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

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

"I see. Now, I've been looking for away for the Republicans to appeal to more liberal urban populations. Immigrants, minorities, urban liberals, they will make up a massive chunk of this nation's population, Mr. Minority Leader. I'm going to be clear here: abortion is not the primary social issue that they care about. Minorities, immigrants, urban people, they care about minority rights, whether it's for the gays or for Hispanics. I built the AFM in order to penetrate these areas, to ensure that a Republican can win in California.

I will endeavour to make California a red state again, Mr. Minority Leader. That will be our main goal. And my main goal, as a person? It depends on which way the wind blows, but I'm either arching for a cabinet position or, more likely, the Governorship of California. With the AFM, I can make California red again. What do you say? Do I have your support to campaign - outside of Congress as to not undermine your righteous authority, of course - in order to make California red again?"

"You have permission to launch limited campaigning outside of Congress and only outside of Congress. However, I feel it best if you focus most of your resources on California first and then if it is successful then you may expand the AFM into its neighbouring states. Is there anything else you would like to add, Representative?"

"One thing. I wish to fully apologise for any offence I may have caused you by meeting with your old allies in the Freedom Caucus. I realise now that it may have come off as inappropriate, however I wish to state that my intentions were only to explain my plan and gain support, as I have done to you. I did not plan to undermine you in any way, nor will I ever plan to do so.

[Greater Arab State]

"You have permission to launch limited campaigning outside of Congress and only outside of Congress. However, I feel it best if you focus most of your resources on California first and then if it is successful then you may expand the AFM into its neighbouring states. Is there anything else you would like to add, Representative?"

"One thing. I wish to fully apologise for any offence I may have caused you by meeting with your old allies in the Freedom Caucus. I realise now that it may have come off as inappropriate, however I wish to state that my intentions were only to explain my plan and gain support, as I have done to you. I did not plan to undermine you in any way, nor will I ever plan to do so.

"Your apology is accepted, I understand that you were eager to build support for what you had planned and in fact I believe that such eagerness could be utilised, so long as it is done in a way that it is realist in scope and doesn't publicly divide the Republican Party."

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

"One thing. I wish to fully apologise for any offence I may have caused you by meeting with your old allies in the Freedom Caucus. I realise now that it may have come off as inappropriate, however I wish to state that my intentions were only to explain my plan and gain support, as I have done to you. I did not plan to undermine you in any way, nor will I ever plan to do so.

"Your apology is accepted, I understand that you were eager to build support for what you had planned and in fact I believe that such eagerness could be utilised, so long as it is done in a way that it is realist in scope and doesn't publicly divide the Republican Party."

"Alright. Thank you for giving me the ability to clear things up." Vohoffsky nodded.

[Greater Arab State]

"Your apology is accepted, I understand that you were eager to build support for what you had planned and in fact I believe that such eagerness could be utilised, so long as it is done in a way that it is realist in scope and doesn't publicly divide the Republican Party."

"Alright. Thank you for giving me the ability to clear things up." Vohoffsky nodded.

"Your most welcome, just before we conclude this meeting I'd like to get your promise to not have the AFM campaign in Congress or nationally recorded." Volker said turning on the Android phone at his desk.

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

"Alright. Thank you for giving me the ability to clear things up." Vohoffsky nodded.

"Your most welcome, just before we conclude this meeting I'd like to get your promise to not have the AFM campaign in Congress or nationally recorded." Volker said turning on the Android phone at his desk.

"What do you mean nationally recorded?" Vohoffsky said, confused at the exact meaning of nationally recorded.

[Greater Arab State]

"Your most welcome, just before we conclude this meeting I'd like to get your promise to not have the AFM campaign in Congress or nationally recorded." Volker said turning on the Android phone at his desk.

"What do you mean nationally recorded?" Vohoffsky said, confused at the exact meaning of nationally recorded.

“My apologies, I meant for your promise to not to campaign within Congress or to campaign nationally be recorded on my phone, merely for procedure.”

[Gordano and Lysandus]

(OOC: Tweeted out by Davenport staffers, not by Emily herself who is on the House floor.)

(Image)
Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

---

There are many, including Democrats, who will talk the talk. And yet, very few will actually walk the walk. #CorporationsAreNotConstituents #MyVoteMyVoice #28thAmendment

Liked and retweeted by @SimoneNY12

Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

The work of Representatives @EmilyDavenport and @KathleenNez on the draft #28thAmendment is creditable, and worthy of America's attention. The Framers never intended for the First Amendment to be a vehicle for corrupt influence (including foreign influence) on our elections. Congress must take action to end a system which allows people to buy politicians and their offices. There is a bipartisan impetus to see this done.

Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

Part of the appeal that Arnold Wolf had at the ballot box (no matter how misplaced that appeal may be) was that he was perceived to immune to corporatocracy on account of his independent wealth. Whilst his actions since bring that into question, it is worthy to note that when it came down to it *Republican* voters wanted someone who can't be bought. America doesn't want election by dollar, it wants to make every vote count.

Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

I'm a Catholic, and in the Church, the purchase of offices and privileges is a terrible and grave sin - simony. Practically every serious Christian denomination has firmly prohibited simony. If people shouldn't be able to buy priesthoods and bishoprics, then why is it appropriate to purchase districts and governorships? Making elections fairer, making them count, is a principle pillar of the Democratic cause.

[Puertollano]

Levi Murphy @LeviMurphy Great work being done in the House in cutting down corporate power over our politics.

[Main Nation Ministry]

Team Voice Chat: CodeOrion: Making some very good advances here, everyone. Well done.
Team Voice Chat: CodePolaris:: SHIT! There's some guy on our tail!
Team Voice Chat: CodeBetelgeuse: The smoke is clearing! I'm running out of grenades and ammo, so get that hostage out of there!
Team Voice Chat: CodeRigel: Finally, my mic is now working. I'll be with you soon, Betelgeuse, just need to get there..

Polaris, after being nabbed by a Desert Eagle, threw a flashbang off, as Vohoffsky got a sniper headshot off in time. Whether or not he died was not his concern, only escape was. They both ran off, trying to leave as fast as possible to help Rigel and Betelgeuse, the latter of which was on the verge of death. They ran off as fast as they could...and there goes the hostage! Now it was time to mop up a few floors, as Vohoffsky switched to an XM1014. He didn't like the cheap skin on it, but hey, it works for now.

Team Voice Chat: CodePolaris: WE'RE COMING!
Team Voice Chat: CodeBetelgeuse: I'm on 15 health, help!
Team Voice Chat: CodeRigel: We will hunt them down, and get every single bit of anarchist blood from them!
Team Voice Chat: CodeOrion: We will win, my friends!

Rigel, Polaris and Vohoffsky had arrived nearly on time...nearly. They tried to rush forward, assaulting the terrorists, but alas Betelgeuse was dead before they could reach him. They flung their grenades, unleashing them upon the terrorists. Incendiary, high explosive, whatever would smoke them out. They all wielded generally fast weapons, clearing out the room despite the fact they were generally inaccurate. They hunted them down from all sides, but made one mistake: they left their back open...

March 13th, 2019

Mike Montgomery
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Across Online Servers

Team Voice Chat: DEAD MousePunk40: I got tapped out again!
Team Voice Chat: DEAD Deblod100: Down. I head immediately outside to prevent the hostages from leaving.
Team Voice Chat: LeagueBoi: Really need some help here!
Team Text Chat: OilSoil69: NADES!
Team Voice Chat: ScOnEsEE: Hang on, I see a lone CT. Got him.
General Voice Chat: DEAD I_r0k: You think it's funny, you motherfucker?! I hope you and your mom get cancer, you fat fatty fuck fucker! You-

I_r0k has been kicked from the server for 1 week

It wasn't until LeagueBoi was heading to the offices was when the counter-terrorists were making a wedge to unleash upon the terrorists. Pretty much he was one of the few away from where most of the terrorists were in the offices with the last hostage was when League_Boi tried to mow them all down with an UMP-45. Only for the ammo to stop, when he only killed about half of the CT's. "Shit!"

CodeOrion shot LeagueBoi

COUNTER-TERRORISTS WIN

"Dammit. Who the hell are you guys?" Mike tried to see who this "Code" gang was. He was only playing on the server with some random players, so even though he predicted he got bamboolzed by some random professional e-sports group, who decided to go after a casual server for kicks, he wanted to know who downed him and the others. And he hoped that I_r0k wasn't too salty to the point where he might swat someone. Nowadays, someone immature on the internet might find some exploits here and there.

[Imperial Esplanade]

Reno, Nevada
Presidential Campaign Rally - Rep. Emily S. Davenport (D|CA-34)

---

Following the announcement speech in Los Angeles, Davenport pivoted to neighboring Nevada, a state the campaign believed to be of interest, if oddly contested and overly-targeted, despite being after Iowa and New Hampshire. Nevertheless, the Davenport campaign wanted to test how much they were buoyed by the announcement speech, and join into the fray in Nevada.

"It's great to be back, Reno!" Emily exclaimed to an excited crowd, pausing a moment and waving to specters watching from above. "Yes, it's... it's always a genuine pleasure to come here to Nevada. In fact, I remember spending several summer vacations, coming in from L.A., either renting out cabins or going camping out by Lake Tahoe. Same with right here, in Reno! And, let me tell you, my dad would be the first to tell you that I wasn't exactly the greatest outdoors person when I was a little girl, but I've really come to appreciate the beauty of this land as I grew up, became a teenager, and spent my 18th birthday out by Lake Tahoe, making a stop here in Reno."

"A lot of people will say that politics? Well, they'll say it's just a thing to talk about. It's just a hobby, or an interest people have. For some, it's even just a career. For me, it's knowing that there are countless Renos and Lake Tahoes all across this country, and all of it is worth protecting for all our children and grandchildren for the decades to come. It's knowing that communities, like this one, are facing unique problems and issues that will only continue to come up as years pass by. Different people, different situations, different problems, and different solutions. You can't solve them by looking at a spreadsheet, asking questions in a focus group, or looking at it from a polling perspective. I mean, that's just such an unbelievably broken method."

"And, yeah. It's a broken record. People come, people go. People say they will bring change, they claim they have the answers, they claim they are different. I know you all know better than to buy that rehashed script. So, I'll tell you what I have proposed in Congress. I'll tell you what I'm actively working on, and let that speak for itself. Candidates will talk about how they want to offer government-funded college, but guess who was the only candidate in this race to put up a bill for that this year? Candidates will talk about taking out corruption from our electoral system, but guess who was the only candidate in this race to put up a bill for that this year? Candidates will talk about Civil Rights, and fighting for them. My good friend, Senator Little, was the only other candidate to have co-sponsored a bill I wrote up to end the separation of families at the border. This isn't to say the others are inherently bad. I will take any one of them over what the Republicans will offer any day of the week. But I don't come to you, talking about promises. Promises mean nothing when they are routinely broken, and I know what that's like to feel betrayed. All of that, for what? Theatrics, in place of authenticity."

"I did make some promises when I announced my campaign, but they are straightforward ones. To win the fight against climate change, to win the fight against poverty and injustice in this country, to win the fight for access of healthcare for all Americans, to set ambitious goals that aren't focus-group tested but conviction-tested, and to fight hard and to do something every day, no matter how big or how small, for all of you. I'm not just running for office for the sake of running for office. Believe me, the Presidency isn't the glorious position people make it out to be, but I'm running because we have experienced such a dearth of accountability in the Oval Office in the last couple of years, and an alarming acceptance by the Republican and Democratic Parties to just, simply, let it become the new norm."

"Why is it that the religious right have become the very thing they have long-preached to be against? A group of people whose sole political motivator was to be opposed against the very Godless, bureaucratic legalism that they embrace at every turn with this President today? Whether it's to answer to their complete abandonment to the Biblical calling to be stewards of the Earth, all for the sake of profits made by millionaires and billionaires? Or if it's to answer for the disgusting act of locking children in cages, separating them from their parents? Or if it's to quietly sit back and say nothing, while corruption runs rampant and the swamp they once pretended to care about draining only continues to grow bigger, and stink more, than it ever has, as long as I can remember? Or if it's to lead the fight against raises for the minimum wages of workers toiling and in desperate need of help, because they can't afford rent or life-saving medicine? Where are these so-called arbiters of morality, and why do they not stand against this President and the norms he has set within their own party or the terrible policies for the middle and lower classes of America?"

"Why is it that the so-called 'moderates' of the Republican Party, and even some in the Democratic Party, give away their right-to-conscience in order to vote along with Wolf's disastrous agenda? There is nothing 'moderate' about siding with the President over your own constituents, there is nothing 'moderate' about spinelessness. In fact, it's embarrassing, and America? We sure as hell need someone who has the guts to call it out, and I have to be honest and say that I am not fully convinced some candidates even have that just yet. While they figure out what they are and who they will represent, I'm announcing to you all, both here and watching, that I am running to be your President. Yours, not the wealthy's and not the special interests. I, the same Emily Davenport who grew up only a day's drive from here, grew up in a normal middle-class family as the daughter of a pastor and a stay-at-home mom, am asking for your consideration, because it's just not I who is running for President, it is we who are creating our own movement and having our own moment of history, it is we who are going to send one of us to Washington, and not the other way around of Washington telling us what to think or to 'put up and shut up.' I am running for President, because I am sick and tired of the way things are and the way things have been, and I know for a fact that each and every one of you are as well."

"We sure as hell can do better than Arnold Wolf or any of his acolytes, America. And I strongly believe that we will. No more of the extreme wealth income inequalities that have plagued this country's ability to truly ascend to it's utmost potential, no more trashing the rights of LGBTQ Americans and denying them the access to the true equality and respect they so very much deserve when it comes to healthcare and housing and jobs and everywhere else, no more working to undermine the reproductive rights of women in this country or attempting to deny our bodily rights ever again, no more golden parachutes and mega tax breaks for the mega-wealthy, no more horrific foreign policies that alienate our friends the moment we need them most, no more disastrous trade wars for American workers and farmers, no more unions being assaulted and targeted and stripped of their abilities to fight and empower the American working class, no more kicking the can with social security further and cutting benefits or forcing people to work beyond the age of 65. There is so much more, so much more, but know this fight has been started long before me, with people far greater than I, and it will continue past me. I simply ask for you to trust me with your vote enough to carry the legacies of the leaders and the people who came before us, and fought for all of us, and to fight each and every day as your next President of the United States, thank you."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

“Yes. Great minister. He’s a great minister. Big supporter of mine, great minister. God loves him.”

"He's a great fan of yours, yes. I had the good fortune to meet him and he's interested in taking up a Senate seat in Georgia. I think that'd be great. Another charged outsider who knows the real feelings of America. Thought you'd like to know. I know how frustrating it's been that the Senate has failed to properly deliver on the Wolf agenda. As it stands, I'm raring to do anything to guard your Greater America."

[Sarenium]

"Might be useful to lure in some of the less, controversial self branded moderates and progressives, to reiterate the broad nature of the Caucus," she pondered, "would Senator Little be interested?"

"I don't know. He's not responded to the email. Not sure he'll take kindly to it though when I vote against his reparations bill though... That's going to hurt us in the Midwest if he goes ahead with it." She sighed, shaking her head. "Not that I don't agree with the principle of it, but the politics aren't feasible."

"Yes, that is certainly, an interesting item of legislation," she pondered. She stood and plucked up a binder in which the Fair Apportionment Act that Simone had added to the docket of the House some two months ago, "while you're here, my staff have keenly noted the enlargement of the House of Representatives bill you've proposed with acute interest. Seeing as they tend to take an interest in the things I take an interest in, I would be curious to know whether or not I should begin preparing to push this in the Senate should the time come, and whether or not our fellow Unity Peers would join this bill."

[Sarenium]

(OOC: Tweeted out by Davenport staffers, not by Emily herself who is on the House floor.)

(Image)
Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

---

There are many, including Democrats, who will talk the talk. And yet, very few will actually walk the walk. #CorporationsAreNotConstituents #MyVoteMyVoice #28thAmendment

Jillian Dayton @JillianDayton Phenomenal work on the #28thAmendment, long past time to get corporate money out of politics!

[Azekopolaltion]

(Image) Levi Murphy @LeviMurphy Great work being done in the House in cutting down corporate power over our politics. (Image)

Liked and retweeted by @WestraNJ

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"Yes, that is certainly, an interesting item of legislation," she pondered. She stood and plucked up a binder in which the Fair Apportionment Act that Simone had added to the docket of the House some two months ago, "while you're here, my staff have keenly noted the enlargement of the House of Representatives bill you've proposed with acute interest. Seeing as they tend to take an interest in the things I take an interest in, I would be curious to know whether or not I should begin preparing to push this in the Senate should the time come, and whether or not our fellow Unity Peers would join this bill."

"I'd be honored if you'd help me push this bill through the Senate. We'll need Republican votes but you might be able to pick up a few. Senator Kost's evidently expressed some kind of interest in voting reform when he brought forward the bill for election day holidays." She smiled softly, glad of Jillian's interest. "Expanding the House of Representatives is long overdue, and the measure included in the bill to represent the District of Columbia is, I think fair."

[Azekopolaltion]

---

Senator Tim Westra
March 15th, 2019
Concord, New Hampshire - SEA/SEIU Local 1984

---

Tim was swinging through Concord to speak with local workers and hear constituent concerns. It was a busy day; he first had a meeting with the Transportation Worker chapter of SEA/SEIU, New Hampshire's premier labor union. After that he was hosting a town hall event at the Grappone Conference Center. Then he was planning on door knocking with the volunteers who either lived in Concord or had come over to campaign here with him.

First up was the union members. Tim arrived to moderate fanfare, shaking hands with the chapter leaders and taking selfies with some of the members. He then approached a podium in the HQ hall to briefly address all the members.

"Hello, everybody. Thank you so much for graciously hosting me here today. I am so grateful and honored to be here, to be in the presence of the very people who are leading the labor movement in America. You are the ones who inspire me to do what I'm doing and stand for our vision of a worker-led economy."

"I know what it means to struggle, I know what it means to be a part of the working class - because that is my background. I was not born into privilege. My father wasn't a governor, or a mayor, or a CEO, or really anybody with money and power. My dad was a bus driver with schizophrenia. He never made much money, and we mostly relied on my mom, who was a secretary. We couldn't always pay for his meds on time, sometimes we rationed. There wasn't an abundance of opportunities for kids like me. Frankly, if I wasn't a quarterback, and a damn good one at that, I wouldn't be here today. I probably wouldn't have gone to college."

"None of us want to live in a society where our success relies on luck. That isn't meritocracy. That isn't the American Dream. That is why we fight. That is why we rebel against the establishment. That is why we strike."

"Yet none of that strikes me as a particularly radical approach. Fighting poverty and rooting for the working class, why is that so radical? You are, after all, in the majority. Call it democracy or call it progressivism, all we are talking about is putting more power in the hands of the 99%, the majority of the nation."

"And that calls for ideas that, yes, are bold, but are really just proportional responses to the crises we face. Because the political establishment and their cronies, they're not going to give you guys a dime. They're the ones waging a class war on you! In fact, for the past few decades, the billionaires have waged a class war against the working families of this country."

"So, if there is going to be a class war, I say it's about damn time the workers won that war!"

"I have worked closely with unions my entire life. That is why I am so eternally grateful to you: unions launched my career, gave me a purpose. I did projects alongside union workers as a college student, and then established a communications firm with the sole purpose of connecting unions to politicians in New Jersey and then Washington. I wanted the working class to have a seat at the table, a fighting chance to get our concerns heard in the swamp."

"I'm a fighter with policy, I've always been. It's my belief that striking inspires the will to change, but policy creates the actual change. So what I'd say is, don't trust people who go out bragging about big ideas without a legislative accomplishment to their name. Don't go trusting folks who brag about their bills but don't actually know the details. Because, really, they're just trying to fool you."

"I do have legislative accomplishments to my name. I was one of the original House members who helped to write the Affordable Care Act, and I fought like hell to get it passed. I even wrote the public option amendment to the bill, which unfortunately couldn't get through in the corporate-cash filled chambers of Congress. But in 2020, with a majority of Democrats in support of a competitive public option, I'll get it done. I'll fight for it, because that's what I've fought for my entire life."

"And a public option is the most popular reform to healthcare amongst the American people and amongst unions! I expressed my concern back in the 90's about plans to take away the healthcare coverage that unions fought tooth-and-nail to earn. You guys earned those plans! Some of you like them, some of you don't. I say, let's give you an option. Let's give you a choice. And this is the popular proposition. I see it as poor policy and, frankly, a bad idea to immediately transition the entire country from their current plans to something else. Immediately. It can't work, especially if you don't know the details. Most importantly, if you read the healthcare plans that have been proposed, and you'll see that mine is the most detailed by far and the best by far."

"Other public option plans that 2020 candidates are running on are simply not enough. Senator Little's plan, for instance. I love Ben, he's a great guy, but it's clear that the plan only serves to protect the interests of the private insurance industry. It involves what he calls a 'multipayer' system, and all it does is it puts the power of the public option in the hands of nonprofits, without any caps on premiums! It only says that the nonprofit funds will decide a 'competitive premium amount.' That's not a good enough guarantee of affordability."

"My plan excludes people making below 200% of the poverty line from paying any premiums at all. Nothing, it's free. Ben's plan, it doesn't exclude anyone from premiums. He has a 3% of income cap on copays. I eliminate copays for the poorest and cap them at 2% of income for the richest. The worst thing about Ben's plan? It transitions our seniors into Medicare, as is. They don't qualify for his public option, and will have to pay the Medicare rates. My plan is more generous than Medicare and includes our seniors. My plan is paid for through a reversal of the Wolf Tax Cuts, Ben's is paid for through an additional payroll tax on the middle class."

"So, it's clear that there are nuances. Policy matters. One plan could end up being extremely affordable and would achieve universal healthcare, while the other would maintain an inefficient system where individuals are reluctant to use the public option, instead remaining uninsured."

"Let's look at Senator Dayton's plan. It's not really a purely public option insurance plan, it's more a single-payer lite program similar to the UK's NHS. It would establish a system of public Medicare hospitals and private hospitals. If you visit a private establishment, you'd pay the Medicare list price."

"I can't emphasize how inefficient this system would be in the context of the United States. You might as well have Medicare for All. Because this plan promises to expand coverage by extending the public hospital system and by capping premiums throughout the industry, period. That's a bad idea. Two reasons: first, it creates a huge difference in the quality of care. The rich will use private care, the poor won't. Public hospitals will be less equipped than private ones, because they're taxpayer funded while private establishments earn more from the full premium price. Also, a cap on premiums even for private insurers would lower the quality of care throughout America. People who need longterm care will die earlier because hospitals will not have the appropriate funds to maintain the best in-hospital care in the world that America has right now. Second, the wait times. Wait times will be a problem if you rely on public establishments to provide healthcare. This can be managed under a competitive public option that doesn't separate public from private establishment."

"Finally, Senator Dayton's plan offers no details on financing, just a reversal of the Tax Cuts but no estimate on real cost. My estimate is that her plan is much, much more expensive than my plan – which is no small thing itself, it costs anywhere between $1.5 trillion and $1.4 trillion. Think about the administrative costs of her system though! Public hospitals, private hospitals, private insurance, public insurance - an absolute hodge podge."

"Likely, in order to keep the system free from premiums, copays, and deductibles, as she promises, Senator Dayton will raise taxes on the middle class. My plan doesn't."

"So, let's sum up how each candidate's healthcare plans stack up. Senator Little, Senator Dayton, and I, Senator Westra, all support a public health insurance option. Senator Little's plan charges consumers more because it doesn't cap premiums for anybody, and it is funded by a new payroll tax - a tax hike on the middle class! This is a costly plan for workers. Senator Dayton wants a system that involves implementing a network of public vs private health providers, a system very similar to the NHS in the UK, which has longer wait times than in the US and more cancellation of life-saving surgeries. Her plan would be infinitely more expensive than mine, and would likely involve a middle class tax hike. My plan, Medicare for America, eliminates premiums and copays for the poorest among us, caps premiums for the better-off using the public option at 8% of income and copays at 2%. This is a competitive plan that will force the private industry to lower costs while maintaining an efficient funding system for actual health providers, thus maintaining a high-standard quality of care."

"Clearly, the devil is in the details. I am the healthcare candidate. I wrote the ACA, and workers can trust me to fight for them when it comes to insurance."

"So that's my pitch: that I have the best healthcare plan for workers, a plan that gives you choice without raising your taxes or ripping you off your current plans. But there's so much more that I wish I could have talked about today. I'll strengthen worker rights, as you probably all know from my experience in Congress. You can go to my site for more plans on how I intend to make workers more prosperous, including mandating that workers receive a share of stock, an Earned Income Tax Credit expansion, and improving public sector union collective bargaining rights. My aim is to increase union membership by 50% by the end of my first term."

"And we can do all of this, but only with your help. My campaign has been fighting hard, inspired by your fighting spirit. Going into 2020, we need that spirit to propel our worker-led movement to the White House. Thank you, may God bless our workers!"

Tim shook hands with the union members after the speech. His decision to focus on healthcare had paid off amongst the New Hampshire workers, who were extremely apprehensive about Medicare for All but seemed to be very convinced by his pitch on why his public option was better than opponents' plans.

He was going to take this strategy into the wider election.

[Azekopolaltion]

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

I am the healthcare candidate. I helped write the ACA, and now I want to finish the job. We're going to implement a strong public option that eliminates premiums and copays for the poorest and caps the public plan's premium amount for others. And the best part? No tax hikes on the middle class.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Our opponents? Not so much. The two other public option plans do involve higher taxes on the middle class. The devil is in the details. Read our plan, Medicare for America, on our campaign site.

[Fronket]

Senator Ben Little
@MarylandSen

---

While I appreciate @WestraNJ for his past work in writing the Affordable Care Act, I don't appreciate his recent attack on my healthcare plan.

Senator Ben Little
@MarylandSen

---

Fact is, our goals are the same. We all want a public option. I don't know why Tim is attacking us for having literally the same goal, universal healthcare through greater competition in the market with a public plan.

[Azekopolaltion]

(Image)
Senator Ben Little
@MarylandSen

---

While I appreciate @WestraNJ for his past work in writing the Affordable Care Act, I don't appreciate his recent attack on my healthcare plan.

(Image)
Senator Ben Little
@MarylandSen

---

Fact is, our goals are the same. We all want a public option. I don't know why Tim is attacking us for having literally the same goal, universal healthcare through greater competition in the market with a public plan.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Because @MarylandSen is not being honest about his plan. I am critical of your policy because it involves a tax hike on the middle class! You're financing your plan with a new payroll tax! You can read Ben's plan for free! It's online! Ben's Plan

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Our plan? No tax hikes for the middle and working class. More generous than Ben's plan, which doesn't eliminate premiums for anyone. But, unlike his, mine has an actual price tag and is paid for without raising taxes on middle-income earners. That's an unpopular proposition and will be destroyed by a Republican opponent.

[The Democratic Marxists]

TO: Tim Westra
FROM: Abigail Winthrop

Tim,
Had a chat with Levi recently, and I have started to reconsider my decision in respect to endorsement. This doesn't mean that I am not still behind you; I love your plans to increase worker power, as well as your climate plan. But I want to ensure that we are emphasizing progressive unity in this primary, and in regards to healthcare I believe Levi has the stronger vision, although that is just my view and not an indictment of your plan. We discussed holding a summit, a progressive convention, to display the power of the progressive faction in this primary. I would like to discuss when we could hold such a convention, where I will likely be providing a full-throated endorsement of both you and Levi. I will continue to campaign for you, but obviously with the goal of electing a progressive president that isn't just limited to one campaign.

Call me if you want to discuss this further. Perhaps you, Levi, and I should all meet face-to-face in Washington to discuss this at a later date?

Best,
Abby

[Fronket]

(Image)
Senator Ben Little
@MarylandSen

---

While I appreciate @WestraNJ for his past work in writing the Affordable Care Act, I don't appreciate his recent attack on my healthcare plan.

(Image)
Senator Ben Little
@MarylandSen

---

Fact is, our goals are the same. We all want a public option. I don't know why Tim is attacking us for having literally the same goal, universal healthcare through greater competition in the market with a public plan.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Because @MarylandSen is not being honest about his plan. I am critical of your policy because it involves a tax hike on the middle class! You're financing your plan with a new payroll tax! You can read Ben's plan for free! It's online! Ben's Plan

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Our plan? No tax hikes for the middle and working class. More generous than Ben's plan, which doesn't eliminate premiums for anyone. But, unlike his, mine has an actual price tag and is paid for without raising taxes on middle-income earners. That's an unpopular proposition and will be destroyed by a Republican opponent.

Senator Ben Little
@MarylandSen

---

@WestraNJ: We found the payroll tax to be the most sustainable method of financing such a system in the long-term. What people want is choice and affordability, they don't care about moderate increases in taxes as long as they're covered in an affordable system.

[Azekopolaltion]

(Image)
Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Because @MarylandSen is not being honest about his plan. I am critical of your policy because it involves a tax hike on the middle class! You're financing your plan with a new payroll tax! You can read Ben's plan for free! It's online! Ben's Plan

(Image)
Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Our plan? No tax hikes for the middle and working class. More generous than Ben's plan, which doesn't eliminate premiums for anyone. But, unlike his, mine has an actual price tag and is paid for without raising taxes on middle-income earners. That's an unpopular proposition and will be destroyed by a Republican opponent.

Senator Ben Little
@MarylandSen

---

@WestraNJ: We found the payroll tax to be the most sustainable method of financing such a system in the long-term. What people want is choice and affordability, they don't care about moderate increases in taxes as long as they're covered in an affordable system.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Raise your hand if you support middle class tax hikes.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

@MarylandSen's plan is financed by new taxes on the middle class, my plan is financed by raising the corporate tax rate back to the previous rate through a reversal of the Wolf Tax Cuts. It is beyond me why Ben would prioritize corporations over workers. My plan has both choice and affordability, so clearly Ben's line of attack has no substance. The only difference is, his plan doesn't eliminate premiums for poor people, doesn't eliminate copays for poor people, and is instead financed by raising taxes on them. Sounds like an objectively terrible plan.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

This doesn't just go for Ben's plan, it goes for everybody else in this race so far who has released a healthcare policy proposal. Every candidate except me wants to raise your taxes, the ordinary working person's taxes, to pay for their public option/healthcare system. Not me.

[Puertollano]

Levi Murphy Healthcare Forum, Charleston, South Carolina
March 17th, 2019


Levi arrived for his first campaign event in South Carolina, a state where he saw his strongest swing in the most recent polling. Although still behind in the typically more conservative state, the campaign philosophy was not about ignoring places he knew he couldn't win a plurality in. It would still be very important, both in the primary and in a general, to have the support of African-Americans. Following his release of his healthcare plan, the boldest and progressive plan yet, the campaign organised a healthcare forum in Charleston.

A microphone was placed in the crowd for questions to be asked of the Senator, and an African-American woman in her 50s spoke. "Hello, Senator, thank you for coming to South Carolina. I have a question about your healthcare plan. What will happen to those who already have their private health insurance under Medicare for All?"

Levi responded. "Thank you for the question, and I appreciate you all turning up here today. Medicare for All, my policy, will eliminate all non-cosmetic private coverage. I like to be frank and honest, under Medicare for All it would be illegal because these private industries cannot ask people to cough up money for healthcare that is provided for free under Medicare for All. It would be corporate robbery, plain and simple. Medicare for All will cover everything, a national insurance plan that everyone is automatically enrolled in. It covers denta health, maternity, mental health, you name it, it will be covered. Under a Levi administration, my plan is to pass this within six months. Everyone who is lucky enough to receive healthcare from their work won't need to worry anymore, because your coverage will be under Medicare for All. This means you have more choice - and it means your employer cannot strip away your healthcare whenever they like. Some private insurance plans currently restrict people as to where they can go, but under Medicare for All, you can whatever doctor you like at any practice you like. I'm a union man myself, I understand that we fought for healthcare, but also because I am a union man, I know how important Medicare for All would be. Did you hear about the striking workers at Amazon? In response to their strikes for better wages and conditions, Jeff Bezos cut their private insurance to break up the strike. This is a level of corporate-control over our lives that we cannot let continue. We should be providing healthcare as a right, and in the end, it means ending the explotative and very profitable health insurance industry that makes money off our sick and disadvantaged."

A younger man took the microphone, probably in his 20s. "Thank you Senator, I am a big supporter of you and Medicare for All. I have a question about your timeline. How are you going to pass Medicare for All within six months with opposition from Republicans and establishment Democrats?"

"Good question, and it comes down right to the roots of corruption in politics. To get it past, we need to get the private insurance money out of politics by passing a constitutional amendment to ban corporate donations in our political system. We've got to clear out all of the lobbyists. Only then will we have a fair debate on Medicare for All. I understand it will face tough opposition, because most of the politicians in Washington D.C. are totally out of touch with the every day man and woman. As President, I would rally in the states of the reluctant politicians who put their pocket before people. The ratings for Medicare for All are through the roof, there is clearly a longing for universal healthcare, and I won't be afraid to take that issue to the ballot box. That's because we'd win. If push comes to shove, I will even pass as much of it as I can through executive order. Healthcare is a right. And we need universal healthcare now. There is no waiting, no time for so-called pragmatism. I will treat Medicare for All as a necessity, because we're clearly in a healthcare crisis in this country. That's how I will get it done, and get it done fast in my first six months."

An African-American man, probably in his 40s asked the next question. "What do you think of the other healthcare plans floating about in the Democratic Primary? And why do you believe your Medicare for All plan would be better?"

"It's good we can make this distinction, and I have a high level of respect for all of my fellow primary candidates. Of course, I believe that Medicare for All would easily be the better option, otherwise I wouldn't campaign for it. As the only candidate supporting Medicare for All, I am in a unique position to argue passionately for it, but I have no allies in the primary. My allies are the grass-roots, however. The other plans, from what I have read, are half-measures compared to Medicare for All. Some clearly are pandering to the private insurance industry, others are close to getting there, but fall far to short to be meaningful. BahariaCare was a good start, but we needed more. Medicare for All is the next stage of the Affordable Care Act, where we can achieve universal coverage. All of the other plans require the people of America to buy in. When they say 'buy in', they really mean it, you have to purchase it. No matter how much you claim to discount the costs, it is still costs burdening hard-working Americans. We will never reach universal healthcare coverage like that, there will always be someone out there who cannot afford it. And that is one person too many. Healthcare is a right, and if you believe that statement, you should also believe in Medicare for All. Because that's the only way healthcare will be given as a right, under a single-payer system. It's either Medicare for All now, or never."

[Puertollano]

Levi Murphy @LeviMurphy ... or you could all just be in favor of Medicare for All? @MarylandSen @WestraNJ

[Sarenium]

"Yes, that is certainly, an interesting item of legislation," she pondered. She stood and plucked up a binder in which the Fair Apportionment Act that Simone had added to the docket of the House some two months ago, "while you're here, my staff have keenly noted the enlargement of the House of Representatives bill you've proposed with acute interest. Seeing as they tend to take an interest in the things I take an interest in, I would be curious to know whether or not I should begin preparing to push this in the Senate should the time come, and whether or not our fellow Unity Peers would join this bill."

"I'd be honored if you'd help me push this bill through the Senate. We'll need Republican votes but you might be able to pick up a few. Senator Kost's evidently expressed some kind of interest in voting reform when he brought forward the bill for election day holidays." She smiled softly, glad of Jillian's interest. "Expanding the House of Representatives is long overdue, and the measure included in the bill to represent the District of Columbia is, I think fair."

"Is it likely to pass in the House?" she raised an eyebrow with a bright smile.