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Character Application and Information Sheet
NS Nation Name: Meretica
Character Name: Armstrong Burke
Character Gender: Male
Character Age: 64
Character Date of Birth: January 1, 1904
Character Position/Role/Job: Senator from New Jersey (1955 to Present); US Representative from New Jersey’s 6th District (1945-1953); State Senator (1943-1945)
Character Country/State of Birth: Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
Character State of Residence: New Jersey
Character Party Affiliation: Republican
Faceclaim: George Romney
Main Strengths, Main Weaknesses, Main Policies, and Main Platform:
Liberal as Liberal Can Be: Despised by conservatives and loved by liberals, Burke is a true member of the Eastern Establishment. While he is relatively hawkish on foreign policy matters, Burke is a model (Rockefeller) Republican, supporting civil rights, left-leaning social policies, economic programs, pragmatism, and efficiency. This places him in direct contrast with libertarians and conservatives within his party, many of whom hate the mere mention of his name due to his long-standing relationship with liberals and progressives in both parties. He has supported minimum wage increases, eliminating immigration quotas, increased funding for public education, and increasing funding for scientific measures. He is, at heart, a die-hard believer in Keynesian economics.
You’ve Got a Friend in Me… Even on the Debate Stage: Burke works best when he is speaking to people at town halls or making speeches at rallies; he tends to fare poorly on debate stages, preferring to avoid attacking his opponents in favor of seeking party unity and pushing his platform. He struggles to handle attacks well at times and rarely can use many attacks of his own. Positive messaging is Burke’s way of life. His friendly, easy-going nature appeals to people that are looking for someone they can trust to do what they think is right rather than follow a party platform to the letter– and it has helped him keep friends on both sides of the aisle.
Businesses and Government Can Be Friends: Like most members of the Eastern Establishment, Burke is friendly with business leaders in New England, believing that regulations can be good in moderation. He largely supports things as they are, though he consistently introduces tweaks that would benefit small businesses across the nation.
Eagleton Syndrome: Burke has been on small doses of medication for anxiety and depression for much of his life. Only his wife, parents, and chief-of-staff are aware of this. He has never attempted to take his own life or voiced those thoughts out loud or written them down. However, if it was revealed to the public that he was being medicated, Burke is fully aware he would be disgraced and his career would be over.
Pragmatism is Key: Above all else, Burke believes that pragmatism is key to efficiently getting things done in Washington and the rest of America. “Pragmatism comes through compromise, compromise comes from practice,” is something he’s repeatedly said on the campaign trail– and it’s something that he believes has held true during his political career.
Gimme a Hammer: Infrastructure spending is something that Burke is known for. Repeatedly making speeches and proposals in favor of job creation through programs that would build new public housing, libraries, and more, Burke is one of the best people to go to if someone wants support for infrastructure bills.
Realism for a Real World: While he is not the strongest person to examine foreign policy, Burke is a realist, espousing Hamiltonian and internationalist policies regarding foreign affairs. He is a vocal supporter of the UN and NATO, pushing for America and its allies to peacefully limit the spread of communism by expanding businesses, keeping capitalism healthy, and proving to the Soviets that they are wrong through actions rather than words. Burke has also called for creating a comprehensive peace treaty in Vietnam.
Fiscally Conscious, Not Conservative: Burke favors balanced budgets and is not above raising taxes to achieve that goal. He has consistently echoed the words of Senator (Bush), who is on the record as saying “raise the required revenues by approving whatever levels of taxation may be necessary.”
Money? What Money?: Because he's at odds with the wealthiest people in America on some very important issues. Burke is funded largely by unions, the working class, the middle class, and some urbanites (his conservative base is virtually nonexistent). Small donations are extremely important to his campaign as they truly keep his team afloat. It also forces him to rely on volunteers-- who could simply disappear at any moment.
Nobody Knows Your Name: Burke is well-known in New England, but despite this, he lacks personal connections in most states-- and many of the connections that he does have are with Democrats. This being the case, he will trail in the delegate count for a long time to come; it is likely that his best chance of securing the nomination is if the first ballot results in a contested convention.
Untested, and Yet Insider: Burke is a political insider that has maintained his grassroots support largely because he has delivered what he has promised his constituents. However, he was not elected governor in 1953, meaning that despite his insider status, all of his experience is purely legislative-- his entire political career has been spent as a legislator.
Biography:
Armstrong Burke (January 1, 1904 – Present) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Representative (1945–1953) and is a U.S. Senator (1955–Present) from New Jersey. Burke is the only child of Bartholomew and Ruth Burke. Bartholomew was a lawyer and Methodist minister until he died in 1909; Ruth is a retired tailor, though she occasionally makes things for her grandchildren to wear. His father was a staunch Democratic Conservative while his mother is a strong Republican Liberal; their rocky marriage caused Burke much strife throughout his early life. When Bartholomew died, Burke and his mother moved in with his maternal grandfather, a clerk of the New Jersey Supreme Court (Arnold “Arnie” Scott).
Burke led a normal school life, working hard and studying often while participating in things like sports (he played some basketball and baseball, preferring to watch both, however) and the book club. He graduated high school with honors, showing great promise for his future. Burke attended Rutgers, obtaining a Bachelor of Law degree and a Minor in Public Policy. He befriended Miriam Davies, whom he would later marry in 1927, while at Rutgers. Burke began working with a law firm that his grandfather connected him to shortly after leaving Rutgers. He was not particularly skilled on the debate floor, but his understanding and interpretation of the law were praised by his coworkers. He also had a knack for contractual law, proving himself to be a keen observer regarding the specific wording used by legislative officials. He used this knack to assist judges, lawyers, and politicians across the state draft legislation that proved beneficial to various people. It was during this time that he was diagnosed privately by a doctor with mild anxiety and depression. He, his mother, and his wife all agreed to keep it secret for the sake of the family. He has four children– Isabella (b. 1939, age 29; married a wealthy Liberal Republican in Maine), Matthias (b. 1941, age 27; currently working at a law firm in Boston), Hannah (b. 1946, age 22; attending Rutgers), and Ginevra (b. 1955, age 13; attending 8th grade at a private school).
Despite hardships during the Great Depression, Burke remained a liberal Republican, supporting Alf Landon, Wendell Wilkie, and Thomas Dewey in 1936, 1940, and 1944 respectively. (He admitted to voting for Roosevelt in 1932, but can you hate him for that? His only other choice was Hoover.) In 1942, Burke ran for the State Senate with support from many local Republicans in Union County, successfully earning his place in the political atmosphere. In 1944, he successfully elevated himself to the House of Representatives, serving as the Congressman from New Jersey’s 6th District. Burke fought made small businesses, civil rights, and pragmatism central parts of his platform. He sponsored and co-sponsored major legislation such as Hospital Survey and Reconstruction Act, Taft-Hartley, and the 22nd Amendment; he also participated in the United States Congressional Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack. As the youngest member of the committee, this was a great honor that boosted his career and gave him some name recognition.
In 1948, Burke endorsed Thomas Dewey early on, praising his selection of Earl Warren for vice president. When Dewey lost, Burke lamented that sensible government was being sacrificed in the name of “power, greed, and politics.” In 1952, Burke did not seek reelection to the House, choosing instead to run for governor in 1953. Burke strongly backed Eisenhower, though he did not back Nixon for vice president, preferring Warren or Stassen. However, he agreed to campaign on Nixon’s behalf. However, when the “Checkers” speech came out, Burke refused to back Nixon ever again, believing that he would bring about the downfall of the GOP for some time if elected president. Burke quietly criticized Nixon during the Eisenhower Administration, and he refused to endorse Nixon in 1960– though he made sure that few took notice of it by campaigning for other Republicans around the country. Throughout the 1960s, Burke worked closely with JFK and LBJ to pass liberal legislation like the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Revenue Act, and the 23rd Amendment.
In 1964, Burke briefly sought the GOP nomination. He did not support Goldwater, instead deciding to attack what he called the “radical right” and stand with the other more orthodox Republicans in his party. Burke spent all of 1964 fighting on behalf of moderate and liberal Republicans on the state, local, and federal levels. He also befriended many local and state party officials because he intends to run for president in 1968. In 1966, Burke was reelected with over 60% of the vote. He campaigned hard in Oregon, Tennessee, and Illinois for the Republicans that flipped those states. Burke intends to announce his intention to run by June 1968.
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