A Very Different World: A 2008 WI

[Noravea]

Well, this will be my first attempt at a moderate alternate history timeline.... Wish me luck!

Newsroom: November 4th, 2008

Blitzer: Hello, welcome to CNN Election Coverage tonight. This is Wolf Blitzer. With me, I have Senator John McCain of Arizona, and Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, to discuss who they think will win the election tonight.

Obama: Thank you Wolf.

McCain: Thanks Wolf.

Blitzer: Alright, now, before the first polls close across parts of the South, we should look back on the candidates now. Both Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards are practically tied for the Presidency right now, both falling within the margin of error of one another in most battleground states. Senator McCain, what is your opinion on the changing political climate in the Northeast, and in the Southeast?

McCain: Well Wolf, I want to make it clear that these changes are unprecedented. This race has been fascinating because it has led to the rise of many prominent centrist and moderate Republicans, especially in the northeast. We have several Democratic Senators polling below Republican Senators in several states that were dominantly Democrat just four years ago. The recent polls from New Hampshire and New York should be enough proof that a Republican can win in dominantly blue states.

Obama: I would have to agree with my colleague here, Senator McCain is right that the Republicans have been making ground in the northeast, but John Edwards has made massive strides in gaining votes in the south. Georgia is a perfect example, Edwards has been polling points above Giuliani for weeks now, an consistently remains just outside of the margin of error. I wouldn't be surprised if Edwards gets the state tonight.

Blitzer: Thank you, we'll have to take a brief break to announce that the polls on portions of the east coast are now closed, at seven Eastern Standard. Over 58 electoral points are up for grabs for the next half hour. Lets look at the numbers right now.

Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) and Mitt Romney (R-MA): 0 EV
John Edwards (D-NC) and Tom Vilsack (D-IA): 0 EV

Blitzer: Alright, while we start counting the votes, let's return to Senator McCain, who pulled out of the race to endorse Giuliani back on April, and was considered by many to tip the scales against Mike Huckabee. Senator McCain, what are your predictions for these states?

McCain: Well, like I said before, some states in the south may go for Edwards, some in the northeast will go for Giuliani. Vermont I think will be a perfect example of what will happen tonight. Indiana and Virginia I think will be hard to fight for though, Indiana has been a swing state for the last few elections, and Virginia is in John Edwards' backyard. It'll be tough to predict which states will go to who.

Blitzer: And you Senator Obama?

Obama: I'm confident Indiana will go to Edwards and Vilsack, as well as Virginia. For the last few years, Democratic voters have become more numerous in these states, and right now I think they want change for this country, change they can believe in, and that change is with John Edwards.

Blitzer: Well, we have our first results for tonight. With 9% of the polls in for Vermont, we can now call Vermont, a traditionally Democratic state, for Rudy Giuliani. We can also call Georgia for John Edwards tonight. That gives John Edwards a victory so far, with 15 electoral points, with Giuliani only having a mere 3 points. South Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, and Kentucky are too close to call right now.

McCain: I think this proves my point Wolf. If Vermont can go for the Republicans, so can any other state.

Obama: I'd say the same to you Senator McCain.

(26 Minutes Later)

Blitzer: As the polls for three more states, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Ohio close at this moment, we are ready to call for new states for the candidates. North Carolina we can call right now will go to John Edwards. It has for most of this race been a Democratic stronghold in the south. We can also call West Virginia and Kentucky for Rudy Giuliani at this moment. The two states have been during the race battleground states, but in West Virginia only a week ago Giuliani pulled ahead of the margin of error. These are the results now.

Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) and Mitt Romney (R-MA): 16 EV
John Edwards (D-NC) and Tom Vilsack (D-IA): 30 EV

Blitzer: Many key states in the next half hour like Florida, Pennsylvania, and other states in New England and the South will see their polls close. Currently, John Edwards is ahead with 30 electoral votes, with Giuliani trailing behind with 16 electoral votes.

 

[Electric Monk]

This is… going to scramble things. (Sniff, a special bonus for using traditional colours instead of the 2000 onward reversed colours.)

I can think of a few PODs, I suppose, but are you going to reveal yours in the next little bit? And I entirely reject those VP choices, that's just nuts .

 

[Noravea]

This is… going to scramble things. (Sniff, a special bonus for using traditional colours instead of the 2000 onward reversed colours.)

I can think of a few PODs, I suppose, but are you going to reveal yours in the next little bit? And I entirely reject those VP choices, that's just nuts .

Thanks. Yeah, I'll go over the POD. Pretty much some people endorse Giuliani, and Hilary drops out over some personal issues that I will go into depth about.

 

[DuQuense]

Blitzer: Many key states in the next half hour like Florida, Pennsylvania, and other states in New England and the South will see their polls close. Currently, John Edwards is ahead with 30 electoral votes, with Giuliani trailing behind with 16 electoral votes.

Florida polls don't close till 9pm EST. The news rush to call Florida while the polls where still open is one cause of the 2000 debacle.

 

[SilverSwimmer]

It would be interesting to see Edwards huge scandal in the White House, unless that of course is the POD.

 

[superjames1992]

I could certainly see a lot of Southern states going Democrat and a lot of Northeastern states going Republican in this election.

 

[Jasen777]

I can think of a few PODs, I suppose, but are you going to reveal yours in the next little bit? And I entirely reject those VP choices, that's just nuts .

You would think that Giuliani would need to pick a Huckabee type for the sake of party unity after what must have been an epic primary struggle in which he won despite his pro-choice, pro-gay, anti-gun views and cross-dressing.

(I think Giuliani's chances of winning the Republican nomination are extremely low, but that's not an objection to this timeline since not everyone agrees with me there).

 

[Noravea]

You would think that Giuliani would need to pick a Huckabee type for the sake of party unity after what must have been an epic primary struggle in which he won despite his pro-choice, pro-gay, anti-gun views and cross-dressing.

(I think Giuliani's chances of winning the Republican nomination are extremely low, but that's not an objection to this timeline since not everyone agrees with me there).

Well, in this race, McCain was involved briefly, letting most moderates stay with Giuliani or Romney. While the race is between the far-right and moderate-right, most of the slugging match is in a three-way between Giuliani, Romney, and Huckabee.

As for the Democrats, I will go into depth with that.

 

[Noravea]

Blitzer: A half hour has passed since the last few polls close, and we are now anticipating in the next few seconds for a few more state polls to close, a large amount at this hour along the east coast, as well as many battleground states like Pennsylvania and Florida, which we are anticipating will be game changers for this election. It is now eight on the east coast, and with us we have Senator Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, who are here to comment, and reflect on this election season.

We are ready to call two states for Giuliani as the polls close in several more states. Indiana, which we had been counting for the last half hour will go to Rudy Giuliani, as well as the state of New Hampshire, whose polls just closed a few moments ago. Giuliani has been polling high in New Hampshire for the last month, so we can call it for him. On the other hand, Maryland and Washington D.C., no surprise there, will be going for John Edwards. Those two areas were very close, particularly in Maryland. Senator McCain, what do you think of these victories?

McCain: I think this proves that ever since Giuliani picked Mitt Romney he would have a strong showing in New England, and the fact that the two are moderates should attract many undecided voters in the region. I think that, while tragic, Senator Clinton pulling out of the race early pushed some of her supporters to the Giuliani camp, preferring him over Edwards. I'll be honest, I think Giuliani will win in New York, and maybe even Massachusetts.

Obama: I highly doubt he can win Massachusetts. It will go for Edwards. While New York has been closer than comfort, I am confidant Edwards would win. His victories in the south, coupled with winning the rest of New England would cripple the Giuliani campaign.

McCain: I disagree. A moderate Republican like Giuliani could easily win New York. He did win a mayoral election ten years ago for New York City, so I think if he can pull that off, he can win the entire state.

Blitzer: Thank you for your commentary. Let's now return to our map for a new update. We can now call Massachusetts for John Edwards, and New Jersey for Giuliani. Clearly Giuliani's socially liberal views are an advantage for him in the northeast, but what about New York? Will he win New York once the polls there close in an hour? Other states we are anticipating to close will be Arkansas, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which could go to either candidate, and the remaining southern votes, which at the moment are counting more in Edwards' favor.

Rudy Giuliani (R-NY)/Mitt Romney (R-MA): 46 EV
John Edwards (D-SC)/Tom Vilsack (D-IA): 55 EV

 

[Orville_third]

Edwards stayed in SC in this TL? (He was born in Oconee County- the only county he won in 2008...)

 

[WSoxfan]

Calling it now- Edwards will win Illinois.

 

[Noravea]

Blitzer: It is now 9:30 PM on the east coast, with many results in the new rush of states coming in. We can now finish up with the northeast, calling New York for Rudy Giuliani, and Pennsylvania for John Edwards. This is the first time a Republican won New York state since 1984, when Ronald Reagan won in a massive landslide against Walter Mondale. Edwards has surged the south, taking South Carolina, Missouri, and Arkansas. Tennessee and Louisiana will go to Giuliani, and Illinois to Edwards. Texas, Ohio, and Florida are too close to call at this hour. Senator Obama, what do you think of Giuliani's victory in the northeast?

Obama: I am a little surprised, but not by much. As for his losses in the south, I think he betrayed some of the base elements of the Republican party in the south. The Republicans there just didn't turn out, letting Edwards take Missouri and Arkansas. Even Texas will be a close one this election, it should be a sign to the Republicans that the American people have had enough of eight years of Republicans in the White House.

McCain: No, Giuliani and Romney haven't alienated the far-right, the far-right alienated the moderates, and the moderates are now coming out in swarms to vote for Giuliani. Edwards will stand no chance in the west against Giuliani, especially the southwest.

Blitzer: Alright. We now have breaking news at this moment, we can call four more states right now. We are now calling Ohio and Minnesota for Edwards. Virginia and Michigan have been close for the last half hour, but we can call both of them for Giuliani. Clearly Romney helped to boost Giuliani's numbers in Michigan ever since he chose him as his Vice Presidential nominee back in August.

McCain: This proves me right on this one, Giuliani is taking the moderate vote.

(30 minutes later)

Blitzer: Four key states out west are closing their polls, and now at 10:01 PM on the east coast, we have some breaking news. A disastrous defeat for Giuliani has come from the Republican stronghold in Texas. With just a difference of 1,500 votes, we can call the state of Texas for John Edwards. While Texas has gone to the Democrats, however, the southwest has gone to the Republicans, with both Colorado and New Mexico voting for Giuliani. We are now waiting for the west coast votes to come in within the next hour. We will probably not have a winner until after midnight tonight if Florida, Iowa, and Wisconsin continue to be this close.

Rudy Giuliani (R-NY)/Mitt Romney (R-MA): 185 EV
John Edwards (D-SC)/Tom Vilsack (D-IA): 201 EV

 

[WSoxfan]

Calling it now- Edwards will win Illinois.

I'm psychic. Also, I'm saying that Edwards will win the election while I'm on a roll.

 

[Andrew T]

I'm psychic. Also, I'm saying that Edwards will win the election while I'm on a roll.

Edwards/Vilsack only need to win California (55 EV), Washington (11 EV), and Hawaii (4 EV) to clinch the nomination, and it's hard to imagine any of those three states going Republican.

 

[Noravea]

Edwards/Vilsack only need to win California (55 EV), Washington (11 EV), and Hawaii (4 EV) to clinch the nomination, and it's hard to imagine any of those three states going Republican.

Don't get too confident. Texas went Democrat and New York went Republican in this race, anything could happen. It'll be very close though.

 

[Andrew T]

Don't get too confident. Texas went Democrat and New York went Republican in this race, anything could happen. It'll be very close though.

NY going Republican is almost plausible with Giuliani as the nominee. Vermont and Alabama are the biggest reaches for me so far.

 

[Noravea]

Blitzer: It is now 11:00 PM on the eastern coast, as the last polls in the west close. 49 of the 50 states polling stations are closed, except for Alaska which should be closing over the next hour or so. Washington and Oregon have both been heavily contested in this already close election, with many experts claiming this will be a repeat of the 2000 election, particularly in states like Washington. We can now already call California for John Edwards, as well as Hawaii for John Edwards. In Oregon, with only 4% of the votes in, we can so far see Giuliani pulling ahead in that state, and in Washington, with 1% in, we can see the race coming right to the finish line. These states, both Oregon and Washington, may decide who will be the next President of the United States. Right now, I have Anderson Cooper in Seattle, at local polling stations. Anderson, what will it take for Giuliani or Edwards to win these two states?

Cooper: Well Wolf, if our views don't know by now, Rudy Giuliani is now behind John Edwards, with only 254 electoral votes compared to Edwards' 264 electoral votes. If Edwards can take either Washington or Oregon, he can win the Presidency here and now, but if anything has been learned from this race so far, anything can happen. John Edwards' conservative stance towards gay marriage for example may chase some moderates to Giuliani, who has so far had a better record on those issues. Both candidates were here in Seattle just last week doing some last minute campaigning, so we may certainly be here for a while.

Blitzer: And Anderson, what is the general consensus you can gather on the ground there?

Cooper: Well, the results from this election early on may certainly have affected the minds of some voters. Giuliani's victory in Florida less than an hour ago may have altered the opinions of a few last minute voters. I have seen both Edwards supporters and Giuliani supporters come out to vote in near equal numbers.

Blitzer: Hold on for a moment Anderson, we have a new prediction to make. We can now call the state of Oregon for Rudy Giuliani, giving Giuliani an additional 7 electoral points, bringing him to 260 electoral votes in total. All Giuliani needs now is Washington, and the same for Edwards. We can now announce that this race will come down to Washington, a state hotly contested in this election, from both the Republican and Democratic primaries, to the election itself.

Rudy Giuliani (R-NY)/Mitt Romney (R-MA): 260 EV
John Edwards (D-SC)/Tom Vilsack (D-IA): 264 EV

Blitzer: Now, how has the primaries affected the outcome of this Presidential election?

Cooper: Well, for the Democrats, Washington was the site of the last major contest between Bill Richardson and John Edwards. While Richardson won the state, he pulled out of the race a week later due to his lack of support in several other key states. Richardson had led the Clinton faction following her accident and departure from the race, and had failed to take the votes from Edwards in the rest of the country. As for the Republicans, Giuliani took the state easily against Mike Huckabee, so some of the disenfranchised Democrats who voted for Richardson may vote for Giuliani. However, the conservative Republicans, who had largely been a non-factor for Giuliani these last few hours may balance Washington in favor of John Edwards.

Blitzer: Thank you Anderson. Now an update for our viewers, 48 states are in, and the fate of this election is now in the hands of Washington state. Alaska's polls have yet to close, and while Alaska won't play a factor in who wins by this point, we are anxious to announce the victor of this race.

 

[Noravea]

Alaska goes to Edwards
November 5th, 2008

Edwards photographed this morning in Charlotte, North Carolina

As the sun rises over the east coast, and the votes are still being counted in Alaska and Washington, it was announced by news networks at around 6 A.M. on the east coast that Alaska will go to John Edwards, winning by just 950 votes. It is believed that Edwards started to win in Alaska back in October, when Giuliani during a Presidential debate made a gaffe involving the secessionist movement that Todd Palin, the Governor's husband was involved in. This led to condemnation from Sarah Palin, who came to national fame by criticizing Giuliani's moderate views.

Washington state is the final state left, and with 80% of the vote in at this hour, both candidates are virtually tied with one another, with the winning number constantly changing. It is announced by Federal officials that a final result could be found between this hour, and the end of the day. The Giuliani campaign commented on the loss of Alaska, "We campaigned hard in Alaska this year, but we are confident we will win in Washington.". The Edwards campaign responded that "The momentum Edwards has will propel him to victory."

 

[Noravea]

The winner will be announced today!

 

[Cuāuhtemōc]

Interesting timeline. New York voting Republican? Oh lord.