mate if he wins the GOP Governor Nomination.

Yah he is running and his opponents in the Republican Primary are Rick Scott and Charlie Christ.

Tough Race for Marco! Probably wins the Primary in a squeaker.

I think Crist has a better chance ITTL because he was friends with McCain IRL. Though that might not have been until 2006. Unless he wasn't elected AG in 2006.

I think it's anyone's race, Scott might be at a slight advantage because of his personal wealth, but Rubio's grassroots support, and Crist's "experience" play might all play well.

Keep in mind that President's and Former Presidents usually do not get publicly involved in partisan primaries for open races (well until Trump IRL) so McCain will probably stay out.

It will still be close given those 3 things you mentioned. The winner of the primary will be revealed in an update where I will list out all the battleground Senatorial and Gubernatorial races right before I cover the midterms.

Yea, but Crist as being a well-known McCain supporter and I assume he has some good photo op's and I think the "McCain wing" would favor him in the primary over the much more conservative IRL Tea Party-aligned guys, when the McCain wing, Moderate Maverick, wing has been prevailing in the GOP quite a bit.

That's fair but all I can tell you for now is that it will be close. What I will do though is make a Florida  primary results update when we get to late August 2010 in this TL, so you don't have to wait till the late October 2010 update to know who won this primary.

[OSR stands with Israel]

President Clinton signs budget with minor increases in alternate energy spending after recent legislative setback:


Cooper: The President Earlier today signed a budget that does not really much make much changes with the possible exception of a 10 billion dollar increase in funding to alternative energy. The President was unable to pass her big investment proposal that she had outlined in her state of the union and it didnt seem like there ever would be the votes for it, which is why she seemed to have gone with this budget.

Bash: Yah Anderson, the fact is it seemed very unlikely that the President would have the votes to pass her investment proposal into law, so it seems like she has for now conceded on the issue and agreed to basically passing a budget with not many changes other than a minor increase to spending on alternative energy. Keep in mind though that this spending increase only applies to this year so it's very possible that in future years it could even be cut as future Congress's could have different spending priorities than this one which is the downsides of going down the annual budget route rather than getting a law passed .

Breaking News : Associate Justice John Paul Stevens announces his retirement



Source : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Paul_Stevens,_SCOTUS_photo_portrait.jpg

Blitzer: We have some breaking news to announce and that is Justice John Paul Stevens who has been the longest serving member of the Supreme Court and the third longest serving justice in American History has retired. Justice Stevens was nominated by President Ford back in 1975 and despite being a lifelong Republican , has generally been on the liberal side of court decisions.

Toobin: Yes Wolf, And keep in mind that President Ford back in 2005 had said that he was proud of his decision to nominate Justice Stevens so he never did end up regretting it . Though it is very likely if not for the massive Democratic Majorities in the Senate at the time, President Ford would have ended up nominating someone more conservative.

Blitzer: The President is about to make a statement so lets get right to it

Clinton: Earlier Today, Justice Stevens sadly sent me his letter of resignation announcing that he will be stepping down from the Supreme Court at the end of this month . Justice Stevens was a true jurist who always was a staunch defender of the rule of law and our constitution as well as an great legal mind and our nation will miss having someone like him as a Supreme Court justice . I wish Justice Stevens an excellent retirement as it truly has been well deserved and wish him the best for whatever he plans to do next .

Media Member 1: Mrs. President , how long will it take until you name a Supreme Court pick

Clinton : Well as you know last year we went through this same exact process when Justice Souter  retired and given that it has only been a year since then , we will pick someone from who made it to the final round of the selection process last time but didn’t end up being selected . So I will be setting up meetings as soon as possible with those judges and hopefully can have someone picked by the end of this week . Thank you but I won’t be taking anymore questions 


President Clinton Appoints Judge Kim Wardlaw to fill the vacating Supreme Court Seat of Associate Justice David Stevens:



Source : https://ballotpedia.org/Kim_McLane_Wardlaw

Blitzer : President Clinton we are told is getting ready to announce that she will nominate Judge Kim Wardlaw to the Supreme Court so lets head to the White House to hear that announcement.

Clinton: Thank You Thank You. As all of you may know, one of the most important jobs a president can do is appoint someone to the Supreme Court given that the Supreme Court is the highest arbitrator of the law. After careful consideration, it is my high honor to announce that I will be nominating Judge Kim Wardlaw of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to fill the vacancy of the great Justice John Paul Stevens. Judge Wardlaw over her tenure as an judge on the Appeals Court has shown that she is a faithful arbiter of the law, a great defender of civil and individual rights of every American and a great legal mind.

Wardlaw: Thank You Madame President for entrusting me with the honor of potentially serving on the highest court in the land. Throughout our history, the Supreme Court of the United States has not only been the ultimate arbiter of the law but despite some black marks has been the ultimate defender of individual rights of everyday Americans compared to really any institutions in our nation and in the past few decades, its hard to think of someone who exemplified this more than Justice John Paul Stevens. The court will truly miss having someone like Justice Stevens on the court, and if I am confirmed, I will do my upmost to try to live up to his legacy even though it may be very difficult to do so. Thank You Again and I look forward to answering whatever questions I am asked at the Senate Hearing.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Houses Passes Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy:

Cooper: The House earlier today passed a bill that would repeal the controversial Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy which currently both prohibits the military from asking service members or potential service members about their sexual orientation but also prohibits service members, or applicants who are openly gay, lesbian or bisexual from serving in the military. This rule was put in place by Former President Bill Clinton in 1993 and now his wife, President Hillary Clinton has asked congress to repeal that rule to let openly gay service members serve in the military.

Now the Senate is not expected to take this bill until the lame duck session but we are told that it likely will have the votes to pass

Breaking News: Iran and Syria sign alliance worrying Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Turkey:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_HG0hywg_A

Blitzer: We have some major news to you and that is Iran and Syria both have officially signed both an economic and military alliance which now not only applies to Israel but to their interests in the Gulf Region as a whole. Lets go to the state department where Secretary Nunn is speaking

Nunn: The recent news about the Governments of Iran and Syria signing an alliance is greatly worrying news to the stability of the gulf region. The reason for this is worrying is that not only does this treaty they signed create a defensive alliance between the two governments but also states that both nations would work together to aggressively pursue their interests in the region. What those aggressive acts given they have not defined it meaning they could use this alliance to wage economic warfare, fund terrorism in tandem to destabilize other nations in the region or even outright warfare and all I can say is if they choose to go down that road, we will not stand by and will respond by any means proportionate to the situation they create and we will make them regret it.

Blitzer: Let's bring in Former Secretary of Defense Tom Ridge for more of the situation. So Secretary Ridge how serious is the situation

Ridge: It is very very serious given the fact that both regimes are both very authoritarian regimes who fund terrorists and both of which clearly want to expand their sphere of influence. Like Secretary Nunn said, that could be economic warfare, them trying to destabilize nations together or in a worst case scenario outright war.

Blitzer: How likely is an outright war and if so should the US redeploy troops to Iraq

Ridge: Well the issue Wolf with that proposal is that one we cant just go back from 30,000 to the hundreds of thousands we had just a few years ago in just a couple days as frankly deploying that many troops as well as all the equipment and supplies we would need would take at least six weeks to a couple months. The issue with that is if this treaty was signed as a preliminary to an Iranian and Syrian joint invasion of Iraq, then all moving to redeploy all those troops would do is cause them to invade now and we would be in the same position as we would be later anyway.

So the fact is that President Clinton, and Secretary Nunn are in a very tough spot right now and my hope is they can work something out so we can prevent not only war but any sort of conflict from breaking out.

President Clinton rejects calls of preemptive military strikes against Syria or Iran:



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r5qDfBXE1o

Blitzer: President Clinton earlier today on the South Lawn rejected calls from some to launch a preemptive military strike on Syria and Iran , saying she believed it would be the wrong approach. Instead she called on Congress to authorize funding to its their neighbors to help booster their military defenses

Media Member 1: Madame President what do you say to those who say we should respond by launching military strikes against Syria or Afghanistan

Clinton: Well I think that would be the exact wrong approach as doing so would guarantee war which is the last thing we want at the moment. We instead should like Secretary Nunn make it clear that we will respond to any aggressive action they take in kind, and also help booster the defenses of their neighbors to deter the Iranians and Syrians from starting a war in the region.