McCain Crisis | 1
Country First: The 2008 Presidential Campaign of John McCain
Greetings esteemed delegates,
Hello and welcome to UGAMUNC XX! My name is Ryan Diffley and I will be the chair of the Country First: The 2008 Presidential Campaign of John McCain for the dual crisis committee at this year’s University of Georgia’s Model United Nations Conference. As a senior international affairs major through the School of Public and International Affairs this will be my second year participating with the UGA Model United Nations team and my first year chairing a crisis committee. I became involved with MUN in the later years of my high school career and carried my love for MUN over into my life while in college. I was briefly on the Georgia Southern University MUN team before transferring to UGA. I became a member of the team here at UGA my junior of college where I was co-chair of the UNSC. In the spring, the UGA Model United Nations Team traveled to UCLA to participate in UCLAMUN where I represented The People’s Republic of China on the United Nations Humans Rights Council which proved to be quite a challenge but non the less enjoyable. Currently I am an honored member of the Secretariat for the Model United Nations Team with the position of treasurer. When not participating in MUN I like to travel. I was fortunate to be able to study abroad this summer in Stellenbosch, South Africa and make an extended stay in Zimbabwe and Botswana. This trip was the pinnacle of my college career. I was able to meet plenty of wonderful people, go shark cage diving, walk with lions, and zip line below the gorge of Victoria Falls while also going on several safari rides. This experience was vital to experiencing how NGO’s work in foreign countries and will be vital later on in my MUN career and post-graduation.
Enough about me, Sarah Huddleston will be my honorable co-chair. Although a freshman and a greenhorn on the MUN team Sarah has plenty of experience with Model United Nations. Sarah started her career with MUN in middle school and continued throughout high school where she both participated as delegate and chaired multiple committees. In her free time Sarah likes to run and is a member of the UGA running club. If Sarah is not found running at the park you might find her reading her favorite book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. She is a double major in Public Health and Political Science, one day hoping to be a healthcare lobbyist. One fact Sarah wants you to know about her is the over the summer she lived away from home in the predominantly Amish area in Ohio.
Sarah and I are looking forward to be working with you this spring! It will be a great experience and one you will hopefully remember for a long time. If you have any questions feel free to contact us by the email below.
Good Luck!
Ryan Diffley
Chair, Presidential Election of 2008 Joint-Crisis
Treasurer, University of Georgia Model United Nations Team
Delegates,
This portion of the guide is common to both sides of the crisis, as it explains the framework of the committee to you so you know what to expect come first committee session. The most fundamental differences between a crisis committee and a traditional General Assembly-style body is that we will not operate with a speaker's list, and you will not strive to pass resolutions. This committee is almost like a giant game of Risk in that you will be huddled around tables with maps and numbers trying to outsmart and outlast your opponents. You will have a crisis staff operating behind the scenes specifically on our committees; they will interact in the obvious way by announcing crises during sessions, but they will also function as guest speakers, including Senators Obama and McCain. Each character will receive a folder containing their portfolio powers prior to the first session starting. These powers will be unique and specific to each character, and they are a way of you interacting with the crisis staff in order to gather information necessary for committee. The chief pollster, for example, can write to crises to obtain polling numbers that then become factual information that can be used in the committee. You will not work towards solving problem a, then b, then c as you would in a traditional GA committee. Rather, you will be starting on January 1, 2008 in the heat of the primary elections and will be given an event to start with, but as crises begin you must simultaneously put your energy and wits into multiple issues. Many candidates are not still in the running, but Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee are making it a tight race for Obama and McCain, respectively. You are advised to not only research your own character, but also those with whom they interact. Understand that anything that occurred in real life after January 1, 2008 has not yet happened in this committee, and will not happen in the same way. Only what has happened up until this date is factual information that we will operate on. As the weekend goes on, you will be updated on the timeline (usually at the beginning and/or end of committee sessions.) Following is a guide written just by your chair and co-chair that includes character descriptions for each person, as well as a more detailed message from your respective dais. Thank you for your participation in this joint crisis committee, and good luck!
Mitchell Bradley Turner Ryan Scott Diffley
Head Delegate Treasurer
University of Georgia Model UN Univeristy of Georgia Model UN
Congratulations!
You have all been selected by Senator John McCain to be members of his campaign staff! In the coming committee sessions you will be challenged with issues including fundraising, platform issues, picking a running mate, and the ever important poll numbers! At the end of the session one of the two committees will emerge victorious, and I'm fairly certain that will be ours. Mitchell Turner and Anna Helgoy, the Chair and Co-Chair of the Obama campaign, respectively, have worked with Sarah and myself to ensure that this will be the best experience you ever have at a Model UN conference.
I would like to begin this portion of the guide by advising you to not only research your own character, but those who your character associates with. Each delegate in this committee will receive portfolio powers prior to the beginning of the first session. Essentially, these powers are specific to each person's position, and using them to your advantage is how we will win the election! I would also like to remind you to research the fundamental differences on the character list; Obama's campaign is more media and communications oriented, whereas McCain's is centered around a myriad advisors. The following information will bring you up to date, ending promptly on December 31, 2007. Enjoy and good luck!
John McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958[1]. He would later fight in the Vietnam War and be shot down behind enemy lines where he would become a prisoner of war for nearly seven years. Upon his return to the states John McCain became a liaison for the U.S. Navy to the Senate in 1977, this would be his first interaction with American politics. It was not until 1982 that John McCain actually ran for a spot in the United States House of Representatives[2]. Four years later after being elected to the House, John McCain ran and won a race to become the Senator from Arizona. This position has been maintained by McCain since this election in 1986. After many years of being the Senator from Arizona, John McCain decided he would run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. It was a tough battle between George W. Bush whose father had been president before and John McCain. While fighting on the platform of returning the government to the people and the noble cause of freedom, John McCain was unable to gain the numbers necessary to beat bush for the nomination and backed out of the race in early March of 2000[3]. This as we all know would not be the end of McCain’s attempts at the presidency. John McCain announced plans to run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination on April 25th, 2007 at a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire[4]. McCain would focus his campaign mainly on education reform, the bailout, healthcare, and the war in Iraq.
The competition has so far been intense. The candidates include Former Governor Mitt Romney (MA), Former Governor Mike Huckabee (AR), Representative Ron Paul (TX), Former Senator Fred Thompson (TN), Former U.S. Ambassador Alan Keyes (MD), Representative Duncan Hunter (CA), and Former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani. Senator Sam Brownback (KS), Former Governor Jim Gilmore (VA), Former Governor Tommy Thompson (WI), and Congressman Tom Tancredo (CO) all withdrew before the primaries began[5].
Senator McCain and Former Govenor Mike Huckabee are not the only ones trying to pull away with a victory this early in the race; the Democrats race is just as much of a competition. The candidates still in the running for the Democrat nomination include Senator Chris Dodd (CT), Senator Joe Biden (DE), Former Senator John Edwards (NC), Governor Bill Richardson (NM), Representative Dennis Kucinich (OH), Former Senator Mike Gravel (AK), Senator Clinton (NY) and Senator Obama (IL). Senator Evan Bayh (IN) and Former Governor Tom Vilsack (IO) withdrew before the primaries[6]. It is anticipated that the competition will thin severely in the coming month.
While it is known that Obama has used modern forms of communication such as Facebook and blogging to reach the voters, so too has McCain entered this new field of information dissemination. While we are in the early stages of the campaign it looks like it will turn out to be a close one, but not one McCain cannot not win. John McCain is a man of democracy and freedom, as seen by his long military history and his devotion to America even while experiencing the tortures of the Vietcong. John McCain will continue his fight for America, and the American people. It is now that I ask of you to stand united as one for the country, for freedom, and for the people as staffers for John McCain in the 2008 presidential campaign. Only you can make this a success, the country is depending on you!
I would suggest that you focus on character biographies and potential portfolio powers of each prior to coming to committee. Focus on your position and how it could relate to possible crises rather than researching the events of the election. Think about the types of problems that could arise on a political campaign, how they can be addressed, and more specifically what your character's role in that solution would be. Again, feel free to contact myself or Sarah () with any questions, as this guide is more of an instructional letter than what you are used to seeing. Good luck and I look forward to meeting all of you come February!
Ryan Diffley Sarah Huddleston
Chair, Presidential Election of 2008 Joint-Crisis Co-Chair
Treasurer, University of Georgia Model United Nations
Country First: The 2008 Presidential Campaign of John McCain
Rick Davis
Rick Davis began his political career as the national field director for the College Republican National Committee during Reagan’s presidential bid. He served on Reagan’s staff at the White House and coordinated policies and projects. Davis has an extensive amount of experience in domestic politics as well as international politics. Rick Davis began as the Chief Executive for McCain’s campaign, but later became the campaign manager.[7] His duties included fundraising, advertising, getting people to vote, and polling for the campaign.
Steve Schmidt
Steve Schmidt has worked as a political strategist and public relations worker for the U.S. Republican Party. He has been the member of many political campaigns, including Arnold Schwarzenegger’s re- election campaign in 2006. Schmidt specializes in message development and strategy. [8]
Robert Mosbacher
Mosbacher was the general chairman for the McCain campaign of 2008. Before he was appointed this position, he was finance chairman of Gerald Ford’s failed election bid, ran for several public offices, and served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce[9]. In 1988 he directed George H.W. Bush’s Presidential Election Campaign and became the Secretary of Commerce shortly thereafter. As a part of McCain’s 2008 campaign he managed staff members and executed political strategies[10].
Tom Loeffler
He was a former member of the United States House of Representatives. Loeffler was an assistant to President Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977. He was successful in his run for Congressman in 1978 and a delegate to the Republican National Convention in the 80’s[11]. Loeffler was an advisor and fundraiser for McCain’s campaign in 2008.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty
Governor Pawlenty was the 39th governor of Minnesota and served in the Minnesota House of Representatives. He won a Republican primary in 2002 and became the Governor of Minnesota and was later re- elected. Pawlenty joined McCain’s campaign in 2007 as the co- chair of the presidential exploratory committee, and later became co- chairman of the campaign[12].
Fred Malek
Mr. Malek was the President of Marriot Hotels and Northwest Airlines. He served as the assistant to both Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush and as the chair for the Executive roundtable meetings for the Republican Governors Association. As a part of the McCain campaign, Malek served as a National Finance Committee co- chair[13].
Mark McKinnon
Mark McKinnon is an American political advisor and co- founder of No Labels. It is a political organization that to reform American politics. He was a democrat until is dedicated meeting George Bush, and has since then worked on many political campaigns[14]. He joined Senator McCain's campaign as the principal media advisor.