There was a great sense of excitement following the election of John Edwards. Thousands of people descended upon Washington, D.C. to see the first glimpses of the new, aspiring 45th President of the United States. Although a decade younger than his predecessor, Fred Thompson, Edwards was still a decade older than Bill Clinton was at the latter’s first inaugural. Despite this, polls showed younger voters, specifically from the ages of 18 to 25, excited about the new President, with many expressing hope and optimism towards Edward’s ambitious agenda of changing the status quo in Washington, and combating the growing levels of inequality and poverty threatening the American Dream. In his first address to the country as President, Edwards’ expressed his gratitude towards former President Thompson, who had indicated his desire to retire back to his home state of Tennessee, and the various other dignitaries and government officials in attendance. The new President also spoke of his desire to breathe new life into the American dream, stating that everyone deserved a fair shake, but not necessarily a free ride. The United States was founded on hard work and perseverance, and to overcome the issues brought to light by the global financial crisis, hard work and even harder choices would need to be made. He spoke of his desire to make medicine more affordable and accessible to the average American, of championing the Middle Class which had been increasingly ignored in favour of the executives, billionaires, and large corporations. The War in Afghanistan would be won, and America’s place on the world stage would be strengthened. Under the Edwards’ Administration, hard work would be rewarded, people would get a fair pay for fair work, and the shared faith in the American Dream would overcome the divisions of Washington.
It was a good speech. Everyone in the crowd seemed to like it. Democrats were excited to be back in the White House, as well as be in control of both the Senate, under Majority leader Harry Reid, and the House of Representatives, under Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The future seemed bright for the Democrats. But, once the champagne had been drunk, the dances danced, and the occasional Washington hook-up ended in disappointment, then the work began. After all, there was an economy to be saved. Unemployment was on the rise, the housing market was still in a state of shock, and American confidence in the country’s banking system was at its lowest since the Great Depression. Suffice to say, a daunting challenge faced the new Administration, and no one was exactly sure what would happen.
Treasury Secretary Gary Gensler and former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers presented President Edwards with what they described as the best approach to the situation; A trillion dollar stimulus package. Aimed towards infrastructure spending, various bailouts for state and local governments, and tax relief for millions of Americans, the bailout was initially met with great support from leading Democrats. Unfortunately, the partisanship in Washington, and the fear of more red state Democrats to implement such spending, meant that a compromise monetary figure of $800 Billion would be passed instead, thanks to the support of Senate Republicans Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Grant Woods (R-AZ), and Chuck Hagel (R-NE). It quickly became apparent that the focus of the President’s agenda would be the economy first, everything else second. Bill Clinton’s “It’s the Economy Stupid!” became a common saying within the halls of the West Wing and the Oval Office. That wasn’t to say the President or his Administration had a one-track mind. Within his first six months, President Edwards, who had been criticized for his lack of foreign policy experienced, travelled to Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Brussels to discuss both America’s shifting foreign policy, the conflicts in the Middle East, and of course, the global financial crisis. Despite his inexperience, the President appeared at ease with Canada’s Prime Minister Dinning, Germany’s Chancellor Merkel, the U.K.’s Prime Minister Miliband, and the various EU officials. President Edwards even attempted to ease tensions with some of America’s more traditional Middle Eastern allies, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan President Abdul Haq. It was a charm offensive not seen since the days of President Clinton. Pundits and foreign policy analysts began praising the new Commander-in-Chief for his efforts, signaling that relations with key allies had begun to recover.
Aside from the occasional misstep or low level scandal, it appeared that John Edwards could do no wrong. By April Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania had switched to the Democrats, raising their standing in the Senate ever closer to sixty seats. There was also the matter of who President Edwards would appoint to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, who had recently turned 90 years old. After an exhaustive search, Edwards settled on Sonia Sotomayor, who had been appointed by both Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton to different federal courts. The first Hispanic justice, Justice Sotomayor would inspire outpourings of pride in the American hispanic community, further raising the PResident’s approval ratings in the run up to the midterms, which, despite the President’s approval, appeared to be an uphill battle. Although Chris Christie’s victory in New Jersey had been expected, albeit narrower than expected, Terry McAuliffe’s defeat at the hands of Republican Bob McDonnell was a hard pill to swallow, especially considering the President’s endorsement and multiple appearances on the campaign trail. Making matters worse, one of the great leaders of the Democratic Party, Ted Kennedy, passed away in late 2009 due to a brain tumour. Although Governor Shannon O'Brien was empowered to appoint his successor, which ended up to be former DNC chairman Paul Kirk, the loss of Kennedy became a cloud over the heads of many Democrats who had hoped to make Healthcare a reality before his passing.
In his first State of the Union Address, President Edwards paid tribute to Senator Kennedy, admitting that he had let the late Senator down when he decided to focus his Administration on the economy as opposed to making healthcare a reality for all Americans. Pledging to make the Union stronger, Edwards’ stressed the need to pass meaningful healthcare legislation within the next year, lest more Americans, already reeling from the financial crisis, suffer even more. It was an ambitious agenda for the country, and Edwards, standing side-by-side with his increasingly frail wife, Elizabeth, appeared the perfect messenger to make healthcare a reality.
Unfortunately for the President, it was a few months after this point when things began to unravel for his administration.
In a report published by Newsweek on September 9, 2010, it was indicated that President Edwards had begun an affair with a campaign aide, now a low level White House staffer, during the latter stages of the presidential campaign. The report further suggested that the President had attempted to prevent any information about the alleged affair from becoming public, especially in light of the circumstances surrounding his wife. Diagnosed with breast cancer, First Lady Elizabeth Edwards had become a much beloved figure across the country, even more so than her husband. Making frequent campaign appearances during her husband’s successful bid for the White House, she was also somewhat of a lightning rod for criticism from Republicans, who viewed her support for Same-Sex Marriage and Abortion as counter to proper American values. However, with her ongoing battle with cancer, the First Lady was politically untouchable, making the thought of Edwards cheating on her all the more disastrous for the new Administration, especially considering they had planned to make the First Lady the symbol for their Healthcare push. Eerily echoing the press conference held by Bill Clinton, President Edwards dismissed the reports as complete fabrications, and that he had never met the staffer named in the Newsweek report. Yet, like President Clinton and President Thompson before him, Edwards’ claim to innocence did little to derail the news coverage, personal attacks, threats of investigation, and arguments that he should resign.
Republicans on the Hill were outraged. Having campaign on a platform of openness, change, and transparency, not to mention attacking former President Fred Thompson for hiding his medical problems, here was a President who, much like Bill Clinton, appeared to have abused the trust of the people. Almost overnight GOP fundraising went through the roof. Within a week polling showed Republicans favoured to retake both the Senate and the House. Although the allegations of sexual misconduct were not enough to bring down the President, as evident by Bill Clinton, Republicans had learned enough from the Lewinsky Affair to learn that keeping the issue in the news, possible through an investigation, would be enough to divide the Democrats going into the midterms. Besides, if the investigators couldn’t legally take down the President, the rumour mill would at least cause some damage. Blogs and tabloids speculated that the cancer-ridden First Lady, who had virtually recused herself from public appearances in order to combat her cancer, was in fact dead, or replaced with a body double. Other claimed that the President had been seen flirting with other campaign aids during the ‘08 election, and that the woman first reported had been hired to scandalize President Edwards. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and every major worldwide news station and newspaper began covering the alleged scandal like it was the only noteworthy piece of news. Much as in the case of the Thompson Administration, Edwards’ West Wing staff went into panic mode, attempting to elicit from Democrats whom Edwards had assisted, or had owed favours. While most Democrats chose to stand by their President, arguing that the allegations were false, or at least was a private matter for the Edwards’ family, enough Democratic candidates began to distance themselves from Edwards in an attempt to save their own political skin.
With the economy still sluggish and growing turmoil in the Middle East as pro-democracy demonstrations erupted across Libya, Syria, and Iraq, some of which were financially supported by the United States government, voter began to worry whether or not the President was still able to exercise his duties while also dealing with his emerging scandal. Republicans advocated their typical agenda of tax and spending cuts, as well as the usual elimination of red-tape and regulations. House Minority Leader Roy Blunt commonly referred to Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid as part of a triumvirate of failure with Edwards, remaining careful to allow third-party advertisers to make issue of the President’s alleged affair. Despite the stimulus package, most Americans still felt as though their wellbeing was still on the decline since 2008, and that the best President Edwards' and the Democrats had done little to improve the situation. Democrats countered that voting for the Republicans would return the country to 2008, when the housing market collapsed, banks were on the verge of collapsing, and the entire country entered into a financial situation not seen since the Great Depression. With such high profile candidates like former Vice President John Kasich, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in the running, it appeared that the hopes of Democrats keeping their gains, let alone build on them, were quickly disappearing.
As voters gathered in their homes to watch the Midterm coverage from the various news networks, it was clear beforehand it would be a good night for Republicans. As exit polls closed, many were quick to project the Republicans picking up the required seats needed to take over, thus making Minority Leader Roy Blunt of Missouri the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. While Nancy Pelosi would find little difficulty holding onto the California 8th, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid was another issue altogether. Republican candidate Danny Tarkanian had from the start of the night amassed a small but noticeable lead over Reid, and before long talking heads began discussing what it would mean for the Democrats if Harry Reid was defeated. By the end of the night, “if” had disappeared as Tarkanian defeated the now former majority leader, 50-49 percent, meaning that Reid had now joined his predecessors Tom Daschle and Mitch McConnell as party leaders who had lost their seats in Midterm landslides. Competitive Governor races in Oregon, California, Massachusetts and Florida all ended in Republican victories. The only notable Democratic wins were in Illinois, where Senator Barack Obama had hoped to actually get something done after spending years achieving little in Washington, and in New York, where Schumer fended off a spirited campaign from Mayor Giuliani. Although some Democratic strategists attempted to spin the night as the typical response to every President’s first year and a half in office, the added losses in the Senate, thus narrowing the standings by only two seats, rendered even the most optimistic Democratic pundits either resorting to the most unrealistic arguements, or in an outright state of dispaire.
John Edwards’ dream of implementing meaningful healthcare legislation was dead. Now the only question remaining was whether or not he could whether the storm of his alleged affair. Republicans, meanwhile, began setting their sights on 2012, with potential candidates already in the process of booking flights to Iowa and New Hampshire, and planning for their eventual campaigns.
(Thanks so much to @lord caedus for all his help and assistance in crafting this update.)
Gubernatorial Elections
Alabama: Governor Steve Windom (R) defeats Commissioner Ron Sparks (D).
Alaska: Governor John Binkley (R) defeats Former Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz (D).
Arizona: Governor Jan Brewer (R) defeats State Attorney General Terry Goddard (D).
Arkansas: Governor Mike Beebe (D) defeats Former State Senator Jim Keet (R).
California: Businesswoman Meg Whitman (R) defeats Governor Bill Lockyer (D).
Colorado: Former Congressman Scott McInnis (R) defeats Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D).
Connecticut: Governor Jodi Rell (R) defeats Former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy (D).
Florida: Governor Charlie Crist (R) defeats Businesswoman Alex Sink (D).
Georgia: Secretary of State Karen Handel (R) defeats Former Governor Roy Barnes (D).
Hawaii: Lieutenant Governor Malama Solomon (D) defeats Businessman Duke Aiona (R).
Idaho: Governor Butch Otters (R) defeats Activist Keith Allred (D).
Illinois: Senator Barack Obama (D) defeats State Senator Kirk Dillard (R).
Iowa: Former Governor Terry Branstad (R) defeats Governor Chet Culver (D).
Kansas: Senator Sam Brownback (R) defeats Governor Mark Parkinson (D).
Maine: Attorney Eliot Cutler (I) defeats Waterville Mayor Paul LePage (R) and State Senate President Libby Mitchell (D).
Maryland: State Senator Anthony Brown (D) defeats Former Representative Bob Ehrlich (R).
Massachusetts: Former Secretary Charlie Baker (R) defeats Lieutenant Governor Chris Gabrieli (D).
Michigan: Lieutenant Governor Candice Miller (R) defeats Lansig Mayor Virg Benero (D).
Minnesota: State Senate Minority Leader Marty Seifert (R) defeats State Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher (D).
Nebraska: Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy (R) defeats Businessman Mark Lakers (D).
Nevada: Judge Brian Sandoval (R) defeats Commissioner Rory Reid (D).
New Hampshire: Governor John Lynch (D) defeats State Attorney General Kelly Ayotte (R).
New Mexico: Attorney Susana Martinez (R) defeats Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish (D).
New York: Governor Charles Schumer (D) defeats Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R).
Ohio: Former Vice President John Kasich (R) defeats Governor Ted Strickland (D).
Oklahoma: Congresswoman Mary Fallin (R) defeats State Attorney General Drew Edmondson (D).
Oregon: Former Basketball Player Chris Dudley (R) defeats Former Governor John Kitzhaber (D).
Pennsylvania: Former Lieutenant Governor William Scranton III (R) defeats State Auditor General Jack Wagner (D).
Rhode Island: State Treasurer Frank Caprio (D) defeats Senator Lincoln Chafee (I) and Businessman John Robitaille (R).
South Carolina: Lieutenant Governor André Bauer (R) defeats State Senator Vincent Sheheen (D).
South Dakota: Lieutenant Governor Dennis Daugaard (R) defeats State Senate Minority Leader Scott Heidepriem (D).
Tennessee: Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam (R) defeats Businessman Mike McWherter (D).
Texas: Governor Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) defeats Houston Mayor Bill White (D).
Vermont: Former Lieutenant Governor Doug Racine (D) defeats Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie (R).
Wisconsin: Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker (R) defeats Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D).
Wyoming: Former State Representative Ron Micheli (R) defeats Businessman Leslie Petersen (D).
"If you had to choose one, which of these individuals would you want to be the Republican nominee for president in 2012?"
