Gerald Ford elected in 1980

dw93

The Vice Presidential Debate:

On October 5th, Vice President John Glenn and Former Secretary of State George Bush. The debate took place in Omaha, Nebraska and the candidates were asked questions about both domestic and foreign policy. On domestic policy, Vice President Glenn was the clear victor as he was able to both defend the administration's policies and successfully laid out what he and the President would do if given a second term. Secretary Bush, who admitted that domestic policy was a weak spot of his, struggled with the questions he was asked about domestic policy.

On foreign policy, it was a draw. Secretary Bush, given that his time as Secretary of State ended only four years earlier, had a good understanding of the situation abroad and was able to make the case for Senator Laxalt's foreign policy. Bush called it a policy of "strength with a steady hand." Vice President Glenn to however, was able to point out the success of the IRM treaty and improved diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. He also said that while he and the President were not happy with their inability to secure peace in the middle east, he was quick to point out that an effort was made, and this will be a top foreign policy priority if they are given a second term.

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dw93

The Second Presidential Debate and the final days of the campaign:

The Second Presidential debate took place on October 20th in Winston-Salem North Carolina. This debate centered around foreign policy and defense. The talking points from the candidates with regards to foreign policy were the same as the first debate. The difference came when discussions of defense spending came about. Defense spending was not discussed in the first debate. Laxalt attacked Hart for his attempts to cut the defense budget, pointing out that he "proudly voted against the President's attempt to make our country weaker and less safe." Hart responded by saying that "In no way would I, as Commander in Chief, do anything to make our country less safe and would do everything in my power to make sure that the men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line for us have everything they need to carry out their mission. What I was trying to do, before I was blocked by Republicans and unfortunately a few members of my own party, was cut waste from the defense budget. Senator Laxalt's plans would only add more waste to the defense budget, especially his missile defense program, which many experts have said time and time again would not work."

Many considered this debate to be a close one. Republicans were quick to call Laxalt the winner, while Democrats gave the President the win. Polls taken four days after the debate were also showing a close race, with the polls dead even at 49-49 %. These numbers did not change much in the final days of the campaign as the former senator and the President both hit the campaign trail hard. People across the nation were expecting a close election, and that November 8h was going to be a long night. Little did they know just how close it was going to be....:D
 

dw93

The Election that Rocked a Nation:

The polls in the final days of the 1988 campaign suggested a close election. Paul Laxalt, who had been running for President since he lost the 1984 Republican nomination to Howard Baker, managed to close the gap between himself and President Hart in the fall, in part because of strong campaigning on his part and also in part because of Hart's lackluster performance in the first debate and his failure to do significantly better in the second debate. Many also accused Hart of not campaigning hard enough for the job. Despite all of this though, Hart went into election day with a 51% approval rating, mostly due to the economy.

Along with the polls being close, voter turnout was projected to be at a record low. No one had any idea who would prevail. Would the strong campaigning on the part of the Laxalt campaign pay off? Would enough of the country feel President Hart deserved another term to give him the win? After a long night, the answer to both of those questions, in one form or another, proved to be yes. When all the votes were counted, President Hart had a narrow popular vote win of 50.2%. However, the electoral vote was tied:

President Gary W. Hart (D-CO)/ Vice President John H. Glenn (D-OH): 50.2% PV, 269 EV

Fmr. Senator Paul D. Laxalt (R-NV)/ Fmr. Sec. of State George H.W. Bush (R-TX): 49% PV, 269 EV

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Three States made changes from four years ago. New Jersey and Iowa, which narrowly went for President Hart in 1984 went to Senator Laxalt, and Michigan, which went narrowly for Howard Baker in 1984, narrowly went to President Hart. Many expected the President to lose New Jersey and polls suggested that Hart would very narrowly win Michigan in the polls since Laxalt won the Republican nomination, but some believe if Former President Ford campaigned in Michigan on behalf of the Republican nominee, it would be enough for Laxalt to narrowly carry the state. This did not happen however, so the election boiled down to Iowa, where Senator Laxalt won by 0.25% of the vote.

Many in the country were puzzled when they woke up the next morning to find out that no one won the election, and were wondering what would come of this electoral deadlock. Would a recount in Iowa, or Michigan bring one of the candidates above 270 electoral votes, or would the election go to the house? We'll have to wait and see...:D
 

dw93

1988 House and Senate Races:

Very little changed with the house and senate majorities. The Democrats picked up four house seats, keeping their majority, and in the Senate the Democrats picked up two seats, but it was not enough to take back the majority.
 

Pericles

dw93 said:
Very little changed with the house and senate majorities. The Democrats picked up four house seats, keeping their majority, and in the Senate the Democrats picked up two seats, but it was not enough to take back the majority.
Click to expand...

Does that mean Hart will get a second term?
 

dw93

Hart and Laxalt address the nation about the election:

On the night of November 9th, President Hart invited Senator Laxalt to the White House where they both addressed the nation about the election:

Hart: "Good Evening. Yesterday, Americans across this great nation exercised their right to vote. Today, due to a tie in the electoral college, we do not have a winner of this election. This is why I have invited my opponent, Senator Laxalt, to the White House to discuss this issue and we did privately not too long ago. We both have agreed to have recounts in the two closest states of last nights election, the states of Iowa and Michigan. If for what ever reason the electoral college is still tied after these recounts take place, the President will be decided by the house of representatives, while the senate will chose the Vice President. Mr. Laxalt and I both hope that the election doesn't come down to that, and hope that through these recounts, we will find out who won this election. I would also like to take this opportunity to assure the American people that despite this problem, our government will still function as usual. Now I would like to give the Senator time to speak to you."

Laxalt: "Thank you Mr. President. I for one, and I think President Hart would agree, hope that this issue is resolved as quickly as possible and is solved with out any controversy, and hope that once this is all said and done, the American people will unite behind whoever comes out the winner of this election. This is not a time for us to become divided and argue, this will only make it more difficult to solve this tie in the electoral college. As the President said, my hope is that this is decided by a recount and not by the house and senate. Thank you and God Bless."

Hart: "Thank You."
 
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Pericles

Good there's no acrimony and division yet. they're both behaving like adults. If only politixians today were more like them:(
 

dw93

Pericles said:
Good there's no acrimony and division yet. they're both behaving like adults. If only politicians today were more like them:(
Click to expand...

So far, so good. We'll see what happens once the winner is decided. Honestly, I've been pondering about how I wanted this election to go for weeks. At one point, the October surprise that many predicted was going to make Hart a one termer. Then, I was going to have the Berlin Wall fall in the Summer of '88 and give Hart a landslide. Then, last night, it came down to this... I'm SOO EXCITED!!!!!!! :D
 

dw93

The Recounts begin:

The recounts in Iowa and Michigan began two days after the two candidates spoke from the White House. The recounts were to be state wide and done in multiple ways to be sure that every vote is counted. If by November 30th, neither candidate reached the required 270 votes needed, the election would be decided by the house.

A Gallup poll taken a week after the election asked eligible voters if they supported doing away with the electoral college. 40 percent of respondents were unsure if they would support doing so, while 29% said they would do away with the electoral college and 31% said they would keep it in place. Most voters who supported keeping the electoral college lived in rural areas of the country, while those who supported doing away with the system lived in mostly urban areas.
 

dw93

November 30th: Still no Winner....

After almost a month of recounts in Iowa and Michigan, neither Gary Hart or Paul Laxalt reached the required 270 electoral votes, meaning that the President would be chosen by the House of Representatives and the Vice President by the Senate. With the Senate being controlled by the GOP and the House by the Democrats, there was a good chance that there would be a President Hart and Vice President Bush, making the government even more divided that it already was. However, Laxalt's chances in the house weren't impossible due to the fact that a good number of Democrats in the senate were southern conservatives, or Dixiecrats as they were once called, and there was a chance that enough of them would side with Republicans giving Laxalt the Presidency. The question was, how could Vice President Glenn get votes in a Republican controlled Senate?

Either way, pre election day, no one would've guest that the 101st congress' first act would be choosing the President and Vice President of the United States.
 

dw93

January 3, 1989: New Congress is Sworn in, begin process of selecting the President.

The New Congress was sworn in on January 3rd, 1989, and began the process of selecting the President and Vice President immediately after.

The House, after almost a week, narrowly gave Gary Hart a second term in the White House on January 9th, making him the first President since Richard Nixon in 1972 to be elected to a second consecutive term, and the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to be elected to more than one term. The Republican controlled Senate, on the other hand, also voted down party line and voted for George Bush to be the next Vice President of the United States one day after the Democratic House chose the President, giving us a Republican Vice President and a Democratic President, thus making the Government even more divided than it already was.

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Shortly after the Senate vote was revealed, Senator Laxalt officially conceded the election, congratulating his running mate and congratulating President Hart and wished them both the very best over the course of the next four years, which he said would not be easy given the outcome. He thanked his supporters and urged them to get behind the President and the new Vice President, telling them that the Country needed to unite after such an outcome. Laxalt went on to say that while he was not happy with the outcome, he accepted it, and believed that the system worked.
 

dw93

President Hart's acceptance Speech:

Shortly after Senator Laxalt conceded, President Hart addressed the nation from the White House:

"Good evening. My fellow Americans, yesterday the House of Representatives cast their votes choosing the President of the United States, and through their vote, I was given a second term as your President. One day later, the Senate chose Former Secretary of State George Bush to be the next Vice President of the United States. This is the first time in over a century that America has had a President and a Vice President that were not of the same party affiliation. Not long ago, I had spoken to Vice President Elect Bush, and while neither one of us expected this outcome and we both agreed that this was not the outcome we wanted, we both accept the outcome for what it is. Mr. Bush pledged to work with me over the course of the next four years and I pledged to him and pledge to all of you tonight that I will work with him to make the very best of this situation. I also spoke to Senator Laxalt today. I want to congratulate him on running a great and spirited campaign and thank him and his team for working with my team to try and solve the problem we were dealt on election night. I wish Mr. Laxalt and his family the very best in the years ahead. I also want to take this opportunity to thank my current Vice President John Glenn for working with me over the last four years. Vice President Glenn served his country well, first in the military, then as an astronaut, as a Senator, and then as our Vice President. I think the worst part of all of this is that I won't be able to work with him over these next four years. I hope that John Glenn continues to serve our country for many years to come and I also wish him, his wife Annie and their family the very best in the years ahead.

This is not a time for Americans to become divided. We must all unite and work together and make the best of this outcome, as it is said 'United we stand, divided we fall.' As I have said, I will be meeting with the Vice President elect in the coming days and I also invite congressional leaders of both parties to join us, to discuss how we can move our country forward. Thank you and God Bless America."
 
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