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

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Felix picked up his phone, and called Carrie. He figured he should at least tell her about his big decision, given that she’d been so helpful in the process.

“Hello, Carrie? I’ve got some news for you.”

"Hey Felix, what's the news?" She sounded relatively upbeat. She had liked Felix.

[Sanabel]

[b]Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame, Cedar Rapids, Iowa[b]
(June 9th, 2019)


Recent polling gave the Velez campaign hope in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Velez had a decent shot of doing well in both states, it seemed, thanks primarily to educated suburban white voters to whom his candidacy was appealing. The campaign decided to take a few days to appeal to such voters, holding meet and greet events in Cedar Rapids, and across the relatively affluent suburban Linn County and Benton County. In each new place, the campaign visited community centers, nursing homes, small businesses, and other places with voters who could see the appeal in his campaign.

At the end of his quick blitz of the Cedar Rapids Metro Area, the Velez campaign set its sights on the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame. It was sort of the Iowa equivalent of the California State Democratic Convention, as the largest event to that point of the primary season to take place in Iowa- a party event with thousands of party loyalists, activists, and local media representatives. Much like the State Convention, Iowa politicians had the chance to speak, which was followed by presidential candidates being offered a spot at the podium.

The Velez campaign arrived early, and mingled with activists, especially the relatively small contingent of African American and Hispanics at the event. When he had his turn at the microphone, he made the decision to give a similar speech to the one he gave in California. It was appealing to party activists, inspiring to the type of people supporting social justice regardless of race. Of all the events in Iowa, this was the best to discuss the issue of civil rights, because of its over representation of activists concerned with the issue.

He took to the podium, flashing his white smile as he waved to the crowd in the state where he saw increasing popularity. Audience members who supported him cheered extra loud and waved his signs as he stood before the packed downtown building.

“HOW ARE WE DOING IOWA?” He asked forcefully as the crowd cheered.

“On this day, in this room, in this moment we are better than ever. It’s because we are buzzing with something a former boss of mine used to talk about a lot- hope. I see it in the faces of young activists, of union organizers. I see it in the faces of both cradle Democrats and new supporters. You know, for President Baharia hope wasn’t just a platitude. Hope was a rallying cry- a rallying cry that pushed him over the finish line here in the 2008 Iowa Caucus, and a rallying cry that allowed him to shock and inspire the world as the first black President. Hope was what guided the women who fought tooth and nail for the 19th amendment. Hope is what guided Doctor King and the Civil Rights activists who fought tooth and nail for the Civil Rights Act. Hope is what guided my parents and millions of other immigrants to this country, and hope is what guides us today. So I am proud to feel the hope we have here today.”

There was some clapping.

“But folks, hope isn’t enough in 2020. We are a nation in crisis, make no mistake. While it is multifaceted, the crisis boils down to one issue- fascism.”

He let the word hang in the air. It was the most controversial thing he had said, and it was sure to pick up a ton of attention.

“We have a president who came to power by calling people with a similar heritage to myself ‘rapists and murderers.’ We have a president who refuses to condemn white nationalist terrorism, even after deadly situations like we saw in Charlottesville, further emboldening their violent acts of racism. We have a president who puts women and children in cages- women who, in a different time could have been my mother, or your mother. Children who could have been my brother, or your brother. We have a president who lets lobbyists and corporations run our government, hollowing out institutions designed to lend a helping hand to our most in-need. We have a president who negligently allows a globe-spanning climate crisis go un-checked. We have a president who has spent more time constructing vapid and egotistical shows of nationalism than actually making life better for folks who voted for him.

I understand the man is suffering, and my heart goes out to his family, but I will not stop bringing his record into the light. And let me tell you now- it will not end when President Wolf’s term expires. In 2018, I defeated a Wolf acolyte who parroted everything the President said, and took it to further extremes. Look at the President Wolf’s loyal Secretary of Defense Bernard Porter, who refuses to condemn the men flying swastikas and confederate battle flags at his rallies. Even the supposedly palatable options like Diane Paulson flaunt their connections to men who stood against Doctor King by voting against the Civil Rights amendment. After President Wolf’s term expires, Wolfism will not disappear. It will only grow more competent, more normalized, and more dangerous.

This is how the power brokers of the Republican Party are today, folks. If you turn on the news or read the headlines, our country looks more like a tin-pot dictatorship and less like the Great Republic of Washington and Lincoln with each passing day.

But we have the chance to stop it. One chance. This is the reality we are in- and let me be as clear with you as possible- we cannot flub this. There are no do-overs. The Democratic Party must take a stand for the livelihood of working people, for the safety of African American and Hispanic folks, of working families, and for the rights of LGBTQ people, and WIN, whether it’s in Cedar Rapids, Iowa or Cedar Glen, California. We have to win in order to turn back the tide of fascism. The activists, the organizers, the Americans in this room need to pick up the torch of those who fought to GROW our democracy in decades past, and SAVE it.

This is not done through purity, through litmus tests, and through division. I would know- I am the only Democratic candidate for President who has won an election in a Wolf state. It’s done through building a big-tent movement with a common vision for a better America- not for Democrats or Republicans, but for all of us. It’s done through realizing that people who voted for President Wolf aren’t evil- they face the same problems we do, and are looking to make their voice heard and needs met.

What does this movement and common vision include? It includes universal healthcare, which may be achieved through any number of plans expressed by myself and my fellow candidates. It includes protecting and expanding voting rights, especially for African Americans and troops serving overseas. It includes ending generational poverty in this country. It includes promising to reform education to make schools better and college affordable. It includes promising to finally build an economy that works for everyone, not just the stock portfolios of Wolf cronies and the top 1%, which includes giving a helping hand to our small family farmers here in Iowa, not cutting their subsidies as some have proposed. It includes making clear that a woman’s body is off limits to the hands of politicians, and taking guns off the streets and out of the hands of those who should not have them are both non-negotiable. These are all popular, and each have a number of proposed solutions.

So that’s what we have to do if we are going to win in 2020- the most important election of our lives. So this great event, and more broadly, this primary season is about finding the candidate who can lead this movement, beat fascism, and save our democracy, and lining up the activist foot-soldiers behind them. It’s about finding the candidate who can be a tough guy, but not a tyrant- who can stand toe to toe with everyone from Vladimir Putin to Majority Leader Warrick to protect the American people. I am that candidate. I have won in a Wolf state, and brought the most progressive agenda in its history into fruition. I can and will do the same for our great country!

President Baharia was right. Hope is what guides us. The hope of historically oppressed people seeking justice. The hope of huddled masses yearning to breath free. Hope for a better life for our kids and their kids. But we need more than hope in 2020. We need to bring new politics for a new decade. Let’s build a movement together and save American democracy.”

[Titanne]

Felix picked up his phone, and called Carrie. He figured he should at least tell her about his big decision, given that she’d been so helpful in the process.

“Hello, Carrie? I’ve got some news for you.”

"Hey Felix, what's the news?" She sounded relatively upbeat. She had liked Felix.

Felix matched her enthusiasm and said.

“Well, you were a big help in my endorsement for the presidential primary. I figured I’d let you know who I picked. Senator Dayton is gonna get it in New Hampshire in a short while. She’ll keep my district safe, leave me a Senate seat, has a clear path to the Oval Office, and aligns with my beliefs.”

[Gordano and Lysandus]

“Well, you were a big help in my endorsement for the presidential primary. I figured I’d let you know who I picked. Senator Dayton is gonna get it in New Hampshire in a short while. She’ll keep my district safe, leave me a Senate seat, has a clear path to the Oval Office, and aligns with my beliefs.”

"I'm glad you like me enough to share that with me. Don't take the Senate seat for granted though, Felix, there's no guarantee you'll get it. A primary is very hard work, even on a state-wide level. It'll drain a lot of energy out of you." She explained, warmly, like a mother giving advice. "New Hampshire's nice though, I hope you like it up there."

[Titanne]

“Well, you were a big help in my endorsement for the presidential primary. I figured I’d let you know who I picked. Senator Dayton is gonna get it in New Hampshire in a short while. She’ll keep my district safe, leave me a Senate seat, has a clear path to the Oval Office, and aligns with my beliefs.”

"I'm glad you like me enough to share that with me. Don't take the Senate seat for granted though, Felix, there's no guarantee you'll get it. A primary is very hard work, even on a state-wide level. It'll drain a lot of energy out of you." She explained, warmly, like a mother giving advice. "New Hampshire's nice though, I hope you like it up there."

“Oh, I don’t, no need to worry. But Jillian’s promised to help me out, and I might even be able to score the appointment. Who knows, there’s not even a guarantee she gets the nomination! Yeah, I love the old Granite State, me and my family actually went up there last summer for a vacation.”

Felix smiled.

“You know, people seem to have expected me to go for Murphy, but thanks to you, disaster averted. Credit where credit is due.”

[Gordano and Lysandus]

“Oh, I don’t, no need to worry. But Jillian’s promised to help me out, and I might even be able to score the appointment. Who knows, there’s not even a guarantee she gets the nomination! Yeah, I love the old Granite State, me and my family actually went up there last summer for a vacation.”

Felix smiled.

“You know, people seem to have expected me to go for Murphy, but thanks to you, disaster averted. Credit where credit is due.”

"That is a relief. Just... don't let anyone see my hand in it. The blowback'd be unimaginable." She sighed, shaking her head. "If Jillian does win, and you really want that Senate seat, see if she can lean on her successor to appoint you to the vacancy before any special election or subsequent primary. It'll give you the legitimacy of an incumbent, it'd help."

[Titanne]

“Oh, I don’t, no need to worry. But Jillian’s promised to help me out, and I might even be able to score the appointment. Who knows, there’s not even a guarantee she gets the nomination! Yeah, I love the old Granite State, me and my family actually went up there last summer for a vacation.”

Felix smiled.

“You know, people seem to have expected me to go for Murphy, but thanks to you, disaster averted. Credit where credit is due.”

"That is a relief. Just... don't let anyone see my hand in it. The blowback'd be unimaginable." She sighed, shaking her head. "If Jillian does win, and you really want that Senate seat, see if she can lean on her successor to appoint you to the vacancy before any special election or subsequent primary. It'll give you the legitimacy of an incumbent, it'd help."

Felix laughed.

“I certainly would rather be an incumbent. And you don’t have to worry, you just have me fair and honest feedback. And it’s not going public anyways. Thanks so much for your support and advice.”

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Felix laughed.

“I certainly would rather be an incumbent. And you don’t have to worry, you just have me fair and honest feedback. And it’s not going public anyways. Thanks so much for your support and advice.”

"It's nothing. My only regret is to see you leave my House Caucus so soon for the Senate! It's like when I sent Damian off to college." She chuckled.

[Sarenium]

Keene, New Hampshire

The plan was simple, Felix would introduce Jillian and make the electability case and then Dayton would take the stage and exude the values and policies. It was very similar to the pimp and pomp that was used when Mayor Albert O'Hanny boarded the JillBus.

Ladies and Gentlemen of Hanover!

I’m so glad to be here with you and Senator Dayton today. New Hampshire is such a great place, I’ve always loved it. The forests, how seriously you guys take your votes... it’s all amazing. And, like I said, I’m so glad to be in the Granite State this evening, because I have some very important things to share with you.

Number one is simple. The New Hampshire primary is on February 11th. Make sure you’re there, and that you vote for the best candidate. Now, who that is may vary for each of you, but I’m here to try and sway you in favor of one candidate, who stands above the rest. One candidate, who can get things done. One candidate, who is empathetic, and kind. I am here to endorse Senator Jillian Dayton for President of these great United States.

Senator Dayton is far and away the best woman for the job. She reflects the ideology of this party, being a bridge between liberal, and moderate. She is smart, and kind, and is proven to get things done. She has the experience, both legislative and executive, to back her up, and she has the grit to stand up to the Republican Party and say “No More!” These traits are all invaluable, but there’s one thing which is the crown jewel in her movement. Her path to victory.

Senator Dayton can, and will, win big. She will appeal to moderates, and suburbanites, key constituencies which we lost in 2016, but won back in 2018. She can expand the battleground, in states like Arizona. States like Texas. States like Georgia. That’ll keep the Republican Party on their toes, no matter who they put up this year, whether it be Bernie Porter or Diane Paulson. But she’s not just helping herself. She will help downballot Dems, like me, and my vulnerable Virginia district, and [Not-Jones], in the race of his life in Alabama. I remember back when I first ran for Congress. Senator Dayton was there, and she was a key factor, that pushed me to victory. She will do it again, all across the country.

I’m proud to serve in the same state as her, and lucky that I get to talk to her so much and discuss the future of this country with such a bright, rising star. That experience is invaluable, so let’s let you, the people of New Hampshire, experience it too. So, now. The woman of the hour. I present to you... Senator Jillian Dayton!

Jillian hopped on stage, embracing Felix, they mutually raised their shaking hands into the air in triumph while waving before she took the lectern in earnest.

Let's give Representative Holt, the only type of welcome to the JillBus we know how!

The crowd gave another loud cheer and claps. Jillian wanted to raise a glass of wine, she smirked to herself as she clapped.

I think he's spoken eloquently about why we're all in this. The pursuit of Fairness, it sounds trivial but it's what brings us all together. I know that we each use different metrics for success and for who best to support. Congressman Holt tapped into one that is becoming increasingly important. One's ability to be elected.

I was the first woman to become Governor of Virginia.

I was the first woman to represent Virginians in the Senate.

Now I come to New Hampshire because what we need is change for the better, change that makes it fairer for the working Americans stuck in low income and low security employment. Change that makes it fairer on the college students struggling to pay down their debt and thrive. Change that makes it fairer for families getting into the housing market. Change that enables every American to have a healthy, stable and fruitful retirement.

None of this is easy to accomplish, but I've spent my life fighting for those around me and New Hampshire if you'll give me a chance, together we can fight for a fairer America.

We'll fight to give every American access to safe, fair and world class education.

We'll fight to offer every veteran the care they rightfully deserves.

We'll fight to deliver affordable healthcare that takes care of women's and family health.

We must stop evaluating the success of the United States by the wealth of our millionaires, we can no longer evaluate success by pointing at the mansions of Malibu and ignoring the over 38 million American who live in poverty. This is not right for the world's wealthiest and greatest country to ignore the whims of so many of our own. This movement opens its arms to everyone, I'm thankful to have the support of Congressman Holt, and I look forward to the opportunity to deliver meaningful change for all Americans. Together, let us put fairness first, and deliver a fairer America!

[Titanne]

Felix laughed.

“I certainly would rather be an incumbent. And you don’t have to worry, you just have me fair and honest feedback. And it’s not going public anyways. Thanks so much for your support and advice.”

"It's nothing. My only regret is to see you leave my House Caucus so soon for the Senate! It's like when I sent Damian off to college." She chuckled.

Felix chuckled, again.

“I’ll stick around for however long it takes to make America a more accepting place for the LGBTQ community. Oh, and thankfully I’ve still got a while with my little guy.”

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Felix chuckled, again.

“I’ll stick around for however long it takes to make America a more accepting place for the LGBTQ community. Oh, and thankfully I’ve still got a while with my little guy.”

"When we get the next Democratic President in office, I promise you that I will make sure gay rights are solidly on the table. We're going to make it happen. One way or another."

[Titanne]

Felix chuckled, again.

“I’ll stick around for however long it takes to make America a more accepting place for the LGBTQ community. Oh, and thankfully I’ve still got a while with my little guy.”

"When we get the next Democratic President in office, I promise you that I will make sure gay rights are solidly on the table. We're going to make it happen. One way or another."

“God I hope so. Under a Paulson administration we could probably make it happen too. She’s pretty reasonable, and is all about personal rights.”

[Gordano and Lysandus]

“God I hope so. Under a Paulson administration we could probably make it happen too. She’s pretty reasonable, and is all about personal rights.”

"She might get twitchy over the First or Tenth Amendments when it comes to gay rights, but she's not a bad woman for the most part. I'm not sure on her pathway to victory though."

[Democratic Peoples republic of Kelvinsi]

James Burgun
@RoughRiderGov

---

The Murder Sentencing Act is a very good next step at a federal level, but you know the prisoners should be allowed to make amends for their ills to society before they die. We should absolutely allow death row inmates to donate their organs, if they took lives they should have the opportunity to save some to at least partially atone for their very severe sin.

[Puertollano]

Levi Murphy Speech at Iowa Democratic Hall of Fame
Des Moine, Iowa



The next event was the Iowa Democratic Hall of Fame in Des Moine. It was a staple of all presidential candidates, so Levi arrived to give his speech to the crowds of Democrats. It was unlike his usual speeches, usually he would sometimes chide the two party system, but these people were loyalists. Party loyalists, many who don't like to hear a word wrong about their party. The Senator was fine with that, instead he framed it as a debate for restore to soul of the Democratic Party, whether it was ever there or not is a different question. A question is was not very interested in looking into.

"Thank you, Iowa. Thank you." The received light applause's. "Before I continue today, I'd like to thank all of the brilliant work up into this evening. From the construction crew that would have had to assemble this stage, to the countless volunteers who worked to make this a reality. You are the backbone of the Democratic Party, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. We wouldn't be able to run presidential campaigns without you all and the spirit you bring elections. Talking about elections, this presidential election is pretty important," Levi said, laughing a bit at his own joke. "We can define the decade - we should define the decade - because it's about time that working people in this country are heard. You know, I read that come 2020, it should have a lot of commonalities with the 1920. I was thinking, we need to make radical union organizing, the mobilization of the working class and a people-powered agenda for change a reality. It starts with a Democratic candidate that will fight tooth and nail for us and our communities."

"It would be rude of me not to comment on who makes the Democratic Party what it is. It's our rural voters, who vote for a better future for their families, it's our union members, it's our Stonewall allies, it's our activists and volunteers. I believe in a radical idea that the party should start to be built, shaped and lead by them, not by an party bureaucracy. We have this unparalleled opportunity in 2020 to raise the mantel to fight for working class people again, and that's what I'm going to do. Let's fight for bold, brave and let's not concede our ideals our aspirations to the Republicans. Look, I've been told I am too ambitious on many occasions. They told me I can't do it. My simple response is: it's not me, it's us. We can do it, not me, we can get Medicare for All, we can get free and universal education in this country. We can provide for our families through a proper $15 minimum wage. The attacks on the roots of this party need to be stopped. Yes, we can get Medicare for All. No, it is no pie-in-the-sky. Yes, in fact it will eliminate costs for every American and reduce the overall tax burden on working class families. No, it will not impact our families, unless you appeared on Forbes Top 100 richest people in America."

"Republicans are the party of delay, no big ideas and a lack of creativity with the issues. When was the last time you heard of them stand up for something new, rather than the same old conservative narrative? Never, we don't need to be like that. But let's not be the party of push-overs. Or the party of people who give up with the going gets rough. We can support Medicare for All because we are the party of the people, because we have a hand on the pulse of the working communities in this country. Unlike the Republican Party that has its' hand on the pulse of Wall Street. We can be radical, we can ask for change, and we can win. We have never won asking for normalcy, we've never won by standing for nothing. We've never won by not being true to ourselves, the party which implemented the New Deal, which created social security, which defended the right to organize. The Republicans are the party of reduction, cut social programs, cut social security, medicare, medicaid. We can be bold and say, y'know what, we do stand up for progressive, working-class values because we are true to ourselves. And because we know being true to ourselves and the working class is the best winning formula to any election."

"I campaign in Iowa because there are many good, working-class people in this state that can join us in our fight to win the White House. But I also understand that it's important to be rallying the troops elsewhere across the country to get ready: get ready for whoever the Republicans through at us. So, unlike others, I have campaigning from Minnesota, to California, to Michigan, to South Carolina, to Massachusetts, to West Virginia. We need someone who will criss-cross this country to represent our values, to win over voters and create a movement that in unstoppable. I believe I have that. I hope you can all believe in me too, that I can get the job done. Because we're not going to win promising small change, or means-tested relief for a very few. We're going to win by promising big and fighting like all Hell for it - some chide me for not being pragmatic enough. I just say, working people are sick and tired of being pragmatic to the system that holds them down!"

"At the end of the day, the 1% is only 1% for a reason. We don't need to be stumping in Beverly Hills for a bit of cash. They only represent !% of the population of this country, let alone the electorate. It's time that we appeal and win the 99%, who wants action on climate change, action on our awful, for-profit health insurance industry, who want good-paying union jobs, who want a decent education for their children! Baharia didn't win asking for complacency. We win when asking for more of our government, for asking for change, and a real difference. So, I believe we should be making a real difference in 2020. Be true to ourselves and party. And work again for the many, not the few. Thank you."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Prendergast 2020 JPJ4USA Campaign
Ad Buy
Tuesday 11th June, 2019

Cable TV ad for all South Carolina media markets, running for around a week

The ad would alternate between a soft spoken, well-dressed female narrator and clips of Governor Prendergast at the debate. The ad opened with clips from the US-Mexico border, depicting trafficking and other unpleasant scenes, before cutting in with a debate clip.

"We have a crisis on our southern border. To say otherwise is either blind naivety or being tricky with the American people."

The narrator would cut in now, with more border scenes playing behind her.

"Governor Prendergast recognizes that we can't pretend that uncontrolled mass immigration isn't a problem, and he recognizes how real people feel about immigration - not people from Democrat focus groups."

It cut back to Jonah at the debate.

"The American people know where they stand on immigration, and that is to bring it down to manageable levels. To put American people first. That's not racist, it's not inhumane. It is recognizing that our society has a limited amount of resources and committing those resources to the real needs in our society."

The narrator returns, this time in front of a series of clips of any time a senior Democrat has opposed the Wall.

"The Democrats have refused to meet the President halfway, not just putting the nation's safety and prosperity at risk, but also leaving the DREAMers in limbo by refusing to make a fair deal for America. The President isn't being unreasonable, and neither is Jonah Prendergast."

Clip back to Jonah.

"I want a deal on DACA as much as anyone else, it's fair at the heart of it, but we can't abandon our leverage and make a bad deal. That's a risky move. There can be no movement on DACA until the Democrats agree to secure our borders!"

Returning to the narrator, this time in front of happy, nuclear families.

"Fundamentally, immigration control isn't about race. It's about making sure that America is safe and fair for everyone. Jonah Prendergast realized this more than any other candidate."

One more clip back to Jonah at the debate.

"Public safety is the first duty of any President, and so the right thing, the just thing, the constitutional thing to do is to complete that mandate and control immigration for good."

Then it would clip to Jonah seated in an armchair in front of a fire.

"I'm Governor Jonah Prendergast Junior, and I approve this message - to safeguard American lives, American jobs, and American prosperity."

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

Porter Rally, Mobile, Alabama

"As many of you know, I have come under attack for my economic beliefs, with many of my opponents accusing me of being a socialist or even a communist. There are those within this nation who ask of me: what is your economic philosophy? My economic philosophy is not socialism, it is not communism, it is Christianity. To quote the book of Deuteronomy from within the Bible: "He [the Lord your God] executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner therefore; for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt."

There can be no true justice, no true liberty, when men are left in the chains of poverty in a prosperous land such as ours. We are the greatest, the richest nation in the world, and yet, upon our shores, stand children with bare feet and infants wasting away from hunger itself. America, I call upon you to harken the call of reason and of faith. My opponents demonise the weakest, the most vulnerable in our society. They call them scroungers, they call them lazy and they call them welfare queens.

But I don't see scroungers, I don't see lazy people - I see the unfortunate, the starving and those who have been damned by circumstance. The beliefs espoused by my opponents in terms of economics are inherently unchristian and idolatrous. They like to talk about how they are Christians and about how much they believe in Jesus and God...And yet they are nothing but liars. As it is said in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew by Jesus himself: "You cannot serve both God and money."

Richardson and Prendergast do not serve God, nor do they fear him. They wish to call themselves Christians and yet have bathed in blood and profit for their whole lives. The former had his wife tell lies about the President's son and the latter spilled the blood of workers and poisoned children for his own profit. They like to talk about being men of God, yet only seek power for their own ends.

No man can claim to be a Christian whilst having the record that these men have. They are ruthless, merciless cronyists who look down upon the American people. Today, we need a strong leader, one who has the best interests of the American people at heart. Let me assure all of you - unlike my opponents, I do not look down upon the American people. I will bring jobs back to the United States, I will protect social security and I will protect healthcare.

My opponents stand for the neoliberalism that Wolf fought against, the great society of outsourcing, of unemployment and of inequality that gave us 2008. They stand for your jobs being outsourced, for more and more factories being shut down and for more Americans being put out of work. I will increase employment, I will slash poverty and I will ensure that working-class Americans get a decent living.

Every single person in this room should be able to work a 40-hour workweek, live a decent life with decent housing and a decent car and support their family. Back in the '60s, you could work on minimum wage, have a decent existence and be able to support your family. Yet today, you couldn't even pay your rent with 40 hours. You have to work 45, 50, hell, even 6 days a week. We do not exist to serve the market; the market exists to serve us.

The economy is stronger than ever, the Dow Jones has hit new highs, yet who gets all the spoils? The rich get all the spoils, they get all the profit from the toil of tens of millions of ordinary Americans such as yourselves. Ordinary Americans such as my father, yes, like my father, because unlike my opponents I wasn't born as the heir of a company...I was born to a Virginian farmer, whose family had farmed the land they owned for hundreds of years...He was a man who worked to his bones from his cradle to his grave. If you ever feel you can't trust me...just look at my record. I came from nothing and yet I can stand here today.

President Wolf trusted me with the lives of our brave men and women in the military. If you can trust him...you can trust me."

He took a breath, ready to push towards the next part of his speech.

"Today, Mobile, we stand in an era more tumultuous than anything our nation has experienced since the Second World War. We have come in an era where men conspire to murder children, and conspire to allow the infiltration of transsexuals into little girl's bathrooms. And what have our leaders said about it? They called moral degradation "progress", and told us to shut up about it. They called us misogynists and homophobes. Nothing states this contempt, this utter hatred of the American people than the infamous Diane Clifford quote:

"You could put...Wolf's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables...They're racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic – Islamophobic – you name it."

Of course, Diane Clifford was indeed a Democrat, but her words are still said by men like Richardson and women like Paulson today. Of course, they never let slip those exact words. But you can hear it in their voices, in their inherent snobbishness. You can hear their disdain, every single time they talk. They think they deserve to be President...Let's prove them wrong."

The crowd mildly applauded, as was normal for the end of a point in his speeches.

"When they talk, they talk like they have the power...Like they are the captains of the ship, like they are pilots of the plane...But nothing could be so false. It is not they who have the power, but us, the American people. Today, I rally against the elites, I rally against those who would have us take in MS-13, who would have us take in drug traffickers and those who would have us take in sex traffickers. A mother must protect her children, and so a leader must protect his people. We must proclaim: America first, America second and America third.

The world is only getting more and more dangerous, more and more violent. We need a leader who can protect us in this modern age. If not for ourselves, for our children. Our leaders have failed, the establishment have failed and so have the ruling class of this nation. Nobody trusts their politicians anymore. After all, who can trust snivelling narcissists like Richardson and Prendergast when they continue to work for only themselves and for special interests in some Washington backroom?

Children are dying in the streets of this nation, left to starve in the cold because of the gluttony at the top of this wretched and corrupted system. How can these men call themselves Christians whilst they give handouts to the rich and steal money from the poor? They have turned the most vulnerable in our society and made them criminals in their own country. They swim in wealth, eating caviar and drinking French wine.

They like to talk about their own morality, yet leave millions homeless and impoverished in their own nation. They like to talk about the American Dream and equal opportunity, whilst they pick out Ivy League schools for their children and cut healthcare spending, leaving people to die for the mere crime of being poor. They talk about prosperity, and about how the Dow's reached historic highs, yet crime, suicide and addiction still run rampant in our communities.

There is one word for these men, one word and one word only: hypocrite. They are hypocrites and they are liars. Wolf fought to drain Washington of these men, of these hypocrites, and yet they have persisted. We must take our country back, and restore power to the people!"

[Dentali]

Television and Web Ad
June 11th, 2019- June 18th, 2019
Markets of Cincinnati, Cleveland-Akron, Columbus, Youngstown, Toldeo, Boston, Springfield- Holyoke, Portland- Auburn, and Presque Isle.

These markets are in New Hampshire, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Maine

Woman 1: The first time my son Chris took Opioids was after he hurt his leg playing football.



Woman 1: He loved football so much (holding back tears)



Woman 1: The doctor gave him a type of Fentanyl called Apres…. He said they were completely safe and he’d be on his feet in no time.



Woman 1: But after a week I could tell something had changed… It only took a week for them to become addicting.



Woman 1: When they ran out… Chris broke his own arm hoping the doctor would prescribe more, but he refused… So Chris looked for other places for drugs.



Woman 1: We tried to get him help but… Chris died of a heroin overdose… he was only 16…



Woman 1: He was such a happy boy I miss him so much…



Somber Male Narrator: Apres is among the most common types of Opioids that lead to addiction. They were developed, produced, and sold by Sanabex under CEO Arnold Wolf Jr

.

Big Pharma needs to face justice, not be put in the White House.

Paid for by the Alliance for Opioid Justice

[Dentali]

Television and Web Ad
June 11th, 2019- June 18th, 2019
Markets of Atlanta, Augusta- Aiken, Savannah, Columbus, Salt Lake City, Greensville- Spartanburg-Asheville- Anderson, Myrtle Beach- Florence, Columbia, Des Moines- Ames, Sioux City, Davenport- Rock Island- Moline, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Sherman-Ada, Austin, Las Vegas, Reno.

These markets are Primarily in Utah, Nevada, South Carolina, Iowa, Texas, and Georgia, but also touch Illinois, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Alabama.

Richardson: I’m Nate Richardson and I approve this message



Richardson: Those on the radical left are determined to silence the faithful and are waging a war on the right to worship.



Richardson: During the Baharia administration, the IRS abused its power to bankrupt and shut down Christian groups.



Richardson: We have seen men and women of faith threatened with jail and fines for refusing to bake a cake. How does that align with our values as Americans?



Richardson: President Wolf and patriots around the country fought back and put a stop to that and we need to keep up the good work.



Richardson: As President I want to ensure that the religious liberty our nation was founded on is protected.



Richardson: The Government shouldn’t be harassing people of faith we should be defending and supporting all people of faith, and as President I will support the good works religious groups do in their communities which strengthen our country.



Richardson: So let's get to work and fight for all people of faith

[Velahor]

Diane Paulson Rally
Luck, Texas
Austin Suburbs

Soon after the debate, Diane flew straight to Texas for a rally. It was time to begin the next stage of her campaign, the Texas one. Conservative culture flows to and from Texas, and to change minds and hearts, she needed to go there first.

“I’m so happy to be here in one of the greatest, most creative, most innovative cities on Earth, Austin, Texas. I’d like to thank all the people who have come out to this event, with your help, we can return America to its deepest values of Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity. The campaign is heating up and we have dates in several early states for fundraisers and rallies coming up over the next week, to take this movement across the country, through the primaries and into the White House. I’m counting on your support.”

“Today, I want to talk a little deeper about how my campaign’s mission statement of Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity connects to the real-world issues that you all face. It’s important to have a reason for your slogan when you’re running a campaign, so many campaign slogans over the years have either been meaningless or were an empty promise. But a nation with more Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity is attainable, and it will be my mission as President to ensure that those values remain at the forefront of the political conversation and the center of our policymaking.”

“So I’m going to break down each part of this slogan and how it relates to the policy perspectives of a Paulson administration. First of all, you have liberty. I don’t know if any of you have heard, but I like liberty. I’m a libertarian in my political philosophy, and I know, as Ronald Reagan once said in an interview that I was in the room for, “Libertarianism is the heart and soul of conservatism.”

“Libertarianism is simple. It’s applying what we already know about social conduct to politics. We know that it is appropriate to treat our neighbors with the same kindness that we should expect from them. It’s the Golden Rule to treat others how you would like to be treated. It’s a Biblical command to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Libertarianism is firmly rooted in what some call the ‘non-aggression principle,’ which is the application of the Golden Rule to governance. In other words, if you love your neighbor as yourself, would you throw them in jail for lifestyle choices dissimilar to your own?”

“I find it pretty simple. Individual liberty should apply to every area in life where you aren’t hurting another. That’s why I believe in ending the drug war; I believe that liberty is so important to the individual’s well-being and society as a whole, that it is not worth taking from someone who the police find with a joint in their pocket. Speaking of the drug war, I also feel as if legal cannabis would be suitable cash crop for farmers in both its psychoactive and non-psychoactive varieties. Farmers already face regulations like you wouldn’t believe, why should they be stopped from growing a high-value crop that is used throughout the country. Would you rather see Mexican cartels make the money off of cannabis sales, or hard-working American farmers?

“Regardless if you think the drug is okay or good for society, it still should be common sense that farmers, many who are struggling during these times, should be the ones growing weed and making money from it, not violent criminals with machine guns. A lack of liberty pushes legitimate industries into the black market and increases violent criminal behavior. The science is clear, cannabis might have negative effects, but it doesn’t make people violent. But the illegal cross-border drug trade is very violent, and its effects are being felt across the country through an opioid epidemic and a rash of killings at our southern border. If you want to end violence, giving people a little more liberty usually helps, and putting cannabis growing into the hands of American farmers keeps the billion-dollar industry in America and keeps struggling farmers in business.”

“Liberty is also why I believe in getting marriage out of the hands of the government. Marriage is an agreement between yourself and your spouse and your God if you so choose, but the government has no business in who you choose to live with or share assets with. Why should they? Less than 100 years ago, they were jailing people for marrying people with the wrong skin color, so it’s not a stretch to say that this is an area that if the government is involved, it deprives individuals of their liberty.”

“I believe in individual liberty in the economic sphere too. There’s obviously some jobs where the risk is too high to not have licensing, lawyers and doctors and such, but there’s no reason to charge thousands of dollars to give people licenses to cut hair or pluck eyebrows. A Paulson administration would be focused on reducing regulatory requirements on American businesses, large and small, as long as they aren’t taking part in fraudulent or hurtful behavior to others.”

“The second word of my slogan is ‘Peace’. Using the word ‘Peace’ in the campaign slogan in a Republican primary might make me sound to some like a hippie organic farmer living out in the woods in Maine. Well, I own up to it, though I wouldn’t use the word ‘hippie’, I’m just a peace-loving Republican who sees the failures of the military-industrial complex.”

“It’s clear that the Republican foreign policy of the Burke era was a dismal failure. We found no weapons of mass destruction. There was no clear moment of victory. And we’re still fighting battles in Afghanistan nearly 20 years later. We went into the Middle East with Al Qaeda causing mayhem, and we left with ISIS causing mayhem. Vietnam is considered by some historians to be America’s biggest military failure, but a hundred years from now, we will remember the Burke Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the biggest military failures we have suffered. Our troops deserve better. Let’s not spend American lives on regime change wars. Let our young men and women in uniform train at home in preparation for the real threats that we face in this world.”

“My Peace-forward approach to Republican politics has deep roots in our party. Abolitionists wanted a peace end to slavery before rising conflict brought us into the Civil War. Jeanette Rankin, a Republican woman who served two separate terms in the House like I did myself, was a bold advocate for Peace in the early 1900s. And President Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, a military leader, and one of my greatest heroes, warned America of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. Ike was warning us about issues like (not-Colin Powell) falsely telling the United Nations that Iraq had WMDs because the Burke administration wanted war. Issues like an endless war in the Middle East sucking away government resources and constituting a massive tax burden on Americans.”

“My pro-peace approach is why I pledge to end our involvement in the Middle East once-and-for-all, with only a regional presence to protect our ally in Israel. We must refocus our energy and financial resources on America. When President Arnold Wolf was elected, he talked about America-First policy. There is no policy that is more ‘America-First’ than ending all of the bloodshed our young men and women in uniform have experienced in the Middle East.”

“President Wolf has actually done a decent job at reducing our involvement in the Middle East, but there is still a lot of work to do.

“But Peace in my slogan isn’t just about war, it’s about civility. Our politicians shouldn’t be getting in ‘Twitter Wars,’ they should be looking at ways to make a better life for average Americans. And hate seems to be cropping up on both sides of the aisle, from the “Eat The Rich” Democratic Socialists to the neo-Nazis lining up at Secretary Porter’s rallies. It’s pretty clear to me that what we need is peace to grow us together, not hate and anger. We can be the peacemakers of society, saying no to hate while uniting a coalition around loving our neighbors and living out a life of Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity.”

“The final cornerstone of this campaign is Prosperity. The economy is on the upswing right now, and much of that can be attributed to what President Wolf has done in deregulating industry. But tariffs and trade wars will kill our economy if we’re not careful. We must adopt a free-trade-oriented policy. Trade is how you build an international community of allies. Ronald Reagan understood this, and his free trade efforts around the globe opened the eyes of authoritarian nations to the mutual prosperity that doing business with a liberty-focused nation like America would do. Trade was a HUGE part of what brought down the Soviet Union. Let’s reduce barrier to trade and usher in freedom abroad and the prosperity of affordable goods and greater purchasing power at home! There’s a place for making trade more fair, but we should always start with a free market and work from that point toward fairer trade.

“Nobody else in this primary says they believe in free trade, yet every one of them claimed to in the past, until they decided it was time to copycat Wolf. I’m winning on the election on the strength of my own campaign, not co-opting Wolf’s legacy to gain power like the others.”

“Trade isn’t the only place where a Paulson administration would be focused on Prosperity. Reducing taxes on the middle class, on small businesses, on family farms, will increase the opportunities for Americans to move from the working class into the owning class. The middle class is shrinking due to oppressive taxation and terrible trade policies. We must increase economic mobility for the American people reducing their tax burden, eliminating barriers to entry for first-time entrepreneurs, and usher in a new Great Economic Revolution!”

“Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity. Three very universal values that every American shares. Now is the time to unite around those shared values and repair the wounds that recent division in our nation has caused!”

“The Republican primary gives you three options. You can vote for nationalism and restricted trade, which is what most of the candidates are peddling. Governor Prendergast is wrong about trade, as seen in our exchange in the debate, and Porter and Wolf Jr. have an even worse take on trade.”

“I like It’s not the right move if we want to see the Republican Party win next year. Or we can move the Republican Party forward into a big-tent era like we had in the Reagan years.”

“Now is the time to put forward a platform to bring in more Americans, not isolate them. My platform of Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity is exactly that, a big-tent platform in the same mold as Ronald Reagan. The ‘Reagan Democrat’ was a unique feature of the time, voters who were Democrats in the past who switched parties to vote for Reagan. If I am nominated by the Republican party for President, there will be ‘Paulson Democrats,’ ‘Paulson Libertarians’, ‘Paulson Greens’, and ‘Paulson Republicans’, because even though we Americans have our differences, we can all unite around the values of Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity that my campaign emphasizes. Please consider voting for me, and if you have the resources, donate at DianePaulson2020.com. Thank you, and have a pleasant afternoon.”

[Azekopolaltion]

---

Tim Westra 2020
Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame
Des Moines, Iowa
June 9th, 2019

---

Tim had been more surprised than anyone that he had maintained a steady place in the top two of Iowa polling. He felt good about this state; the largely college educated young and middle aged Iowa crowd seemed susceptible to some of his big policy ideas, and he'd also been engaging in the state for a while. He wanted to win here, badly, and maybe an early win in Iowa could catapult him to more success.

As such the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame was a must-attend event, as it was for most candidates. His walk-on song for this event was "Small Town"by John Mellencamp.

"Good morning guys, thank you! It is great to be here in Des Moines! This is awesome, thank you."

"My friends, my life has not been about ideology. For the average worker, life isn't about ideology either, it's about making rent, or putting food on the table for your kids, or making sure that you have a steady paycheck. Ordinary working folks don't have time for ideologues that want to see they advancement of their academic theory instead of the advancement of working families."

"I grew up in the shadow of a working class industrial community. My dad was a bus driver, my uncles worked at the local textile mill which our township revolved around. The mill closed when I was eleven years old. I remember the pain, the hardship, the strife that was inflicted upon my community. My uncles were out of a job, along with about 1,500 other people. Folks were evicted. Families suffered."

"The vote of the people is not earned by just talking about ideology; it's earned by having lived through the pain of working class life. Talking about solidarity, being inflexible with your political views. It's not enough. Our country is desperately in need of someone who is trying to empathize with the pain of working America right now. The last thing we need is another ideologue who is in it for himself."

"Talking about progressive reforms is one thing. It's another to get them done. Getting massive reforms for the working class passed even in the toughest of conditions has been the work of my career. When Republicans swore to make President Baharia a one-term president, I still managed to pass the precursor to the Affordable Care Act in the House. It included a public option and passed by five votes. Today, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. 20 million people gained health insurance because of it. So while some have only been talking about healthcare for all, I've had the privilege of actually seeing my work bear fruit."

"Iowans deserve a candidate who doesn't treat them like they're stupid. Some candidates think they can get away with that. That's why they refuse to answer how they'll get their mandatory single payer healthcare program passed in 6 months, that's why they ignore questions on how they will pay for their $30 trillion proposal, that's why they don't want to get into the details."

"Progressivism does not mean vagueness. What's the point of a healthcare plan if it costs more in taxes than the current premium amount for working families? 40 to 60 million households will be paying more for healthcare under a mandatory single payer plan. That's you. That's the Iowan farmer, that's the union worker, that's the middle class teacher, that's the average American. If you earn more than $30K a year, you will be forced to pay more. That's equal to the median U.S. income, not the Forbes Top 100 List."

"I believe the middle class deserves a tax cut, not a tax hike. I believe folks like you should be earning more, not less. That's why I've put out proposals that will be the biggest redistribution of wealth to the working class in the history of our nation. That's real progressivism, not forcing ordinary people to pay more than they already do."

"There is a better way of reaching universal healthcare. I call it Medicare for America. We take Medicare, we roll it into this program. Individuals earning up to 200% of the poverty line will be covered for free, children will be covered for free everyone else will have highly affordable coverage, anyone can opt-out and purchase a private plan that is regulated under Medicare. If you're happy with your plan right now, if it's a high quality and affordable plan, that insurance option will still exist. No one should be forced to fork out cash for something they don't want."

"Today, I want to talk about the poor. Politicians like to talk about the middle class, some clearly try hard to appeal to the billionaire class. But they rarely mention the poor, they don't say the word. They talk about poverty, as a concept in vague terms, but they don't talk about really serving poor people and folks who have been deprived, whether they have been deprived of economic security or freedom from discrimination. Marginalization is a form of poverty."

"The wars we must fight are not abroad, they're not in the Middle East or across our border. They are here at home. It is a crime that in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, we still have children who don't get enough to eat, we have single mothers working multiple jobs and still struggle to support their families, we have folks going bankrupt because they can't afford medical care. It breaks my heart."

"Margaret Thatcher once said that poverty is a personality defect. That's hokum. Poverty isn't a lack of character; it's a lack of cash. And it's time that we think beyond just tinkering with our tax credits and eligibility requirements in the welfare system, and actually start talking about revolutionary solutions to reach full employment and also provide universal unconditional cash to Americans."

"College for All, Healthcare for All, Housing for All - these are good, but not enough by themselves. We need a new agenda in this country that reaches the ideal of Social Security for All. We need to eliminate poverty once and for all! And we can do that with my Anti-Poverty Agenda."

"Our welfare system is profoundly broken. By imposing confusing, strict eligibility requirements based on your job, your income, your family, welfare in this country is not really a social safety net for those who are slipping through the cracks - it's a cruel workfare system that doesn't reach people who really need help."

"Our campaign is the only one to put out a proposal for a real Federal Jobs Guarantee. This new program would be federally funded but locally administered, much like other welfare programs. It would not be a workfare program, so it won't be implemented with any benefit-related stipulations. The Jobs Guarantee will provide a living wage and a union job, and there's plenty of work to be done. We've put forth a $1 trillion public infrastructure proposal, who's going to do the work for that to get done? We need people to rebuild our roads, rebuild our waterways, rebuild our bridges. We need a climate-focused infrastructure agenda to decarbonize public housing, weatherize buildings, and build the Green Infrastructure that a post-carbon America will need."

"It's not just in infrastructure. Low-income school districts need qualified teachers, which I hope to attract not just with the Job's Guarantee, but also with our proposed Teacher Tax Credit to raise teacher pay in under-resourced districts. We need professionals in our proposed Universal Pre-K and Childcare system, so that all of our children get an earlier start with early education and so that no parent has to choose between child and work."

"This program would hire about 12 million people and finally allow us to reach the dream of full employment: work that fits you. Because in the future gig economy, transitional programs like this will be crucial in keeping folks working in meaningful jobs that suit them. Unemployment statistics don't tell the whole story - we also have to look at who's underemployed, meaning their skills don't match their work. A Jobs Guarantee program will create a more productive economy, force the private sector to compete with our wages and benefits, and will overall raise standards of living for the American population."

"But this is not enough. There will still be people who struggle to work - the disabled, the stay-at-home parent, folks who are caring for an ailing relative. Is that not work as well? What our society defines as work is extremely narrow. And in the future economy, where automation is going to drastically transform the nature of employment, it's imperative that we create the solid social safety net to care for people when they're out of work. Everyone deserves a minimum standard of dignity."

"And we can get there - with the universal social dividend. Cash to everybody, no strings attached. Look, this is an economy that runs on your backs. The consumer, the worker, the average American - you all contribute to the $5 trillion in capital income held almost exclusively by the billionaire and millionaire class. Imagine that: we live in a nation where 1% of the population holds so much wealth, yet almost 40% of Americans don't have $400 on a rainy. It's time you get a share in the wealth that you create with the universal income."

"For the past few decades, the failed policies of trickle-down economics have robbed the working poor 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.”

"And we can only do that with a candidate that listens to you. Look, I was shocked that I campaigned in Iowa for months as the only candidate with a farm policy. It's because I came down here, I listened, and I took action. Today only one other candidate has a plan for farmers, and his plan is just the status quo. You guys have been losing money every year since 2013. Every damn year, but others don't think this is a problem. More of the same, more of the same, zero commitment to raising incomes for Iowa's farmers."

"Well, I will. My plan for farmers will guarantee you guys a good price for your products. Guaranteed. By implementing a good supply management system to make the markets start working for small farms again, we can ensure that the farmers who feed our country are able to feed their families! This, coupled with breaking up the big agricultural conglomerates that are taking advantage of you guys every day, will work in ending the travesty of low farm prices in this country. You all deserve a fair shake for your highly important work."

“Look, guys. 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, debt free higher education, tuition free college for all, a Renter’s Tax Credit, climate justice, infrastructure development, ending the wars."

"The bosses might tell you where to sit, but no one tells us where to stand!"

"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 health care 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 the poor 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 that wants more and more at the expense of the rest of us. 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 people first. And I, Tim Westra, would be humbled if all of you joined our movement today."

[Velahor]

Diane Paulson Rally
Hippodrome Theater
Waco, TX

The next stop on her Texas leg of the campaign would be Waco, which was a growing city and a place where she could put out a similar speech, but more focused on her tax plans.

”I tell you, there is nothing more exciting, more invigorating, more uplifting than a Texas crowd!

“I love this part of the world. In my books, I have talked so much about how America’s spirit of liberty shines so bright in the central Texas. You can see it in the politics, in the people, in the way you all treat each other. There is such a kindness and a voluntary community here, such a desire to take full advantage of the God-given liberty you possess.”

“Today, I’m here to talk about taxes. Now, before half of you start snoring when you hear the word taxes, trust me, this is a message you will want to hear.”

“Now, I’ve had people mention to me that business is booming in Waco! People are moving in, new jobs are plentiful, and I’ll tell you why. A big part of that is the great tax environment that Texas has.

“I’m all about bringing greater economic prosperity to ALL Americans. My campaign slogan is Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity; so I decided to name my tax plan the Prosperity Plan.”

“America’s tax code is a mess. We need to simplify our tax code! I’m going to replace all forms of income taxes with one income tax. A nice, clean 15%. Wages? 15%. Capital gains? Fif-teen per-cent. Dividends, interests, and rents, and everything else? 15%!”

“Fifteen percent. Think about how much more money you’d have at the end of the day to take care of your family. To start a new hobby. To save for retirement. Also, there will be exceptions for low income, if your household makes under $60,000 per year, you won’t pay anything at all. Currently, most of you probably get 25-45% of your paycheck taken out in tax.”

“Fifteen percent is also the rate of the new Corporate Transfer Tax, a smarter form of corporate taxes that eliminates loopholes. This holds businesses accountable that have long taken advantage of an unfair system, while also fostering national economic growth.”

“I call this the GREAT ECONOMIC REVOLUTION! Researchers have already done work on the potential effects of my tax plan. If we stuck to the Prosperity Plan for ten years, we would get: 4.3 million new jobs, a 16% raise in household incomes, an overall increase in tax revenue by 2030 in spite of decreased tax rates, a massive increase in the power of the American dollar, expansion of the middle class, and an increase in wages among the lower class large enough to seriously improve the standard of living. My tax plan helps the poor, helps the middle class, helps American business, and brings jobs back to the United States. The Corporate Transfer Tax also disincentivizes outsourcing, and encourages businesses to hire stateside. The increased economic activity would boost America’s GDP by 12.9%, pushing us into a whole other level of fiscal success. Arnold Wolf started the mission to renew our nation’s economic success, and as President, I will consider it my duty and my honor to carry on that mission. President Paulson’s Prosperity Plan will usher in a Great Economic Revolution, driving job growth, employment rates, and increasing the standard of living for all Americans.”

“So we talked about taxes. It wasn’t that bad right? I hate taxes. I think there’s something inherently wrong with taking someone’s rightfully earned income. We’re not going to be able to end taxation altogether. But the Prosperity Plan is a reset button for our tax code, and in ten years, we could generate just as much revenue for our government off of significantly lower tax rates!”

“I’m literally saying that we can have the same government we have now, but get it way cheaper. How could anyone, Republican, Democrat, or whatever, how could anyone vote against that?”

“But our economic successes only start with lower taxes. Everyone knows that China is a threat to our economic security, President Wolf has made that clear. We have to defend our economy from disruptive outside forces.”

“My plan to keep America’s economy at the top of the world goes like this. First, we join the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Now, I don’t think the TPP is perfect, but as President, I would make sure that we negotiated the deal fairly. The Trans-Pacific Partnership would strengthen our trade relationship with nations with important manufacturing sectors like Mexico, Vietnam, and Japan. Cheaper trade with allies and partners who play nice means less trade with those who don’t. If China wants to play hardball with us on trade, we will be fine, because it will be more affordable to trade with TPP countries anyway.”

“Then, we need to take control of our own money. We need to slow inflation and let the value of the dollar rise. We need to audit our Federal Reserve, and make sure that our monetary policy is being used to keep the economy rolling, not to prop up failed financial institutions.”

“I also believe in using this economic success to fix our federal budget. But if we’re cutting taxes to stimulate our economy, in theory, that would mean there was less revenue. Again, after less than a decade, the economic growth would make my tax plan cause positive economic growth. But what about the years in between?”

“As the lowered taxes continue to accelerate the economic growth, we will need to lower our spending. There are tons of areas of government waste that we can cut, but that still won’t do enough to fix our budget.”

“My plan for the budget is simple. We introduce temporary cuts to some programs, and we will return full funding once the budget is balanced. We will also introduce some permanent cuts. This is an area where we’re all going to have to compromise a bit. There will be cuts to subsidies first, and then defense. I believe in a strong national defense, but right now, we’re simply spending too much. The next country in line spends half of what we spend! A Paulson Department of Defense would be both more efficient, and more effective. These cuts, some temporary and some permanent, will creat a surplus when combined with the slight increase in tax revenue caused by economic growth.”

“Oh, I almost forgot! One more tax that I am cutting FOR SURE. We are eliminating, and I mean setting completely at ZERO percent, we are eliminating corporate taxes for family farms with under 10 employees. I appreciate our farmers. It isn’t just an occupation, it’s a lifestyle. Farming is a unique part of America’s heritage, and our rural communities need family farms to survive. I know all up and down I-35, there are Texas farmers who know what I mean. Farming is a high-risk business operated on tight profit margins, and if you fail, you lose not only your farm, but your way of life. Not on my watch. Let’s give farmers something to work with, and exempt small family farms from corporate taxes.”

“Let’s keep AMERICAN farmers in business, and AMERICAN-grown food on all of our country’s tables.”

“I want to thank you all for the spectacular hospitality you’ve shown me tonight. Waco, I’m not through with you yet! I’ll be back soon! Until then, Liberty, Peace, and Prosperity.”

[Fronket]

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Suraj Shah for Senate
June 8th, 2019
Tarrant County, Texas

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Suraj Shah for Senate
@SurajShah4TX

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On the trail in Tarrant County today. Looking forward to our rally in Fort Worth! #SurajforSenate #TexasElection #ShowingUp

In another more strategic move by the Shah campaign, he had flown into Dallas from Alpine and then drove down to Tarrant County, the third most populous county in Texas. [not-Beto] had won it by a whisker in 2018 - only 0.7 of the vote - and improving upon his performance would go a mile in winning the race. A bigger win here would mean a step closer to a win over Brookshire.

Following his strategy of retail first, then rallies, Shah met with volunteers for a quick encouraging speech before hitting the doors in Bedford for about half an hour, before driving to the neighboring township of Colleyville, where he did much of the same: handshaking, question-answering, canvassing, selfie-taking. It took about three hours for him to hit Euless, Benbrook, and Blue Mound, squeezing a sandwich in between.

In the late afternoon was a town hall in Grand Prairie, where he talked about his policy positions: a national apprenticeship program, investing in infrastructure, expanding and protecting Social Security, Medicare buy in at 55. He was a little exhausted by the end of it, but Shah still had a rally to attend at the end of the day. He was going a long way to make himself seem more likable and palatable to Texans in the middle.

Finally came his big rally in Fort Worth, which he appeared a little tired at but still tried to give off the professional nice-guy vibe.

Thank you, guys, I appreciate you so much.

Look folks, national politicians are trying to frame this election the wrong way. The hashtags – "keep Texas red," or ''turn Texas blue," is the wrong way of framing this election. National politicians are trying to make this about party politics, not the needs of ordinary Texans. And Karen Brookshire is falling right into their hands.

At Brookshire rallies, you hear her constantly talking about "beating Suraj Shah." But this election isn't about beating any one person. It's about Texans coming together against the bitter division, against the personal sniping, against the hot air to fight for the values that we believe in.

Look at the Republican candidates. They just want more power. Cramp tried to go for a recount, the party shut him down and he quickly retreated. They all just want a win for themselves, not for democracy or for Texas.

But I don't want to talk about the other candidate anymore, I want to talk about you. The realities you all are facing on the ground, the hard choices that you guys have to make, the issues that plague your lives. At the end of the day, I go to Washington as a problem solver. Of the choices left in the race, I'm the only guy that has actually made real changes for this entire state by working on legislation and by working with the other side.

I can be a public servant in the Senate, because I have been a public servant before, unlike my worthy opponent. I am not missing the "service" part of my life. It's easy for some people to shout a lot of things and Tweet in all-caps; it's much harder for those people to sit down and listen. Listening to Texans in Houston was my career before this, and listening to all Texans is how I believe I can serve effectively.

The issues we discuss, they're not fashionable in a campaign. They don't get you on the nightly news, the media doesn't necessarily take notice. That's why it's much easier for other candidates to be bombastic and comment on national politics over Twitter. Because that's easy: you get free attention for no substance.

That's not how we're running this campaign. We don’t care if it’s fashionable or not to talk about the labor shortage in Texas, because whether it’s fashionable or not doesn’t matter to small businesses: they need workers. And for the first time in almost fifty years, there are more jobs available than people seeking those jobs.

There is a crisis of meaning in Texas. Many workers aren’t feeling fulfilled in their jobs because their skills are mismatched to their occupation - underemployment. I will marshal bipartisan support to pass my JOBS Act in the Senate, which will jumpstart the process of filling the 7.3 million vacant jobs that are unfilled because of the worker shortage. The idea of the bill is to extend Pell Grants to undergraduates in Texas who want to take up quality career training programs. Small businesses need workers with a variety of skills to fill up these jobs, and we can only do it by expanding job training and apprenticeship programs. I can build on my experience in the Labor Department and House to pass real change for our businesses and workers.

Texas farmers need a fair deal! Our family cattle farmers are being crushed by big corporations that are profiting off of their backs by consolidating the food industry to the point that our supply chain is threatened. Today, the top four beef packing companies in the U.S. control nearly 85% of the market. The top four pork packers control 71% of the market. Just four companies control 90% of the entire global grain trade. Many of these companies are in contracts with small farmers and control the way the livestock are fed, medicated and sheltered. These “integrators” retain ownership of the animals, but the contract growers are forced to absorb the risks and the costs, often incurring large amounts of debt. All too often, farmers cannot make a living because the cost of operations is made too high, while the price for their products is made too low. This will end when I'm in the Senate. No more screwing Texan farmers over!

We can finally end the shame and injustice of being the state with the highest uninsured rate out of every single state in America! In a civilized, wealthy society, healthcare should be guaranteed to all as a right of residency, and that's why I think we need to lower premiums with Medicare at 55, so that the elderly who are more at risk get the care they deserve and are in a separate risk pool from the general population. Along with increasing the value of ACA tax credits, we can put Texans and all Americans on a glide path to guaranteed coverage with an affordable public health insurance option.

In the next eleven days, it's going to be ugly from the other candidate. They're going to frame this as Texas versus Shah. They're going to frame this as Texas versus Democrats. They're going to frame this as Texas versus everybody else. That's not how I want to win. I'm standing here saying what I'm FOR, not what I'm against.

Keep Texas red, turn Texas blue. At the end of the day, it makes no difference unless the candidate who is elected actually shows up. I've been listening to communities, advocating for them in Congress, and getting things done. I've passed legislation before. Karen Brookshire can't even get the words of her ads straight. Heck, she can't even keep her policy positions straight, saying she wants to keep "abortions rare by making sure they happen only for non-medical reasons." How will she get the words of her legislation straight?

I would like to thank all the volunteers pouring their sweat and hearts into this grassroots campaign. We are going to visit every county we can, talk to every Texan we can - be it a worker, a farmer, a small business owner, or a retired senior - to make sure that we get Washington working for Texans again. We can't afford to double down on the divisions, the hatred, the ineffectiveness of the Washington elite. We can do better, if we elect a candidate who knows what Texas is really about.

The patriotism of Texans, it's not what the national Republican politicians keeps referring to. We're proud of who we are, unlike the nationalists who are proud of what they aren't. I often refer to the Alamo when I talk about old fashioned Texan unity. Did we care if one was a Democrat or a Whig or a Federalist at the Battle of Alamo? No, of course not! Texans fought and died with each other, side by side, to defend each other and their home. These were legal residents, immigrants, and every one in between! They worked together to fight for a shared cause!

You give me your support, and I give you my word: I will spend every day working hard to make sure you can get a good job, find a decent place to live, have good health care when you get sick and that your children and grandchildren can reach their dreams, no matter who you are or where you come from.

They say everything's bigger in Texas. We have bigger hearts. Bigger hopes. Bigger dreams. Now's not the time to run away from our morals - but towards them.

And I would be humbled to have you join us in this fight. I'm Suraj Shah, and I'm running for Senate. We would be very grateful if you visited our site, surajforsenate.com, and either make a donation or sign up to volunteer. Only together can Texas reclaim the Senate with a leader who fights for all of us.

Suraj Shah for Senate
@SurajShah4TX

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Thank you Fort Worth for a wonderful night! #SurajforSenate #TexasElection

[Kargintina the Third]

Beejay: “Good evening everyone my name is Anita Beejay with MSNBC and tonight we have a very special guest. Representative John Atang it’s great to have you on with us tonight.”

Atang: Thank you, glad to be here.

Beejay: “So Representative, we’re all aware of the tragic shooting that recently occurred in Virginia. What would be your plan to deal with gun violence in this country and prevent further tragedies like Virginia from occurring.”

Atang: Well, firstly, I would like to condemn in the strongest of terms the completely horrific act that took place in Roanoke that killed 10 people. I have heard about it and I cannot state how deeply upset and horrified I am at the despicable events. But I also think that our response should be in deeds not words. Because, frankly, Americans deserve answers and more importantly they deserve actions. We must make sure that criminals who we don't even allow on planes and are barred from voting cannot possess these kinds of lethal weapons, and I think universal background checks are a necessary step towards achieving that.

Beejay: “Universal background checks are a very popular idea seemingly across partisan lines, what about more controversial proposed legislature such as assault weapon bans, red flag laws or magazine limits? Would you support a bill that pushed for these?”

Atang: Personally, I disagree with a blanket federal ban on assault weapons. From the evidence I have seen, the majority of gun deaths are caused by less powerful firearms, and I don't think that a federal ban would have such an impact on crime as some of its proponents would like to think it would. I personally think that should be left to the states. However, red flag laws and magazine limits are measures I would look into supporting if I were given the evidence that they are effective when employed.

Beejay: “That’s very interesting Representative. Now, you have been in your current seat for quite a long time now, since 2001. Is there a chance of us seeing a Governor or Senator Atang in the near future?”

Atang: I won't comment on that for now, but the Gubernational and Senatorial races in New York are not until 2022, so if I am looking for them it certainly won't be in the near future.

Beejay: “You endorsed Governor Miguel Velez for President next year, what made you decide to endorse Governor Velez over any of the other candidates in the Democratic Race? What made him stand out over say, Senator Murphy or Mister Donaldson?”

Atang: His ability to unite. He has shown time and time again he can unite people across ethnic, political, racial, sexual orientative, gender identative, and religious lines to come out in optimism of positive policy goals: ending poverty, keeping our streets safe, and ending hatred and discrimination once and for all.

Beejay: “Would you feel that your own identity as an African-American played a role in this decision?”

Atang: I wouldn't say I support Velez *because* I'm African-American, but it played a role in it, yes, I suppose it plays a role in almost everything.

Beejay: “In 2016 you endorsed self proclaimed Democratic Socialist Baginski, would you consider yourself to be a Socialist? Especially with many programs considered “socialist” being proposed to assist with low-income communities, especially African American low-income communities.”

Atang: I supported Baginsky because he had the policies that united people in this country accross racial, sexual, and gender lines just like Velez does nowadays. Personally, I identify as a liberal democrat, not a socialist.

Beejay: “And you are confident Velez could defeat any Republican challenger, whether it is someone like Governor Prendergast or Representative Paulson?”

Atang: I am. Those people seek to cynically divide our nation through racism, sexism, islamophobia and homophobia, but I am sure that, like in 2016, unity will triumph over division.

Beejay: “I’m sorry, I’m not quite sure what you mean by like in 2016. President Wolf managed to win in 2016, what exactly are you referring to?”

Atang: I am sorry, I meant 2008.

Beejay: “Understandable. Is there anything specific you would like to say to all of our viewers watching tonight?”

Atang: I would like to tell them how eager I am and my whole party is to get out and support justice for people of all races, sexual orientations and gender identities.

Beejay: “Looks like that’s all we really have time for tonight folks. Representative Atang it was a pleasure having you on. Thank you for your time.”

[Velahor]

Campaign Bus Outside Waco

Watching news clips on her phone, Diane Paulson saw John Atang’s interview and was furious. She texted him immediately.

John...we’re co-sponsoring several bills together. It’s a terrible look to accuse me of racism, sexism, or any of those things when we have active legislation in the House together, especially as my beliefs have shown nothing of that sort. Why should I continue backing your social bills if you’re going to disparage me on live television?