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

[Velahor]

He nodded along, and made a mental note to round things back to the Hispanic topic.

“Whatcha need my help with?” asked Mark, even though he was sure he at least knew part of the answer.

"Texas is a must-win state for me. There's serious doubts I can overcome Richardson's investments in Iowa and South Carolina, he's saturated those states and I can fight as much as I want, but he's been running for President for the past twenty years. Super Tuesday needs to be strong for me. I'm doing real good in California, but I need to win Texas." He sighed, shaking his head. "I will obviously support your congressional bid irrespective of any decision you make, but I really need a strong Texas surrogate."

“Mmhm...I’m not necessarily the best choice if you’re trying to pull in Wolf voters with an ‘illegals are terrorizing your towns’ message. So first thing’s first, if I gotta talk tough on immigration, that’s no bueno. My neighbor is a Mexican, my niece is half-Mexican, I got Mexicans working for me, and this whole new Republicans hating on them thing is a load of crap. I have friends down in Laredo, gun-toting Tea Partiers, and they’re all Mexican. They voted (not-Johnson) because they were fed up with Wolf ragging on their fellow Hispanics. They’re just like white people, but they work harder and cook better. So if we’re pandering to toothless meth-head Neo-Nazis with xenophobic garbage, I’m out. I’m only gonna treat immigrants, legal or not, with dignity and respect. Like Jesus would if this was his country.”

[Gordano and Lysandus]

“Mmhm...I’m not necessarily the best choice if you’re trying to pull in Wolf voters with an ‘illegals are terrorizing your towns’ message. So first thing’s first, if I gotta talk tough on immigration, that’s no bueno. My neighbor is a Mexican, my niece is half-Mexican, I got Mexicans working for me, and this whole new Republicans hating on them thing is a load of crap. I have friends down in Laredo, gun-toting Tea Partiers, and they’re all Mexican. They voted (not-Johnson) because they were fed up with Wolf ragging on their fellow Hispanics. They’re just like white people, but they work harder and cook better. So if we’re pandering to toothless meth-head Neo-Nazis with xenophobic garbage, I’m out. I’m only gonna treat immigrants, legal or not, with dignity and respect. Like Jesus would if this was his country.”

"I'm not going to script you, Mark. You should say what you believe. The immigration message will probably have to come up in other states - South Carolina comes to mind, but I'm not going to be vociferous and I'm certainly not anti-Latino. My position on immigration doesn't have the same racist edge that Wolf's did, and as much as I've been forced to embrace the Wall as much as anyone else has, I'm not pulling the 'white America is dying' card. I feel for Latinos, really I do. When I went to Florida, I railed against Clifford and Baharia scrapping the policies we put in place to support Cuban-Americans fleeing the regime. They're Republicans in waiting, I believe that, and if I can win this primary, I can take the party to a better place over this. I can change a lot of things. Fix a lot of damage." He shook his head, sighing. "I didn't run for President because I want to be President, I'm running because we've got a really bad field and if we don't fix things, the G.O.P. is dead. Richardson learning Spanish to appeal to Latinos is so goddamn token, I don't even want to get into it. Trust me, I can talk about immigration without demonizing immigrants, and I welcome people who are coming here to work with decency and honesty. That's the kind of thing America was built on."

[Velahor]

“Mmhm...I’m not necessarily the best choice if you’re trying to pull in Wolf voters with an ‘illegals are terrorizing your towns’ message. So first thing’s first, if I gotta talk tough on immigration, that’s no bueno. My neighbor is a Mexican, my niece is half-Mexican, I got Mexicans working for me, and this whole new Republicans hating on them thing is a load of crap. I have friends down in Laredo, gun-toting Tea Partiers, and they’re all Mexican. They voted (not-Johnson) because they were fed up with Wolf ragging on their fellow Hispanics. They’re just like white people, but they work harder and cook better. So if we’re pandering to toothless meth-head Neo-Nazis with xenophobic garbage, I’m out. I’m only gonna treat immigrants, legal or not, with dignity and respect. Like Jesus would if this was his country.”

"I'm not going to script you, Mark. You should say what you believe. The immigration message will probably have to come up in other states - South Carolina comes to mind, but I'm not going to be vociferous and I'm certainly not anti-Latino. My position on immigration doesn't have the same racist edge that Wolf's did, and as much as I've been forced to embrace the Wall as much as anyone else has, I'm not pulling the 'white America is dying' card. I feel for Latinos, really I do. When I went to Florida, I railed against Clifford and Baharia scrapping the policies we put in place to support Cuban-Americans fleeing the regime. They're Republicans in waiting, I believe that, and if I can win this primary, I can take the party to a better place over this. I can change a lot of things. Fix a lot of damage." He shook his head, sighing. "I didn't run for President because I want to be President, I'm running because we've got a really bad field and if we don't fix things, the G.O.P. is dead. Richardson learning Spanish to appeal to Latinos is so goddamn token, I don't even want to get into it. Trust me, I can talk about immigration without demonizing immigrants, and I welcome people who are coming here to work with decency and honesty. That's the kind of thing America was built on."

"Richardson is a walking campaign advertisement. The guy can run a campaign, but can he command the office with power? I doubt it. Him learning Spanish is so shallow, why isn't he down in Laredo, in El Paso, talking with Mexican-Americans now? More of them speak English in Texas than don't, and yet he's not down there campaigning to the ones who do understand him? It's silly, almost like social justice warrior virtue signaling. They don't want a President who speaks Spanish, they want a guy who doesn't cage kids, doesn't say terrible things about them and their relatives, and they care about good jobs, constitutional rights, and Christian values like the rest of us. That's not to say I won't back him if you slip up. My endorsement is only good to someone who doesn't beat down on Latinos and won't restrict our right to bear arms."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"Richardson is a walking campaign advertisement. The guy can run a campaign, but can he command the office with power? I doubt it. Him learning Spanish is so shallow, why isn't he down in Laredo, in El Paso, talking with Mexican-Americans now? More of them speak English in Texas than don't, and yet he's not down there campaigning to the ones who do understand him? It's silly, almost like social justice warrior virtue signaling. They don't want a President who speaks Spanish, they want a guy who doesn't cage kids, doesn't say terrible things about them and their relatives, and they care about good jobs, constitutional rights, and Christian values like the rest of us. That's not to say I won't back him if you slip up. My endorsement is only good to someone who doesn't beat down on Latinos and won't restrict our right to bear arms."

"I've made very clear that I think that the Second Amendment is uninfringeable, beyond even the very loose restrictions that (not-Scalia) would accept. It is the ultimate defense against tyranny. Don't worry, Mark, I won't go soft on guns." He smiled, sighing. "I give you my word that we're going to clean up this whole... border malarkey. Sure, I've got my hands tied to that damn wall but the caging will get sorted out, and I want to provide a pathway to DREAMers. Honestly, it's a missed opportunity. If a Republican President is the one to actually embrace them, they'll remember that for the rest of their lives."

[Sarenium]

"Middle America is sorely lacking, but inner cities need transport. When I was Governor of Virginia we restructured all transit into Virginia Public Transport, Richmond, Norfolk and in cooperation with DC and Maryland, the DC Metro Area were all given funding for public transport options. Meanwhile regional areas god funding for repairs and where growth merited, expansion. I want a half a trillion dollar investment in critical infrastructure from the Federal Government, and through Public-Private Partnerships I want us to expand where needed, our air and train capacity. I want a feasibility study into high speed rail in the United States while improving the options for safe, speedy and healthy commuting. That half a trillion also includes funds for new regional clinics and schools, it may not be as big a purse as the numbers some of my peers have suggested but I want targeted solutions. The money has to go where its needed."

“Mmmm...I see. All good plans. Are you willing to get funding to major cities for their local public transportation projects, specifically, under-served cities like Los Angeles and Houston?” he asked.

"Eisenhower tied 90% funding to highways, I want to do something similar with states and cities that expand public transit," she confirmed, "my campaign is soon to unveil our community renewal and social justice platform in due course, rectifying the mistakes of heavy highways is a priority of mine."

[Agarntrop]

"Oh okay. That has not really been an issue in Missouri, we tend to swing solidly one way or the other, we're red at the moment, of course, and getting even further red, and as a result neither party has been compelled to partisan gerrimander. Although such a bill does sound interesting."

"Republicans could make gains in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland and a heap of other supposedly blue states, if it was illegal to gerrymander votes into districts. Would you be willing to cosponsor a bill to mandate the use of independent redistricting commissions?"

"And California too. And I will have to see the text of such bill to decide whether I will cosponsor, but I am interested."

[Puertollano]

Levi Murphy Rally
Williams, Iowa




It was while since Levi had been in Iowa again. It was about time to re-emerge in the state to do important campaign on the lead up to the debates, sowing the seeds of his name so that when voters tune in that they can recognise him and his brand. But that was not the only reason he visited Iowa, it was a stepping-stone to Michigan, where he planned to rally with Representative Williams soon. So, it seemed a bit fitting to Williams, Iowa, to prep for that. Williams was a small, very small, rural town. It was a big move to pay attention to them and Levi was most likely the very first presidential candidate to visit them - and probably the only. But Levi was looking forward to spruiking his new farmers policies that aimed to put them and their interests first, not that of agribusiness.

The rally was set in a hall, campaign banners draped from the sides of the hall. Residents from Williams and other small towns around attended to listen to what he had to say. It wasn't like some of his other rallies he had done, it was smaller, more personable. There was no lead-up speaker, the way he liked it. It was simple, plain-speaking. He took the microphone. "I appreciate that you all came out here tonight. It's good to see you all. I'm Levi Murphy, the Senator from Minnesota, I'm running for President. A lot of people make the pitch to become President but are really the same as the rest of them. I'm here to assure you that I'm not. I like to do politics differently than the rest of the other lot. You see, while the other candidates come to Iowa and play up a big game, they're talking about of their asses. You know why I know that? Because the next thing they do is go to Beverly Hills and do a top-dollar fundraiser among the elite. They go meet with some high-up corporate executives. And, y'know, it works. They make a lot of money out of it, but that's not how I like to operate. I'm running purely on individual contributions from hard-working people like yourselves. I've got no big-dollar backers, no big corporations will touch me - thankfully," what he said elicited laughter from the crowd. "I've got no Super PACs behind me. I do have them attacking me, but what do you expect, people are out there trying to dampen our campaign. And you know what? I don't care. Bring on their big-money backers, bring it all, all I need is the support of the people. People like all of you. You are all welcome to our campaign."

"Now, I've not come to tell you that I know exactly what the problems that rural America are facing are. My background is a union background, General-Secretary of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, I know how to stand up for people, I did that for a very large portion of my life. I was also a bus driver, not exactly the stereotypical Senatorial upbringing, but that's because I like the unorthodox. I'm not all about flashy cars, I'm not all about flashy suits, some people on the Hill like that kind of thing, not me. I'm about getting the job done and delivering for the working people that elected me. Now, as Senator of Minnesota, the people that helped elect me were people like all of you here today. They trusted me, so much that they elected a progressive in a swing-state, the pundits on the mainstream media told me it wasn't possible. Turns out, just being pro-the people can really get you elected," the crowd laughed. "I wasn't with the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party for no reason, it was our farmers that really supported my candidacy in Minnesota. I'm grateful having received their support - I heard them - I advocated on their behalf. I want to do the same with all of you here today. I checked back in with our farmers in Minnesota constantly. I'm not the kind of politician that gets elected off the back of the people then ignores them for another few years until it is election season again. That's not me. That's now how I operate."

"As President, I want to deliver for farmers. I believe that starts with breaking up big agribusiness once and for all. We need to use our anti-trust laws that aren't being used to break it up and restore the power back to the people, people like all of you here. Put the land back in the hands of small and medium sized family farms, not big business. I want to see subsidies ended for agribusiness and put back into all of you, I will safe guard farming subsidies as President and I will use the money taken from agribusiness to re-invest into all of you. I was recently attacked by another candidate, Tim Westra on my plan for a fair deal for our farmers. Truth is, Mr Westra wants to gut $20 billion from subsidies to family farms like all of yours. He's no better than some of the Republicans trying to cut the subsidies. Let's make it quite clear this election: we will not stand by as Westra intends to gut, slash and cut subsidies by $20 billion. I won't stand for it, and I hope you all won't either." The crowd cheered.

"We've got to start seeing fairer trade deals for our farmers. We've got terrible trade deals currently, they impact workers and farmers bad alike and we need to renegotiate them all immediately. I want to expand funding for Grain Inspectors, Packers and Stockyards Administration. I want to ban further mergers of agribusiness and ban vertical integration of agribusiness too. I want to see our farmers given the right to repair their own farming equipment once again. Due to erroneous rules supported by companies like John Deer, many of our farmers are not even allowed to repair their own vehicles. We've gotta end that immediately. I want to implement pricing standards to force the grocers to pay farmers a living payment on the food stuffs that you sell them - how can you expect them to survive with pittance dollars? We've got to have real enforcement on this. Only around 40% of dairy farmers have health insurance, that's why I support (and am one of the only candidates that do) Medicare for All. That will provide instant, universal and free coverage to every American. Including all of you here. And it will also establish more reliable rural clinics across the nation, particularly here in Williams. Thank you for listening to me today. You can visit my website or talk to me after the rally today. Let's get this country working for the many, not the few."

[Azekopolaltion]

---

Tim Westra 2020
Orange City, Iowa
May 23rd, 2020

---

Tim hadn't planned on a return to Iowa on such short notice, but it was in the cards following recent events. Tim wanted to strike while the iron was hot, so here he was in Iowa's biggest farming county.

"Thank you, everybody! Wow, what a crowd. Thank you for being here, this is great. Hello, Orange City!"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but some people are getting a little desperate. Levi Murphy has recently been lashing out at fellow candidates for 'talking out of their asses' and being phonies. You know what's phony? Not having written a single bill in an entire legislative session. That's phony. As my good friend Frank Doyle said in his recent ad, don't trust a candidate for president if they can't even serve their constituents!"

"Levi Murphy has no interest in progress. He doesn't actually care about farmers. You can see it in his legislative activity, you can see it in his policy proposals. Both are substance-less. Zero bills, zero details."

"He's hitting me for wanting to shake up the status quo! And here he is, claiming he's the change candidate. Here's the truth: Levi wants farmers to be slaves of the government. He doesn't want to see Iowa's farms turn a profit, he doesn't actually care about seeing farm prices go up. That much was clear in his recent plan, which was all about antitrust but no actual actions to turn the markets in favor of the small farmer!"

"Look, I'm all for breaking up Big Ag. That's why it was in my farm plan, released months ago. But that wasn't the only provision in our plan, because we care about the direct problems of rural America. What's the problem?"

"You guys know the problems. Farm debt is at an all time high, at $416 billion. You know what else is at a high? Farm subsidies, they're at their highest level in 14 years! I'm not against helping farmers - I'm against false solutions! Temporary cushioning is not raising prices for the Iowan farmer. Iowans want to depend on their own produce for their hard-earned dollars, not endless government assistance that is keeping them in debt!"

"Time and time again, Levi has shown he doesn't understand the nuances and real issues of average Americans. Sloganeering is more fashionable. Here's the deal, Levi: breaking up monopolies is not going to give immediate returns to average farmers! It's easy for him to put that in his plan, because that's all he's about. Waging war on business."

"I'm engaging in the politics of addition, not subtraction. Do we need antitrust? Of course! For too long, big Ag has exploited rural America for their own profits, while the average farmer drowns in debt from low prices. You've been losing money every year since 2013! What's Levi Murphy going to do about that?"

"He doesn't know, because he doesn't care. He accused me of being like Republicans the other day, saying I want to cut subsidies. You know who brought subsidies to a 14 year high? Wolf and the Republican Party. Why did they do that? To make up for their disastrous policies that are resulting in farmers losing money."

"It's a deadly cycle. Subsidies result in overproduction that doesn't meet the demand, leading to lower prices. Basic economics. The system is failing you guys, and Levi Murphy wants to prop up that system because he doesn't want to solve your problems. I do."

"I don't want to leave farmers in the cold completely. Instead, I'm proposing a supply management system as a replacement for most farm subsidies. You'd still get the cash. It's still monetary help. The only difference is that this will be a market-related policy, so it will be directly linked to raising farm prices."

"How? The new subsidy will be delivered in the form of a loan at your cost of production. If you can secure a good market price, you pay back the loan - and you cut a profit. If you can't secure a good market price, you can sell your crop to the government - which would be paid for by the subsidy. The government would keep the produce in reserve, to manage supply and raise prices for you guys. The reserve crop would be released into the market beyond a certain level."

"In this way, we can guarantee the farmer a good price for his products. Enough is enough. You guys feed the nation. You deserve to feed your kids!"
"And this is the difference between me and Levi Murphy. He wants you to continue drowning in debt, and he wants you to be in the palm of government subsidies. Forever. He just wants you to be dependent on the government. I want you to actually earn what your hard work is worth, which is a permanent solution!"

"And his response, it said everything. When I critiqued the details of his plan, he responded with some snide remark about the name of my healthcare plan, also chucking a hit at the Clifford Campaign. This is what he cares about: useless, frill differences in style that divides our party up, instead of bringing people in by focusing on the issues."

"Addition, not subtraction. I want to raise your prices, not just cover your losses. I want to give you access to healthcare, not force you off of your plan. I want to build a movement that spans ideologies, classes, races, and genders, not shut out people who have stylistic differences in their vision for the country."

"What Levi Murphy told farmers in Iowa with his farming plan is: nothing will fundamentally change. He wants to spend time attacking me with false claims - like saying I want to eliminate all subsidies, that's just not true. I will replace most subsidies with a better system that raises prices, and remaining subsidies will be directed to you guys, the small family farms, not the big corporations. Let's get past the demagoguery, and realize that Levi's plan is the status quo."

"We need not just a fundamental change in government policy; we need to see a fundamental shift in who our government serves. The White House needs to be directed by the mandate of the people, not the lobbyists. And that can only happen when we realize that the middle class built this country, not just Wall Street. That will happen when we realize that there's more than enough wealth in this country for everyone to live in dignity. That'll happen when we realize that every single resident of these United States deserves a share in our economy, because it's held up by the wealth that you create."

"College for All, Jobs for All, Housing for All - these are good, but not enough. We need a new agenda in this country that reaches the ideal of Social Security for All! And we can do that with bold, detailed policies that go beyond simple sloganeering. Our new plan to establish an American Social Fund to provide every adult in this country with a universal basic dividend will do just that."

"According to our projections, in the first year of the American Social Fund's investments, the fund will be able to provide every adult with a $4,000 annual payout, to be collected either in monthly amounts or as a yearly lump sum, you can choose. This is huge; almost 40% of Americans don't have access to $400 on a rainy day. This could potentially end the idea of living paycheck to paycheck forever, the fund grows larger."

"For the past few decades, the failed policies of trickle-down economics have robbed the working class of their wealth. Our universal social dividend will build a trickle up, bottom-up economy, from our families, to our small businesses, to our wider communities."

"But the universal dividend will only be a payment of a minimal size at first, and that won’t be enough on its own to raise living standards and make hard work pay. Every other progressive reform we have laid out is part of that solution, part of the fight to bring true economic justice to this nation.”

“We are running the most bold, most progressive campaign in history and in this race. A universal social dividend, an EITC expansion, a federal jobs guarantee, a competitive public health insurance option, universal income-based student loan repayment, tuition free college for all, a Renter’s Tax Credit, climate justice, infrastructure development, ending the wars. Let’s be honest; there isn’t a single other campaign in this race who can stack up with us in terms of transparency! You guys know exactly what I stand for, because I am unambiguous about my policy proposals. There’s a reason others haven’t released proposals as much as we have.”

"Folks, politicians keep saying that there isn't enough bipartisanship in Washington. That's hokum. There's plenty bipartisanship in Congress. They're bipartisan when it comes to waging endless wars in the Middle East. They're bipartisan when it comes to continuing the era of mass surveillance. They're bipartisan on fast-tracking disastrous trade deals to kill American jobs. They're bipartisan on every damn issue that isn't related to helping working Americans."

"My career in politics has been about service, bipartisan or otherwise. I get things done without sacrificing my fundamental ideals. And nothing reflected that better than the passage of Affordable Care Act. You know, tons of Senators and Governors in this race have been talking about expanding coverage, but I'm the only one who had success on a national scale. When President Baharia needed someone to carry out his vision for healthcare reform in the House, he turned to a team led by myself to get it done. And I did. We wrote and passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act - with all the provisions of the current ACA, PLUS a public option - in the House. It passed by 5 votes."

"Today, it's easy for the frontrunner to minimize the accomplishments of the Affordable Care Act. But it was not easy to get it through, and ultimately I had to work with the Senate, who rejected the bill we sent them, to create a clean law to be sent to the President. That law, while not perfect, expanded coverage to 20 million people. The biggest success in healthcare since the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid."

"President Baharia trusted me to get the ACA through, and now I need you to trust me so that we can finish the job. Our healthcare proposal, a strong public option with Medicare for America, is a direct result of listening to American workers and union leaders, and I'll tell you: they're scared. They're not just scared of the GOP's attempts to roll back the clock on healthcare, but they're also afraid of Democrats who put forward a plan that will kforce union members off the plans they like and fought for, in exchange for a fully government funded system that will likely starve the medical system of the finances it needs to be the best in the world. That's the politics of subtraction, not addition."

"There are other issues, too. Single payer would kill 2 million jobs - that's not progressivism, that's forcing people into hardship. And finally, the plan would cost us over $30 trillion! You guys know I'm not anti-spending, but that's nearly double the combined cost of all my plans. There's a reason we say our policies are progressive, popular, and paid for. Because we're not champagne socialist scammers, we've done the hard work."

"So my experience in passing the ACA makes me feel personally insulted when proponents of immediate single payer say they'll pass their plan in a matter of months. It took us 8 months and a court battle to finally realize just half of President Baharia's vision. And I'm working on new legislation, ACA 2.0, to guarantee affordability along with accessibility to health insurance. What we need in the White House is a leader who can get really good legislation through without being an ideologue."

"This year, I've sponsored four bills, unlike Levi Murphy who has zero, some of which are bipartisan and are designed to serve the most vulnerable in my community. One is the RAISE Act, which would combat the issue of stagnant wages by doubling the hugely successful Earned Income Tax Credit. This means ending all penalties for childless workers, and growing their payments by a factor of 6 - amounting to almost $3000, and $12,000 for large families. This is a real middle class tax cut, unlike the Wolf Tax Scam that the Republicans now want to make permanent!"

"Another bill I've written with my friend, Frank Doyle, is the Protecting American Privacy Act. Right now, Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act allows the NSA to track your every phone call, your every Google search, your every move online. Even when they ended the phone records program this year, they refused to remove the possibility of reopening it someday. PAPA would turn the page on the era of mass surveillance, legally preventing the NSA from obtaining your data without a warrant."

"And the last one I'm going to talk about today is the Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Act, which is a bill I've written that actually might pass if brought to the floor. It would establish a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Education to state schools in order to establish public pre-k programs at the state level. There's a possibility that the GOP gets on board with this, since it's up to the executive branch to make grant appropriations. If we win the White House, we'll establish a public pre-k and childcare program that crosses the country, because not one working family should have to choose between their children and their job."

"Guys, this is service, not talk. I'm not an ideology guy, I don't lecture the public on who's a progressive and who's a liberal and who's a democratic socialist. That's poppycock. Real change comes with real ideas, not fluff."

"Wake up, Iowa. This is not a call for you to take a new direction from right to left. This is a call for you to go from down to up. Up with the rights of workers. Up with wages. Up with fair trade. Up with creating millions of good paying jobs, rebuilding our bridges, ports and water systems. Up with creating millions of sustainable energy jobs to lower the cost of energy, lower carbon emissions and protect the environment."

"Up with cash dividends for all. Up with healthcare for all. Up with education for all. Up with home ownership. Up with guaranteed retirement benefits. Up with peace. Up with prosperity. Up with our working class campaign to restore justice to the White House."

"We are all children of God. We all deserve to operate under America's promise. We all deserve to be treated with dignity. The poor. The hungry. The wretched. This is their country too!"

"The corporate fat cats buy the souls of our elected officials, so that our vote no longer counts. Our democracy died the day the parties ran away from working people and got in bed with the corporate lobbyists. But this campaign will signal to the establishment: your time is up. We have no corporate donors, no Super PAC, no closed-door fundraisers. This is powered by the people."

"As your president, I promise you: no voice of the grassroots will go unheard. I'm going to the White House to fight for you every day, not the greedy billionaire class who wants more and more at the expense of the rest of us. We need a new era of progressive governance, bringing our party back to its working class roots and away from the elitist influences that have infiltrated the Democratic Party. It's time to understand that there should be dignity in work; we are not a developing country, we are not a war zone, we are America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world. It's time to stand up unequivocally and tell the establishment: we are worthy, and we will put workers first. And I, Tim Westra, would be humbled if all of you joined our movement today."

[Azekopolaltion]

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Subsidies are supposed to cover losses. So why are farmers $416 billion in debt? Why have farmers been losing money every year since 2013? @LeviMurphy wants to maintain the status quo, keeping farmers at the whims of temporary government cushioning. Farmers deserve permanently good prices.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Our plan for Rural America raises farm prices, instead of just covering losses. Permanent solution versus temporary relief.

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

---

Enough is enough, @LeviMurphy. If farmers feed the country, they deserve to feed their kids. #RuralAmerica

[Dentali]

John Atang
@JohnAtangNY3

Porter's new policy is a blatant violation of the 1st amendment from a party which claims to be its defenders. #DoubleThink

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

Pornography has no cultural, scientific or political value. Therefore, it is NOT a violation of the 1st Amendment to ban its production.

Jane Martinez
@SusanBMartinez

@BerniePorter That's not how the first amendment works.

[Agarntrop]

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

Pornography has no cultural, scientific or political value. Therefore, it is NOT a violation of the 1st Amendment to ban its production.

Jane Martinez
@SusanBMartinez

@BerniePorter That's not how the first amendment works.

Liked and retweeted by @GovernorSmith and @JohnAtangNY3

[Velahor]

"Richardson is a walking campaign advertisement. The guy can run a campaign, but can he command the office with power? I doubt it. Him learning Spanish is so shallow, why isn't he down in Laredo, in El Paso, talking with Mexican-Americans now? More of them speak English in Texas than don't, and yet he's not down there campaigning to the ones who do understand him? It's silly, almost like social justice warrior virtue signaling. They don't want a President who speaks Spanish, they want a guy who doesn't cage kids, doesn't say terrible things about them and their relatives, and they care about good jobs, constitutional rights, and Christian values like the rest of us. That's not to say I won't back him if you slip up. My endorsement is only good to someone who doesn't beat down on Latinos and won't restrict our right to bear arms."

"I've made very clear that I think that the Second Amendment is uninfringeable, beyond even the very loose restrictions that (not-Scalia) would accept. It is the ultimate defense against tyranny. Don't worry, Mark, I won't go soft on guns." He smiled, sighing. "I give you my word that we're going to clean up this whole... border malarkey. Sure, I've got my hands tied to that damn wall but the caging will get sorted out, and I want to provide a pathway to DREAMers. Honestly, it's a missed opportunity. If a Republican President is the one to actually embrace them, they'll remember that for the rest of their lives."

“It’s an important election. Normally, I just vote for the one who’s good on guns and leave it at that. But I worry if we don’t rebut at least the darkest parts of the Wolf immigration agenda, our party will lose its chance at winning over the one group in the country that should be natural Republicans,” Mark replied. “I’m glad you see it that way too.”

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

Pornography has no cultural, scientific or political value. Therefore, it is NOT a violation of the 1st Amendment to ban its production.

Jane Martinez
@SusanBMartinez

@BerniePorter That's not how the first amendment works.

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

Miller v. United States gives precedent to ban obscene content. Pornography clearly does not pass the Miller test, and so can be constitutionally banned as obscenity.

[Sarenium]

TO: [Senate Democrats] [House Democrats]
FROM: [Senator Dayton]
SUBJECT: FAIR Act 2.0
ATTACHMENT:

Official Name: Fair And Independent Redistricting Act
Nickname: FAIR Act
Proposed by: Senator Jillian G. Dayton (D-VA) {Sponsor}
Cosponsored by: Senator James Moore (D-MI)

Overview: This bill makes it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses. Partisan gerrymandering has led to built in unfair election outcomes in some of the most politically competitive states.

Section 1- In 2018, in the state of North Carolina, 48.35% of voters voted for a Democrat to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, based on current results, 9 of the 13 representatives from North Carolina will be a Republican. Conversely the state of Maryland is viewed as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country with 7 of its 8 representatives being a Democrat in a state where 35% of its voters awarded their vote to a Republican. While in some of these cases political parties may have ran up the margin in their own districts, in others such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, deliberate efforts to dilute the votes of non-incumbent political parties has resulted in one of the least representative House of Representatives in American history. This bill therefore seeks to rectify this issue.

Section 2- Henceforth mandates that State Legislatures institute Independent Redistricting Commissions if they do not already employ such Commissions that would be responsible for the redrawing of electorates following the 2020 Census.

Section 3- Redistricting Commissions shall employ population data from each Census but shall not be privy to voting records of voters or areas.

Section 4- Redistricting Commissions shall have no contact with the State Legislature except to submit their final map of electorates which state legislatures may accept or decline.

(a) Should a proposed map be declined, the Commission shall redraw maps meeting the same criteria as that of Section 6, should a proposed map be denied on two counts, not later than December 15 of the year in which a State Legislature denies a redistricting plan, the United States district court for the applicable venue, acting through a 3-judge Court convened pursuant to section 2284 of title 28, United States Code, shall develop and publish the congressional redistricting plan (pursuant to the criteria in Section 6) for the State in the place of the Commission.
(b) Any plan published by the 3-judge Court shall be said to be enacted from the date of publication.

Section 5- As defined within this Act, Commission shall be composed of five Independent Commissioners who shall be said to be persons who are not members of a political party, immediate relatives to members of a political party.

(a) Further disqualifications include;

(i) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds public office or is a candidate for election for public office;
(ii)The individual or an immediate family member of the individual serves as an officer of a political party or as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a campaign committee of a candidate for public office or of any political action committee (as determined in accordance with the law of the State);
(iii) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds a position as a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) or an equivalent State or local law;
(iv) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an employee of an elected public official, a contractor with the government of the State, or a donor to the campaign of any candidate for public office or to any political action committee (other than a donor who, during any of such covered periods, gives an aggregate amount of $1,000 or less to the campaigns of all candidates for all public offices and to all political action committees);
(v) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual paid a civil money penalty or criminal fine, or was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, for violating any provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.);
(vi) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.); and
(b) States shall ensure that the pool is representative of the demographic groups (including racial, ethnic, economic, and gender) and geographic regions of the State, and includes applicants who would allow racial, ethnic, and language minorities protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a meaningful opportunity to participate in the development of the State’s redistricting plan; and take into consideration the analytical skills of the individuals selected in relevant fields (including mapping, data management, law, community outreach, demography, and the geography of the State) and their ability to work on an impartial basis.

Section 6- In developing a redistricting plan of a State, the independent redistricting commission of a State shall establish single-member congressional districts using the following criteria as set forth in the following order of priority:

(a) Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution, including the requirement that they equalize total population.
(b) Districts shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) and all applicable Federal laws.
(c) Districts shall provide racial, ethnic, and language minorities with an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of choice and shall not dilute or diminish their ability to elect candidates of choice whether alone or in coalition with others.
(d) Districts shall respect communities of interest, neighborhoods, and political subdivisions to the extent practicable. A community of interest is defined as an area with recognized similarities of interests, including but not limited to ethnic, racial, economic, social, cultural, geographic or historic identities. The term communities of interest may, in certain circumstances, include political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, or school districts, but shall not include common relationships with political parties or political candidates.

Section 7- Except as may be required to meet the criteria of equalized persons between districts insofar as practicable, the redistricting plan developed by the independent redistricting commission shall not, when considered on a Statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party.

(a) In developing the redistricting plan for the State, the independent redistricting commission may not take into consideration any of the following factors, except to the extent necessary to comply with the criteria described by Section 6 and to enable the redistricting plan to be measured against the external metrics described in Section 8:

(i) The residence of any Member of the House of Representatives or candidate.
(ii) The political party affiliation or voting history of the population of a district.

Section 8- The independent redistricting commission shall include with each redistricting plan developed and published by it, a written evaluation that measures each such plan against external metrics which cover the criteria set forth in Section 6, including the impact of the plan on the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

(a) any 3-judge published plan shall be required to adhere to the same criteria as Sections 6-7, and must also publish with its published, final plan; a written impact statement in relation to the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

This bill is then honorably presented to the United States Senate for consideration in order to make it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses and is backed by Senator Jillian G. Dayton on <DATE>.

Dear Colleagues,

The effort to make fairer our elections, continues. Naturally, this bill requires broad bipartisan support and I will be seeking support from Congressional Republicans as well.
I hope to see as many Democrats supporting this bill in any way possible.

Sincerely,
Jillian Gillard Dayton
Junior Senator from Virginia

[Sarenium]

"Republicans could make gains in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland and a heap of other supposedly blue states, if it was illegal to gerrymander votes into districts. Would you be willing to cosponsor a bill to mandate the use of independent redistricting commissions?"

"And California too. And I will have to see the text of such bill to decide whether I will cosponsor, but I am interested."

She opened a manila folder and passed it to Anderson, "it gives States ample decision making independence, while also mandating the appropriate anti-gerrymandering provisions."

Official Name: Fair And Independent Redistricting Act
Nickname: FAIR Act
Proposed by: Senator Jillian G. Dayton (D-VA) {Sponsor}
Cosponsored by: Senator James Moore (D-MI)

Overview: This bill makes it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses. Partisan gerrymandering has led to built in unfair election outcomes in some of the most politically competitive states.

Section 1- In 2018, in the state of North Carolina, 48.35% of voters voted for a Democrat to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, based on current results, 9 of the 13 representatives from North Carolina will be a Republican. Conversely the state of Maryland is viewed as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country with 7 of its 8 representatives being a Democrat in a state where 35% of its voters awarded their vote to a Republican. While in some of these cases political parties may have ran up the margin in their own districts, in others such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, deliberate efforts to dilute the votes of non-incumbent political parties has resulted in one of the least representative House of Representatives in American history. This bill therefore seeks to rectify this issue.

Section 2- Henceforth mandates that State Legislatures institute Independent Redistricting Commissions if they do not already employ such Commissions that would be responsible for the redrawing of electorates following the 2020 Census.

Section 3- Redistricting Commissions shall employ population data from each Census but shall not be privy to voting records of voters or areas.

Section 4- Redistricting Commissions shall have no contact with the State Legislature except to submit their final map of electorates which state legislatures may accept or decline.

(a) Should a proposed map be declined, the Commission shall redraw maps meeting the same criteria as that of Section 6, should a proposed map be denied on two counts, not later than December 15 of the year in which a State Legislature denies a redistricting plan, the United States district court for the applicable venue, acting through a 3-judge Court convened pursuant to section 2284 of title 28, United States Code, shall develop and publish the congressional redistricting plan (pursuant to the criteria in Section 6) for the State in the place of the Commission.
(b) Any plan published by the 3-judge Court shall be said to be enacted from the date of publication.

Section 5- As defined within this Act, Commission shall be composed of five Independent Commissioners who shall be said to be persons who are not members of a political party, immediate relatives to members of a political party.

(a) Further disqualifications include;

(i) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds public office or is a candidate for election for public office;
(ii)The individual or an immediate family member of the individual serves as an officer of a political party or as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a campaign committee of a candidate for public office or of any political action committee (as determined in accordance with the law of the State);
(iii) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds a position as a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) or an equivalent State or local law;
(iv) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an employee of an elected public official, a contractor with the government of the State, or a donor to the campaign of any candidate for public office or to any political action committee (other than a donor who, during any of such covered periods, gives an aggregate amount of $1,000 or less to the campaigns of all candidates for all public offices and to all political action committees);
(v) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual paid a civil money penalty or criminal fine, or was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, for violating any provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.);
(vi) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.); and
(b) States shall ensure that the pool is representative of the demographic groups (including racial, ethnic, economic, and gender) and geographic regions of the State, and includes applicants who would allow racial, ethnic, and language minorities protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a meaningful opportunity to participate in the development of the State’s redistricting plan; and take into consideration the analytical skills of the individuals selected in relevant fields (including mapping, data management, law, community outreach, demography, and the geography of the State) and their ability to work on an impartial basis.

Section 6- In developing a redistricting plan of a State, the independent redistricting commission of a State shall establish single-member congressional districts using the following criteria as set forth in the following order of priority:

(a) Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution, including the requirement that they equalize total population.
(b) Districts shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) and all applicable Federal laws.
(c) Districts shall provide racial, ethnic, and language minorities with an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of choice and shall not dilute or diminish their ability to elect candidates of choice whether alone or in coalition with others.
(d) Districts shall respect communities of interest, neighborhoods, and political subdivisions to the extent practicable. A community of interest is defined as an area with recognized similarities of interests, including but not limited to ethnic, racial, economic, social, cultural, geographic or historic identities. The term communities of interest may, in certain circumstances, include political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, or school districts, but shall not include common relationships with political parties or political candidates.

Section 7- Except as may be required to meet the criteria of equalized persons between districts insofar as practicable, the redistricting plan developed by the independent redistricting commission shall not, when considered on a Statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party.

(a) In developing the redistricting plan for the State, the independent redistricting commission may not take into consideration any of the following factors, except to the extent necessary to comply with the criteria described by Section 6 and to enable the redistricting plan to be measured against the external metrics described in Section 8:

(i) The residence of any Member of the House of Representatives or candidate.
(ii) The political party affiliation or voting history of the population of a district.

Section 8- The independent redistricting commission shall include with each redistricting plan developed and published by it, a written evaluation that measures each such plan against external metrics which cover the criteria set forth in Section 6, including the impact of the plan on the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

(a) any 3-judge published plan shall be required to adhere to the same criteria as Sections 6-7, and must also publish with its published, final plan; a written impact statement in relation to the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

This bill is then honorably presented to the United States Senate for consideration in order to make it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses and is backed by Senator Jillian G. Dayton on <DATE>.

[Velahor]

“Mmmm...I see. All good plans. Are you willing to get funding to major cities for their local public transportation projects, specifically, under-served cities like Los Angeles and Houston?” he asked.

"Eisenhower tied 90% funding to highways, I want to do something similar with states and cities that expand public transit," she confirmed, "my campaign is soon to unveil our community renewal and social justice platform in due course, rectifying the mistakes of heavy highways is a priority of mine."

“I look forward to seeing that,” Papazian said, tapping his fingers on his glass as he set it down. “So I’m going to be very straightforward with you. For a freshman representative, I’ve been offered some impressive cabinet roles as a way to entice me into endorsing. Where do you see me fitting into your plans? The cabinet? The House? Somewhere else?”

[New Cobastheia]

TO: [Senate Democrats] [House Democrats]
FROM: [Senator Dayton]
SUBJECT: FAIR Act 2.0
ATTACHMENT:

Official Name: Fair And Independent Redistricting Act
Nickname: FAIR Act
Proposed by: Senator Jillian G. Dayton (D-VA) {Sponsor}
Cosponsored by: Senator James Moore (D-MI)

Overview: This bill makes it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses. Partisan gerrymandering has led to built in unfair election outcomes in some of the most politically competitive states.

Section 1- In 2018, in the state of North Carolina, 48.35% of voters voted for a Democrat to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, based on current results, 9 of the 13 representatives from North Carolina will be a Republican. Conversely the state of Maryland is viewed as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country with 7 of its 8 representatives being a Democrat in a state where 35% of its voters awarded their vote to a Republican. While in some of these cases political parties may have ran up the margin in their own districts, in others such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, deliberate efforts to dilute the votes of non-incumbent political parties has resulted in one of the least representative House of Representatives in American history. This bill therefore seeks to rectify this issue.

Section 2- Henceforth mandates that State Legislatures institute Independent Redistricting Commissions if they do not already employ such Commissions that would be responsible for the redrawing of electorates following the 2020 Census.

Section 3- Redistricting Commissions shall employ population data from each Census but shall not be privy to voting records of voters or areas.

Section 4- Redistricting Commissions shall have no contact with the State Legislature except to submit their final map of electorates which state legislatures may accept or decline.

(a) Should a proposed map be declined, the Commission shall redraw maps meeting the same criteria as that of Section 6, should a proposed map be denied on two counts, not later than December 15 of the year in which a State Legislature denies a redistricting plan, the United States district court for the applicable venue, acting through a 3-judge Court convened pursuant to section 2284 of title 28, United States Code, shall develop and publish the congressional redistricting plan (pursuant to the criteria in Section 6) for the State in the place of the Commission.
(b) Any plan published by the 3-judge Court shall be said to be enacted from the date of publication.

Section 5- As defined within this Act, Commission shall be composed of five Independent Commissioners who shall be said to be persons who are not members of a political party, immediate relatives to members of a political party.

(a) Further disqualifications include;

(i) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds public office or is a candidate for election for public office;
(ii)The individual or an immediate family member of the individual serves as an officer of a political party or as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a campaign committee of a candidate for public office or of any political action committee (as determined in accordance with the law of the State);
(iii) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds a position as a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) or an equivalent State or local law;
(iv) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an employee of an elected public official, a contractor with the government of the State, or a donor to the campaign of any candidate for public office or to any political action committee (other than a donor who, during any of such covered periods, gives an aggregate amount of $1,000 or less to the campaigns of all candidates for all public offices and to all political action committees);
(v) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual paid a civil money penalty or criminal fine, or was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, for violating any provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.);
(vi) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.); and
(b) States shall ensure that the pool is representative of the demographic groups (including racial, ethnic, economic, and gender) and geographic regions of the State, and includes applicants who would allow racial, ethnic, and language minorities protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a meaningful opportunity to participate in the development of the State’s redistricting plan; and take into consideration the analytical skills of the individuals selected in relevant fields (including mapping, data management, law, community outreach, demography, and the geography of the State) and their ability to work on an impartial basis.

Section 6- In developing a redistricting plan of a State, the independent redistricting commission of a State shall establish single-member congressional districts using the following criteria as set forth in the following order of priority:

(a) Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution, including the requirement that they equalize total population.
(b) Districts shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) and all applicable Federal laws.
(c) Districts shall provide racial, ethnic, and language minorities with an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of choice and shall not dilute or diminish their ability to elect candidates of choice whether alone or in coalition with others.
(d) Districts shall respect communities of interest, neighborhoods, and political subdivisions to the extent practicable. A community of interest is defined as an area with recognized similarities of interests, including but not limited to ethnic, racial, economic, social, cultural, geographic or historic identities. The term communities of interest may, in certain circumstances, include political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, or school districts, but shall not include common relationships with political parties or political candidates.

Section 7- Except as may be required to meet the criteria of equalized persons between districts insofar as practicable, the redistricting plan developed by the independent redistricting commission shall not, when considered on a Statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party.

(a) In developing the redistricting plan for the State, the independent redistricting commission may not take into consideration any of the following factors, except to the extent necessary to comply with the criteria described by Section 6 and to enable the redistricting plan to be measured against the external metrics described in Section 8:

(i) The residence of any Member of the House of Representatives or candidate.
(ii) The political party affiliation or voting history of the population of a district.

Section 8- The independent redistricting commission shall include with each redistricting plan developed and published by it, a written evaluation that measures each such plan against external metrics which cover the criteria set forth in Section 6, including the impact of the plan on the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

(a) any 3-judge published plan shall be required to adhere to the same criteria as Sections 6-7, and must also publish with its published, final plan; a written impact statement in relation to the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

This bill is then honorably presented to the United States Senate for consideration in order to make it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses and is backed by Senator Jillian G. Dayton on <DATE>.

Dear Colleagues,

The effort to make fairer our elections, continues. Naturally, this bill requires broad bipartisan support and I will be seeking support from Congressional Republicans as well.
I hope to see as many Democrats supporting this bill in any way possible.

Sincerely,
Jillian Gillard Dayton
Junior Senator from Virginia

To: [Sen. Dayton]
From: [Rep. Nez]
Subject: Re: FAIR Act 2.0

Senator Dayton,

I'd like to sign on as a co-sponsor.

Ahehee',
Representative Nez

[Velahor]

Paulson was getting disappointed in the passivity. She knew she was going to have to figure out why Lilyana seemed so hopeless. With a more solemn tone, Diane replied, “you’re right. There really isn’t much we can do. I just hate to see everybody dragged through such an ugly race.”

Diane got a serious look on her face, and decided to get to the point head-on.

“So, I wanted to ask this, clearly, I messed up. I shouldn’t have assumed that you would have any preference for Arnold Jr., when it came to the party’s priorities. I got that impression when you made the statements about wanting the party to ‘carry on the Wolf agenda’. Your job isn’t to carry on the Wolf agenda, or your own agenda, or any agenda other than the one that everyday Americans who vote Republican choose. Are you committed to that agenda, or your own? That was the question I wanted to ask, and that’s why I misguidedly asked about Arnold Jr.’s campaign. I’m sorry if that comes on strong, but I’ve done business with just about everyone in Washington, but not you yet, and I needed to know where you stand. It came out all wrong, but that’s what I meant. That’s why I’m here.” Through this all, she spoke calmly and gently, but also honestly.

"I assume you have doubts in my leadership, only someone who questions my capability of the RNC Chair would ask such a question. So why is it? Is it the last name?" She countered.

"I don't doubt your capability, your capability is obvious. But your capability as RNC Chair is only a good thing if you are impartial, and that's where I'm coming from. I also worry that without the right guidance, you could be led to supporting this party losing its strong economic bearings, as long as it led to electoral victory. Porter is already out there trying to remake this party's image in that of social conservatism and economic leftism, and like it or not, that trend started with the Wolf presidency flipping long-held GOP positions on trade and spending. So when you say that you want to 'carry on the Wolf agenda', to me, that says that you want to continue evolving this compromise on fiscal issues that the party has been dirtying itself with. Do that enough, and you lose people like me, Richardson, and all the educated suburban voters who come with that. The combination of your inexperience and the Wolf name led me to worry that these type of compromises on the party platform may take place; and through that, the party would be remade in the image of social big-government conservatism and economic leftism, the opposite of my beliefs and of much of this party."

[Agarntrop]

"And California too. And I will have to see the text of such bill to decide whether I will cosponsor, but I am interested."

She opened a manila folder and passed it to Anderson, "it gives States ample decision making independence, while also mandating the appropriate anti-gerrymandering provisions."

Official Name: Fair And Independent Redistricting Act
Nickname: FAIR Act
Proposed by: Senator Jillian G. Dayton (D-VA) {Sponsor}
Cosponsored by: Senator James Moore (D-MI)

Overview: This bill makes it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses. Partisan gerrymandering has led to built in unfair election outcomes in some of the most politically competitive states.

Section 1- In 2018, in the state of North Carolina, 48.35% of voters voted for a Democrat to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, based on current results, 9 of the 13 representatives from North Carolina will be a Republican. Conversely the state of Maryland is viewed as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country with 7 of its 8 representatives being a Democrat in a state where 35% of its voters awarded their vote to a Republican. While in some of these cases political parties may have ran up the margin in their own districts, in others such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, deliberate efforts to dilute the votes of non-incumbent political parties has resulted in one of the least representative House of Representatives in American history. This bill therefore seeks to rectify this issue.

Section 2- Henceforth mandates that State Legislatures institute Independent Redistricting Commissions if they do not already employ such Commissions that would be responsible for the redrawing of electorates following the 2020 Census.

Section 3- Redistricting Commissions shall employ population data from each Census but shall not be privy to voting records of voters or areas.

Section 4- Redistricting Commissions shall have no contact with the State Legislature except to submit their final map of electorates which state legislatures may accept or decline.

(a) Should a proposed map be declined, the Commission shall redraw maps meeting the same criteria as that of Section 6, should a proposed map be denied on two counts, not later than December 15 of the year in which a State Legislature denies a redistricting plan, the United States district court for the applicable venue, acting through a 3-judge Court convened pursuant to section 2284 of title 28, United States Code, shall develop and publish the congressional redistricting plan (pursuant to the criteria in Section 6) for the State in the place of the Commission.
(b) Any plan published by the 3-judge Court shall be said to be enacted from the date of publication.

Section 5- As defined within this Act, Commission shall be composed of five Independent Commissioners who shall be said to be persons who are not members of a political party, immediate relatives to members of a political party.

(a) Further disqualifications include;

(i) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds public office or is a candidate for election for public office;
(ii)The individual or an immediate family member of the individual serves as an officer of a political party or as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a campaign committee of a candidate for public office or of any political action committee (as determined in accordance with the law of the State);
(iii) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds a position as a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) or an equivalent State or local law;
(iv) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an employee of an elected public official, a contractor with the government of the State, or a donor to the campaign of any candidate for public office or to any political action committee (other than a donor who, during any of such covered periods, gives an aggregate amount of $1,000 or less to the campaigns of all candidates for all public offices and to all political action committees);
(v) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual paid a civil money penalty or criminal fine, or was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, for violating any provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.);
(vi) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.); and
(b) States shall ensure that the pool is representative of the demographic groups (including racial, ethnic, economic, and gender) and geographic regions of the State, and includes applicants who would allow racial, ethnic, and language minorities protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a meaningful opportunity to participate in the development of the State’s redistricting plan; and take into consideration the analytical skills of the individuals selected in relevant fields (including mapping, data management, law, community outreach, demography, and the geography of the State) and their ability to work on an impartial basis.

Section 6- In developing a redistricting plan of a State, the independent redistricting commission of a State shall establish single-member congressional districts using the following criteria as set forth in the following order of priority:

(a) Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution, including the requirement that they equalize total population.
(b) Districts shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) and all applicable Federal laws.
(c) Districts shall provide racial, ethnic, and language minorities with an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of choice and shall not dilute or diminish their ability to elect candidates of choice whether alone or in coalition with others.
(d) Districts shall respect communities of interest, neighborhoods, and political subdivisions to the extent practicable. A community of interest is defined as an area with recognized similarities of interests, including but not limited to ethnic, racial, economic, social, cultural, geographic or historic identities. The term communities of interest may, in certain circumstances, include political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, or school districts, but shall not include common relationships with political parties or political candidates.

Section 7- Except as may be required to meet the criteria of equalized persons between districts insofar as practicable, the redistricting plan developed by the independent redistricting commission shall not, when considered on a Statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party.

(a) In developing the redistricting plan for the State, the independent redistricting commission may not take into consideration any of the following factors, except to the extent necessary to comply with the criteria described by Section 6 and to enable the redistricting plan to be measured against the external metrics described in Section 8:

(i) The residence of any Member of the House of Representatives or candidate.
(ii) The political party affiliation or voting history of the population of a district.

Section 8- The independent redistricting commission shall include with each redistricting plan developed and published by it, a written evaluation that measures each such plan against external metrics which cover the criteria set forth in Section 6, including the impact of the plan on the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

(a) any 3-judge published plan shall be required to adhere to the same criteria as Sections 6-7, and must also publish with its published, final plan; a written impact statement in relation to the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

This bill is then honorably presented to the United States Senate for consideration in order to make it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses and is backed by Senator Jillian G. Dayton on <DATE>.

Anderson gave it a quick lookover and said "it looks fine to me."

[Agarntrop]

TO: [Senate Democrats] [House Democrats]
FROM: [Senator Dayton]
SUBJECT: FAIR Act 2.0
ATTACHMENT:

Official Name: Fair And Independent Redistricting Act
Nickname: FAIR Act
Proposed by: Senator Jillian G. Dayton (D-VA) {Sponsor}
Cosponsored by: Senator James Moore (D-MI)

Overview: This bill makes it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses. Partisan gerrymandering has led to built in unfair election outcomes in some of the most politically competitive states.

Section 1- In 2018, in the state of North Carolina, 48.35% of voters voted for a Democrat to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, based on current results, 9 of the 13 representatives from North Carolina will be a Republican. Conversely the state of Maryland is viewed as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country with 7 of its 8 representatives being a Democrat in a state where 35% of its voters awarded their vote to a Republican. While in some of these cases political parties may have ran up the margin in their own districts, in others such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, deliberate efforts to dilute the votes of non-incumbent political parties has resulted in one of the least representative House of Representatives in American history. This bill therefore seeks to rectify this issue.

Section 2- Henceforth mandates that State Legislatures institute Independent Redistricting Commissions if they do not already employ such Commissions that would be responsible for the redrawing of electorates following the 2020 Census.

Section 3- Redistricting Commissions shall employ population data from each Census but shall not be privy to voting records of voters or areas.

Section 4- Redistricting Commissions shall have no contact with the State Legislature except to submit their final map of electorates which state legislatures may accept or decline.

(a) Should a proposed map be declined, the Commission shall redraw maps meeting the same criteria as that of Section 6, should a proposed map be denied on two counts, not later than December 15 of the year in which a State Legislature denies a redistricting plan, the United States district court for the applicable venue, acting through a 3-judge Court convened pursuant to section 2284 of title 28, United States Code, shall develop and publish the congressional redistricting plan (pursuant to the criteria in Section 6) for the State in the place of the Commission.
(b) Any plan published by the 3-judge Court shall be said to be enacted from the date of publication.

Section 5- As defined within this Act, Commission shall be composed of five Independent Commissioners who shall be said to be persons who are not members of a political party, immediate relatives to members of a political party.

(a) Further disqualifications include;

(i) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds public office or is a candidate for election for public office;
(ii)The individual or an immediate family member of the individual serves as an officer of a political party or as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a campaign committee of a candidate for public office or of any political action committee (as determined in accordance with the law of the State);
(iii) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds a position as a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) or an equivalent State or local law;
(iv) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an employee of an elected public official, a contractor with the government of the State, or a donor to the campaign of any candidate for public office or to any political action committee (other than a donor who, during any of such covered periods, gives an aggregate amount of $1,000 or less to the campaigns of all candidates for all public offices and to all political action committees);
(v) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual paid a civil money penalty or criminal fine, or was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, for violating any provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.);
(vi) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.); and
(b) States shall ensure that the pool is representative of the demographic groups (including racial, ethnic, economic, and gender) and geographic regions of the State, and includes applicants who would allow racial, ethnic, and language minorities protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a meaningful opportunity to participate in the development of the State’s redistricting plan; and take into consideration the analytical skills of the individuals selected in relevant fields (including mapping, data management, law, community outreach, demography, and the geography of the State) and their ability to work on an impartial basis.

Section 6- In developing a redistricting plan of a State, the independent redistricting commission of a State shall establish single-member congressional districts using the following criteria as set forth in the following order of priority:

(a) Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution, including the requirement that they equalize total population.
(b) Districts shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) and all applicable Federal laws.
(c) Districts shall provide racial, ethnic, and language minorities with an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of choice and shall not dilute or diminish their ability to elect candidates of choice whether alone or in coalition with others.
(d) Districts shall respect communities of interest, neighborhoods, and political subdivisions to the extent practicable. A community of interest is defined as an area with recognized similarities of interests, including but not limited to ethnic, racial, economic, social, cultural, geographic or historic identities. The term communities of interest may, in certain circumstances, include political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, or school districts, but shall not include common relationships with political parties or political candidates.

Section 7- Except as may be required to meet the criteria of equalized persons between districts insofar as practicable, the redistricting plan developed by the independent redistricting commission shall not, when considered on a Statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party.

(a) In developing the redistricting plan for the State, the independent redistricting commission may not take into consideration any of the following factors, except to the extent necessary to comply with the criteria described by Section 6 and to enable the redistricting plan to be measured against the external metrics described in Section 8:

(i) The residence of any Member of the House of Representatives or candidate.
(ii) The political party affiliation or voting history of the population of a district.

Section 8- The independent redistricting commission shall include with each redistricting plan developed and published by it, a written evaluation that measures each such plan against external metrics which cover the criteria set forth in Section 6, including the impact of the plan on the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

(a) any 3-judge published plan shall be required to adhere to the same criteria as Sections 6-7, and must also publish with its published, final plan; a written impact statement in relation to the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

This bill is then honorably presented to the United States Senate for consideration in order to make it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses and is backed by Senator Jillian G. Dayton on <DATE>.

Dear Colleagues,

The effort to make fairer our elections, continues. Naturally, this bill requires broad bipartisan support and I will be seeking support from Congressional Republicans as well.
I hope to see as many Democrats supporting this bill in any way possible.

Sincerely,
Jillian Gillard Dayton
Junior Senator from Virginia

From: Rep. Atang
To: Sen. Dayton

I would absolutely co-sponsor.

[Sarenium]

"Eisenhower tied 90% funding to highways, I want to do something similar with states and cities that expand public transit," she confirmed, "my campaign is soon to unveil our community renewal and social justice platform in due course, rectifying the mistakes of heavy highways is a priority of mine."

“I look forward to seeing that,” Papazian said, tapping his fingers on his glass as he set it down. “So I’m going to be very straightforward with you. For a freshman representative, I’ve been offered some impressive cabinet roles as a way to entice me into endorsing. Where do you see me fitting into your plans? The cabinet? The House? Somewhere else?”

"Where do you see yourself? What exactly is it you want?" she replied, with a counter of her own, "I can imagine Secretary of Transport's already been offered to you, but if I'm honest, I think it'd be a waste of your time to become Secretary of Transport. Governor of California however, that's a better stepping stone to the Presidency than any Secretarial role could possibly be. 2022, succeed Montgomery, 2026, win reelection and 2028 start off with a good foot in the door," she refilled their glasses while she spoke.

She opened a manila folder and passed it to Anderson, "it gives States ample decision making independence, while also mandating the appropriate anti-gerrymandering provisions."

Official Name: Fair And Independent Redistricting Act
Nickname: FAIR Act
Proposed by: Senator Jillian G. Dayton (D-VA) {Sponsor}
Cosponsored by: Senator James Moore (D-MI)

Overview: This bill makes it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses. Partisan gerrymandering has led to built in unfair election outcomes in some of the most politically competitive states.

Section 1- In 2018, in the state of North Carolina, 48.35% of voters voted for a Democrat to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, based on current results, 9 of the 13 representatives from North Carolina will be a Republican. Conversely the state of Maryland is viewed as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country with 7 of its 8 representatives being a Democrat in a state where 35% of its voters awarded their vote to a Republican. While in some of these cases political parties may have ran up the margin in their own districts, in others such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, deliberate efforts to dilute the votes of non-incumbent political parties has resulted in one of the least representative House of Representatives in American history. This bill therefore seeks to rectify this issue.

Section 2- Henceforth mandates that State Legislatures institute Independent Redistricting Commissions if they do not already employ such Commissions that would be responsible for the redrawing of electorates following the 2020 Census.

Section 3- Redistricting Commissions shall employ population data from each Census but shall not be privy to voting records of voters or areas.

Section 4- Redistricting Commissions shall have no contact with the State Legislature except to submit their final map of electorates which state legislatures may accept or decline.

(a) Should a proposed map be declined, the Commission shall redraw maps meeting the same criteria as that of Section 6, should a proposed map be denied on two counts, not later than December 15 of the year in which a State Legislature denies a redistricting plan, the United States district court for the applicable venue, acting through a 3-judge Court convened pursuant to section 2284 of title 28, United States Code, shall develop and publish the congressional redistricting plan (pursuant to the criteria in Section 6) for the State in the place of the Commission.
(b) Any plan published by the 3-judge Court shall be said to be enacted from the date of publication.

Section 5- As defined within this Act, Commission shall be composed of five Independent Commissioners who shall be said to be persons who are not members of a political party, immediate relatives to members of a political party.

(a) Further disqualifications include;

(i) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds public office or is a candidate for election for public office;
(ii)The individual or an immediate family member of the individual serves as an officer of a political party or as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a campaign committee of a candidate for public office or of any political action committee (as determined in accordance with the law of the State);
(iii) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds a position as a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) or an equivalent State or local law;
(iv) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an employee of an elected public official, a contractor with the government of the State, or a donor to the campaign of any candidate for public office or to any political action committee (other than a donor who, during any of such covered periods, gives an aggregate amount of $1,000 or less to the campaigns of all candidates for all public offices and to all political action committees);
(v) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual paid a civil money penalty or criminal fine, or was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, for violating any provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.);
(vi) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.); and
(b) States shall ensure that the pool is representative of the demographic groups (including racial, ethnic, economic, and gender) and geographic regions of the State, and includes applicants who would allow racial, ethnic, and language minorities protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a meaningful opportunity to participate in the development of the State’s redistricting plan; and take into consideration the analytical skills of the individuals selected in relevant fields (including mapping, data management, law, community outreach, demography, and the geography of the State) and their ability to work on an impartial basis.

Section 6- In developing a redistricting plan of a State, the independent redistricting commission of a State shall establish single-member congressional districts using the following criteria as set forth in the following order of priority:

(a) Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution, including the requirement that they equalize total population.
(b) Districts shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) and all applicable Federal laws.
(c) Districts shall provide racial, ethnic, and language minorities with an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of choice and shall not dilute or diminish their ability to elect candidates of choice whether alone or in coalition with others.
(d) Districts shall respect communities of interest, neighborhoods, and political subdivisions to the extent practicable. A community of interest is defined as an area with recognized similarities of interests, including but not limited to ethnic, racial, economic, social, cultural, geographic or historic identities. The term communities of interest may, in certain circumstances, include political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, or school districts, but shall not include common relationships with political parties or political candidates.

Section 7- Except as may be required to meet the criteria of equalized persons between districts insofar as practicable, the redistricting plan developed by the independent redistricting commission shall not, when considered on a Statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party.

(a) In developing the redistricting plan for the State, the independent redistricting commission may not take into consideration any of the following factors, except to the extent necessary to comply with the criteria described by Section 6 and to enable the redistricting plan to be measured against the external metrics described in Section 8:

(i) The residence of any Member of the House of Representatives or candidate.
(ii) The political party affiliation or voting history of the population of a district.

Section 8- The independent redistricting commission shall include with each redistricting plan developed and published by it, a written evaluation that measures each such plan against external metrics which cover the criteria set forth in Section 6, including the impact of the plan on the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

(a) any 3-judge published plan shall be required to adhere to the same criteria as Sections 6-7, and must also publish with its published, final plan; a written impact statement in relation to the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

This bill is then honorably presented to the United States Senate for consideration in order to make it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses and is backed by Senator Jillian G. Dayton on <DATE>.

Anderson gave it a quick lookover and said "it looks fine to me."

"Then," she smiled, "I'm glad we're able to work together on something alas."

[Agarntrop]

“I look forward to seeing that,” Papazian said, tapping his fingers on his glass as he set it down. “So I’m going to be very straightforward with you. For a freshman representative, I’ve been offered some impressive cabinet roles as a way to entice me into endorsing. Where do you see me fitting into your plans? The cabinet? The House? Somewhere else?”

"Where do you see yourself? What exactly is it you want?" she replied, with a counter of her own, "I can imagine Secretary of Transport's already been offered to you, but if I'm honest, I think it'd be a waste of your time to become Secretary of Transport. Governor of California however, that's a better stepping stone to the Presidency than any Secretarial role could possibly be. 2022, succeed Montgomery, 2026, win reelection and 2028 start off with a good foot in the door," she refilled their glasses while she spoke.

Anderson gave it a quick lookover and said "it looks fine to me."

"Then," she smiled, "I'm glad we're able to work together on something alas."

Anderson smiled, "indeed. Just don't mention the a-word." He chukled

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

TO: [Senate Democrats] [House Democrats]
FROM: [Senator Dayton]
SUBJECT: FAIR Act 2.0
ATTACHMENT:

Official Name: Fair And Independent Redistricting Act
Nickname: FAIR Act
Proposed by: Senator Jillian G. Dayton (D-VA) {Sponsor}
Cosponsored by: Senator James Moore (D-MI)

Overview: This bill makes it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses. Partisan gerrymandering has led to built in unfair election outcomes in some of the most politically competitive states.

Section 1- In 2018, in the state of North Carolina, 48.35% of voters voted for a Democrat to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, based on current results, 9 of the 13 representatives from North Carolina will be a Republican. Conversely the state of Maryland is viewed as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country with 7 of its 8 representatives being a Democrat in a state where 35% of its voters awarded their vote to a Republican. While in some of these cases political parties may have ran up the margin in their own districts, in others such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, deliberate efforts to dilute the votes of non-incumbent political parties has resulted in one of the least representative House of Representatives in American history. This bill therefore seeks to rectify this issue.

Section 2- Henceforth mandates that State Legislatures institute Independent Redistricting Commissions if they do not already employ such Commissions that would be responsible for the redrawing of electorates following the 2020 Census.

Section 3- Redistricting Commissions shall employ population data from each Census but shall not be privy to voting records of voters or areas.

Section 4- Redistricting Commissions shall have no contact with the State Legislature except to submit their final map of electorates which state legislatures may accept or decline.

(a) Should a proposed map be declined, the Commission shall redraw maps meeting the same criteria as that of Section 6, should a proposed map be denied on two counts, not later than December 15 of the year in which a State Legislature denies a redistricting plan, the United States district court for the applicable venue, acting through a 3-judge Court convened pursuant to section 2284 of title 28, United States Code, shall develop and publish the congressional redistricting plan (pursuant to the criteria in Section 6) for the State in the place of the Commission.
(b) Any plan published by the 3-judge Court shall be said to be enacted from the date of publication.

Section 5- As defined within this Act, Commission shall be composed of five Independent Commissioners who shall be said to be persons who are not members of a political party, immediate relatives to members of a political party.

(a) Further disqualifications include;

(i) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds public office or is a candidate for election for public office;
(ii)The individual or an immediate family member of the individual serves as an officer of a political party or as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a campaign committee of a candidate for public office or of any political action committee (as determined in accordance with the law of the State);
(iii) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual holds a position as a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) or an equivalent State or local law;
(iv) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an employee of an elected public official, a contractor with the government of the State, or a donor to the campaign of any candidate for public office or to any political action committee (other than a donor who, during any of such covered periods, gives an aggregate amount of $1,000 or less to the campaigns of all candidates for all public offices and to all political action committees);
(v) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual paid a civil money penalty or criminal fine, or was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, for violating any provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.);
(vi) The individual or an immediate family member of the individual is an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.); and
(b) States shall ensure that the pool is representative of the demographic groups (including racial, ethnic, economic, and gender) and geographic regions of the State, and includes applicants who would allow racial, ethnic, and language minorities protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a meaningful opportunity to participate in the development of the State’s redistricting plan; and take into consideration the analytical skills of the individuals selected in relevant fields (including mapping, data management, law, community outreach, demography, and the geography of the State) and their ability to work on an impartial basis.

Section 6- In developing a redistricting plan of a State, the independent redistricting commission of a State shall establish single-member congressional districts using the following criteria as set forth in the following order of priority:

(a) Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution, including the requirement that they equalize total population.
(b) Districts shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) and all applicable Federal laws.
(c) Districts shall provide racial, ethnic, and language minorities with an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of choice and shall not dilute or diminish their ability to elect candidates of choice whether alone or in coalition with others.
(d) Districts shall respect communities of interest, neighborhoods, and political subdivisions to the extent practicable. A community of interest is defined as an area with recognized similarities of interests, including but not limited to ethnic, racial, economic, social, cultural, geographic or historic identities. The term communities of interest may, in certain circumstances, include political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, or school districts, but shall not include common relationships with political parties or political candidates.

Section 7- Except as may be required to meet the criteria of equalized persons between districts insofar as practicable, the redistricting plan developed by the independent redistricting commission shall not, when considered on a Statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party.

(a) In developing the redistricting plan for the State, the independent redistricting commission may not take into consideration any of the following factors, except to the extent necessary to comply with the criteria described by Section 6 and to enable the redistricting plan to be measured against the external metrics described in Section 8:

(i) The residence of any Member of the House of Representatives or candidate.
(ii) The political party affiliation or voting history of the population of a district.

Section 8- The independent redistricting commission shall include with each redistricting plan developed and published by it, a written evaluation that measures each such plan against external metrics which cover the criteria set forth in Section 6, including the impact of the plan on the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

(a) any 3-judge published plan shall be required to adhere to the same criteria as Sections 6-7, and must also publish with its published, final plan; a written impact statement in relation to the ability of communities of color to elect candidates of choice, measures of partisan fairness using multiple accepted methodologies, and the degree to which the plan preserves or divides communities of interest.

This bill is then honorably presented to the United States Senate for consideration in order to make it compulsory for all states to utilize non-partisan and independent redistricting commissions when redistricting for the U.S. House of Representatives after decennial censuses and is backed by Senator Jillian G. Dayton on <DATE>.

Dear Colleagues,

The effort to make fairer our elections, continues. Naturally, this bill requires broad bipartisan support and I will be seeking support from Congressional Republicans as well.
I hope to see as many Democrats supporting this bill in any way possible.

Sincerely,
Jillian Gillard Dayton
Junior Senator from Virginia

To: Senator Dayton of Virginia
From: Senator Erika Goldman of Connecticut

Dear Senator Dayton,

I fully intend to support your bill, and wish to add my name to it as a co-sponsor. I would also be willing to help in any way I can, in order to ensure this bill pases.

Most sincerely,
Erika Goldman
Senior Senator from Connecticut

[Velahor]

“I look forward to seeing that,” Papazian said, tapping his fingers on his glass as he set it down. “So I’m going to be very straightforward with you. For a freshman representative, I’ve been offered some impressive cabinet roles as a way to entice me into endorsing. Where do you see me fitting into your plans? The cabinet? The House? Somewhere else?”

"Where do you see yourself? What exactly is it you want?" she replied, with a counter of her own, "I can imagine Secretary of Transport's already been offered to you, but if I'm honest, I think it'd be a waste of your time to become Secretary of Transport. Governor of California however, that's a better stepping stone to the Presidency than any Secretarial role could possibly be. 2022, succeed Montgomery, 2026, win reelection and 2028 start off with a good foot in the door," she refilled their glasses while she spoke.

Davit felt comfortable with Dayton, out of all the others, only Westra was a pick that he felt like he personally connected with. But Dayton was different, she was enjoyable to be around, and generally seemed like a fun person.

Papazian smiled as she filled the glass. "Murphy wants to give me Vice President. Of course, it would be nuts to think that he's going to get elected after the moderates begin to consolidate. But the offer is still there."

"I like the thought of serving as governor, and if the presidency is the goal, then the plan you just put forward is rather perfect. The Olympics in Los Angeles is in 2028, which is conveniently perfect timing if I want a presidential run. I believe that I could use that as an opportunity to prove my worth in managing a big event like that."

"I might as well key you in on long-term strategy, I typically don't share these plans with people. My goal is to rebuild America's increasingly outdated cities and infrastructure. I started with a run for House, because I realized I couldn't really change Los Angeles from the city council. in the House, I plan to secure massive amounts of transportation funding for these projects. Then, I will run for election for either governor or mayor of Los Angeles.That then puts me in charge of such funding. I will then fast-track a lot of development projects, give them all the funding they need to be completed rapidly, and then by 2028 when the Olympics come around, I can take the credit for Los Angeles transforming from the world's biggest collection of isolated suburbs into a city more advanced than Shanghai or Dubai," said Papazian frankly, in between several sips of the whiskey.

"So all the world, and all the country, has their eyes on Los Angeles for the Olympics, a shining, modern city, and therefore, they have their eyes on me. Right when it's time for the 2028 election. It's more free publicity than any presidential candidate should even have a right to, to be honest. It's what will catapult me into a presidency where I can proceed with enacting the type of Rooseveltian projects and reforms that I believe in."

"So really, I just want whatever is going to put me in that position faster."

[Lavar Baller]

---

CLIMATE MOBILIZATION

---

THE PROBLEM:
The climate crisis threatens our homes, our children, our way of life, and our future. The past four years have been the warmest on record, with devastating climate-related disasters sweeping our nation - from hurricanes in Puerto Rico to fires in California to floods in Iowa. Our people suffer while fossil fuel companies rake in revenues exceeding $750 billion, as well as endless subdues amounting to $26 billion every year. It's time to end climate change before it ends the human race.

GOALS:

1) Carbon neutrality by 2040.
2) Emissions-free electric grid and net-zero transportation by 2035.
3) Building resilience to sea-level rise and extreme weather.
4) Ensuring a just transition for fossil fuel workers.
5) Leading the world away from fossil fuels.

THE PLAN:

$4.3 trillion in 20 years in direct public investment on green infrastructure, resilience, and climate justice. This includes public transportation, buildings, power plants, the electric grid, and income replacement for workers. Breakdown of financing is below.

1) Green Infrastructure and Resilience

- Set net-zero standards for all new buildings by 2025 and all transportation by 2035. Impose zero-emission standards for new cars by 2030 and a 100% clean electric grid by 2035.

- $100 billion ten-year investment in research and construction of safe, clean nuclear power generators (thorium and fusion), basic facilities constructed by 2027 and fully functioning by 2030.

- $350 billion fifteen-year investment in all forms of transportation (ground and air) to ensure carbon neutrality by 2035.

- $250 billion fifteen-year investment in electric grid modernization, producing energy from nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass sources.

- $180 billion ten-year investment in green public housing.

- $300 billion twenty-year investment in green agriculture.

- $300 billion twenty-year investment in green manufacturing.

- $250 billion twenty-year investment in a Civilian Climate Corps and climate bonds.

- $10 billion ten-year investment in carbon capture technology (for remaining emissions from air travel and to set up clean coal facilities during the phaseout period)

- $220 billion twenty-year investment in resilience, including fire prevention, hurricane mitigation, and sea-walling to deal with water level rises.

- $2 trillion twenty-year investment to finance household loans for personal clean energy investment.

2) Phasing Out Fossil Fuels

- End all forms of subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, saving the public $520 billion over 20 years.

- End all drilling on public lands by 2025.

- Create a price on carbon, starting the fee at $15 dollars per metric ton of CO2 and raising it by $10 annually over a decade. This would raise enough to fund nearly 75% of this proposal.

- Phase out all American fracking by 2035.

- Phase out all offshore drilling by 2030.

- Phase out coal by 2025.

- Phase out all fossil fuel exports by 2023.

3) Climate Justice and a Just Transition

- $110 billion fifteen-year investment in full income replacement for fossil fuel workers in the transition to clean energy.

- $90 billion fifteen-year investment in vocational training and apprenticeship programs.

4) International Leadership

- $100 billion ten-year investment in the developing world to provide discounts on American-manufactured clean energy technology.

- End all U.S. financing for fossil fuel projects in the Export-Import Bank and theOverseas Private Investment Corporation.

- Use U.S. leverage in the World Bank to encourage clean energy investment over fossil fuel projects.

5) Immediate Actions

- Rejoin the Paris Climate Accords.

- Reinstate Baharia-era EPA regulations and standards related to emissions and pollution.

- Declare the climate crisis a national emergency if Congress fails to act.