The year is 2116, and these are the issues. Which party do you vote for?

[Blue3]

The year is 2116, there is a budget surplus and it is a time of relative international peace though urban crime remains a well-publicized problem, there are many new debates and old debates with new spins, some of today's raging debates have long since been settled or have become insignificant, and these are the platforms that the two main parties of the United States are running on:
(and I wrote the 12 issues to parallel each other, so you can see both sides of every issue)


Republicans
1= want mandatory cyborg guns implanted in all... so every citizen over the age of 18 without a criminal record is cybernetically implanted with laser-based firearms that can never run out of ammo (due to all cyborg body parts being beamed a constant source of power from space-based solar satellites). They would also receive mandatory information downloaded into their brains, on proper use and directions.
2= oppose the repeal of the 1st amendment
3= support a massive surge of public investment into urban infrastructure, with many corporations pledging to match
4= support unrestricted immigration of colonists/refugees from Mars and the moons of Jupiter (after their newly-independent governments fell into turmoil, see 1800's Latin America), and these immigrants/refugees are wanted due to their genetic modifications that make them excellent contributions to the skilled workforce (terrestrial governments haven't yet unlocked the secrets of their genetic engineering, a closely guarded government secret of the Martian and Jovian governments)
5= support the official annexation of the UK, and oppose statehood for the Yukon, Nunavut, and Northwest territories
6= support recognizing "West Africa, Incorporated" as a sovereign state and ending recognition of their governments in exile
7= support keeping the 31st amendment to the constitution, to keep the established nationwide school curriculum because it promotes a well-educated workforce, and consistent standards of education
8= want to fund projects (in the country and around the world) that would transform heavily-polluted areas and large landfills back into a pristine state and use as national parks
9= support Virtual Reality gaming, despite some saying its an addiction-based mental health epidemic
10= support the stationing of microscopic "surveillance & stun" drones operated by the U.S. military (known for their greater discipline and be better trusted than police) in homes that, according to the data, have a >99% chance to house criminals
11= support PBS (PBS News channel has become a big hit, similar to present-day BBC in the UK)
12= oppose the decentralization of production, say that dreams of "a nanotech-based factory in every home" would lead to mass chaos and crime, including the mass production of WMDs by any individual who wants them

Democrats
1= resist mandatory cyborg gun implants, believing that they should only be optional and that people have the right to choose what modifications should be made to their bodies
2= support abolishing the 1st amendment, to establish Neo-Rationalist Buddhism as the official state religion (though most realize it would be an uphill battle, like the prospect of single-payer healthcare today or an amendment to overturn Citizens United in 2016)
3= strongly support policies that encourage sustainable farming, imposing limits on the number of people allowed to live in a city and gradually decreasing that maximum over time
4= support strict quotas on immigrants/refugees from the colonies on Mars and the moons of Jupiter, out of fear that too many genetically-unaltered humans would lose their jobs (as well as an unsaid but widespread uneasiness with them, feeling their existence challenges foundational ideas like "all humans are created equal")
5= oppose the official annexation of the UK, and support statehood for the Yukon, Nunavut, and Northwest territories
6= oppose recognizing "West Africa, Incorporated" as a sovereign state, and support funding for resistance fighters seeking to re-establish the obsolete nation-states of West Africa
7= seek to repeal the 31st amendment to the constitution, so the federal government no longer has the power to set a micromanaging nationwide school curriculum
8= oppose funding projects  (in the country and around the world) that would transform heavily-polluted areas and large landfills back into a pristine state, because the conversion would wipe out the organisms that have since evolved and adapted to living there and possibly drive some of these newly-evolved species into extinction
9= want addictive Virtual Reality gaming to be banned, and its addicts to be classified as substance abuse addicts, and favor policies that strongly encourage mental healthcare for it
10= strongly oppose the stationing of microscopic "surveillance & stun" drones operated by the U.S. military (known for their greater discipline and be better trusted than police) in homes that, according to the data, have a >99% chance to house criminals... saying they leech on a home's energy (though an insignificant fraction, it's the principle) and that it's blatantly unconstitutional according to the 3rd amendment and demands it be a litmus test for new Supreme Court justices
11= want to abolish PBS, or at least the PBS News Channel (similar to today's BBC in the UK, but perceived as too Republican-friendly in its political news reporting)
12= support the decentralization of production, "a nanotech-based factory in every home," to break the power of the corporations, end the influence of the cities, and return to a "rational, natural, and human" way of living



Who would you support, and why?
(And how would you describe/summarize your understanding of each party?)

This should be fun

[Kingpoleon]

GOP, though I disagree with them on issues #1, 10, and to some extent #12.

Issue number eight I would probably suggest we move the species to contained, similarly polluted areas.

[Devout Centrist]

Republican, though by this point, neither party may exist.

[evergreenarbor]

Republican, though I would disagree with them on 1, 5, 6, and 10.

[kyc0705]

Republican, but 117 year old me would be too concerned with VR taking me to memories of the past and I would forget to vote. And also I might have a nanobot appointment that day. You can't expect me to do everything

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Republican, though I would disagree with them on 1, 5, 6, and 10.

[Figueira]

I'd be a swing voter.

[Wells]

I'd vote Republican, due to agreeing with them on all but 1 and 10 and being a moderate on 8, 9, and 12.

Detailed positions on 8, 9, 12:

Would transport the newly evolved species to small areas (probably on another planet) where they will be monitored and preserved, then turn landfills into beautiful national parks.

Regulate virtual reality gaming and spread awareness (in VR of course). Set up rehab for tose who spend more than 12 hours per day gaming.

A nanotech-based factory in every home, but only if they are programmed to not build certain things (like WMDs or those cyborg guns).

[Figueira]

On a lot of these I need more information. Does the UK want to be annexed?

Now that I lolk at these more, I think I would be a Republican. Both parties are terrible though.

[RFayette]

I would retire to a third world country with nice beaches and no cyborgs, so I wouldn't be voting.

[Medal506]

Republicans

[Blue3]

I'd be a swing voter.

What would be your stances on each of these 12 issues? Or are you genuinely undecided on a few of them?

[Kingpoleon]

Me:
1= resist mandatory cyborg gun implants, believing that they should only be optional and that people have the right to choose what modifications should be made to their bodies
2= oppose the repeal of the 1st amendment
3= support a minor surge of public investment into urban redevelopment and security of cities; strongly support policies that encourage sustainable and renewable farming, imposing limits on the number of people allowed to live in a city and gradually decreasing that maximum over time
4= support unrestricted immigration of colonists/refugees from Mars and the moons of Jupiter (after their newly-independent governments fell into turmoil, see 1800's Latin America), and these immigrants/refugees are wanted due to their genetic modifications that make them excellent contributions to the skilled workforce (terrestrial governments haven't yet unlocked the secrets of their genetic engineering, a closely guarded government secret of the Martian and Jovian governments)
5= support the official annexation of the UK; support statehood for the Yukon, Nunavut, and Northwest territories; both pending referendum
6= Unsure
7= seek to repeal the 31st amendment to the constitution, so the federal government no longer has the power to set a micromanaging nationwide school curriculum
8= want to fund projects (in the country and around the world) that would transform heavily-polluted areas and large landfills back into a pristine state and use as national parks; contain species that thrive in polluted areas in polluted areas, to be kept to a lack of growth or decline using natural predators
9= support legal status of Virtual Reality gaming, despite some saying its an addiction-based mental health epidemic; encourage limits and therapy
10= support the stationing of microscopic "surveillance & stun" drones operated by the U.S. military (known for their greater discipline and be better trusted than police) outside of property boundaries that, according to the data, have a >99% chance to house violent criminals
11= support partial privatization of PBS
12= support the decentralization of production, with limits and boundaries

[Vosem]

Breaking away from the consensus here, while not straight-ticket I would probably be likelier than not to vote Democratic if these were the issues. The Republicans seem like they have a very strong authoritarian streak, what with implanting cyborg guns in every person and stun guns in people's homes, and I think those issues seem significant enough to me that I would typically vote Democratic. The Democratic Party here seems to have some strongly individualist elements (support for personal nanotech and a counter-migration away from cities) which I strongly applaud; I would disagree with the Democrats on establishing Neo-Rational Buddhism as the state religion (but since that would take a constitutional amendment and the parties are presumably 50/50, I could vote D safe in the knowledge that that would never make it through) and I would definitely want nature restored to a pristine (in fact, preferably pre-Holocene) state, though it sounds like that project would be expensive and not realistic, even in 2116. I don't think I would be much further from the Democratic Party you describe than I am from the current Republican Party I support in real life, with my quite left-wing positions on many social issues.

I need more detail to determine my stance on certain issues. What is Neo-Rational Buddhism? What is in the mandatory national school curriculum? What are the main foreign policy issues (you seem to hint that America has annexed Canada and occupies at least the British Isles and a section of West Africa -- how did that come to pass)? What is this virtual reality gaming, and how addictive is it? My instinct is to let it remain legal, but I question just how powerful a technology like this might become by 2116.

[Blue3]

Breaking away from the consensus here, while not straight-ticket I would probably be likelier than not to vote Democratic if these were the issues. The Republicans seem like they have a very strong authoritarian streak, what with implanting cyborg guns in every person and stun guns in people's homes, and I think those issues seem significant enough to me that I would typically vote Democratic. The Democratic Party here seems to have some strongly individualist elements (support for personal nanotech and a counter-migration away from cities) which I strongly applaud; I would disagree with the Democrats on establishing Neo-Rational Buddhism as the state religion (but since that would take a constitutional amendment and the parties are presumably 50/50, I could vote D safe in the knowledge that that would never make it through) and I would definitely want nature restored to a pristine (in fact, preferably pre-Holocene) state, though it sounds like that project would be expensive and not realistic, even in 2116. I don't think I would be much further from the Democratic Party you describe than I am from the current Republican Party I support in real life, with my quite left-wing positions on many social issues.

I need more detail to determine my stance on certain issues. What is Neo-Rational Buddhism? What is in the mandatory national school curriculum? What are the main foreign policy issues (you seem to hint that America has annexed Canada and occupies at least the British Isles and a section of West Africa -- how did that come to pass)? What is this virtual reality gaming, and how addictive is it? My instinct is to let it remain legal, but I question just how powerful a technology like this might become by 2116.

Yeah, I'm a little surprised so many are going Republican.

[Goldwater]

Issues I'm probably closer to the Republicans on
2= oppose the repeal of the 1st amendment
3= support a massive surge of public investment into urban infrastructure, with many corporations pledging to match
4= support unrestricted immigration of colonists/refugees from Mars and the moons of Jupiter (after their newly-independent governments fell into turmoil, see 1800's Latin America), and these immigrants/refugees are wanted due to their genetic modifications that make them excellent contributions to the skilled workforce (terrestrial governments haven't yet unlocked the secrets of their genetic engineering, a closely guarded government secret of the Martian and Jovian governments)
9= support Virtual Reality gaming, despite some saying its an addiction-based mental health epidemic
10= support the stationing of microscopic "surveillance & stun" drones operated by the U.S. military (known for their greater discipline and be better trusted than police) in homes that, according to the data, have a >99% chance to house criminals

Issues I'm probably closer to the Democrats on
1= resist mandatory cyborg gun implants, believing that they should only be optional and that people have the right to choose what modifications should be made to their bodies
5= oppose the official annexation of the UK, and support statehood for the Yukon, Nunavut, and Northwest territories
6= oppose recognizing "West Africa, Incorporated" as a sovereign state, and support funding for resistance fighters seeking to re-establish the obsolete nation-states of West Africa
7= seek to repeal the 31st amendment to the constitution, so the federal government no longer has the power to set a micromanaging nationwide school curriculum
8= oppose funding projects  (in the country and around the world) that would transform heavily-polluted areas and large landfills back into a pristine state, because the conversion would wipe out the organisms that have since evolved and adapted to living there and possibly drive some of these newly-evolved species into extinction
11= want to abolish PBS, or at least the PBS News Channel (similar to today's BBC in the UK, but perceived as too Republican-friendly in its political news reporting)
12= support the decentralization of production, "a nanotech-based factory in every home," to break the power of the corporations, end the influence of the cities, and return to a "rational, natural, and human" way of living

So, 5/12 for Republicans and 7/12 for Democrats. That would probably make me a Democratic leaning swing voter that has a pretty unfavorable view of both parties, considering the almost deal breaker things on both sides (Such as abolishing the 1st amendment for the Democrats, or mandatory cyborg gun implants for the Republicans).

[Goldwater]

This is an interesting thread, and I don't want it to get lost in the purge of 2020 threads from this board.

[Blue3]

What are people's thoughts now?