An Alternate/Future 2016 Universe (GAMEPLAY THREAD)

[Hubert Humphrey]

Sen. Russ Feingold's Announcement Speech
Janesville, Wisconsin
January 8, 2015

Good morning everyone,

Today, I'm ready to announce my candidacy for President of the United States. This is by no means an easy commitment for me to make, and it comes after months of deliberation. However, I have concluded that this country needs bold, independent, and progressive leadership, which is why I'm running for President!

These past 8 years have been a time of great progress for America. Under President Obama, we've created the framework for universal health care, brought our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, restored our good name in the world, and re-established economic security and stability. While these are great accomplishments, America can and needs to do much better. Despite this administration's best efforts, corporate greed continues to tighten its stranglehold over our political and economic system. Special interest money and lobbyists have infiltrated Washington, and this has resulted in partisan gridlock and political foot dragging on both sides of the aisle. It's high time we had a President who isn't afraid to tell these corporate cronies and their lobbyists to get lost because this is a government for and by the American people! In short, this country needs a people's champion in the White House. However, by no means can I do this alone. That's why I'm counting on you, the American people, to organize and form a national movement that will not only win this election, but that will continue to advocate for progressive change well beyond this election. So America, will you join me?

The speech ends with thunderous applause and cheering. Sen. Feingold then goes to Milwaukee to officially open his national campaign head quarters and meet with his campaign staff and inner circle.

[Hubert Humphrey]

Russ Feingold's national campaign office opens in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also meets with Paul Tewes, his campaign manager, and other members of his inner circle including Joe Trippi, Jonathan Prince, Jim Dean, and Nathan Daschle.

Campaign signs and literature are also printed. The campaign slogans are "Russ Feingold: The People's Champion" and "Russ Feingold: Bold, Independent, Progressive". 

He then flies to Des Moines to give a speech

[Hubert Humphrey]

In Des Moines, Russ Feingold lays out his plan for universal health care.

"During his time in office, President Obama has been able to establish the framework for universal health care. While this was an important step in the right direction, it's high time we moved beyond the framework for universal health care and actually establish a system of universal health care. When I'm President, I will inject new competition into the health care system by creating either a national Medicare Buy-In or a new public health insurance option. I will also hold insurance companies accountable and keep costs down with the creation of a Health Insurance Rate Authority. Finally, I will reign in the power of health insurance companies by repealing their exemption from trust laws and further tighten regulations.

After this speech and a Q&A session, Feingold opens his Iowa campaign head quarter. He then goes to Manchester, New Hampshire to give another speech. Also, building off of MyBO's success, the Feingold campaign launches myrussfeingold.com (a.k.a. MyRF). MyRF allows for Feingold supporters across the country to organize events canvasses, phone banks, voter registration drives, get into contact with campaign staff, provide the campaign with information on strategy and policy, and much more. In short, Feingold hopes to build a bottom-up grassroots campaign!

[Hubert Humphrey]

Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Gov. Howard Dean endorse Russ Feingold at a rally in Manchester, NH. They cite his plan for universal health care, his grassroots campaign, and his bold, independent, and progressive record in the senate.





Feingold then went to Concord to open his NH campaign head quarters and give a press conference. During the press conference, Feingold unveils his plan for reforming America's trade policy. Feingold says that the issue of fair trade has "been largely ignored these past 8 years," and pledged to aggressively renegotiate NAFTA and CAFTA so that they protect the environment, worker's rights, and domestic industry. Feingold said he'd consider canceling them as an absolute last resort, but would prefer not to. Feingold also pledged to make passing the Employee Free Choice Act one of the top priorities during his first term. When asked about Hillary Clinton's entrance into the race, Feingold said that he welcomed her candidacy and looked forward to the contest ahead.

Feingold is now scheduled to go to a rally in Portland, Maine.

[Hubert Humphrey]

Sen. Sherrod Brown endorses Russ Feingold for President.

[Hubert Humphrey]

After a campaign rally in Portland with Dean and Sanders, Feingold appeared on Face the Nation from his Maine campaign head quarters in Augusta. When asked about his plans to reduce the budget deficit, Feingold said:

Recently, Governor Jindal proposed auditing every federal department to see what areas we can cut. While I disagree with Jindal on most issues, I think this could be just what the doctor ordered. However, we still need decisive action to put our fiscal house in order. However, an audit alone is not going to balance our budget. In my opinion, we can't talk about reducing our deficit without talking about reorganizing the Pentagon's budget. There is so much fraud and waste in the Pentagon's budget, but most politicians are afraid to talk about it because they're afraid of looking weak on defense. But here's the truth, bloated spending on outdated weapons systems is not making us any safer; it's making us look stupid. If we were to just cut the Cold War weapons systems from the Pentagon's budget, we'd save over $60 billion per year. When I'm President, I'll make sure that the Pentagon has a smart and efficient policy towards defense spending rather than a an over bloated and inefficient policy.



Feingold is now scheduled to go to Charleston, South Carolina, for a rally.

[Hubert Humphrey]

Sen. Al Franken endorses Russ Feingold for President!



He is scheduled to join Feingold for a rally in Charleston.

[Hubert Humphrey]

In Charleston, South Carolina, Sen. Al Franken publicly endorsed Russ Feingold for President.



"Why do I support Feingold for President? Simple, this man's got chutzpah! Many other candidates will talk the talk, but Feingold is one of the only Senators who has actually walked the walk! For example, through a combination of fear and coercion, the Bush administration was able to pass the Patriot Act with every senator on board. Every senator, that is, except for Russ Feingold! Now if that's not independence, I don't know what is. Along with protecting civil liberties, Feingold has led the fight to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, reform health care, clean up campaign finance, and much more!"

[Hubert Humphrey]

Also joining Feingold in Charleston was Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Barbara Lee. Later, she and Rep. John Conyers (who has also endorsed Feingold) are scheduled to meet with leader's of South Carolina's African-American community to lobby them to support Russ Feingold for President.




Meanwhile, all across the country, home grown grassroots "Feingold for President" groups are springing up. Seeing as how similar groups propelled Obama to the nomination in 2008, Feingold is encouraging their formation.

[Hubert Humphrey]

During his massive rally in Charleston, Feingold announced his support for a constitutional amendment that would restrict corporate person hood, overturn Citizens United v. FEC, and protect campaign finance reform.

 

"Ever since the Supreme Court overturned campaign finance reform back in 2010, Washington has been flooded by a tidal wave of corporate cash and lobbyists. These corporate special interests have manipulated our political system for their own personal gain. They killed the public option, blocked the EFCA, and watered down Wall Street reform. It's time for the American people to stand up and say enough is enough. As President, I will introduce a constitutional amendment which unequivocally states that corporations are not people, money is not speech, and campaign finance reform is Congress's responsibility!

[Hubert Humphrey]

In a recent interview with New Hampshire Public Television, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter endorsed Russ Feingold for President.



"No public servant has ever truly embodied that New Hampshire independent spirit more than Russ Feingold. No matter who was President, Feingold, more than any other senator, always fought to ensure that our political and economic system worked on behalf of ordinary Americans. No words can truly describe Feingold better than these 3 words: Bold, Independent, Progressive."

Russ Feingold is scheduled to hold a rally in Spartanburg, SC with Sen. Jim Webb and Sen. Jay Rockefeller. After that, he's scheduled to go Miami, FL where he's expected to pick up Rep. Alan Grayson's and Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz's endorsements.

[Hubert Humphrey]

Today, Russ Feingold received 3 major endorsements. The first came from the ACLU, citing Feingold's staunch defense of Civil Liberties.



The other 2 were the SEIU and UNITE HERE. They chose to endorse Feingold because of his support of the EFCA, a national Medicare Buy-In, and a constitutional amendment restricting corporate person hood.

[Hubert Humphrey]

Thanks to lobbying from Sen. Jim Webb and Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the United Mine Workers of America have also just endorsed Russ Feingold.

[Hubert Humphrey]

At a rally in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Senators Jay Rockefeller and Jim Webb endorse Russ Feingold for President. While Rockefeller's speech was well received, Webb's speech brought down the house!

Sen. Jim Webb:

"No one in Washington has had the guts and independence to shake things up as much as Russ Feingold. Whenever the Washington establishment tries to pressure Feingold into compromising his principles, he always gives them the same response: I'm here to serve the people's interests not the special interests, so shape up or shut up! Though what's really special about Russ is that he is truly not restricted by labels or partisanship. Whether you are Democrat, Republican, or Independent, Russ Feingold is not afraid to work with fight with you so long as the people are served and progressive values are advanced! He stood up to Bill Clinton over welfare reform, unfair trade deals, and economic deregulation. He stood up to George W. Bush over civil liberties violations, an unjustified war in Iraq, the corruption of our political system by corporate special interests, and much more. He stood up to President Obama to bring our troops home from Afghanistan, enact truly universal health care, reign in corporate greed, and promote economic justice. And as President, he will stand up to the powers that be and he will stand up for you! However, y'all are going to have to give him a boost in order to give him the chance to stand up for you. So Spartanburg, are you ready to stand up for Feingold?! Are you ready to fight for Feingold?! Are you ready to raise some hell for Feingold?! That's right Spartanburg, let's go out and win this thing! 

[Hubert Humphrey]

At a rally in Miami, Florida, Representatives Debbie Wasserman-Shultz and Alan Grayson officially endorsed Russ Feingold for President. One comment by Rep. Grayson stood out in particular: " No matter what party you support, you want a President with guts. And let me tell you, guts is Russ Feingold's middle name!"



During this rally, Feingold gave details on his plans for peace in the Middle East and Social Security. Concerning the Middle East, Feingold said that he will press for a two-state solution based on the pre-Six-Day War borders, and that he would preserve the strong bond between the U.S. and Israel. Also, as both an incentive for Israel to accept a peace deal and as a way of checking Iranian aggression, Feingold said that he would press for more cooperation between Israel and NATO with the ultimate goal of making Israel an official NATO Partner in Peace.

Concerning Social Security, Feingold announced his support for a Social Security lock box and eliminating the employer Social Security payroll tax cap for large corporations.

Here's Feingold's schedule for the next few days:

Tuesday: Rally and Fundraiser in Tallahassee, FL.
Wednesday: Rally and Fundraiser with Rep. Raul Grijalva and UNITE HERE in Las Vegas, NV.
Thursday: Rally in Carson City, NV, with Sen. Jeff Merkley
Friday: Rally in Council Bluffs, IA (beginning of Feingold's Iowa campaign tour, more details to be announced later)



 

[Hubert Humphrey]

Feingold kicked off his swing through Iowa with a major rally in Council Bluffs. Introducing Feingold was Iowa State Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal. During his speech, Gronstal said:

"There are very few people in public service today who can claim to be as bold, as independent, and as progressive as Russ Feingold. No matter which party was in power, Russ Feingold has always had the guts to stand up to injustice and corruption and fight for the people's interests. This is the kind of President Iowa families want in the White House!"



When Feingold finally came up to speak, he was greeted with chants of "B-I-P!", which obviously stood for Bold, Independent, Progressive. During his speech, Feingold called upon both Hillary Clinton and Sherrod Brown to support a Constitutional Amendment restricting corporate person hood.

"It's time this country officially recognize that Constitutional liberties are reserved for the people and not for corporate special interests! I call on both of my opponents to make restricting corporate person hood one of their top priorities as well."

Feingold also introduced his plan for rural recovery and development. Central to Feingold's plan was passing the Rural Opportunities Act, which includes the following provisions:

• Increase technical assistance to rural economies – including bringing affordable broadband and internet access to rural households.

• Improve existing programs that help beginning farmers and ranchers.
 
• Provide increased funding to new and existing energy independence efforts.
 
• Encourage schools to supply their cafeterias with locally produced products.
 
• Increase funding for some existing USDA programs – including those that both develop local markets and help farmers sell their products at local markets. 
 
• Provide additional food vouchers to low-income seniors to be used at local farmers' markets.



Russ Feingold is scheduled to speak at a rally in Ottumwa, IA, with Sen. Claire McCaskill.

[Hubert Humphrey]

When a reporter for the Des Moines Register asked Sen. Feingold about what he thought about Sherrod Brown's support for canceling NAFTA, Feingold responded,

"While I understand the reasoning behind Sen. Brown's position, I think canceling NAFTA at this point would be pre-mature. A smarter approach to trade would be to aggressively renegotiate NAFTA so that it's fairer and works for working families.

[Hubert Humphrey]

Today, Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos along with Jerome Armstrong and Chris Bowers of MyDD endorse Russ Feingold for President. In a jointly written blog post, the three "blog fathers" of the netroots said:

"Though all three candidates are arguably progressive, Feingold is the only candidate with the potential to successfully appeal a progressive agenda to sectors of the electorate that normally don't consider themselves progressive. His record as a maverick allows him to come across as a political outsider, which obviously appeals to moderates and independents.

[Hubert Humphrey]

The Boston Globe has just endorsed Russ Feingold for President. Even though the Boston Globe is based in Mass., it has a strong circulation in New Hampshire.

[Hubert Humphrey]

After an energetic rally in Ottumwa with Sen. Claire McCaskill, Russ Feingold flew to Washington D.C. to appear on Meet the Press. When first asked about Iran's recent invasion of Iraq, Feingold said:

Iran's actions constitute nothing less than an act of imperialist aggression against the sovereign democratic state of Iraq. We cannot let Iran's actions go unpunished. In response to Iran's acts of aggression, I am calling for a U.S led NATO-backed naval blockade of the Straits of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. In addition, I'm calling for a UN sponsored global arms embargo against Iran, an increase in U.S. and NATO forces in Turkey, Kuwait, and the Persian Gulf, and a massive increase in support and aid to the Iraqi military. Working with Russia and China will be also critical in pressuring Iran to accept a ceasefire. I've recently called President Obama and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen to convey these proposals to them. I've also introduced legislation in the Senate to put these measures into action.

Feingold announced that he is canceling all public appearances for the next two weeks in order to get his legislation through Congress and to assist the President in dealing with the Iranian crisis. A recently scheduled rally in Iowa City will still take place, but with Rep. Dave Loebsack and Sen. Alexi Giannoulias filling in for Feingold.

[Hubert Humphrey]

Sen. Russ Feingold drops out and endorses Sherrod Brown

(I have a load of AP exams coming up, so I'll have to go offline to study. Plus, it just seemed as if there was so little difference between myself and Brown)