The Land Of The Free: An American Political Roleplay (IC)

[Stellonia]

M.C. Fenton slid open her desk drawer and gingerly reached for her blue flip phone — the political phone. She flicked it open and looked up at the screen, where her eyes landed upon the number she wanted to call. She scanned it briefly and looked back down at her keypad. She entered the ten digits slowly and pressed the Call button. As she pressed the phone to her ear, a rather gravelly male voice began to speak at her. "Thank you for calling the Porter campaign. Unfortunately, we are receiving a lot of calls at this time, so we cannot speak to you at the moment. If you would like to leave a message, please press—" Fenton took the phone from her ear and eagerly pressed the 1 button. Another voice, this time of a middle-aged female, began to speak. "Please leave your message after the tone," the voice instructed. "Hello," said Fenton. "This is M.C. Fenton, former Mayor of Houston. I am calling because I wish to directly speak to Secretary Porter regarding a matter of policy. Please call me back at," and then she recited the number for the blue flip phone. She hung up, opened her desk, and set the phone back in.

[Solomons Land]

Senate Republican Caucus Luncheon, Senate Dining Room, Washington, DC

After most of the senators filed into the ornate room, browsed the buffet, and situated themselves in their seats, the Majority Leader stood, knocked his fist on the table, and began to speak.

“Senators, senators, thank you for coming here today. As you’ve probably guessed, the purpose of this caucus meeting is to discuss the recent gun legislation proposed by our Democratic colleagues. As you’ve probably also guessed, it is our job to kill the legislation as quickly and quietly as possible.

The plan, first and foremost, is to put as much space as possible between the tragedy in Roanoke and a floor vote as possible. We all know the Democrats and their partners in the media sensationalize gun legislation, but the media will forget with enough time. That is why our immediate priority is the Berentsen hearing- to change the news cycle.

When the vote comes, I don’t want to see any grandstanding. We will push it through the procedures with as little debate as possible. I hope that is clear. Then, Senator Frankston and I will be enforcing a hard whip on this bill. Suraj Shah makes the math a little bit trickier than we’d like. If you do not vote against this legislation, your committee assignments will be reconsidered to say the least.”

Warrick paused, before going back into his monotonous speech.

“I know some of you,” he looked at the Senators from Maine and Colorado, “Will be hesitant, but Senator Merriam has graciously offered to assist with convincing you further.” He nodded to the lady from New Hampshire.

“Finally, I know the Senator from Pennsylvania has long considered gun reform to be a major aspiration. Given this, we will discuss privately how he intends to vote on this legislation. However the rest of you have an obligation to vote ‘nay.’ No ifs, ands, or buts. Any questions before I continue?”

"If the P.A. Senator votes 'aye' we are down to 51, which is not very good at all. We need a stronger majority, so I suggest whipping them and looking at trying to convince blue dogs and vunerable democrats."

Fitzdaniel looked down at his Book of Mormon, and he read: “I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” He realized that he must endure the ridicule of the Republican whip. Voting against the Republican standard was his form of self sacrifice.
"I refuse to allow another tragedy like this. I will vote 'aye', no matter what you guys do to me!"

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

M.C. Fenton slid open her desk drawer and gingerly reached for her blue flip phone — the political phone. She flicked it open and looked up at the screen, where her eyes landed upon the number she wanted to call. She scanned it briefly and looked back down at her keypad. She entered the ten digits slowly and pressed the Call button. As she pressed the phone to her ear, a rather gravelly male voice began to speak at her. "Thank you for calling the Porter campaign. Unfortunately, we are receiving a lot of calls at this time, so we cannot speak to you at the moment. If you would like to leave a message, please press—" Fenton took the phone from her ear and eagerly pressed the 1 button. Another voice, this time of a middle-aged female, began to speak. "Please leave your message after the tone," the voice instructed. "Hello," said Fenton. "This is M.C. Fenton, former Mayor of Houston. I am calling because I wish to directly speak to Secretary Porter regarding a matter of policy. Please call me back at," and then she recited the number for the blue flip phone. She hung up, opened her desk, and set the phone back in.

Porter called back, after some time.

"Hello, Madam Mayor, what would you like from me?"

[Agarntrop]

"If the P.A. Senator votes 'aye' we are down to 51, which is not very good at all. We need a stronger majority, so I suggest whipping them and looking at trying to convince blue dogs and vunerable democrats."

Fitzdaniel looked down at his Book of Mormon, and he read: “I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” He realized that he must endure the ridicule of the Republican whip. Voting against the Republican standard was his form of self sacrifice.
"I refuse to allow another tragedy like this. I will vote 'aye', no matter what you guys do to me!"

"Endorsing Porter and now this? You are in the wrong party my guy. The solution is more guns, not less. We need more self defense."

[Jovuistan]

"If the P.A. Senator votes 'aye' we are down to 51, which is not very good at all. We need a stronger majority, so I suggest whipping them and looking at trying to convince blue dogs and vunerable democrats."

Fitzdaniel looked down at his Book of Mormon, and he read: “I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” He realized that he must endure the ridicule of the Republican whip. Voting against the Republican standard was his form of self sacrifice.
"I refuse to allow another tragedy like this. I will vote 'aye', no matter what you guys do to me!"

Slater looked at Fitzdaniel in a mix of shock and confusion. "Excuse me, did you just say you'd vote 'aye'?"

[Sanabel]

Senate Republican Caucus Luncheon, Senate Dining Room, Washington, DC

After most of the senators filed into the ornate room, browsed the buffet, and situated themselves in their seats, the Majority Leader stood, knocked his fist on the table, and began to speak.

“Senators, senators, thank you for coming here today. As you’ve probably guessed, the purpose of this caucus meeting is to discuss the recent gun legislation proposed by our Democratic colleagues. As you’ve probably also guessed, it is our job to kill the legislation as quickly and quietly as possible.

The plan, first and foremost, is to put as much space as possible between the tragedy in Roanoke and a floor vote as possible. We all know the Democrats and their partners in the media sensationalize gun legislation, but the media will forget with enough time. That is why our immediate priority is the Berentsen hearing- to change the news cycle.

When the vote comes, I don’t want to see any grandstanding. We will push it through the procedures with as little debate as possible. I hope that is clear. Then, Senator Frankston and I will be enforcing a hard whip on this bill. Suraj Shah makes the math a little bit trickier than we’d like. If you do not vote against this legislation, your committee assignments will be reconsidered to say the least.”

Warrick paused, before going back into his monotonous speech.

“I know some of you,” he looked at the Senators from Maine and Colorado, “Will be hesitant, but Senator Merriam has graciously offered to assist with convincing you further.” He nodded to the lady from New Hampshire.

“Finally, I know the Senator from Pennsylvania has long considered gun reform to be a major aspiration. Given this, we will discuss privately how he intends to vote on this legislation. However the rest of you have an obligation to vote ‘nay.’ No ifs, ands, or buts. Any questions before I continue?”

"If the P.A. Senator votes 'aye' we are down to 51, which is not very good at all. We need a stronger majority, so I suggest whipping them and looking at trying to convince blue dogs and vunerable democrats."

“Senator Anderson, we could try and convince senators like Trahan of West Virginia. Would you like to help take on that responsibility?”

[Agarntrop]

"If the P.A. Senator votes 'aye' we are down to 51, which is not very good at all. We need a stronger majority, so I suggest whipping them and looking at trying to convince blue dogs and vunerable democrats."

“Senator Anderson, we could try and convince senators like Trahan of West Virginia. Would you like to help take on that responsibility?”

"Sure. Are Shah or (not Jones) likely to vote against? They are both extremely vunerable."

[Sanabel]

"If the P.A. Senator votes 'aye' we are down to 51, which is not very good at all. We need a stronger majority, so I suggest whipping them and looking at trying to convince blue dogs and vunerable democrats."

Fitzdaniel looked down at his Book of Mormon, and he read: “I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” He realized that he must endure the ridicule of the Republican whip. Voting against the Republican standard was his form of self sacrifice.
"I refuse to allow another tragedy like this. I will vote 'aye', no matter what you guys do to me!"

“Well, do that and you can kiss your committee assignments goodbye. You’ll have no future say in policy or the direction of this Caucus. And Senator, you’ll be out of a job by 2021.”

[Solomons Land]

Fitzdaniel looked down at his Book of Mormon, and he read: “I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” He realized that he must endure the ridicule of the Republican whip. Voting against the Republican standard was his form of self sacrifice.
"I refuse to allow another tragedy like this. I will vote 'aye', no matter what you guys do to me!"

"Endorsing Porter and now this? You are in the wrong party my guy. The solution is more guns, not less. We need more self defense."

"I cannot stand by while innocent people die. Do you seriously believe giving everyone a gun makes people less likely to shoot them? All it takes is one crazy man to take a pure, human soul, made in the image of the Lord."

[Sanabel]

“Senator Anderson, we could try and convince senators like Trahan of West Virginia. Would you like to help take on that responsibility?”

"Sure. Are Shah or (not Jones) likely to vote against? They are both extremely vunerable."

“Try with Shah. (not Jones) has a liberal reputation, unfortunately for his own job security.”

[Agarntrop]

"Endorsing Porter and now this? You are in the wrong party my guy. The solution is more guns, not less. We need more self defense."

"I cannot stand by while innocent people die. Do you seriously believe giving everyone a gun makes people less likely to shoot them? All it takes is one crazy man to take a pure, human soul, made in the image of the Lord."

"My state has where you think the Garden of Eden was in it."

[Agarntrop]

"Sure. Are Shah or (not Jones) likely to vote against? They are both extremely vunerable."

“Try with Shah. (not Jones) has a liberal reputation, unfortunately for his own job security.”

"Cool. What about the Alaska sen?"

[Jovuistan]

"I cannot stand by while innocent people die. Do you seriously believe giving everyone a gun makes people less likely to shoot them? All it takes is one crazy man to take a pure, human soul, made in the image of the Lord."

"My state has where you think the Garden of Eden was in it."

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Slater hushed VERY loudly.

"Senator Fitzdaniel, beyond any repercussions for your job and ability to pass policies for America, I want you to understand that we already have places across America with extreme gun control laws, and yet they are the places with the highest rate of gun violence."

[Sanabel]

“Try with Shah. (not Jones) has a liberal reputation, unfortunately for his own job security.”

"Cool. What about the Alaska sen?"

“If you believe it’s worth a shot. I appreciate the initiative, Senator.”

[Agarntrop]

"Cool. What about the Alaska sen?"

“If you believe it’s worth a shot. I appreciate the initiative, Senator.”

"Okay, I will get to it."

[Stellonia]

M.C. Fenton slid open her desk drawer and gingerly reached for her blue flip phone — the political phone. She flicked it open and looked up at the screen, where her eyes landed upon the number she wanted to call. She scanned it briefly and looked back down at her keypad. She entered the ten digits slowly and pressed the Call button. As she pressed the phone to her ear, a rather gravelly male voice began to speak at her. "Thank you for calling the Porter campaign. Unfortunately, we are receiving a lot of calls at this time, so we cannot speak to you at the moment. If you would like to leave a message, please press—" Fenton took the phone from her ear and eagerly pressed the 1 button. Another voice, this time of a middle-aged female, began to speak. "Please leave your message after the tone," the voice instructed. "Hello," said Fenton. "This is M.C. Fenton, former Mayor of Houston. I am calling because I wish to directly speak to Secretary Porter regarding a matter of policy. Please call me back at," and then she recited the number for the blue flip phone. She hung up, opened her desk, and set the phone back in.

Porter called back, after some time.
"Hello, Madam Mayor, what would you like from me?"

"Hello, Mr. Secretary. I am calling about your land value tax proposal. As you probably know, I am a supporter of the land value tax, and I consider its implementation in Houston to be the finest accomplishment of my mayoralty. Therefore, I am very excited to see a major presidential candidate propose a land value tax as part of his platform. Therefore, I would like to ask how I could offer you support, either in terms of promoting your campaign or in terms of refining and implementing your proposal."

[Meelducan]

Senate Republican Caucus Luncheon, Senate Dining Room, Washington, DC

Michelle gripped a piece of Wyoming Coal, ready to clobber the Fitzdaniel’s head with it.

“Look, it’s not a hard thing to do. Follow the party line. Especially you Fitzdaniel or so help me god, you’ll be in for it next election.”

[Sanabel]

"My state has where you think the Garden of Eden was in it."

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Slater hushed VERY loudly.

"Senator Fitzdaniel, beyond any repercussions for your job and ability to pass policies for America, I want you to understand that we already have places across America with extreme gun control laws, and yet they are the places with the highest rate of gun violence."

Warrick couldn’t believe he had to do this in his own Caucus meeting.

“Senator Slater is correct. Look at the places with the highest rates of gun violence- Chicago, Detroit, heck, even here in Washington DC. They all have strict gun laws. Then look at places with few to no restrictions like Vermont or Senator Merriam’s own New Hampshire. They have little to no gun violence.”

[Gordano and Lysandus]

“Alright, I’ll be on board with the bill when it comes to a vote. Is there anything else you need to talk about, given you’re already here?”

"It's come to my attention that you and Theo Vohoffsky got into some sort of mischief in a basement, Felix."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Warrick couldn’t believe he had to do this in his own Caucus meeting.

“Senator Slater is correct. Look at the places with the highest rates of gun violence- Chicago, Detroit, heck, even here in Washington DC. They all have strict gun laws. Then look at places with few to no restrictions like Vermont or Senator Merriam’s own New Hampshire. They have little to no gun violence.”

Merriam chipped in. "Thanks to a certain someone, the bill can't even be quietly killed under threat of a filibuster, so we need all hands on deck. Senator Fitzdaniel, I appreciate that you have strong convictions under your Church, but you also took an oath under God to serve and protect the Constitution of the United States. The Second Amendment is unequivocal and inviolable. Shall not be infringed. Can you bring yourself to violate that oath? That covenant with God and the American people?"

[Sanabel]

South Carolina Democratic Party Convention, Columbia, South Carolina
(June 22nd, 2019)

Fresh off of a victory in Texas and after a nice polling bump thanks to Bwithdrawal, Mike was looking increasingly strong in the South. His minority support was consolidating, and his status as the strongest moderate candidate was growing. He had to build on this potential, and lay the groundwork for a Southern sweep in the nominating contests. That meant putting in more work in the first-in-the-South state of South Carolina.

He arrived in Columbia on the 21st, and spent the day touring the city, handing out his Bridges Plan pamphlets which had worked well in the past, visiting community centers, and touring small businesses. On the 22nd, he spent the morning at the Planned Parenthood We Decide Forum, an event where candidates could speak with prominent, pro-choice activists, many of whom Velez had met in Alabama, and listen to remarks by experts on women’s issues. In the afternoon, he headed over to the state Democratic Party Convention, where he mingled with party leaders and local politicians, and then was given the chance to make his own remarks.

When the time came, he jogged to the podium smiling broadly and waved to the crowd.

“HELLO SOUTH CAROLINA! How are we doing today?” Velez roared to the cheering crowd.

“I am honored to stand here before you all today! I see friendly faces in the crowd from last months march against misogynistic legislation seeking to restrict a woman’s right to choose in the state of Alabama! I see friendly faces in the crowd from the protests against the observance Confederate Memorial Day right here in the great city of Columbia! YOU have picked up the torch of the Civil Rights movement, and are opening a new chapter in the fight for social justice as we enter into a new decade.”

There was a little bit more cheering, but Velez our up his hand to quiet the crowd.

“The Civil Rights movement has had many chapters. From Harriet Tubman leading slaves to freedom, to Martin Luther King fighting for Americans and all people to be seen not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. The Civil Rights movement is not exclusively African American- the Civil Rights movement has been expanded by fellow Latinos like Cesar Chavez, who fought for Hispanics to be treated as human beings in the workforce, and like Dolores Huerta, whose famous rallying cry ‘sí se puede’ led the movement for migrant workers to stand tall with the dignity they deserve.

While progress has been made, and the arc of history has bent toward progress, our work is not complete. It’s not enough to stop the racist wall from being built, or to take kids out of cages. The scars of slavery and Jim Crow still cut deep in the African American community, and the pains from generations of abuse and xenophia are still felt by Hispanic folks. These have manifested themselves in generational poverty, in disparities in education outcomes, and in a criminal justice system that is racist front to back. So, opening this new chapter in the Civil Rights movement to bring about pro-active, positive change is the most important fight of the 2020 election. Racial inequality, institutional discrimination, and the fight for social justice are topics that have been unfortunately ignored for most of this primary season. That is why my campaign is saying enough is enough- that is why we are standing shoulder to shoulder with activists and community organizers to give a voice to the voiceless, to fight against oppression in this country.

As part of this effort, we have created a manifesto, a plan to mend the scars and pains of past oppression. It’s a policy to end generational poverty, to give a helping hand to historically discriminated groups, and it’s a policy to correct historical mistakes, to bring true social justice. We drew upon policy proposals by progressive activists and politicians, and upon work I’ve done in the state of Florida as the most progressive governor the state has ever had.

We are calling our platform, which has circulated quite a bit in the South and here in California, the ‘Bridges Plan,’ which has a double meaning. Firstly, it is an homage to Ruby Bridges, the Civil Rights icon- the first African American girl to participate in desegregated schools in Louisiana. Just like all of the activists and organizers in the crowd who stand toe to toe with institutional power, our movement seeks to emulate her courage and strength. We are continuing the efforts she exemplified by seeks to end ‘separate but equal’ and racial discrimination and finally bring healing to this country. The second meaning is that this plan is truly a bridge. Though it has a focus on historically discriminated communities like African Americans and Hispanics, it is a bridge between working class communities of all races, colors, and creeds, a chance to help folks from South Carolina’s own North Charleston, to the border town of Nogales, Arizona. Generations of African Americans in this country have lived with the scars given to them by the men this day is supposed to honor. Scars that were cut deep even after Emancipation by the Ku Klux Klan, by lunching, and by Jim Crow. Scars that were kept raw by segregation and economic inequality. Scars that still pain African Americans to this day thanks to racist policing, thanks to the so-called War on Drugs, and thanks to the rhetoric of men like Arnold Wolf and Bernard Porter. It’s time to end that, and create an America that is truly free and equal.”

There was some clapping.

“I turned some heads a months ago, before running for President, when I came out in support of Senator Little’s legislation to create a commission to explore reparations during an interview on CNN, and to this day I am the only candidate to do so. I pointed out that African Americans have been disadvantaged for generations, and the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow is a fundamental cause. This is shown through school segregation, by looking at which communities have seen job growth, and understanding where our criminal justice system is harshest. We need a Presidential commission modeled after the 9/11 commission to investigate the feasibility and necessity of reparations for slavery and Jim Crow, and that is the first part of the Bridges Plan. This commission would be made up of community leaders and would be tasked to provide a report within the first calendar year of my presidency, so that legislative and executive action can be taken within the first term.

I do not believe in cash reimbursement as the only form of reparations. I do not think it makes sense to put a price tag on historic pain- that only seeks to reinforce the racist legacy of slavery and segregation, that bodies and harm can be brushed away. To echo a prominent African American politician, you cannot and should not try to brush away the deep seated problems the African American community faces through just a cash check in the mail.

Reparations will have to include efforts to expand and overhaul education. Even over 65 years after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, our schools remain informally segregated and unequal, keeping African American and Hispanic students from accessing the same level of resources as white students. That’s why the second part of the Bridges Plan is to provide extra funding to schools that seek to emulate cities like San Antonio in ensuring their school districts are not reflective of single neighborhoods, but of the entire city. This has been proven to increase both diversity in schools and quality of education. This dovetails with other aspects of my platform, such as raising teacher salaries and shrinking classroom sizes across the board.

Reparations will have to include reforming our criminal justice system and ending the so-called war on drugs. That is why the Bridges Plan intends to legalize marijuana across the country, which will be coupled with the review and release of nonviolent drug offenders on a case by case basis as we have enacted in Florida, whereafter records will be expunged. More importantly, we will ensure the incarceration crisis and school to prison pipeline ends through extensive sentencing reform. Most importantly, we will pass legislation to make mandatory minimum sentencing banned across the country, to end the crisis on the state level.

Finally, the Bridges Plan calls for the dramatic action to curb persistent poverty. This is poverty that greatly impacts generations of people within communities, including right here in South Carolina- a trap that families, bearing the scars of slavery and Jim Crow and racist humiliation fail to escape from. This cannot go on any longer. It is a harsh epidemic that impacts folks in cities, rural counties, and even suburbs. It is time to put it to an end. The action that the Bridges Plan proposes is to set aside up to 15% of the federal budget to be allocated proportionally to counties and municipalities where over 15% of the population has lived under the grip of poverty for the last 30 years. That’s over 600 billion dollars to support inner city schools, grant-dependent organizations and nonprofits, rural infrastructure, and common folks across this country. It’s about damn time we did this. It would be an infusion of money into our communities, a chance to bring a brighter future to our kids.

This is not about doing what is politically expedient, this is about doing what is right. If we don’t take a moral stand on the problems faced by our fellow Americans.This election is about the soul of our country and turning back fascism, and racism both explicit and institutional. If we as Democrats feed into the cynicism and negativity that President Wolf embodies, then no one will. If we don’t stand for the working class, then no one will. If we don’t stand for righting historic wrongs, then no one else will. It’s time to right those wrongs, folks, and that is exactly what the Bridges Plan seeks to do through a commission to explore slavery and Jim Crow reparations, through real school desegregation, 65 years after it was mandated by law, through criminal justice reform, and through putting money straight into the communities that need it most.

If we are to carry the torch of the Civil Rights movement, someone needs to provide a voice for the activists and organizers of the new decade. I intend to be that voice, and I have big ideas on how new strides toward social and economic justice can be taken. Thank you, South Carolina!”

[Titanne]

“Alright, I’ll be on board with the bill when it comes to a vote. Is there anything else you need to talk about, given you’re already here?”

"It's come to my attention that you and Theo Vohoffsky got into some sort of mischief in a basement, Felix."

“Oh, that?”

Felix forced out a laugh, but began to tap his foot more and more rapidly against the ground. Thankfully Simone couldn’t see.

“No, we were going to get a paper from the printer and got distracted by Davit’s PlayStation. Representative Park got in on the fun too.”

[Agarntrop]

Warrick couldn’t believe he had to do this in his own Caucus meeting.

“Senator Slater is correct. Look at the places with the highest rates of gun violence- Chicago, Detroit, heck, even here in Washington DC. They all have strict gun laws. Then look at places with few to no restrictions like Vermont or Senator Merriam’s own New Hampshire. They have little to no gun violence.”

Merriam chipped in. "Thanks to a certain someone, the bill can't even be quietly killed under threat of a filibuster, so we need all hands on deck. Senator Fitzdaniel, I appreciate that you have strong convictions under your Church, but you also took an oath under God to serve and protect the Constitution of the United States. The Second Amendment is unequivocal and inviolable. Shall not be infringed. Can you bring yourself to violate that oath? That covenant with God and the American people?"

"Amen!"

[Gordano and Lysandus]

“Oh, that?”

Felix forced out a laugh, but began to tap his foot more and more rapidly against the ground. Thankfully Simone couldn’t see.

“No, we were going to get a paper from the printer and got distracted by Davit’s PlayStation. Representative Park got in on the fun too.”

"You're adamant that it was just a bit of childish tomfoolery? Because I need to know these things not because I will put you in trouble, but because other people could weaponize these things against you and I need to protect you."

[Solomons Land]

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Slater hushed VERY loudly.

"Senator Fitzdaniel, beyond any repercussions for your job and ability to pass policies for America, I want you to understand that we already have places across America with extreme gun control laws, and yet they are the places with the highest rate of gun violence."

Warrick couldn’t believe he had to do this in his own Caucus meeting.

“Senator Slater is correct. Look at the places with the highest rates of gun violence- Chicago, Detroit, heck, even here in Washington DC. They all have strict gun laws. Then look at places with few to no restrictions like Vermont or Senator Merriam’s own New Hampshire. They have little to no gun violence.”

Why am I acting like this? Fitzdaniel thought to himself. You have done it again. Even if they are wrong about legislation, they are right about one thing, there is no way I am going to get reelected after endorsing Porter and opposing the Republican base. What to do...I guess the only thing I can do is stand strong. If Porter does win, I have a job in the cabinet. Yes, I have to do this. It is now or never. Stay calm, stay calm...
After a long pause, Fitzdaniel responded. "The reason why those places have higher rates of gun violence is not because of the gun policies, it is because gun violence is, and always will be, more prevalent in urban areas. Their restrictions does not cause the damage, it minimizes it, but we will not be free of this violence until there is national policy that keeps these powerful and dangerous object away from those that want to use them for evil."