The Land Of The Free: An American Political Roleplay (IC)

[Puertollano]

Levi Murphy @LeviMurphy Israel IS an apartheid state! If elected, I would suspend all aid to Israel until they can show full commitments to human rights and just treatment of the Palestinians.

[Puertollano]

Levi - 2020
For the many, not the few



A plan for a Second Bill of Rights

Franklin D. Roosevelt in January of 1944 argued for the adoption of a Second Bill of Rights, one that guarantees the fair economic treatment of all Americans, no matter the size of their wallets. While the first Bill of Rights guarantees the political freedoms of Americans, there must be a Second Bill of Rights to ensure Americans are guaranteed the basics of human life; such as healthcare, housing and the right to work. This is more important than ever, as wages stay stagnant was the costs of living skyrocket, as healthcare becomes more expensive and as more and more people are skipping medical treatment because of its cost.

A Second Bill of Rights must be passed and must include the following rights, to be given to all Americans:

- The right to work and a fair wage for their labor;
- Farmer's right to a real income, not held to ransom by big supermarket chains;
- Freedom from unfair treatment by corporations and monopolies, both for small business and consumers;
- The right to housing for all;
- The right to universal and free healthcare;
- The right to social security;
- The right for universal and free education from kindergarten to university.

[Agarntrop]

(Image) Levi Murphy @LeviMurphy Israel IS an apartheid state! If elected, I would suspend all aid to Israel until they can show full commitments to human rights and just treatment of the Palestinians. (Image)

Barry Anderson
@MissouriPeoplesSenator

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This tweet is so sick and disgusting – so deranged and offensive to the 10 million decent, humane and responsible jews in the United States – that we owe it to every one of them to lay to rest the political hopes of the malicious Senator who posted it.

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Tara Misra
@TMisra

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The comments made by @LeviMurphy are beyone horrific. It would be disgraceful for the Democrats to do anything other than take severe disciplinary action against him for these disgusting remarks. #0Tolerance4AntiSemitism

[Sarenium]

Jillian Dayton @JillianDayton I concur with Rep. @SimoneNY12, peace policy emanating from the White House with regards to Israel and Palestine needs nuance. Congress must reaffirm its responsibility in foreign affairs.

Jillian Dayton @JillianDayton Let's break this down; 1. Congress must not permit the recognition of the Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli land. 2. The Two-State solution is not dead, the President has yet to present any evidence to support an allegation that the Palestinian Authority is responsible for these attacks. 3. The minute evidence pointing at the attacker(s) is presented, I will support a just, swift and proportionate response. Since that hasn't happened, Congress must not allow dangerous alterations to longstanding U.S. Foreign Policy without a thorough evaluation.

Jillian Dayton @JillianDayton The BDS movement is a basic freedom of all consumers anywhere, an individual can choose what warrants their hard earned dollars going towards. Seems like the White House's response to tragedy is to dictate how Americans can spend their money and where. This movement isn't responsible for this attack, I won't be supporting a resolution condemning basic consumer freedoms and I hope the rest of Congress doesn't support this either.

[Alozia]

Anne Murphy Caldwell
@AnneCaldwell

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President's recent decision regarding the Israeli-Palestinian crisis highlights the recklesness that has been guiding the Wolf admin. since day 1.

Anne Murphy Caldwell
@AnneCaldwell

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If elected President I will make sure that our foreign policy is guided by humanitarianism and reason, not recklessness and war-mongering.

We need a President who cares about the impact their decisions have on the world.

[Imperial Esplanade]

Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

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Easy as it may be to promise what one can, or will, do as President of the United States under those circumstances; need we remind us all that the situation between Israel and Palestine is as tedious of one in the realm of geopolitical tensions as one can possibly find. Strong commitments to peaceful dialogue, and the American promise to stand by efforts to reconcile geopolitical differences are what will bridge a seemingly unbridgeable divide.

Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

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First and foremost, let us remind ourselves that there are innocent people residing in both Israel and Palestine who are routinely affected by the tumultuous relationship. These people don't seek violence, only desire peaceful coexistence, and that needed societal changes in that part of the world will be slow, cultural, and systemic.

Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

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President Wolf's recent decision, relating to the region, highlights his poor judgement, and his misunderstanding, and his inability to lead diplomatic effort to usher in peace and stability. The President's swift and brash reaction, unfairly against the Palestinian people, highlights the President's clear and alarming inability to bring both sides to the table in order to discuss the clear and obvious differences between Palestinians and Israelis.

Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

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Though Israel is a crucial American ally, there are significant issues present in Israeli society that require our attention as a nation. We must not pretend certain histories never happened, nor must we act as though atrocities do not occur, for the sake of our convenience, if we truly call ourselves leaders of "the free world." This applies to both Palestine and Israel.

Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

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If we are to truly, finally, make any meaningful difference in the longstanding generational conflict between Palestine and Israel, we must use our clout as Israel's strongest ally in order to influence and leverage the needed changes. And, as tragic as the death of Ambassador Friedman is, I hope we act in a manner in which he would be proud of: to advocate for the voiceless and the hurting, and to bring Palestine and Israel back to the table.

Representative Emily S. Davenport
@EmilyDavenport

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This can, must, and will be resolved peacefully. I truly believe that. I will work hard to achieve that goal, whatever it takes. Will you?

[Alozia]

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Des Moines, Iowa
Anne Murphy Caldwell
February 9, 2019

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Since her announcement and less-than-appealing polls, Anne decided to pick up the pace. As soon as she got off the stage in Seattle she got in a car and headed straight for the airport. Establishing contacts in Iowa at the exploratory comittee stage of her candidacy proved to be a good move letting her get to work as soon as the gears touched the ground in Iowa. The past three days proved to be very eventful. A mass volunteer recruitment effort was directed by Anne herself, using her vast organizing experience. Having knocked on numerous doors Anne started setting the stage for her first rally in the Hawkeye State.

Her numbers weren't great. She expected as much, she was the Governor of a small state with a relatively low profile. Her work in the Governors' Association might have slightly boosted her in the gubernatorial circles, but as for the rest of the populace she was still seen as a glorified nobody. This is why she was in Iowa - a good performance in the first caucses could boost her elsewhere, although a lot could happen in the upcoming months. One of the big concerns her advisors raised were the debates - she had more work to do than expected. She could rely on the number of donors, the minimum threshold set by the DNC was relatively low for someone with such grassroots money raising experience like Caldwell, but that didn't mean that Anne should settle for the bare minimum. She's in it to win it and she has to make that clear.

As for states other than Iowa Caldwell still had to figure out a lot. She had an idea for pitches in larger states such as New York or California, but she needed to make her mark in the race long before these two come up. She's polled relatively well in Nevada, but she came up short when thinking of what exactly she could pitch to the people of the Silver State. Most of the work her campaign has done on the subject focused on Iowa, a state she expected to be rather challenging for her. New Hampshire was no better. She was at a geographical disadvantage when it came to the early states. In fact, most states were far away enough from Washington, a fact that once again placed her at a disadvantage, especially when compared to someone like Levi Murphy who was basically home in Iowa.

With all of that in mind Anne sat down with her campaign advisors to discuss her next steps in Iowa.

[Alozia]

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Supporting our troops

For far too long our government and political class have stood silent as our veterans suffered.
It is about time we start repaying the debt we owe our servicewomen and men.

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In his 1961 farewell address to the nation President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the American people of the risk of for-profit war-making and the impact this precedent would have on our society. Unfortunately our political class has not listened to the President's warning, choosing to progressively erode our civil liberties and ignore the growing needs of millions of Americans instead.

Since the end of the Second World War our Armed Forces have been frequently used as a tool for empire-building instead of peacemaking. Our soldiers are treated not as human beings with a strong sense of duty, but rather as pawns in the game of power-hungry politicians and corporations seeking to profit from destruction and human suffering. With the use of lobbyists and endless amounts of money weapon manufacturers have built a system that not only allows, but actively promotes unjustified wars portraying them as a necessary step towards a "better" world, omitting actual consequences.

Anne Murphy Caldwell understands the impact of this reckless approach all too well. A daughter of a World War 2 veteran she experienced the burden our servicemen and women have to bear in their day-to-day lives first-hand. As a Congresswoman she fought to ensure that our veterans receive the aid they need, supporting the creation of the Department of Veterans' Affairs and advocated for better access to healthcare, especially mental health counseling, for our retired troops. She also fought against the bigoted "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy which actively vilified our brave troops who risked their lives in the line of duty. There is a lot of work to be done and Anne Caldwell is ready to do it.

Watch: "My father, our story" Anne Murphy Caldwell; February 9, 2019

Anne's Plan for our veterans includes:

The expansion of the Department of Veterans' Affairs

The VA is a great institution with a noble goal in mind. It is time we make it a strong and effective one. By limiting our involvement in bloody conflicts we should not be involved in the first place we could increase the VA's budget, providing it with the resources our veterans desperately need.

Greater investment in mental health counseling and research

Our troops see the worst humanity has to offer during their deployment. The brutal, ruthless nature of war exposes them to imagery that scars them for the rest of their lives. Constantly living feeling threatened, often times injured and over-medicated, our veterans struggle with life back at home. Sadly, many of them lose that struggle.

Anne's plan for our veterans' mental health is one that benefits both civilians and Armed Forces personnel. Increased spending on mental health would provide the American people with far greater access to institutions that provide the treatment they need, institutions often times too expensive for them to access under our current system and doctors with years of experience. A better funded, well-structured mental health-care system would also mean a better funded mental health research, providing us with a better understanding of the problems our veterans face and let us provide them with comprehensive aid.

Bringing our troops home

In 2020, many young people will cast their vote for their first time. A large portion of them have not lived in an America at peace. By the time of the Iowa Caucus the War in Afghanistan will have been going on for more than 18 years. It is about time we put an end to the conflict and bring our troops home.

Providing housing and job security for our veterans

According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness over 9% of adults experiencing homelessness are veterans. This means that at any given day over 40,000 retired servicewomen and men experience homelessness. This is unacceptable. We need a drastic change of course, expanding housing opportunities for veterans and with it the population as a whole.

Moreover, more than 250,000 veterans rely on the federal government for housing security, many of them due to lack of employment opportunities. Lack of well paying jobs and good educational programs put a heavy burden on many veterans who struggle with their mental health. We need to make sure that every veteran has a stable, well-paying job and a safe roof over their head. One way to ensure this goal is to employ our veterans in public works projects that would help rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and meet the many challenges ahead.

Our campaign to address veterans' issues is sustained by small-donor contributions. Press here to donate to our campaign.

"My father, our story"
Anne shares the story of her father, a Navy veteran and proud American.

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"My father was an ordinary man. Humble, hard working, honest to the bone - one of the many things that I got from him."

"Son of two Irish immigrants, he was proud to call himself American."

"He spent most of his youth in Seattle. This is where he was born, where he grew up, this is where he went to school..."

"...and this is where he heard of Pearl Harbor."

"When he heard of the attack on the country that has given him so much he knew he had to do something. He enlisted."

"Wanting to bring the fight to the aggressors he joined the Navy and served in the Pacific."

"He was proud of his service. Whenever he talked about it you could hear that there was something special in it."



"When the war was over and our nation victorious, my father decided to remain in the Navy."

"He wanted to make sure that his country is well defended against any potential threats."

"Navy was his home. This is where he made life-long friendships."

"Many of the men he met during his service did not make it or had to live with injuries beyond belief."

"Thanks to my father, I met many of those men in my youth, listened to their stories. Many of them were like family to me."

"My father was certainly a brave man. He fought both alongside and for his fellow Navymen. They faced numerous enemies, both in the field and at home."

"To some extent he was ahead of his time. He understood the idea of solidarity among our troops and fostered it. When the time came for him to retire from service he continued his work as a coach at one of Seattle's high schools."

"He brought over the lessons he learned during his service to the school. Teaching his students the value of sportsmanship, fraternity, honesty and hard work."

"He was a tough, but a great teacher, both at school and at home."

"I learned a great deal of things from him."

"All my life I have worked and continue to work to repay the massive debt we all owe to people like my father."

Are you a veteran or a member of a veteran's family?
Is a person close to you currently deployed?
Feel free to share your story at: annecaldwell.com/supportingourtroops

[Alozia]

Anne Murphy Caldwell
@AnneCaldwell

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No veteran should face homelessness, poverty or helplessness.

My plan for supporting our troops would prevent those things.

Providing affordable housing, well paying job and proper healthcare for our veterans should be a no-brainer.

As the Commander-In-Chief I will carry out my duties towards those who serve under my administration.

Read the plan here: annecaldwell.com/supportingourtroops

[Azekopolaltion]

Tim Westra 2020: A Tax Code for the 99%

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For too long, the wealthy have used loopholes, federal lobbying, and plain corruption to skew the tax system in their favor. And who loses out? Our working families, who have seen their wages stagnate, their living standards fall, and their tax burden increase, all for no significant return from the government. It's time to create a tax code that makes the wealthy pay their fair share.

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America controls 29% of world GDP - we're the richest country on earth. At the same time, out of any developed nation, America has the most wealth concentration and the most wealth inequality. To speak passionately about this issue isn't as "socialist" as Republicans proclaim. Inequality is a very real threat for capitalism and the very functioning of our economy, and the fat cat corporate establishment ignores it at their own peril.

Since Ronald Reagan, we have operated on an assumption that has been proven false numerous times: that tax cuts for the wealthy trickle down to the working class. It is simply untrue. Our middle class is shrinking and real wages haven't gone up as promised - as a matter of fact, current wages have the same purchasing power as they did 4 decades ago. Meanwhile, the government expects the middle class to have a heavier tax burden. While the rich and powerful in the top 0.1% only pay about 3% relative to their wealth in taxes, everybody else pay about 7% of their total wealth to the government. What do they get in return? Expensive healthcare, unaffordable education, broken infrastructure. The rich got a tax cut, and workers got sold out.

It is a national disgrace that 3 billionaires have more wealth than the bottom half of this country combined. It is tremendously unjust that, while the filthy rich become even richer, we have 21% of our child population living in poverty and 500,000 people, including veterans, sleeping out on the streets.

There is no justice when so few have so much, and so many have so little. Tim Westra believes it's past time to ensure that the wealthy elite show a little patriotism by reinvesting in the country that made them. The billionaire class has to be forced to pay their fair share in taxes.

A WEALTH TAX

There's a big difference between how an average American makes his living vs the average billionaire, and there's a big difference in how they're taxed. Our tax system mainly revolves around taxing income from labor; most Americans make money from their employment salaries. Jeff Bezos, meanwhile, has a salary equatable to that of a nurse in New York, but he's the world's richest man. How? He holds a 16% stake in Amazon. So he's seeing massive returns from his assets, from his Amazon stock. The middle class gets taxed on their income, while the wealthy get wealthier from their existing wealth - which goes untaxed.

Tim believes that billionaires owe it to their society to give back and rebuild communities that have been left behind. That cannot happen if they continue to see unmitigated returns on their already massive fortunes held in assets like stocks. Furthermore, stagnant wealth that they hold in assets like pantings and cars help nobody but their egos. If they pitch in a couple of cents on the dollar, we can fund programs that help the 99% of America.

This is how a wealth tax will work:

- The tax will be phased in at 2% on net worth over $32 million for a married couple. That's just two cents on every dollar of wealth for a couple worth $32 million.

- The rate would be raised for wealthier couples. It would be raised to 3% for families worth $50 to $250 million, 4% from $250 to $500 million, 5% from $500 million to $1 billion, 6% from $1 to $2.5 billion, 7% from $2.5 to $5 billion, 8% from $5 to $10 billion, and 9% on wealth over $10 billion.

- Economic estimates say that this could raise up to $4 trillion in tax revenue over a decade. That money can be reinvested in our communities to cancel student debt, make pre-k and childcare universal, and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.

TAX EXTREME INCOME

While some billionaires make their fortunes from assets stashed away in the stock market, others simply have seen a ridiculous raise in CEO pay. As a matter of fact, CEO pay has grown 940% since the 1980's. At the same time, these same individuals make big money from capital gains, which is taxed at lower rates than labor income.

Tim has a plan to tax that income at fairer rates:

- Tax capital gains at the same rate as income. In addition to equalizing rates, Westra would close loopholes that allow wealthy investors to avoid taxation such as repealing the exclusion for capital gains on bequests, repeal like-kind exchanges, and subject derivatives to mark to market treatment. Simply raising the capital gains tax would boost federal revenue by $1.2 trillion in a decade.

- Add an eighth tax bracket of 70 percent on incomes over $10 million. What this means is that individuals would need to pay 70 cents for every dollar they report in taxable income over $10 million. The tax would apply only to ordinary income (wages, salaries, interest, business income), raising about $291 billion in a decade.

- Tax Wall Street speculation. The new tax code would tax trading of stocks, bonds and derivatives at rates ranging from 0.005% to 0.5%, as is already done in other countries, including in Europe. This would raise about $2.4 trillion over a decade.

Raising the marginal tax rate is not going to slow growth. America had a top marginal tax rate of 90% at a time of extreme growth for the economy under renowned communist president...Dwight Eisenhower. Let's return to our pro-worker roots and reward those who also create wealth for us, the workers of America.

MAKE CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE

Here's a question we've all heard the answer to by now: how much did Amazon pay in federal taxes last year?

The answer is $0. We cannot continue to allow the massive injustice of getting hardworking Americans to cede more of their income in taxes for no benefits, rather than asking Amazon to pay taxes as a service to the communities that allow it to thrive. We can do this by getting at the source of Amazon's success: it's $10 billion in profits. Moreover, CEO to worker pay is currently at a ratio of 287:1 - a grotesque gap in income. We should be pushing corporations to pay their workers fair wages, not excessive incomes to already wealthy CEOs, and we can do this through tax reform.

Here's what Tim plans to do:

- Tax every dollar above $100 million in corporate profits at a rate of 7%. This ensures that no corporation can escape paying the corporate tax due to the numerous loopholes in the system. This tax would only apply to about 1200 companies in the nation. It would raise about $1 trillion in a decade to spend on social programs for the working class.

- Increase corporate taxes on companies with high income inequality. Companies with a compensation ratio of between 50 and 100 would pay 0.5% more in corporate taxes, between 100 and 200 would pay +1%, between 200 and 300 would pay +2%, between 300 and 400 would pay +3%, between 400 and 500 would pay +4%, and more than 500 would be +5%. This would raise about $150 billion in a decade, would most probably reduce income inequality in the workplace, and provide funding for programs that rebuild the middle class.

- Further raise wages through Senator Westra's bill to impose a Corporate Freeloader Fee, which levies a fee based on the number of employees at a company who earn less than 218 percent of the federal poverty rate. The fee would increase as the percentages of a company's workforce who earn less than a living goes up. It would only apply to mega corporations who file at least $100,000 in payroll taxes with the IRS daily for at least 180 days straight. Workers at corporations making record profits should not be living on food stamps; the taxpayer shouldn't subsidize big corporations. This fee would be phased out after a 15 dollar minimum wage is fully introduced and the Earned Income Tax Credit is expanded.

- Introduce a carbon tax at $25 per ton. It would raise about $1 trillion in a decade

Corporations in America are doing phenomenally well, while their workers live under hardship. It's time they pay a small price so that the rest of society can share in the success of the few.

TAX INHERITANCE FAIRLY

The estate tax is paid by a tiny fraction of American estates – about 2 out of every 1000 deaths. That contrasts to the 1970s, when there were over 70 taxable estates for every 1000 deaths. We cannot have a true meritocracy like our founding fathers envisioned if success comes to be defined as inheritance.

Tim would:

- Lower the estate tax exemption to $3.5 million and raise top rate to 65%. This would create a true system that rewards hard work, not simply inheritance, and would raise almost $400 billion in a decade.

NEW REVENUE SOURCES

In boosting new industries and reforming existing excise tax programs, we can bring in billions more in federal revenue to reinvest in our communities. A Westra presidency would promote a new economic model that allows society to succeed as our businesses succeed.

Tim will:

- Legalize marijuana and impose a 25% federal excise tax on its sale. This would generate an additional $70 billion over 10 year in business, income, and payroll taxes, as well as $150 billion in a decade from the excise tax.

- Increase the gas tax by 12 cents a gallon over two years, and index it to inflation. This will bring in about $180 billion over a decade.

- Impose a 5% value added tax. More than 140 countries all over the world have a VAT-style consumption tax, and this mechanism would bring in over $3 trillion in 10 years.

CLOSING LOOPHOLES

It's unfair that the megarich get to stow their wealth in offshore tax havens and take advantage of numerous other loopholes to evade paying their fair share, while the average U.S. citizen diligently files their income taxes every year. A Westra presidency will enforce accountability and raise extra revenue from closed loopholes by:

- Improve IRS funding to conduct better audits and to enforce tax compliance. This would recover about $400 billion dollars that we are losing from domestic evasion every year – about $4 trillion in a decade!

- Close individual tax shelters. Like the corporations they own, wealthy individuals make use of myriad loopholes in the tax code to shelter their personal income from taxation. Most high-income taxpayers pay a 3.8 percent tax that pays into entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. However, some avoid these payroll taxes by setting up pass-through businesses and re-characterizing large shares of their income as profits from business ownership, rather than wage income. Closing these tax shelters could raise $420 billion in a decade.

- Close corporate tax shelters. We can impose specific per-country corporate minimum tax rates rather than a global minimum tax, which will increase tax revenues by nearly $170 billion in a decade.

- Cap itemized deductions the wealthy. This would raise $250 billion over ten years.

- End the 20% pass-through deduction. This would recover $430 billion in a decade.

- Raise the corporate tax rate back to 35%. This rate would increase federal revenue by $1 trillion in a decade.

- In total, these proposals to close loopholes for the wealthy will rake in $6.27 trillion in a decade.

MAKE PAYROLL TAXES FAIRER

Social Security will be depleted by 2035, and politicians are turning a blind eye. Instead of taking the easy, logical step of making wealthy earners pay their fair share, the Washington elite are protecting their special interests by waiting for the crisis to happen. It is a disgrace that the average workers pays the same amount into Social Security as multimillionaires and billionaires. A Westra presidency would save and expand Social Security by reforming our payroll tax system. A Westra presidency will:

- Raise the Social Security taxable maximum to $250,000. High earners should be lifting their own weight in contributions to Social Security.

- Impose a 6.2% tax on investment income worth more than $200,000. Capital gains, dividends, and business income should be considered income, and therefore subject to payroll taxes.

- This would raise about $1.4 trillion in a decade. This is enough to keep Social Security solvent until 2070.

HOW MUCH WOULD THESE NEW TAXES RAISE?

- Wealth Tax: $4 trillion in a decade
- Raising the capital gains tax: $1.2 trillion in a decade
- Raising the top marginal tax rate to 70%: $291 billion in a decade
- Financial transaction tax: $2.4 trillion in a decade
- Taxing corporate profits: $1 trillion in a decade
- Carbon tax: $1 trillion in a decade
- Income Inequality Tax: $150 billion in a decade
- Lowering the estate tax threshold: $400 billion in a decade
- Marijuana Taxes: $220 billion in a decade
- Gas Tax Reform: $180 billion in a decade
- 5% VAT: $3 trillion in a decade
- Lifting the Social Security earnings cap: $1.4 trillion in a decade
- Closing tax loopholes: $6.27 trillion in a decade.

In total, we'd raise about $21.5 trillion in a decade to fund social services like a real tax cut for the middle class, which Wolf lied about. We can also fund tuition-free college, eliminate medical debt, introduce universal pre-k and childcare, rebuild our infrastructure, pay for a green America, and fund a public option to achieve universal healthcare.

[Dentali]

Nathaniel Richardson
Charlotte, North Carolina
February 16th, 2019



It was RIchardson’s belief after the 2012 election that the Republican Party needed to evolve in various ways, more than that it needed to start doing more than just saying “No” to democratic solutions to problems and start saying “yes” to Republican solutions. One of the issues he wanted to tackle through a conservative lens was climate change.

It was fortunate for his then that the “Clear Path Action Fund” was based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He knew that going too hard on climate issues in the primary could be costly but 72% if Republicans supported accelerating development of clean energy, which was more than enough to give him some wiggle room.

Richardson took his time visiting supporters in the suburbs around Charlotte, spending 3 hours knocking on doors and asking about the individual concerns of residents and what he could do both as their Governor and as President. It was not however a very serious period of retail politics, the objective was to give some face time as governor to the citizens of the state and to obscure his closed door meeting with Clear Path. He entered Charlotte proper, taking photo ops and short Q&As with small business owners before finally arriving at the ClearPath HQ for his meeting with the CEO and a few other key members. Additionally a few members of the House of Representatives were present that were considering creating a bi-cameral caucus dedicated to conservation and environmental policy.

Richardson began by talking about the rest of the Republican field, or the lack thereof, specifically certain Paleoconservative Senators who didn’t even believe climate change existed. After giving them a small scare he began to outline his environmental policy, bringing up the fact he had just mentioned cleaning up the planets oceans in his most recent policy paper. He also impressed his opinion that unless China and India have access to cheap clean energy all our other environmental measures mute.

Richardson committed to doubling investment in both geothermal and carbon capture technologies in the long term and permitting more fracking in the short term, so that communities could switch over from coal to natural gas which is currently the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions. He also wanted to empower the heads of national labs to independently partner with the private sector, open the labs to private investment and implement the recommendations proposed by Congress in 2014. All told Government Energy R&D Investment would go from .03% of GDP to .08% of GDP, putting it just short of China, and the funding would be used to partner with the private sector.

Governor RIchardson then spoke about the need to continue public -private partnerships in the nuclear sector, improving existing reactors and creating a regulatory framework in line with updated technology. Richardson voiced his strong support for the Nuclear Energy Innovation Modernization Act and wanted to double down on it.

Furthermore Richardson wanted to better coordinate the development of Energy Storage research, as he found it currently a disjointed mess. Specifically Richardson found himself bullish on the ARPA-E technology but he did not wish to micromanage the program, Nathan mentioning such specific tech in the meeting was a play to convince the organization he knew what he was talking about. He also believed they had focused too much on Lithium Ion batteries and that the reliance on Cobalt presented foreign policy concerns. They also needed to focus on Pumped Hydro, Compressed Air and Concentrated Solar storage methods.

Richardson expressed support for the expansion of natural gas under Wolf, which enabled the country to actually meet the goal of the Paris Climate accords. While overall happy with the state of natural gas in the country he did believe measures could be taken to streamline the LNG export process and that in future trade agreements the United States could focus more on natural gas.

But the best investment the United States could make into clean energy was Carbon Capture. Using the example of the public private partnership with the Southern Company and Exxon, Richardson explained the majority of the new funding for the DOE would go towards the construction of large scale carbon capture facilities built through public private partnerships ideally in areas that have been heavily reliant on fossil fuels such as West Virginia or Wyoming.

He continued speaking with them and taking questions, promising them they would have a hand in crafting his energy policy as President and told the few Representatives that they would have his full support and backing. After a long meeting he shook the hands of the assembled conservatives and left feeling confident.

[Fronket]

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Ben Little 2020 Kickoff Rally
Columbia, South Carolina
February 11th, 2019

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Ben stood tall on the stage, peering down from the podium at the big crowd that had showed up here in Columbia to be part of his campaign kickoff. Ever since that day when he was elected mayor of Baltimore, Ben felt that he had been born to do this. And, with the support of people from all parts of the country, he felt more than ready to fully invest himself in this campaign.

"My fellow Americans, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing up here today. And just look at the crowd! It's simply an amazing feeling, and I'm humbled by your support. And I hope I can make it count."

"I feel proud to stand up here and call myself an American. I feel proud to stand up and call myself a member of the African-American community. Having a community to go back to when you need it is one of the most unique aspects of American culture. There is no homogeneity. There is no one people that trumps all others. No matter what hatred this president has attempted to inject into our society, we tell him loud and clear: the American Dream is constructed by the diversity of our people. Anyone who tells you otherwise is simply un-American."

"There are people out there today who might be lacking a little bit of hope. They might be feeling let down by a government that turns its back on the middle class in favor of the very successful. Some might be struggling to make ends meet, and might feel like no one really gives a hoot. And I know that many people are incredibly concerned by the resurgence of white nationalism in our diverse America."

"We need a president who is ready to tackle inequality in all of its forms, whether it is manifested economically or even more importantly, racially. Not a single presidential candidate on the Democratic side has mentioned issues related to race in our country. That is shameful. Absolutely shameful. We cannot follow this racist president with someone who ignores the national crisis of racism in our nation."

"Because racism is not just words. It's not limited to hateful speech. No, racism accumulates and infects society. It starts to create norms, and even influence our policy. Look at how we treat immigrant children from Central America, who are being ripped from their parents' arms and stuffed into cages or housed in detention centers with inhumane conditions. Imagine if that was happening to white children. Imagine the outrage."

"Is this who we are? Is racism and xenophobia in our DNA? No, it can't be. We refuse to believe it. Time and time again, people have risen from the chains of society and proven their oppressors wrong. I was probably the proudest man in America when we elected Rashid Baharia to be our first black president. It was a sign that, at the height of the war on terror, when 9/11 was still on our minds, Americans united and chose a man with a Muslim name to unite our nation."

"Our country's greatest poetess, Maya Angelou, once wisely told us that you may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. This is the test of our times. Yes, we made a grave error in judgement by electing a racist, xenophobic, misogynistic demagogue as our president. That's on all of us, by the way. I take some blame for that as well. Yes, people of color faced a defeat that night. Yes, religious minorities faced a defeat that night. Yes, women faced a defeat that night. The question is: will we allow that defeat to be permanent?"

"If I have the honor of serving as your nominee, you can count on me to defeat whoever the Republican nominee is. Because here's the secret, guys: I do not belong to one people. I stand for black people. I stand for the middle class. I stand for small business owners. I stand for women, and for the LGBTQ+ community, and from people of all faiths. This is the essence of America. When we stand united, there is no one person who can defeat us."

"My story is quintessentially American. I don't come from an elite family, and I am not from a political dynasty. I wasn't even wealthy. I was from a black family in the pre-Civil Rights era, when racism was institutionalized by law. I know how bad it can be, and I don't like the path we're going down where it becomes okay to impose Muslim bans."

"There might be some who are skeptical of career politicians, and with good reason. The political gridlock in Washington is also a source of many of my frustrations. But I see my life in politics as a sign of my dedication to public service. I served as the first black Speaker Pro Tempore of the Maryland House of Delegates, and went on to be elected as the first African-American mayor of Baltimore. And I ran as a fighter for the underrepresented. My candidacy brought out a record number of black voters, and I'm still honored to be fighting for them as a presidential candidate, not just a mayor or Senator."

"And I managed to yield results by working with everyone, even people who wanted me dead. I pulled off what many saw as a small miracle: I got Baltimore's homicide rate to drop for the first time in more than 20 years. And I did not accomplish this through punitive measures. I analyzed the data, looked at the proven solutions, and, through smart investment in research and with the creation of new police guidelines, I made change. That's the same methodical approach that I'll employ as president."

"I had bipartisan success in the House of Representatives, which is something rare in today's world. In 2014, with Republican cosponsored, I passed legislation that digitalized federal records, which increases transparency and allows the public to hold elected officials accountable."

"When we say that Black Lives Matter, we don't believe that this is simply another idea as part of an ideology. No, it's not optional to believe in this. Those who don't are racist. Our party does not just believe, but understands, that Black Lives Matter. But we have to go further. I recognize that our community and our law enforcement work best when they work together. I will fight my heart to ensure that no black boy feels unsafe on our streets."

"In this election, the biggest challenge for Democrats will be to craft an agenda that reflects the real needs of people and families, and to support the candidate that best personifies these ideas and ideals. The passion of my volunteers and our collective unwavering commitment to building a more equitable and inclusive democracy with sound policies that make the lives of Americans better, is exactly what the party needs. But more importantly, the country needs it."

"South Carolina, to me you are not an afterthought. Certain candidates haven't even visited South Carolina yet, but I've been hanging here with my brothers and sisters before I was a candidate. And only with your help will we boot out our last racist president to elect our second black president."

"Thank you, may God bless you, and may God bless America. All of America."

[Dentali]

CNN Interview
02/16/2019
Representative



Allen: Good Evening, during the State of the Union President Wolf announced a dramatic policy shift in the Middle East, essentially abandoning the Two State Solution between Israel and Palestine in response to the assassination of the Ambassador to Israel. In response many Democrats have condemned the move with Republicans staying largely silent, additionally several Democratic Senator have made comments regarding Israel that some have charged as being anti-Semitic. Joining us now is former Ambassador to Turkey, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and current Representative from New York’s 12th Congressional District Caroline Simone. Congresswoman thank you for joining us today.

Simone: "It's a pleasure to be here, thank you."

Allen: So President Wolf has just announced…. Arguably the biggest shift in Israeli/Palestinian policy in decades. Effectively abandoning the 2 state solution and recognizing some of the territories occupied by Israel as sovereign Israeli territory. Do you agree with the move, why or why not?

Simone: "I think it'd be hard to find a way that I could agree with this policy. It's fundamentally inflammatory, it's poorly advised, and honestly reflects another case of the President using foreign policy to boost his approvals. Israel is popular in the U.S., and it's right that it should be. It's the Middle East's only mature, fully functioning democracy. But that doesn't give them any right to violate territorial integrity."

"It was a Republican President, the great Dwight Eisenhower, who worked hard to foster the Tripartite Declaration of 1950, uniting us, the U.K. and France in commit to peace and stability in the Middle East, and part of that was respect for the borders and armistice lines established by the 1949 Arab-Israeli Armistice. So this idea that it's just Democratic politicking to be against what has happened here has no factual basis."

"Ultimately, any peace plan needs to be patient, considered and nuanced, respectful of the profound beliefs and concerns of both sides. That's not what's happened here. What has happened here is that President Wolf has capitalized on an international tragedy - the assassination of Ambassador Friedman - to shore up domestic support for his politics and policies. It's fundamentally repugnant to our responsibilities as a global superpower."

Allen: Harsh words… what do you believe should have been done in response to the attack? Surely we cannot let it go unanswered?

Simone: "No attack on the United States should go unanswered, and I believe my record shows that I've always been very firm in my opposition to the policy of appeasement, but dealing with the extremist elements responsible for this attack does not require or call for a broad-based attack on everyone and everything with animus towards Israel. It's disproportionate, and it's a misuse of the awesome responsibility that a nation of our scale bears when it conducts itself on the international stage."

"Cooperation with Israeli intelligence, police and military in investigation is, of course, sound, and from that, we can reaffirm publicly our commitment to Israeli self determination. No rational person would dispute the right of Israel to exist. Once we have the information we need, we can take targeted action to deal with those who have committed what is an outrageous offense against us. Again, this doesn't require large, grandstanding and dangerous gestures regarding Israeli annexations. We can be a good ally and an honest one at the same time. Supporting Israel's right to exist and to be free from terror is not incompatible with not recognizing illegal territorial gains."

"We have some of the best special forces in the world. So do Israel. We both have the capability to undertake thorough intelligence operations and targeted anti-terror operations. That is the proportionate and appropriate response. Not what President Wolf is proposing."

Allen: Negotiations between Palestine and Israel haven't exactly been moving, they have been more or less deadlocked for a decade... how do we get everyone to the table and negotiating?

Simone: "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I can pull a master stroke out of nowhere to get everyone back to the table. No one can do that, and as I've said before, simplifying foreign relations is mendacious. What it'll take is a rebuilding of trust with the Arab side - Palestinians and interested parties, and a little more firmness from the United States. Unconditional support is what breeds untold consequences. It was Kaiser Wilhelm's blank check to Austria-Hungary that provoked the July Crisis, and whilst I'm not suggesting this is anything quite so large, you can see the way that lack of restraint manifests itself. We've got to convince the Palestinians that it's worth coming back to the table, and we've got to convince Israel that it remains in their interest to return to the table."

"There are ways to go about that. You could remove the embassy from Jerusalem again, or you could pledge that the Jerusalem embassy serves the interests of representation both to Israel and to Palestine. The U.S. could forthrightly recognize Palestinian statehood, and commit to the protection of both peoples. You could caution Israel against the disproportionate use of force more clearly. What you cannot do is take clear sides, which is what the President is doing here."

"What you ultimately have to end up appreciating is that many of the views and angers and emotions on both sides are legitimate, and that both peoples have a right to their land and their property, not to mention their fundamental human rights. So long as both sides of the argument feel that they are being listened to, and that the United States is - in good faith - pursuing what is best for them, then there is a greater foundation for peace than our present issue."

Allen: I understand their are no easy answers... you said "Palestinians and interested parties", now Hamas and terrorist groups do have significant influence in Palestine, many would even say it is in essence a terrorist state. Do they get a seat at the table?

Simone: "Letting Hamas sit at the table would be fundamentally counterproductive. It'd signal to them that their tactics work, and it'd invite more attacks like that which occurred with Ambassador Friedman. Demonstrating to the Palestinian people that peaceful, civilian representatives are the pathway to peace pulls the rug out from underneath Hamas, and encourages a movement back towards moderate parties. When I talk about interested parties, I mean countries like Jordan and Egypt, who have partnership with the Palestinians through the Arab League and a degree of shared history. The value of regional interlocutors to the furtherment of U.S. policy objectives cannot be overstated."

Allen: How do you get a Palestinian government which is barely cohesive and dominated by Hamas to the table without including Hamas?

Simone: "Well, let's be clear first of all that Hamas wasn't dominant before the peace process started going off the rails. They possess the influence that they do because ordinary Palestinians have been losing confidence in peaceful means to resolve their issues with Israel. Restoring that confidence strips Hamas of their ability to exploit those reasons. There's a reason why Hamas' support is stronger in the Gaza Strip - it's because the Gaza Strip is by far the worst-off section of the Palestinian Authority."

"Once Palestinian people see that it is through moderates that they can get what they want, they'll turn away from Hamas. The driving factors that push them towards extremism won't exist. Most extremism is born, fundamentally, from a disillusionment in achievement through non-extreme means. Palestinian people aren't different from anyone else. Human beings are human beings, and human behavior is human behavior."

"I don't believe we've reached some point of no return where Palestinian people have singularly and unwaveringly aligned themselves behind Hamas at the expense of all other options. The liberal option is still there, and we have to motivate them to move back in that direction."

Allen: What do you think about those in your party that have called Israel an "Apartheid State"?

Simone: "I think it's incredibly misguided, misinformed and unhelpful to say things like that, and I unequivocally condemn any member of my party, or any party, which espouses such blithely discriminatory language. Just as President Wolf's actions demolish trust with Palestinian and Arab groups, this language undermines our ability to communicate with Jewish Israeli authorities and groups and essentially sets back the peace process. It's not the language of peace and understanding, but of similar political grandstanding to the President. It has no place in a situation like this where lives are very much at stake."

Allen: Foreign Policy isn't typically a major focus of American voters, typically ranking 10th or 11th in terms of focus. Does anyone running for President right now stand out for you in a positive way on foreign policy? Not asking for you to endorse, and obviously its early but have you heard anything that stands out?

Simone: "You're right, it is incredibly early, and I have no intention of making my personal preference for the Democratic nomination obvious at this time, but I will say that of the staunchly progressive candidates in the field, so far Senator Westra has shown a greater understanding of the issue we've discussed than Senator Murphy, who hasn't necessarily shown qualities I would consider very fruitful in a Commander-in-Chief."

"Obviously Secretary Whitaker is the most experienced, and I think that stands her in excellent stead. I would feel very safe in an America led by a President Whitaker. Foreign policy isn't a high ranking priority for American voters but it is an unavoidably important part of being President, and being able to stand up and say that you know what you're damn well doing should be seen as a blessing rather than a curse."

"Of the Republicans, well, there's not been much noise out of any of them except Governor Richardson, and whilst I've been very publicly critical of Governor Richardson's views on Iran - which appear to be grounded more in ideology than strategy - he's definitely got his head in the right place on Russia. I can appreciate that many Republicans, despite President Wolf, share our concerns about Russia's behavior on the world stage."

Allen: I want to get back to Russia in a bit, but lets move a bit closer to home... Every day stories come out of Venezuela detailing just how dire the situation is becoming. Having an oil rich failed state in our own back yard is incredibly concerning to say nothing of the humanitarian crisis. How can the United States best turn the situation around?

Simone: "I'm glad you brought up Venezuela. It's important to remember that not only is there a humanitarian and human rights crisis in Venezuela, but that the would-be dictator Nicolás Maduro is an enemy of the United States. Any government that invites Russian nuclear bombers into close range of the United States is deserving of our suspicion and disdain, on top of the fact that he is willing to do terrible, awful things. I recall watching some FOX News footage a little while ago, where his loyalists were running down protesters in armored cars. It's intolerable. Absolutely intolerable."

"As to what the United States can do? Well, the United States can do many things. What we should do is another matter. The proportionate and appropriate response in this case is a rigorous, well planned sanctions regime, and I've been working on one such regime with Senator Slater, across the aisle."


Allen: What do you say to those who think sanctions will take too long? People are dying every day and the Maduro regime is growing more desperate. Sanctions are not likely to solve things overnight.


Simone: "I'd say that there is an escalation of force in foreign relations, just as there exists in any other situation. You can't rush straight to military force, as much as you may wish to. It's imperative on world powers, especially a superpower like the U.S., to act proportionately and to exhaust peaceful options before resorting to conflict. It's a fundamental bedrock of the international order."

"That said, obviously it is completely reprehensible that people are being massacred to try to stifle democracy, and we do have a similar responsibility - as a superpower - to stop that from happening. But in terms of solving things overnight, nothing can be solved overnight. There is no quick fix to overseas crisis."

Allen: Lets go back to Russia.. in general, how do we curb their increasingly aggressive stance?

Simone: "When it comes to dealing with Russia, we're dealing with another superpower. It's not like tackling someone who is categorically and significantly weaker than us, Russia is a far more substantial rival. The policy that I endorse is total containment, using our influence to push Russia out of other markets or spheres of influence, limiting their ability to trade, coerce or threaten. Plentiful support to countries like Ukraine and Georgia that have been directly threatened by the maneuvers of the Kremlin. To put it simply, the gates of the Western world should be slammed shut until Russia is prepared to meet the norms and expectations of a civilized, liberal, democratic state."

Allen: Do you consider Russia or China a bigger threat to the United States?

Simone: "I think it'd be folly to try to stack one over the other. They both, in their own ways, represent profound and extreme dangers to the international order and to the United States."

Allen: Thank you for your time Congresswoman

Simone: "Thank you for having me on."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

Tune in to CNN to catch my interview over the current Israel-Palestine row and other foreign relations problems that are facing the United States right now.

[Bruke]

Senator Karel Volek @VolekOffice Welcome to Senator Karel Volek's official Twitter account! Karel looks forward to hearing from New Yorkers about how he can assist them in dealing with the federal government. New staffers have been hired to assist constituents with casework and similar services. Use #VolekCS to show that a tweet is about constituent services.

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

---

An absolute delight to see my good friend and colleague Senator @VolekOffice join us on Twitter. He has been my rock ever since I joined Congress, and I hope his sage pearls of wisdom will prove just as valuable here as they are straight from the horse's mouth.

[Azekopolaltion]

---

Tim Westra 2020
Sacramento, California
February 12th, 2019

---

Tim had been invited to be the keynote speaker here at a conference hosted by California's leading public policy publication, Capitol Weekly. The topic this month was Health Care, the most important issue to American voters, and he was delivering his perspective on what should be done about it.

"I would like to thank Capitol Weekly for inviting me to be here, and I would really like to thank the supporters in the crowd and across the country for propelling our campaign to the forefront of the national conversation. I would probably not have been invited here without the tremendous energy of the grassroots supporters and volunteers who are the real heroes of this primary."

"Our politics has developed a nasty penchant for framing things in a black and white way, whether it's on Israel-Palestine, capitalism-socialism, or even healthcare, which I'm here to talk about. The thing is, nothing is so simple. I can only look at the facts, analyze the impact, and look for solutions. So when neoliberals and the GOP argue that progressives are ideologues, they're simply not telling you the truth. We're pitching adequate responses to the crises that our country must face down. The others are simply not offering enough."

"I think there should be a public option for everything. Perhaps surprisingly, given the trend toward the privatization of public services over the last generation, American history offers a way forward: the public option. Most Americans probably associate the idea of a public option with health care. When the Affordable Care Act, which I helped to write, was debated in 2010, proponents of a public option (like me) wanted anyone to be able to buy into a government health insurance option like Medicare that would compete with private health insurance plans. But the public option isn’t a recent policy innovation, it isn’t limited to health care and, historically speaking, it hasn’t even been particularly controversial as an approach to public policy."

"Americans love public options and have relied on them for hundreds of years. We just don’t usually think of them with that label. A public swimming pool is a public option; many people have private swimming pools. A public library is a public option; many universities have private libraries. Public parks, public schools, public defenders in courtrooms — the list goes on. They are all public options, government provisions of goods and services that coexist with the private marketplace."

"Universal health care coverage is central to the physical, fiscal, and political well-being of a nation. Nowhere is that more evident than in the United States, the wealthiest nation in the world, which still has 28.3 million people without health insurance. Americans have literally died, gone bankrupt, become disabled, and stayed in dead-end jobs that offer insurance. And yet, despite the lack of universal coverage, the United States spends more as a percentage of GDP than any other nation and our quality of care is erratic. Even with its world-class resources and medical technology, we rank the lowest among developed nations in avoiding preventable deaths."

"What the United States needs, and Americans want, are lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs for health care, a sufficient number of competitive private insurers to honor the promise 'if you like your plan or doctor, you can keep it,' and, as surveys reveal, no exclusion for pre-existing conditions, no lifetime limits on benefits, and coverage for everybody."

"Some people say I'm a flip-flopper on healthcare. I've voiced skepticism of single-payer since my days in Congress – and now, some say I voice support for Medicare for All. The immediate Medicare for All path, which would eliminate all private insurers, is clearly not the answer Americans want. They do not want to lose their private health insurance to a public bureaucracy or to pay its $3.2 trillion annual price tag in the form of higher taxes on the middle class. Now, it is possible that these higher taxes would be offset by eliminated premiums. But I think it is neither politically nor economically feasible to immediately introduce single-payer. If anything, it might mean more inefficiency as we try to figure out how to operate such a system."

"My plan, Medicare for America, introduces a public option that is available to everybody at competitive rates. And I can see a scenario where so many people choose the public option over private insurance that we can easily shift them onto a single-payer plan. But my public option is easier to finance, easier to operate, and easier to implement. And, of course, it is exponentially more affordable than the current system; Medicare for America would eliminate premiums for individuals living below 200% of the poverty line."

"Private insurers will be forced to compete with the public option’s lower costs through improved pricing, service, and quality. They can offer, for example, low-cost policies that transport enrollees from high-cost states to high-quality, low-cost ones such as Utah. Even without the scenario where enough people transition to the public plan that can then be shifted to single payer, the enhanced competition among insurers and providers would lower costs, thus increasing access to coverage and likely improving the quality of care."

"For those who think that this is somehow a 'government takeover' or something socialist, listen to this: public options benefit competitive markets and make capitalism work better. Look at public options in the form of public schools, which guarantee that we have an educated work force, and look at services like public transit and the post office - they support economic activity. The public option also competes in the marketplace with private options, expanding choices for consumers and acting as a check on monopoly power in concentrated sectors. If the Republicans are really serious about 'choice,' they would support my plan."

"Americans don’t need to resign themselves to vicious capitalism, just as generations before us didn’t. And the idea that public action and markets are incompatible is simply false. We don’t have to choose between competitive markets and equal opportunity. Public options are a way to mitigate the damage that comes with the worst aspects of capitalism while creating a common fabric that ties us together."

"That's what my campaign is all about: extending the promise of equal opportunity to everybody. Because we don't have it right now. There is no equal opportunity when poor people don't have an equal shot at life because they don't have a right to healthcare. There is no equal opportunity when only the wealthy can afford to go to college. There is no opportunity when the poor don't have the resources to start small businesses."

"The implementation of this plan will not come easy. The private health insurance industry will fight us; they already are fighting us. They won't want to see their profits go down. But really, they shouldn't be making unethical amounts of profit off of sick human beings. I want to fight for a system that brings down costs and covers everyone, because it's a national embarrassment that the richest nation on earth does not have universal healthcare. And friends, with your support, with your time, and with your vote for our movement, we can get there. Thank you."

[Dentali]

Nathaniel Richardson
Weddington, North Carolina
February 16th, 2019



Weddington, North Carolina was a reliably Republican neighborhood, a very wealthy neighborhood, and one that had donated to him significantly in both his Gubernatorial campaigns. Some of his staunchest supporters lived there, living in large mansions that had hosted various fundraisers and functions in the past. It was in one of these mansions that RIchardson held a fundraiser for his Presidential campaign.

He had already laid the groundwork for major individual donors and key Republican groups, but most of them would still need more work to nail down. Until such time fundraisers such as this one were vital, held at the homes of supporters. Tonight he was at a large property on former farmland owned by a millionaire real estate developer, the event was catered and dozens of tables were set up in a lavishly decorated outdoors area.

Tickets had a significant price tag with several levels you could buy, the lowest for a photo op and lunch and a second tier that included a private roundtable discussion. Guests were required to arrive between 11:30 and 12:30, with lunch being served promptly at 1pm. Richardson himself addressed the crowd at 1:30 thanking everyone for coming and detailing his vision for the country, relating it to his experiences as governor before going into his stump speech. He also thanked a smattering of high profile guests, local celebrities and elected officials who had already endorsed his campaign which were an additional draw to the event.

Richardson enjoyed lunch with the guests, going table to table and taking pictures for several hours. At 6pm the top tier guests were invited inside the residence for the roundtable and dinner discussing more policy specifics and with Richardson and his wife soliciting advice from the donors as much as they answered questions about their own plans and electoral strategy.

All told Richardson took home a significant haul that would likely inspire confidence in other large donors.

[Meelducan]

Yorkville, Manhattan

"My experience? Where to begin... well I suppose it started when I was a young adult back in University, I helped work on the Carter Campaign. It gave me valuable insight into the political landscape. After I finished University I went to Business School in California, I met some really amazing people there, learned a lot there. Morgan Stanley was my next port of call, I did quite a bit of work there, helping manage investments and so before after three years, I was made Partner. While I was a partner, I think I learned a lot about executive positions as put in charge of associates and I was in charge of managing certain investments for some high profile clients.This shows you that I am a person who can be trusted in such a high role and it also shows that I can deal with the stress of an executive position. I then had the initiative to leave Morgan Stanely and found my own business, a hedge fund called Irpac. Within a few years, I grew it and worked very hard. I invested a lot of time, a hell of a lot of time. I was extremely dedicated and I still am. It's now a multi-million dollar company."

John paused for a second.

"Throughout my career, I have shown skills that are transferable from my role as a hedge fund manager to the executive branch of government. I've had a long career, with it mostly being scandal-free, yet again another great position for a potential President to be in." John finished with a chuckle.

[Meelducan]

Irpac Offices, New York City

John listened closely to what the woman was saying, he didn't expect her to take him up on his offer, it was simply too early, but he wanted to know where he stood.

"That is quite unfortunate Carrie, but let me be clear, that offer will remain open to you." He took a short pause. "I like you, Carrie. You have great experience in foreign policy and a good track record. So please do think over the offer, or you never know, a primary challenger might be approaching." John joked.

"The current candidates for the nomination are distasteful, we have people like Westra who will alienate the more moderate voters of the party and possibly the swing state voters. Diane alienated (not-Sanders) supporters greatly, they didn't want another moderate Washington political insider, they wanted someone with new ideas." He took a pause. "I'm not saying Diane was a bad candidate, I just think she could've done more for that side of the party. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I've been in the business for many years now, I have learned to accept and work with others who I might not agree one hundred percent with, that's why I think I'd be a better candidate than the others. But I can understand your concern with the vote splitting, I'd also be concerned."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"How about moving up in the House leadership? If the executive isn't your type of thing, I think you could make a fine leader or even a committee chair. Not one of the smaller committees, one of the major ones."

[Meelducan]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C.

While he visited Washington D.C. quite regularly during the start and end of election seasons, John hadn't been in D.C for months. Work had kept him from coming down and talking to a few high ranking Democrats, but he didn't mind that. D.C was a snakepit to John, with everyone backstabbing each other, no matter what party they belonged to.

But that wasn't why he was in D.C today, he had something else to do. John was meeting with Senator Moore, one of the Senator from Michigan, although it was still a mystery to John why they were meeting, that was the fun of meetings, you never really know what was going to come up in them.

John had met Moore a few times, but it was mostly relating to quick conversations at fundraising events. But he was happy to have a more in-depth conversation with him. He smiled as he entered the lobby of Moore's office and approached the receptionist.

"Hello, I'm here to see Senator Moore."

[Dentali]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C.

(Image)

While he visited Washington D.C. quite regularly during the start and end of election seasons, John hadn't been in D.C for months. Work had kept him from coming down and talking to a few high ranking Democrats, but he didn't mind that. D.C was a snakepit to John, with everyone backstabbing each other, no matter what party they belonged to.

But that wasn't why he was in D.C today, he had something else to do. John was meeting with Senator Moore, one of the Senator from Michigan, although it was still a mystery to John why they were meeting, that was the fun of meetings, you never really know what was going to come up in them.

John had met Moore a few times, but it was mostly relating to quick conversations at fundraising events. But he was happy to have a more in-depth conversation with him. He smiled as he entered the lobby of Moore's office and approached the receptionist.

"Hello, I'm here to see Senator Moore."

"Mr. Donaldson" Moore said warmly after he was ushered in by Moore's secretary. Moore shook his hand and beckoned him to sit, "Can i get you something to drink?"

[The Democratic Marxists]

Abby Winthrop
@SenWinthrop

---

Climate change is the most important issue in 2020. Why is no candidate talking about it? #GreenNewDeal #ClimateAction2020

[Meelducan]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C.

"Water, please," John said as he took a seat in Moore's office.

He took a look around the office before making eye contact with Moore.

[Dentali]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C.

"Water, please," John said as he took a seat in Moore's office.

He took a look around the office before making eye contact with Moore.

James poured a water and handed it to John and sat down at his desk across from Donaldson "Thank you for coming to see me, do you get to DC often?"