Presidential Debate Thread

[bore]

Hello everyone, first I'd like to thank GM Cynic for hosting this debate, and thank Potus for agreeing to take part in what I hope will be a civil and informative debate.

To introduce myself to those people not familiar, I'm bore, the current regional senator for the northeast and also speaker of the senate. Before succeeding Scott to the senate I was a representative in the northeast assembly on and off for about a year, eventually becoming speaker.

I'm running for the presidency because I believe atlas would be better off by choosing, to use my opponents term, my vision. I want to see an atlas whose swords have been made into ploughshares, where all people are treated equally, where all people, no matter their birth, have excellent education and healthcare. Furthermore, I want to see an atlas of activity, with people of different political viewpoints being able to defend their own views, where newspapers exist and the law is clear.

I don't think these are controversial ideals, but I do think my presidency would be especially focused on delivering them, be it through working hard with the senate (I think my, and Bacon King's experience with that body would enable me to work productively with it) or focusing on international development to build a more just world.

Finally, before I get accused of being a hippy idealist, I'd like to say that a bore presidency would recognise the truth the best way to achieve something is not always the most obvious way. For instance to bring lasting peace we can't make our army powerless and there is no point implementing a tax designed to reduce inequality if it is roundly ignored.

Thank you for reading and I look forward to the debate.

[bore]

Potus seems to be under the misapprehension that he is running against Senator TNF, which he patently is not. I'm not entirely sure atlasia can trust someone who confuses the presidency and myself with the midwest regional senate seat and TNF.

But, like atlasians of all stripes, including many laborites, for instance former Governor Talleyrand and Griffin, who no one can accuse of being a moderate hero, I don't support a 25 dollar minimum wage. The consequences of one would be disastrous. This is neither surprising nor does it put me at odds with my party or the centre left of atlasia more generally. It's worth noting however that the 25 dollar minimum wage is set for ten years hence, which given the rate of inflation currently probably isn't all that much of an increase in real terms.

Besides, the red menace that Potus warns us about is really not that much of a menace at all. Even if all the trots currently registered in atlasia won a senate seat they still wouldn't have a majority. TNF is a great senator who I am glad we have in atlasia (no other senator has been so consistently active or produced so many bills, even if they have had to be amended), but as he would himself acknowledge hardly the mainstream voice of the senate or of labor. I invite those people who think I think and vote  exactly like TNF to check almost any controversial senate bill over the past year, for example the Civil Rights Bill that is just finishing the senate now.

[bore]

My administration would enforce the law that ultimately passes, come what may.

I think this is an issue that me and potus can agree on. Whether you do or do not agree with the law, barring something incredibly immoral like the fugitive slave act, you must abide by it and not threaten the lives of supporters of it.