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

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"I can trust you more. Wolf Jr. has next to no political experience and probably shares the erraticism of his father, which is the thing I like the least about Wolf. If you could offer Wolf without the erraticism, I'd love that."

"I see, I see. Well, I'm honored to have your confidence, even if I don't have your support."

[Agarntrop]

"I can trust you more. Wolf Jr. has next to no political experience and probably shares the erraticism of his father, which is the thing I like the least about Wolf. If you could offer Wolf without the erraticism, I'd love that."

"I see, I see. Well, I'm honored to have your confidence, even if I don't have your support."

"Don't rule it out, you are very likely to get it if my campaign fails, which is probable."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

Have just been informed that President Wolf has returned Senator Kost's Federal Election Holiday bill back to Congress unsigned. Without any statement on his intentions, this is a cowardly act of obstructionism against the first bipartisan measure to pass this Congress. This was a Republican bill, drafted by a Republican Senator, and was supported in the Senate by stalwart Republican conservatives. The only reason to oppose this legislation is a concerted effort to deny more Americans the right to vote.

Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

I am sure that both Houses of Congress will soon consider the measure again. The Democrats are willing to stand by their Republican colleagues in this matter, against the President's obstruction of what has clearly become a shared agenda on defending American democracy.

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"Don't rule it out, you are very likely to get it if my campaign fails, which is probable."

"And what would you be hoping to get out of an endorsement? I could see you replacing Stuart in the Senate."

[Agarntrop]

"Don't rule it out, you are very likely to get it if my campaign fails, which is probable."

"And what would you be hoping to get out of an endorsement? I could see you replacing Stuart in the Senate."

"Possibly that, although I'm not too dissatisfied with my current position."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"Possibly that, although I'm not too dissatisfied with my current position."

"Well, a spell in the Senate would set you up well for running for President in the longer run, if it interests you."

[Agarntrop]

"Possibly that, although I'm not too dissatisfied with my current position."

"Well, a spell in the Senate would set you up well for running for President in the longer run, if it interests you."

"Yeah."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"Yeah."

"Well, was there anything else you wanted to cover with me, Governor Smith?"

[Agarntrop]

"Yeah."

"Well, was there anything else you wanted to cover with me, Governor Smith?"

"Not really."

[New Cobastheia]

(Image)
Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

Have just been informed that President Wolf has returned Senator Kost's Federal Election Holiday bill back to Congress unsigned. Without any statement on his intentions, this is a cowardly act of obstructionism against the first bipartisan measure to pass this Congress. This was a Republican bill, drafted by a Republican Senator, and was supported in the Senate by stalwart Republican conservatives. The only reason to oppose this legislation is a concerted effort to deny more Americans the right to vote.

(Image)
Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

I am sure that both Houses of Congress will soon consider the measure again. The Democrats are willing to stand by their Republican colleagues in this matter, against the President's obstruction of what has clearly become a shared agenda on defending American democracy.

Liked and Retweeted by @KathleenNez

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"Not really."

"Have an excellent rest of your day, friend."

With that, he ended the call.

[Bruke]

Internally, Volek was amused by Goldman's use of the phrase "lowbrow politics". Lowbrow politics, in his experience, involved smearing an opponent in the press, intimidating troublemakers at campaign events, and blackmailing rivals- at best.

"Right... I suppose I'll have to see what you mean when you're out on the campaign trail."

"I mean sort of working-class politics. The politics that people in the lower echelons of our society feel and can resonate with. Aggressive, strong, vanguardist. It's strong politics, appealing to low-informatiom voters and.others generally turned off by the system. It's an appeal to Wolf voters. They're not racists, they're not misogynists, they're just looking for a strong leader."

“Take New Hampshire as a test then- they have a Wolfist streak in politics and they’re in our region -so you have a home field advantage, so to speak- if you can win over working class folks and take the state, good... if not, that would probably be your sign to drop out.”

[Agarntrop]

(Image)
Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

Have just been informed that President Wolf has returned Senator Kost's Federal Election Holiday bill back to Congress unsigned. Without any statement on his intentions, this is a cowardly act of obstructionism against the first bipartisan measure to pass this Congress. This was a Republican bill, drafted by a Republican Senator, and was supported in the Senate by stalwart Republican conservatives. The only reason to oppose this legislation is a concerted effort to deny more Americans the right to vote.

(Image)
Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

I am sure that both Houses of Congress will soon consider the measure again. The Democrats are willing to stand by their Republican colleagues in this matter, against the President's obstruction of what has clearly become a shared agenda on defending American democracy.

Liked and retweeted by @ JohnAtangNY3

[Dentali]

Nathaniel Richardson
American Federation for Children Policy Summit, Chicago, Illinois
March 30th, 2019



If Richardson could have picked a single issue to fix in the country it would have been education. School choice, ESAs, Vouchers, Charter Schools, all of it spoke to Richardson at a core level. Indeed despite polling indicating he should be focusing on other issues more, his education policies remained prominent in the campaign and among his most detailed.

So it was no surprise that he would be asked to speak at the American Federation for Children Policy Summit, held this year in Chicago. It was a major organization and a massive event. So Richardson of course cleared his schedule to attend and speak with those leading the movement. While this would certainly help him politically, even if it didn’t he would still be there.

He spent a significant amount of time in between the various speeches meeting various people, shaking hands and being personable with a laser focus on education. He made sure to never promote his Presidential campaign so he would not be seen as self serving, and likely he didn’t need to tell anyone here he was running.
He got his own occasion to address the crowd assembled. A speech devoid of personal ambition and focused solely on his enthusiasm for education.

I do a lot of work with small businesses, and last year at a small business summit much like the one we are having today I met a man named Anthony Samuels. Anthony told me ‘Every male in my entire extended family has been incarcerated’. Anthony could have easily joined them, coming from a bad neighborhood in North Philadelphia. The public school his zipcode assigned him to was the worst public school in the state. A school so beset with crime and violence that Diane Sawyer did a national expose on it. Money got poured into it, the principal was replaced, the rapper Drake started funding it and a few media pieces proclaimed ‘Money sent and problem solved’. But despite throwing money at the problem that school scored a 7 out of 100 rating from the Philly School District last year.

But that brings me back to Anthony. His mother knew what that school would have done to him, and so she wrangled one of the precious few Educational Improvement Tax Credit Scholarships which she used to send him to a private school, and eventually Temple University. Anthony is now a successful small business owner.
Stories like this are commonplace, but too often they are drowned out by an increasingly loud choir of Progressives. Charter Schools being viewed as overwhelmingly positive used to be the norm. The first person ever to win the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools’ Lifetime Achievement Award was President Clifford. One of the key pillars of Baharia’s education plan was Charter Schools. We should all thank President Wolf for the hundreds of millions that have been provided in charter school grants. Clifford, Baharia, Bill Gates, (Not Jeb Bush), (Not John Boehner), all supported Charter Schools, innovation, vouchers, and performance based teacher pay. It was Bipartisan. What happened?

Innovation and experimentation in schools increased student safety, life success, child happiness, and parent satisfaction. Thousands of incompetent teachers were weeded out. Today 10 million children attend thousands of charter schools, cities like Washington Boston, New Orleans and Los Angeles have made incredible progress in the past 20 years because of charter schools.

Teachers unions are now pushing in another direction, actively opposing educational reform. The Progressives are against progress and are committed to defending the status quo. Charter and private schools are the lifeboat to escape a bad neighborhood or school district, and progressives are trying to push them back on a sinking ship.

Charter Schools are not some conservative conspiracy, neither are vouchers or education savings accounts. They are not perfect, we have a way to go with suburban and rural charter schools and with online charter schools. But in urban areas, areas with the worst traditional schools, schools which overwhelmingly serve minorities, studies have shown charter school students get the equivalent of 40 additional days of math instruction and 28 days of reading every year. New York City’s Success Academy has completely eliminated racial and economic achievement gaps, which should be something every Progressive can support.

Discipline, high expectations and focus on instruction can work wonders. But it seems the Progressive movement cares more about teachers unions than poor black kids. These schools are not segregated, they reflect their community like traditional schools, they do not pick and choose students and overwhelmingly use a random lottery system. Black and Hispanic Democrats favor charters overwhelmingly.

Just this month Johns Hopkins released a comprehensive study of public schools in Providence, Rhode Island. They found problems plaguing them from inability to fire bad teachers, to being unable to discipline students, to mountains of bureaucratic paperwork, to dozens of others. However they concluded funding was not an issue, with $17,192 being spent per pupil.

Education spending has tripled in the past 50 years, in almost every state it's at an all time high. But despite that many schools like those in Providence are in poor shape. Problems like class size, and bad maintenance, have been dramatically improved. Non-teaching staff however have exploded. If the share of non-teachers to students had stayed the same since 1992 the money saved could have given every teacher in American an additional $11,128, and teacher salaries in the public sector are on par with the private sector.

I’m not saying funding doesn’t matter at all. I’m saying money doesn’t matter if you just toss it at an already dysfunctional system. A politician just talking about spending in education or teacher pay to improve student outcomes is missing the majority of the problem. I’ve heard it said 90% of an iceberg is below the surface, funding is only a surface level issue.

Those in this room, schools reformers all over the country, are champions of change. You should not be silenced by the ‘woke’ crowd, and the ongoing inquisition from the far left. Whether you're a Mayor, Councilman, County Executive, Governor, or even a President we cannot allow special interests to dictate policy. We cannot allow student’s dreams to be deferred. We cannot allow children to be trapped in schools defined by failure and violence.

The US is a massive nation that has a unique decentralized education system, governed by 50 state legislatures and 14,000 school districts with elected school boards. For better or for worse this has meant education is politicized.

The annual National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP has continued to show the dismal results of traditional public schools. We made steady gains in the 90s and early 2000s but since 2009 we have stagnated as a nation. At both the state and federal level we see utter dismissal of stories like Anthony’s and millions of others. The money and power of teacher’s unions and other special interests is more important than good, workable policy. A school failure is inherently a political failure and it can only be solved by a broad bi-partisan coalition. The results of the past 10 years are directly related to the inability of a broad coalition to be formed around reform, due to the hard turn to the left of the democratic party.

On the left we see the priorities around school reform focused on softening discipline, political correctness regarding sex and gender and using them to fight against ICE. We can have all these conversations, but first we need to fix reading and math at minimum.

Now while I am certainly being quite critical of the Progressive movement I do not believe that the broad bipartisan coalition we need can be built through belittling one another. But before we can form a coalition we need to get everyone focused on the same goals. We have seen academic outcomes flatline for a decade, that should be enough to get everyone to agree on the need to get the country focused on academic outcomes.
One of the best things about living outside of Washington and the swamp is that politics function better. We can actually see politics at their best, the American people at their best, with blue and red working together in common purpose for the common good.

Providing educational choice to families… families that lack the flexibility that many take for granted should be a bipartisan goal. When my daughter was on the way, we moved to a better school district. I was blessed to have that chance, because far too many families don’t have it.

Instead of improving outcomes, you see traditional public schools manipulating results, or just graduating anyone, even those functionally illiterate. If this happened at a Charter or Private School they would be shut down THAT DAY. Traditional schools that do it get more funding without any conditions.

Choice, in and of itself, is of value to education. You can’t measure it through test scores, though charter schools dominate that as well. When I was picking a school for my daughter, test scores were one of the last things I looked at. I looked at the culture of the school, the character of the educators, the athletic and extracurricular activities, about the peer influence. This school would help raise my child, provide it with experiences to shape her life. The fact she has grown into an incredible woman is more due to those factors than a minor change in test scores.

Ending Charter Schools is not equity, it is not fairness. It is the sad reality that through an accident of birth you are given radically different opportunities in education. Choice is a luxury that many can’t afford NOT to have.

In 2016 Senator Baginski said “We do not need two schools systems; we need to invest in our public schools system.” This is wrong in every way. One size fits NONE. Baginski does not know what is better for a child’s education than that child’s parents. His collectivist solutions cannot meet the needs of my family, and no one other than me is going to tell me how to shape the life of my child.

We need more bang for our buck when it comes to education and we should look to states like Arizona as an example of how to do that. Charter Schools, Open Enrollment, Accountability, and putting families in the driver’s seat. In 1994 they passed an extensive charter school law, backed by a bipartisan coalition of Hispanic Democrats and Republicans.

Today they have the largest state charter sector in the country, with academic performance improved across the board, across racial and economic boundaries. Freed to pursue their own vision of a high-quality education, Arizona educators have created successful schools focusing on classical education, the arts, sports, and science and technology, as well as specialized schools for students with autism and other disabilities.

Arizona’s system, allows families to quickly and easily shut down charter schools based upon their own priorities, rather than those of the state. There are no appeals, no protests, no lawsuits: If Arizona families fail to develop confidence in their kids’ charter schools, those schools will quickly find that they lack the students necessary to operate.

Teachers Unions still pushed against them. In February of last year teachers unions struck in West Virginia and then across the nation pushing funding away from charter schools and towards traditional and less accountable public schools. New York City with some of the most successful schools in the country tried to choke their growth thanks to their mayor. In California the Governor proposed intense regulation on charters, in Houston “Teach for America” was kicked out because it UNDERMINED UNION POWER, the governor of Pennsylvania vetoed an expansion of the oversubscribed charter school system that benefited needy children because of teachers unions.

Are charter schools perfect? Of course not… But they perform better than traditional schools exactly where we need it the most. They are not the answer to every problem, for every family, but everyone deserves choice, not a one size fits none policy. We are fighting the good fight here, the most important fight. For the future of our children and for our country.

Thank you, God bless and lets get to work

[New Cobastheia]

From: [Represenative Nez]
To: [Represenative Simone]

What might we be willing to negotiate away then?

FROM: [Representative Caroline Simone]
TO: [Representative Kathleen Nez]

There's got to be a military base in Missouri that could be expanded, or a defense contractor who needs an order, or an agricultural spending program we could expand, or somesuch thing. Obviously his abortion nonsense is out of the question. He's a veteran, maybe he has a particular interest in veterans' policy. We just need something largely immaterial that he can wave over his head and call a win.

From: [Represenative Nez]
To: [Representative Simone]

I can certainly work with agriculture, and if that doesn't work I can work with a military base, Fort Leonard Wood seems to have been at risk of closing in years past. I'll reach out to him later today to see if he'll want to play ball.

Ahéhee' Carrie

[Gordano and Lysandus]

From: [Represenative Nez]
To: [Representative Simone]

I can certainly work with agriculture, and if that doesn't work I can work with a military base, Fort Leonard Wood seems to have been at risk of closing in years past. I'll reach out to him later today to see if he'll want to play ball.

Ahéhee' Carrie

FROM: [Representative Caroline Simone]
TO: [Representative Kathleen Nez]

Excellent, we've got a plan for now then. Good hunting with Fort Leonard Wood. Update me when you've spoken to him again.

You're really showing strength with this, Kathleen, this'll serve you well when it comes to making your pitch for a leadership role in time.

[Velahor]

Mark Allen
@MarkAllen4TXSenator

---

What a successful campaign kickoff! For those who haven’t heard, I’m running for Senate in the Texas special election on a platform of defending your constitutional rights, protecting our financial future, and ending government waste. Learn more at MarkAllenForSenate.com #WeAreTexas #WeAreAmerica

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

Karen Brookshire
@BrookshireGal

---

@SurajShahTX's speech to his small rally showed the exact problem with many politicians across the board. I counted over 10 'new plans' but ZERO plans on how to pay for them! Wondering why Shah is being shy bout that folks?

Karen Brookshire
@BrookshireGal

---

Simple...he doesn't want to say that it'll all be funded by new TAXES ON YOU! It's more fun to promise and promise, but less fun to actually pay up. We need someone that will strengthen our country AND PAY FOR IT! #BrookshireBudget

Karen Brookshire
@BrookshireGal

---

Rep. Shah touts his business experience but it has been OVER 10 YEARS since he was last at the helm of a business. He is OUT OF TOUCH with Texas! He says he has no ambitions but to serve, but he went to Washington in 2009 and never comes back to Texas unless it is to ask for votes!

Karen Brookshire
@BrookshireGal

---

This is not what Texas needs! We need someone UNAFRAID to make the tough decisions, UNCONTAMINATED with Washington ideals, and UNDEFEATED to #FightForAmerica! And I believe I can deliver just that!

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

Martin Spellman
@thespellman

---

The cyclone season in India and the rest of Southwest Asia this year is terrifying, mega storms and 'once-in-a-lifetime' weather events happening all the time. I'll be organizing with others to coordinate relief efforts...But we need to focus on really addressing climate change, especially with the #2020Election coming up!

[Dentali]

"This is Jane, who is calling" said a pleasant voice picking up.

“Hello Jane, it’s Jack Chambers, how are you doing?”

"I am doing well Governor. May I ask the reason for the call?" Martinez said remaining pleasant

[Uttland]

De Lange Household, Liberty, Texas

”Well, things move fast, Gordon.”

“Oh I know that Linda, but is now the right time really?”

“You know how Texas law works. You don’t have time to hesitate. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime.”

“I know but we should tread ground carefully—“

“Do that and you’re screwed. That Brookshire lady is already in and can buy her support. The time is now. Send out a tweet at least. I’ll gather the old team together. We’ve prepared for something just like this.”

“Fine, fine. I guess I’m running. You get the old guys together and I’ll call up some party fellas; time for some decisions.”

Fmr. Rep. Gordon De Lange @GordonDeLangeTX I am glad to announce that I will also be running for the Senate seat vacated by Senator Goldwater! Texans need an arena-tested Senator who knows how to fight for them and what to fight for. De Lange for Texas is official!

[Von Markstein]

“Hello Jane, it’s Jack Chambers, how are you doing?”

"I am doing well Governor. May I ask the reason for the call?" Martinez said remaining pleasant

"Well Jane I wanted to thank you for your support when the campaign was looking dark. I also wanted to let you know that my staff and myself have been pulling this campaign back up from the bootstraps and that we are planning on making your organization's mission a major piece of our platform. I was hoping with that common purpose we could have your support in the coming months?"

[Puertollano]

"I'm good, great performance at the forum today," he said, offering her to take a seat at the desk. "I hope the campaign trail is treating you well. I've enjoyed it, myself."

"Thank you." Anne replied shaking Levi's hand before taking a seat. "I'm glad our experiences are a like."

Caldwell was curious as to why Levi requested this meeting.

"I wanted to talk about the 2020 election with you. We're both running, so I couldn't ask for you endorsement, but I believe we should have a non-aggression pact between us. Thoughts?"

[Dentali]

"I am doing well Governor. May I ask the reason for the call?" Martinez said remaining pleasant

"Well Jane I wanted to thank you for your support when the campaign was looking dark. I also wanted to let you know that my staff and myself have been pulling this campaign back up from the bootstraps and that we are planning on making your organization's mission a major piece of our platform. I was hoping with that common purpose we could have your support in the coming months?"

"You support our mission and we will support you." Jane said matter of factly "But as much as any other candidate, if youre asking for an endorsement... i'm honestly not sure we even will endorse. Especially not so early, backing the wrong horse could be a huge blow to our organization."

[Alozia]

Washington, D.C.
April 29, 2019

Meeting with Levi Murphy

"I wanted to talk about the 2020 election with you. We're both running, so I couldn't ask for you endorsement, but I believe we should have a non-aggression pact between us. Thoughts?"

Anne appreciated Murphy's straightforwardness, she didn't want to hear a long, overdrawn sales pitch.

"As long as you promise not to turn into another Westra, I don't see why not." Caldwell chuckled.

Meeting with Caroline Simone

Another meeting Anne had scheduled for today was one with the newly elected House Democratic Caucus Chair, her former colleague, Caroline Simone. She didn't waste anytime making her way over to her office, quickly passing the familiar hallways. Passing a couple of staffers and congressional employees she received a couple of nods, going as far as to stop for a brief chat with one of the security guards.

Anne eventually made her way to Simone's office.

"Carrie, long time no see!" Anne greeted Simone in a very informal manner, the two had an existing relationship that went back to Anne's own House years.