The 2008 Presidential Election - 18th Century Style

Imagine if John McCain won the presidential election and by default, Barack Obama was slated to be his vice president for the next four years. Likewise, picture a newly elected Obama, with all his liberal views, with the conservative McCain as his right-hand man.

Both of which seem like impossible scenarios, correct?

Before the establishment of the 12th Amendment of the Constitution, however, this was a reality. In the early days of the nation it was declared that the runner-up for president would become the vice-president in a seemingly more democratic fashion.

Conflicting candidates were opponents one day and partners the next in what was a giant mesh of opposing ideologies and views. Let us not forget that George Washington and John Adams, the first President and Vice-President, respectively, ran against each other in the inaugural election of 1789.

The Amendment in 1804 changed all that, forcing the VP selection to be part of the overall presidential package on the ballot.

This ended the era of unusual duos, a system of closer democracy, and any hope of a McCain-Obama white house in 2009.

But what if that old system was still intact today? In a hypothetical setting, what would happen if the 2008 Presidential ballot featured McCain, Obama, Sarah Palin, and Joe Biden?

Here are a few possible outcomes:

1. Obama wins the presidency and second-place McCain comes grabs the vice position. A charismatic leader gives the nation a sense of change while the gutsy sidekick headlines all foreign policy matters. Hmmm…both seem to offset the other candidate's weakness. This seems too good to be true. According to recent polling data on USAToday.com, this is the most likely scenario since Obama holds a slim lead.

2. McCain picks up the pace in the final week to nab the top spot while Obama settles for VP. People have been questioning McCain’s age, but perhaps four years at the helm will be enough to get things rolling, giving Obama just enough experience to take over when the Maverick turns age 76.

3. In a stunning turn of events, Palin roars to the top of the polls on Election Day to become the first female President of the United States while Obama comes in second to become the first African-American VP. If change is what the American people want, this will surely be enough.

4. McCain wins the top position but Biden gets enough votes to become second in command. Maybe America is not quite ready for change after all…a couple of old white guys are once again running the country.

Schieffer Debate Notes

McCain's debate notes

Lost remote

I thought this was a pretty interesting and helpful article concerning the upcoming election. It talks about a new google mashup for voter information.

The process is rather simple and helpful. Just enter your home address into the box and, with the help of google maps, all your relevant voting information is outlined. This includes everything from how many days left you have left to register by mail to future polling locations. Personally, since this will be my first time voting in a presidential election, I found this information easy to use and extremely helpful. I also liked the connection with google maps which is always a great tool.

ItsHaky Going for Upset, Youth Vote

If Bo ItsHaky is going to knock off perennial election winner, Rosa DeLauro, he needs all the votes he can get, including the young crowd.

"I am very interested in the younger voters. They are the future of this district and this state," said ItsHaky. "I go after the youth vote as much as possible."

The 49 year-old Republican candidate is running for the third congressional district of Connecticut in the United States House or Representatives. His counterpart is Democratic incumbent, DeLauro, who is running for a tenth consecutive term.

For ItsHaky, grabbing the youth vote is more than just getting votes, its about changing the very fabric of Connecticut.

"My main concern is the brain drain, with young people who come here to acquire higher education and not able to be attracted to stay here," said ItsHaky. "I want to reverse that by finding more jobs in Connecticut and more affordable housing."

Originally born in Israel, ItsHaky now resides in Bethany and practices acupuncture in Orange and Cheshire. According to his campaign website, ItsHaky ran for First Selectman in Bethany in 2005 and ran for the Connecticut State Senate 17th District in 2006.

ItsHaky was elected to the Connecticut Republican State Central Committee in 2007, representing the 17th State Senatorial District.

Nevertheless, ItsHaky does not feel that going against the more experienced DeLauro will affect his campaign.

"It doesn't make it harder or easier. I am honored to run against her," said ItsHaky, who was influenced to go into politics after the terrorist attacks in Sept. 11. "I needed to do something on a much larger scale, make an influence on a larger scale."

News Comparison

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, President Bush made a speech to the nation concerning the state of the United States economy. The next day, I compared the coverage of the event by reading a print article in the New Haven Register as well as an online article at CNN.com.

In my opinion, the print article had a bit more information but the online story was more interactive and presentable. The New haven register article was longer and required more reading but it covered the speech in depth. The online article, however, covered a general overview of the speech but also offered a video clip and links to other articles relevant to the topic. Both mediums had a picture of President Bush to go along with the story.

DeLauro Running for Tenth Term

Rosa DeLauro knows a thing or two about the election process. After all, she's been running, and winning, since her inaugural race in 1991.

This Fall, DeLauro will be running for a tenth term to represent the third congressional district of Connecticut in the United States House of Representatives. The Democrat has virtually not been challenged competitively since 1991, when she defeated Thomas Scott with 52 percent of the vote.

Growing up in New Haven, DeLauro has been connected to the area for some time now as the third district consists of the city of New Haven along with the surrounding suburbs. She has earned degrees at both Marymount College and Columbia University as well as studying at the London School of Economics.

According to the bill sponsorship analysis at Govtrack.org, DeLauro has consistently voted liberally. Govtrack labels her as a far-left Democrat.

DeLauro's campaign website outlines the Congresswoman's views on the many of the issues for the upcoming election.

According to the site, DeLauro supports new tax incentives in an effort to create more jobs along with ensuring to make college more affordable.

In addition, DeLauro supports lowering health care costs, moving to alternative energy and more efficient cars, and ending the war in Iraq as soon as possible.

In Congress, she has served on numerous committees such as the Budget Committee and has been Co-Chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee since 2002.

The New Haven native will be running against the relatively unknown, Bo ItsHaky this Fall.