TRUMAN for PRESIDENT • KALWEJT for VICE PRESIDENT

[pikachu]

I've been gone for awhile, so, tbh, I'm not entirely 100% sure about what's going on, but I've always felt that you'd make an excellent president, and I strongly believe that you are the man necessary to lead Atlasia into its new era.

Endorsed!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I've been gone for awhile, so, tbh, I'm not entirely 100% sure about what's going on, but I've always felt that you'd make an excellent president, and I strongly believe that you are the man necessary to lead Atlasia into its new era.

Endorsed!

Thanks, Pikachu! Glad to see you around these parts again!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Words cannot begin to express the horror that seized hold of me on learning of the despicable act of violence that claimed 53 lives and left 50 others injured in Florida early this morning. Nothing I can say will ease the pain of those who lost their loved ones in those terrible moments. Allow me to echo the words of my fellow Atlasians: there is no room for hate in this country, and the dignity of every person must and shall be respected.

Yet, as Committeewoman Peebs so rightly put it, words are not enough. The horrid injustice of this act only reminds us that we must work to defend the liberty of all Atlasians against those who would take it from them. We must have leaders who will defend the rights of the LGBTQ community, and who will unflinchingly stand by the sacred principle upon which this country was founded: that all men and women are created equal; for, as the late John F. Kennedy to aptly put it, no-one in Atlasia is free until every citizen is free.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The debate is on! Undecided voters would do well to read my opening statement and answers to the questions posed by moderators Ted Bessell and C.X. Smith! As always, I remain willing to answer additional questions from the public - don't hesitate to get in touch.

Debate Thread

[Lincoln Republican]

Thanks for the question, Winfield!

I believe that transgender citizens should use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. I have listened to the arguments against this policy, and I do not find them convincing. Specifically, I find it hard to believe that - as one poster put it - someone "evil enough to commit rape and stupid enough to do it in a public restroom" - will be deterred by the threat of a small fine. There is no evidence that transgender people pose a significant threat to the safety of our citizens; I therefore support leaving the decision of which bathroom to use to the individual.

Thank you for your reply Truman.

I myself find it deplorable, though, that a bathroom used by little girls could also be used legally by, let us say, a 40 year old man, who claims that he identifies himself as a woman.

And lest anyone thinks otherwise, I have spoken out time and again on this forum in support of many types of gay rights.

But men in girls bathrooms, no.

[This account no longer in use.]

Well, Lincoln Republican, this can be explained easily. Usually, somebody who is legitimately transgender will look like the gender they are transitioning/have transitioned to, which you can't exactly say about these '40 year old men'.

Second off, even if you pass laws against this, what's stopping said hypothetical 40 year old man from going into the bathroom anyway? Do you want guards for public bathrooms or something? Because there aren't any other ways that I can think of to stop them permanently. They'd already be committing some type of sex crime, most likely, so I don't think a new law against going into a specific bathroom will stop them.

[Kingpoleon]

Well, Lincoln Republican, this can be explained easily. Usually, somebody who is legitimately transgender will look like the gender they are transitioning/have transitioned to, which you can't exactly say about these '40 year old men'.

Second off, even if you pass laws against this, what's stopping said hypothetical 40 year old man from going into the bathroom anyway? Do you want guards for public bathrooms or something? Because there aren't any other ways that I can think of to stop them permanently. They'd already be committing some type of sex crime, most likely, so I don't think a new law against going into a specific bathroom will stop them.

Since they may be disguised, let's have police officers standing by and force them to strip.

Otherwise, obviously, Winfield's ban is easily circumvented.

[Lincoln Republican]

Well, Lincoln Republican, this can be explained easily. Usually, somebody who is legitimately transgender will look like the gender they are transitioning/have transitioned to, which you can't exactly say about these '40 year old men'.

Second off, even if you pass laws against this, what's stopping said hypothetical 40 year old man from going into the bathroom anyway? Do you want guards for public bathrooms or something? Because there aren't any other ways that I can think of to stop them permanently. They'd already be committing some type of sex crime, most likely, so I don't think a new law against going into a specific bathroom will stop them.

Since they may be disguised, let's have police officers standing by and force them to strip.

Otherwise, obviously, Winfield's ban is easily circumvented.

Let's look at it in this light.  You were born a male.  You think of yourself as a female.  However, you are in fact still, and may always be, anatomically a male.

Should you use the men's bathroom or should you use the women's bathroom?     

[NeverAgain]

Well, Lincoln Republican, this can be explained easily. Usually, somebody who is legitimately transgender will look like the gender they are transitioning/have transitioned to, which you can't exactly say about these '40 year old men'.

Second off, even if you pass laws against this, what's stopping said hypothetical 40 year old man from going into the bathroom anyway? Do you want guards for public bathrooms or something? Because there aren't any other ways that I can think of to stop them permanently. They'd already be committing some type of sex crime, most likely, so I don't think a new law against going into a specific bathroom will stop them.

Since they may be disguised, let's have police officers standing by and force them to strip.

Otherwise, obviously, Winfield's ban is easily circumvented.

Let's look at it in this light.  You were born a male.  You think of yourself as a female.  However, you are in fact still, and may always be, anatomically a male.

Should you use the men's bathroom or should you use the women's bathroom?     

Let's look at it in the correct light. You were born mistakenly a male, you are and always have been a female in a man's body. You want to downgrade to the women's bathroom (sorry y'all but it smells in there), yet people say that your identity doesn't matter and you should be forced to use the wrong bathroom.

Is that fair?

I am not even talking about the women who have already switched anatomically to becoming their correct gender.

Also, ITS A GODDAMN BATHROOM WHAT IS THE DEAL? Like seriously, I don't see the issue. It's a bodily function whether you are male, female, or anything in between. I say the bathroom bill does harm to men's bathroom, the more we can do to limit the smell the better (have fun ladies).

[Lincoln Republican]

Evading the issue, but OK.

[NeverAgain]

Evading the issue, but OK.

And what is your issue?

[Kingpoleon]

Well, Lincoln Republican, this can be explained easily. Usually, somebody who is legitimately transgender will look like the gender they are transitioning/have transitioned to, which you can't exactly say about these '40 year old men'.

Second off, even if you pass laws against this, what's stopping said hypothetical 40 year old man from going into the bathroom anyway? Do you want guards for public bathrooms or something? Because there aren't any other ways that I can think of to stop them permanently. They'd already be committing some type of sex crime, most likely, so I don't think a new law against going into a specific bathroom will stop them.

Since they may be disguised, let's have police officers standing by and force them to strip.

Otherwise, obviously, Winfield's ban is easily circumvented.

Let's look at it in this light.  You were born a male.  You think of yourself as a female.  However, you are in fact still, and may always be, anatomically a male.

Should you use the men's bathroom or should you use the women's bathroom?     

To that I say:

Evading the issue, but OK.

[Lincoln Republican]

I have a question for the most esteemed Vice Presidential candidate, Mr. Kalwejt.

Mr. Kalwejt

If you are successful in obtaining the office of Vice President of this great republic, will you actually serve out your full term, barring an emergency, of course?

After all, you do have a history of abandoning public offices you have held mid term.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The Truman Plan | Part III: Defeating ISIS

Support Our Allies
As Senator At-Large, I wrote legislation that committed $500 Million in weapons and foreign aid to Jordanian and Iraqi Kurdish forces currently battling ISIS. As president, I will call on Congress to (a) pass a new aid package providing money, arms, and humanitarian aid to our allies in the region; and (b) authorize air strikes against ISIS targets worldwide. I will continue to work with our allies, including the Republic of Iraq, the Kingdom of Jordan, and Iraqi Kurdish forces, to defeat ISIS wherever it rears its ugly head.
Defend the Home Front
The threat posed by homegrown terrorism is just as great, and in some ways greater, than the threat posed by ISIS fighters abroad. While right wing fearmongers love to exploit tragedies like the recent shooting in Orlando by calling for a blanket ban on Muslim immigration, the fact of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of terror attacks committed on our soil are carried out by natural-born citizens. An immigration embargo would not have stopped these attacks; instead, it would feed the narrative that Atlasia and the West are anti-Islam and push Muslims into the arms of ISIS. That is not only immoral, it is strategically irresponsible.

Instead of restoring to demagoguery and bigotry that only further fuel the rise of extremist groups, my administration will pursue a comprehensive strategy to protect our citizens and stop these attacks before they happen.

• Stop Selling Guns to Terrorists. Ban arms purchases by persons on the terrorist watch list and institute mandatory background checks for all arms sales.
  
  
• Stay One Step Ahead of the terrorists by authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to monitor the online accounts of suspected terrorists and members of terrorist groups.
  
  
• Prepare for the Worst. My Administration will coordinate with the Regional Governors to develop a strategy for responding to large-scale terrorist insurgencies, such as the attacks on Dearborn earlier this year, as well as lone-wolf attacks like San Bernardino and Orlando.

Ally with Moderate Muslims
We must reach out to peace-loving Atlasian Muslims and work with leaders in the Muslim community to nip terrorism in the bud. The surest way to counter radical Islam is with moderate Islam, and the people best positioned to check the rising tide of extremism are Muslims themselves. This is not only the right thing to do - it's the smart thing to do.

[Lincoln Republican]

I have a question for the most esteemed Vice Presidential candidate, Mr. Kalwejt.

Mr. Kalwejt

If you are successful in obtaining the office of Vice President of this great republic, will you actually serve out your full term, barring an emergency, of course?

After all, you do have a history of abandoning public offices you have held mid term.

Again, I ask.

This question deserves an answer.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The Truman Plan | Part IV: Equal Justice Under Law

Abolish the Death Penalty
I fully support a Constitutional Amendment abolishing capital punishment nationwide. The fact of the matter is that the death penalty is neither morally justified nor fiscally responsible. The Center for Wrongful Convictions estimates that 1 in 20 citizens convicted by our legal system are later found to be innocent. In the case of a prison sentence, those innocent men and women can be released; executions  are permanent. I fail to understand from where government derives the moral authority to condemn its citizens to death, particularly when the possibility of wrongful conviction remains.

Furthermore, all evidence suggests that the death penalty actually costs taxpayers more than it would to sentence the very same criminal to life in prison. The death penalty is not only morally wrong, it is fiscally irresponsible - why on earth would we want to keep it?

Police Accountability
As Speaker of the Mideast Assembly, I supported legislation aimed at increasing transparency and accountability within our law enforcement system. That bill began a program of force wide badge cameras to be worn by all uniformed law enforcement officials, in an effort to curb police brutality and protect honest officers from untrue accusations. Funding for this program was provided by the federal government under the terms of the Law Enforcement Transparency Act of 2015, which offered funding to all regions willing to establish such a program.

As president, I will renew this vital partnership between federal and local authorities by offering funding to any Region willing to establish a program of force-wide badge cameras. These cameras will ensure that we have a reliable, truthful record of all interactions between the police and the public. I would note that, when the Senate voted on this bill a year ago, it passed with the overwhelming support of both liberals and conservatives - only known communist TNF voted against it. This is a common-sense measure that will protect both citizens and police officials, and I will work with both parties to see it enacted.

[Lincoln Republican]

I have a question for the most esteemed Vice Presidential candidate, Mr. Kalwejt.

Mr. Kalwejt

If you are successful in obtaining the office of Vice President of this great republic, will you actually serve out your full term, barring an emergency, of course?

After all, you do have a history of abandoning public offices you have held mid term.

Again, I ask.

This question deserves an answer.

When Atlasians ask a question of a candidate, they expect an answer.

Mr. Kalwejt, what is your answer?

[Gass3268]

Endorsed!

[Flake]

I have a question for the most esteemed Vice Presidential candidate, Mr. Kalwejt.

Mr. Kalwejt

If you are successful in obtaining the office of Vice President of this great republic, will you actually serve out your full term, barring an emergency, of course?

After all, you do have a history of abandoning public offices you have held mid term.

Again, I ask.

This question deserves an answer.

When Atlasians ask a question of a candidate, they expect an answer.

Mr. Kalwejt, what is your answer?

It's really not necessary to (dramatically) demand someone to answer what's clearly a 'gotcha' question.

[Lincoln Republican]

I have asked an honest, valid question of a candidate who is seeking public office, and all I expect is an answer.

[This account no longer in use.]

So I see you abandoned your line of questioning about transgender issues after it didn't work out for you?

[Mike Thick]

So I see you abandoned your line of questioning about transgender issues after it didn't work out for you?

Hey, he kept it going for a bit in Leinad's thread. Maybe he just got his fill there.

Regardless, while I would like to hear what Kal has to say on the subject, putting your question in thirty-point colored font does not boost your chances of getting an answer.

[tmthforu94]

So I see you abandoned your line of questioning about transgender issues after it didn't work out for you?

Hey, he kept it going for a bit in Leinad's thread. Maybe he just got his fill there.

Regardless, while I would like to hear what Kal has to say on the subject, putting your question in thirty-point colored font does not boost your chances of getting an answer.

I agree - not a huge fan of the method of asking, but considering Kalwejt rejoined Atlasia a day before being selected as VP, I think it is a reasonable to ask about his level of commitment/activity, especially considering how long it has taken to answer what should be an easy question.

[Classic Conservative]

So I see you abandoned your line of questioning about transgender issues after it didn't work out for you?

Hey, he kept it going for a bit in Leinad's thread. Maybe he just got his fill there.

Regardless, while I would like to hear what Kal has to say on the subject, putting your question in thirty-point colored font does not boost your chances of getting an answer.

I agree - not a huge fan of the method of asking, but considering Kalwejt rejoined Atlasia a day before being selected as VP, I think it is a reasonable to ask about his level of commitment/activity, especially considering how long it has taken to answer what should be an easy question.

Exactly #AnswerTheQuestion, Kal.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Let's be honest here. None of us can possibly rule out a RL emergency which takes precedence over all Atlasian matters. Last time I had to resign, because of a serious RL situation I couldn't focus on the forum and, as you probably noticed. I didn't "get bored": I was gone for almost three months.

So no, I can't give you a definitive answer. It'll be dishonest to assume this.

As of the other thing yes, I registered because Truman asked me to be his running mate. If elected, I don't plan to be a hyperactive VP, but just a low-key, yet dependable help whenever needed. I tried to be a hyperactive VP before and it didn't work well.