Democratic Primary 2008

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So who wants to design the Democratic Primary?  Then the winners of the two primaries can pick running mates and face off.  That sounds like it would be pretty cool.

I could try... if people help me a bit on the candidates, I'd be happy to run primaries.

I would love to be entered in the Democratic primary as a moderate, blue dog Democratic senator from Virginia.

[Frodo]

Thanks -that's the first time I have ever seen that thread. 

[HappyWarrior]

Sorry ben but the fact is you are about as far from a blue dog as I can see outside of an outright socialist(Xahar)

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Sorry ben but the fact is you are about as far from a blue dog as I can see outside of an outright socialist(Xahar)

Really; I don't see myself that way at all.

[Хahar 🤔]

Sorry ben but the fact is you are about as far from a blue dog as I can see outside of an outright socialist(Xahar)

Really; I don't see myself that way at all.

I don't get your odd conservative fetish.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Sorry ben but the fact is you are about as far from a blue dog as I can see outside of an outright socialist(Xahar)

Really; I don't see myself that way at all.

I don't get your odd conservative fetish.

It's not a fetish, I just don't see myself as being a far left person; I see myself as being a more moderate Democrat.

[Хahar 🤔]

Sorry ben but the fact is you are about as far from a blue dog as I can see outside of an outright socialist(Xahar)

Really; I don't see myself that way at all.

I don't get your odd conservative fetish.

It's not a fetish, I just don't see myself as being a far left person; I see myself as being a more moderate Democrat.

And your PM score indicates that is not the case.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Sorry ben but the fact is you are about as far from a blue dog as I can see outside of an outright socialist(Xahar)

Really; I don't see myself that way at all.

I don't get your odd conservative fetish.

It's not a fetish, I just don't see myself as being a far left person; I see myself as being a more moderate Democrat.

And your PM score indicates that is not the case.

My social score is moderate; my economic score is fairly liberal.  Besides, if you look at some of my positions, they are not on the liberal end.

[Frodo]

Sorry ben but the fact is you are about as far from a blue dog as I can see outside of an outright socialist(Xahar)

Really; I don't see myself that way at all.

I don't get your odd conservative fetish.

It's not a fetish, I just don't see myself as being a far left person; I see myself as being a more moderate Democrat.

And your PM score indicates that is not the case.

My social score is moderate; my economic score is fairly liberal.  Besides, if you look at some of my positions, they are not on the liberal end.

What are your positions on the issues, if I may ask? 

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Social issues

 Affirmative Action: I oppose most affirmative action programs, although I would support it for lower class people.

Abortion: I fully support the right to choose, although I feel Roe v. Wade is not a good decision, and should be based on the 9th Amendment’s rights, rather than a right to privacy.  I favor appointing judges who will uphold Roe and Casey.

Stem-Cell Research: I strongly support giving federal funding to stem cell research.

Gay Rights: I feel that the term “marriage” is only between a man and a woman; however, I support giving full marriage rights, like survival benefits and pensions, to homosexual couples.

Sex and Prostitution: I support a comprehensive sex-ed program, covering everything that needs to be taught about the subject, although if parents want to opt their child out then they can.  I oppose abstinence only programs, and oppose legalization of prostitution.

Second Amendment: I support mild gun control laws, such as background checks to prevent people with a history of mental illness or violent crimes from getting a gun.  However, I do not want strict gun control, outside of those limits.

Drug War: I support the drug war to some extent, although I support legalizing marijuana, since it can be a taxable product, similar to cigarettes.  If people want to use drugs in the privacy of their own homes, then they can, so long as they do not harm other people.

Election Reform: I would like to have a national primary day, sometime in May or June, although I still want the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary to come before everything else.  I favor keeping the electoral college as it is.

Illegal Immigration: I support giving amnesty to illegal immigrants who have found steady work, but we need to deport illegal immigrants who are taking away our resources without giving anything back.

Economic issues

Social Security: I strongly oppose any effort to privatize social security, although I am open to raising the retirement age to 70, and increasing taxes on social security.

Medicare: I support a health care plan where people can choose any doctor they want, and the government will pay for it. 

Welfare: We need to find ways to reduce the number of people on welfare, although I oppose the idea of cutting people off.

Education: I support the repeal of No Child Left Behind, as it requires teachers to teach by a test, which may not be the best way.  I also oppose voucher programs, and I support the federal government giving a large spending increase to public schools, so that they can retain top level teachers.

For higher education, I would like the federal and state governments to provide more scholarships, and for schools to give more in state discounts.

Minimum Wage: Support raising it and having it pegged to inflation, along with a requirement that it be raised at least every three years.

Energy Independence and the Environment: We need to research more efficient methods of fuel, in addition to decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, and ratifying the Kyoto treaty.

NASA -Space Exploration: I support giving more funding to NASA, to allow for more exploration of the moon and other planets.

Foreign Policy:  I oppose the current strategy in Iraq, and feel we need to begin withdrawing our troops as soon as possible.  However, we should leave a small number there for peacekeeping, similar to Korea and European nations.  I am strongly pro-Israel, and believe that if Israel is attacked, we should go to war to defend it.  I oppose any cuts in military spending, and support the repeal of the Patriot Act.

In regards to China, we need to issue sanctions against them, in order to pressure them to give the press more freedom, and we should not lift our sanctions against Cuba.

In Africa, we need to place pressure on dictators like Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Gaddafi in Libya, Bashir in the Sudan, Afewerki in Eritrea, and numerous others, by helping with the overthrow of these dictators, whether it is by funding opposing groups, or using military force, provided UN approval, or applying economic sanctions on these countries, to attempt to cripple their economies.

[Хahar 🤔]

Those positions sound a lot like mine.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Those positions sound a lot like mine.

Even on foreign policy?  That is where I think I am most conservative.

[Хahar 🤔]

Those positions sound a lot like mine.

Even on foreign policy?  That is where I think I am most conservative.

Other than foreign policy, where we're miles apart.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Those positions sound a lot like mine.

Even on foreign policy?  That is where I think I am most conservative.

Other than foreign policy, where we're miles apart.

I'm surprised.

[Хahar 🤔]

I oppose the current strategy in Iraq, and feel we need to begin withdrawing our troops as soon as possible.  However, we should leave a small number there for peacekeeping, similar to Korea and European nations.  I am strongly pro-Israel, and believe that if Israel is attacked, we should go to war to defend it.  I oppose any cuts in military spending, and support the repeal of the Patriot Act.

In regards to China, we need to issue sanctions against them, in order to pressure them to give the press more freedom, and we should not lift our sanctions against Cuba.

In Africa, we need to place pressure on dictators like Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Gaddafi in Libya, Bashir in the Sudan, Afewerki in Eritrea, and numerous others, by helping with the overthrow of these dictators, whether it is by funding opposing groups, or using military force, provided UN approval, or applying economic sanctions on these countries, to attempt to cripple their economies.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

That is actually fairly close to mine.

[War on Want]

Sorry ben but the fact is you are about as far from a blue dog as I can see outside of an outright socialist(Xahar)

Really; I don't see myself that way at all.

I don't get your odd conservative fetish.

Yeah, you have a political matrix more leftist of me, and I consider myself to be a Democratic Socialist.

[HappyWarrior]

We need to continue this.  I'd like to see a state by state break down if anyone is up to it.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Jeez, I'm only using the ones that expressed interest or those Sensei recommended in his post.

You missed out me

..and me

[War on Want]

We need to continue this.  I'd like to see a state by state break down if anyone is up to it.

I'll do this.

[Хahar 🤔]

We need to continue this.  I'd like to see a state by state break down if anyone is up to it.

I'll do this.

Please do.

[HappyWarrior]

We need to continue this.  I'd like to see a state by state break down if anyone is up to it.

I'll do this.

Please do.

Get to it man. :-D

[War on Want]

Iowa:
In Iowa the three main contenders are Governor Frodo, Senator Sensei and Governor HappyWarrior. They are all very popular in the state with many political beliefs. However Porce does well with Liberal students and Ben Costine is predicted to do well with farmers. HappyWarrior does most of his main campaigning in Iowa, so does Frodo, but Sensei campaigns more in New Hampshire. On January 2nd, 2008 the polls show this:
Governor HappyWarrior- 23%
Senator Sensei- 18%
Governor Frodo- 17%
Senator Porce- 12%
Senator BenCostine- 10%
Congressman Xahar- 4%
Undecided 16%

On the day of the caucaus it looks as if Governor HappyWarrior will sweep most of Eastern Iowa, while Frodo only does well Northwestern Iowa and some parts of southern Iowa more beholden to him than BenConstine who is sweeping that area. Meanwhile Senator Porce manages to barely win Iowa City, and Sensei takes Des Moines. Governor HappyWarrior won a major victory when he took Iowa with large margins and it looked as if the main winners were him, BenCostine, and Porce and the main loosers were Sensei and Frodo. Xahar performed poorly because of the caucaus threshold.

Iowa Results:
Governor Happy Warrior- 29%, 15 Delegates
Senator Sensei- 21%, 12 Delegates
Governor Frodo- 18%, 11 Delegates
Senator BenCostine- 16%, 7 Delegates
Senator Porce- 15%
Congressman Xahar- 1%

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[War on Want]

New Hampshire:
In New Hampshire, Governor HappyWarrior and Senator Porce recieve large amounts of momentum and Porce tries very hard to win the state as he recognizes it is his only shot at actually having a credible shot of winning the nomination. Frodo also goes all in at New Hampshire, but Sensei feels that he can comfortably win and does not spend as much money. Xahar drops out and endorses Porce.
Polls the day before voting show:
Senator Sensei- 25%
Governor Frodo- 22%
Senator Porce- 17%
Governor HappyWarrior- 16%
Senator BenCostine- 12%
Undecided- 8%

When the primary results come in Sensei dominates in some of the more working class areas in Manchester and it looks as if a major attack ad the day before the election scared off many from voting for Frodo. As the results come in Frodo performs poorly in the areas he needs too, and Sensei's only main opposition is from Porce in College areas, and BenCostine in northern New Hampshire which BenCostine barely takes.

New Hampshire Results:
Senator Sensei- 30%, 9 Delegates
Senator Porce- 22%, 7 Delegates
Governor Frodo- 21%, 6 Delegates
Governor HappyWarrior- 14%
Senator BenCostine- 13%

Total Delegate Count:
Senator Sensei- 21 Delegates
Governor Frodo- 17 Delegates
Governor HappyWarrior- 15 Delegates
Senator BenCostine- 7 Delegates
Senator Porce- 7 Delegates