Senator Benson Rockefeller Goes For The Gold

[Lincoln Republican]

The Oval Office, the Monday after the Republican National Convention ends, President Clinton meets with his trusted advisors.

Clinton:  That..........Rockefeller.  He's center left in getting elected as Governor in New York, and governs as an out and out liberal in the state for two terms.  Comes into the U.S. Senate as the champion of universal health care.  Actually succeeds in getting it passed.  Hillary wasn't happy, let me tell you.  Now, somehow, he manages to convince enough Republican primary voters he has their interests at heart, and wins the nomination.

I was hoping to be running against Bob Dole.  He would have been an easy target.  That Ben, he gets Bob out of the way by picking Liddy for VP.  Does he have no shame?  It really complicates matters when I have to run against someone as smart, as tough, and as ruthless as I am.

Ben has national, in fact, international recogntion.  He has a way of pushing himself front and center.  He's a master at manipulating the media for his own purposes.  Look at his visit to Auschwitz, his meeting with the Pope, his meeting with the Queen in the U.K., his visit with Billy Graham.  Each and every time he made sure the press was there to give his self serving media whoring maximum coverage.

Hillary and I were talking.  We thought about emphasizing the Rockefeller connections, wealth and power, and saying to the voters something like, now he wants the Presidency too.  Imagine what he would do with his family connections combined with the Presidency.

Morris:  I don't kow Mr. President.  That could be risky.  Knowing what I know about him, he would accuse you of personal attacks on his family and of desperaton.  Ben Rockefeller has a certain appeal.  Look at the post convention polls.  Rockefeller has taken the lead.  He's bombastic but he is a good speaker, some even calling his oratorical skills inspiring.

You would be better off emphasizing his record as a liberal Governor of New York and his less than conservative record in the U.S. Senate.  This might keep a lot of Republican voters at home.    

    

[Lincoln Republican]

Kalwejt, you are entitled to your view, even it is completely off base.

[Lincoln Republican]

What if a third party candidate like Perot decides to run?

I have been debating whether or not to bring Perot into the story. 

[Lincoln Republican]

Ben Rockefeller in Iowa

The Clinton administration's view of the economy can be summed up in a few short phrases, if it moves, tax it, if it keeps moving, regulate it, if it stops moving, subsidize it.

Liddy Dole in New Mexico

The Clinton administration has the most extraordinary collection of talent and human knowledge that has ever gathered at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.

[Lincoln Republican]

Presidential Debate

Clinton:  The economy has prospered under my administration.

Rockefeller:  The economy has prospered because of the actions of the Republican controlled Congress.

[Lincoln Republican]

Benson Rockefeller in Columbus, Ohio

Mr. Clinton, you have disgraced yourself, you have disgraced your office, you have disgraced your family and you have disgraced this country and it is time for you to go.  The voters will take care of that on November 5.  

Perjury, Obstruction of Justice, Adultery, and outright lies to his family, his staff, the congress and the country. This will be the legacy that our 42nd President will write into history - one he has forged in the fires of his deceit.

During his four years in office, Bill Clinton presided over the most corrupt administration in American history.  

Bill Clinton has been a President of the United States who committed felonies.

The Justice Department and even the courts were corrupted by the Clinton administration. Sweetheart deals for felons who kept quiet about Clinton scandals -- whether Whitewater or illegal foreign campaign contributions

Clinton has used foreign policy as a source of photo-ops and as distractions from his domestic scandals.

Clinton swept the catastrophic dangers of nuclear proliferation under the rug, especially in North Korea, along with freeing Saddam Hussein to develop nuclear and biological weapons in Iraq without any more inspections.

Clinton over-ruled his own military and intelligence experts to allow China to buy high-tech equipment that will enable them to reach American cities with nuclear missiles. That is perhaps his most chilling legacy. The satellite and missile technology obtained from Hughes by the Chinese army is critical for the design and manufacture of missile nose cones and electronic missile control systems. The technology clearly helped the Chinese army field a new generation of ICBMS, including the Dong Feng 31 missile, which can drop three nuclear warheads on any city in the U.S.

Bill Clinton has always been directed toward the advancement, the aggrandizement and the self-indulgences of Bill Clinton. His talents were never directed toward the "public good."

[Lincoln Republican]

Liddy Dole in Philadelphia

America, it's time to wake up to the reality of the Clinton Gore administration and their 

 High - Taxing,
 Free - Spending,
 Promise-Breaking,
 Social Security-taxing,
 Drug-Coddling,
 Power-Grabbing,
 Business-Busting,
 Lawsuit-Loving,
 F.B.I.- Abusing,
 I.R.S.-Increasing,
 200-Dollar Hair-Cutting, although in all honesty Al Gore is innocent in this category 
 Gas-Taxing,
 Over-Regulating,
 Bureaucracy- Trusting,
 Class-Baiting,
 Privacy-Violating,
 Values-Crushing,
 Truth-Dodging,
 Medicare- Forsaking,
 Property-Rights- Taking,
 Job-Destroying friends.

And THAT'S just in the White House!

Isn't four years of Clinton and Gore long enough?

[Lincoln Republican]

Reform Party Presidential candidate Ross Perot in Atlanta

The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, the public debt should be reduced and the arrogance of public officials should be controlled.

[Lincoln Republican]

Green Party Presidential candidate Ralph Nader in Milwaukee

John D. Rockefeller wanted to dominate oil, but Microsoft wants it all, you name it, cable, media, banking, car dealerships.

[Lincoln Republican]

President Clinton in St. Louis

I want to build a bridge to the 21st century in which we create a strong and growing economy to preserve the legacy of opportunity for the next generation by balancing our budget in a way that protects our values and ensuring that every family will be able to own and protect the value of their most important asset, their home.

Tonight, let us proclaim to the American people we will balance the budget, and let us also proclaim we will do it in a way that preserves Medicare, Medicaid, education, the environment, the integrity of our pensions, the strength of our people.

[Lincoln Republican]

Since I'm entitled to my opinions, your writing ability is declining, Tom. As much as were my criticism toward substance of your previous entries, they were actually well-written and longer. 

PolCon, I thought you were putting me on ignore.  But, I have to agree with you somewhat, and must admit, I have been encountering a bit of a writer's block of late.  I have had a lot of things going in my life lately.

Therefore, I shall be moving into the election returns phase of this story shortly, I hope within the next day or two.

[Lincoln Republican]

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments.

I am hoping that I can make election night interesting.

[Lincoln Republican]

This is CNN.

Good evening to those who have just joined us for this, election night, 1996.  I'm Bernard Shaw, CNN News Anchor.  

The polls have just closed on the east coast, and we have some stunning results to report.

We go first to New England, and based on exit polling and our scientific analysis, CNN is ready to call Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont for Senator Rockefeller.

Peter, what do you make of Rockefeller's sweep of the entire upper New England region?

Well, Bernie, Senator Rockefeller was born in Maine, and that is his second home state if you will.  New Hampshire, well, it has strong Reublican roots, and Vermont, though strong for Clinton in 1992, likes Rockefeller's brand of Republicanism.  

CNN is calling Massachusetts and Rhode Island for President Clinton.  

Yes, no big surprise here, two of the most Democratic states in the entire country.

CNN is now ready to project that Connecticut will go to Senator Rockefeller.

This is certainly a blow to the the Clinton campaign, as they were expecting a win here.  But I suppose in what can be called an upset, Rockefeller takes Connecticut.

  

[Lincoln Republican]

The electoral map at this hour

Rockefeller                19
Clinton                     16             

[Lincoln Republican]

Taking a look at the popular vote, the raw numbers, we are showing the two major candidates running very close to one another.

Alex, what do you make of the results so far?

Bernie, based on information I am getting from across the country, exit polling and expert analyses, we are in for a very long night.

[Lincoln Republican]

CNN is calling DC for President Clinton, by a comfortable, though not overwhelming margin. 

No surprise here that Clinton takes DC, although Senator Rockefeller did make the best showing in DC of any Republican candidate in history, since DC was casting votes for President.  Most certainly the very public endorsement of Senator Rockefeller by Coretta Scott King played a major role in this result.

More results are rolling in fast and furious, and CNN is ready to make some more calls.

We have a major call.  New Jersey goes to Senator Rockefeller. 

Yes, Rockefeller and Clinton have really been battling toe to toe in this important electoral state.  Rockefeller takes it by a narrow margin, but by a margin beyond the point of disputing the outcome in the state.  New Jersey being right next door to Rockefeller's home state of New York may have helped push Rockefeller over the top here.

   

[Lincoln Republican]

We are prepared as well to call Delaware for Senator Rockefeller. 

Yes, some would say that Rockefeller has turned the electoral map on it's ear.  Some truly remarkable results here tonight.

Maryland goes to President Clinton. 

Yes, a state with a solid Democratic voting pattern. 

Moving further south now, we are calling Virginia for Senator Rockefeller. 

Yes, Bernie, popular Senator John Warner campaigned tirelessly for Rockefeller in his home state of Virginia, and it would appear that all his hard work has paid off, with Rockefeller winning Virginia's coveted 13 electoral votes. 

We are now ready to call North Carolina, the home state of Rockefeller's Vice Presidential running mate, Elizabeth Dole, for Senator Rockefeller.

Bernie, although Senator Rockefeller does not have mass appeal to North Carolina voters, exit polling is showing that voters picked Rockefeller because he had Liddy Dole on the ticket, at least enough voters to tip the state to Rockefeller.  Liddy Dole is an extremely popular public figure in North Carolina.  She no doubt made the difference here Bernie.  Rockefeller owes her big time, and as well John Warner in Virginia.     

[Lincoln Republican]

We are getting substantial returns in from the southern states, enough for us to make some calls.  These results are truly remarkable.

We are ready to call the following states all for President Clinton, his home state of Arkansas, with Clinton projected to win by a substantial margin, Tennessee, home state of Vice President Al Gore, again by a healthy margin, West Virginia, Kentucky.

We are as well calling these deep south states for President Clinton, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana.

Yes Bernie, this is truly a remarkable result.  For any Democrat to virtually sweep the south, this would be the first time this has happened in the past 20 years, when southerner Jimmy Carter virtually swept the south in 1976. 

Bernie, looking at the electoral map, you know, it almost looks like many of the elections from the early 1900s through the 1920s when the Republicans dominated the northeast and the Democrats could depend on the reliably solid south.   

[Lincoln Republican]

The electoral map at this hour

Clinton                      105
Rockefeller                  64

[Lincoln Republican]

Welcome to those who have just joined us.

At this hour, President Clinton leads in the electoral vote 105 to 64 for Senator Rockefeller.

CNN now has enough returns and scientific polling data to relaibly make the following very important and crucial projections.

We are projecting that Senator Benson Rockefeller will carry his home state of New York and it's big prize of 33 very important electoral votes.  We are also prepared to project that President Clinton will carry the very crucial state of Florida and it's substantial 25 electoral votes.

We now take you live to the Rockefeller election night headquarters in Manhattan and our reporter Susan Blackwell.

Sue, what is it like at this moment at Rockefeller Central?

Bernie, I can barely hear you above the cheering, clapping, and pandemonium here at the Rockefeller headquarters, but I believe you asked what is going on here now.  Bernie, when it flashed across the screens, from all the networks, that Rockefeller had indeed won his home state of New York, this place exploded in what seemed like a spontaneous frenzy of cheering, clapping, hollering, hugging, back slapping, high fives, singing, and people doing celebration dances.  I've never seen anything like it Bernie.  They are still going full tilt.  Witnessing this event, one would almost think that Rockefeller had won the election.  Bernie.

Thank you Susan.  I hope you still have your hearing after being on the floor during that celebration.       

[Lincoln Republican]

We are now going live to President Clinton's campaign headquarters, and our reporter Mark Halliday.

Mark, how did the people there react when Florida was called for the President?

Bernie, they certainly celebrated, but not to the extent that I saw on the screen at the Rockefeller headquarters when New York was called for Rockefeller.  Let me say that the people here tonight are certainly extremely gratified that they carried the very important state of Florida.  Bernie.

Thanks Mark. 
 

[Lincoln Republican]

Peter, your thoughts on these two results?

Bernie, very significant.

Even though New York has a history of voting Democratic in Presidential elections, it can't be entirely surprising that Rockefeller won his home state of New York.  After all, he was a very popular two term Governor there before entering the United States Senate.  As Governor, he signifiantly reduced the crime rate in the state, got hundreds of thousands off the welfare rolls and into job training programs resulting in an additional hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers now meaningfully employed, and therefore paying taxes, resulting in more state income for state programs and to pay down debt.

For Clinton winning Florida, it was an extremely important win.  In an election this close, as all the pre election polls were showing, Florida is one of the truly most significant states in what can be classified as the swing states.  Rockefeller and Dole campaigned hard in Florida, and the Clinton win must be most gratifying for the President.  I believe Clinton needs Florida to win the election, and he's won it Bernie.

Peter, can you elaborate on the controversial ads, in the minds of some, that the Rockefeller campaign ran in Florida during the campaign?

Yes Bernie.  The Rockefeller campaign ran ads showing Senator and Mrs. Rockefeller, along with two Jewish Rabbis and two Catholic Cardinals, visiting Auschwitz.  These ads were ran especially in the heavily Jewish areas of the state in the closing weeks of the campaign, obviously with the intent of winning over traditionally Democratic Jewish voters.  It may have had some effect, as exit polling data shows that Rockefeller did fairly well among Florida's traditionally Democratic Jewish voters, although not well enough to swing the state over to him.  Many labelled these ads as opportunistic and cynical, but others believed they showed Rockefeller's commitment to human rights.

Thank you Peter.            

[Lincoln Republican]

The electoral map at this hour

Clinton                    130
Rockefeller                97

[Lincoln Republican]

Alex, can you clarify for our viewers the numbers behind the Rockefeller win in New York?

Yes Bernie.  Although Rockefeller polled behind Clinton in New York City, he polled better in this area than any Republican since Nixon in 1972.  But what really put the state into the Rockefeller column was his massive support in the suburbs and in upstate New York.  Rockefeller ran massively ahead of Clinton in upstate New York in this election. 

Rockefeller polled extremely well in the state amongst all demographic groups.  He even polled reasonably well among registered Democrats.  New Yorkers all across the state appeared to be showing their support for their native son in his run for the Presidency.

Clearly, New Yorkers, from all walks of life and from all political persuasions, would like to see a fellow New Yorker in the Oval Office.

That's it in a nutshell Bernie.

Thank you Alex.     

[Lincoln Republican]

CNN is ready to make a major call, Pennsylvania will go for Senator Rockefeller. 

Peter, your thoughts on this call.

Bernie, Clinton and Rockefeller have been battling it out in this state all night.  The lead has been changing hands several times.  It took longer for us to call this state than it did to call New York.  But with a heavy turnout in the southeastern counties, this gives the state to Rockefeller.  Voters in Pennsylvania seem to like the Rockefeller approach to government.