Land of The Free: American Political Roleplay (OOC IV)

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

Westra

[Main Nation Ministry]

Westra, are you drunk?

[Lavan Tiri]

Mon dieu it's been so long since I laughed at NS

[Sanabel]

Can I suggest something?

No more races that are really, really close. Texas, Kentucky and Mississippi have all been literally within 1% of a victor or loser.

That’s just the nature of the races we have had. They won’t all be like that in 2020

[Lavan Tiri]

Hey San I know I ask this a lot but can you look at dis app

(Image)

---

Character Information Sheet

NS Nation Name: Yourmom Miri

Character Name: Andrew Bruce Courtois

Character Gender: Male

Character Age: 64

Character Height: 6'1

Character Weight: 176 pounds

Character Position/Role/Job:
- Governor of Massachusetts (since 2014)
- Campaign Finance Director for Ron Mitter's Presidential Campaign (2012)
- Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party (2010-2014)
- Campaign Finance Director for Ron Mitter's Presidential Campaign (2008)
- US Secretary of Commerce (2000-2003)
- CEO of Plymouth Rock Health Services (1996-2000, 2004-2008, 2008-2012)
- Financial Services Partner at Brewer Consulting (1994-1996)

Appearance:

Character State of Origin: Louisiana

Character State of Residence: Massachusetts

Character Party Affiliation: Republican

Main Strengths:
- Experienced in both public and private sectors with a successful tenure as both a businessman and a politician.
- Deeply connected to political establishment in Massachusetts, friendly with Republicans and Democrats
- Solid political instincts; able to quickly adapt to changing circumstances and events.
- Skilled manager and organizer

Main Weaknesses:
- Likeable but not terribly charismatic; somewhat gaffe-prone
- Too liberal for the GOP at large, too conservative for some in Massachusetts
- Silver-spoon background and career path
- Connected not just to Ron Mitter, but to President John J. Burke
- Has a habit of talking tough and then blinking first every time he clashes with the state legislature

Biography:
Born July 19th, 1955 in Shreveport, Louisiana to Alexandre Baptiste Courtois, a lawyer and politician born in France, and Célia Marie Courtois (nee Long), daughter of Governor Earl Long. He grew up with a silver spoon firmly in his mouth--attending a prestigious private Catholic school, living large among the upper crust of Louisiana society--and graduated high school at the top of his class.

In 1972, after graduating high school, he attended Tulane University, where he was known for his academic success and his involvement with student government. After graduating from Tulane with a Bachelor's in Finance, he decided to head north: in 1976 he was accepted to Harvard Law School, and moved to Massachusetts.

At Harvard, he struggled socially somewhat, due to his Southern heritage and thick accent, which he worked with an acting coach to learn how to suppress. In his second year at the Law School he became a contributor to the Harvard Law Review, demonstrating his keen legal mind...if not, necessarily, his acumen with particularly engaging writing.

He graduated from Harvard in 1979, near the top of his class, and began working at Brewer Consulting, a Boston-based management consultancy firm. His work was satisfactory, and he rose through the ranks fairly fast, going from an Associate to a Partner in a little over a decade based off his workaholic tendencies, skill at networking, and family connections.

In 1980, at 25 years old and fresh out of Harvard, he began dating Arlene Adkins, a fellow graduate who was working on becoming a criminal defense attorney. He and Adkins were married in March of 1982, and had a son, Andre Bayard Courtois, on July 3rd, 1983. On August 24th, 1985, they had a daughter, Laura Célia Courtois. Life was good for the Courtois family, although Alexandre suffered a fatal heart attack in 1989.

In 1994, Andrew met Ron Mitter, who was running for Senate, while Andrew worked as a financial adviser to his campaign. The pair struck up a friendship and a professional relationship.

In 1995, barely eight months after Andrew had been made a Partner at Brewer, his wife and daughter died in a car crash in Salem, where they'd been visiting Arlene's family. A drunk driver, speeding down the street, struck the Courtois vehicle on the driver's side at nearly 80 miles per hour. Arlene was killed nearly instantly, while the force of the two cars careening off the road and into a ditch smashed Laura's head into the back of the driver's seat so hard that she suffered massive brain damage. She hadn't been wearing a seat belt.

Andre, in shock and not even 13 years old, managed to crawl out of the passenger seat and through the shattered driver's window. He sat on the road, bleeding, and waited for his father and the ambulance to arrive. Andrew, who'd been at work, rushed out of the building mid-meeting when he was informed, and drove to the hospital Andre had been taken to. Andrew's boss, understanding the situation, gave him nearly a month off work in order to be with his son and bury his wife and daughter.

Andrew made sure Andre was able to see a therapist, while his mother Célia moved up from Louisiana to care for Andre while Andrew was at work. Andrew, who was in 7th grade, was in and out of therapists offices and mental institutions.

In 1996, Plymouth Rock Health Services, a health insurance company, lost it's CEO. Andrew, a successful partner at a well-known firm, was offered the job, which he accepted--partially in order to keep paying for Andre's therapy bills.

On December 10th, 1998, two years after Andrew had begun working at Plymouth Rock and three years after the accident, Andre attempted to commit suicide. Célia, who believed that Andre had improved enough to be left home alone briefly, was out shopping. She returned to find her grandson laying on the floor in a puddle of puke, having broken into the liquor cabinet and swallowed as many pills as he could get in his mouth.

Andre was rushed to the hospital and briefly proclaimed medically dead before doctors were able to revive him and pump his stomach. Andrew once more rushed out of a meeting to see to his son's condition, leading to a screaming match with Célia in the hospital.

After taking Andre home later that week, Andrew took more time off to attend to his son. Andrew also began attending his own therapy sessions, as well as joint sessions with his son. During this period, Andrew--who had let his Catholic faith lapse during college--began regularly attending Mass again, finding it a steadying influence in his life. Andre came with him, and father and son bonded, not over shared grief, but over a shared faith. Célia, who was still living with them and had been (pun intended) religiously attending Mass, was overjoyed.

In 2000, the year Andre graduated high school, Andrew supported John J. Burke during the Republican primary and campaigned for him in Massachusetts. Burke lost Massachusetts, but won both the primary and the general election. He took a liking to Andrew, and appointed him Secretary of Commerce. Andrew resigned his job at Plymouth Rock and rented an apartment in D.C., while still frequently visiting Boston.

Andrew was a component and effective Secretary (who basically did everything that Donald Evans did as Secretary of Commerce from 2000-2003), but he and Vice President Dickney developed, over a short period of time, an intense mutual dislike. In 2003, Andrew resigned. Publically, his reasoning was that he missed his son (who was attending Boston University in the pre-med track) and his mother. Privately, it was that, as well as his disdain for Dickney. In a private letter to Burke that was obtained by press in 2006, he wrote, "John, you've been a good friend and a wonderful boss. Sadly, however, I cannot stand being in the same building as the VP for one more minute of my life."

After his resignation, Andrew returned to Boston. He was semi-retired for 2 years, resting on the comforts of his long career and spending as much time as he could with Andre and Célia. He briefly dated a number of other women, but couldn't take it any further--it felt like a betrayal of Arlene. So he remained an unmarried widower, content to watch his son grow up. His only political involvement in this period was endorsing and voting for Ron Mitter as Governor.

In 2004, Plymouth Rock, experiencing financial hardship, asked Andrew to return as CEO. Bored, he agreed, and quickly helped turn the company around by shedding employees, lowering premiums, and offering a wider range of coverage, allowing the company to compete better and poach clients from other companies.

In 2007, Andre graduated from med school and began working as an orthopedic surgeon. Andrew was overjoyed that the son he almost lost had become so successful.

In 2008, Ron Mitter approached Andrew and asked him to serve as Finance Director for his first Presidential campaign. Andrew agreed and took a temporary leave from Plymouth Rock. He worked with Mitter through the primaries, where he received more donations than every other candidate, until Mitter conceded his loss to (not-McCain), when Andrew returned to life as normal.

In 2009, Andre, who'd moved to be closer to his job, brought home a significant other--his boyfriend, Marcus, an aide to the Mayor of Boston. Andrew, though shocked, accepted the pairing relatively quickly, and got into another screaming match with a disapproving Célia about it. This time, the fight nearly tore the family apart, and Célia was on the verge of moving back to Shreveport before Andre managed to calm her down.

In 2010, with the Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party leaving, Andrew decided to run for the position. He was able to triumph, banking on his political connections to overcome the other candidates. He led the state GOP for 4 years, working to get as many candidates elected to state and local offices as possible while keeping the (minuscule) Tea Party elements in his party at bay by refusing to back them, publically endorsing their opponents, and even donating to Democrats. His tactics were not appreciated by all of the state GOP, but they kept the Party together during a politically fractious time, as well as keeping Massachusetts Republicans viable by avoiding the extremism some wanted to embrace.

Also in 2010, Andre and Marcus were married. In 2011, a surrogate gave them twin daughters: Laura Arlene and Célia Imogen. Andrew was thrilled to be a grandfather.

In 2012, Ron Mitter once more approached Andrew, asking him to run a second Presidential campaign. Andrew left his job at Plymouth Rock for good, and took the job of Finance Director. He was with the Mitter campaign through the primaries, all the way to the loss against Baharia. Disheartened, Andrew returned home to continue running the state GOP.

In 2014, with the Democratic incumbent not running, Andrew decided to chance a run for Governor. He resigned his position in the state GOP and cruised through the Republican primary, crushing his opponents easily. In a tough, sometimes vicious election, he managed to squeak out a win against the Democratic candidate. He won reelection overwhelmingly in 2018, and ran briefly for President in 2016. He dropped out before Iowa and didn't poll above 2% for his entire campaign.

His Governorship has been basically identical to that of the RL Charlie Baker--fiscally conservative, socially liberal, and willing to compromise when needed.

Other Info:
Ideologically, he's a pragmatic, old-school Republican: pro-labor, pro-cannabis, pro-gun, and anti-abortion for all the good it does him. He's never tried to outlaw abortion in Massachusetts but has voiced his opposition to it personally while not touching it legally. His Governorship has been marked by an increase in public-private partnerships and a lowering of taxes across Massachusetts, particularly on companies that have or move their headquarters to the state.

I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay: Laban Biri

Do Not Remove: 84721

Idk man my brain just does thing.

[Emazia]

What even is the IC now

[Sanabel]

GOP will be fine, don’t read into gubernatorial races too much. Texas is the much bigger issue.

[Lavan Tiri]

What even is the IC now

Evander sitting in his living room laughing his ass off

[Jovuistan]

Why are we discussing if Dairy Queen is good?

First of all, it's not.

[Bruke]

I don’t want to pile on here but I’ve made some changes to the Vermont app to align with what I originally for the character... a re review may be necessary.

[Bruke]

“Special dairy cream” lol it’s not that special.

[Bruke]

Why are we discussing if Dairy Queen is good?

First of all, it's not.

You get it

[Latvijas Otra Republika]

Why are we discussing if Dairy Queen is good?

First of all, it's not.

Google image searched it and it looks ten out of ten, but as a europoor my only dessert is a mixed spoonful of raisins and nuts so I can’t comment

[Democratic Peoples republic of Kelvinsi]

GOP will be fine, don’t read into gubernatorial races too much. Texas is the much bigger issue.

I concur that is why Brookshire’s name will always be remembered as the woman who lost the stronghold, while Renfus’ run will likely be forgotten in a year or two

[Lavan Tiri]

Why are we discussing if Dairy Queen is good?

First of all, it's not.

look man this is the best thing to ever happen in this RP. a Dem won Mississippi and a Presidential candidate is tweeting about Dairy Queen.

[Bruke]

Why are we discussing if Dairy Queen is good?

First of all, it's not.

look man this is the best thing to ever happen in this RP. a Dem won Mississippi and a Presidential candidate is tweeting about Dairy Queen.

[Latvijas Otra Republika]

Best crackpot timeline

[Lavan Tiri]

look man this is the best thing to ever happen in this RP. a Dem won Mississippi and a Presidential candidate is tweeting about Dairy Queen.

My roommate thinks I'm going crazy because of this

Best crackpot timeline

Everything Westra does is comedy gold

[Emazia]

Best crackpot timeline

If Bernie Porter of all people thinks you've gone insane, then you're doing something either amazingly right or horribly wrong.

[Lavan Tiri]

Best crackpot timeline

If Bernie Porter of all people thinks you've gone insane, then you're doing something either amazingly right or horribly wrong.

I like to imagine there's a The_Donald or WayOfTheBern style subreddit for the Presidential candidates and the Westra one is going batshit over this

[Bruke]

My roommate thinks I'm going crazy because of this

Best crackpot timeline

Everything Westra does is comedy gold

What are your favorite Westra moments? Mine will always be the cheesesteak

[Lavan Tiri]

My roommate thinks I'm going crazy because of this



Everything Westra does is comedy gold

What are your favorite Westra moments? Mine will always be the cheesesteak

Used to be cheesesteak. Now it's Hamilton Township Dairy Queen

[Main Nation Ministry]

Diary Queen and Cheesesteak endorses Westra!

[Jovuistan]

Westra is slowly on his way to becoming Reviewbrah

[Emazia]

If Bernie Porter of all people thinks you've gone insane, then you're doing something either amazingly right or horribly wrong.

I like to imagine there's a The_Donald or WayOfTheBern style subreddit for the Presidential candidates and the Westra one is going batshit over this

No doubt the Porter one's already been banned lmao