Attending the 2009 Presidential Inauguration

“McCain, the best Republican presidential candidate since Ford, mysteriously chose to toss away all of his redeeming qualities in his race against Obama.”

Obama vs McCain
Voted: Obama
My Conscience: Obama
My Conscience in the Democratic Primary: Obama

Impressions Heading into Election Day
Obama: Perfect candidate in every respect, and best from any party since Jimmy Carter. Better than Carter though, because Jimmy was a little preachy as a candidate.
McCain: An honorable man who thought it would be appealing to run as a grumpy ass.

Obama: 53% with 365 electoral
McCain: 46% with 173 electoral

Looking Back: McCain, the best Republican presidential candidate since Ford, mysteriously chose to toss away all of his redeeming qualities in his race against Obama. His choice of Sarah Palin made it unexpectedly clear that he was willing to place partisan politics ahead of the well-being of our country. In contrast to McCain’s many erratic shifts, Obama kept a cool and steady course that the populace correctly identified as a necessary quality in attempting to unwind the severe political and financial damage of the Bush years. Also, Nader improves his vote by a small margin, but doesn’t come close to his 3% peak in 2000.

Election Map: Obama essentially restores the Clinton’s victory map, though he swaps some Southern states for states in the Mountain West. The lesson for Democrats is to win the heavily populated states of Florida, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—while simply running a candidate that is easy to like. Can it be that hard to get one of these every time? One you can vote your conscience for?

“Please don’t blame Ralph Nader.”

Gore vs G.W. Bush vs Nader
Voted: Gore
My Conscience: Nader
My Conscience in the Democratic Primary: Bill Bradley

Impressions Heading into Election Day
Gore: Could a person run a safer but weirder campaign? (question answered in 4 years by John Kerry)
G.W. Bush: Jesus Christ! How, why, what, etc., and more and more etc., etc. I mentioned psychology earlier in reference to Nixon and Reagan, but wow!!!!!! There’s always some fool around to keep Freud relevant.
Nader: Loved how this muther wouldn’t bend or bend over for you or anyone else. He was an unforgiving remedy cut in stone—post Slick Willie.

Gore: 48.38% with 266 electoral
G.W. Bush: 47.87% with 271 electoral
Ralph Nader: 3% with 0 electoral

Looking Back: This electoral tragedy (marked by the unexplainable freezing of the Florida recount) initiated a spiraling series of global tragedies that have culminated into America’s current condition. But please don’t blame Ralph Nader. Typically when people vote for a candidate, they don’t care if any of the others lose.

But the spectacle of this election and recount is not nearly as amazing to me as the simple fact that George W. Bush could ever procure more than 3% of American’s votes (what Nader got). Put these two guys (Ralph and George) in a room together and listen to them talk, then tell me afterwards that you were impressed by and want to vote for Bush. I mean, common.

Also, Buchanan ran Perot’s Reform Party into the ground, but not before professional wrestler “Jesse the Body” serves an actual Reform Party term as Governor of Minnesota.

Election Map: Democrats experienced a “global warming” in the previous Clinton victory map. It looked the same in the North and West, but it melted in the South, including in Gore’s home state of Tennessee.

“For those who had longed to vote for somebody as shifty as Elvis’ Colonel, they got a double dose of fun with Perot.”

Clinton vs Dole vs Perot vs Nader
Voted: Didn’t vote
My Conscience: Knew Clinton would win, whatever, whatever
My Conscience in the Democratic Primary: Did it even happen?

Impressions Heading into Election Day
Clinton: A now even slicker car salesman
Dole: Who let this guy run?
Perot: By this point, he was trying to turn politics itself into a cheap car-dealer commercial.
Nader: Didn’t know he ran this time

Clinton: 49% with 379 electoral
Dole: 41% with 159 electoral
Perot: 8% with 0 electoral
Nader: 1% with 0 electoral

Looking Back: Slick Willie never made it to 50%, in part because of the continuing Perot sideshow. Perot started his campaign, then quit, then came back claiming that somebody was trying extort him with dirty pictures or something. For those who had longed to vote for somebody as shifty as Elvis’ Colonel, they got a double dose of fun with Perot.

Election Map: Clinton keeps his victory map and adds to it slightly.

“Jerry Brown was amazing.”

Clinton vs G.H.W. Bush vs Perot
Voted: Clinton
My Conscience: None of the above. Put bumper stickers for all 3 on my car.
My Conscience in the Democratic Primary: Jerry Brown!!! Yes!!!

Impressions Heading into Election Day
Clinton: Car salesman
G.H.W. Bush: Grumpy-ass man getting more grumpy and bitter
Perot: Also reminded me of a car salesman, but the kind that is self-featured in his cheaply-produced car lot commercials

Clinton: 43% with 370 electoral
Bush: 37% with 169 electoral
Perot: 19% with 0 electoral

Looking Back: Jerry Brown was amazing. I remember during the campaign he didn’t have much money, so he was couch-surfing across the country. I sent him my address in case he needed to crash. During the debates and on the radio he’d just start reading off his 800 number (think he was the first to do this). My parents sent him $100, the maximum donation he’d accept. I loved how he’d pointedly cut into car salesman Clinton and taunt him during their debates, buoyed by grassroots support, union-power, and his contrasting non-slick grit. Things started to look hopeful when he won a string of states after Super Tuesday, but eventually cheesiness powered through and Slick Willie took the Democratic nomination (without Brown’s endorsement at the convention). I didn’t know it then, but Jerry had run a few times in the past. His gallant but often forgotten ’92 battle against Bubba was his most successful effort, but unfortunately it was his last presidential run.

Election Map: Clinton creates what is now the the modern Democratic victory map. California goes Democratic for the first time since 1964, and the rest of the West Coast stays blue. The Northeast, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Florida are all blue, in addition to a few southern states. Very different than Carter’s 1976 southern and eastern solid wall of blue.