Washington 2017: The U.S. Political Roleplay Pt. XII OOC

[Imperial Esplanade]

Well, I'll need to catch up some more on what I missed, but I hope to make an additional post or two sometime tomorrow/Friday with someone not named Carrollton.

[Uttland]

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Character Information Sheet

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NS Nation Name: Uttland
Character Name: Roland Gregory Schwab, PhD
Character Gender: Male
Character Age: 71
Character Height: 6'1
Character Weight: 222 lbs
Character Role: Chancellor of the University of Maine System (2011-2015), Governor of Maine (1999-2007), Libertarian Party candidate for Vice-President (1984)
Appearance: Above
Character State of Origin: Maine
Character State of Residence: Maine
Character Party Affiliation: Republican Party, formerly Libertarian
Main Strengths: Educated and well-informed on the issues, opiniated and outspoken, well-received (in hindsight) two terms as governor, likable grandfatherly figure, public figure, and strong base of support.
Main Weaknesses: Health concerns due to age and weight, stubborn, doesn't mesh well with the establishment of part especially given his socially liberal positions, controversial among social conservatives, tendency to talk down to people, and gaffe-prone.
Biography:

Roland Gregory Schwab was born on September 12, 1946, to a well-off family in Brunswick, Maine. His father, Ernest Schwab (1917-1998), was a professor of psychology at Bowdoin College, and his mother, Camilla Schwab (nee Williams; 1920-2001) was a former secretary and paralegal who retired to raise her children. He was raised as a Methodist (though his mother was a Catholic), along with 3 other siblings, of which he was the second in birth order. Schwab's name was a reference to his great grandfather. Roland's family, through his father's side, was wealthy, allowing Ernest Schwab to pursue an academic career full-heartedly, and leaving him with a sizable inheritance.

His father being a professional academic, school was made very important for Charles, especially considering he was the oldest son. Roland was to attend St. John's Academy, which was a local catholic school, at the insistence of his mother. He performed well here, being an excellent student, and discovered his interest in social sciences. He was able to gain ahold of college-level material through his father, and while the latter tried to steer him to psychology, Schwab soon became interested primarily in economics. He read The Road to Serfdom (1944) front to back in his junior year, agreeing with it but not understanding all of it, but so wishing he could, and he decided he would go to college to study economics. He was also active in school life, joining the debating society and editing the school newspaper.

Schwab's father would've liked to see him his soon attend Bowdoin, however, Roland wanted to leave his small-town surroundings and go elsewhere. He would gain acceptance into Boston College, and ultimately decided on that school; away from home, but comfortably so. He avoided the draft due to his college enrollment as well. At Boston, he excelled at his studies and cut out space for himself socially. It was here that Schwab grew into his own as a thinker, and became a strong believer in free-market capitalism. He read the more accessible works of minds such as Friedman and Hayek, and even more radical types such as Mises and Rothbard. He would also write for the college newspaper, expressing his views and developing his writing skills. Schwab would graduate with honors with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and a minor in European history in 1967.

Schwab knew he wanted to be an academic as well, so for his Masters, he went big and applied to the elusive and infamous University of Chicago, and here he would meet his idol Milton Friedman, who would teach a graduate course Schwab was in. This was the tail-end of Friedman's career, however, as he would leave in 1976. On a whim, and feeling hopeful, Schwab would approach Friedman to be his doctoral advisor once he accomplished his masters. Friedman was reluctant; it was nearly the end of his career at UChicago, but though the young Schwab was promising, and referred him to a trusted colleague. Thus Roland would complete both his MA and his PhD at the University of Chicago; his doctoral thesis analyzed the post-war Spanish economic 'miracle'. He finished his MA in 1970, and his PhD in 1974.

Roland would stick around at the University of Chicago, teaching and doing research; this would be his first real job, as he relied mostly on his father for money for most of his early life. He became interested in becoming a 'communicator' for the field of economics, inspired by Sagan was a communicator for science, feeling that he himself could never produce anything new. He would write articles and essays for local newspapers and then magazines to interest and explain to the public economics. He would write a series of humorous short stories which were hamfisted metaphors for basic concepts of economics which gained popularity among the general public. This was not to say he didn't still do research or contribute to journals, far from it.

Schwab's first connections to politics was when the Cato Institue was founded in 1977. Word traveled quickly of it's existence, especially given the fact that founder Ed Crane was a disciple of Rothbard and Friedman, and Schwab was interested in the venture. He connected with Crane, and the two corresponded frequently. He would formally join after the very public falling out between Crane and Rothbard, the latter whom Schwab was skeptical of. Roland would help Cato found it's journal, The Cato Journal in 1981, which analyzed public policy, and Schwab would become an active contributor. Feeling financially secure, Schwab would leave UChicago to move closer to the Cato Institute, which was newly headquartered in Washington D.C., to Fairfax, Virginia in 1982. He would take a position at the newly founded George Mason University. Here he would fully jump into the world of Libertarianism, joining the party and associating himself with several in the movement. In 1983, Schwab, still seeking to be a public communicator of economics, wrote and published the book, Eleven Years of Economics in One Book, which was his attempt at a definitive introduction to the filed for the average layman and smart high school student. It had a Chicago School bent, but was generally balanced and well-received, and to this day, still widely read. This gained Schwab notoriety, and some in the Libertarian Party saw a bright future for him. He was approached by the 1984 nominee, [David Bergland], to be his running mate; Schwab eagerly accepted, seeing it as the ultimate platform. Not a lot of campaigning was done, however, Roland used his new position to appear in the media, promoting the Libertarian Party of course, but also serving his own goals and build his own brand. 1984 was not won by the [Bergland]/Schwab ticket, ultimately.

Schwab would continue steady at George Mason University, the Cato Institute (of which he was now a Board of Directors member), and the Libertarian Party, but with each year passing, grew dissatisfied. Especially with the Libertarian Party, which felt even back then, was becoming a party not based on principle but a party for 'everyone who didn't like the GOP or Democrat nominee'; and anyone with principles was, to quote Schwab from a later reflective interview, 'batsh*t Rand sycophants and Rothbard anarchist weirdos'. In 1990, wanting to separate himself and feeling homesick, left his job at GMU, resigned from the Cato Board of Directors (but remained a fellow and contributed actively towards the journal still), and took a job as a professor at Colby College in Waterford, Maine. He would formally leave the Libertarian Party soon after.

Seeking to continue on his communicator role, Schwab wrote in 1991, An Outsider's Look Into Socialism, which was his attempt to create a layman's introduction into basic socialist theory and ideas of famous socialist writers. It was criticized for being too broad and too critical from the outset by socialist academics but is still seen as a solid work, which accomplishes it's task successfully. Around this time, Schwab would become involved with several notable Maine Republicans, most importantly Caterina Winters [Olympia Snowe], and he rationalized to himself that he agreed with the economic policy of Republicans and while socially the national party was incredibly disagreeable, the ones found in New England were rather quaint and something he could work with. And pragmatically, Schwab felt he could actually influence policy in the GOP. All this were listed as reasons why he joined the GOP in his essay, "Why I became a Republican," published in 1993. He joined the same year. This earned him criticism from colleagues at Cato, with many simply not able to bear how socially repressive the Republicans were, but Schwab reassured nothing about him was changing.

In 1994, when Rothbard came out against open borders and free flow of peoples, Schwab joined the countless other libertarians in condemning and debunking his views.

In 1995, Schwab published his most original work, Capitalist Virtue, in which he argued that a capitalist system provides the best framework for social change in a society. Soon after publishing, Schwab felt he could achieve much more and gained ambition, especially for political office; which was the ultimate way to influence policy. In the same year, Schwab started a grassroots campaign for the Republican nomination for the first congressional district of Maine. The State GOP was actively against him, preferring the establishment pick of a state senator. However, Schwab campaigned vigorously focusing on his fiscal conservatism, and in an upset won the nomination. He would lose the general election in 1996 however, but this campaign would provide him with a launching pad for a higher prospect; the governorship.

In 1997, Schwab published his fourth book; Liberty: An Introduction. It was an open manifesto of his libertarian views, and immediately after publishing in early February, launched his campaign for the governorship, utilizing staff and leftover resources from his congressional run. His entry was prior to any other candidate's, and using his extra time, created an excellent ground game. He utilized "Schwabheads" (volunteers) to spread the word of his campaign throughout the state and informing voters of his existence and ideas. He traveled on a bus throughout the state and partook on a stop-and-go campaign, mingling with people and even helping them register to vote as Republicans so they could vote for him. Schwab courted the local Libertarian Party for their endorsement and for voters, despite his dislike for them. Fundraising skyrocketed through genuine grassroots means. All in all, when the preferred establishment candidate announced in June, Schwab had a busy and bustling campaign and was a serious threat. Nonetheless, Patrick Donovan, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Maine, would prove a formidable challenger for Schwab. Donovan attacked his conservative credentials, noting that a mere seven years ago, Schwab was a Libertarian and that even before that, he was their Vice Presidential nominee in 1984. And that does not mention how Donovan informed voters of Schwab's support for radical ideas such as open borders, drug decriminalization, and gay marriage. This would become a problem, and Schwab decided to moderate his tone on certain issues, but defended the concept, and hit back at Donovan, portraying him as the ultimate insider. The competition was fierce, but ultimately, Schwab would win in a close race. A populist upset. However, the state GOP demanded his resignation from the Cato institute in return, and Schwab complied.

In the general election in 1998, Schwab's opponent was Democratic state treasurer Susan Gilmore. Gilmore would make several crucial mistakes in her campaign, such as focusing too much on urban centers and sometimes going up to two weeks without campaigning herself. This combined with the high activity of Schwab, gave him an easy victory, despite being outspent. He left his job at Colby, naturally.

In January 1999, Schwab was sworn into office as Governor of Maine, a complete political newcomer, to the chagrin of the GOP and confusion of the Democrats. His first major initiative was two-part; a major reduction in spending wherever possible, and tax cuts to follow suit, along with a great simplification of Maine's tax code. The negotiations for this took well over three months, but eventually, Schwab was able to cobble together a deal that satisfied both sides of the aisle in the State Legislature, this becoming his first major victory. Controversy would soon arise, however, as the gruesome murders of an entire family of four took place by two thiefs ransacking their home in July 1999. Calls for the death penalty to be restored within Maine arose, and the Republican-controlled legislature was happy to answer those calls. A bill passed the house and senate to restore the death penalty; Schwab would veto it out of hand, and warned that an overturning of it would simply lead to him commuting the sentences of the two murderers. While this was in line with the general opinion in Maine, this caused severe tension between him and the Republican leadership. The first two years would be fraught with difficulties between the GOP-controlled legislature and Schwab, as the former pushed to the right socially, and Schwab refused to go along. In 2000, the GOP would lose their majority in both houses, leaving Schwab to work with a Democratic legislature; ironically this would prove easier for him. In additional several 'Schwabpublicans' would take office, who agreed with Schwab more than the traditional GOP, and were often former Libertarians themselves.

With this new Democratic legislature, Schwab knew fiscal reforms would be difficult, however, knew that socially he was in a better place. He and the Democrats were able to come into agreement and make law several pieces of legislation to improve equality in the state when it came to women and minorities. A big law was one that affirmed the right to have an abortion within the state of Maine, granted the fetus was 'not yet viable'. His big thing that he tried to pitch to the Democrats was a negative income tax. He proposed essentially gutting all welfare the state of Maine provided independently and replace it with a negative income tax. The Democrats failed to be convinced, but as a favor allowed for fiscal reforms to take place; even more lower tax rates and spending reduction. The economy boomed under Schwab, but whether or not it was up entirely to his policies is up for debate. In 2002, he vetoed a bill that would've created the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, which would've given every K-12 student in Maine a laptop at the expense of the state. This was controversial, but Schwab worked with the Democrats to create a new version which called for greater cooperation with private businesses, especially technology firms, for less expense to the state.

Schwab would face a more difficult primary than general election in 2002. Patrick Donovan, now Minority Leader of the House, returned to face Schwab again, behind him the angry social conservative wing of the Maine GOP. It was a grueling campaign, but Schwab came out on top again. In the general election, his opponent was the Democrat Walter Benjamin, an independent businessman who ran for the nomination his own money. Schwab won an incredibly easy victory over him, given his approval ratings. The Democrats would keep their majority.

In his second term, Schwab would prove no lame duck. His first act was to relax zoning regulations, so as to allow more building in urban centers where housing and rent prices were steadily increasing. He was able to get passed a statewide removal of designated single-family housing, granting contractors more liberty in building. He and the Democratic house came together to create legislation to prohibit government discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The Democrats initially pushed for a broader civil rights law version of the bill, but Schwab refused, and they compromised on weaker government discrimination-prohibiting version. In 2004, the popular and widely voted for Maine Community College Program (actual program btw) came to his desk. Schwab disliked it, for it's huge costs and being, to him, another big government education program. Knowing the risks of vetoing it, Schwab tabled it. However, this led to outrage, and his former Democratic allies began to turn. Feeling the heat, Schwab reluctantly signed the program into law, where it has been a noted success. However, Schwab would be able to reconcile with the Democrats once more with a major red tape cutting bill that streamlined government services and embraced the internet as a way for the Maine government to outreach to citizens.

In 2006, the most visible achievement of Schwab's two terms would occur; the legalization of gay marriage in Maine. This was something the Democrats had wished to achieve for a long while, and Schwab was open to the idea. They came together and agreed upon the Right to Marry Act of 2006. Public opinion polls proved it controversial, but Schwab and the Democrats pushed on ahead, leaving most non-'Schwablicans' behind. The protests that ensued following this sequence of events were massive, both for and against, and Schwab became a polarizing figure in Maine politics. Despite huge pressure, it was signed into law, and Maine became of the first states to legalize gay marriage. The Democrats had initially pushed to include a ban on refusing to serve gay couples by private businesses, but Schwab swatted that out of hand. The last act of Schwab's governorship was a bill that led to the supervised release of non-violent prisoners and a commutation for 'model' prisoners in order to ease overcrowding in jails. Schwab would leave office in 2007, succeeded by Democrat Preston Gravel, leaving with a final congregate approval rating of 49% percent to 32% disapproval. In recent years, views of his term as governor softened from the heights of the polarization of the gay marriage debacle, with most focusing the excellent economy. Progressives and liberals appreciated his socially liberal policies, and conservatives have appreciated his fiscal conservatism more and more.

Immediately after leaving office Schwab retired to a small home in Waterville, Maine where he grew up. Bored with life after a while, he expressed interest to the University of Maine to be a visiting fellow. He would become one, and lecture on American politics in 2009. In 2011, after expressing interest, Schwab was appointed by the Board of Regents to be Chancellor of the University of Maine System. His relationship with politics since leaving has proven contentious. He was not an active supporter of Walter LeGume when he won the GOP nomination in 2010, but after he won the general election stated; "well let's give him a go!" But as his tenure went on and LeGume became more controversial, Schwab was courted by moderates to reenter and run against him in the primary in 2014, But Schwab stated he was happy in his position as chancellor at the University of Maine, and refused. Instead he supported a "Schwablican" state senator against him. LeGume would win the primary, however, and Schwab would vote for the Libertarian candidate in 2014.

When it comes to Patton, Schwab has been a mild critic, especially when it comes to her programs that resulted in increasing government spending. However he’s mostly been on the sidelines. However Schwab has reportedly been interested in re-entering in 2018 and perhaps getting a third term as governor, unprecedented in Maine history.

Other Info: Not married, was engaged briefly following his graduating from UChicago, and did sire a son, however he maintains no contact with mother or son. Not a practicing Methodist, but will attend church on special occasions.
Do Not Remove: 84721

I’ve learned more about minor Libertarian and Cato Institute squabbles and Maine politics than I ever would’ve wanted to in the creation of this application.

[Sanabel]

Im concerned that, while weird and more moderate than usual, the republican base in Maine would not go for a guy openly in favor of free movement of labor and gay marriage especially in the late 90s.

Otherwise, I find Schwab to be intriguing

[Uttland]

Im concerned that, while weird and more moderate than usual, the republican base in Maine would not go for a guy openly in favor of free movement of labor and gay marriage especially in the late 90s.

Otherwise, I find Schwab to be intriguing

I was going for the angle that Schwab moderated his tone for his first election and purposely tried to ignore that aspect of his libertarianism and chalk that up to ‘academic work’, and focusing on his fiscal policies. But I can see the concern, I myself worry about the realistic aspect of that.

[Sanabel]

Im concerned that, while weird and more moderate than usual, the republican base in Maine would not go for a guy openly in favor of free movement of labor and gay marriage especially in the late 90s.

Otherwise, I find Schwab to be intriguing

I was going for the angle that Schwab moderated his tone for his first election and purposely tried to ignore that aspect of his libertarianism and chalk that up to ‘academic work’, and focusing on his fiscal policies. But I can see the concern, I myself worry about the realistic aspect of that.

Is he running against Patton

[Uttland]

I was going for the angle that Schwab moderated his tone for his first election and purposely tried to ignore that aspect of his libertarianism and chalk that up to ‘academic work’, and focusing on his fiscal policies. But I can see the concern, I myself worry about the realistic aspect of that.

Is he running against Patton

Yes. That’s why I created him.

[Sanabel]

Is he running against Patton

Yes. That’s why I created him.

The GOP should support him then. She would be a good person to take out

[Uttland]

Yes. That’s why I created him.

The GOP should support him then. She would be a good person to take out

Probably so. Patton seems pretty strong however, and she cuts into the GOP base a bit. It’ll be a good difficult election.

[Sanabel]

The GOP should support him then. She would be a good person to take out

Probably so. Patton seems pretty strong however, and she cuts into the GOP base a bit. It’ll be a good difficult election.

Ranked choice voting makes things weird

[Democratic Peoples republic of Kelvinsi]

The smart thing for Fowler to have done is to keep his mouth shut on Williams' accusation it just helps him.

[Puertollano]

Was very surprised that Stansky didn't try to challenge the election results the first time. Margin was crazy close, legally could have demanded a recount

I didn't know recounts existed at that time OOC

[Endem]

What's the STD act?

[Alozia]

What's the STD act?

It's when two people with STDs do the thing.

[Endem]

What's the STD act?

It's when two people with STDs do the thing.

Nevermind, I found it in the Congress thread, so, dogs, was it passed?

[Tallahassee News Station]

It's when two people with STDs do the thing.

Nevermind, I found it in the Congress thread, so, dogs, was it passed?

Hasn't come up for a vote yet

[Tallahassee News Station]

Phonz definitely did not cheat. Wish I was given an OOC heads up about this before my character is tarnished for no reason

There's literally no evidence anywhere that he cheated at anything

[Tallahassee News Station]

Makes no sense for anybody to suspect the Democrats cheated, as they lost Cali. The Republicans hold no office and little influence in the state, so it is only normal for suspicions to fall on the Progs

There's a motive or reason for suspicion for all three at some level

Democrats won the L.A. Mayoral

Progressives won the Senate race

Republicans won the Presidential

[Tallahassee News Station]

Now should actually catch up IC

[Dentali]

God dammit Stevenson!

[Tallahassee News Station]

God dammit Stevenson!

Gonna have to be mad at FJ. She wasn't planning on writing a bill at all until it looked like a Johnson was going to be the one doing it

[Tallahassee News Station]

Biggest difference seems to be that Stev's is requirements and Sam's is grants

Stev's has more on recounts and Sam's has more on funding improvements

[Dentali]

Biggest difference seems to be that Stev's is requirements and Sam's is grants

Stev's has more on recounts and Sam's has more on funding improvements

Yea they are complimentary not contradictory, honestly Sam didn't want the bill to get shelved because of the Republicans shouting "government overreach! federal interference in local elections!" so he didn't mandate anything

[Tallahassee News Station]

Biggest difference seems to be that Stev's is requirements and Sam's is grants

Stev's has more on recounts and Sam's has more on funding improvements

Yea they are complimentary not contradictory, honestly Sam didn't want the bill to get shelved because of the Republicans shouting "government overreach! federal interference in local elections!" so he didn't mandate anything

Both probably could end up passing

[Prolieum]

Aurr respond to the Williams meeting when possible

BTW Pro when is Hammitch going to respond

Unless I missed a post of yours, I believe he has.

[Prolieum]

Denisevich can arrive in the White House thread whenever ready.