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

[Puertollano]

Sioux City, Iowa
Levi Murphy Labor Solidarity Rally
Feb 20th



"Salutations, brothers, sisters. When the team and I met in Saint Paul ahead of launching our Presidential campaign we began talking about her slogan. Slogans, they're pretty important, but many of them have no meaning for the working people of the country. So, we decided on 'For the many, not the few'. That's because we understand that the majority of the people in this country understand, both Democrats, Republicans and Independents, that the current system is not working for us. It's working for the top 1%, not the 99%. For the many, not the few means that we believe in an America where the bottom 99% are treated with the same respect, same decency and with proper investments into their future. The current system believes that it's fine to bail out the big banks, the large corporations and the criminals sitting in Wall Street. We can create an economy that works for all of us, the many, not the few. That's what I envision and that's what I want to be if I'm given the opportunity to be elected President of the United States of America.

But what I'm really here to talk about today is for a better, stronger and more equal future, driven by the hard-working people of this country and their unions. You can take my word for it, I want to re-build the middle and working class of this country - one way I will do this is to re-invigorate the union movement in this country. To do that, we've got to end the anti-worker trade deals signed by previous administrations, including those by Democrats and the recent one signed in by President Wolf. Next, we've got to repeal to hideous Right to Work laws that hurt people, usually people of color, and create a new bracket of the working poor. I even believe that unions should be publicly funded to provide them with the resources they need to fight the good fight on behalf of their members. I would install pro-union judges, not anti-union judges, I would consult with unions in all decisions I'd make and I would at least double the union membership in America if I'm elected President.

You can trust that I will do this because I am a union man myself. Before coming Senator for Minnesota, I was the President of my Transport Union and later, I was President of the AFL-CIO of Minnesota. Through that time I learnt a lot of important lessons, but the greatest one of those was the power of the people. When I say that, I am usually reminded of John Lennon's song, "Power to the People." It strikes a cord with me and it is true. When we have fought as worker's for our rights, we have never lost. When we're out on the picket line with the union-busters after us, if we have the people out in support, we've never lost. And we've never achieved anything by sitting, waiting and trying to be "pragmatic" about it. We have never won better pay or better conditions without taking industrial action - the same goes for politics. We can't simply sit and wait around for things to change. That's why I ran for President, because if I wanted to yell at the television at night, it would do me no good. It's only when we take political action, when we register to vote and we campaign for a progressive future.

That's what I want to do in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, every state in the union, lead political action towards a progressive future. Even though when you go to vote it's my name on the ballot, it's not about me. It's who I surround myself with and who I decide to fight for. And get ready, it's not going to be a big surprise: I'll be fighting for you, and you and you. I want you to join my in our campaign to deliver a progressive America, that works for the many, not the few. Deliver an America that prioritizes the policies that matter, like Medicare for All, tuition free college, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, legalizing recreational marijuana. It's crucial that the working people of Iowa vote in the primary and in the general election, because we're not moving anywhere unless the people who have been trampled over by the system say enough is enough! Thank you."

[Alozia]

---

Des Moines, Iowa
Anne Murphy Caldwell
February 17, 2019

---

After days of hard-work, door knocking and grassroots organizing Anne was ready to launch her first campaign rally in Iowa. The crowd gathered was considerably large, undoubtedly thanks to Caldwell's good ground game. Years of experience paid off once again and Anne hoped that this momentum will continue up to the Iowa caucuses and, with a bit of luck, the general election itself. Anne knew that a lot of work still had to be done, but seeing people line up for her event with signs, buying campaign merchandise and anxiously awaiting to see the candidate herself was very encouraging to her. Anne asked her husband to introduce her and she walked onto the stage after he did. Her campaign was still lacking in some aspects. It didn't have a strong, set slogan nor did it have a campaign song - something that should be changed in the days and weeks to come. With that in mind Anne's attention turned to the crowd once again.

"Greetings Des Moines!"

Anne's words mixed with the roar of the crowd which was still welcoming her in Des Moines.

"It's great to be here! I apologize for my late visit. I know I had a couple of good years to visit, but as they say - better late than never. I hope that over the next few months I will be able to get to know your state better and make up for lost time."

"Over the past few days I had the utmost pleasure to meet many of you, Iowans, and started learning about your great state. It has been an amazing experience, seeing the spirit of the Hawkeye State in person. Hearing from you, learning about the issues you face in your day-to-day lives and discussing possible solutions to them has been an interesting experience. This is my first presidential campaign, hopefully second only to my re-election campaign, which means that you may not know me very well. Today I would like to change that."

"If you're here you might have an idea of who I am. And if you don't... well, my name's Anne, it's nice to meet you."

The crowd responded with well-meaning laughter.

"For the past six years I have been serving the people of the great state of Washington as their Governor. During my first gubernatorial campaign I wasn't afraid to talk about what's important. I advocated for legalization of same-sex marriage, which was a rather risky move at the time. People would often times tell me that it was a bad idea, putting contentious issues on the center stage. But at the end of the day I won, not because I was afraid of the fight, but because I was prepared for it. I fought for what's right and I continue to do that to this day. In my time as Governor I achieved quite a lot - with a divided legislature I was able to avoid a government shutdown, not once, but twice, in no small part thanks to public support and the force of working-class movement I worked to build in my great state, one that I wish to expand nation-wide. Because I believe that governments only work when they serve their people. And make no mistake - this movement does not only benefit politicians, it is not a mere propaganda tool for politicians to use in political discussions. Thanks to our movement we were able to not only force the Republicans to vote in favour of a Democratic budget, but also in favour of a budget that provided every low-income child with free school meals. This is real change. All thanks to people like you."

Anne paused for a second to let the crowd show their enthusiasm.

"I also fought for another issue that may be close to your heart - our environment. During the, admittedly, short time time I spent here I got a chance to visit some of the farms here in Iowa. During my visits, I could see the care and dedication that goes into fostering what is often a family business. Many of these businesses will not be able to survive the climate catastrophe that may fall upon us if we do not take action. Unlike some politicians I understand the serious challenges that climate change is going to cause. During my time as governor I signed a bill that outlined the reduction of carbon emissions and increased funding for green technologies."

"My understanding of the issue has also led me to support the bold, new idea known as the Green New Deal. I believe that this ambitious program would not only start a new, bold, progressive era, but would also reflect the wishes and needs of many Americans. The plan aims to bring justice to many groups in our country, in many fields. The economic justice aspect of the plan would help alleviate many individuals from poverty, especially members of minority groups that have been historically mistreated and discriminated against. The infrastructure built through this plan would serve us all as would the green technologies developed thanks to this impressive set of policies, reinforcing the entrepreneurial spirit of our nation with it."

"Going back to my life story, before being the Governor of Washington I served in Congress and State House before it, championing the aforementioned grassroots movement for many, many years. Being a working class champion and working with various grassroots organizations gave me first-hand experience in fighting against a corrupt political system, one that is not dominated by ordinary people, but rather wealthy donors and special interests. This not only should, but has to change for our democracy to survive. Whether it is through programs such as the Green New Deal or others the United States needs to move away from an oligarchy and towards a true democracy. We need campaign finance reform and we need it now. We need to overturn the 'Citizens United' Supreme Court ruling and enact a bold set of reforms that give the people, not corporations, a voice and say in our policy making. To use the British Labour Party's 2017 General election slogan, our country should work 'For the many, not the few'!"

"As Congresswoman I fought for a number of progressive policies, healthcare among them. As some of you may know my campaign has recently released a comprehensive plan to aid our retired servicewomen and men who oftentimes struggle with their health, both mental and physical, having experienced the horrors of war first-hand. A part of my plan is increasing the funding for mental health research and providing every American with the care they need. But my plans, ideas and record go beyond that. As far as over twenty years ago I fought for healthcare reform alongside many great statesmen, legislators and public figures, including the then-First Lady Diana Clifford. I believe that healthcare in 21st century America should be treated as a human right, and not a privilege. It is unacceptable for our government to stand idly by when over fourty-thousand Americans annually die due to lack of access to healthcare and countless families go bankrupt trying to help their sick relatives."

"I also believe in a government that sticks to its word. I believe in a government that upholds the rights and liberties of its citizens, one that does not take away women's rights, one that protects it's minorities. As President I will nominate judges who will defend the values of personal liberty, freedom of choice and freedom from discrimination. I will nominate judges who will uphold such landmark rulings as Roe v. Wade and Obergefell v. Hodges. This is a stark contrast from some of the recent additions to the bench, especially the judges of questionable past and conduct, who were put on the bench to overturn the previously mentioned landmark decisions. We need progressive voices who would help us build a progressive America, reflective of the values of ordinary Americans."

The crowd cheered once more.

"Before I go I would like to address some of the recent events."

"My campaign is not about personal attacks, I believe that presidential candidates should focus on policy not personality, especially in a primary election where many candidates share many common goals and values... this is why it pains me that I have to engage in a form of constructive criticism today. I believe that this election should be about transparency, about honesty, it should be filled with bold, new ideas that would transform our country, but said ideas should be put forward in a clear, honest manner. Not every idea we have will be original, we will not always be the first ones to gain insight into every issue and that's okay. As a progressive I am proud to follow the footsteps of Senator Baginski's legendary presidential campaign from three years ago. I admit that I did not come up with the idea of fighting climate change myself, nor did I invent universal healthcare. I subscribe to the ideas of protecting workers' rights and strengthening institutions with a clear goal of supporting them, but do not claim these ideas as my own. Sadly, not every candidate can say the same. When I first heard of the actions of Senator Westra's campaign I was disappointed. I watched his campaign very closely, with admiration, in fact. He, just like me, is a progressive politician who hopes to change our country for the better. But plagiarizing someone's work was rather low. Then I was shocked. When the news broke out Senator reacted not with the humility and professionalism one would expect from a presidential hopeful, but rather with anger and accusations, all too familiar in this day and age."

Many of those gathered nodded when she discussed Westra. Most of them had at least a vague understanding of the recent events involving the Senator.

It was the first big fight of the campaign, afterall.

Caldwell tried not to be too harsh. She wasn't here to score political points.

"Another issue I have to adress are the reckless actions the President and his cabinet have recently decided to take. In his State of the Union address President Wolf announced the United States' withdrawal of support for the two-state solution, opening the Middle East to a new set of challenges, exposing even more civilians to the horrors of war. Make no mistake - this is not a solution to the problem, this decision will further fuel the already bloody conflict. This course of action will not help Israel and its people as some claim. It is hard to imagine that anything, but destruction and suffering, will follow. The President has blood on his hands. As President I will work for peace, not give in to war-mongers. I will also make sure to surround myself with responsible advisors and appoint a professional cabinet members. Unlike the President and his now-former Acting Homeland Security secretary I will make sure that our government functions properly without raising needless alarm, without trying to stir up fear with thoughtlessly issued warnings and terrorist advisories."

"And with that I would like to end my speech. Before you go let me just quickly ask you to donate to my campaign. I have and will not accept donations from special interests and lobbying groups, that's why I'm counting on you to help me in this endeavour. Let's build an America of peace! America that fights for justice and equality! But, most importantly let's fight for America that fights for you!"

[Azekopolaltion]

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Our campaign is organizing a Candidate Day of Service on February 28th in Reno, Nevada, for politicians, presidential campaigns, and the local community to participate in.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

We are partnering with St. Vincent's Food Pantry, ReLeaf Reno, and Urban Roots to work with the underprivileged, plant trees in the community, and promote sustainable farming amongst our youth. All of our campaigns will brink our full volunteer forces to physically help out and raise funds for these initiatives.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

How about it? @GovRichardson @JillianDayton @BenLittle @EmilyDavenport @AnneCaldwell @LeviMurphy @SecWhitaker

[Alozia]

(Image)
Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Our campaign is organizing a Candidate Day of Service on February 28th in Reno, Nevada, for politicians, presidential campaigns, and the local community to participate in.

(Image)
Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

We are partnering with St. Vincent's Food Pantry, ReLeaf Reno, and Urban Roots to work with the underprivileged, plant trees in the community, and promote sustainable farming amongst our youth. All of our campaigns will brink our full volunteer forces to physically help out and raise funds for these initiatives.

(Image)
Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

How about it? @GovRichardson @JillianDayton @BenLittle @EmilyDavenport @AnneCaldwell @LeviMurphy @SecWhitaker

Anne Murphy Caldwell
@AnneCaldwell

---

@WestraNJ Sounds interesting, count me in!

[Puertollano]

(Image)
Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Our campaign is organizing a Candidate Day of Service on February 28th in Reno, Nevada, for politicians, presidential campaigns, and the local community to participate in.

(Image)
Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

We are partnering with St. Vincent's Food Pantry, ReLeaf Reno, and Urban Roots to work with the underprivileged, plant trees in the community, and promote sustainable farming amongst our youth. All of our campaigns will brink our full volunteer forces to physically help out and raise funds for these initiatives.

(Image)
Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

How about it? @GovRichardson @JillianDayton @BenLittle @EmilyDavenport @AnneCaldwell @LeviMurphy @SecWhitaker

Levi Murphy liked.

[Sanabel]

The Oval Office, White House

President Wolf thought for a moment about the comment.

“Thank you Representative...thank you...good information...thank you. I knew about Governor Richardson, the man is not loyal. He’s a RINO- not loyal at all. Who are the other candidates? You and Vice President Tawney, I hope.”

[Greater Arab State]

The Oval Office, White House

"Unfortunately, I currently do not believe that I would be the best person to run for the Presidency, Mr President, in time perhaps. The other candidate I am aware of is Senator Hawthorne of Ohio, I talked with him and asked him some questions but some of his positions would be quite unpopular with the base."

[Sanabel]

The Oval Office, White House

“What would make you the wrong person? I do not understand. What is wrong with Senator Hawthorne? What did he tell you? Did he attack President Wolf? Let me tell you, I am the greatest president this party has ever had. We had a great win- not like 2012, biggest choke in history. Not like 2012.”

[Imperial Esplanade]

Des Moines, Iowa
Johnny's Italian Steakhouse - Rep. Emily S. Davenport (D|CA-34)

---

Traveling to the Hawkeye State, with the original intent to meet with local grassroots progressive leaders from within the state to discuss both needs and concerns of the local constituency -- and, in doing so, careful not to refer to her "campaign," so as to avoid campaign violations as she is still, technically, only operating an exploratory committee, Davenport had received a message from one Governor of the state of Washington... Mrs. Anne Murphy Caldwell. Davenport wasn't quite certain as to what the matter was that Caldwell sought her audience with, presumably the heightened profile of herself and the anticipated campaign was something that was a direct result from the twitter exchanges she had with one unfortunate Senator Westra, but Davenport wasn't going to make that presumption and assume Caldwell may have been considering a matter of a meeting entirely unrelated to any recent comings-and-goings.

As it stood, a fortunate opening in Emily's schedule had allowed her to arrange for dinner at a restaurant not too far from the airport. The stop in Iowa already functionally serving as a delayed layover from her next outbound flight to Washington, DC., scheduled to take place later that night. Though, for now, following both Davenport's meeting and Caldwell's rally, there was one dinner that Emily made certain not to miss, or to be late for. Having been prompt, even early, for the dinner, Emily sat in a reserved section of the restaurant -- secluded from prying eyes, although there wasn't much of a way for her to have known how many, if anyone, would have recognized her at this point, especially following the twitter spat that certainly gained plenty of attention by this point in time. For now, little else mattered, and Emily simply drank from her wine she had ordered for herself, and patiently awaited Gov. Caldwell's anticipated arrival...

[Imperial Esplanade]

Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

---

You can bet on it. Friendly wagers? @WestraNJ

[Greater Arab State]

The Oval Office, White House

“What would make you the wrong person? I do not understand. What is wrong with Senator Hawthorne? What did he tell you? Did he attack President Wolf? Let me tell you, I am the greatest president this party has ever had. We had a great win- not like 2012, biggest choke in history. Not like 2012.”

The Oval Office, White House

"It's just that I think I had my opportunity back in the 2012 primaries. I'm just glad to have supported your campaign in 2016 early on. Senator Hawthorne on the other hand, he hasn't directly criticised you Mr President rather some of his platform, particuarly economic policy is interchangeable with that of a Democrat."

[Sanabel]

The Oval Office, White House

“You had a moment in 2012 but you could have a moment again. You are a great minority leader- probably the best- a great minority leader. You could have a moment again. You helped with the tax cuts, a great service to me and the US. A great service. What is Hawthorne’s problem with my economic policies? We have the best economy probably ever in history. Ever.”

[Azekopolaltion]

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Glad that we'll be seeing @AnneCaldwell @LeviMurphy @EmilyDavenport on Feb 28th for our Candidate Day of Service in Reno. Hope everyone else can join us.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

The good news about my campaign is that I'm doing my math. My tax plan would raise $15 trillion in a decade. So far, my plans spend about $10 trillion. Here's the breakdown of their cost:

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Middle Class Tax Cut: $1.8 trillion
Federal Jobs Guarantee: $5 trillion
Medicare for America: $1.5 trillion
Tuition Free College: $800 billion
Student Debt Cancellation: $640 billion (one-time)
Medical Debt Elimination: $81 billion

Total: $9.8 trillion in ten years.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

That leaves us with $5 trillion in spending, $3 trillion of which I'm dedicating to my climate plan (soon to be revealed!)

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Whew. That's a lotta numbers. #BillionsAndTrillions #AllFromthe1Percent

[Dentali]

Nathaniel Richardson
Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
February 22nd, 2019



Richardson was in Texas for a number of reasons. First and foremost he had 2 fundraising meetings planned for the weekend with major donors, Texas money was the lifeblood to Republican campaigns. Secondly he hoped to win Texas in the primary, regardless of who ran against him, and it was one of the 23 states Richardson was targeting explicitly in the primary. Thirdly Tarrant County was one of the most important counties in the 2020 election, if Texas ever became a battleground this county would be why.

In 2004 Republicans won 62% of the county, in 2016 it was down to 52% and a margin of 346,000 votes, and in 2018 it was won by only 4,000 votes. It was a classically Republican country voting Red in every election since 1968 relying on the stereotypical country club Republican voter but today 40% of the residents in the county had only recently arrived.

To demonstrate his seriousness of winning the state in the Primary and the General as well as his concerns towards winning the state down the ticket he held a townhall Q&A at a local community center in Fort Worth. Free coffee and snacks provided a few hundred people showed up to see the current leading Republican in the primary.

"Hello and thank you all for coming" Richardson said to the crowd after polite applause for his entry "I'm here today to so you can ask me questions but also so I can learn from you, figure out how I as President could best make your lives a little easier and more secure."

"Now for this townhall you all put a name in a hat as you came in" One of his staff came forward with a microphone "Instead of everyone rushing for the mic to ask questions and just rewarding the loudest member of the audience we are going to be calling out the names from the hat to ask questions... Now who is first?"

This will be open for one IRL week to ask questions, dont wait for other people to get their questions answered, I will just go at them one at a time in the order they were asked.

[Greater Arab State]

The Oval Office, White House

“You had a moment in 2012 but you could have a moment again. You are a great minority leader- probably the best- a great minority leader. You could have a moment again. You helped with the tax cuts, a great service to me and the US. A great service. What is Hawthorne’s problem with my economic policies? We have the best economy probably ever in history. Ever.”

The Oval Office, White House

"I'll consider it Mr President but I'd probably only run if it could be proven that the support would be there." Volker said before continuing.

"Senator Hawthorne told me that part of his platform would include a increase in the mimimum wage. Now Mr President you and I both now what a destructive impact that would have on American business, the kind that you've sought to protect throughout this administration and the damage such a policy could have on our current economic growth."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

[Richardson's Fort Worth town hall]

A Hispanic man in his early 30s, well dressed. Most likely a second generation immigrant.

"Governor Richardson, my father came to America over three decades ago. Back then, people still remembered the words of Ronald Reagan, a great Republican President, in welcoming immigrants into America and recognizing the good that they could do. Recognizing they made America richer, and brought opportunities. You can see this in Erie, Pennsylvania, where their acceptance of refugees into their community has been a boon to business. At the same time, we have long recognized and condemned that in putting Japanese-Americans into camps during the Second World War, Franklin Roosevelt overstepped the moral and constitutional constraints of his office. It was something that went too far, even in war-time. It was un-American."

"But now we find ourselves in peace-time, where America is not presented with imminent danger of invasion. No territory of the United States is on the precipice of foreign conquest. And yet there are new camps, and rather than merely a resettlement, these camps are criminally dangerous. Hygiene and heath are completely deficient, and people with skin like mine are crammed into these facilities en masse. Some have no space to sleep. Some can't understand what is going on. Some have their children taken away to totally separate faculties, where they too are abused."

"Is this justice, Governor? Is this the providence of America that is promised to the 'tired, hungry, poor huddles masses'? Would your Administration continue this policy, or will they end it at once and apologize for the complicity of the American state in the establishment of this proto-Holocaust?"

[Agarntrop]

Nathaniel Richardson
Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
February 22nd, 2019

(Image)

Richardson was in Texas for a number of reasons. First and foremost he had 2 fundraising meetings planned for the weekend with major donors, Texas money was the lifeblood to Republican campaigns. Secondly he hoped to win Texas in the primary, regardless of who ran against him, and it was one of the 23 states Richardson was targeting explicitly in the primary. Thirdly Tarrant County was one of the most important counties in the 2020 election, if Texas ever became a battleground this county would be why.

In 2004 Republicans won 62% of the county, in 2016 it was down to 52% and a margin of 346,000 votes, and in 2018 it was won by only 4,000 votes. It was a classically Republican country voting Red in every election since 1968 relying on the stereotypical country club Republican voter but today 40% of the residents in the county had only recently arrived.

To demonstrate his seriousness of winning the state in the Primary and the General as well as his concerns towards winning the state down the ticket he held a townhall Q&A at a local community center in Fort Worth. Free coffee and snacks provided a few hundred people showed up to see the current leading Republican in the primary.

"Hello and thank you all for coming" Richardson said to the crowd after polite applause for his entry "I'm here today to so you can ask me questions but also so I can learn from you, figure out how I as President could best make your lives a little easier and more secure."

"Now for this townhall you all put a name in a hat as you came in" One of his staff came forward with a microphone "Instead of everyone rushing for the mic to ask questions and just rewarding the loudest member of the audience we are going to be calling out the names from the hat to ask questions... Now who is first?"

This will be open for one IRL week to ask questions, dont wait for other people to get their questions answered, I will just go at them one at a time in the order they were asked.

White woman in her 20s, clutching a picture of an old couple

"Governor Richardson, the innocent old couple in this photo are in fact my grandparents who were both murdered in a callous way by a spree killer in 2004 who had just raped and murdered his wife and her twin sister beforehand. He then drove from his home town in Arlington to their house in Melody Hills. He had no relation to them whatsoever, but he randomly attacked them whilst they were watching an episode of Judge Judy and they were strangled, beaten to death with a hammer and then set on fire by him. My family broke down in tears when we heard the news that they had been taken from us in the most brutal manner, and I want justice for them. Their evil killer was sentenced to death by a quick, clear and unanimous jury decision at his trial, yet he has been exhausting all of his beurocratic appeals since. It has been 15 years now, and I want justice. I do not want this man who murdered by grandparents in the most brutal fashion to be fed and cared for on death row, I want him put to death. Governor, if you were elected President, what would..." she began breaking into tears "... what would you do to bring justice to my family and families like mine? Would you end this?"

[Dentali]

[Richardson's Fort Worth town hall]

A Hispanic man in his early 30s, well dressed. Most likely a second generation immigrant.
"Is this justice, Governor? Is this the providence of America that is promised to the 'tired, hungry, poor huddles masses'? Would your Administration continue this policy, or will they end it at once and apologize for the complicity of the American state in the establishment of this proto-Holocaust?"

"Thank you for your question. I like most Americans support enforcing immigration laws. I have released my comprehensive immigration policy which details increased border security and a path for merit based immigration. It includes a campaign to address the root causes of illegal immigration, and it also includes a path to citizenship for people who came here as children... But if you cross the border illegally and do not wait in line or have a valid asylum claim then you should suffer the legal consequences."

"Now specifically I think you are referring to the family separation policy started decades ago.... a third of the children crossing the border cross with someone who is not related to them... tens of thousands of children are trafficked into sex slavery every year across our southern border. So we need to make sure that the person traveling with the children is actually their parent or guardian. Now we have technology for instant DNA tests but Democrats in the house refuse to give the funding to use it. It makes it very difficult to know who exactly is actually family and who is a victim of human trafficking."

"I don't support using family separation as a deterrent, their are other ways to deter illegal immigration which I have detailed in my plan. Once we confirm the parenthood or guardianship of an adult with a child than they should be sent to family detention facilities where they can be processed, if they have a valid asylum claim they should be allowed in the country. Those with no legal right to be in the country will be kept with their family, and processed as quickly as possible. If Congress gives immigration judges the resources I have requested they will be able to get an expedited review by an immigration judge within 72 hours and then return to their home country within 2 weeks. While detained they should be treated as humanely as possible, but they still broke the law and should not be rewarded for doing that. It is a slap in the face to everyone who came here legally AND hurts the ability of our nation to screen for gangs and violent criminals which do cross our border frequently, they aren't the majority but we should still be vigilant against them."

"Thank you for your question"

[Dentali]

Nathaniel Richardson
Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
February 22nd, 2019

[/spoiler]

White woman in her 20s, clutching a picture of an old couple

"Governor Richardson, the innocent old couple in this photo are in fact my grandparents who were both murdered in a callous way by a spree killer in 2004 who had just raped and murdered his wife and her twin sister beforehand. He then drove from his home town in Arlington to their house in Melody Hills. He had no relation to them whatsoever, but he randomly attacked them whilst they were watching an episode of Judge Judy and they were strangled, beaten to death with a hammer and then set on fire by him. My family broke down in tears when we heard the news that they had been taken from us in the most brutal manner, and I want justice for them. Their evil killer was sentenced to death by a quick, clear and unanimous jury decision at his trial, yet he has been exhausting all of his beurocratic appeals since. It has been 15 years now, and I want justice. I do not want this man who murdered by grandparents in the most brutal fashion to be fed and cared for on death row, I want him put to death. Governor, if you were elected President, what would..." she began breaking into tears "... what would you do to bring justice to my family and families like mine? Would you end this?"

Richardson was incredibly surprised that in TEXAS the death penalty wait time wasn't much faster but decided not to question the story "Mam.. my heart goes out to you and your family. I cannot imagine what such a horrific loss is like. Now I don't know the specifics of your case but its all too familiar a story in this country, people losing loved ones in senseless acts of violence. I support now, and I have always supported the death penalty, and would make sure that cases like your families receive the justice they deserve as quickly as possible. Thank you for your question, for sharing your story... and God bless you."

[Agarntrop]

02/20/19
Senator Barry Anderson
ACT! For America Speech
St Louis Town Hall, Missouri

Anderson had organised a rally with the anti-Islamic ACT! For America organisation that he was affiliated with in his home state. He decided that he needed to make a bold move to make him more politically prominient, he needed to speak at this rally he had organised. It was a dangerous and contraversial decision among his staff, especially as St. Louis was, by most definitions, the most liberal area in his state.

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[audience clapping as Anderson takes to the stage]

"Well thank you very much indeed, thank you! Thank you!"

[clapping begins to die down]

"Thank you very much indeed! It is truly, honestly a pleasure to be here! One of the things I share with most Republicans is my impenetrable goal of ending islamic terrorism in its entirety. As part of my goal, I have shown impenetrable support for this truly fantastic organisation. When I first came to one of your events back in Washington, over 5 years ago, I thought that here was a brand new conservative movement, that could appeal to the young and pragmatic. ACT! was and still is unlike most newly-formed conservative organisations, which are made up of students who are generally quite nerdy, quite odd, and who generally look a bit like Theodore Vohoffsky."

[audience laughter]

"But I saw ACT! and I thought that this was exciting, it was buzzy, it was not party political, but it was exciting, it was antiterrorist, it was conservatism that had been packaged and sold in the right way, it was positive. Positive about combatting terrorism, positive about democracy, positive about America, and positive about securing our borders. This organisation is not just a good thing: it is now fundamentally needed here."

[applause and cheering]

"Because the need for this is every bit as much as great now, especially after recent terrorist activities, as it was when I first encountered you 5 years ago. We also must remember that it isn't just external radical islamic organisations that pose a huge threat to America we are fighting against, there is the internal threat of the destructive and tyrannical ideology of socialism that we must fight against also, that's become such a threat to us that it has even infected the minds of some of our Democrat politicians. As the uncle of five children and the great uncle of eight children, I am deeply concerned about socialism and islam and the threat they pose to future generations. If we let them win, it is our children and grandchildren that will lose out the most."

[applause]

"How does socialism pose a threat? Well, the socialist infection of the American public school system is already happening. Children are being taught from the age of eight that America is not the land of the free, but instead a land of entrenched racism, sexism, income inequality, homophobia, transphobia, and the lot of it. We can't allow this kind of revisionist nonsense to be shoved down the throats of our youth."

"As you might be able to imagine, I receive thousands of emails and letters every week, most of them questioning me, some of them quite supportive. But some get filtered through and put on my desk and one I got last week was simply great. A 10 year old boy, called Dylan, wrote me a letter on lined paper, hand-written with an ink pen, beautiful handwriting. And Dylan said 'Dear Mr Anderson, we are being taught things by our teachers that we don't think are right. My dad calls it propaganda. But me and my buddy Matt (fellow conservative), we know their tricks!"

[Laughter and Applause]

"I thought, these two 5th graders, sitting at the back of the class, they're having none of it! So I wrote back to him, and I sent both the boys a signed photograph of myself and President Wolf, with a letter that finished by saying 'Yours Sincerely, Barry Anderson, United States Senator for Missouri (fellow conservative)', and I enjoyed doing that!"

[Laughter and Applause]

"So there are independently minded free-spirited people from the age of 10, who will stand up and fight against socialism and islamisation. What will save this country, my freinds, is critical thinking. Critical thinking is when there are two solutions, both valid and reasonable, and you, as an independent individual, you can make your mind up as to which of those you will support. We are now teaching people, whether it's on global warming, whether it's on defending America against islamic terrorism, whether it's on the defence of judeo-Christian values against mass immigration. Whatever it may be, on all of these issues, the socialists are teaching our young people that one view is virtuous and right, and that the other view is evil. This is the internal threat we have to fight and this is why I am so pleased that this organisation exists to fight it."

[Applause]

"We have got to fight the far-leftist cancerous beast at every level. The fact that 67% of the young people in this country voted for a party that sympathises with socialism and islamic fundamentalism shows you how deep the problem is. The socialists are taking over academia, they are destroying its objectivity."

"We must beat both the external threat of islamism, and both the internal threats of socialism and globalism which are destroying academia in this country, and I intend to fully play my part. Thank you for having me and goodnight!"

[applause and cheering as Anderson leaves the stage]

[Puertollano]

Levi Murphy @LeviMurphy So, Republican Senator Barry Anderson has attended a rally sponsored by Islamophobic organisation "Act for America", which according to the Southern Poverty Law Center is a hate group. This is absolutely disgraceful and the President must immediately condemn this racist islamophobia!

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Governor Jonah Prendergast Jr.
@JPJ4WV

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Commendable to see Senator Anderson take some goddamn initiative in this country about the proliferation of dangerous ideologies on young and impressionable minds. We've heard a lot from people about what people inject into kids' bodies. What about what's being injected into their minds?!

[Dentali]

Senator Moore
@MichiganMoore

There is a line between speaking out against Radical Islamic Terrorism and speaking out against Islam. We can disagree without being disagreeable, but organizations like ACT! are hate groups aimed at extermination. I am a Christian but can still respect other religions and their right to freedom of worship, I wish other Senators could make that same commitment.

[The Democratic Marxists]

Abby Winthrop
@SenWinthrop

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I myself have concerns about archaic ideals in religion, including Islam. But there is a difference between questioning doctrine and propping up groups who support persecution of individual Muslims. Senator Anderson should apologize to Muslims in America who have to live in fear of people like him.

[Imperial Esplanade]

Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

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With all due respect... what in the world are you thinking, Senator Anderson?