Ru Decides 2016

[Ru-]

It's election season in the Empire of Ru! The Office of Imperial Castellan is up for election as are about half of the seats in the Imperial Senate. (for specific information on what these positions actually mean in Ru be sure to check out the government system section of my factbook.) The primaries for the 4 major political parties of Ru have been done away with and the presumptive candidates are preparing for their party's conventions. This thread will be a place for other nations to show their support for the candidates or challenge them to answer key questions on the issues most important to them.

This year's Castellan election will be especially important since due to King Yoshio's age, the Castellan will also act as Regent. They will also have an opportunity to tutor an impressionable young future ruler on governance.

(While I can't guarantee I will follow the results of this poll exactly, votes and comments will influence how the parties fare overall in the election, and as a result how I will run my nation.)

(for more information on the political parties of Ru and their position you can check out my factbook here.)

Now it's time to meet the parties and the candidates

Ruvian Labor Party (RLP)
Senate Seats: 134/350
Imperial Castellan Candidate: Stan Vandy (incumbent)

age: 54
Center-left economically, center-left progressive socially, pro military, big government
Stan Vandy made history as the first human and thus the first minority of any kind in Ru to win an election for Imperial Castellan. A popular senator from the Heartford area of the Northern Lakes province before being elected as Castellan, Mr. Vandy has found general success in this office as he finds himself running for his third term. He is a charismatic and energetic speaker who excited voters during his first campaign and is now generally regarded as an experienced and highly competent politician. His greatest challenge this election will be that most Castellans who decide to run for third terms do so because of an especially high approval rating, while his is only around 50%. It may prove difficult for someone who has held the office for so long to convince Ruvians that he is a progressive to get excited about.

Ruvian Conservative Party (RCP)
Senate Seats: 121/350
Imperial Castellan Candidate: Maxwell Marcus

age: 57
center-right economically, right wing socially, pro military, religious, family values, big government.
Maxwell Marcus is a respected and successful longtime senator from the Grainlands province. He has served as the RCP's Consul (senate leader) for years and also served on numerous national security committees. Many in the senate, even some of his fiercest political rivals, speak very highly of his preparedness, intelligence and dependability. He is probably the most experienced politician out of all the candidates and has been seen as the foremost figure in the RCP for quite some time. His biggest challenge in this election will be that his party has been slowly losing political ground in Ru for years and he may not be new and exciting enough to reverse the trend.

Ruvian Freedom Party (RFP)
Senate Seats: 50/350
Imperial Castellan Candidate: Marvin Ellis

Age: 45
libertarian socially and economically, pacifist, small government.
Marvin Ellis is the billionaire founder of a wildly successful startup business and the outspoken owner of a professional basketball team in the city of Cornfield, in the Grainlands province. He is also the first political outsider to ever get a nomination for Imperial Castellan and by far the youngest candidate in this field. A great many people who have dealt with him in business speak very highly of his kindness, loyalty, fairness, and willingness to consider new ideas. Mr. Ellis claims that he would like to run Ru like he would a business. His biggest challenges in this election are his lack of experience compared to the other candidates, especially in foreign policy matters, and the unease that many older Ruvians, working class Ruvians, and middle class Ruvians have traditionally felt toward the economic platform of his party.

Ruvian Progressive Party (RPP)
Senate Seats: 45/350
Imperial Castellan Candidate: Andy Flanders

Age: 74
left economically, libertarian socially, environmental, pacifist, big government.
Andy Flanders is a former mayor of, and longtime senator from, the city of Oar Bay. He holds the record for the longest anyone from the RPP has held onto a senate seat. An outspoken advocate for his party's platform, he is also known as an intelligent politician who is skilled at compromising and negotiating with members of the other parties to forward his cause. The RPP is currently holding more senate seats then it ever has before, which has been credited by some to be due to Mr. Flanders beginning to put himself forward onto the national stage in preparation for this election. He comes into this election with a high approval rating and a strong and dedicated core of support among young Ruvian voters. His greatest challenges in this campaign are that while he is very well liked, his party has historically done poorly in national elections and he will need to find some way to reach a wider demographic of left leaning voters to avoid being overshadowed by Mr. Vandy, who is also trying to run on a progressive platform. Convincing working class and minority Ruvians not to reelect Stan Vandy and take a chance on him instead could prove difficult for Mr. Flanders.

(sorry for the cartoon drawings lol, one of the downsides to running a mostly non-human nation is a lack of good photos, so I had to make my own pictures).

Green = RLP
Red = RCP
Gold = RFP
Blue = RPP

Feel free to endorse, voice your support for the candidates, and ask them questions but please do not offer to donate money to their campaigns. None of them will accept it because it is illegal for candidates to accept contributions from a foreign government or foreign citizen, and even if it wasn't, just the fact that a foreign nation's government was interested enough in seeing a candidate get elected that they were willing to give millions to their campaign could potentially be politically damaging.

[Mikanjima]

Andy Flanders has our support. The rest are misogynistic dudebro fedora-wearing neckbeards.

[Jankau-Helmutsberg]

The endorsements of main Jankan-Helmutsberger political parties are as follows:

Municipal Liberal Alliance, Schmitz's Bloc and Free City Conservatives endorse the Ruvian Conservative Party.
Popular Left endorses the Ruvian Labor Party.
Prospekt! The Libertarian Party and Electoral Zenith of the New Darn Epoch endorse the Ruvian Freedom Party.

[The Intergalactic Universe Corporation]

We hereby endorse the RFP in this election

[Yymea]

The government of Yymea has not endorsed any party in this election, but each political party has.

United People´s Party: Progressive Party
Yymean People´s Union: Labour Party
Progress: Labour Party
Worker´s Socialist Party: Progressive Party
People in Unity: Progressive Party
People´s Socialist Coalition: Progressive Party
Democratic Union: Conservative Party
The Revolutionary Party: No endorsement
Patriotic Party of Yymea: Conservative Party
United Leftist Workers: Labour Party

[Ru-]

Conventions and Preliminary Polls

the primary delegates are finding their seats, the parties are scrambling to get as many balloons and patriotic hats as possible, celebrities and future political hopefuls are rehearsing their speeches, it can only mean its convention time! The parties are prepared to introduce their platforms to the populace of Ru and formally nominate their candidates on live TV. And while things may change after the conventions are over and done with, we have the results of our first preliminary poll and it contains a bit of a surprise:

1. Andy Flanders: 24%
2. Stan Vandy: 20%
3. Maxwell Marcus: 20%
4. Marvin Ellis 15%
Undecided: 21%

In a somewhat surprising twist, underdog candidate Andy Flanders of the Ruvian Progressive Party has jumped out to an early lead over all of his rivals, he has done an excellent job getting a head start on solidifying his core of younger Ruvian voters, many of whom are registering to vote in droves for the first time. It would seem most Ruvian political analysts have underestimated the their numbers but it will remain to be seen if Mr. Flanders will be able to win over any older voters.

Maxwell Marcus and Stan Vandy find themselves in a virtual tie right behind him, it's a good early sign for Mr. Marcus that he has managed to match the incumbent front-runner before the race has really even started. The pressure is on Mr. Vandy to have a really good convention due to stronger then expected early poll numbers from his rivals both on the left and on the right.

Marvin Ellis trails at 15% probably due to his lack of a political track record, leaving many voters unsure of what to think of him. He will surely be hoping to use his convention as a chance to prove that he is more then just an eccentric sports team owner, but rather a candidate to be taken seriously.

With so many Ruvians declaring that they are undecided it is still anyone's guess as to who will end up winning this election.

(if you would like to have someone from your nation make a short teleconference statement in support of one of the candidates that can be played at their convention you may feel free to do so)

[Archipelago Bay]

A conference from the Socialist Workers Party leader



We respect the right for Ruvians to make their own desicions, but policy wise I would have to support the RPP and RLP.

From the Co-President elect

[TURTLESHROOM II]

(Your little dragon-esque characters are SO CUTE! Did you draw them yourself?)

[Ru-]

(Your little dragon-esque characters are SO CUTE! Did you draw them yourself?)

(i did!)

[Ru-]

Post Convention Poll

The conventions are now wrapped up, all 4 were capped off by an announcement from King Yoshio (age 8 ) through teleconference where he officially announced his acceptance of the party's nominee, a traditional formality. While the little king is officially a political independent, and while he seemed sincere and enthusiastic about all 4 candidates he did linger a bit during his announcement for Mr. Stan Vandy to say a couple extra nice things, political pundits in Ru will make of that what they will.

All the candidates were expected to get a boost from their conventions, a time where positivity and excitement toward a candidate is always at its peak, so the polls have been fluctuating wildly over the past few weeks, but now with all 4 conventions in the books we have a new preliminary poll and things are more or less where they were before:

1. Andy Flanders 23%
2. Stan Vandy 22%
3. Maxwell Marcus 21%
4. Marvin Ellis 18%
Undecided: 16%

Andy Flanders remains strong in the lead but the race is now much tighter with a very successful convention pushing Stan Vandy ahead of Maxwell Marcus just slightly. Marvin Ellis benefited the most from the convention, it would seem that voters were reassured that he is qualified to hold the office of Castellan and he seems to have built up a core of wealthy voters, young voters, and anti-establishment voters.

The race is practically a 4 way tie at this point but we would like to remind everyone that these polls are only based on a random sampling of the population so there may be a few inaccuracies.

[Arceus125]

The Government of Arceus125 endorses Andy Flanders for the post as he seems to be the most deserving and the most capable of the other candidates

[Ru-]

The Government of Arceus125 endorses Andy Flanders for the post as he seems to be the most deserving and the most capable of the other candidates

Mr. Flanders thanks Arceus125 for its endorsement

[Ru-]

(bump, sorry)

(I would also like to take this time to encourage comments if you have anything to say, I plan on taking participation into account when determining the final results)

[Pherdistan]

The Oar Bay Daily Journal

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Monarchy in Cahoots with Labor?

---

What effect has the Imperial Castellan had as Regent?

---

NEW RU, Ru- Concerns, particularly among members of the Progressive and Conservative parties, grew yesterday after King Yoshio, 8, lingered on his acceptance of Stan Vandy, leading activists and organizers on both sides of the political spectrum to criticize Vandy, the current Imperial Castellan and Regent, for having an undue effect on the young king.

"When you're manipulating children, little children, to do your bidding, it's really appalling, and against all family values. Really, where is the Imperial Household, it seems like they've left the poor tike with no one but this demented opportunist Mr Vandy," said one senior member of the Conservative Party, who requested anonymity given his party's continuing silence on the issue. The Progressives, however, didn't abstain from having doubts and questions for the incumbent Castellan relating to the welfare of the King.

"I mean, Vandy's the Regent, he's meeting with the King every day, probably. And to have the King in turn offer more positive comments on Mr Vandy as Labor leader and Castellan? Downright despicable," said a Progressive activist in New Ru, Thomas Bauer. "Really, what's this guy teaching the King? Clearly, it's not anything that would make the monarch the neutral figure we've come to expect, and that's very dangerous to our democratic process."

Currently, neither the King's Press Office, nor those of the several parties, has replied to our requests for a comment. Should any of them send such a reply, it will be reprinted, along with a summary of this article, in our next edition of the paper.

The Dalmachia Times

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Conventions Over; Little of Substance Discussed

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Despite continuous coverage, party platforms remain vague and unpublished

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DALMACHIA, Grainlands- Every political party says it: How they govern. But, oddly, the current campaigning season has scene a dirth in the agendas and policies of all four parties. Despite holding their nominating conventions, no party has yet to publish an official campaign platform, or state specific stances on policy issues.

"In most elections, the parties will be the ones addressing issues, but it seems that we the people will have to be creating the issues this election," says lobbyist and activist Mary Freja, who operates and organizes protests and demonstrations across the country for various local issues. "We usually only see this at the local level, where some critical issues are ignored, but, now, it seems like all the parties at the national level are ignoring all the issues."

While such actions may be expected of the incumbent Labor Party, which need only trump its current success, the lack of focus or energy in the other parties has lead to a situation where all the parties, even the ones, like Labor, that are well-positioned to gain an outright majority in the Senate, are lacking in substance or in anything for voters to understand changes or opposition to various issues of importance to the nation, and to individual Ruvians. While the parties will hopefully begin clearing this up, it's a definite black mark on all the parties for failing to provide proof that they know how to govern the nation.

---

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The Debates: When and where?

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NEW RU, Ru- With the conventions wrapped up and nominees chosen, the question now becomes: When will a debate be held? No candidate has yet suggested a time or place for debate between the four parties, which as of the 16th were in a virtual four-way tie with the Progressives holding a narrow lead after an early pre-convention boost cancelled out by the strong convention showings of the other candidates.

Various sites have been suggested, including libraries, gyms, parks, and several other public places across the nation, with locations in New Ru, Greenwood, and the Grainlands being the most likely. Given a long history of such, the Dalmachia Times would most likely provide a moderator for the debate, which would span a range of issues for all candidates.

This paper will print the time and location of debates, when and if scheduled and agreed-upon by the major parties, as well as the various TV networks that will carry the debates.

[Ru-]

King Yoshio gives a statement on recent concerns over his acceptance of Castellan Vandy

The little king gave a short on-air speech in response to concerns from some publications and political activists over the extra bit of time and positivity he gave during his traditional acceptance of the labor party candidate. The acceptance is a special formality given to all 4 candidates and is essentially the final gesture in making the nominee the party's official candidate for Castellan.

In his statement, His Grace apologized for going off script and asserted that he was not asked to say the remarks in question by anyone. In response to a question of whether words meant he was endorsing Castellan Vandy (which would be an extremely unprecedented move as no King has ever endorsed one candidate over the others) he answered that he is not endorsing Castellan Vandy over any other candidate but that he stands by everything he said during all 4 of his acceptances, praising the quality of the field of candidates for Castellan in this election and saying that he was merely caught up in the excitement of the conventions and spontaneously felt like sharing a bit of what he knew personally about Castellan Vandy and that he assumed, wrongly, that no one would make anything of it.

Her Grace, the Queen Mother, Lillian Rel backed up her son's assertions adding that "This will just serve as a gentle reminder to Yoshio that being a king doesn't mean he can do whatever he feels like. He was confused when he first heard of the little bit of controversy surrounding his acceptance of Castellan Vandy, I don't think he understood why people could have found his behavior concerning."

Castellan Vandy responded to requests for comment by repeating that King Yoshio's remarks were not planned beforehand, but His Grace has always been precocious and apparently wasn't satisfied with sticking to the simple planned statement he was given to read. " hey now, it's not like we should expect them to cover his mouth and carry him away when they see him ad-libbing a bit" Vandy added that he was "surprised and touched" by the gesture when he first heard them during the convention and that he felt it was "a shame that when His Grace decides to show a little personality and open himself up a little, folks admonish for it. I feel a little bad for him to tell you the truth" and that ultimately he feels as though King Yoshio did not endorse his candidacy or do anything improper.

It would seem as though the incumbent's strategy here is to characterize a criticism directed at him into one that is really being directed at His Grace. A shrewd move considering that King Yoshio's approval rating is currently much higher then his own. It could explain why none of Vandy's rival candidates have commented on the issue thus far. It will remain to be seen if this is a criticism that sticks throughout the campaign

Earlier today the king's press office released the prepared acceptance statements they gave His Grace to read and when compared to what he actually said during the conventions it would seem as though the king went off script in all 4 acceptances adding a little extra positive flourish for all 4 candidates. He went off script the most for Castellan Vandy, adding about 30 seconds worth of extra time to talk about his personal feelings toward the current Castellan. It would seem that at the very least King Yoshio's own press office did not expect him to say the statements in question.

King Yoshio is scheduled to appear on The Night Show with Jerry Kennedy. It is expected that the program may make light of the situation by poking some fun at the king about it.

[Jankau-Helmutsberg]

The Jankan-Helmutsberger media is interested in providing two journalists for any upcoming debates or panels. The conservative New Standard daily would like to delegate Dr. Ewelina Jactowiec and the left-leaning Municipal Register would send Mr. Ludwig Teuford. The chief editors of both newspapers said they'd be interested in asking "one or two questions" to selected candidates, if possible.

[Ru-]

The Jankan-Helmutsberger media is interested in providing two journalists for any upcoming debates or panels. The conservative New Standard daily would like to delegate Dr. Ewelina Jactowiec and the left-leaning Municipal Register would send Mr. Ludwig Teuford. The chief editors of both newspapers said they'd be interested in asking "one or two questions" to selected candidates, if possible.

The Ruvian Election comittee would be happy to have your journalists able to ask questions during the debates and will see to it that they are provided with press credentials to the events promptly.

Speaking of debates

Debate Schedule Released!
It took a little longer then usual this year due to some unexpected last minute logistical concerns but the parties have gotten togather and hashed out a debate schedule that works for everyone. There will be 4 televised debates involving all 4 candidates:

1. At OmniCorp Arena in Oceanside
2. At the Dalmachia City Music Hall in Dalmachia
3. At the Great Pyramid in Old Ru
4. The final debate will be outside the Imperial Palace in New Ru

The first debate will take place this Sunday and will be featured on 2 out of the 4 major networks as well as Ru's right leaning and left leaning political cable news networks and Ru's 24 hours news cable network. (ooc: I'll make an official post for the start of debates on Sunday and we'l go from there.)

Trouble with Party Platforms?

There was a bit of an issue over the mysterious lack of platforms from any of the parties , according to the Imperial Election Comittee this was due to unexpected computer problems on their website and basically the party's uploaed their platforms onto the website but none of them went through due to the errors. The parties were unaware of this but have now made their platforms available, here is a brief summary:

Labor Party (Vandy)
- keep the minimum wage at $15 USD per hour
- Keep military spending the same, focus on diplomacy and economic sanctions, strong dedication to our allies and international military security pacts
- keep the role and powers of the King of Ru the same
- Healthcare: replace the public option with a single payer national health insurance system
- create jobs by investing in repair projects for our infrastructure, and new public works projects
- pursue new free trade agreements with other nations
- work on reducing the number of inmates in Ru's prison system, new training for police to reduce inequal treatment/assumptions on minorities
- small increases to magazine size restrictions on firearms
- declaration of support for the woman's right to choose in Ru
- encourage strong labor unions
-Reduce tuition costs and student debt. Free tuition for community college, free tuition for public universities for families making under $125,000 USD.
-work on eliminating the ability for corporations to campaign in favor of candidates (super-pacs)

Conservative Party (Marcus)
- reduce the minimum wage to $12 USD per hour
- keep military spending the same, focus on military intervention, strong dedication to our allies and international military security pacts
- keep the role and powers of the King of Ru the same
- Keep Ru's current healthcare policy the same (public option)
- reduce taxes across the board, particularly for the wealthy through modest cuts to government and social programs
- reducing environmental and government regulations on businesses to encourage job growth, reducing banking regulations
- increased funding for the police force to reduce crime, implementing additional powers for Ru's domestic and international special investigative bodies and anti-terrorism units to keep the empire safe.
- An increased dedication to preventing undocumented immigration
- Keep Ru's current gun control laws the same
- pursue new free trade agreements with other nations
- Focus on family values and traditional Ruvian morality, as taught by the Faith of Cael. Declaration of pro-life support


Freedom Party (Ellis)
- Reduce the minimum wage to $7 USD per hour
- Reduce military spending, seek peaceful solutions wherever possible
- Reduce the powers of the King heavily in favor of more power in the hands of democratically elected officials
- Eliminate the public option in favor of a privatized insurance system, no changes to Ruvian medicare, moderate cuts to Ruvian medicaide
- large reduction of taxes for all Ruvians, particularly for the wealthy, focus on large reductions to government spending and reducing the size of the Imperial government
- reducing environmental and government regulations on businesses to encourage job growth, reducing government banking regulations
- work on reducing the number of inmates in Ru's prison system, allow for the privatization of prisons, abolish the death penalty.
- Eliminate magazine restrictions on firearms and the ban on certain military weapons for civilians, open up avenues for private distributors
- Focus on social inclusiveness and increased social freedom and equality for all Ruvians, declaration of support for the woman's right to choose
- pursue new free trade agreements with other nations

Progressive Party (Flanders)
-Keep the minimum wage at $15 USD but increase vacation time, maternity leave, and implement paternity leave
-Reduce military spending, seek peaceful solutions wherever possible
-Reduce the powers of the King moderately in favor of more power in the hands of democratically elected officials
-Create a fully government funded healthcare system, free college tuition for all in community colleges and public universities, work on reducing student loan debt
-increase to environmental regulations and banking regulations, work on creating jobs by becoming a leader in green energy
-eliminate the trans-ocean free trade agreement and avoid new ones in the future, encourage strong labor unions
-reduce the number of inmates in Ru's prison system, abolish the death penalty, fund new training for officers to reduce inequal treatment of minorities
-heavy reductions to military spending, seek peaceful solutions wherever possible
-increase firearm restrictions on magazine size
- focus on social inclusiveness and equality, work on increasing rights for the trans-gendered community
-declaration of support for the woman's right to choose
- working to end the ability for corporations to campaign for candidates (super-pacs)
notes:

-Stan Vandy's platform for this election is especially progressive for a labor party candidate and even when compared to his own previous platforms

-Maxwell Marcus's platform is pretty much what we expected from a Conservative candidate, unsurprising considering he's the party leader. It's relatively moderate but with enough core conservative beliefs to please the base.

-Marvin Ellis's platform is surprisingly in line with the establishment of his party, considering he is a political outsider. It would seem as though Mr. Ellis is proving less unpredictable then was initially thought

-Andy Flander's platform is a bit more moderate then the platforms of past progressive party candidates, particularly when it comes to the role of the King. It is likely due to his stronger willingness to compromise then his fellow party members and that he feels a more moderate approach would give him a greater chance to win

[Ru-]

New Poll Numbers released!

With the first debate in Oceanside rapidly approaching we have gathered up the latest poll numbers thus far:

1. Andy Flanders: 24%
2. Stan Vandy: 23%
3. Marvin Ellis: 21%
4. Maxwell Marcus: 20%
Undecided: 12%

Marvin Ellis has built up alot of momentum lately, he appears to be a serious candidate and has been performing well during speeches and interviews and showing a firm grasp of policy despite his lack of previous political experience, which has likely resulted in his latest boost in the polls, putting him ahead of Maxwell Marcus. The RFP seems to be united behind the surprise candidate and he is doing a good job of pulling young right wing voters and younger wealthy Ruvians away from Marcus and the RCP.

Andy Flanders remains in the lead and has pulled away a bit from Stan Vandy who has also had a good week in the polls despite the recent controversy over King Yoshio. Thus far he appears to have gotten out of that relatively unscathed though poll numbers on whether or not voters would label him as "trustworthy" did take a noticeable hit compared to the previous poll.

All 4 candidates will be hoping to set themselves apart from their rivals and break out of this very close 4 way race after their first chance to face off against each other on the debate stage. Don't miss it!

reminder: these polls are taken from a large but random sample of Ruvians so keep in mind that there may be some margin for error

[Ru-]

(i'd like to point out that while other nations are not allowed to donate money to the campaign, they should free free to publicly endorse any candidate that they support)

[Ru-]

We are now beginning our debates, if you have a question you would like to ask any of the candidates you may feel free to ask them. Endorsements are also still welcome.

Debate season polls:

1. Stan Vandy: 25%
2. Andy Flanders: 24%
3. Marvin Ellis: 21%
4. Maxwell Marcus: 19%
Undecided: 11%

The biggest news is at the top of the polls where after falling behind early to Senator Flanders and his wave of enthusiasm it would seem that Castellan Vandy's new progressive platform and ad campaign has finally allowed him to take a slight lead over his rival from the left. Marvin Ellis's campaign is still running strong as he continues to unite his party and bring new voters into the fold. Senator Marcus's campaign, after a strong start, now seems to be lagging behind as conservative leaning voters continue to be leeched away by Mr. Ellis. He will be hoping that his experience and steady hand can win them back and gain the confidence of independents with a strong debate performance.

As always we remind you that poll numbers can never guarantee perfect accuracy and alot can change as election season rolls on.

[Dameth]

"Altho Dameth deos not want to influence the elective process of Ru-, we wish our brother Andy Flanders a fair and successful Campaign"
-Konrad Bleuet, People's Commissar for Foreign Relations

[Ru-]

"Altho Dameth deos not want to influence the elective process of Ru-, we wish our brother Andy Flanders a fair and successful Campaign"
-Konrad Bleuet, People's Commissar for Foreign Relations

(Image)

Senator Flanders would like to wholeheartedly thank you for your kind words. (and my gosh what an excellent drawing! )

[Jankau-Helmutsberg]

Dr. Ewelina Jactowiec of the New Standard daily would like to ask:

Mr. Flanders and Mr. Ellis the following question

"How would Ru fare in case of an outbreak of conventional war or foreign invasion after your proposed military spending cuts come into effect? Do you propose substitutes for the shrunk or eliminated entities of national defense?"

Castellan Vandy the following question

"What are your proposals for the betterment of small and medium enterprises in Ru?"

Mr. Ludwig Teuford of the Municipal Register daily would like to ask:

Mr. Marcus and Mr. Ellis the following questions

"Why do you consider tax cuts for the affluent of more importance than of those for the poor? Do you consider income inequality a problem?"

"What exact environmental regulations are you willing to loosen?"

Castellan Vandy the following question:
"What permanent job-creating efforts, apart from the temporary national infrastructure repair program, are you looking to pursue? Do you consider foreign or private sector investment a valid option?"

The Jankan-Helmutsberger journalists would like to thank in advance for the gracious Ruvian hospitality. They expect high debate standards and free and fair elections afterwards.

[Ru-]

Dr. Ewelina Jactowiec of the New Standard daily would like to ask:

Mr. Flanders and Mr. Ellis the following question

"How would Ru fare in case of an outbreak of conventional war or foreign invasion after your proposed military spending cuts come into effect? Do you propose substitutes for the shrunk or eliminated entities of national defense?"

Flanders: "I'd like to start by making it clear that it is extremely important to keep a robust military at the ready, however the military and human costs of military intervention is staggering and therefore should be a last resort, but right now in Ru it seems to be a first resort more often then not. As Castellan, I intend to exhaust all other options we have available first before it comes to that. Currently we have a bloated defense budget and that represents misplaced priorities when it comes to our military. I oppose any new increases to our defense budget at the cost of our vitally important domestic social spending. My proposals are not blanket cuts, they are about reorganizing our priorities, reducing waste, and implementing a greater focus on seeking diplomatic resolutions and having a defense budget that more efficiently invests in the areas most critical to our national security."

Ellis: "I agree with much of what Mr. Flanders had to say but I would like to add that it isn't just about addressing waste, excess, and inefficiencies in our defense budget, but going further and taking a hard look at how taxpayer money is being spent by our government in all areas. When it comes to the defense budget specifically, it is highly concerning that our military is unable to even account for how it spends all its money. It seems clear to me that under previous administrations there has been a lack of accountability when it comes to defense spending. A strong defense is critically important, but with Ru's current sky high tax rates I suspect that there is much waste and needless spending going on, not only when it comes to defense spending but in our social and welfare programs as well. I do not intend to gut our government and defense, I just feel that taxes this high don't just come out of nowhere. I strongly suspect that there is alot of fat that can be trimmed from our government spending without putting our national security at risk."

Castellan Vandy the following question

"What are your proposals for the betterment of small and medium enterprises in Ru?"

Vandy: "I am very glad you brought up the subject of small business up since under my economic plan we would cut the red tape for small businesses at every level of government, developing a roadmap to help them navigate regulations, , providing targeted tax relief to small businesses and investing in simplfying our tax process for small businesses to reduce their compliance costs. I also plan to crack down on unscrupulous big businesses that repeatedly stiff the small businesses that do work for them when the bill comes due, and provide them with legal recourse to fight back."[/quote]

Mr. Ludwig Teuford of the Municipal Register daily would like to ask:

Mr. Marcus and Mr. Ellis the following questions

"Why do you consider tax cuts for the affluent of more importance than of those for the poor? Do you consider income inequality a problem?"

"What exact environmental regulations are you willing to loosen?"

Marcus: well they are not *more important* for the affluent, unlike my opponents Mr. Vandy and Mr. Flanders, I think that they do have at least some importance. My proposed tax plan will see cuts for Ruvians at every income level, however because the tax burden is currently much higher for the wealthy, my plan sees the largest cuts for them as a natural consequence. While my political rivals like to think they can spend as mch as they like and just have the wealthiest Ruvians make up the difference, our current approach punishes and discourages success. The wealthiest Ruvians are also our biggest job creators and innovators and we have a great opportunity to revitalize our sluggish economy by reducing the tax burden we place on them.

When it comes to the environment, I believe that we have a moral obligation to be good stewards of the natural beauty and resources that were given to us by Cael, but we need to strike a balance with the economic needs of our nation. Currently environmental regulations in Ru are a bit on the excessive side and don't stand up to common sense scrutiny, severely limiting our business's ability to operate successfully. I would like to see a renewed focus on market based solutions to the environmental issues we face, such as market incentives and our proven cap-and-trade air pollution initiative."

Ellis: "You may not hear me agreeing with Senator Marcus on much in this election but he seems to at least have an understanding on economics and the free market. The fact is that there are a number of highly successful nations that follow the proven economic model that he has outlined and display a much greater dedication to a free market then we currently see in Ru and that most of my rival, capitalist-in-name-only candidates for Castellan have displayed in their economic platforms. Our tax rate is far higher then it needs to be, especially when we compare it with that of many of our closest friends and allies. My tax plan is not about reductions for the wealthy but also tax relief for middle and working class citizens. I believe that the freer the market, the freer the people of Ru, and the freer the people of Ru, the better off our Empire will be. A free market is also our best solution to our environment. Many of Senator Marcus's market based proposals are also measures that I support. I have no intention of being irresponsible and replacing our environmental regulations with nothing, but rather with a strong dedication to programs and incentives that we know will work, and will benefit our economy as well."

Castellan Vandy the following question:
"What permanent job-creating efforts, apart from the temporary national infrastructure repair program, are you looking to pursue? Do you consider foreign or private sector investment a valid option?"

Vandy: "I hardly think my infrastructure plan should be characterized as all that temporary of a solution. To do so is to severely underestimate the problems our infrastructure has faced in Ru before I first came into office. We have made some progress since then but it is not nearly enough. we should keep in mind that if I win this reelection it will be to a 4 year term, and my proposed plan will take 5 years to see through. The jobs that this plan will create pay above our national median and every Crown of infrastructure investment leads to a 1.60 Crown increase to our GDP the following year and twice that over the next 20 years, so this will not only be a short term solution but will enhance the productivity of our economy and therefore help boost the income of working class Ruvians in the future. As well as saving families time and money, improving our quality of life, and unlocking economic opportunity. While Senator Flanders has expressed interest in improving our infrastructure there is no other candidate in this election who has shown nearly as much dedication to this vitally important issue as I have. That said, I am open to private sector investment such as what has been outlined in Senator Flander's green energy investment plan."
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All 4 politicians would like to thank both journalists from Jankau-Helmutsberg for the opportunity to answer their important, challenging, and thought provoking questions.

[Communal Ecotopia]

We support Andy Flanders in this race and ask that people vote Ruvian Progressive. In the event that the RLP wins a plurality, we ask for an RLP-RPP government.