2016 Election Game - Game Thread

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

JULY 25th, 2015, ST. LOUIS ARCH, ST. LOUIS

"...I feel that the economic actions of this administration have succeeded. Unemployment is at its lowest since the Bush administration, and is continuing to improve. However, more must be done, and that is why we must elect a Democrat next year. We need to address the issue of creating jobs in our manufacturing industry. When corporations are getting tax breaks to send jobs to countries where the workers make 35 cents an hour, we need to crack down not only on this grave lack on civic virtue but the unfair trade policies of China.

As Senator, I have pushed for fair trade policies since 2007 which best represent the interests of the working class. My devotion to the middle class has pushed me to announce that I will hereby announce my campaign for President of the United States of America."

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Claire McCaskill Schedule for the week of September 14th:



14th: Meet and Greet in Des Moines, Iowa; Fundraiser in Waterloo, Iowa
15th: Meet and Greet in Waterloo, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Manchester, New Hampshire
16th: Fundraiser in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Meet and Greet in Columbia, South Carolina
17th: Meet and Greet in Sioux City, Iowa; Town Hall in Charleston, South Carolina
18th: Meet and Greet in Reno, Nevada; Meet and Greet in Des Moines, Iowa; Interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
19th: Meet and Greet in Davenport, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Cedar City, Iowa

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

At a town hall in Charleston, McCaskill took a question on campaign finance reform.

"One of the worst recent decisions in modern history by our Supreme Court was the Citizens United case. It fundamentally opened the door for unrestricted, anonymous donations to monstrous Super PAC, particularly used by the current Republican candidates.

As president, I would continue the appointment of justices who would be opposed to this corporatization of democracy. I also endorse the proposed constitutional amendment which would give Congress the power to restrict campaign donations. When 99% of Americans don't have a lobbyist, I refuse to accept lobbyist or PAC money for this campaign and encourage my opponents to do the same."

(I'm playing her as a socially moderate, economically populist Midwesterner)

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

At a stop in Reno, Nevada, McCaskill pushed her support for labor while slamming several Republicans and a Democratic competitor.

"The union is one of the most important institutions in modern America. Even while private sector unions aren't what they used to be thanks to outsourcing, they remain a major force to be reckoned with in protecting the middle class.

The Republicans have decided to support business interests by supporting union-busting tactics like attacking collective bargaining rights and supporting so-called "right to work laws". These would permit employees to collect union benefits while not putting in their fair share into the union. Thankfully, we've stopped some of the worst offenders by electing Democratic governors in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Florida.

Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo has done many of the same things. When he cut the budget, he took from anti-poverty programs and took on unions before slashing into corporate benefits or making the tax on the wealthiest New Yorkers pay their fair share. In fact, he seems a bit too much like the former governor on the other side of the Hudson."

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

9/22: Town Hall in Concord New Hampshire; Meet and Greet in Grand Rapids, Michigan
9/23: Meet and Greet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Davenport, Iowa
9/24: Fundraiser in Washington D.C; Meet and Greet in Wilmington, Delaware; Interview on The Rachel Maddow Show
9/25: Town Hall in Charleston, South Carolina; Meet and Greet in Kansas City, Missouri; Meet and Greet in Des Moines, Iowa
9/26: Meet and Greet in Waterloo, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Sioux City, Iowa
9/27: Meet and Greet in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Iowa City, Iowa
9/28: Town Hall in Ames, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Urbandale, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Marion, Iowa
9/29: Meet and Greet in Des Moines, Iowa; Town Hall in Berlin, New Hampshire

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

"As president, I plan to continue the progress made by this administration. As Senator, I have been first in line to endorse efforts to protect the middle class. My administration will stand against efforts to crush labor or to help the well-to-do at the expense of working families. After what we have succeeded in doing, we cannot turn back to the policies which created this mess."

-McCaskill at a Des Moines rally.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

McCaskill--Schedule from 9/30 to 10/6

9/30: Meet and Greet in Sioux City, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Davenport, Iowa
10/1: Meet and Greet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Town Hall in Des Moines, Iowa
10/2: Meet and Greet in Iowa City, Iowa; Fundraiser in Chicago, Illinois
10/3: Town Hall in Flint, Michigan; Fundraiser in Washington, D.C.
10/4: Interview on Meet the Press; Meet and Greet in Rock Hill, South Carolina
10/5: Meet and Greet in Greenville, South Carolina; Town Hall in Columbia, South Carolina
10/6: Meet and Greet in Ames, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Waterloo, Iowa

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

McCaskill's Schedule from 10/7 to 10/13:

10/7: Meet and Greet in Davenport, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Iowa City, Iowa
10/8: Town Hall in Manchester, New Hampshire; Fundraiser in Boston, Massachusetts
10/9: Meet and Greet in Tampa, Florida; Meet and Greet in Memphis, Tennessee
10/10: Town Hall in Des Moines, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Sioux City, Iowa
10/11: Meet and Greet in Dubuque, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Marion, Iowa
10/12: Meet and Greet in Waterloo, Iowa; Fundraiser in Kansas City, Missouri
10/13: Meet and Greet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Meet and Greet in Urbandale, Iowa

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

McCaskill was asked about her stance on the proposed repeal of DOMA at a stop in Waterloo.

"This is an issue where my personal beliefs may conflict with what I know is right. As a Catholic, born and raised, I personally feel that marriage is between a man and a woman. However, this is America. To force our feelings on others is not protecting the institution of marriage. It is nothing more than harming the bonds between loving couples who happen to be of the same sex. Therefore, I will vote to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act."

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Claire McCaskill's Debate Responses:

1) The Citizens United decision was among the least supportable and most radical decisions in the history of activist judicial decisions. It provides unprecedented power to donors who can drown out democracy by donating literally millions to campaigns in order to get candidates under my thumb. To combat that, our campaign is limiting how large of donations we will allow, and I reiterate my support for a constitutional amendment to provide to Congress the power to regulate campaign finance. Money is not speech! As president, my first criteria would be to appoint the best and the brightest judges, not political stooges.

2) The Federal Reserve was created to solve these sorts of issues. Inflation has a simple cause; too much money in the economy, making the dollar less valuable. Therefore, I would direct the Federal Reserve to slow down the printing of money so that inflation can be brought to a manageable level. As president, I would also look into price controls to help make necessities more affordable. However, that is treating the symptom. In order to solve this problem altogether, we need to slow down the minting of dollars.

3) As Commander-in-Chief, I would first put all American troops on high alert to make sure that our men and women overseas are safe and prepared for the worst. Though India is an ally, it is also a much larger and more powerful country, and I feel it can hold its own. Though I am willing to assist the Indian government, I would not advocate military intervention unless it was clear that American interests were at stake. I was elected in 2006 on opposition to the Iraq War, and I am naturally suspicious of military intervention unless absolutely critical. Therefore, I would not make any decision lightly.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I'll have my schedule posted tomorrow morning. I was basically in Iowa all week.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

McCaskill's Schedule-October 20th to October 26th

10/20: Town Hall in Cedar Rapids, IA; Meet and Greet in Bettendorf, IA
10/21: Meet and Greet in Ankeny, IA; Meet and Greet in West Des Moines, IA
10/22: Meet and Greet in Council Bluffs, IA, Meet and Greet Press Conference in Des Moines, IA

With the information coming in, Senator McCaskill deviated from her planned stump speech for a press conference on the sudden military action.

"As we all have worried, push has come to shove in South Asia. Though the circumstances of the early military conflict are still not fully clear, we do know that war has begun. If that is the case, I pray for this conflict to end as soon as possible with as few casualties as possible. Moreover, I hope that if the United States does come to the aid of the Indian government, it will be with the utmost caution. With us will be the lessons learned from past conflicts. We should not put our men and women in uniform on the ground under any imaginable circumstances. Instead, I hope we would follow the lessons of the success in Libya, where we used precision air strikes to cripple their government without American loss of life. However, these are hypotheticals. What first must be done is for the United States to engage in diplomacy with both our friend and our foe to end this conflict as soon as possible."

10/23: Meet and Greet in Charleston, SC; Meet and Greet in Myrtle Beach, SC
10/24: Meet and Greet in Rock Hill, SC; Meet and Greet in Greenville, SC; Meet and Greet in North Charleston, SC
10/25: Meet and Greet in Charleston, SC; Meet and Greet in Columbia, SC
10/26: Meet and Greet in Jacksonville, FL; Town Hall in Tallahassee, FL

OOC: You know which two states are my top priorities.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

McCaskill's Schedule--10/27-11/2

10/27: Meet and Greet in Des Moines, IA; Meet and Greet in Waterloo, IA
10/28: Meet and Greet in Sioux City, IA; Fundraiser in Sioux City, IA
10/29: Meet and Greet in Davenport, IA; Campaign rally for Jack Conway in Lexington, KY (running for Governor)
10/30: Meet and Greet in Grand Rapids, MI; Meet and Greet in Detroit, MI
10/31: Rest
11/1: Meet and Greet in Cedar Rapids, IA; Town Hall in Davenport, IA
11/2: Meet and Greet in Des Moines, IA, Fundraiser in Chicago, IL

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Claire McCaskill's Schedule: November 3rd-November 9th:

11/3: Meet and Greet in Sioux City, IA; Meet and Greet in Cedar Rapids, IA
11/4: Town Hall in West Des Moines, IA; Interview on The Daily Show; Fundraiser in New York, NY
11/5: Meet and Greet in Concord, NH; Town Hall in Berlin, NH
11/6: Meet and Greet in Las Vegas, NV; Fundraiser in Las Vegas, NV
11/7: Meet and Greet in Henderson, NV; Meet and Greet in Pahrump, NV
11/8: Town Hall in Bettendorf, IA; Meet and Greet in Davenport, IA
11/9: Town Hall in Flint, MI; Meet and Greet in Detroit, MI; Meet and Greet in Toledo, OH

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Senator McCaskill at a fundraiser in Las Vegas:

"You know, we need to run this campaign on ideas which benefit the middle class. I've been a strong advocate of the economic policies which boosted our economy to what it is today. We can't undo that progress by picking Christie or Bush as our next president. We need to continue and expand policies to protect American workers and to crack down on corporate corruption. We need to stand up to China's unfair trade policies, and we need to act as a peaceful force for democracy abroad. Though I will engage my opponents in both parties on ideas and issues, I will do so to deliver a clear contrast between myself and my competitors."

At a rally in Toledo, Ohio:

"Senator Gillibrand is a fighter for New York's working families and a close friend of mine. If she wins the nomination, I will fully support her. However, I feel that Americans need a choice who has dedicated her career to protecting American jobs. Therefore, I intend to continue this campaign."

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Senator Claire McCaskill appeared at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to deliver a stump speech on Obama's economic policies.

"We have a whole zoo of Republicans scurrying around the country talking about "Obama's failed policies" and how Americans want to elect another one of them to replace President Obama. We've hit a rough spot this year; that's undeniable. But the president's policies, including the stimulus and other jobs bills, have created millions of jobs. Consumer confidence is up, which means greater circulation of currency and a growing private sector. I'd argue that the main hindrance of progress over the past 7 years has been the Republicans who worked to block every piece of legislation supported by the president in an effort to bring them down. Approvals of the president may be in the 40's, but Congress isn't even in the teens now!

*laughter*

This political polarization has only served to divide our nation even more, and as President I want to bridge that gap. I come from a purple state, but because I fought for middle-class Americans I was able to appeal not only to Democrats, but to independents and even moderate Republicans. I won re-election to the Senate in 2012 by ten percentage points. I think that if Democrats decide to take that stand, we can do better in states like my home state of Missouri."

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

"I would first like to thank all of my wonderful supporters for an energetic and grassroots campaign. But I feel that the issues I stand for are best represented in my remaining rival for the nomination, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. I feel that her work in the Senate and her youthful charisma will be the best successor to the Obama presidency, and that is why I am suspending my campaign as of today and endorsing Kirsten Gillibrand for the presidency. Thank you to my kind supporters nationwide, and God Bless the United States of America."

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

"Thanks, Kirsten. I am proud to accept your nomination. I'm proud of the work we did in Arkansas. I worked across the aisle with Republicans, and we were able to balance the budget while retaining programs which help Arkansans. Arkansas now has one of the fastest-growing economies in the nation. But there's more work to be done. There are still millions of children, in Arkansas and in every state, who are not sure where their next meal will come from. Though the president's health care law has provided coverage for millions of Americans, there are still those who lack it, and those who have it may have trouble paying it off. That's why we provided state tax credits to make insurance cheaper. It's why we increased funding on education. It's why we cut taxes on groceries. I'm prepared to carry those ideas of compassion, hard work, and bipartisanship to Washington, and I'm more than prepared to support your next President, Kirsten Gillibrand!"

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Governor Beebe's Campaign Schedule-July 3rd to July 9th

NOTE: Meet & Greet also includes a stump speech

July 3rd: Meet and Greet in Fayetteville, Arkansas; Fundraiser in Fayetteville, Arkansas
July 4th: Attend Independence Day celebrations in Little Rock, Arkansas; Fundraiser in St. Louis, Missouri
July 5th: Town Hall in Columbus, Ohio; Meet and Greet in Toledo, Ohio
July 6th: Meet and Greet in Cleveland, Ohio; Meet and Greet in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
July 7th: Meet and Greet in Charleston, West Virginia; Meet and Greet in Uniontown, Pennsylvania; Fundraiser in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
July 8th: Visit Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia; Meet and Greet in Norfolk, Virginia
July 9th: Meet and Greet in Durham, North Carolina; Town Hall in Raleigh, North Carolina

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Mike Beebe in Charleston, West Virginia, on July 7th.



"One of the great things about this campaign is how we've decided to break the mold of red states and blue states. The more we limit ourselves, the less we can win. That's why I'm here, in the great state of West Virginia. In recent years, West Virginia has favored Republicans in national elections. But the Gillibrand/Beebe philosophy is to reach out to potential supporters in every state. Instead of running around Florida and Ohio, we've targeted West Virginia as a state we can put into play. Sandoval and Christie are already on the defensive against our expansion of the electoral map."

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Governor Beebe's Campaign Schedule-July 10th to July 17th, 2016

July 10th:

Appearance via satellite on Meet the Press
Town Hall in Youngstown, Ohio
Campaign Rally in Steubenville, Ohio
Campaign Rally in Wheeling, West Virginia

July 11th:

Campaign Rally in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Speech at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Campaign Rally in York, Pennsylvania
Fundraiser in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

July 12th:

Town Hall in Trenton, New Jersey
Campaign Rally in Clifton, New Jersey
Fundraiser in New York City, New York
Appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

July 13th:

Campaign Rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Town Hall in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Town Hall in Huntingdon, West Virginia
Campaign Rally in Roanoke, Virginia
Campaign Rally in Danville, Virginia

July 14th:

Campaign Rally in Durham, North Carolina
Speech at Duke University
Town Hall in Athens, Georgia
Fundraiser in Atlanta, Georgia

July 15th:

Town Hall in West Mephis, Arkansas
Campaign Rally in Amagon, Arkansas
Campaign Rally in Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Fundraiser in Little Rock, Arkansas
Appearance via satellite on The Rachel Maddow Show

July 16th:

Campaign Rally in New Madrid, Missouri
Town Hall in Kansas City, Missouri
Campaign Rally in Independence, Missouri
Town Hall in Columbia, Missouri

July 17th:

Campaign Rally in Davenport, Iowa
Town Hall in Des Moines, Iowa
Campaign Rally in Sioux City, Iowa
Town Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Campaign Rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Two states per day (in the game), remember

OOC: Should I go back and change my schedule or should I just change next week?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

OOC: TBH, with a pro-choice Hispanic Republican, the election in CA should be closer. This election is practically teetering on a mini-realignment.

And given that our schedules go to the 17th, could you extend Week 3 to September 24th?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Governor Beebe's Campaign Schedule-July 18th to July 24th

July 18th (MI, OH)

Campaign Rally in Warren, Michigan
Campaign Rally in Flint, Michigan
Campaign Rally in Toledo, Ohio
Town Hall in Dayton, Ohio
Appearance on NBC nightly news via satellite

July 19th (OH, PA)

Town Hall in Ashtabula, Ohio
Campaign Rally in Erie, Pennsylvania
Campaign Rally in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Speech at Penn State University
Fundraiser in Carlisle, Pennsylvania

July 20th (FL)

Campaign Rally in Talahassee, Florida
Campaign Rally in Apalachicola, Florida
Fundraiser in Gainesville, Florida
Campaign Rally in Tampa, Florida
Interview with The St. Petersburg Times

July 21st (LA, TX)

Town Hall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Campaign Rally in Shreveport, Louisiana
Campaign Rally in Houston, Texas
Campaign Rally in Galveston, Texas
Fundraiser in San Antonio, Texas

July 22nd (NM, CO)

Campaign Rally in Las Cruces, New Mexico
Town Hall in Carlsbad, New Mexico
Campaign Rally in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Campaign Rally in Pueblo, Colorado
Fundraiser in Denver, Colorado

July 23rd (IA, MO)

Town Hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Campaign Rally in Waterloo, Iowa
Barbecue in Kansas City, Missouri

July 24th (AR)

Campaign Rally in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Campaign Rally West Memphis, Arkansas
Town Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas
Fundraiser in Fayetteville, Arkansas

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

OOC: Gillibrand is more rural/populist than Cuomo, who will be hit hard for his right-wing economic views.