A New America - 2020 Primaries (Love is A Battlefield)

[Maxwell]

2020 Presidential Elections - Primaries

President Feingold again observed over a mixed term. Thanks to strong relations with Congress and the iron fist of Harry Reid, a lot of legislation was passed, including several key reforms to the campaign finance system that ended Super PACs and an implementation of changes in trade policy that pushed for better protections for American and Foreign workers. These weren't perfect deals, thanks to working with a Republican House and a Democratic Senate, and some bills crossed Feingold's desk that he did not think were perfect but he ended up signing them - including some tax reforms that bumped up the gas tax in exchange for a reduction in the estate tax and several other rich people taxes. President Feingold faced a couple of other problems too - corruption at the lower level of the Democratic Party, and a worsening foreign situation thanks to genocide in syria and rising radical terrorism abroad. Feingold was forced to clean house of the cabinet after 2018 mid-terms, which gave Republicans their first majority in years, including shuffling the State department, where he now put his old rival Senator Joe Biden in play.

Many Democrats and Republicans are running and I will give profiles of the major candidates.

Democratic Candidates

Senator Ben Jealous (D-MD) - The Progressive



Leader of the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Former NAACP President and Three Term Senator, Jealous has called for radical changes to the economy. His main issues include further reform of prisons, scaling back military spending, massive re-investment in public education, and evaluating the nationalization of public healthcare. Jealous has come out calling himself a "Democratic Socialist", and hopes to clear the term of its negative connotation in American politics.

Governor Michael Bloomberg (D-NY) - Businessman



Bloomberg is Jealous' chief rival, and someone Jealous has called "Mr. Rockefeller himself!". Bloomberg is a Pro-Business Democrat, and has made New York States tax code favorable to buisness interests. While doing so, Bloomberg has also implement several socially liberal policies that many have praised, like the decriminalization of marjiuana, strong gun control regulations, enviormental protection measures, and smoking bans. Bloomberg is running as a different kind of Democrat,  Democrat who can unite people of all different political strides to come to "big and bold" solutions to problems.

Former Governor Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) - Democrats of Yesteryear



Brad Ellsworth was Indiana's ex-Tough on Crime, Pro-Union, Pro-Gun, Pro-Education Governor. Ellsworth is a moderate Democrat, but unlike Bloomberg, Ellsworth is no social liberal - he's signed a few of the GOP anti-abortion laws, signed a few of the sometimes extreme pro-gun laws in Indiana. Ellsworth, however, has stood as a major roadblock to Right to Work in Indiana, has forced through the largest teacher pay increases in Indiana history, and pushed strongly for better development of Urban-Rural infrastructure. Ellsworth has little foreign policy expertise, and that is his weakest point in debates, where he hasn't taken a firm position on Syria and ISIL.

Senator Ned Lamont (D-CT) - The Anti-War Faction



Senator Lamont has a lot of bro credit for opposition to President Kasich, and is a favorite of internet blogs. He has a solid left voting record on all issues, and speaks regularly at NetRoots type rallies. Lamont is perhaps best known for his non-interventionist foreign policy, even standing against President Feingold and the Democrats for favoring humanitarian intervention in Syria. Lamont isn't quite as far left as Jealous, possibly due to Lamont himself being a businessman, but Lamont still pushes for higher taxes, more investment in education and infrastructure, and a massive scaling down of the Pentagon.

Vice President Josh Penny (D-ME) - HIGH ENERGY!!!



Vice President Josh Penny is a favorite of late night comedians. When he was facing illness, he was on the campaign trail, eating an ice cream that was too big or falling over in prat falls. This amused the public greatly. Penny has a good record in Maine, where he protected public lands from companies who wanted to use it, and created the "Docs" Program for universal coverage in Maine before it was cool. Penny also had great relations with Congress, and helped move the Feingold legislation through. Penny is running on a similar platform to the other candidates, but is also touting his major health recovery, his bright personality, and his willingness to run without raising a dollar from corporate donors. Penny's main objectives include further campaign finance reform to totally end any corporate donation, more forceful protection of public lands, and the end of militarization of the police. One thing that has distanced Penny from the Democratic base - he's strongly pro-gun, and has gotten the NRA endorsement in every non-Presidential race he has run.

Congresswoman Diane Hidalgo (D-TX) - International Expertise



Hidalgo is an ex-Ambassador to many a Latin American country before running for Congress in 2000, and has since become one of the premier Democratic voices on foreign policy. She wants the defeat of ISIL by use of trained troops from around the region, mostly from other countries + air strikes, and she wants strong negotiations and an intervention only if all other options have been exhausted. Hidalgo also emphasizes infrastructure at home, and opposes the bullet buses promoted by other Democrats, and instead wants better rural-urban infrastructure connections - "So the gains of the Urban community and in technology in Urban Communities can benefit others". She also promotes universal internet access, an issue not brought up as much among the Democrats.

Republican Candidates

Governor Neel Kashkari (R-CA) - New Republicanism



No one else quite sums up the words "Fiscally Conservative, Socially Liberal". Kashkari has cut taxes in California, balanced the budget off of some tough cuts, and has liberalized the marijuana and liqour laws. Kashkari is running on a transformation of the Republican Party, making it a party about efficiency in Government, about open embrace of immigrants and trade, about hope and change for the future. Kashkari, to boost his populist cred, also pushes for congressional and presidential term limits, a balanced budget amendment, and slashing the top tax rate all the way down to 25%.

Governor Ed Voorhees (I/R-ND) - The Independent



Ed Voorhees has been the independent Governor of North Dakota for 12 years now, and is popular among his people despite managing to piss off both white oil men and native americans. He's a centrist, but unlike Kashkari, could not be described as "fiscally conservative, socially liberal". He's staunchly pro-life, staunchly pro-gun, has signed boosts in education funding, has stood tough against oil interests trying to drill on public land, cut taxes many many times, and has been focused on budget balance. Voorhees ran and won as an Independent, but is now running for President as a Republican, saying "despite my ideals being done in a measured way, I believe line by line I feel the Republican Party is the home for me". Voorhees is tough, hard nosed, and may just be the man to get the job done. Voorhees is vastly opposed to free trade, and in fact thinks Feingold has been too sensitive on the issue.

Senator Joe Miller (R-AK) - The Tea Party



Joe Miller is the leader of the Tea Party caucus. It's a raucus caucus, and has caused problems for moderate Majority Leader Mike Simpson. Miller is running on limiting government to constitutional standards, instituting a flat tax, ending the IRS, building a wall down by the Mexican border, ending birth-right citizenship, and taking an axe to spending. Miller is serious business.

Senator Cale Case (R-WY) - Liberty Returns



Republicans have to have a libertarian run, and Case is the libertarian candidate this cycle. Case, on fiscal issues, largely aligns with the likes of Joe Miller, but Case is pro-gay rights, anti-border wall, and pro-trade. Case is reserved and folksy, and it shows in his debate performances where, while others interrupt and fight, he waits his turn and answers politely.

Governor Adam Hasner (R-FL) - The Reliable Conservative



With Tea Partiers on the left and Moderates on the right, who could traditional Republicans go for? Look no further than Adam Hasner. Hasner has a model conservative agenda - attracting business to Florida with a good tax structure, wide scale tort reform, broadening of educational choice, defense of Israel and hatred of Cuba. Hasner is the only candidate who could be described as an out and out neoconservative, though both Kashkari and Miller have elements of neoconservatism in their ultimate foreign policy agenda (support for Israel, ect. ect.). Hasner plans, as all Republican candidates do, to repeal FEINCARE and balance the budget. Hasner also pledges to bounce back the military budget, "as Reagan would do". Hasner has played both sides of the immigration debate.

Is there a NO LABELS MOVEMENT?



You decide if there is a No Labels candidate.

[Mr. Smith]

Penny, and no.

[Intell]

Ellsworth! Let us bring back the democrats of Yesteryear!

[Zioneer]

Hidalgo sounds like my preferred candidate.

[Orthogonian Society Treasurer]

Ellsworth! Let us bring back the democrats of Yesteryear!

[White Trash]

Ellsworth! Let us bring back the democrats of Yesteryear!

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Voorhees!

[Murica!]

I'm actually gonna chime in to change my vote from Jealous to Penny, the kind of Dem I might even vote for irl.

[Lambsbread]

Jealous. Lamont, Penny, and Hidalgo are all good too, though Lamont doesn't seem like the type of candidate to win a general election.

[Maxwell]

Democrats seem to have a clear front-runner in Jealous, though other democrats also have strong bases of support, while the republicans are locked in a complete stalemate.

[Goldwater]

Kashkari!

[Maxwell]

this is your last day to make your preference known!

[Maxwell]

Who would you guys want as the No Labels candidate?

I'm juggling between a few options:

Senator Bob Tate (D-WV) - essentially a Joe Manchin type

Senator Rob Holton (D-VA) - always something of a corporate democrat, ie Mark Warner except with a political dynasty

Senator Jon Huntsman (R-UT) - obviously, but seems like a not great option if Kashkari is the Republican nominee.

Governor Ed Voorhees (R/I-ND) - he was an independent anyways!

Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg (I-CA) - obviously lol

[Maxwell]

Interesting situation - I'll post maps soon.

[Kingpoleon]

Kashkari/Yes(if Kashkari loses)

[Maxwell]

2020 Democratic Primaries

Having run a progressive administration, Democrats were looking for someone to up the ante in some way. A lot of candidates had different messages, some to hold on to the gains of the last 8 years and move differently to hold on to power, others to gain a little bit more but largely stay status quo. Only Ben Jealous had a compelling message for Democratic voters - go much, much further. Jealous, who describes himself as a "Democratic Socialist", pledged himself to a plank of social programs, labor reforms, and a lot of other things that make him the candidate of ideologically shift. In the pre-primary season, he was in a contentious battle with big money man Michael Bloomberg, Governor of New York and promoter of something of a New Democratism, calling for Democrats to become allies of business interests. Bloomberg failed, partially because of his strategy of ignoring early states and waiting until big beautiful states with large urban centers like Florida, New York, ect.. Congresswoman Diane Hidalgo, a dark horse candidate who made a surprising amount of traction, also failed in early primaries. Matter of fact, the only real contender with Jealous in early primaries was Josh Penny, who narrowly lost Iowa and won New Hampshire. After that, however, the Penny campaign came to a screeching halt after he was sadly hospitalized. In later primaries, the big opponent for Senator Jealous came from Former Governor Brad Ellsworth who scored a very close call early on in Michigan, and since then gave Jealous plenty of scare near wins. Nevertheless, Ellsworth couldn't muster any kind of winnable coalition, between moderate southern white Dems who were significantly out-number, rural workers, the occasional subsection of latino, Ellsworth just didn't get anywhere close to the grassroots organization that Jealous put together, combining minorities, rural whites, union workers, and more.

Senator Benjamin Jealous (D-MD)
Former Governor Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) - Light Blue
Congresswoman Diane Hidalgo (D-TX)
Vice President Josh Penny (D-ME)
Governor Michael Bloomberg (D-NY)
Senator Ned Lamont (D-CT)

2020 Republican Primaries

Republicans faced the question of their party - what is the next step? where do we go from here? They lost in 2016 in a very dramatic fashion, and wanted to reverse negative national and presidential trends. The face of reforming the Republican party and modernizing it was Neel Kashkari, a self-described "fiscal conservative, social liberal" who reformed California Government and ended wasteful spending. Kashkari took his legacy in California and smartly ran a semi-populist campaign on reforming the federal government to make it more accountable to people, criticizing President Feingold for "sending down holy mandates from Washington". Truthfully, he faced serious opposition on all sides - even from his left in Governor Ed Voorhees. Voorhees, speaking of, managed to win Iowa, but never moved his campaign too far away from farmining intersts. Meanwhile Adam Hasner snuck a win in South Carolina, but his campaign fluttered when it was revealed he used very negative robocalls that accused Kashkari of "not being born in America". This saved the accusation from hurting Miller, who had been planning to use it on Mr. Kashkari. In fact, Joe Miller was the one who rose to steal Hasner's ex-supporters, winning surprise victories in Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama. Miller's candidacy showed the radical side of GOP politics, and it managed to not only rally Kashkari supporters, but it rallied people outside of the party to vote Kashkari, allowing Kashkari to win states like Arizona, North Carolina, and Michigan, states that showed Miller ahead in opinion polls. Kashkari would go on to win the GOP nomination despite significant opposition from conservative groups.

Governor Neel Kashkari (R-CA)
Senator Joe Miller (R-AK)
Governor Adam Hasner (R-FL)
Governor Ed Voorhees (R/I-ND)