Ok that’s enough. I’m sick of being uninspired.
I’m making a new character and I’m jumping headfirst into a presidential primary. Just wait.
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by Sanabel » Wed Jan 01, 2020 7:32 pm
by Velahor » Wed Jan 01, 2020 9:42 pm
by Sanabel » Wed Jan 01, 2020 10:08 pm
by Sanabel » Wed Jan 01, 2020 10:09 pm
Velahor wrote:Okay San, here it is. Feedback from anyone is very appreciated, I know it’s far from perfect at this point. I made a few small grammatical changes and clarified a few details since I posted[/quote]
Character Information Sheet
NS Nation Name: Velahor
Character Name: William Russell Sanderson
Character Gender: Male
Character Age: 46
Character Height: 5’11
Character Weight: 170
Character Position/Role/Job: attorney, chief legal counsel at Twitter, noted politically independent donor
Appearance:
Character State of Origin: Colorado
Character State of Residence: California
Character Party Affiliation: Libertarian (1991-1993)
Unaffiliated (1993-present)
Main Strengths: very talented public speaker, master negotiator, smart investor, well-connected in tech and politics, tireless worker, strong-willed, independent, has wide-ranging interests and a wealth of knowledge in these areas, in power couple marriage with Representative Kaiti Sanderson
Main Weaknesses: More practical than ideological, not allowed to publicly talk about politics due to job, impulsive, occasionally arrogant, inconsistent in his opinions at times, troubled relationship with family, easily bored, suffers from ADD but mostly taken care of with medication, struggles to de-escalate intense situations, “medical” cannabis user (not a performance issue but can be spun as a weakness by opponents)
Biography: William Russell Sanderson was born August 19th, 1973 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He is the son of two well-known local defense attorneys. The first of five children, William was a a natural leader, who as a child always felt like he related more to to adults than other children. A voracious reader, he was reading at an advanced level as a 1st grader. Throughout his childhood, he experienced significant emotional abuse from his parents and other family members as well as several instances of physical abuse. He was bullied heavily as a child as well, but regardless, he maintained a confident personality and attitude. But at the same time, he spent his early elementary years in special education/gifted & talented programs as his ADD caused him to be absent-minded at times. His school performance improved in middle school when he was put on medication, went through a growth spurt, and found his talent for public speaking.
He attended high school in Steamboat Springs, and after graduating as valedictorian of his class he attended New York University majoring in political science. After his first year of college, he had a falling out with his parents and he hasn’t spoken to them since. He graduated with his undergrad, and went straight into law school, where he got a 4.0 GPA in addition to the presiding over the school’s law journal. He met his future wife Kaiti while at NYU. After graduating from law school, he was offered a job at Kirkland & Ellis in New York City, where he quickly rose to being one of the most trusted associate attorneys in the firm. During his time at Kirkland & Ellis, Mr. Sanderson worked with high profile clients including Microsoft, General Motors, and the estate of Michael Jackson.
In 2007, he relocated to Kirkland & Ellis’ San Francisco offices. In 2010, he was hired into Twitter’s legal department, and was appointed to be their Chief Legal Officer in 2014, a position which he has held ever since. He has been instrumental in developing the privacy and content policies of Twitter as well as its compliance with employment law.
He is very private about his political beliefs, and public interest groups have noted that he “seems to have no party loyalty” with his donations, having given to Democrats, Republicans, and the occasional Libertarian. His name is on some early 1990’s Libertarian Party membership lists, and that is the most partisanship he has shown.
Internally at Twitter, Mr. Sanderson is often a voice of reason when it comes to Twitter’s policies, simultaneously supporting its role as a platform of public discourse while also asserting its role as a private company to discern the value of silencing some radical voices.
Mr. Sanderson holds a moderately large sum of real estate, stock, and company investments, with a net worth estimated in the $2-$4 million dollar range.
Other Info:
Privately, Mr. Sanderson considers himself a “realitarian,” having stated to close friends and family members that a libertarian society is ideal but that inequality and oppression caused by cronyism and the state have thrown our society out of balance, meaning that society must be repaired before government is scaled back. He sees the transition from authoritarian mega-state to decentralized libertarian state to be a slow one that will take its place over at least half a century. He also has deep concerns about automation’s effects on society but he has not determined what the proper course of action to correct it would be. All of these beliefs are NOT public, and he often sticks to typical liberal-esque talking points in conversation with more distant friends and acquaintances.
Nonetheless, Mr. Sanderson would realistically be better considered an economic centrist, pro-free trade, anti-war, and a social liberal (not a progressive, just a liberal).
The Sandersons live in a beautifully renovated 1950’s Eichler home in Palo Alto. They own property in Palm Springs, the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, and a loft in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC.
Mr. Sanderson wants to have a child some time before he turns 50. Mrs. Sanderson is unsure of that now that she has taken office as a Representative.
Mr. Sanderson is prohibited by contract to Twitter from making media appearances regarding political issues or posting about politics on social media. He did not even publicly speak in regards to his wife’s candidacy for the House due to this obligation. He has toyed with the idea of a California gubernatorial run or even a long-shot 2020 presidential bid piggybacking off of the name recognition earned due to his wife being a Representative.
I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay: Velahor
Do Not Remove: 84721
It’s getting late here- sorry to keep you waiting but I’ll have to look in the morning!
by Main Nation Ministry » Wed Jan 01, 2020 10:27 pm
Velahor wrote:No problem!
by Velahor » Wed Jan 01, 2020 10:43 pm
by Bruke » Wed Jan 01, 2020 11:23 pm
Sanabel wrote:
NS Nation Name: Sanabel
Character Name: Wayne M. Esposito
Character Gender: Boy
Character Age: 65
Character Height: 6’2”
Character Weight: 190 lbs
Character Position/Role/Job: Governor of California (2003-2011), Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (1991-1994), US Marine Corps (1971-1975)
Appearance:
(Image)
Character State of Origin: Texas
Character State of Residence: California
Character Party Affiliation: Republican
Main Strengths: Universally known by the electorate, popular among older voters especially, experienced from running the largest state in the country
Main Weaknesses: Constantly shifting on policy, brash, impatient campaigner, impressionable on policy
Biography:
Wayne Esposito was born in 1953 to a working class couple in a trailer park outside of Sedona, Arizona. His father worked as a vacuum salesman and his mother was a diner waitress. He had a rather rough upbringing, sometimes abused, often neglected, leaving him starved of attention by his parents who were either at work or dead tired.
He had a nondescript time at high school, neither the most athletic nor the most intelligent, and he seemed to just drift through his childhood. Around the age of 16, he got into trouble for fighting and for possession of marijuana, charges that were expunged from his record as he entered adulthood.
In 1971, at the age of 18, he gratefully left Arizona and his troubles by enlisting in the Marine Corps. He was quickly shipped off to Vietnam. During his time there, he most notably fought in the battle of Battle of Cửa Việt, and assisted with the evacuation of Saigon. He earned no major accolades or recognition. In 1975, following the American withdrawal from Vietnam, he was assigned to Camp Pendleton. Following his honorable discharge in 1976, Wayne opted to remain in California, working in a Los Angeles Mexican restaurant as a dishwasher and sharing a house with a few of his buddies from his time in the Marine Corps.
One of his friends and housemates was an aspiring actor. One day in 1977, his friend nudged him to audition for a commercial for a new shaving cream, to earn extra cash. Wayne auditioned and got the role. He was excited by the proposition of making some cash, so he landed another commercial role. Soon after he was scouted and picked up by a fairly prestigious agency for his laid back style and rugged good looks.
In 1979 he broke into the movie scene with a small role in Escape from Alcatraz. 1980 saw a few western flicks make a comeback, including The Range starring Wayne Esposito himself. In 1981 his career became even more serious with his first marriage, the birth of his first son, and his subsequent first divorce. He would forever blame his first wife for the fact that he passed up the role of Indiana Jones.
The early 80s were filled with more action flicks, another marriage, and more money. Esposito moved into a ranch in the valley and fancied himself the next John Wayne. He became more political, inspired by Reagan’s 1984 campaign, having already been a life long Republican from the conservative bastion of Arizona.
In the late 80s, his career hit something of a dry spell as he attempted to transition into more dramatic roles, failing miserably. He was trashed by critics, lampooned, and even driven to consider giving up acting. During this time he had emotional troubles, divorcing his second wife and losing custody of the two children he shared with his second wife.
He tried his hand at production, producing and directing the cult classic Dynamo and Dynamo II in 1989 and 1990 respectively. Having made a significant campaign contribution to Burke Sr, he was nominated for the position of Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. He did not realize he was entering a vipers nest.
He came in during a tumultuous time for the NEA, as the president directed him to cut grants to certain individual artists. He did so, and defended it publicly with vigor. This earned him political attention, but caused many in Hollywood to assume this was the final nail in the coffin of his acting career. During his final year as Chairman, however, Esposito rehabilitated his image by increasing the endowment’s funding by over a third, by courting his Hollywood connections and other donors. This was also notably during the Clifford administration.
Wayne rocked Hollywood by starring in the 1994 superhero movie The Blade, despite his relative age and reputation as a has-been. He was taken on for the role as a third choice, and producers knew they were taking a chance by casting a typecast character of his variety for the role. Fortunately he did well, looking far younger with his hair dyed dark and with his western accent concealed. He went on to star in The Blade Returns in 1995 and The Blade vs Superman in 1996. By the last movie his star had faded immensely, and the box office success did not continue. Sensing a sharp decline and afraid of becoming a washed up has-been again, Wayne retired from acting on his own terms.
He went to his ranch and raised cattle. He also married for a third and (thus far) final time, leading a quiet life. In 2000 he was asked to speak at the Republican National Convention, a task he took to heart. Doing exceptionally well, he was rumored to harbor plans to run for office, seen as a hope to reverse the Republican slide in California.
In 2003, (Not Gray Davis) was recalled. Esposito had put his political aspirations on the back burner with the birth of twins he intended to raise properly, but the Republican Party drafted him to run for governor in the special election. After crushing the debates, holding massive rallies, and winning the hearts and minds of millions of Californians, Wayne won the election by 10 points with 49% of the vote.
Wayne was a popular governor and popular nationally. He delivered a well watched address at the 2004 Republican National Convention. He took a moderate tack, supporting gay rights, describing himself as pro-life with a few exceptions, and openly sought consensus with Democrats in the legislature.
He did, however, take action to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining drivers licenses. He raised fees on the licenses as well. Many expected he would tack even further to the center. He did not, and won re-election with only 51% of the vote.
He remained a moderate Republican in his second term, but did not tack too far left. He worked to root out corruption in the state government, and reach consensus on water and land conservation. He also remained neutral in the 2008 Republican primary. Finally, he opposes amending California’s 3 strike criminal policy.
The Esposito governorship ended with mixed approval and not many accomplishments. Like many blue state governors, his biggest impact was on moderating the Democratic legislature. However, he was considered presidential material in 2012. He declined to run as he sought to reignite his film career with a supporting role in Expendables II and an appearance in a reboot of The Blade. His career fizzled and he ended up re-entering retirement.
During his new retirement he and his wife had a final child, and both became born-again Christians. In 2016 Esposito flirted with a run for President, but declined to do so. In 2018, he flirted with a run for Senate, but he decided it would be a fool’s errand. Now that 2020 is here, he may run after all...
Other Info: Born again Christian, his oldest of six total children is looking to enter politics himself
I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay: (Your Nation's Name Here)
Do Not Remove: 84721
by The World Capitalist Confederation » Thu Jan 02, 2020 6:57 am
The World Capitalist Confederation wrote:Might as well get a second character whilst Vohoffsky is doing his thing:
NS Nation Name: The World Capitalist Confederation
Character Name:Martin Taylor V2John Steinitz
Character Gender: Male
Character Age: 73
Character Height: 190cm
Character Weight: 70kg
Character Position/Role/Job: Representative of the 11th District of Ohio, Chairman of the House Progressive Caucus, Former Chairman of the Minority Socialist Movement
Appearance: Bayard Rustin
Character State of Origin: Ohio
Character State of Residence: Ohio
Character Party Affiliation: Republican (1968-1980), Independent (1980-1984), Democrat (1984-2000, 2000-), Independent (2000)
Main Strengths: High name recognition, particularly in the Rust Belt, very popular amongst minorities and a strong, firebrand progressive. Seen as a hero by many thanks to his actions against the Vietnam War and against the remaining segregationists.
Main Weaknesses: Often controversial, particularly due to his actions in the in 1960s, hated by middle-class suburban whites, little money despite his political position, is seen as an old and dying breed.
Biography: Born to working-class parents in Ohio, Steinitz became involved with black rights movements at a young age, with one of his radical friends roping him in to the black rights movements, as he was born in the time of segregation. After finishing his education at high school, he became more involved in radical movements at college and university, being truly involved at the death of Malcolm X, as he formed the Black Society of the Ohio State University whilst studying for his political science degree. The formation of this society and his radicalisation of the other black students led to a large fight between him and some of the students at the rival White Rights Society, particularly as George Wallace had just lost the election less than three years ago. The rivalry continued until Steinitz finished university and began to enter politics.
He first entered politics in 1968, joining Richard Nixon's campaign in order to prevent the Democrats from retaining their power, along with stopping George Wallace from gaining power. With Nixon winning the election, he remained on Nixon's staff, helping him reduce the amount of US troops in Vietnam and pass environmental regulation. He later resigned at the eve of Watergate, helping the impeachment proceedings move forward as he turned against Nixon.
In 1976, he joined McCarthy's campaign staff, hoping to clutch at least 1%. He would've stayed with the Republicans, had it not been for Ford's pardon of Nixon. He also wrote a book at this time, entitled "The New Republic: The Rising Tide", in which he suggested radical action to change the United States, from busing and the removal of the death penalty to free healthcare and a second bill of rights. The book, whilst not well-received at the time, is now widely known, if not read, by left-wing figures.
Meanwhile, as the 1980 campaign rolled around, he turned his support to John Anderson, disillusioned from the Republican Party completely, as he saw it turn further towards the right. He assisted the Anderson campaign in its early stages, helping to increase its publicity and support. He was later picked by Anderson as VP Candidate, which he accepted mostly for his future ambitions, as he ran for Congressman of Ohio's 11th District in 1982, still an independent, albeit supported by the local Democrats as he caucused with them. He also formed the Minority Socialist Movement in 1982, seeing his election as a turning point in American history, joining up with the other minority progressive representatives to form a small bloc which later endorsed Jackson and later Mondale after the "Hynietown" comment. He later became affiliated with the Mondale campaign, during which he made a keynote speech at an MSM meeting fiercely attacking Reagan and the Drug War, along with many of Reagan's racist comments, calling Reagan a "West Coast Confederate" who seeked to "enslave the black race" and "dehumanise and delegitimise us [the blacks] by generalising and stereotyping us as drug takers, who did nothing but rape women and shoot each other...And then use that as an excuse to come into our communities, murder us and enslave us in these new private prisons. I say this not just to my fellow blacks, but also to all Americans: voting for Reagan is like voting for a bullet to be put between your eyes. Anyone who votes for Reagan is either rich, white and the owner of an arms company...or just a plain lunatic.", which gave him much bad publicity amongst the right and much good publicity amongst the left. Reagan even addressed him, saying that his comments were "hypocritical. The War on Drugs started under Nixon, the man that he worked for for his entire term in office."
However, Reagan still came into office in 1984, and so Steinitz got to work on another book: "Neoliberalism: The Murderers of Chicago" denouncing Reaganite economics as nothing but "pseudo-economic trite that would bring America to a much worse recession than before. The economy might be working now, but selling state assets will not lead to economic prosperity, only to temporary growth." which, whilst denounced by economists in his time, was still well-read for his stances on war, and many a progressive today will say that he was right in hindsight.
He also wrote another book known as "Israel and Apartheid: A Case of Modern Racism", talking about how those who wanted to fight racism abroad needed to focus on Israel as well, no matter the cost. The book was also his first truly pro-Palestine stance, as he also added to the mounting pressure against apartheid, promoting two causes at the same time. He also famously called Apartheid "South African Jim Crow" and Israel's Palestinian incursions a "case of modern genocide". He also rallied against the Gulf War, calling Operation Enduring Freedom "an imperialistic invasion which will sentence many brave young men to death". The MSM also merged with the new House Progressive Caucus in
In 1992, he and the new Progressive Caucus, under his influence (albeit not leadership), supported [not-Tom Harkin], and Steinitz was again offered VP, which he accepted, but it did not come to fruition due to [not-Clinton] winning the primary and Harkin dropping out. He wrote another book during the Clinton's term, known as "The Rising Tide Revisited", in which he attacks certain wings of the Democratic Party, declaring that "the pestilence of neoliberalism has infected the Democrats as well, and so we, like any immune system, must rid this disease from our bodies.", and declares that the Rising Tide will finally strike within the next 40 years, and that "A great battle shall erupt between the elites and the people, with the elites planning to double down and the people finally fighting back. Who will win this battle? We shall see.". The book was effectively a rallying call to the progressive movement, strengthening them further and increasing their resolve. It was also very famous, whether for good or bad.
Upon the eve of the millennium, the Battle of Seattle began as [not-Clinton] attempted to join the WTO. That was the last straw. The Progressives actively rebelled against Clinton, but moderate Republican votes allowed [not-Clinton] to join the WTO anyway. Despite this, it was still a win for the Progressives anyway, as the Democrat Party finally began to stir with the call of Progressivism. Progressives actively encouraged people to vote for [not-Nader], as he reached 5% in the polls, perhaps even slightly higher at times. The Democrats, however, despite winning the popular vote - with [not-Bush II] getting a mere 45% of the popular vote - still lost to him as Progressive rebels showed off their power to the moderate wing, humbling them and actively presenting themselves as a powerful force.
After showing their feathers, however, the Progressives got back to work, slowly mobilising their base, ready to begin swaying the Democrats further left. Progress was slow, but worth it. They had formed their own think-tank, known as Progress, along with a newspaper and website, sending out news to their base and effectively showing themselves as a popular movement. Their aggressiveness increased even more with the beginning of the Iraq War, as Steinitz fanned flames of [not-Bush] being impeached for war crimes and "the murder of over a million, perhaps even over two million people", rallying his base against the Iraq War, and pushing against [not-Bush] himself.
He had intensified his attacks heavily, writing a book, with consultation from progressive lawyers, about the [not-Bush] administration and its "war and international crimes", which paved the way for his 2004 campaign, where he was just barely beaten by [not-John Kerry] in the primaries. The election went as usual, Kerry lost, etc, etc...Steinitz continued to sponsor bills in the House, even writing a few himself. He was waiting for the perfect time to finally strike out. If even the Democrats weren't ready for him, he needed to keep going.
But then, in 2008, came an opportunity. The world had just come out of the worst recession yet, and he held the perfect scapegoat in his hand. He blamed the banks, the elites and the rich. He almost won the primary, beating out [not-Clinton] but still losing to [not-Obama]. He was offered VP almost as a consolation prize or an attempt to unify the party, but he simply declined, as he still believed that [not-Obama] was one of the neoliberals he needed to fight against. He continued mobilising the base and declaring in his new book "The Neo-Progressive Revolution" that the time had finally come, as Steinitz seeked to "get a progressive in office by 2024 at the latest", perhaps even considering yet another run in 2016.
He moved through the [not-Obama] administration, begrudgingly voting for the ACA as he continued to charge forward with his movement. He was effectively kept shut by the whip, who was effectively able to bribe him enough with future power to prevent him from rebelling. This didn't stop him and parts of his caucus from rebelling, creating the "End All Sales to Terrorism" or EAST Act, which was meant to "block US companies from selling arms to states which had been complicit in terrorist activity", specifically targeted at Saudi Arabia. The bill ultimately failed, as the Republican House and [not-Obama] supporters both blocked it.
He seeked to run in 2016, but then decided to stockpile his resources instead, letting [not-Sanders] fight the battle instead. He was still heavily endorsed, but Steinitz had hoped to use his time in the [not-Sanders] campaign to continue building grassroots support, as he had believed that running in 2020 would be much preferable, particularly since there would be a President with a record to attack.
He seems to have gotten a jackpot in that aspect,thanks to the Wolf Presidency, and he now moves to take the Presidency, ready to take his seat in the Oval Office as an icon of the progressive movement. Rumours of him running for Presidency are increasing, and whilst he has not announced it, his latest book, which was a large hit amongst left-wing readers, namely "A Socioeconomic Thesis: A Vision for the Future" is hinting at him running, as it seems it will become his manifesto for the campaign.
Other Info: If the HPC Chairman is taken, I'll go for Chairman of Progress instead.
I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay: (Your Nation's Name Here)
Do Not Remove: 84721
by West Bromwich Holme » Thu Jan 02, 2020 11:52 am
by Azekopolaltion » Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:26 pm
by Dentali » Thu Jan 02, 2020 5:37 pm
Azekopolaltion wrote:Yikes, was expecting the national polling drop but kinda got caught off guard by some of the state numbers, ngl. Namely Nevada and New Hampshire. Oh well, still early.
by The World Capitalist Confederation » Thu Jan 02, 2020 5:57 pm
by Main Nation Ministry » Thu Jan 02, 2020 8:07 pm
by The World Capitalist Confederation » Thu Jan 02, 2020 8:10 pm
Main Nation Ministry wrote:I want to fix this page by having it go to the next one.
by Gordano and Lysandus » Thu Jan 02, 2020 8:16 pm
by Main Nation Ministry » Thu Jan 02, 2020 8:25 pm
by Sanabel » Thu Jan 02, 2020 8:38 pm
Velahor wrote:Character Information Sheet
NS Nation Name: Velahor
Character Name: Kaiti (Ho) Sanderson
Character Gender: Female
Character Age: 39
Character Height: 5’5
Character Weight: 135
Character Position/Role/Job: clinical psychologist, author/podcaster, US Representative for California’s 18th district
Appearance: (Image)
Character State of Origin: California
Character State of Residence: California
Character Party Affiliation: Unaffiliated moderate (until 2016)
Democrat (2016-present)
Main Strengths: sharp-witted, talented debater, perceptive, leaves a good first impression, exudes professionalism, organized, a detailed planner, in power couple marriage with Twitter chief legal officer William Sanderson, prior to office had appearance on not-JRE that significantly increased her white male fanbase, social media savvy & connected to tech industry
Main Weaknesses: cold and ruthless, shows no remorse for her actions, considered disloyal, unapologetically a “coastal elite,” vengeful, stubbornly refuses to participate in identity politics no matter the cost, straightforward mindset leads her to not understand the complexity and nuance of ideology or policy, not very popular with LGBTQ activists because of a gaffe about trans people, gets paranoid that others are scheming against her, struggles to get over perceived slights
Biography:
Kaiti (pronounced Katie) Ho was born in March 27th, 1980 in San Jose, California, to teen parents living on the east side of town. Her mother, half Filipino and half White, gave birth to her two months prior to her high school graduation and therefore dropped out. Her Vietnamese biological father left shortly after her birth, and she was primarily raised by her grandparents and her mother. Her grandparents were both involved in the early days of the Silicon Valley tech industry, and her mother eventually took a low-level Secretary job. In 1986, her mother married James Bergmann, an Apple employee who was instrumental in developing Apple’s Newton personal digital assistant platform (a program that was eventually discontinued when Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997).
Kaiti attended high school at The College Preparatory School in Oakland, CA. A shy girl, she was not particularly popular or well-liked, having kept close to her small group of friends. She played tennis for one year, but mostly stayed focused on academics and debate club. She graduated in 1998.
She was offered a scholarship to New York University where she studied psychology and met law student William Sanderson. 7 years older than her, William, a 3rd year law student, was at a underground bar in the East Village, when the 19 year old Kaiti introduced herself to him on a dare from a friend. The two ended up getting along right away. They became quite close, and were friends for nearly 6 months before officially dating. He always insisted that the reason why they worked so well was the way that her strengths made up for his weaknesses and vice-versa; she attributed it to the way she always learned new things when she was around him.
Will began working as a lawyer at a major corporate law firm, and upon Kaiti’s graduation from her undergrad in 2002, the couple moved to San Francisco and was married in Golden Gate Bridge Park. Kaiti finished her master’s and doctorate in psychology at Berkeley in 2007. She began practicing as a clinical psychologist, and also teaching adjunct at Berkeley. In 2009, she took a sabbatical from teaching to instead work on her research of personality, mental illness, and antisocial personality disorder. This research project was intended to take 8 months, instead, after publishing several papers on the topic during that time, she received a federal grant that allowed her to take that research and make it into a 6 year project, that culminated in a landmark paper regarding the relationships between personality disorders and political extremism. The paper, released in 2015, was highly divisive both among the scientific community and became a topic of national conversation during the 2016 election season. (I’m not sure it’s very common for psychologists only a couple of years out of graduate school to be leading research projects of this kind, usually they continue to work under others before doing so, no?)
Initially, Kaiti had retreated into private life when her paper gained notoriety, not really realizing the uproar it would cause when the media began to tie her findings to the rise of nationalism and extremism worldwide. However, on her husband’s advice, she spent one night orating her extended thoughts on the topics discussed in her paper into a tape recorder. This turned into a podcast, which became popular among her husband’s Silicon Valley tech community, and later a book and lecture tour. Around the time of President Wolf’s inauguration, Kaiti Sanderson was receiving TV airtime on major news networks talking about her book and often called on to give commentary on President Wolf’s mental fitness to serve as commander-in-chief. (From what I understand, this kind of thing is very much frowned upon. Also, if she’s a famous and successful clinical psychologist, why would she switch over to podcasting rather than continue her career?)
In October 2017, when Mrs. Sanderson was approached by Democratic leadership with the opportunity to run for the House of Representatives in the 18th district, she was truly surprised. She’d always thought of herself more as independent than a Democrat, though she’d voted mostly Democrat in 2016. And she’d never, ever considered getting into politics before in her entire life. Nonetheless, she was interested, and with assistance from several of her husband’s co-workers at Twitter and a few of her colleagues at Berkeley, she got the funds to get a campaign off the ground. (Why would they recruit her, of all people to run in a machine district?)
Her campaign was labeled by the press as “uniquely positioned to win” the Democratic primary from the start, as she faced an opponent who was a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist, and another who had run with a platform of breaking up big tech companies.
Late in the primary, polling eventually got really close due to voters’ uneasiness about Sanderson’s moderate economic views. While she never lost a polling advantage, she only won the primary by 2% of the vote. However, in the D+23 district, she handily won the general election in November 2018.
In Congress, she has basically voted party line on social issues and has been a mixed bag on economic ones, as she believes firmly in ceasing all American foreign aid and drastically cutting defense spending to repair America’s budget deficit, as well as her (more private) belief in simplifying the tax code. She was criticized by some LGBTQ advocates for a speech at a feminist organization where she said that “trans women have their own, very real struggles, but those struggles aren’t the same as those faced by biological females, and sometimes directly conflict with each other. So no, I don’t believe that trans women have the same role in feminism that biological women do.” (I’m really not convinced her economic views, especially on foreign aid focusing on the budget are really winning issues in the 18th district, at all.)
In the near future, she plans on introducing bills related to criminal justice reform, cannabis legalization, repealing the NDAA, and implementing a UBI system. After President Wolfe’s most recent state of the union address, she posted a response video that trended on Twitter along with the hashtag #SavageSanderson. She has begun speaking out more lately about the military-industrial complex, recently having referred to it as the “biggest fraud scheme in the history of our American democracy.”
Other Info: She is married to William “Will” Sanderson, a locally well-known Bay Area philanthropist and Twitter’s chief legal officer. She was raised Pentecostal but currently attends a Methodist church.
I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay: Velahor
Do Not Remove: 84721
Character Information Sheet
NS Nation Name: Velahor
Character Name: William Russell Sanderson
Character Gender: Male
Character Age: 46
Character Height: 5’11
Character Weight: 170
Character Position/Role/Job: attorney, chief legal counsel at Twitter, noted politically independent donor
Appearance: (Image)
Character State of Origin: Colorado
Character State of Residence: California
Character Party Affiliation: Libertarian (1991-1993)
Unaffiliated (1993-present)
Main Strengths: very talented public speaker, master negotiator, smart investor, well-connected in tech and politics, tireless worker, strong-willed, independent, has wide-ranging interests and a wealth of knowledge in these areas, in power couple marriage with Representative Kaiti Sanderson
Main Weaknesses: More practical than ideological, not allowed to publicly talk about politics due to job, impulsive, occasionally arrogant, inconsistent in his opinions at times, troubled relationship with family, easily bored, suffers from ADD but mostly taken care of with medication, struggles to de-escalate intense situations, “medical” cannabis user (not a performance issue but can be spun as a weakness by opponents) (These are poor weaknesses, I would make some more effective ones.)
Biography: William Russell Sanderson was born August 19th, 1973 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He is the son of two well-known local defense attorneys. The first of five children, William was a a natural leader, who as a child always felt like he related more to to adults than other children. A voracious reader, he was reading at an advanced level as a 1st grader. Throughout his childhood, he experienced significant emotional abuse from his parents and other family members as well as several instances of physical abuse. He was bullied heavily as a child as well, but regardless, he maintained a confident personality and attitude. But at the same time, he spent his early elementary years in special education/gifted & talented programs as his ADD caused him to be absent-minded at times. His school performance improved in middle school when he was put on medication, went through a growth spurt, and found his talent for public speaking.
He attended high school in Steamboat Springs, and after graduating as valedictorian of his class he attended New York University majoring in political science. After his first year of college, he had a falling out with his parents and he hasn’t spoken to them since. He graduated with his undergrad, and went straight into law school, where he got a 4.0 GPA in addition to the presiding over the school’s law journal. He met his future wife Kaiti while at NYU. After graduating from law school, he was offered a job at Kirkland & Ellis in New York City, where he quickly rose to being one of the most trusted associate attorneys in the firm. During his time at Kirkland & Ellis, Mr. Sanderson worked with high profile clients including Microsoft, General Motors, and the estate of Michael Jackson.
In 2007, he relocated to Kirkland & Ellis’ San Francisco offices. In 2010, he was hired into Twitter’s legal department, and was appointed to be their Chief Legal Officer in 2014, a position which he has held ever since. He has been instrumental in developing the privacy and content policies of Twitter as well as its compliance with employment law. (Other than plot purposes, why would he relocate to San Francisco when he was doing perfectly at the firm’s biggest and probably most important office?)
He is very private about his political beliefs, and public interest groups have noted that he “seems to have no party loyalty” with his donations, having given to Democrats, Republicans, and the occasional Libertarian. His name is on some early 1990’s Libertarian Party membership lists, and that is the most partisanship he has shown. (How can he both be private with his political views and a very public donor? There must be a pattern in the people he gives money to. Unless they are his friends or something, which is probably worse.)
Internally at Twitter, Mr. Sanderson is often a voice of reason when it comes to Twitter’s policies, simultaneously supporting its role as a platform of public discourse while also asserting its role as a private company to discern the value of silencing some radical voices. (How does he do both of this at once without cognitive dissonance? His wife should know about that.)
Mr. Sanderson holds a moderately large sum of real estate, stock, and company investments, with a net worth estimated in the $2-$4 million dollar range. (Seems low for Twitter’s head lawyer.)
Other Info:
Privately, Mr. Sanderson considers himself a “realitarian,” having stated to close friends and family members that a libertarian society is ideal but that inequality and oppression caused by cronyism and the state have thrown our society out of balance, meaning that society must be repaired before government is scaled back. He sees the transition from authoritarian mega-state to decentralized libertarian state to be a slow one that will take its place over at least half a century. He also has deep concerns about automation’s effects on society but he has not determined what the proper course of action to correct it would be. All of these beliefs are NOT public, and he often sticks to typical liberal-esque talking points in conversation with more distant friends and acquaintances.
Nonetheless, Mr. Sanderson would realistically be better considered an economic centrist, pro-free trade, anti-war, and a social liberal (not a progressive, just a liberal).
The Sandersons live in a beautifully renovated 1950’s Eichler home in Palo Alto. They own property in Palm Springs, the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, and a loft in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC.
Mr. Sanderson wants to have a child some time before he turns 50. Mrs. Sanderson is unsure of that now that she has taken office as a Representative.
Mr. Sanderson is prohibited by contract to Twitter from making media appearances regarding political issues or posting about politics on social media. He did not even publicly speak in regards to his wife’s candidacy for the House due to this obligation. He has toyed with the idea of a California gubernatorial run or even a long-shot 2020 presidential bid piggybacking off of the name recognition earned due to his wife being a Representative.
I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay: Velahor
Do Not Remove: 84721
by Gordano and Lysandus » Thu Jan 02, 2020 9:44 pm
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