Labor Party Standing Committee thread: Endorsement voting

[Oakvale]

Will you be running a Presidential candidate?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Depending on how the next couple of days of the convention go, and assuming one of us is willing to run, yes.

[Barnes]

Depending on how the next couple of days of the convention go, and assuming one of us is willing to run, yes.

I know we're just getting our platform moving, but I think we should get candidate nominations moving soon so as to actual make our mark in this election.

[Napoleon]

I'd like to be considered for this party's gubernatorial endorsement. My record on domestic policy speaks for itself and I have the most comprehensive plan to reform the Northeast. Thank you.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

(pretend I made a speech, sorry, real-life stuff)

Okay, everybody, plenary session time! We're talking about platform planks and possible candidates/endorsements. Would Barnes do the honor of reading out the framework for the platform as we hashed it out at dinner last night?

[hawkeye59]

I think we should endorse Hatman/Dr.Cynic for President

[k-onmmunist]

I'd be more in favour of running our own candidate and second prefing Hatman.

[Jackson]

Boo! Down with revisionist Washburnism!

[Antonio the Sixth]

I think we should endorse Hatman/Dr.Cynic for President

I'm seconding Hawkeye. Unless someone in the party is particularly interested in running, it would be wise to privilege left-wing unity by endorsing the washburnist ticket (this time). Second prefs aren't always as effective as we'd want them to be.

[k-onmmunist]

Does anyone in the party feel like running for President?

[Hatman 🍁]

I figured your party would probably be split between us an Polnut. That is understandable. I have criticized some of your party's stances, whether they be too far right, or too far left. But you know, that averages out pretty good

But my criticism is only there to enlighten. To make you more pure! I will admit that the Labor Party is better than most of the rest.

Please don't see this as pandering, but rather an explanation for my rhetoric

Boo! Down with revisionist Washburnism!

I don't even know what this means...

[k-onmmunist]

I'll vote for you if you move towards a more pro-choice position

[Barnes]

If the party doesn't mind, I would like to ask Earl (and any other possible candidates who would like our endorsement) to publish a short summary of their platform here. And, if willing, to answer a few questions from us. Just so we know exactly what we're getting in to.

[ZuWo]

If the party doesn't mind, I would like to ask Earl (and any other possible candidates who would like our endorsement) to publish a short summary of their platform here. And, if willing, to answer a few questions from us. Just so we know exactly what we're getting in to.

It's worth a try - democracy is great! I formally and humbly ask for your endorsement.

My and Jbrase's platform:

- Fiscal reform: Federal tax cuts for individuals and corporations
- No unnecessary regulations for businesses
- A generally non-interventionist foreign policy, though we follow Iran's nuclear ambitions with a close eye
- Pro life
- Embracing game reform; we would like to reinstate the "Game Reform Committee" and support reform measures such as the separate election of the Vice President

Probably the wrong audience, but hey, at least we gave it a try!

[Hatman 🍁]

I'll vote for you if you move towards a more pro-choice position

Our position is that abortions should be legal, and heavily subsidized right up until birth. However, in a Washburnist society, there would be little reason to have an abortion, as there would be sufficient state support for the usual cases. I don't see what the worry would be, as wouldn't we be making abortion more available?

Anyways, abortion is a tricky subject for me, due to personal reasons (my partner and I would  have had an abortion, but it was too late in the pregnancy,  but now we have a healthy beautiful daughter, and lots of family support).  I know that if people like us knew that there would be little to worry about when they have an unplanned pregnancy, then they would be less likely to have an abortion.

Perhaps my running mate may shed some light on the issue, but since he joined my party, he might not have much opposition to the platform.

As for my platform, I will be brief. Our main commitment is to creating a new and fairer tax structure that will ensure that no one is earning more than they are worth. Our next main commitment would be a drastic change in environmental regulation with the plan to abolish fossil fuel powered automobiles by 2021. And, to retrofit all homes and buildings with solar panels in the same time frame. Our goal is to drastically reduce CO2 emissions. I want my daughter to live in a world not much worse (and hopefully better) than the one that we are in now.

Of course, there will be other major changes we'll be promoting. Health care and education will be the focus of much of our spending. Private education and private health care will be nearly abolished. Children will only be able to attend private education in addition to regular public education. And private health care will only be available for cosmetic surgeries and non-esssential surgeries.

Our next big focus will be jobs. Our plan is to bring the unemployment rate as close to 0% as possible. We will be creating a Secretary of Employment to deal with these matters. (not an actual cabinet position, but rather an office). Offices will be set up across the country, and unemployed citizens will be able to submit the resumes there and will be compared to job openings available. People will be assigned jobs that they are best suited for. Areas where there is more people without jobs than jobs available will be homes to new government offices, or government started factories which will be sold off to the private sector, or better yet, an employee run co-op. Also, if there are areas where jobs are needed, unemployed citizens from areas without jobs will be encouraged to move to these new areas. We would encourage them by providing them with a loan that will help them pay for moving to a new area.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I think the Washburnist platform, despite my earlier grandstanding rhetoric, is eminently acceptable to most of us (although my personal sympathies are more anti-abortion, or less pro-abortion, than most of the party; there are few places in the world where I could be considered 'Labor Right' in any sense but Atlasia is arguably one of them). Since none of us seem particularly interested in Presidential runs, you have my support for a presidential endorsement. I'd like to ask for some movement toward parochial schooling as an exemption from the abolition of private education, but that's not terribly critical; what's more critical is that I feel any leftist platform on education MUST include genuine commitment to the idea that public schools, if they are to be the only game in town, must provide physically or mentally disabled students with, if they or their parents request it, in-school, free support along the social rather than or in addition to the biomedical model of disability. I say this as a former disabled public school student who had to move into a private school due to lack of such support. Vermont is a wonderful state for many, many things but, at least at the time, its elementary education for otherwise-than-normal students was not one of them.

I would like the changes to the Washburnist plank on education that I have just mentioned to, if nothing else, be included in the Labor Party's official platform. We may debate the extent of the religious exemption. In fact, I encourage debating that. But the mandate for comprehensive social disability services in public schooling if tailored private schooling is to be curtailed is non-negotiable for me.

ZuWo, thank you for putting your platform forth. While I can say with some measure of surety that you're right that we're probably not your ideal audience, I at least certainly appreciate your openness about your candidacy and your platform.

[Barnes]

I agree with Nathan, thank you both ZuWo and and Earl for sharing your platforms.

That being said, I don't have as much of a concern with Earl's education policy, but I think it would be nice to address with our own platform.  I'm very pleased with the environmental platform.  I recommend that we endorse the Washburnist ticket, but of course the entire Convention will have to decide.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I think the Nye Bevan quote in your signature should be in our platform somewhere, Barnes.

How about this for our education policy:

The Labor Party believes in extensive investment in genuinely public education at all levels including our beleaguered state universities. The public school, improved and reinvigorated, should remain the general and universal educational default in Atlasia, with exceptions only for religious conviction, disabilities requiring a non-standard educational environment, or private education undertaken as supplementary to the public curriculum. We believe that the public schools must in addition be genuinely committed to providing disabled students with free support along the social rather than or in addition to the biomedical model of disability, in the interests of furthering their development as young members of the whole society. The schools must likewise give up their sole and fixated emphasis on perceived economic value of the material taught and recommit themselves to a whole and humane mission of teaching and guiding.

[Hatman 🍁]

Obviously there will be certain circumstances that would allow for changes. That's what debate is for. Of course, disabled students will get public education. The degree of integration with non-disabled students would depend on the degree of disability, I suppose. It's up for debate. I might not be wise to have mentally challenged students, for example in a regular school, for example. There may be bullying for example, and due to their disability will unfortunately have less opportunities. Increasing opportunities for impoverished students is the main reason for wanting to abolish private schools.

[Hatman 🍁]

Oh, I forgot to mention that post secondary education would become free under a Washburn administration

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Oh, I completely understand and agree with the reasoning behind wanting to destroy the system of stratification in primary education. Beyond my concerns about disabled students and students whose parents might throw enormous fits rather than send them to secular schools (and a questionable education is preferable to being dragged out to the woods to be raised by Mason Tarwater. For most children), I have no problems with the Washburnist position at all.

Oh, I forgot to mention that post secondary education would become free under a Washburn administration

This I like.

[k-onmmunist]

Oh, I forgot to mention that post secondary education would become free under a Washburn administration

I'll be voting for you then

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'd like to formally ask the convention for an up-or-down vote on endorsing the Washburnist ticket for the Presidency.

[Barnes]

I'd like to formally ask the convention for an up-or-down vote on endorsing the Washburnist ticket for the Presidency.

Should this need any kind of second, I give it.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'd like to formally ask the convention for an up-or-down vote on endorsing the Washburnist ticket for the Presidency.

Should this need any kind of second, I give it.

It doesn't, since I'm the Chairman and I'm making party rules mainly by setting precedent. Thank you very much, though.