Twilight's Last Gleaming: An American Political RP Special

[The Sarangtus Lands]

"My question to Governor Erikssen is how he can look those older people in the eye - the ones barely able to afford healthcare as a result of backfiring government interventions - and then go to them "I'm going to take away your healthcare"? Beyond that, it just shocks me the sheer brazenness of it, and I wonder if anyone, at all, with at least a hint of reason, would say that your drastic, disproportionate measures should be done now, rather than my proposals and the other candidates in this stage who I commend for having good healthcare plans' proposals. It's just not necessary, Governor, that's the thing. We must stand together and unify behind common sense, intelligent proposals such as malpractice reform rather than this madness Let us stand together in what is right, rather than be divided by what is wrong; to do what is necessary for the future of this nation."

Governor Ben Eriksen (OK)

Senator, I'm all for medical malpractice reform -- but that's mostly a state matter. As Governor I lobbied the legislature hard on malpractice reform. I didn't get as much done, as I wanted to, with a Democratic legislature, but I'm still proud of the steps I made. You've led a Republican majority in the Senate, with a Republican House, and a Republican President. What malpractice reforms have you produced in that time? What systemic reforms to safeguard the future solvency of Medicare?

Senator, how can you look young people in the eye, and tell them they will have to pay $10,000 a year or more in extra taxes in order to plug the shortfall that's grown on your watch?

"I'm not going to, because that's not true. There are other solutions to this aside from the madness of raising the retirement age."

[Madrinpoor]

GOP DEBATE 1 QUESTION 5

"Do you see rising crime as an issue facing America?"

[Meretica]

FIRST REPUBLICAN DEBATE
SENATOR CASSANDRA HEPBURN-SMITH

"Crime has been a focus of my campaign. My record, as a prosecutor and a Senator, is that I will do what it takes to fight crime and keep Americans safe, even if it goes against the party line. Placing the interests of Americans above those of the NRA is a priority."

[New Luciannova]

First, two things: one crime is obviously bad and a problem. Two, crime is not rising in these United States. Crime peaked in the late 80’s and early 90’s and is currently at the lowest it’s ever been, thus says the FBI and Bureau of Justice statistics. I’m going to trust them more that a hack pundit or crooked politician. There are different ideas on how to fight crime, a lot of us ask which is the toughest, but I ask which is the smartest. In my eyes, punishment and deterrence are important and should not be ignored, but who gets punished and the goals behind that punishment matter just as much, as does the outcome. Some criminals should be punished harshly, some should be rehabilitated and helped by the system. This is case by case and crime by crime to decide it. As a defense attorney I learned the difference and learned it fast. I can approach crime in a smart, practical and results-oriented way.

[The Sarangtus Lands]

Senator Ruskie Helms (R-NC)

"Absolutely. We have to do something about this. We have to do what we must to defend our families from crime, from murder, from theft. I will redouble the efforts that we have seen for the past 30 years to reduce crime, namely increasing application of the death penalty on murderers, paedophiles and other such disgusting criminals as a deterrent, increasing sentences for violent crimes further, funding our local police forces and ensuring that our inner cities are once again clean and healthy, rather than filled with crime, drugs and gangs. Let's fight back against the criminals. Let's fight back against the gangs. Let's fight back against the cartels. Let's fight, for the future of our children and for the future of America, to ensure that we are doing all we can to end innocent lives being cut down by machine guns! Let's fight, for a greater dawn ahead! Let's fight, to protect the shining hill that this nation stands on!"

[Kavanis]

Governor Ben Eriksen (OK)

Uh huh, poetic. Congressman Putnam is basically correct: crime has been trending down for years, although violent crime ticked up slightly last year. Crime stats can be extremely unreliable, but the overall trend since the early 90s is inarguable.

That doesn’t mean we should stop being vigilant, though, or abandon the policies that have helped us tackle crime. New technologies like the internet are creating new types of crime and making identity theft and financial fraud more ubiquitous. Law enforcement will need new strategies and new resources to tackle them.

I’m deeply troubled, too, by the rise in methamphetamine abuse, and of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. I hold up my hands (which he does, unfortunately showing how sweaty his palms after the last question): this isn’t a problem I solved overnight at ONDCP. It’s going to take concerted state and federal coordination, and it begins with securing our border and our ports.

[Lavan Tiri]

Governor Olivia Calalo
R-Hawai'i

Olivia was unable to disguise a slight eyeroll at Helms' attempts at profundity.

"Under the Calalo administration, we will continue the policies that have led to the downturn in violent crime we're currently seeing. As Prosecutor, I instituted significant reforms to the way we did business, including a ban on most plea bargains, and I'd like to see that same policy implemented nationwide. In addition, we're going to be cracking down on white-collar crime and government corruption. On day one we put an end to no-bid contracts, we go after embezzlers, we go to work cleaning up Washington."

[Sarenium]

GOP DEBATE 1 QUESTION 5

"Do you see rising crime as an issue facing America?"

---

Deborah Feyrer (R-AL)

---

"We need to be doin' much more to combat the rising crime in America. We gotta get the rabble off the streets and into lockup," she paused before diving in, "and the ones who commit acts too damnin' for lockup, or who put American families through pain 'n sufferin' as some sick hobby, be they drug dealers or rapists, I'm happy take 'em off the street for good."

[Melovinta]

Rep. Harold Pierce Gunsley (OH-5)

"Well we certainly do have problems with gang violence in large cities but overall if we can keep the border tight and secure, junkies off the street, and make sure our economy is going along nicely, crime will fall as less and less people will be unemployed and therefore won't have to turn to crime. However, if I am elected and there is a great surge in crime, I would do everything in my power to stop it, a Gunsley administration won't let rapists or mass murderers off the hook."

[Madrinpoor]

MODERATOR

"There will now be a free discussion on the topic of crime."

[New Luciannova]

One major concern we never discuss is the level to which we incarcerate people in the United States. We incarcerate more people than any other country and they’re mostly non-violent offenders and people of color, and that’s worrying.
I would like to find ways that are more about justice than merely punishment. Absolutely some offenders should be punished, but many do not and we must strive for justice and handle criminal law in a way geared toward just outcomes. We talk a lot about being “tough” on crime, but being smarter and more just is far more important and harder.

[The Sarangtus Lands]

One major concern we never discuss is the level to which we incarcerate people in the United States. We incarcerate more people than any other country and they’re mostly non-violent offenders and people of color, and that’s worrying.
I would like to find ways that are more about justice than merely punishment. Absolutely some offenders should be punished, but many do not and we must strive for justice and handle criminal law in a way geared toward just outcomes. We talk a lot about being “tough” on crime, but being smarter and more just is far more important and harder.

"Are you accusing the US justice system of being racist, Mr. Putnam?"

[Melovinta]

One major concern we never discuss is the level to which we incarcerate people in the United States. We incarcerate more people than any other country and they’re mostly non-violent offenders and people of color, and that’s worrying.
I would like to find ways that are more about justice than merely punishment. Absolutely some offenders should be punished, but many do not and we must strive for justice and handle criminal law in a way geared toward just outcomes. We talk a lot about being “tough” on crime, but being smarter and more just is far more important and harder.

"Mr. Putnam, are you saying that you won't be tough on crime?"

[Melovinta]

Rep. Harold Pierce Gunsley (OH-5)

"Also, I would like to remind the American people that there are predators prowling the internet, and do you know what happens to them? Probation, a light sentence, I mean, seriously? You ever seen that MSNBC show, To Catch A Predator? There was one man who was a Rabbi, one man who was a special-education teacher, and one who was an emergency room surgeon! These guys could be anyone, anywhere! We give some of them access to our children DAILY, so believe me, a Gunsley administration would make the sentences for pedophilia and crimes related to it much, much harsher."

[The Sarangtus Lands]

"I absolutely echo that sentiment. We need to do what is necessary to protect American families from crime, while acknowledging the strides we have made under Cush, who has fought well to reduce crime over his administration."

[Kavanis]

Governor Ben Eriksen (OK)

Congressman Putnam is wrong if he’s implying that legalizing drugs would change that. Even if the US were to release every single non-violent drug offender in the entire penal system – and I doubt, with respect, even Congressman would go that far – we would still imprison a higher proportion of our population than other developed nations.

But he’s right about the essential point: there is more to crime reduction than blustering about tough enforcement. I have been a law and order conservative my whole political life, from campaigning to restore the death penalty in Oklahoma, to liaising with my counterparts in Colombia on joint strategies to tackle violent narco cartels. And yet the measure I’m proudest of is the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative.

All the data we have shows that one of the leading predictors of criminality is fatherlessness. Far too many young people – far too many of them in black and Native American communities – are growing up without fathers. By promoting the institution of marriage and trying to give every child the opportunity to grow up in a household with two parents involved in their upbringing, by tackling school dropout rates, by delivering a strong economy where work pays more than welfare. we will quite probably do significantly more to prevent crime than we will if we start, uh, chasing around rabbis?

[New Luciannova]

So, first, I am not saying our criminal justice system is necessarily racist. I’m just pointing out there is a disparity and that warrants thought.
Second, I proposed in the short term only decriminalization of small quantities of lower level drugs, like marijuana. I would be willing to gradually move beyond that. Prison is not a good place to get clean and only makes the drug addict worse off. Drugs are regularly smuggled into prisons, and inmates, after being released often have a hard time adjusting to life outside and often go back to drugs. Addiction is a health problem. We have seen decriminalization, where it has been practiced to be far more effective and preventing drug abuse and addiction.
Do you really think prison works here or could we try something that shows far more promise? People will always do drugs, and the war on drugs has failed. Let’s try something else now.

[New Luciannova]

As for if I’ll be tough on crime, that’s a meaningless phrase. I’ll be just on crime. Let’s talk about being just, not being tough or soft. What matters is achieving justice, not toughness.

[Melovinta]

-snip-

"I used that case an example of how well predators can hide in our society, I'll leave it at that. As for Mr. Putnam, this is a very simple yes or no question, all I want is for you to say "Yes, I will be tough on crime" or "No, I will not be tough on crime.", it's as simple as that."

[The Sarangtus Lands]

So, first, I am not saying our criminal justice system is necessarily racist. I’m just pointing out there is a disparity and that warrants thought.
Second, I proposed in the short term only decriminalization of small quantities of lower level drugs, like marijuana. I would be willing to gradually move beyond that. Prison is not a good place to get clean and only makes the drug addict worse off. Drugs are regularly smuggled into prisons, and inmates, after being released often have a hard time adjusting to life outside and often go back to drugs. Addiction is a health problem. We have seen decriminalization, where it has been practiced to be far more effective and preventing drug abuse and addiction.
Do you really think prison works here or could we try something that shows far more promise? People will always do drugs, and the war on drugs has failed. Let’s try something else now.

"I think prison does work. These people must get prison, to preserve our communities from the diseases of violent crime. It is an objective fact that the physiological and sociological effects of drugs - that is to say the effects it has on the mind and how it affects groups of people - both contribute to violent crime. The legalisation of these drugs would only lead to a further spike in violent crime, with gangs destroying our cities, looting and bashing down all they could. I do not think that, therefore, is the future that we ought to be seeking for America. The future we ought to be seeking is the full destruction of these gangs and the arrests of those who have conspired with them."

[Kavanis]

For Chrissake Congressman, leave the poor man alone. What possible value is there in hectoring one of your colleagues to recite some banal platitude? We are meant to be debating policy. Congressman Putnam has offered some, that I happen to disagree with, but which still reflects more thought than basing our legislative agenda on reality television.

An exasperated Ben shakes his head.

[New Luciannova]

Thank you, Governor Eriksen. Mr. Gunsley, tough on crime is a meaningless phrase. My goal is justice, not some vague notion of toughness. If whatever you perceive as "toughness" gets me justice, then I will be the toughest. If whatever you perceive as softness gets me justice than may I be the softest. I've laid down some policy proposals, read into them what you like, but the goal is justice.
As for Senator Helms' comments, prison exists for certain people and not for others. I absolutely want to take down violent miscreants who attack our cities like locusts leaving destruction in their wake. I do not want to do any more harm for people who are struggling with addiction, which is an illness, not a crime.
Addicts can still get their drugs in prison, and regularly do, and having gone to prison only makes their lives worse than they already are. In the 1980's Switzerland had a heroine epidemic and invested in wellness and treatment of the illness of addiction. It showed astonishing success, unlike our failed policies. It remarkably reduced drug abuse and actually was more cost-effective.
The prohibition of drugs has also lead to gangs reaping overwhelming profits and selling them to anyone who has the money, including children. They use violence because they have no other means to handle disputes. Legitimate and licensed businessmen would not have that problem, and could handle things peacefully and in a far more safe manner.
The war on drugs is a failure, let’s try something else.

[The Sarangtus Lands]

Thank you, Governor Eriksen. Mr. Gunsley, tough on crime is a meaningless phrase. My goal is justice, not some vague notion of toughness. If whatever you perceive as "toughness" gets me justice, then I will be the toughest. If whatever you perceive as softness gets me justice than may I be the softest. I've laid down some policy proposals, read into them what you like, but the goal is justice.
As for Senator Helms' comments, prison exists for certain people and not for others. I absolutely want to take down violent miscreants who attack our cities like locusts leaving destruction in their wake. I do not want to do any more harm for people who are struggling with addiction, which is an illness, not a crime.
Addicts can still get their drugs in prison, and regularly do, and having gone to prison only makes their lives worse than they already are. In the 1980's Switzerland had a heroine epidemic and invested in wellness and treatment of the illness of addiction. It showed astonishing success, unlike our failed policies. It remarkably reduced drug abuse and actually was more cost-effective.
The prohibition of drugs has also lead to gangs reaping overwhelming profits and selling them to anyone who has the money, including children. They use violence because they have no other means to handle disputes. Legitimate and licensed businessmen would not have that problem, and could handle things peacefully and in a far more safe manner.
The war on drugs is a failure, let’s try something else.

"Then we must break those gangs apart, arrest their leaders and put them all behind bars. It seems pretty simple to me, and I think that we've been hanging about the issue for far too long. As President, I would expand the FBI's resources directly to deal with these people right in the face. I pledge to do as much as possible to save this country from the problem of gangs in our inner cities, and from the increasing problem of these gangs seeping out into suburban areas, bringing drugs, crime and illegal guns with them."

[New Luciannova]

Senator, nobody is saying we shouldn't be combatting gang violence, but they're like weeds, when one is removed another pops back up in its place, unless you remove the roots. I want to remove that, you don't seem to know nor care what that root is.

[Madrinpoor]

Senator, nobody is saying we shouldn't be combatting gang violence, but they're like weeds, when one is removed another pops back up in its place, unless you remove the roots. I want to remove that, you don't seem to know nor care what that root is.

The moderator snickers