Timeline (2006: US Stays Red)

March 5th, 2004- (POD) Emily Miller, the former fiancee of Michael Scanlon fails to tip off the FBI to his illicit activities, as payback for Scanlon cheating on her. Thus the investigation into Scanlon and Jack Abramoff is delayed for almost a year and a half. Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigations slow as well. Abramoff and Scanlon WILL eventually be tried and convicted, but in Spring 2007.

August 4th, 2006- (POD) Brian Ross of ABC News continues to work on a story on New Orleans reconstruction fraud cases, setting aside information he received on Congressman Mark Foley and "unusual" e-mails that he sent to House pages. The story is broke by the Washington Post, but not until December 2006, well after the November midterms.

November 8th, 2006- Wednesday morning arrives and the results are in, the Republicans as expected lose seats, but only 11 and retain the majority in the House. In the US Senate, Rick Santorum, Mike Dewine, Jim Talent Lincoln Chafee lose, but George Allen (not having made his infamous gaffe) retains his seat by over 12 points against Jim Webb. Conrad Burns also wins re-election over his Democrat opponent Jon Tester by 4 points. Joe Lieberman, fresh off his victory over primary challenger Ned Lamont, is secretly offered a key Committee Chairmanship by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and becomes a full-fledged Independent.

Meanwhile, Democrats, faced with still losing despite some of the best circumstances in years for a victory, try to pick up the pieces and analyze what happened. In other words, they turn on each other.

On the Left, bloggers and Howard Dean blame Rahm Emmanuel and the DCCC for "not working hard enough for to inspire the base". Emmanuel and the DLC Democrats blame Dean for his "50 state campaign" as wasteful and failing to concentrate on races that the Democrats could have won. Calls for Dean's resignation as Chairman of the Party are heard by pundits like James Carville, Leon Panetta, and even Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

November-December 2006- The Democrats appear to be in full "melt-down". Fighting between the blogs and the "Inside-the-Beltway" Dems reachs full bore when Arianna Huffington of the "Huffington Post" suggests that the DLC Democrats "sabotaged the 2006 midterms" to try to isolate the Party's liberal base and render them powerless.

More prominent centrist Democrats (but none with 2008 Presidential aspirations) come forward and say Howard Dean should resign as Party Chair. Emmanuel proposes making former US Senatorial candidate Harold Ford Jr. the new Party Chairman. This is seen as both an appeal to the African-American vote AND to the more centrist wing of the Party.

December, 2006- Republicans re-elected Dennis Hastert is re-elected Speaker and Tom Delay and Roy Blunt are re-elected Majority Leader and Majority Whip respectively. Mitch McConnell is elected Senate Majority Leader and Trent Lott is elected Majority Whip, George Allen defeats Jon Kyl for the post of Republican Conference Committee. Allen is already making trips to New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Iowa and preparing for a presidential run.

December 11th, 2006- Howard Dean resigns as Party Chairman. He says he doesn't wish to be the focus of inter-party fighting and that, though he still feels his "50 state strategy" is good for the long-term growth of the Party, that it can be better managed under "new leadership". Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee becomes Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

December 13th, 2006- More information about Congressman Mark Foley and his IMs and e-mails to young pages are revealed. Speaker Hastert's involvement in "covering up" for Foley is discussed and some talk of the Speaker's resignation is bandied about. Eventually the story dies out going into Christmas, after Foley resigns and the Florida Governor calls for a special election in February. Democrats hope to pick up the seat, but it is a strongly Republican district.

December 2006-January 2007- As the Democrats try to re-organize, President Bush meets with Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader McConnell. Leaks hint at a plan for a "troop surge" in Iraq of up to 20,000 more GIs. Washington Democrats hold criticism of such a surge, driving a further wedge between the "Establishment Democrats" and the Blogosphere Left. Daily Kos and Move On.org both post editorials claiming that Democratic "waffling" on Iraq and the "Murtha Plan" for withdrawal of US forces is what cost the Dems the election.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton prepares for her 2008 campaign. Temporarily, she faces a potential rival in freshman US Senator Barack Obama, but Obama is seen as "fence-straddling" by both the "Beltway" AND "Blog" for failing to clearly support or even oppose a withdrawal from Iraq. Early trips to New Hampshire register some up-tick in his polling, but still 30-35% down from Senator Clinton. John Edwards announces his intention to run on December 27th, but he embraces the "Murtha Plan" and a speedy withdrawal, with caveats.

January 12th, 2007- President Bush announces that 21,500 new troops will be sent to Iraq. "The Surge" as it is known receives harsh criticism from some key Democrats and Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, but many say they will "wait and see" to the escalation.

January 22nd, 2007- Hillary Clinton, fresh from a tour of Iraq, returns to announce her "Presidential exploratory committee". Many see this as a pre-emptive move to stunt the Barack Obama momentum in the Party. Senator Clinton praises the efforts of the troops in Iraq, but fails to comment on the proposed "surge" by the President. Polling into January shows little support for the plan or the war, but Clinton refuses to say if she would support any pull-out.

January 30th, 2007- Democratic Party Chair Harold Ford consults with Rahm Emmanuel and Chuck Schumer and announces that the DNC will be "targetting key states" for 2008 but will continue the 50 state strategy. Many DNC chairs in red states praise the decision.

Meanwhile, Republicans choose a new Party Chairman as Ken Mehlman steps down. Though fresh off a victory in keeping the Congress, many feel that Mehlman is not doing enough to keep the base happy. He is replaced by Robert "Mike" Duncan.

February 2nd, 2007- Senator Joe Biden announces his "exploratory committee for the Presidency". Biden touts his "three-state" solution for Iraq, with a pull-out of US troops only AFTER the Kurdish, Sunni, and Shiia states of Iraq have been established.

February 9th, 2007- Barack Obama officially enters the 2008 Democratic Primaries race. Seemingly trying to "split the difference" between "centrist" Hillary Clinton and "populist" John Edwards, Obama speaks in generalities and promises of "a new politics".

February 12th, 2007'''- Democrat Tim Mahoney wins Mark Foley's seat in the Florida 16th Congressional District. Mahoney running very "centrist", promises his constituents that he would "work with the Republicans where he could".

March 6th, 2007- The Congress passes Bush's supplemental spending bill for Iraq over the objections of the Democratic minority. No amendments are allowed to be offered and an attempt by Maxine Waters to introduce one that would say that the President would need Congressional authority before attacking Iran, is not put on the floor for debate.

March 8th, 2007- The Washington Post reports on the firing of several US Attorneys by the Justice Department. Calls by Democrats to investigate this as "politically motivated" are brushed aside by Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter. The issue continues to be raised in some media outlets for the next week, but quickly dies out.

March 11th, 2007- Hillary Clinton, in an interview with the NY Times, states that while she supports a pull-out of troops in Baghdad eventually, she also supports a "contingent force" of unknown size remaining in Iraq for some time (i.e. well into her Presidency).

April 5th, 2007- Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Democratic candidate for President, tries to introduce bills of impeachment against President Bush and Vice-President Cheney. Speaker Hastert ignores the bill and Kucinich is mocked on right-wing radio for days. As the Republicans control Congress now until 2008, the final hope of those who support impeachment fades from the Blogosphere.

May 2nd, 2007- Breaking from his Democratic rivals, former Senator John Edwards calls for a complete withdrawal from Iraq by September 2008. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who voted for the supplemental spending bill back in March, both state that the withdrawal needs to be "over a period of time" and "after Iraq can secure itself". Outraged, the liberal base of the Party give Edwards a tick up in the polls that come out later in May.

June 1st, 2007- Congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana is indicted on charges of bribery. Though some rally to his defense, and others point to potential Republican corruption, the news gives the GOP a boost (as polls have been slipping since the election) and Democrats flounder to try to recapture the "high ground" on working against corruption in government.

June 15th, 2007- George Allen announces he running for President and is considerd the front runner alongside Rudy Giuliani.

June 19th, 2007- Revelations that several Republicans are linked to "Abramoff-gate" come out. Those involved are still 16 months away from election and FBI investigations seem to promise no further convictions.

July 2nd, 2007- Minority Leader Harry Reid asks President Bush for an explanation of the failures of the Iraqi Government to reach any of its "benchmarks". Spokesman Tony Snow says that "there are indications of a potential positive aspect that will be seen by the Fall". The matter is quickly dropped, though Maine Senator Susan Collins says on CNN that she too would like more "positive news" from "the Surge". Support for the war drops to 31% nation-wide.

August 20th, 2007- Several Republicans and two Democrats go to Iraq to see for themselves the effect of "the Surge". They return with optimistic reports, though the Democrats are still "concerned" about what will happen after the strategy is ended. Left-wing bloggers immediately attack the Democrats for "surrendering to Bush" on the war. Meanwhile, right-wing talk radio plays up the perceived success and says "it indicates that liberals want us to lose, on the verge of success." There is a small (4-5%) uptick in President Bush's poll numbers.

September 5th, 2007- Congressional approval dip to 23%. Democrats attempt to show that this is based on public disapproval of the war (down to 32%) and of Bush (holding at 35%). Speaker Hastert promises new efforts to get more of the Republican agenda passed before Christmas.

September 20th, 2007- After a favorable report by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, Congress passes another supplemental spending bill for Iraq and the War On Global Terrorism of $120 Billion. Democrats hold together a substantial bloc of votes against it and three Republican Senators initially are reserved about it, but many "Blue Dogs" vote with the Republicans and the GOP Senators end up voting for it. It passes with what is called "bipartisan support". Hillary Clinton misses the vote as does Senator Barack Obama, though both criticize the lack of "oversight" and the failure of Iraqi leaders to meet any goals.

October 15th, 2007- Former Vice-President Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Immediately on the blogs and on liberal talk radio Air America, a call begins for him to run for President and challenge both Clinton and Obama. Gore spokespeople continue to insist that "The Vice-President has no plans for another Presidential run."

October 24th, 2007- Wildfires begin to ravage Southern California, near San Diego.

November 4th, 2007- With a year to go before the Presidential election, Gallup produces a poll which shows that fully 51% of voters feel that the country is moving in the "wrong direction". 26% feel it is moving in the right direction. Pundits predict a hard battle orf any of the Republican hopefuls, even popular NY mayor Rudy Giuliani.

December 2007- Florida and Michigan move up their Presidential primaries. DNC Chairman Harold Ford punishes them by saying half their delegates will not be seated. Although there is some calls for taking all of the states delagates away, Ford relized that such a move might drive MI & FL into the Republican camp.

December 11, 2007 A special election is held to replace the late Ohio Rep. Paul Gilmour. In a stunning upset Democrat Robin Weirauch defeats the Republican nominee. The win sends shockwaves through the Republican party that a dismal election year may lie ahead considering it is a strongly Republican district.

January 2008- John Edwards wins the Iowa caucus, with Barack Obama coming in second, and Hillary Clinton third. A few days later, Hillary Clinton narrowly wins the New Hampshire primary, Obama comes in a close second. Word spreads that Clinton will "make her stand on Super Tuesday", already giving up South Carolina to Edwards and Obama.

On the Republican side, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee upsets Allen in winning with a 34-26% margin. John McCain finished a distant third with 13% and Mitt Romney finished a dismal forth with 11%. Romney wins the Wyoming caucus which is held the next day. In New Hampshire, McCain (40%) defeats Allen (30%) and Huckabee (15%).

Late January, 2008-Hillary Clinton wins Michigan with 55% of the vote. Barack Obama wins South Carolina. Hillary wins Nevada, but some are beginning to doubt her ability to win.

McCain wins Michigan and is leading by a wide margin in South Carolina. He wins that primary with 34% to Allen's 28% and Huckabee's 19%. Rommney narrowly wins the Nevada caucus over Huckabee.

January 29th, 2008- Hillary Clinton wins the Florida primary by a wider than expected margin winning 56 to Obama's 43.

Mccain wins 51% of the vote in Florida to Allen's 40% Rudy Giuliani drops out and four days later and endorses McCain.

February 5th, 2008- Hillary Clinton wins  the California primary 46% to 33 % for Barack Obama, and 19 % for Edwards. Clinton also wins the majority of the "Super Duper Tuesday" primary states. Obama and Edwards Still holding out hope for the Texas and Ohio primaries, the numbers look good for the former First Lady, as she'd have to win only a few of the remaining primaries to have a shot at the nomination. Huckabee wins across most of the South while McCain wins most of the other primaries.

February 10th, 2008- John Edwards pulls a dramatic upset in the Maine Caucus winning over Clinton 43 to 40.

February 12th 2008- Senator Obama makes a comeback in the Maryland and DC primary also known as the Potomac Primary winning all three except Virginia is much closer than expected with Obama winning 43 % to Edward's 36%.

February 15th, 2008-  With polling in Texas showing Hillary Clinton far ahead of Senator Obama, and a 15% lead in Ohio, open calls for Obama to end his candidacy (on-going since losing California) are not heeded by the Obama  campaign.

February 19th, 2008- Obama easily wins the Hawaii Caucus but Clinton pulls another upset in Wisconsin winning 45 to 36 for Obama.

February 22nd, 2008- Senator Clinton gives a major speech on ending the war in Iraq in Dallas, Texas. Senator McCain responds with a counter-speech in Cincinnati two days later.

February 23rd, 2008- Senator Obama gives a major speech of his own in Columbus, Ohio on ending the war in Iraq.

March 4, 2008 Dubbed in the media as Super Tuesday Part 2 Obama wins in Vermont as expected but loses Texas by a margin of 56 to 42, and Rhode Island 62 to 38. John Edwards narrowly loses to Clinton 48 to 46 in Ohio, many call for Edwards to exit the race. Pressure builds even stronger on Obama to end his candidacy but he announces each state should have its say but if he loses Pennsylvania he will seriously consider dropping out. McCain wins all four primaries and becomes the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.

March 8, 2008 Clinton pulls an upset in the Wyoming Caucus winning 48% to Obama's 40%.

April 22, 2008 John Edwards wins the Pennsylvania primary with 39 % to Clinton's 38 %. Edwards victory is largely doe to the fact that Rush Limbaugh launchs 'Operation Kayos' which is designed to help Edwards, and keep the primary alive. Obama announces he will remain in the race until the end of the primaries.

May 3, 2008 A special election is held in Louisiana's 6th district in replace Republican Richard Baker who resigned to take a lobbying position. Louisiana State Senator Don Cazayoux a Democrat wins the election. The upset deeply worries Republicans who forsee that their prospects may not be very good of keeping the House in the fall as the Democrats now need only two seats to flip control of the House.

May 6, 2008 Clinton wins the Indiana Primary 53 to 47 for Edwards. Edwards wins the North Carolina primary 56 to 43.

May 13, 2008 Clinton easily wins the West Virginia Primary with 67 percent of the vote.

May 20, 2008 Clinton wins the Kentucky Primary with 61 percent of the vote. Clinton pulls off another upset in Oregon winning 48% to Edwards' 28% Obama's 23%

June 1, 2008 Clinton wins the Puerto Rico Primary easily with 70 percent of the vote.

June 3, 2008 Clinton wins the Montana and South Dakota primaries. She wins Montana with 55 percent to Edward's 40 percent of vote. In South Dakota, Clinton wins with 58 percent to Edwards's 37 percent. Hillary now has a bare majority of delegates. Senator Clinton gives a speech in New York City announcing that the highest hardest glass ceiling in the land is about to be shattered into millions of pieces after 232 years. In her speech she thanks her supporters for making this momentous occasion possible, but also thanks her two opponents for running great campaigns. Clinton also tells "America change is coming and not only are we going to finish what we started in 1993 you are going to have a president that cares about you because this is not my victory but yours. She concludes her speech with the memorable line. This is a historic moment for our country and for women across the nation.It is a moment for which we have waited over 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren't just waiting; women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America, that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and granddaughters, tonight, we have broken the marble ceiling. For our daughters and our granddaughters, the sky is the limit, anything is possible for them

June 5, 2008 Under allegations of adultery and having a 'love child', former Senator John Edwards announces that he is dropping out the race in Raleigh, North Carolina and gives a rousing speech endorsing Senator Clinton and urges his supporters to do the same. Senator Obama does the same.

July 29, 2008: Alaska Senator Ted Stevens is indicted by a federal grand jury on seven counts of failing to report gifts received from VECO Corporation and its CEO Bill Allen on his Senate financial disclosure forms. Stevens is specifically charged with violating provisions of the Ethics in Government Act.

'''July 31,2008: It is announced that the trial will be held before the 2008 election.

August 1, 2008: The Stevens indictment is dubbed by the media as the Foley of 2008 and a game changer in the 2008 presidential race.

August 2, 2008 The Democrats including many house and senate challengers espically Senator Clinton begin to capitalize on the Stevens scandal in attempt to make up for a missed oppurtunity in 2006. DNC Chairmen Harold Ford calls it a golden oppurtunity and that it shows why it was important to continue the 50 state strategy in a limited sense. He also calls it another example of the Republican Culture of Corruption and why the status quo must change.

August 22, 2008 Hillary Clinton announces in Indianapolis, Indiana that Senator Evan Bayh will be her running mate.

August 25, 2008 The Democratic National convention begins in Denver, Colorado.

'''August 27. 2008''' Hillary Clinton is officially nominated as the Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States. This draws cries of racism from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton who threaten to boycott the election.

Delegate vote at the convention was


 * Clinton: 3,049
 * Obama: 1,000
 * Edwards: 381
 * Others: 18

August 28, 2008 The Clinton/Bayh ticket begin their campaign with stops in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. Governor Tim Kaine greets them in Richmond to SRO crowds; Clinton/Bayh leave Denver with a 7 point "Convention bounce", leading Mccain 48-42%.

August 29, 2008 John McCain announces that Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska will be his running mate in Dayton, Ohio.

September 7, 2008 Senator Clinton announces her Small town tour in which both she and her running mate will visit small towns in several midwestern states including Missouri, Tennessee and Michigan. In a statement annoucning the tour Clinton says that for too long small towns and cities in the heartland have felt abandoned and left out of the campaign process it is time the general election campaign give note to people who feel invisible.

September 9, 2008 Two new polls show McCain leaving St.Paul the site of the Republican convention with a large bounce against Clinton/Bayh. The poll now shows McCain/Palin leading Clinton/Bayh 50% to 43%

September 10, 2008 - Bill Clinton on a campaign tour in Virginia says that the McCain policies are just a re-hash of the Bush policies. He jokes "You can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig!" to uproarious laughter. The Republicans immediately charge that Clinton was referring to Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin (given a joke she had made about "lipstick and a pitbull" in her convention speech) and that Clinton was "calling Palin a pig".

The Media have a field day and counter-attacks by Hillary Clinton are matched as conservative talk radio begins a litany of "Bill Clinton's misogyny record", even resurrecting the charges of sexual abuse and rape by Juanita Broderick and Kathleen Willey. The attack seems to fall flat though, as Hillary's percentage of the independent women's vote has only dipped 10% in the wake of the Palin candidacy.

September 15, 2008- New polls show Clinton/Bayh narrowing the lead of McCain/Palin a margin of one point. New state polls Clinton leading Michigan, and Pennsylvania. A New poll also shows for control of Congress the Democrats lead 49 to 47. September 26, 2008- The first presidential debate is held at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi.

October 2, 2008 The first and only vice-presidential debate is held in St. Louis, Missouri. Post debate polls show a majority of Americans feel Senator Bayh won the debate.

October 7,2008- The second presidential debate is held in Nashville, Tennessee a town hall style debate. Post debate polls show that a narrow majority of Americans feel Senator Clinton won the debate.

October 10, 2008,- New state polls are released showing Mccain/Palin leading in North Carolina, Ohio. Polls also show Clinton/Bayh leading in Pennsylvania and Michigan, Virginia, Indiana, and Missouri and Arkansas. Florida, Wisconsin,Iowa, and Tennessee are tied. Nationally McCain/Palin and Clinton/Bayh are tied 48 to 48. A New poll also shows for control of Congress the Democrats lead 52 to 46.

October 15, 2008- The final presidential debate is held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Post debate polls show that a majority of Americans feel Senator Clinton won the debate.

October 20, 2008- New State polls show Clinton/Bayh continuing to lead in Arkansas, Virginia,Pennsylvania, Missouri, Michigan. North Dakota and Montana are now tied. Clinton/Bayh also leads in Wisconsin. Mccain/Palin leads narrowly in Florida and by only two points in North Carolina. Polls in Tennessee and Iowa continue to show a statistical dead heat. Nationally Clinton/Bayh leads McCain/Palin 48 to 42.

October 27,2008 Alaska Senator Ted Stevens is convinced by a jury on all seven counts of corruption he is charged with.

October 30, 2008-New State polls show Clinton/Bayh continuing to lead in Arkansas, Virginia,Pennsylvania, Missouri, Michigan. Clinton/Bayh now hold a three point lead in New Mexico, a four point lead in Nevada. and a five point lead in West Virginia. Clinton/Bayh lead by 7 points in Indiana. Polls in Wisconsin, Iowa,and North Carolina are tied. Polls in Tennessee continue to show a statistical dead heat. Nationally Clinton/Bayh leads McCain/Palin 51 to 43. A new poll shows for control of congress the Democrats lead 53 to 42. A senate poll from Alaska shows Senator Ted Stevens trailing his Democratic opponent Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by 6 points.

November 4, 2008 Clinton/Bayh wins the election over Mccain/Palin 51% to 49% becoming America's first female president. Clinton holds all the blue states from 2004 except New Hampshire and wins Virginia, Missouri, West Virginia, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arkansas. In a surprise Indiana goes to Mccain 50% to 49%. Tennessee goes to Clinton 51% to McCain's 49%. The Democrats win control of the house of representatives 241 to 194. The democrats pick up senate seats in New Hampshire, Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina, and New Mexico. North Carolina also sees the election of its first female governor. The Democrats also win the governorship of Missouri. In California an amendment to ban gay marraige overturning a desicion of the California supreme court fails 51% to 49%. (Work in progress.)