Twilight's Last Gleaming: An American Political RP Special

[Vaquas]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 QUESTION 4

“What limitations if any do you support on Abortion?”

"Psalm 22:10 says ``From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.``. The Ten Commandments state that thou shalt not murder! This is not a political issue! This is not left or right, libertarian or authoritarian - it's about life. Life. Is. Sacred. We shouldn't have folks out here using abortion like it's some end-all solution to pregnancy, just havin' abortions like a form of birth control. If you don't want a baby, don't do the act. If you're raped, in danger, anything like that - of course, nobody's gonna stop you. But if I become President, any and all funding to facilities that promote abortion as something other than a last, last resort - will be ended. I will seek a federal ban on abortion before the second trimester. We've gotta protect the unborn of America, and I think the first steps that I've described must be taken."

---

Senator Laakso looked shocked.

"I think its very interesting to hear Congressman Woolworth talk how much he values human life considering he's been one of the most vocal cheerleaders in congress for the War in Iraq and was more than happy to send our men and women off to die under false pretenses. I think its baffling that anyone can stand on this stage and say that they don't think women should have the right to decide what to do with their own bodies, in the context of their own medical histories and with the consultation of their doctors. For someone who claims to be about small government and liberty, its interesting to see him admit that in his mind, those principles don't apply to 50% of this country."

"In my view, abortion should be safe and legal for women across this country, and I think the current framework provided by Roe and subsequent decisions is something we should stick by, not use the executive branch to undermine. Under a Laakso administration, we will stay the course and ensure this is a decision made by a woman and her physician, not by Washington bureaucrats."

[Dentali]

MODERATOR

“The floor is now open for free discussion on the topic of Abortion “

[Kargintinia]

Nesbitt Tripp Baylor

”The Congressman seems to be unaware of what party he is running in the primary for. Representative Jim Crow’s views on not just abortion but race and many other issues fit right in line with the most extreme Republicans like Deb Feyrer and Ruskie Helms.

Is this the kind of values we want to have, not just as a party, but as a nation? Of course not. President Cush’s establishment ilk were already shellacked back in November for their extreme anti-women and anti-black views and I have no doubt the same will happen in 2008. The overwhelming majority of Americans support keeping abortion safe and legal and I have full confidence they will see right through this backwards buffoon from North Carolina.”

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 QUESTION 4

“What limitations if any do you support on Abortion?”

"Psalm 22:10 says ``From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.``. The Ten Commandments state that thou shalt not murder! This is not a political issue! This is not left or right, libertarian or authoritarian - it's about life. Life. Is. Sacred. We shouldn't have folks out here using abortion like it's some end-all solution to pregnancy, just havin' abortions like a form of birth control. If you don't want a baby, don't do the act. If you're raped, in danger, anything like that - of course, nobody's gonna stop you. But if I become President, any and all funding to facilities that promote abortion as something other than a last, last resort - will be ended. I will seek a federal ban on abortion before the second trimester. We've gotta protect the unborn of America, and I think the first steps that I've described must be taken."

FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
GOVERNOR UPTON FLEMING

Representative Woolworth, as much as my faith informs my worldview, the constitution of the United States of American dictates how I govern. We are not a theocracy, the separation of church and state sits in the very first amendment of our constitution, which apparently you either don't or can't be bothered to care for. Not to turn a political debate into a theological one, but the Holy Bible's most direct reference to abortion is contained in Numbers 5:11–31, where abortion is induced as a punishment for adultery. Part of the foresight of the founding fathers, was that attempting to make laws by argument for religion consistently led to strife, it allowed individuals to believe that laws they agreed with were divinely inspired defeating the primacy of reasoned debate that is at the foundation of our Republic

Additionally, Representative Woolworth, If you actually believed what you claim to believe, you could not provide exceptions under any circumstances. If this was simply about your faith informing belief a goal to make abortions as infrequent as possible, you would focus on educating young women and supporting mothers. All I see from you, Representative Woolworth, is you trying to carve out a space for yourself with bottom of the barrel politics. The ugly truth to this all, running contrary to common assertions, is that abortion, in practice, is rarely ever actually about choice, but about women feeling that pregnancy narrows their horizons. We must ensure that motherhood is supported through advancing childcare and maternal leave in this country.

[Jovuistan]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 QUESTION 4

“What limitations if any do you support on Abortion?”

"Psalm 22:10 says ``From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.``. The Ten Commandments state that thou shalt not murder! This is not a political issue! This is not left or right, libertarian or authoritarian - it's about life. Life. Is. Sacred. We shouldn't have folks out here using abortion like it's some end-all solution to pregnancy, just havin' abortions like a form of birth control. If you don't want a baby, don't do the act. If you're raped, in danger, anything like that - of course, nobody's gonna stop you. But if I become President, any and all funding to facilities that promote abortion as something other than a last, last resort - will be ended. I will seek a federal ban on abortion before the second trimester. We've gotta protect the unborn of America, and I think the first steps that I've described must be taken."

"I couldn't disagree more with the Representative on this. This is a completely disingenuous description of what abortion really is: it's a complicated thing. No one just casually chooses to have an abortion, it's a difficult decision that a woman has to consult their doctor and make for a number of reasons far tougher than just feeling like it. We should not, under any circumstances, defund women's healthcare because of a practice that accounts for something around one percent of what they even do, that's asinine and only sets our already broken healthcare system even further back for women in this country.

"And, Representative, it's not just as plain and simple as 'don't do the act', if you want to actually work to get the number of abortions down, you have to support the women and families dealing with pregnancy, using the methods I mentioned earlier alongside what my friends here have talked about with childcare and maternity leave. It's a complicated and nasty issue for a lot of Americans, I know, but in the end this is about whether women have the right to their own bodies, and the government quite bluntly has zero right to be interfering with that."

[Mareadmonte]

---

"Well, ain't it wonderful y'all makin' me out as some boogeyman now huh? Now, listen, I'm all for supporting mothers in their pregnancy and beyond in whatever forms it may be - maternity leave, child tax credits, and so on. I understand the United States law holds precedent - that goes without saying. Perhaps I can lay out what I think more clearly - I am a Christian man, devoutly Christian. It is my personal belief that abortion is a sin, a reprehensible sin. I understand the difficulties that so many women have to go through in life, let alone adding an unwanted pregnancy to the mix. I'm not out here tryin' to punish women, I'm not restricting their rights or their access to quality healthcare and assistance - quite the opposite. Like I said, a ban on federal funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion organizations and a ban on abortions after the second trimester, are two things I would seek to implement. Furthermore, however, I would push for more federal assistance and funding for organizations not to provide abortions, but to educate and help these women so they don't make their mistakes again. Yes, Senator Martel, abortion is complicated. But that doesn't mean we can't find a way to reduce and end the practice in America to protect innocent lives. Abortion hurts both the mothers and children deeply, and it breaks my heart to see this continue."

He took a sip of water.

"And as for Mr. Baylor, I have a few words for you. I will take honest, good debate. But one thing I will not take is being defamed and name-called on a public stage. Nobody disrespects me the way you just did, nobody. It's disgusting, and it shows you're too much of a coward and a phoney to actually discuss meaningful subject matter so instead you decide to attack everyone on this stage. You know, Mr. Baylor, being an airline magnate, you've probably flown a lot. But let me tell you right here and now, us folks in "flyover country" are sick of the elitist, entitled crap that comes out of the mouths of people like you! There's a lot of "backwards buffoons" in North Carolina, in Tennessee, in South Carolina, in Texas, in Missouri, in Ohio, and all across this country that are fed up with people like you! Shame on you, Tripp!" he said, getting red in the face as by the end, he was shouting.

[Kargintinia]

(Image)

---

"Well, ain't it wonderful y'all makin' me out as some boogeyman now huh? Now, listen, I'm all for supporting mothers in their pregnancy and beyond in whatever forms it may be - maternity leave, child tax credits, and so on. I understand the United States law holds precedent - that goes without saying. Perhaps I can lay out what I think more clearly - I am a Christian man, devoutly Christian. It is my personal belief that abortion is a sin, a reprehensible sin. I understand the difficulties that so many women have to go through in life, let alone adding an unwanted pregnancy to the mix. I'm not out here tryin' to punish women, I'm not restricting their rights or their access to quality healthcare and assistance - quite the opposite. Like I said, a ban on federal funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion organizations and a ban on abortions after the second trimester, are two things I would seek to implement. Furthermore, however, I would push for more federal assistance and funding for organizations not to provide abortions, but to educate and help these women so they don't make their mistakes again. Yes, Senator Martel, abortion is complicated. But that doesn't mean we can't find a way to reduce and end the practice in America to protect innocent lives. Abortion hurts both the mothers and children deeply, and it breaks my heart to see this continue."

He took a sip of water.

"And as for Mr. Baylor, I have a few words for you. I will take honest, good debate. But one thing I will not take is being defamed and name-called on a public stage. Nobody disrespects me the way you just did, nobody. It's disgusting, and it shows you're too much of a coward and a phoney to actually discuss meaningful subject matter so instead you decide to attack everyone on this stage. You know, Mr. Baylor, being an airline magnate, you've probably flown a lot. But let me tell you right here and now, us folks in "flyover country" are sick of the elitist, entitled crap that comes out of the mouths of people like you! There's a lot of "backwards buffoons" in North Carolina, in Tennessee, in South Carolina, in Texas, in Missouri, in Ohio, and all across this country that are fed up with people like you! Shame on you, Tripp!" he said, getting red in the face as by the end, he was shouting.

Nesbitt Tripp Baylor

“Please calm down Representative. You attacked me first. You shouldn’t have started a fight you couldn’t win. I guess racism makes you make poor decisions.”

[Jovuistan]

(Image)

---

"Well, ain't it wonderful y'all makin' me out as some boogeyman now huh? Now, listen, I'm all for supporting mothers in their pregnancy and beyond in whatever forms it may be - maternity leave, child tax credits, and so on. I understand the United States law holds precedent - that goes without saying. Perhaps I can lay out what I think more clearly - I am a Christian man, devoutly Christian. It is my personal belief that abortion is a sin, a reprehensible sin. I understand the difficulties that so many women have to go through in life, let alone adding an unwanted pregnancy to the mix. I'm not out here tryin' to punish women, I'm not restricting their rights or their access to quality healthcare and assistance - quite the opposite. Like I said, a ban on federal funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion organizations and a ban on abortions after the second trimester, are two things I would seek to implement. Furthermore, however, I would push for more federal assistance and funding for organizations not to provide abortions, but to educate and help these women so they don't make their mistakes again. Yes, Senator Martel, abortion is complicated. But that doesn't mean we can't find a way to reduce and end the practice in America to protect innocent lives. Abortion hurts both the mothers and children deeply, and it breaks my heart to see this continue."

He took a sip of water.

"And as for Mr. Baylor, I have a few words for you. I will take honest, good debate. But one thing I will not take is being defamed and name-called on a public stage. Nobody disrespects me the way you just did, nobody. It's disgusting, and it shows you're too much of a coward and a phoney to actually discuss meaningful subject matter so instead you decide to attack everyone on this stage. You know, Mr. Baylor, being an airline magnate, you've probably flown a lot. But let me tell you right here and now, us folks in "flyover country" are sick of the elitist, entitled crap that comes out of the mouths of people like you! There's a lot of "backwards buffoons" in North Carolina, in Tennessee, in South Carolina, in Texas, in Missouri, in Ohio, and all across this country that are fed up with people like you! Shame on you, Tripp!" he said, getting red in the face as by the end, he was shouting.

"Representative, you say you don't want to restrict women's access to healthcare, but organizations like Planned Parenthood are chief sources of healthcare for women. The fact is that abortions make up such a small portion of these organizations' procedures, the rest of which being crucial medical care that women need that's so much harder to get otherwise. We can disagree on this issue, but I'll be damned if I see women lose their rights and access to essential healthcare in this country, not today, not tomorrow. I'm a Christian myself, as are most Americans who support a woman's right to choose. The reality is that this is a country full of many different faiths, we're not a theocratic government, and thus our personal religious beliefs shouldn't factor into government policy.

"Let's not turn this into a shouting match, though, Representative. That does nothing but embarrass the voters who are going to be casting their votes next year. We're not going to show Americans how there's a better alternative to the stagnation and failures of Cush if we turn this campaign into a mudslinging contest, and I mean that for everyone on this stage. Let's stop with the personal attacks and get to the substance of the issues, which is what Americans want to see."

[Mareadmonte]

(Image)

---

"Well, ain't it wonderful y'all makin' me out as some boogeyman now huh? Now, listen, I'm all for supporting mothers in their pregnancy and beyond in whatever forms it may be - maternity leave, child tax credits, and so on. I understand the United States law holds precedent - that goes without saying. Perhaps I can lay out what I think more clearly - I am a Christian man, devoutly Christian. It is my personal belief that abortion is a sin, a reprehensible sin. I understand the difficulties that so many women have to go through in life, let alone adding an unwanted pregnancy to the mix. I'm not out here tryin' to punish women, I'm not restricting their rights or their access to quality healthcare and assistance - quite the opposite. Like I said, a ban on federal funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion organizations and a ban on abortions after the second trimester, are two things I would seek to implement. Furthermore, however, I would push for more federal assistance and funding for organizations not to provide abortions, but to educate and help these women so they don't make their mistakes again. Yes, Senator Martel, abortion is complicated. But that doesn't mean we can't find a way to reduce and end the practice in America to protect innocent lives. Abortion hurts both the mothers and children deeply, and it breaks my heart to see this continue."

He took a sip of water.

"And as for Mr. Baylor, I have a few words for you. I will take honest, good debate. But one thing I will not take is being defamed and name-called on a public stage. Nobody disrespects me the way you just did, nobody. It's disgusting, and it shows you're too much of a coward and a phoney to actually discuss meaningful subject matter so instead you decide to attack everyone on this stage. You know, Mr. Baylor, being an airline magnate, you've probably flown a lot. But let me tell you right here and now, us folks in "flyover country" are sick of the elitist, entitled crap that comes out of the mouths of people like you! There's a lot of "backwards buffoons" in North Carolina, in Tennessee, in South Carolina, in Texas, in Missouri, in Ohio, and all across this country that are fed up with people like you! Shame on you, Tripp!" he said, getting red in the face as by the end, he was shouting.

Nesbitt Tripp Baylor

“Please calm down Representative. You attacked me first. You shouldn’t have started a fight you couldn’t win. I guess racism makes you make poor decisions.”

"I guess having all that money gets to your head so much that you turn a debate stage into a middle-school namecalling match, buddy. I said something to you about your arrogant attitude towards everyone else on this stage, in good faith towards my fellow candidates rather than an attack. I fully agree with Senator Martel, so please, find a place in that corporate heart of yours to talk issue rather than rumors and nicknames. And I apologize for getting a little emotional there, in defense of an attack on my character from Mr. Baylor."

[Madrinpoor]

"Can we please get to the topic at hand? You all are acting like children."

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

(Image)

---

"Well, ain't it wonderful y'all makin' me out as some boogeyman now huh? Now, listen, I'm all for supporting mothers in their pregnancy and beyond in whatever forms it may be - maternity leave, child tax credits, and so on. I understand the United States law holds precedent - that goes without saying. Perhaps I can lay out what I think more clearly - I am a Christian man, devoutly Christian. It is my personal belief that abortion is a sin, a reprehensible sin. I understand the difficulties that so many women have to go through in life, let alone adding an unwanted pregnancy to the mix. I'm not out here tryin' to punish women, I'm not restricting their rights or their access to quality healthcare and assistance - quite the opposite. Like I said, a ban on federal funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion organizations and a ban on abortions after the second trimester, are two things I would seek to implement. Furthermore, however, I would push for more federal assistance and funding for organizations not to provide abortions, but to educate and help these women so they don't make their mistakes again. Yes, Senator Martel, abortion is complicated. But that doesn't mean we can't find a way to reduce and end the practice in America to protect innocent lives. Abortion hurts both the mothers and children deeply, and it breaks my heart to see this continue."

He took a sip of water.

"And as for Mr. Baylor, I have a few words for you. I will take honest, good debate. But one thing I will not take is being defamed and name-called on a public stage. Nobody disrespects me the way you just did, nobody. It's disgusting, and it shows you're too much of a coward and a phoney to actually discuss meaningful subject matter so instead you decide to attack everyone on this stage. You know, Mr. Baylor, being an airline magnate, you've probably flown a lot. But let me tell you right here and now, us folks in "flyover country" are sick of the elitist, entitled crap that comes out of the mouths of people like you! There's a lot of "backwards buffoons" in North Carolina, in Tennessee, in South Carolina, in Texas, in Missouri, in Ohio, and all across this country that are fed up with people like you! Shame on you, Tripp!" he said, getting red in the face as by the end, he was shouting.

"Representative, you say you don't want to restrict women's access to healthcare, but organizations like Planned Parenthood are chief sources of healthcare for women. The fact is that abortions make up such a small portion of these organizations' procedures, the rest of which being crucial medical care that women need that's so much harder to get otherwise. We can disagree on this issue, but I'll be damned if I see women lose their rights and access to essential healthcare in this country, not today, not tomorrow. I'm a Christian myself, as are most Americans who support a woman's right to choose. The reality is that this is a country full of many different faiths, we're not a theocratic government, and thus our personal religious beliefs shouldn't factor into government policy.

"Let's not turn this into a shouting match, though, Representative. That does nothing but embarrass the voters who are going to be casting their votes next year. We're not going to show Americans how there's a better alternative to the stagnation and failures of Cush if we turn this campaign into a mudslinging contest, and I mean that for everyone on this stage. Let's stop with the personal attacks and get to the substance of the issues, which is what Americans want to see."

FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
GOVERNOR UPTON FLEMING

Senator Martel, some substance of the issue is that you despite your assurances, you can't be trusted to deliver on expanding access to childcare and maternity leave. Doing that in a fiscally responsible fashion requires at least a reversal of the Cush tax cuts that you voted for. Senator Martel, you should have thought about how it wouldn't be possible fund these or any of the priorities you now claim to support, when you made those votes. If you thought of them, you must have come to the conclusion that Cush's tax cuts for the rich mattered more. It clearly weren't pressured by electoral concerns into to making that vote, your re-election was up around 3 years later and were at no risk of a serious challenge. You took the vote that you did, because you felt more in alignment with the fiscal policy of the Cush administration than you did the [not-Clinton] Administration.

As for the question of abortion rights and their regulation, I do not hold the position, that it appears that Senator Martel has staked out that, abortion is right that's beyond the government's ability to regulate. I do not believe that the various limits imposed on abortion, such as those for partial birth or late term abortion, are somehow unconstitutional. While I would certainly put forward supreme court justices that agree with Roe V. Wade, I wouldn't tolerate the absolutist position that the government has no role in regulating abortion rights, as such the precedent would undermine the reasonable regulation of rights across the board.

[Jovuistan]

"Representative, you say you don't want to restrict women's access to healthcare, but organizations like Planned Parenthood are chief sources of healthcare for women. The fact is that abortions make up such a small portion of these organizations' procedures, the rest of which being crucial medical care that women need that's so much harder to get otherwise. We can disagree on this issue, but I'll be damned if I see women lose their rights and access to essential healthcare in this country, not today, not tomorrow. I'm a Christian myself, as are most Americans who support a woman's right to choose. The reality is that this is a country full of many different faiths, we're not a theocratic government, and thus our personal religious beliefs shouldn't factor into government policy.

"Let's not turn this into a shouting match, though, Representative. That does nothing but embarrass the voters who are going to be casting their votes next year. We're not going to show Americans how there's a better alternative to the stagnation and failures of Cush if we turn this campaign into a mudslinging contest, and I mean that for everyone on this stage. Let's stop with the personal attacks and get to the substance of the issues, which is what Americans want to see."

FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
GOVERNOR UPTON FLEMING

Senator Martel, some substance of the issue is that you despite your assurances, you can't be trusted to deliver on expanding access to childcare and maternity leave. Doing that in a fiscally responsible fashion requires at least a reversal of the Cush tax cuts that you voted for. Senator Martel, you should have thought about how it wouldn't be possible fund these or any of the priorities you now claim to support, when you made those votes. If you thought of them, you must have come to the conclusion that Cush's tax cuts for the rich mattered more. It clearly weren't pressured by electoral concerns into to making that vote, your re-election was up around 3 years later and were at no risk of a serious challenge. You took the vote that you did, because you felt more in alignment with the fiscal policy of the Cush administration than you did the [not-Clinton] Administration.

As for the question of abortion rights and their regulation, I do not hold the position, that it appears that Senator Martel has staked out that, abortion is right that's beyond the government's ability to regulate. I do not believe that the various limits imposed on abortion, such as those for partial birth or late term abortion, are somehow unconstitutional. While I would certainly put forward supreme court justices that agree with Roe V. Wade, I wouldn't tolerate the absolutist position that the government has no role in regulating abortion rights, as such the precedent would undermine the reasonable regulation of rights across the board.

"Governor, it's like I said earlier, your whole campaign is about blaming Democrats for everything wrong with the world. You have a vested interest in trying to zing me, of course I don't blame you for that, but it's just a bit funny how every time I make a plea for calm and less mudslinging is when you try to jab me. You can be a bit more honest about my record, though. I believed, at the time, that with (not-Clinton)'s massive surplus that middle-class Americans deserved a tax cut. The unfortunate truth of the matter is John Cush doesn't play by the rules his predecessors did. He doesn't believe in bipartisanship, only cronyism and distortion of the truth. Yes, voting for the first Cush tax cuts was a mistake where I put too much trust in Cush to be a bipartisan President, but I learned pretty quickly his true intensions.

"Which is why I fiercely opposed every Cush tax cut afterwards, a detail you love to omit, Governor. I would actually reverse the Cush tax cuts for the wealthy within my first 100 days and put that money towards programs to support women's healthcare. And it's a bit hard to say I wouldn't deliver on childcare when one of my first big bills was literally a bill that advanced childcare, I've consistently pushed for it since the start of my tenure. And I believe, like almost everyone else on this stage, that partial-birth abortion could use some limits, that's something I said in my initial response to the question. It doesn't interfere with my belief though that whether or not a woman has a right to an abortion is not John Cush's business."

[Dentali]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 QUESTION 5

“In what circumstances if any do you support the death penalty?”

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 QUESTION 5

“In what circumstances if any do you support the death penalty?”

FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
GOVERNOR UPTON FLEMING

The death penalty's nature as the ultimate punishment is both what makes it attractive and what makes its implementation frought with difficulty. The death penalty is the only punishment we have in our system which is utterly irreversible and permanent. It means that in order to use it, one must either be absolutely sure in the absolute perfection of our criminal justice system or be comfortable with inevitably killing innocent people. The first suggests that one has no significant problems with our justice systems' process and outcomes, a position few hold, the second brings up the question of why not go after people who could know beyond a reasonable doubt of the innocence of an individual, yet still push for the death penalty, for murder.

Where the death penalty remains in effect, the standard has been to ignore both of these facts, or come to the implicit conclusion that these realities are worth the deterrence provided by the death penalty. My own position is that I don't believe it is. However out of a need for prioritization I recognize that many consider the death of innocents every now and then worth its deterrence, even knowing full well that those innocents tend to be the types of individuals and toned to face bias in our justice system as a whole, however I prefer focusing on saving and improving thousands of lives through strengthening our economy and our public services, over fighting on those margins with legislation.

[Madrinpoor]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 QUESTION 5

“In what circumstances if any do you support the death penalty?”

FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
GOVERNOR UPTON FLEMING

The death penalty's nature as the ultimate punishment is both what makes it attractive and what makes its implementation frought with difficulty. The death penalty is the only punishment we have in our system which is utterly irreversible and permanent. It means that in order to use it, one must either be absolutely sure in the absolute perfection of our criminal justice system or be comfortable with inevitably killing innocent people. The first suggests that one has no significant problems with our justice systems' process and outcomes, a position few hold, the second brings up the question of why not go after people who could know beyond a reasonable doubt of the innocence of an individual, yet still push for the death penalty, for murder.

Where the death penalty remains in effect, the standard has been to ignore both of these facts, or come to the implicit conclusion that these realities are worth the deterrence provided by the death penalty. My own position is that I don't believe it is. However out of a need for prioritization I recognize that many consider the death of innocents every now and then worth its deterrence, even knowing full well that those innocents tend to be the types of individuals and toned to face bias in our justice system as a whole, however I prefer focusing on saving and improving thousands of lives through strengthening our economy and our public services, over fighting on those margins with legislation.

"Wow, what a load of big words that nobody cares about. You sound like a lawyer, spewing hot air that means nothing."

"The death penalty is morally wrong, incredibly expensive, and too inaccurate to be justified. The death penalty cannot be undone. Ever. It's impossible. If we kill someone innocent — which is far, far too common in our broken justice system. In fact, according to studies, around 4% of people on death row are totally innocent! From 2005 to 2006, over one hundred people were executed — which means an unignorable portion were innocents! Not only that, keeping someone on death row is far more expensive than giving them life in prison — a more fitting punishment for a heinous crime. Imagine the terrorists that planned 9/11, like Osama bin Laden, being told they would never smell fresh air or touch green grass or enjoy freedom again. That's far worse than death."

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

(Image)
FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
GOVERNOR UPTON FLEMING

The death penalty's nature as the ultimate punishment is both what makes it attractive and what makes its implementation frought with difficulty. The death penalty is the only punishment we have in our system which is utterly irreversible and permanent. It means that in order to use it, one must either be absolutely sure in the absolute perfection of our criminal justice system or be comfortable with inevitably killing innocent people. The first suggests that one has no significant problems with our justice systems' process and outcomes, a position few hold, the second brings up the question of why not go after people who could know beyond a reasonable doubt of the innocence of an individual, yet still push for the death penalty, for murder.

Where the death penalty remains in effect, the standard has been to ignore both of these facts, or come to the implicit conclusion that these realities are worth the deterrence provided by the death penalty. My own position is that I don't believe it is. However out of a need for prioritization I recognize that many consider the death of innocents every now and then worth its deterrence, even knowing full well that those innocents tend to be the types of individuals and toned to face bias in our justice system as a whole, however I prefer focusing on saving and improving thousands of lives through strengthening our economy and our public services, over fighting on those margins with legislation.

"Wow, what a load of big words that nobody cares about. You sound like a lawyer, spewing hot air that means nothing."

"The death penalty is morally wrong, incredibly expensive, and too inaccurate to be justified. The death penalty cannot be undone. Ever. It's impossible. If we kill someone innocent — which is far, far too common in our broken justice system. In fact, according to studies, around 4% of people on death row are totally innocent! From 2005 to 2006, over one hundred people were executed — which means an unignorable portion were innocents! Not only that, keeping someone on death row is far more expensive than giving them life in prison — a more fitting punishment for a heinous crime. Imagine the terrorists that planned 9/11, like Osama bin Laden, being told they would never smell fresh air or touch green grass or enjoy freedom again. That's far worse than death."

"I think the American people can understand 5 syllable words more easily than they can trust the accuracy of statistics coming from someone who can't."

[Kargintinia]

Nesbitt Tripp Baylor

”I support the death penalty only for the heinous of crimes. I would maintain the moratorium on executions by the federal government. There is always the fear that someone could put under the death penalty who is innocent, thus I support it only being applied with absolute certainty that they committed the crime. My administration would not move to abolish the death penalty nor would I look to expand its usage.

[Jovuistan]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 QUESTION 5

“In what circumstances if any do you support the death penalty?”

FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
SENATOR CAROLE MARTEL

"In my view, the death penalty should never under any circumstances be used arbitrarily. I believe that there are some crimes so hideous and reprehensible that the death penalty is the only worthy punishment, but it's never something that should be taken lightly, much less used casually and without absolute certainty. I agree with Tripp about not touching the moratorium on federal executions, and in addition to that, we need to make sure to use all means necessary to ensure that innocent people will not be put on death row. My administration would work to ensure DNA testing is used in all appropriate circumstances, guarantee defendants have effective assistance of counsel, and we will push for the availability of thorough post-conviction reviews in all death row cases."

[Dentali]

MODERATOR

“We will now have a free discussion period on the death penalty.”

[Alozia]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 QUESTION 5

“In what circumstances if any do you support the death penalty?”

COLORADO DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
SENATOR ROBERT WALLACE

"I have to admit I'm in what appears to be a minority here. I don't agree with my colleagues who would like to keep the death penalty, I think that it is a cruel punishment, especially considering the fact that it is not in any way shape or form reversible. Our justice system is far from perfect, I think I'm not alone on this stage who thinks that, which maybe the reason why I'm surprised that so many of my colleagues are putting so much faith in said system when it comes to such important matters as ending a life. To put it plainly, we cannot put the lives of people wrongfully convicted at risk and we cannot continue the death penalty."

[Madrinpoor]

"I think the American people can understand 5 syllable words more easily than they can trust the accuracy of statistics coming from someone who can't."

"You know what I don't trust? Politicians who disguise their hypocrisy with jargon."

"Upton Fleming is lying to you, America. While he just spoonfed you densely-worded criticism of the death penalty, the truth is that as District Attorney of Philadelphia, he oversaw one of the only executions since 1976 in Pennsylvania. He sought after convictions to death row. As Governor, he oversaw one of the worst police departments in the country, he oversaw thousands of Black men go missing, his crime policies were and still are barbaric and medieval. This man who stands on the Democratic stage fought the War on Drugs against the poor and oppressed. He and his kind are the cause of America's incarceration problem, America's racism problem, America's policing and justice problem — Mr. Fleming, your crime policies created a culture of terror, and under your leadership the Philadelphia police force was the first to be sued for systemic brutality. 'Brutal' is a word that will describe no future president of the United States. It describes you perfectly."

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

"I think the American people can understand 5 syllable words more easily than they can trust the accuracy of statistics coming from someone who can't."

"You know what I don't trust? Politicians who disguise their hypocrisy with jargon."

"Upton Fleming is lying to you, America. While he just spoonfed you densely-worded criticism of the death penalty, the truth is that as District Attorney of Philadelphia, he oversaw one of the only executions since 1976 in Pennsylvania. He sought after convictions to death row. As Governor, he oversaw one of the worst police departments in the country, he oversaw thousands of Black men go missing, his crime policies were and still are barbaric and medieval. This man who stands on the Democratic stage fought the War on Drugs against the poor and oppressed. He and his kind are the cause of America's incarceration problem, America's racism problem, America's policing and justice problem — Mr. Fleming, your crime policies created a culture of terror, and under your leadership the Philadelphia police force was the first to be sued for systemic brutality. 'Brutal' is a word that will describe no future president of the United States. It describes you perfectly."

FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
GOVERNOR UPTON FLEMING

Mayor Jéan-Jacques St. Cierge, your criticism of my record contains my own vindication. All three of those executions occurred under a Republican Attorney General I beat to the governorship in 2002, a year so good for republicans nationally they had a historic midterm victory. The one individual that was executed while I was district attorney, waived his own stay appeal. He had kidnaped, raped and tortured six women and killed two of them. I wasn't going to sideline tackling crime to oppose that execution. As for police misconduct, I had to deal with a Republican controlled legislature. I picked my battles. I focused on helping all Pennsylvanians rather than those who ended up in run ins with the police. I am not ashamed of that choice.

But that doesn't mean I couldn't make some progress in our justice system. As Governor of Pennsylvania, I pushed to ensure that prisoners worked or trained for employment when possible, to limit their burden on society and turn them away from continuing a life of crime after release. I had to make some compromises with Republicans to get that done, but it was worthwhile. Unlike Mr. Baylor and Mayor Cierge, I do not pretend that change can always come without compromise. Unlike Senator Martel, I do not agree with republicans on transparently bad policy, then turn on it immediately as though I could have never known its consequences. I have and will make compromises with Republicans and Democrats, where necessary, to get progress in this country. For that I will never apologize.

[Jovuistan]

"You know what I don't trust? Politicians who disguise their hypocrisy with jargon."

"Upton Fleming is lying to you, America. While he just spoonfed you densely-worded criticism of the death penalty, the truth is that as District Attorney of Philadelphia, he oversaw one of the only executions since 1976 in Pennsylvania. He sought after convictions to death row. As Governor, he oversaw one of the worst police departments in the country, he oversaw thousands of Black men go missing, his crime policies were and still are barbaric and medieval. This man who stands on the Democratic stage fought the War on Drugs against the poor and oppressed. He and his kind are the cause of America's incarceration problem, America's racism problem, America's policing and justice problem — Mr. Fleming, your crime policies created a culture of terror, and under your leadership the Philadelphia police force was the first to be sued for systemic brutality. 'Brutal' is a word that will describe no future president of the United States. It describes you perfectly."

FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
GOVERNOR UPTON FLEMING

Mayor Jéan-Jacques St. Cierge, your criticism of my record contains my own vindication. All three of those executions occurred under a Republican Attorney General I beat to the governorship in 2002, a year so good for republicans nationally they had a historic midterm victory. The one individual that was executed while I was district attorney, waived his own stay appeal. He had kidnaped, raped and tortured six women and killed two of them. I wasn't going to sideline tackling crime to oppose that execution. As for police misconduct, I had to deal with a Republican controlled legislature. I picked my battles. I focused on helping all Pennsylvanians rather than those who ended up in run ins with the police. I am not ashamed of that choice.

But that doesn't mean I couldn't make some progress in our justice system. As Governor of Pennsylvania, I pushed to ensure that prisoners worked or trained for employment when possible, to limit their burden on society and turn them away from continuing a life of crime after release. I had to make some compromises with Republicans to get that done, but it was worthwhile. Unlike Mr. Baylor and Mayor Cierge, I do not pretend that change can always come without compromise. Unlike Senator Martel, I do not agree with republicans on transparently bad policy, then turn on it immediately as though I could have never known its consequences. I have and will make compromises with Republicans and Democrats, where necessary, to get progress in this country. For that I will never apologize.

"There you go again, trying to deflect your own failures by attacking Democrats. Frankly, it seems to me you have more passion for flaming your fellow Democrats than you do calling out Republicans. You can't just say you couldn't undo the reign of terror your state's police has unleashed on your constituents because of some Republicans, especially considering you had the chance to tackle the issue head-on in the core city of this brutality when you were D.A. What did you do instead? You enabled and even supported the Philadelphia department's worst tendencies. The police force there is known to be one of the most violent, most abusive, most terrifying forces in the country. You turned the war on drugs up to eleven leading to even more mass incarceration and police violence, which by the way disproportionately affected the African-American community. You can't just deflect blame and distract from the reality of what you allowed to happen under your watch, Governor. This is a part of your record, and not something that can be erased."

[Dentali]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 FINAL QUESTION

“Congressman Gunsley recently caused controversy when he recently suddenly purchased stocks on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for a large sum of money. While no evidence of insider trading or any other wrongdoing has yet been produced this has nevertheless raised questions regarding the financial interests of our elected officials. As President how would you improve transparency in the federal government and work to ensure the financial interests of elected officials do not conflict with the interests of the American people?”

[Alozia]

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE 1 FINAL QUESTION

“Congressman Gunsley recently caused controversy when he recently suddenly purchased stocks on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for a large sum of money. While no evidence of insider trading or any other wrongdoing has yet been produced this has nevertheless raised questions regarding the financial interests of our elected officials. As President how would you improve transparency in the federal government and work to ensure the financial interests of elected officials do not conflict with the interests of the American people?”

COLORADO DEMOCRATIC DEBATE
SENATOR ROBERT WALLACE

"I think there is a major problem with transparency in government. From ads bought by shady Super PACs to fancy dinners with lobbyists, Washington is in deep need of reform. Right now, we have a set of rules written by interest groups that favor those with extreme amounts of wealth, while completely ignoring the needs of ordinary Americans.

A few decades ago, when President Jimmy Carter was elected to the White House, he put his farm into the hands of trustees to avoid a conflict of interest, yet now elected officials become millionaires, 'entrepreneurs' after getting elected to political office. That is not acceptable and that has to end. Whether I'm elected President or not, whether I win the Democratic nomination or not, I will fight for clear campaign finance rules, for a ban on lobbying and a ban on stock trading. If elected President, I would personally champion a ban on White House officials becoming lobbyists and even now, I refuse donations from special interest groups."