Clearwater spent the day touring Fairfax County. Much of that time was spent visiting local public schools, local shopping centers, and George Mason University. He talked to people about their issues, and introduced himself as a candidate for governor. His campaign had gotten a lot of ground work in, while he generated buzz by crisscrossing the state on his tour. A few of the interactions were put on Facebook via livestream, as the author had a fair sized social media following.
He was fairly exhausted from talking to a ton of people, but his campaign had organized a speech for him at the stadium of George Mason University. They helped to bring in not only students, but suburban families as well. Signs reading "Clearwater For Virginia," "Honor, Respect, Service," and "Clearwater for Clear Water," a reference to his policy on the Chesapeake. The campaign told him to address dinner table issues that would help him win big in the suburbs.
By then, Clearwater was used to speaking in stadiums. He stood on the grass below the audience of his supporters, microphone in hand while they chanted his name.
"Fairfax County, it's wonderful to be here with ya'll, all the way from down in Suffolk," he bellowed. "For those who don't know, I'm Mo' Clearwater. I was a Congressman awhile back, I'm a writer, and a concerned Virginian. Now I'm runnin' to be not just governor of Virginia, but the second black governor this state's ever had."
There was some applause.
"There's a lot to be worried about 'ere in this part of Virginia, after what we've seen come outta Washington over the past few months. Let's talk bout them, and I'll give my honest take and how I want to address them as guvahnuh."
Clearwater cleared his throat.
"First of all, there is POMA. POMA is an attack on LGBTQ+ rights, most clearly. It goes against the rulings of the Supreme Court, and the rights of every American. For that reason it is an attack on our judicial norms and it is an attack on the American value of individual liberty. As governor, there will be no attack in gay marriage under my watch. It will remain fully legal and accepted within the state of Virginia. We ahre lucky that this view is mainstream; the radical partisans in Washington do not represent the great middle that defines this state and this nation. Heck, even my opponent stands for the rights of LGBTQ individuals too. But what's more is that I'm not going to just stand for the citizens of this state, I am going to take this fight to Washington. On my first day in office, I will order the Attorney General of this state to take the Federal Government to court over POMA, if the President signs it into law."
There was cheering from the crowd.
"The next legislation for us to talk bout is Minuteman. We can talk bout gun rights all day, and whether they are good or not. But we can all agree that Minuteman was a bridge too far. Not only does it deregulate the gun market, it incsntivizes their ownership. I'm never gonna advocate for a buy back, or a blanket ban, but Minuteman was bullshit. We need common sense gun regulation. I'm talkin' bans on bump stocks, waiting periods, and universal background checks. Guns should not be in the hands of our most at-risk citizens, like convicted criminals and the mentally ill. As governor of Virginia I will work with the legislature to find compromise and consensus on this issue, because in one way or another gun crime impacts all 'a us. Whether it's the little black boys caught up in gangs, a school shootin', or the ma and pop shop that gets held up, gun crime is a tumor on our society. And one things fo certain, you don't pour guns onto the street. A common phrase is the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun- well, we gotta make sure that only good guys can get 'em in that case."
There was some cheering.
"I want to talk now about the Balanced Budget Ammendment. I've spent a lotta time talkin' to people up here in this neck a' the state, and this has been the biggest issue. We don't know what effect the BBA will have, if federal employees will lose their pension, or their job, God forbid. As governor, I can't save those jobs. But what I can do, is promise to work on a safety net in case of the worst. The first thing we are gonna do is cut taxes on working families. We are gonna do that by shifting the top tax bracket to start at higher incomes, and create two new tax brackets for lower incomes. Virginia also is going to have Medicare for All, through the RLSA, creating a safety net as pensions are at risk. This will cover everyone in this state, bringing insurance to the almost half a million uninsured Virginians. We will allow for people to opt out for their own private plans of course. In Virginia, healthcare will be a right, not a commodity."
There was applause.
'That said, I'll be frank with ya'll. There is a cost to this, and it will be an increase to the maximum taxable earnings from 128,000. This will allow us to also expand our care for the mentally ill, and for Veterans. If I can't get us out of the damned wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now against ISIS, by God I'll be sure we provide our Veterans the best treatment they can get when they return home."
More applause.
"The next issue to discuss is WAC. I personally oppose abortion greatly, as a black Southern Baptist. But I want abortion to be safe, legal, and infrequent, for the rights of a woman and the health of our society. So, I will also allow for Virginia to continue to fund Planned Parenthood in this state where the Federal Government will not. This is especially for providing contraceptives to people for free, so abortions do not have to happen."
There was some applause.
"These are tricky and anxious times we live in. I have some ideas, but I know others have different, even better ones. So my job as governor will be to draw out those ideas. To lead compromise, and consensus. And that only comes when we say no to the way Washington does business. We must say no to hyper partisanship, to hateful rhetoric. We must realize we are all Americans, or in this case, Virginians. We are one family with one future and it's time we treat each other like brothers and sisters, not enemies. Through honor and humility, we will build a better Virginia out of the crisis we find ourselves in today."
There was cheering.
"The other candidates are fine people, and would be fine governors. But I am the best candidate for this task, folks. When I served in Congress, I was a uniter, not a divider. As an author, I wrote books and made movies that brought the country together, creating positive conversations for family dinner tables instead of the constant negative ones. More importantly, folks, I know how to handle a crisis, because I've seen my life fall apart twice. First as a little black boy growin' up durin' the segregated south, second when lost my family, my career, and my life by my own damn fault 16 years ago. Both times I had to build myself back up through humility, honor, and trust in God. I know what it's like to go to Hell and back, and I know now how to make sure the same doesn't happen to Virginia. It is through honor and service, folks, that we will see Virginia out of this recession, that we will weather the storm comin' out of Washington. I am battle tested and I am ready to Iead!"
There was more cheering and chants of Clearwater's name. The stadium seats emptied as the audience members spilled onto the grass to talk to Clearwater or get pictures.
