The Land of the Free: American Political Roleplay (OOC III)

[Gordano and Lysandus]

I've just looked at the Agg again, and I'm kind of worried that Porter's stagnating. Time to release the torpedoes on Prendergast.

Cross swords with me at your own risk.

[Sanabel]

I still don’t know how strong Paulson is going to be with Mormons just based on the fact she had a child out of wedlock and she has failed to respond to attack ads painting her as a social liberal in Utah

[Velahor]

I still don’t know how strong Paulson is going to be with Mormons just based on the fact she had a child out of wedlock and she has failed to respond to attack ads painting her as a social liberal in Utah

Where were these attack ads? I’m not seeing anything, she did comment on Richardson’s attack ads in her last rally.

The child out of wedlock thing hurts, but 1 in 5 births in Utah are out of wedlock as of 2018...and that was a long time ago.

There’s a pretty good response prepped for if it becomes an issue.

[Sanabel]

I still don’t know how strong Paulson is going to be with Mormons just based on the fact she had a child out of wedlock and she has failed to respond to attack ads painting her as a social liberal in Utah

Where were these attack ads? I’m not seeing anything, she did comment on Richardson’s attack ads in her last rally.

The child out of wedlock thing hurts, but 1 in 5 births in Utah are out of wedlock as of 2018...and that was a long time ago.

There’s a pretty good response prepped for if it becomes an issue.

Just because it is fairly common and happened a long time ago does not mean that plus her being a woman generally won't make socially conservative (most) Mormons uncomfortable

[Velahor]

As a whole, I made Paulson with way more built-in weaknesses than she needed.

I was just thinking about what I would do differently if I knew what I knew now when applying.

She would have been a male Senator in not-Gardner’s Colorado seat, extremely isolationist/protectionist globally but domestically libertarian, and would be a farmer.

[Velahor]

Where were these attack ads? I’m not seeing anything, she did comment on Richardson’s attack ads in her last rally.

The child out of wedlock thing hurts, but 1 in 5 births in Utah are out of wedlock as of 2018...and that was a long time ago.

There’s a pretty good response prepped for if it becomes an issue.

Just because it is fairly common and happened a long time ago does not mean that plus her being a woman generally won't make socially conservative (most) Mormons uncomfortable

That’s definitely true...

[Kargintina the Third]

As a whole, I made Paulson with way more built-in weaknesses than she needed.

I was just thinking about what I would do differently if I knew what I knew now when applying.

She would have been a male Senator in not-Gardner’s Colorado seat, extremely isolationist/protectionist globally but domestically libertarian, and would be a farmer.

Flawed characters are more interesting

[Kargintina the Third]

Also someone should app for Not-Cooney

[Velahor]

Also someone should app for Not-Cooney

I would, but I lived in Montana for a very long time, which though helpful for making the race immersive would likely give me an unfair advantage.

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

Also someone should app for Not-Cooney

hmm

HMMM

[Sanabel]

Ok I added in that Callahan is engaged.

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

I honestly think him not being married at 48 would create issues for him and rumors about his sexuality that might make his victory in 2017 a lot less likely. Otherwise im happy with the app.

I’ll say he’s in a public relationship or engaged. He’s an interesting character, not as cool as Francine Sullivan, but still has military/intel chops that are missing in the RP

Frankie’s frankly cool.

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

Yes

he has taken on the dom cummings role that you used to occupy (admin not listed in the op) then

Big mod vibes

[Dentali]

(Image)

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Character Information Sheet

NS Nation Name: Sanabel
Character Name: Gordon L. Callahan Jr.
Character Gender: Male
Character Age: 48
Character Height: 6 feet
Character Weight: 180 lbs
Character Position/Role/Job: Junior United States Senator from Alabama (2017-), General Counsel to the United States Senate Armed Services Committee (2009-2012)
Appearance:
(Image)
Character State of Origin: Alabama
Character State of Residence: Alabama
Character Party Affiliation: Democratic Party
Main Strengths: Strong convictions, empathetic, strong constituency ties, well-liked by his colleagues
Main Weaknesses: Uncharismatic, most vulnerable US Senator and too liberal for his state, naive, soft spoken
Biography:
Gordon Lowder Callahan Jr. was born in 1971, near Huntsville, Alabama. His father was the newly elected Alabama Supreme Court Justice, and his mother was a homemaker and his father’s high school sweetheart. Callahan grew up in the small town of Stevenson, near the Georgia line. He went to elementary school there as a kid. When his father was elected to the United States Senate as a so-called ‘Anti-Wallace Democrat’ in 1978, he ended up at the St. Marks Preparatory School in Washington, D.C. Despite that, he still spent his summers in at the family home in Stevenson, which he still maintains today.

Callahan was quiet and bookish, and did well in school. He was very close to his father, who grew into a giant in Alabama politics as the years passed. Gordon Callahan Sr. started out in the Senate as a hardline conservative Democrat, but slowly grew into more of a liberal. By the end of his political career, opposing NAFTA, breaking with other Southern Democrats to vote against Clarence Thomas, and opposing the prominent display of the Confederate flag in municipal spaces (this is what happened with Senator Howard Heflin, the Alabama Democrat Callahan Sr is replacing). This political transformation inspired the younger Callahan, who saw the importance in voting your conscience and serving your state even when not politically expedient.

In 1989, Callahan attended Harvard University, where he had a concentration in political science. Immediately following his graduation in 1993, thanks to his father’s connections, Callahan was able to secure a direct commission into the United States Naval Reserves as an intelligence officer. His career was rather uninteresting, aside from a deployment on the SS George Washington, a Nimitz class carrier stationed in Virginia, and a deployment to Rota, Spain in 1995 to support US Naval operations during the ongoing Yugoslavia Crisis. In 1997, concurrent with the tail end of his service, Callahan began law school at the University of Alabama. In 1999, he retired from the Naval Reserves as a full lieutenant, and attained his law degree in 2000.

At at the encouragement of his father, Callahan returned to DC where he took a position as an associate at the prestigious Allenmore and Baird firm, specializing in contract law. In 2005, he was promoted to partner, thanks to his meticulous work and large, successful caseload. In 2009, he left the private sector, and was appointed as Counsel to the Senate Armed Services Committee. The position involved giving legal advice on committee issues, but most of the work was to lead a team of lawyers in reviewing and approving government contracts with civilian contractors, military servicemembers, and most importantly, with large defense corporations like Boeing and Northrop Grumman. The work proved fruitful for Callahan, who was well liked by both the majority members and the minority members for his diligence.

In 2012, Callahan made the decision to return to Alabama due to his elderly father’s failing health. He took it upon himself to help make his father’s last few years comfortable, and he worked as a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law. After his father passed away in 2014, Callahan was left with more time on his hands, so he handled some pro bono work on behalf of the Alabama Democratic Party. Despite his background in contract law, Callahan was successful in assisting candidates for state legislature and other offices with navigating complication and often exclusionary electoral law. This re-established the link between the Callahan family and Democratic machine. During this time he also met a fellow law professor and Democratic Party activist named Trisha, to whom he is now engaged. After 2016, Callahan was floated as a potential candidate for the 2018 Alabama gubernatorial race, something he strongly considered. However, when (Not-Sessions) vacated the Senate and a special election was announced, Callahan made the decision to take the plunge and run for his father’s old seat, making a calculated decision based on the weakness of the Republican field and the unpopularity of the new Republican presidential administration.

Callahan ran a fairly transparent campaign. He was open with his relatively liberal views, but emphasized “dinner table issues.” Many expected he would inevitably lose, but Callahan assured skeptics his campaign could in fact win. The skeptics started to believe him a bit more when a controversial Republican won the nomination in an upset, and they became even more convinced when a massive scandal broke about the Republican that circulated in national media. Thanks to success with turning out the black vote thanks to his trusted family name and father’s record, and thanks to his ability to flip suburban white voters with his easygoing/nonthreteaning demeanor and accomplished record as a top nonpartisan Senate staffer, Callahan managed the unthinkable, winning the senate race 49.97% to his opponent’s 48.34%.

Once seated in the Senate, Callahan was welcomed with open arms. The Democrats were pleased to flip the seat, and the Republicans were pleased to not have to deal with his former opponent being a US Senator. He remains well liked, especially by those who served concurrently with his father. Callahan has maintained the voting record of a mainline liberal, not at all the Blue Dog one would expect to represent a state in the Deep South. He has held the Democratic line on most votes in the 116th Congress. He has written and sponsored quite a bit of legislation, which seek to do a number of things, ranging from bills allocating more resources in schools to teach children to be financially literate, to increasing farm subsidies, to permanently reauthorizing mandatory funding programs for historically Black colleges and and other minority-serving institutions.

Other Info: He is of Scots-Irish and German descent, is a (privately) lapsed Baptist, is a bachelor.

I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay: I am the law.

Do Not Remove: 84721

ACCEPTED once he is engaged

[Kargintina the Third]

I’ve noticed a lot percentages of characters have military service

[Velahor]

Also someone should app for Not-Cooney

I would, but I lived in Montana for a very long time, which though helpful for making the race immersive would likely give me an unfair advantage.

I want a Democratic Governor, so if nobody has applied as not-Cooney when Long’s election is over, I’ll apply for that one.

I need to do some rallies for Long...

[Sanabel]

I’ve noticed a lot percentages of characters have military service

It actually is not that high.

[Titanne]

Also someone should app for Not-Cooney

I might...

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

I’ve noticed a lot percentages of characters have military service

It actually is not that high.

None of my characters have served in the military.

One if the Astronaut Corp counts but I don’t think it does.

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

Epic Gordon Callaghan.

[Velahor]

I would, but I lived in Montana for a very long time, which though helpful for making the race immersive would likely give me an unfair advantage.

I want a Democratic Governor, so if nobody has applied as not-Cooney when Long’s election is over, I’ll apply for that one.

I need to do some rallies for Long...

Actually, now that I think of it, I really need a Senator.

I should make not-Daines...or maybe not-Tester.

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

Also someone should app for Not-Cooney

I might...

If you do or if @Vaq does, lmk

I’ll app as (Not-Bullock) for the senate run.

[Sanabel]

Epic Gordon Callaghan.

Paulson Jr’s point was a little but nuts

[Titanne]

I might...

If you do or if @Vaq does, lmk

I’ll app as (Not-Bullock) for the senate run.

I think I will, but maybe I’ll go for a different state, like Vermont or New Hampshire...

[Sanabel]

If you do or if @Vaq does, lmk

I’ll app as (Not-Bullock) for the senate run.

I think I will, but maybe I’ll go for a different state, like Vermont or New Hampshire...

We don’t have a single character yet in Colorado