The Greatest Inside Joke Ever Told: 2059 Political RP [OOC]

[Helowi]

Looking forward to it!

Weekend includes Monday. OP is mostly written. Will post tomorrow!

When is the IC gonna be up?

[Vienna Eliot]

IC is up.

IC time right now is about 8:30am. Better make your way to the Capitol!

[Cainesland]

IC is up.

IC time right now is about 8:30am. Better make your way to the Capitol!

Thank you.

[The Miaphysite Church of Coptic Archism]

I wasn't in the first one so let me know if any of my worldbuilding conflicts with pre-established stuff.

[The Vaktovian Empire]

This is a roleplay I could really get interested in and behind, even though I'm just recently returning from a hiatus that was about a year long, and haven't been on the scene as of late for roleplaying on NS, however I don't have much backstory to the former threads, and the happenings of the previous roleplay other than what is laid out in the OP.

If you could provide more backstory to give me a better understanding of where politics goes from 2018 to 2059 more than just that of which the OP does I would be much more easily able to craft an app of a character that would make sense in this environment.

[The GAmeTopians]

I threw this together during my lunch break, so let me know if there are any issues.

Nessa “Loose Cannon” Flanagan - Democrat

Account Name: The GAmeTopians
Occupation: US Representative from Illinois (IL-2)
Political Ideology: Left-Leaning Centrist Democrat, Environmentalist, Pro-Gun

Family: None
Background:

• Born April 3rd, 2033, in Chicago
• Attended MIT Fall 2051 - Spring 2055, Received BS in Nuclear Science and Engineering
• Leading Clean Energy activist in Illinois 2049-present
• Major Gun Rights Activist, following backlash from failed Chicago gun ban
• Nuclear Scientist at a major fusion experimental facility in Illinois (Part-time 2051- Spring 2055, Full-time Spring 2055-2058)
• Just elected as US Representative from Illinois (IL-2)

Faith: Atheist

Strengths: Strong backing from environmental groups and the NRA, strong economic knowledge, seen as leading source of nuclear and other alternative energy knowledge
Weaknesses: Seen as dangerous by many democrats, thanks to being a critical swing vote on gun-related issues and an overall centrist, as well as being the minimum age for a Representative, has a fiery temper, entirely lacks political experience, overall deemed a “Loose Cannon”

Miscellaneous

• Former Cryptocurrency Investor, Exceedingly Wealthy thanks to a lucky spike in a currency’s value
• Streamed video games on twitch.tv during college, still has widespread popularity in the gaming community

[Zjaum]

I threw this together during my lunch break, so let me know if there are any issues.

Nessa “Loose Cannon” Flanagan - Democrat

(Image)

Account Name: The GAmeTopians
Occupation: US Representative from Illinois (IL-2)
Political Ideology: Left-Leaning Centrist Democrat, Environmentalist, Pro-Gun

Family: None
Background:

• Born April 3rd, 2033, in Chicago
• Attended MIT Fall 2051 - Spring 2055, Received BS in Nuclear Science and Engineering
• Leading Clean Energy activist in Illinois 2049-present
• Major Gun Rights Activist, following backlash from failed Chicago gun ban
• Nuclear Scientist at a major fusion experimental facility in Illinois 2050-2058
• Just elected as US Representative from Illinois (IL-2)

Faith: Atheist

Strengths: Strong backing from environmental groups and the NRA, strong economic knowledge, seen as leading source of nuclear and other alternative energy knowledge
Weaknesses: Seen as dangerous by many democrats, thanks to being a critical swing vote on gun-related issues and an overall centrist, as well as being the minimum age for a Representative, has a fiery temper, entirely lacks political experience, overall deemed a “Loose Cannon”

Miscellaneous

• Former Cryptocurrency Investor, Exceedingly Wealthy thanks to a lucky spike in a currency’s value
• Streamed video games on twitch.tv during college, still has widespread popularity in the gaming community

She must have been really eager to get in. Just barely meets the age requirement! I was confused for a second, but I came from the old RP, so my clock is seven years early, lol.

[Cainesland]

Can senators get involved in what is happening in the house? Or would the senators have something else happening at this time?

[The GAmeTopians]

I threw this together during my lunch break, so let me know if there are any issues.

Nessa “Loose Cannon” Flanagan - Democrat

(Image)

Account Name: The GAmeTopians
Occupation: US Representative from Illinois (IL-2)
Political Ideology: Left-Leaning Centrist Democrat, Environmentalist, Pro-Gun

Family: None
Background:

• Born April 3rd, 2033, in Chicago
• Attended MIT Fall 2051 - Spring 2055, Received BS in Nuclear Science and Engineering
• Leading Clean Energy activist in Illinois 2049-present
• Major Gun Rights Activist, following backlash from failed Chicago gun ban
• Nuclear Scientist at a major fusion experimental facility in Illinois 2050-2058
• Just elected as US Representative from Illinois (IL-2)

Faith: Atheist

Strengths: Strong backing from environmental groups and the NRA, strong economic knowledge, seen as leading source of nuclear and other alternative energy knowledge
Weaknesses: Seen as dangerous by many democrats, thanks to being a critical swing vote on gun-related issues and an overall centrist, as well as being the minimum age for a Representative, has a fiery temper, entirely lacks political experience, overall deemed a “Loose Cannon”

Miscellaneous

• Former Cryptocurrency Investor, Exceedingly Wealthy thanks to a lucky spike in a currency’s value
• Streamed video games on twitch.tv during college, still has widespread popularity in the gaming community

She must have been really eager to get in. Just barely meets the age requirement! I was confused for a second, but I came from the old RP, so my clock is seven years early, lol.

That was intentional

[Vienna Eliot]

This is a roleplay I could really get interested in and behind, even though I'm just recently returning from a hiatus that was about a year long, and haven't been on the scene as of late for roleplaying on NS, however I don't have much backstory to the former threads, and the happenings of the previous roleplay other than what is laid out in the OP.

If you could provide more backstory to give me a better understanding of where politics goes from 2018 to 2059 more than just that of which the OP does I would be much more easily able to craft an app of a character that would make sense in this environment.

Sure, here's a general overview of what's happened since 2018. Anyone else can feel free to add to this in case I've forgotten anything important:

Democrats took back the House and the Senate in November of 2018, which should have been good for Democratic prospects in 2020. But when Mark Zuckerberg ran as an independent, he split Democrat Elizabeth Warren's vote, allowing for the landslide reelection of Donald Trump. His approval ratings continued to sink. 2022 was even better for Democrats. 2024 would be a cinch. And the wall was never built.

The primary was tough, but US Senator Gwen Graham emerged victorious. She defeated Republican Nikki Haley in the general election and was elected president in the fourth Democratic wave in a row. Now with reliable control of Congress and the White House, Democrats implemented liberal and progressive reforms in every portfolio. The Senate ratified the Iran nuclear deal (and consequently gave Iran almost total control over the region and ending the Yemeni and Syrian conflicts).

Democrats still disagreed with each other. A constitutional amendment to repeal the Second Amendment wasn't ratified by the requisite 3/4ths of states. Graham vetoed Medicare for All (after her reelection, of course). The famous "nation of immigrants" speech made by President Graham was embedded in the national memory, but not without angering many northern and midwestern Democrats — many of whom voted for Republican James Comey in 2032.

President Comey's 2032 election witnessed the first geographic shift in the political landscape. The Southwest and the Deep South swung slightly blue. The Northeast, Northwest, and Midwest voted Republican. Comey won the popular vote — major population shifts recorded by the Census also let his parties win majorities in both houses of Congress — and won the electoral vote in a landslide.

Comey made minor shifts in domestic and foreign policy — the political landscape was moving back toward the center — and continued economics trends of modest privatization and increasing protectionism that had started with Trump and continued through Graham. Comey continued to be friendly to immigration, finally fulfilling the "pathway to citizenship," and killing off Republican prospects in the South once and for all.

Comey did make some pivots. Social Security was running out by the end of Graham's term, and national debt was skyrocketing. To solve these problems, he convinced Congress to cut mandatory spending — stripping away parts of the Affordable Care Act and privatizing Social Security, much to the chagrin of progressives. But the American people gave him another mandate in 2036, when he won a majority of the popular vote. He left office as one of the most popular presidents in American history.

Democratic Governor of New York, Aidan O'Connor, got lucky with a poor opponent in 2040. Given Comey's popularity, he ran far to the right and eked out a win with some New England support. This wouldn't last. "Southern Progressive" Dick Fischer, Democratic Governor of Florida, challenged him as an independent in 2044. He managed to keep O'Connor, the Republican, and himself from attaining 270 electoral votes. The House of Representatives, full of conservative Democrats, begrudgingly elected Fischer president, and the Senate gave him a far-right Republican VP.

The conservative Congress didn't deter Fischer. He pushed hard to renationalize Social Security, to introduce a public option for healthcare, and to implement long-overdue populist reforms. He failed at almost all of these. Then he got reelected in 2048 — still technically an independent, but endorsed by the Democratic Party and with a Democratic running mate — and pushed even harder. He still couldn't manage to get much through, but he kept the country running and put the United States in a squarely isolated position after his liberal internationalism proved unpopular. Fischer left office with a 50% approval rating.

In 2052, Democratic Premier of California (which had adopted a parliamentary government) Theo Guess ran against Libertarian Congressman Benjamin Egilson, who earned the Republican nomination. Their primary wins decisively concluded the arguments over what their parties stood for — the Democrats became more progressive, and the Republicans became more moderate and libertarian (not that some folks didn't still disagree with their party nominees' stances). Guess selected Georgia Governor Victoria Randolph as his running mate. Egilson opted for primary opponent and Minnesota Senator Gareth Wright.

Guess and Egilson bounced back and forth a little bit, but Guess ultimately secured a consistent lead in the polls and was projected to be the winner. Then as October waned, the Supreme Court struck down the new Californian Constitution — Guess's brainchild — and the news was leaked that Guess was spearheading an effort to impeach SCOTUS justices. A few gaffes later, the Democratic establishment was distancing itself from Guess. Egilson won the election, securing 272 electoral votes shortly after midnight after Election Day. Guess won a majority of the popular vote, making him sixth candidate to win the popular vote and lose the election, and the 2nd of those to win more than 50% of the vote. (Kennedy also lost the popular vote, but that's ancient history.)

2052 gave Republicans control of both houses of Congress and the presidency. Democrats made steady gains in each house in each succeeding election, even though Democratic Mayor of DC Elizabeth Rice lost the presidential election to Egilson in 2056. In 2058 Democrats won back control of the Senate and, by a single seat, the House.

This supplement also gives political issues in the 2050s. I'll defer to Zjaum on how Egilson has attempted to address any of them.

[Vienna Eliot]

Nessa “Loose Cannon” Flanagan

This is an interesting character. I'd love to see a little more background, but still accepted. I do ask that the years she spent as a nuclear scientist be amended, if not her age even to adjust for that. I tried to be a nuclear scientist at 17. Turns out you have to be 18 to work with radioactive materials in most states, and I don't think our future public servants will have the foresight (hindsight?) to change that.

Can senators get involved in what is happening in the house? Or would the senators have something else happening at this time?

Yes, I imagine Senators would be welcome into the House Caucus meetings. They have their own meeting at noon (same time as the House meets), of course, but we'll assume leadership has already been decided for Senators, as that process is a little more lax.

I wasn't in the first one so let me know if any of my worldbuilding conflicts with pre-established stuff.

We established that the John A. Wilson Building now uses neo grotesque architecture. You're good!

[The GAmeTopians]

Nessa “Loose Cannon” Flanagan

This is an interesting character. I'd love to see a little more background, but still accepted. I do ask that the years she spent as a nuclear scientist be amended, if not her age even to adjust for that. I tried to be a nuclear scientist at 17. Turns out you have to be 18 to work with radioactive materials in most states, and I don't think our future public servants will have the foresight (hindsight?) to change that.

Can senators get involved in what is happening in the house? Or would the senators have something else happening at this time?

Yes, I imagine Senators would be welcome into the House Caucus meetings. They have their own meeting at noon (same time as the House meets), of course, but we'll assume leadership has already been decided for Senators, as that process is a little more lax.

I wasn't in the first one so let me know if any of my worldbuilding conflicts with pre-established stuff.

We established that the John A. Wilson Building now uses neo grotesque architecture. You're good!

Ah, yeah, I just forgot to change the dates on that - she was originally going to be a senator, which meant she was 5 years older. I'll shift the dates on the nuclear scientist thing back.
EDIT: I modified it, should hopefully check out.

[The GAmeTopians]

So this is the "everything goes to shit" time period. Got it.

[Helowi]

Gonna be able to post sometime tomorrow. Excited to see where this goes.

[Zjaum]

I'm just making sure: I will be playing the role of President Egilson, and Helowi will be playing the role of Vice President Wright. Am I correct in this assumption, or will you be playing their roles as a backdrop? I'm preparing my post in the meantime, but both characters.

[Zjaum]

Lunch time was shorter than desired. Huck's post will be either tacked on or posted shortly after. I hope this is a reasonable response for the purposes of this RP.

[Vienna Eliot]

I'm just making sure: I will be playing the role of President Egilson, and Helowi will be playing the role of Vice President Wright. Am I correct in this assumption, or will you be playing their roles as a backdrop? I'm preparing my post in the meantime, but both characters.

That's correct — they are both still your characters, always will be. You didn't go through a whole presidential campaign for nothing!

Lunch time was shorter than desired. Huck's post will be either tacked on or posted shortly after. I hope this is a reasonable response for the purposes of this RP.

That's fine — once Huck's post is added, I'll probably write up the beginning for each meeting so we can get down to business.

[Helowi]

Who’s going to RP as the FBI Director?

[Zjaum]

Who’s going to RP as the FBI Director?

I presumed it would be Vienna. You still there, Eliot? I can take over if work's got you preoccupied.

[Vienna Eliot]

Who’s going to RP as the FBI Director?

I presumed it would be Vienna. You still there, Eliot? I can take over if work's got you preoccupied.

Sorry, was busy this week. You can RP the FBI director. I’ll be posting this weekend.

[Helowi]

I presumed it would be Vienna. You still there, Eliot? I can take over if work's got you preoccupied.

Sorry, was busy this week. You can RP the FBI director. I’ll be posting this weekend.

Is the post coming soon. Sorry if I’m putting pressure on you, but I’m just really excited for this RP.

[Zjaum]

Sorry, was busy this week. You can RP the FBI director. I’ll be posting this weekend.

Is the post coming soon. Sorry if I’m putting pressure on you, but I’m just really excited for this RP.

As am I. I can post tomorrow.

[Helowi]

Is the post coming soon. Sorry if I’m putting pressure on you, but I’m just really excited for this RP.

As am I. I can post tomorrow.

I’m probably going to post again today as Williamson arriving at the meeting.

[Vienna Eliot]

So sorry for the incredibly late post, I'm terrible. I won't let the RP die though, you have my word.

Now, I can't promise that all the people involved are going to make it out alive...

[Zjaum]

So sorry for the incredibly late post, I'm terrible. I won't let the RP die though, you have my word.

Now, I can't promise that all the people involved are going to make it out alive...

Dead people! Fun!