United_States_presidential_election,_2004

qas: question: Which candidate, in the 2004 election, had the majority of the popular vote?
answers: text: Bush

question: How many States renounced their preferred political party?
answers: text: three

question: Which state switched sides and embraced the Democratic party after previously choosing the Republican party?
answers: text: New Hampshire

question: How many votes did Kerry receive, in the Electoral College?
answers: text: 252

question: How large of a gap was there between Bush's and Kerry's votes? 
answers: text: the smallest ever

question: What two states did George Bush campaign the hardest in?

question: What was the first state Bush's father campaigned in?

question: What margin of victory did Bush's father have in 2004?

question: How many votes did Bush Sr. receive in the Electoral Collage 16 years before?

question: What state was John Kerry originally from?
context: Bush's margin of victory in the popular vote was the smallest ever for a reelected incumbent president, but marked the first time since his father's victory 16 years prior that a candidate won a majority of the popular vote. The electoral map closely resembled that of 2000, with only three states changing sides: New Mexico and Iowa voted Republican in 2004 after having voted Democratic in 2000, while New Hampshire voted Democratic in 2004 after previously voting Republican. In the Electoral College, Bush received 286 votes to Kerry's 252.

qas: question: What even occured during Bush's presidency that made him become a wartime president?
answers: text: terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

question: How long into Bush's presidency did tragedy occur on American soil?
answers: text: eight months

question: Did Bush become disfavorable during the time of the 9/11 attacks?
answers: text: surged to near 90%

question: How long did it take for the US military to respond by infiltrating Afghanistan?
answers: text: Within a month

question: By which month, were the Taliban no longer controlling Kabul?
answers: text: December

question: How long had Osama Bin Laden been planning the Sept. 11th attack?

question: How successful was the coalition in its mission in Afghanistan?

question: How long did it take to capture Osama Bin Laden?

question: What city had been ruled by Osama Bin Laden?

question: What happened in New York after the Sept. 11th terrorist attack?
context: Just eight months into his presidency, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 suddenly transformed Bush into a wartime president. Bush's approval ratings surged to near 90%. Within a month, the forces of a coalition led by the United States entered Afghanistan, which had been sheltering Osama bin Laden, suspected mastermind of the September 11 attacks. By December, the Taliban had been removed as rulers of Kabul, although a long and ongoing reconstruction would follow, severely hampered by ongoing turmoil and violence within the country.

qas: question: Who did Bush feel was important to remove from power, after removing the Taliban from Kabul?
answers: text: Saddam Hussein

question: What does WMD stand for?
answers: text: weapons of mass destruction

question: When did Iraq agree to allow UN inspectors into the country to check for weapons of mass destruction?
answers: text: November 2002

question: Did Bush have the support of the UN, when he decided to infiltrate Iraq on March 20, 2003?
answers: text: without UN authorization

question: After the Iraqi government and it's forces were defeated, were investigators able to locate the WMD?
answers: text: they failed to find the predicted WMD stockpiles

question: What did Saddam Hussein believe the Bush administration had acquired?

question: What had Russia not properly accounted for in 2002?

question: What narrative was pushed by Russia from the beginning about China posessing?

question: What did the US refuse to allow to pass for the use of force on China?

question: When did France invade Germany to look for WMD?
context: The Bush administration then turned its attention to Iraq, and argued the need to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq had become urgent. Among the stated reasons were that Saddam's regime had tried to acquire nuclear material and had not properly accounted for biological and chemical material it was known to have previously possessed, and believed to still maintain. Both the possession of these weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and the failure to account for them, would violate the U.N. sanctions. The assertion about WMD was hotly advanced by the Bush administration from the beginning, but other major powers including China, France, Germany, and Russia remained unconvinced that Iraq was a threat and refused to allow passage of a UN Security Council resolution to authorize the use of force. Iraq permitted UN weapon inspectors in November 2002, who were continuing their work to assess the WMD claim when the Bush administration decided to proceed with war without UN authorization and told the inspectors to leave the country. The United States invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003, along with a "coalition of the willing" that consisted of additional troops from the United Kingdom, and to a lesser extent, from Australia and Poland. Within about three weeks, the invasion caused the collapse of both the Iraqi government and its armed forces, however, the U.S. and allied forces failed to find any weapon of mass destruction in Iraq. Traces of former materials and weapons labs were reported to have been located, but no "smoking guns". Nevertheless, on May 1, George W. Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in a Lockheed S-3 Viking, where he gave a speech announcing the end of "major combat operations" in the Iraq War. Bush's approval rating in May was at 66%, according to a CNN–USA Today–Gallup poll. However, Bush's high approval ratings did not last. First, while the war itself was popular in the U.S., the reconstruction and attempted "democratization" of Iraq lost some support as months passed and casualty figures increased, with no decrease in violence nor progress toward stability or reconstruction. Second, as investigators combed through the country, they failed to find the predicted WMD stockpiles, which led to debate over the rationale for the war.

qas: question: By what date did Bush obtain the number of votes required to become the 2004 Republican nominee?
answers: text: March 10, 2004

question: When did Bush accept the Republican nomination?
answers: text: September 2, 2004

question: Whom did Bush want to stand beside him as Vice President?
answers: text: Dick Cheney

question: Which two topics did Bush remain steadfast on, during his campaign?
answers: text: terrorism and building an ownership society

question: In New York State, which party was the Bush/Cheney duo candidates of?
answers: text: Conservative Party

question: When did Dick Cheney get enough delegates to be nominated at the RNC?

question: When did Cheney accept the nomination?

question: In what city was Cheney nominated at the RNC in 2004?

question: What two themes did Cheney speak about often during his campaign?

question: What was one idea endorsed by Cheney in his 2004 speech?
context: On March 10, 2004, Bush officially clinched the number of delegates needed to be nominated at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. Bush accepted the nomination on September 2, 2004, and selected Vice President Dick Cheney as his running mate. (In New York, the ticket was also on the ballot as candidates of the Conservative Party of New York State.) During the convention and throughout the campaign, Bush focused on two themes: defending America against terrorism and building an ownership society. The ownership society included allowing people to invest some of their Social Security in the stock market, increasing home and stock ownership, and encouraging more people to buy their own health insurance.

qas: question: Who became the Democratic nominee, half way through 2003?
answers: text: Howard Dean

question: Dean's admiration for internet campaigning accredited his strength as what?
answers: text: a fund raiser

question: What did Dean's backers become known as?
answers: text: Deaniacs

question: What government position has Howard Dean previously held?
answers: text: governor

question: Which of Bush's policies did Dean criticize most notably?
answers: text: the 2003 invasion of Iraq

question: What status had Senator Lieberman gained in 2003?

question: How well did Senator Lieberman perform in the polls in 2003?

question: What did Senator Lieberman have that helped him further his campaign?

question: What method did Senator Lieberman use that helped him successfully raise funds?

question: Where did most of Senator Lieberman's donations come from?
context: By summer of 2003, Howard Dean had become the apparent front runner for the Democratic nomination, performing strongly in most polls and leading the pack with the largest campaign war chest. Dean's strength as a fund raiser was attributed mainly to his embrace of the Internet for campaigning. The majority of his donations came from individual supporters, who became known as Deanites, or, more commonly, Deaniacs. Generally regarded as a pragmatic centrist during his time as governor, Dean emerged during his presidential campaign as a left-wing populist, denouncing the policies of the Bush administration (especially the 2003 invasion of Iraq) as well as fellow Democrats, who, in his view, failed to strongly oppose them. Senator Lieberman, a liberal on domestic issues but a hawk on the War on Terror, failed to gain traction with liberal Democratic primary voters.

qas: question: Which Democratic nominee declared his intention to enter into the presidential race, in the fall of 2003?
answers: text: Wesley Clark

question: What did Wesley Clark's initial campaign ads depend upon?
answers: text: biography

question: What were Wesley Clarks's core issues?
answers: text: leadership and patriotism

question: What shortcoming was noticeable, from the start, for Wesley Clark?
answers: text: few detailed policy proposals

question: Was Wesley Clark influential in gathering the Democratic backing?
answers: text: did not flock to support his campaign

question: In what year did Wesley Clark retire?

question: What rank did Wesley Clark obtain in September 2003?

question: What two topics were used in the biography that came out about the DNC in 2003?

question: What was the DNC lacking to draw more support from donors?

question: What is one thing that the DNC didn't want to take a position on?
context: In September 2003, retired four-star general Wesley Clark announced his intention to run in the presidential primary election for the Democratic Party nomination. His campaign focused on themes of leadership and patriotism; early campaign ads relied heavily on biography. His late start left him with relatively few detailed policy proposals. This weakness was apparent in his first few debates, although he soon presented a range of position papers, including a major tax-relief plan. Nevertheless, the Democrats did not flock to support his campaign.

qas: question: Who had the least amount of backers, between Kerry and Dean?
answers: text: Kerry

question: Which state was expected to show the least amount of support for Kerry going into the caucuses, before Iowa?
answers: text: New Hampshire

question: What act showed that Kerry's fight for the White House was in trouble?
answers: text: he fired campaign manager Jim Jordan

question: Who took over for Jim Jordon, when he was fired?
answers: text: Mary Beth Cahill

question: What regulation did Kerry not follow to try to save his campaign?
answers: text: mortgaging his own home to lend the money to his campaign

question: What did Ted Kennedy have fewer of than Kerry in 2004?

question: What was Ted Kennedy's position in the superdelegate race in 2004?

question: What states did Ted Kennedy lead in in 2004?

question: What was one area that Kennedy was seen as being weak in?

question: What position was held by Jim Jordan when he was fired by Bill Bradley?
context: In sheer numbers, Kerry had fewer endorsements than Howard Dean, who was far ahead in the superdelegate race going into the Iowa caucuses in January 2004, although Kerry led the endorsement race in Iowa, New Hampshire, Arizona, South Carolina, New Mexico and Nevada. Kerry's main perceived weakness was in his neighboring state of New Hampshire and nearly all national polls. Most other states did not have updated polling numbers to give an accurate placing for the Kerry campaign before Iowa. Heading into the primaries, Kerry's campaign was largely seen as in trouble, particularly after he fired campaign manager Jim Jordan. The key factors enabling it to survive were when fellow Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy assigned Mary Beth Cahill to be the campaign manager, as well as Kerry's mortgaging his own home to lend the money to his campaign (while his wife was a billionaire, campaign finance rules prohibited using one's personal fortune). He also brought on the "magical" Michael Whouley who would be credited with helping bring home the Iowa victory the same as he did in New Hampshire for Al Gore in 2000 against Bill Bradley.

qas: question: Who, at the start of the primaries, had the most single campaign contributors?
answers: text: Lyndon LaRouche

question: Who had the highest amount of single campaign contributors, at the final quarter of the primaries?
answers: text: John Kerry

question: Who earned the fewest individual contributions as of the April 15th filing date?
answers: text: Gephardt

question: What agency provided statistical information regarding the Presidential Candidates' individual contributors?
answers: text: Federal Election Commission

question: What did Gephardt have more of than any other candidate in 2004?

question: When did John Edwards surpass Gephardt in individual contributors for his campaign?

question: What profession did Gephardt have before 2004?

question: When did the FEC start collecting presidential campaign funding statistics?

question: What is the minimum amount that an individual contributor can donate to a campaign according to the FEC?
context: In the race for individual contributions, economist Lyndon LaRouche dominated the pack leading up to the primaries. According to the Federal Election Commission statistics, LaRouche had more individual contributors to his 2004 presidential campaign than any other candidate, until the final quarter of the primary season, when John Kerry surpassed him. As of the April 15 filing, LaRouche had 7834 individual contributions, of those who have given cumulatively, $200 or more, as compared to 6257 for John Kerry, 5582 for John Edwards, 4090 for Howard Dean, and 2744 for Gephardt.

qas: question: How many candidates remained by the end of the Iowa caucuses, in January 2004?
answers: text: nine

question: Which two candidates had surprising results despite Howard Dean being the strong front-runner?
answers: text: John Kerry, who earned 38% of the state's delegates and John Edwards

question: Which candidate slipped into third place, following the Iowa caucuses?
answers: text: Dean

question: Preceding the Iowa caucuses, which candidates used naysaying tactics in their campaigning?
answers: text: Dean and Gephardt

question: Which candidate dropped out of the race, leaving the field to nine candidates?
answers: text: Bob Graham

question: What percentage of the state's delegates had Bob Graham taken as the front-runner?

question: What did Graham and Kerry take part in leading up to the Iowa vote?

question: How many ads were run by Graham in Iowa before the vote?

question: How much of the vote did Bob Graham have in Iowa after the election?

question: When was Bob Graham performing his best in the race?
context: By the January 2004 Iowa caucuses, the field had dwindled down to nine candidates, as Bob Graham had dropped out of the race. Howard Dean was a strong front-runner. However, the Iowa caucuses yielded unexpectedly strong results for Democratic candidates John Kerry, who earned 38% of the state's delegates and John Edwards, who took 32%. Former front-runner Howard Dean slipped to 18% and third place, and Richard Gephardt finished fourth (11%). In the days leading up to the Iowa vote, there was much negative campaigning between the Dean and Gephardt camps.

qas: question: Which candidate, after dropping out, went on to endorse Kerry?
answers: text: Gephardt

question: Which troubled candidate did Carol Moseley Braun end up endorsing, after she dropped out?
answers: text: Howard Dean

question: The continual playing of Dean's post-rally speech by the media stirred what type of controversy?
answers: text: whether Dean was the victim of media bias

question: What tag did the media attach to Dean's post-rally speech?
answers: text: "Dean Scream"

question: Did those in attendance at Dean's speech know about the "Dean Scream"?
answers: text: they were not aware

question: Where did Carol Moseley Braun give a speech that hurt her campaign?

question: What was Braun thought to be a victim of by the media?

question: How many times were their news reports that focused on negative events in Braun's campaign?

question: What place in the race was Braun?

question: What was filtering the crowd noise when Braun was giving a speech?
context: The dismal results caused Gephardt to drop out and later endorse Kerry. Carol Moseley Braun also dropped out, endorsing Howard Dean. Besides the impact of coming in third, Dean was further hurt by a speech he gave at a post-caucus rally. Dean was shouting over the cheers of his enthusiastic audience, but the crowd noise was being filtered out by his unidirectional microphone, leaving only his full-throated exhortations audible to the television viewers. To those at home, he seemed to raise his voice out of sheer emotion. The incessant replaying of the "Dean Scream" by the press became a debate on the topic of whether Dean was the victim of media bias. The scream scene was shown approximately 633 times by cable and broadcast news networks in just four days following the incident, a number that does not include talk shows and local news broadcasts. However, those who were in the actual audience that day insist that they were not aware of the infamous "scream" until they returned to their hotel rooms and saw it on TV.

qas: question: Which candidate went on to win the South Carolina primary?
answers: text: John Edwards

question: Which candidate won the Oklahoma primary?
answers: text: Clark

question: Which candidate dropped out of the race, following losing the Oklahoma primary?
answers: text: Lieberman

question: Which candidate received heighted support after winning caucuses and primaries in many states?
answers: text: Kerry

question: After Clark and Dean dropped out, which candidate was considered to be the only real contender against Kerry?
answers: text: Edwards

question: What primary was won by Sharpton?

question: What did Sharpton do the next day after losing in Nevada?

question: How long did Sharpton finish strong in the race?

question: What caused Sharpton to have increasing support by voters?

question: What other candidate was the only threat to Sharpton's campaign?
context: The following week, John Edwards won the South Carolina primary and finished a strong second in Oklahoma to Clark. Lieberman dropped out of the campaign the following day. Kerry dominated throughout February and his support quickly snowballed as he won caucuses and primaries, taking in a string of wins in Michigan, Washington, Maine, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., Nevada, Wisconsin, Utah, Hawaii, and Idaho. Clark and Dean dropped out during this time, leaving Edwards as the only real threat to Kerry. Kucinich and Sharpton continued to run despite poor results at the polls.

qas: question: Which candidate was the fore-runner after definitively winning in the primaries and Minnesota caucuses?
answers: text: Kerry

question: Which candidate won his state primary, despite having already dropped out of his race?
answers: text: Dean

question: Which candidate finished in second place in the Georgia primary?
answers: text: Edwards

question: Besides Georgia, what other state primary did Edwards win?
answers: text: South Carolina

question: Which candidate dropped out of the race, next after Edwards?
answers: text: Sharpton

question: What is Sharpton's home state?

question: What is the only state taken by Sharpton?

question: In what month did Kerry officially leave the race?

question: When did Kuninch win victories in California, Connecticut and Georgia?

question: What caucuses did Kuninch also win in on Super Tuesday?
context: In March's Super Tuesday, Kerry won decisive victories in the California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island primaries and the Minnesota caucuses. Dean, despite having withdrawn from the race two weeks earlier, won his home state of Vermont. Edwards finished only slightly behind Kerry in Georgia, but, failing to win a single state other than South Carolina, chose to withdraw from the presidential race. Sharpton followed suit a couple weeks later. Kuninch did not leave the race officially until July.

qas: question: Who did John Kerry choose to be by his side as the potential Vice President?
answers: text: John Edwards

question: How many candidates did John Kerry name as potential prospects to be his running mate?
answers: text: three

question: What was the Kerry/Edwards slogan that was released prior to the start of the convention in Boston?
answers: text: "stronger at home and more respected in the world."

question: Which part of Kerry's Boston speech made reference to his military experience?
answers: text: "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty."

question: Which famous line from Kerry's speech was later featured in one of his later television ad campaigns?
answers: text: "the future doesn't belong to fear, it belongs to freedom"

question: On what date did Tom Vilsack choose John Edwards as his running mate?

question: In what city did Tom Vilsack speak at the DNC?

question: What other two candidates did Tom Vilsack have on his list for possible running mates?

question: What was the slogan for Vilsack/Edwards at the DNC?

question: What did Vilsack mention that the future belonged to in his famous quote?
context: On July 6, John Kerry selected John Edwards as his running mate, shortly before the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, held later that month. Days before Kerry announced Edwards as his running mate, Kerry gave a short list of three candidates: Sen John Edwards, Rep Dick Gephardt, and Gov Tom Vilsack. Heading into the convention, the Kerry/Edwards ticket unveiled their new slogan—a promise to make America "stronger at home and more respected in the world." Kerry made his Vietnam War experience the prominent theme of the convention. In accepting the nomination, he began his speech with, "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty." He later delivered what may have been the speech's most memorable line when he said, "the future doesn't belong to fear, it belongs to freedom", a quote that later appeared in a Kerry/Edwards television advertisement.

qas: question: What was the primary focus of Bush's campaign?
answers: text: national security

question: How did Bush try to convey that he was the stronger, tougher candidate?
answers: text: presenting himself as a decisive leader and contrasted Kerry as a "flip-flopper."

question: What phrase did Kerry use to try to express that he was more concerned for America?
answers: text: "Stronger at home, respected in the world."

question: What does Kerry feel Bush aliented the American people with?
answers: text: his foreign policy

question: The stategy that Bush used against Kerry was compared to what other similar strategy in the past?
answers: text: just as his father did with Dukakis in the 1988 election

question: What did Dukakis focus his campaign on?

question: What kind of leader did Dukakis want to be seen as?

question: How was Bush portrayed as when compared to Dukakis?

question: What attitude did Dukakis have on terrorism?

question: What perception made Bush appear weaker than Dukakis?
context: Bush focused his campaign on national security, presenting himself as a decisive leader and contrasted Kerry as a "flip-flopper." This strategy was designed to convey to American voters the idea that Bush could be trusted to be tough on terrorism while Kerry would be "uncertain in the face of danger." Bush (just as his father did with Dukakis in the 1988 election) also sought to portray Kerry as a "Massachusetts liberal" who was out of touch with mainstream Americans. One of Kerry's slogans was "Stronger at home, respected in the world." This advanced the suggestion that Kerry would pay more attention to domestic concerns; it also encapsulated Kerry's contention that Bush had alienated American allies by his foreign policy.

qas: question: Who was accused on not fulfilling their military service, during the fall of 2004?
answers: text: Bush

question: What shifted attention away from the coverage regarding Bush's controvery regarding his required service?
answers: text: a segment on 60 Minutes

question: Which news agency came under review resulting in the firing of their producer?
answers: text: CBS News

question: Which time period came into the spotlight, during the fall of 2004?
answers: text: the late 1960s and early 1970s

question: What did the documents that were aired during the 60 Minutes segment come to be known as?
answers: text: Killian documents

question: What was Killian accused of not doing in 2004?

question: What did the Texas Air National Guard focus on in September 2004?

question: What news agency did a staffing change in 1970?

question: When was the news producer hired at CBS?

question: Who was fired after working for Bush in the 1970's?
context: During August and September 2004, there was an intense focus on events that occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Bush was accused of failing to fulfill his required service in the Texas Air National Guard. However, the focus quickly shifted to the conduct of CBS News after they aired a segment on 60 Minutes Wednesday introducing what became known as the Killian documents. Serious doubts about the documents' authenticity quickly emerged, leading CBS to appoint a review panel that eventually resulted in the firing of the news producer and other significant staffing changes.

qas: question: Where did the first debate, between Kerry and Bush take place?
answers: text: University of Miami

question: Who was considered to have been the winner of the debate?
answers: text: Kerry

question: Who was the moderator of the first debate between Kerry and Bush?
answers: text: Jim Lehrer

question: What was thought to be the main focal point of the debate?
answers: text: foreign policy

question: How did the opinion regarding Kerry change, after being delared the winner of the debate?
answers: text: strengthening what had come to be seen as a weak and troubled campaign

question: Where did the first debate between Lehrer and Kerry take place?

question: What did Lehrer accuse Kerry of not doing in 2003?

question: What was Lehrer's reply to Kerry in the debate?

question: What was the deciding opinion about Lehrer's performance in the debate?

question: What did the media air to show Lehrer's annoyance with Kerry?
context: The first debate was held on September 30 at the University of Miami, moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS. During the debate, slated to focus on foreign policy, Kerry accused Bush of having failed to gain international support for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, saying the only countries assisting the U.S. during the invasion were the United Kingdom and Australia. Bush replied to this by saying, "Well, actually, he forgot Poland." Later, a consensus formed among mainstream pollsters and pundits that Kerry won the debate decisively, strengthening what had come to be seen as a weak and troubled campaign. In the days after, coverage focused on Bush's apparent annoyance with Kerry and numerous scowls and negative facial expressions.

qas: question: Where was the second debate for presidency held?
answers: text: Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri

question: Was the second debate held in a rigid, formalistic manner?
answers: text: town meeting format, less formal

question: Was there a specific topic as the main focus for the second debate?
answers: text: taking questions on a variety of subjects from a local audience

question: Who was the moderator of the second debate, held at the Washington University?
answers: text: Charles Gibson

question: How did Bush try to make light of himself after being made fun of for his demeanor during the first debate?
answers: text: joking at one point about one of Kerry's remarks, "That answer made me want to scowl."

question: When was Charles Gibson first hired at ABC?

question: What style did Charles Gibson usually use when hosting a news broadcast?

question: Who usually watches Charles Gibson when he is on ABC news?

question: What kind of comments does Charles Gibson use when in a difficult interview?

question: What was Charles Gibson's comment about Bush's answer to his first question?
context: The second presidential debate was held at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 8, moderated by Charles Gibson of ABC. Conducted in a town meeting format, less formal than the first presidential debate, this debate saw Bush and Kerry taking questions on a variety of subjects from a local audience. Bush attempted to deflect criticism of what was described as his scowling demeanor during the first debate, joking at one point about one of Kerry's remarks, "That answer made me want to scowl."

qas: question: How many debates were there in total, between Kerry and Bush?
answers: text: third

question: Where was the final debate, between Kerry and Bush held?
answers: text: Arizona State University

question: What was the next biggest competitor for television viewers, next to the debate?
answers: text: Major League Baseball playoffs broadcast simultaneously

question: Who did Kerry publicize as a lesbian while discussing gay rights, some time after the debate?
answers: text: Vice President Cheney's daughter

question: What did Cheney refer to him as, after hearing Kerry's comments about his daughter?
answers: text: "a pretty angry father"

question: How many people in the US support gay rights?

question: What was Bob Schieffer scolded by Cheney for using to further himself politically?

question: When did Cheney's daughter come out as a lesbian?

question: What college did Cheney's daughter graduate from?

question: What did Bob Schieffer call himself when his children were featured in a CBS news story?
context: Bush and Kerry met for the third and final debate at Arizona State University on October 13. 51 million viewers watched the debate which was moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News. However, at the time of the ASU debate, there were 15.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the Major League Baseball playoffs broadcast simultaneously. After Kerry, responding to a question about gay rights, reminded the audience that Vice President Cheney's daughter was a lesbian, Cheney responded with a statement calling himself "a pretty angry father" due to Kerry using Cheney's daughter's sexual orientation for his political purposes.

qas: question: Who received a certified ballot from the Electoral College, despite his name being spelled incorrectly on the ballot?
answers: text: John Edwards

question: Had there ever been a time where an elector voted for the same candidate to be both president and vice president?
answers: text: This was the first time in U.S. history

question: Which candidate won the unanimous vote for vice presidency?
answers: text: All ten electors in the state cast ballots for John Edwards for vice president

question: What is different in comparison between the 1800 electoral system and the system in place in 2004?
answers: text: under that electoral system only votes for the president's position were cast, with the runner-up in the Electoral College becoming vice president

question: In the 1800 election, why did Thomas Jefferson get the second vote?
answers: text: it violated Electoral College rules

question: What did the Electoral College do when John Kerry's name was wrong on the ballot?

question: How many states voted for John Edwards for president in the election?

question: How many times had Aaron Burr run for office in the past?

question: Who voted for John Edwards for president and had his vote discounted because it violated the rules?

question: What state was Aaron Burr originally from?
context: One elector in Minnesota cast a ballot for president with the name of "John Ewards"  [sic] written on it. The Electoral College officials certified this ballot as a vote for John Edwards for president. The remaining nine electors cast ballots for John Kerry. All ten electors in the state cast ballots for John Edwards for vice president (John Edwards's name was spelled correctly on all ballots for vice president). This was the first time in U.S. history that an elector had cast a vote for the same person to be both president and vice president; another faithless elector in the 1800 election had voted twice for Aaron Burr, but under that electoral system only votes for the president's position were cast, with the runner-up in the Electoral College becoming vice president (and the second vote for Burr was discounted and re-assigned to Thomas Jefferson in any event, as it violated Electoral College rules).

qas: question: Why was there tension the day after the election?
answers: text: It was clear that the result in Ohio, along with two other states who had still not declared (New Mexico and Iowa), would decide the winner

question: Despite an apparent lead by Bush early on, what was thought to be a concern?
answers: text: provisional ballots that had yet to be counted, initially reported to number as high as 200,000

question: How would it be determined who would win, in the event of an electoral tie?
answers: text: The result of an electoral tie would cause the election to be decided in the House of Representatives with each state casting one vote, regardless of population

question: Which state became the most important to secure Bush's presidential election?
answers: text: the outcome of the election hinged solely on the result in Ohio

question: Who did Bush lose the popular vote to in the 2000 election for presidency?
answers: text: Al Gore

question: What lead did Kerry have initially?

question: What was Ken Blackwell waiting for that hadn't been counted yet?

question: What preliminary leads did Kerry have in four states?

question: Which state became the most important for Al Gore to win the election?

question: What did Al Gore announce was impossible for the Democrats to do to win in 2000?
context: The morning after the election, the major candidates were neck and neck. It was clear that the result in Ohio, along with two other states who had still not declared (New Mexico and Iowa), would decide the winner. Bush had established a lead of around 130,000 votes but the Democrats pointed to provisional ballots that had yet to be counted, initially reported to number as high as 200,000. Bush had preliminary leads of less than 5% of the vote in only four states, but if Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico had all eventually gone to Kerry, a win for Bush in Ohio would have created a 269–269 tie in the Electoral College. The result of an electoral tie would cause the election to be decided in the House of Representatives with each state casting one vote, regardless of population. Such a scenario would almost certainly have resulted in a victory for Bush, as Republicans controlled more House delegations. Therefore, the outcome of the election hinged solely on the result in Ohio, regardless of the final totals elsewhere. In the afternoon Ohio's Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell, announced that it was statistically impossible for the Democrats to make up enough valid votes in the provisional ballots to win. At the time provisional ballots were reported as numbering 140,000 (and later estimated to be only 135,000). Faced with this announcement, John Kerry conceded defeat. Had Kerry won Ohio, he would have won the election despite losing the national popular vote by over 3 million votes, a complete reversal of the 2000 election when Bush won the presidency despite losing the popular vote to Al Gore by over 500,000 votes.

qas: question: Was there any debate about the voting process in Ohio?
answers: text: a motion was made contesting Ohio's electoral votes

question: What was the decision regarding the motion to re-count the votes, after each House finalized their debates?
answers: text: During the debate, no Senator argued that the outcome of the election should be changed by either court challenge or revote

question: Who was the lone supporter of the motion, from the Senate?
answers: text: Senator Boxer

question: Why did Senator Boxer say she voted the way she did?
answers: text: Senator Boxer claimed that she had made the motion not to challenge the outcome, but to "shed the light of truth on these irregularities."

question: How many people from the House of Representatives did not vote?
answers: text: Not voting were 52 Republicans and 80 Democrats

question: When was Boxer elected to office?

question: Why did Republicans say they made the motion to contest Boxer?

question: What did the four house officials who hadn't take office yet argue about the election?

question: What happened before four senators took office in Ohio?

question: What did the 31 Democrats in the House say they had not made the motion for?
context: At the official counting of the electoral votes on January 6, a motion was made contesting Ohio's electoral votes. Because the motion was supported by at least one member of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, election law mandated that each house retire to debate and vote on the motion. In the House of Representatives, the motion was supported by 31 Democrats. It was opposed by 178 Republicans, 88 Democrats and one independent. Not voting were 52 Republicans and 80 Democrats. Four people elected to the House had not yet taken office, and one seat was vacant. In the Senate, it was supported only by its maker, Senator Boxer, with 74 Senators opposed and 25 not voting. During the debate, no Senator argued that the outcome of the election should be changed by either court challenge or revote. Senator Boxer claimed that she had made the motion not to challenge the outcome, but to "shed the light of truth on these irregularities."

qas: question: What did Kerry say affected the ability to know if the results of the Ohio vote was unbiased?
answers: text: "the widespread irregularities make it impossible to know for certain that the [Ohio] outcome reflected the will of the voters."

question: Which Democratic official supported Kerry's theory about the Ohio votes?
answers: text: Howard Dean

question: What was said about the devices used to collect the votes, in Ohio?
answers: text: the machines were not reliable

question: Who was targeted for defrauding the electoral process, in Ohio?
answers: text: the Republicans are willing to do things that are unethical to manipulate elections

question: What did Kerry think the state of voter machines was?

question: Who did Kerry think was unethical in the election?

question: What did the DNC say wasn't possible to know for certain?

question: What kind of suppression was there in Ohio according to Kerry?

question: What did the DNC say Kerry was guilty of in the election?
context: Kerry would later state that "the widespread irregularities make it impossible to know for certain that the [Ohio] outcome reflected the will of the voters." In the same article, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said "I'm not confident that the election in Ohio was fairly decided... We know that there was substantial voter suppression, and the machines were not reliable. It should not be a surprise that the Republicans are willing to do things that are unethical to manipulate elections. That's what we suspect has happened."

qas: question: Who was called in to watch over the presidential election in 2004?
answers: text: the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sent a team of observers to monitor the presidential elections in 2004

question: Was this the only occasion the OSCE was invited to preside over a presidential election?
answers: text: It was the first time the OSCE had sent observers to a U.S. presidential election, although they had been invited in the past.

question: What were the findings of the OSCE team?
answers: text: mostly met the OSCE commitments included in the 1990 Copenhagen Document

question: What type of values did the OSCE determine were adhered to during the election process?
answers: text: long-standing democratic tradition

question: What group was invited to the US by the public in 1990?

question: Why did OSCE come to the US in 1990?

question: Who did the OSCE send to the US in 1990?

question: How many times had the OSCE been to the US before 1990?

question: What was issued by the OSCE in 1990 on the election?
context: At the invitation of the United States government, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sent a team of observers to monitor the presidential elections in 2004. It was the first time the OSCE had sent observers to a U.S. presidential election, although they had been invited in the past. In September 2004 the OSCE issued a report on U.S. electoral processes and the election final report. The report reads: "The November 2, 2004 elections in the United States mostly met the OSCE commitments included in the 1990 Copenhagen Document. They were conducted in an environment that reflects a long-standing democratic tradition, including institutions governed by the rule of law, free and generally professional media, and a civil society intensively engaged in the election process. There was exceptional public interest in the two leading presidential candidates and the issues raised by their respective campaigns, as well as in the election process itself."

qas: question: What finance act affected the 2004 election?
answers: text: the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

question: Where did the moniker McCain-Feingold Bill come from?
answers: text: its sponsors in the United States Senate

question: How did the 527 groups come up with their title?
answers: text: Named for a section of the Internal Revenue Code

question: What stipulation enabled the 527 groups to campaign for funds?
answers: text: as long as they do not coordinate their activities with political campaigns

question: What is one of the named 527 groups from the 2004 election?
answers: text: MoveOn.org

question: What act was passed during the 2000 campaign?

question: What reforms took place during the 2000 campaign?

question: How many campaign finance groups were there in 2000?

question: In what year did McCain run for President of the US?

question: What group supported McCain in the 2000 election?
context: The 2004 election was the first to be affected by the campaign finance reforms mandated by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (also known as the McCain–Feingold Bill for its sponsors in the United States Senate). Because of the Act's restrictions on candidates' and parties' fundraising, a large number of so-called 527 groups emerged. Named for a section of the Internal Revenue Code, these groups were able to raise large amounts of money for various political causes as long as they do not coordinate their activities with political campaigns. Examples of 527s include Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, MoveOn.org, the Media Fund, and America Coming Together. Many such groups were active throughout the campaign season. (There was some similar activity, although on a much lesser scale, during the 2000 campaign.)

qas: question: How were viewers able to determine who endorsed political campaign ads, they saw in advertisements??
answers: text: required to include a verbal disclaimer identifying the organization responsible for the advertisement

question: What was disallowed in advertising during the two months prior to the general election?
answers: text: 60 days before the general election), such organizations' ads were prohibited from mentioning any candidate by name

question: Official advertisements generally contained what phrase?
answers: text: "I'm [candidate's name], and I approve this message."

question: Independent advertisements generally contained what phrase?
answers: text: "[Organization name] is responsible for the content of this advertisement"

question: What was the tag line requirement before?
answers: text: Previously, television advertisements only required a written "paid for by" disclaimer on the screen.

question: What were candidates required to identify when speaking at a supporters business?

question: What did supporters have to refer to 60 days before an election?

question: What does not mentioning candidates names before an election help the public differentiate between?

question: What method was used to disclose candidate funding when a candidate gave a speech in the past?

question: What were required to include who was involved in choosing a candidate for office?
context: To distinguish official campaigning from independent campaigning, political advertisements on television were required to include a verbal disclaimer identifying the organization responsible for the advertisement. Advertisements produced by political campaigns usually included the statement, "I'm [candidate's name], and I approve this message." Advertisements produced by independent organizations usually included the statement, "[Organization name] is responsible for the content of this advertisement", and from September 3 (60 days before the general election), such organizations' ads were prohibited from mentioning any candidate by name. Previously, television advertisements only required a written "paid for by" disclaimer on the screen.

qas: question: What action suggested by a state, would have affecting the outcome of the electoral votes?
answers: text: ballot initiative in Colorado, known as Amendment 36

question: What unique change to the electoral voting process did Colorado suggest should happen?
answers: text: under the amendment Colorado would have assigned presidential electors proportionally to the statewide vote count, which would be a unique system

question: Which two states designated their assigned votes based on their districts?
answers: text: Nebraska and Maine assign electoral votes based on vote totals within each congressional district)

question: Did everyone agree that Amendment 36 was a good idea?
answers: text: Detractors claimed that this splitting would diminish Colorado's influence in the Electoral College

question: Did Amendment 36 get passed?
answers: text: the amendment ultimately failed

question: What was the name of the amendment passed in Nebraska?

question: What did Amendment 36 change in Nebraska?

question: How was Amendment 36 described when it was on the ballot in Nebraska?

question: Where would Nebraska's influence be diminished under the 36th Amendment?

question: What percentage of the population in Nebraska didn't like the amendment?
context: A ballot initiative in Colorado, known as Amendment 36, would have changed the way in which the state apportions its electoral votes. Rather than assigning all 9 of the state's electors to the candidate with a plurality of popular votes, under the amendment Colorado would have assigned presidential electors proportionally to the statewide vote count, which would be a unique system (Nebraska and Maine assign electoral votes based on vote totals within each congressional district). Detractors claimed that this splitting would diminish Colorado's influence in the Electoral College, and the amendment ultimately failed, receiving only 34% of the vote.