Interactive Election Game: 2016 (TURN 5)

[This account no longer in use.]

I was planning on doing an election game for the 2016 election cycle, and I wanted to see how many people would be interested.

For those who don't know, here are the basic rules of this game:

- You may sign up as any candidate who would have been able to run for president in 2016.
- Turns will last 48 hours, although a player may request an extension of 24 hours if they wish.
- Each turn will consist of the following:
* Poll results and any potentially relevant news items will be posted at the start of the turn. Candidates may request polling for one state per turn (in PMs), and there will be polls for the aforementioned state by next turn.
* Candidates will post schedules for the week of the turn, although they don't necessarily have to be incredibly specific. Schedules should summarize the week of the candidate.
* Candidates may also make advertisements, which can help their performance.
* Players should PM me to ask for endorsements, and GIVE REASONING WHY they should be endorsed. Some endorsements will be more difficult to get than others, so try to be realistic.
* On turn 1, players will signup as their candidates, and post campaign announcement speeches if they so choose. Turn 2 will be the week of Monday, June 15 through Sunday, June 22.
* The debate schedule will be roughly the same as in real life (if there are multiple debates for one party in one week, I'll just do one debate). During a debate, I will PM each player taking part a set of questions to answer, and each player's debate answers will be in the topic at the start of the next turn.

Candidates:

Democratic Party

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) - GoTfan21
Vice President Joe Biden (D-DE) - wjx987
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) - NewYorkExpress

Republican Party

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) - BigVic
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) - UWS
Stephen Pearcy (R-CA) - Jaguar4Life
Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) - CMB222
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) - Yankee_Mapper
Donald J. Trump (R-NY) - diptheriadan
Governor Mitch Daniels (R-IN) - Serious_Username

Third parties:

[GoTfan]

I'd like to run as Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democrats.

[diptheriadan]

Trump for the Reform Party

EDIT: Nevermind. Too busy.

[BigVic]

I'd like to run as Senator Ted Cruz (R) of Texas

[UWS]

I'd like to run as as Senator Marco Rubio (R) of Florida

[wjx987]

I'll take VP Joe Biden of Delaware (D)

[Jaguar4life]

Can I be a non politican who runs for the Republicans?

[This account no longer in use.]

Can I be a non politican who runs for the Republicans?

Sure.

[Jaguar4life]

I have someone in mind

[Jaguar4life]

I want to be Ratt lead singer Stephen Percy who is a  registered Republican

[diptheriadan]

Can you enter later on?

[This account no longer in use.]

Can you enter later on?

Yes, although entering after the first debate may not be the best idea.

[CMB222]

I'd like to run as Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) though I will be on vacation from June 16-28 so I won't be active during that time.

[NewYorkExpress]

I'd love to run as Elizabeth Warren...

[GoTfan]

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to run for President!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

-Excerpt from Senator Sanders' announcement speech

Key Platform Points:

• Reinstate a progressive tax system, with increased taxes for the wealthiest 1%
• Overturn Citizens United. No PACs or SuperPACs will be allowed to support this campaign.
• Treat climate change as a major threat. Start researching green energy, now
• Create a major national jobs program. Our infrastructure is crumbling, and rebuilding it will create literally millions of jobs
• Reform trade policy. Our current trade policy has cost us millions of jobs, while allowing the wealthiest corporations to send jobs overseas. Renegotiate NAFTA and withdraw from TPP.
• Raise the minimum wage. $7.25 an hour is just inept; the are perople working two or three jobs who can still not afford to put food on the table. The minimum wage must be raised to $15 an hour
• Close offshore tax havens. Millionaires and billionaires cannot continue to store their money in offshore tax havens despite getting huge tax cuts, while selling the rest of the country down the river
• Break up the big banks. We narrowly avoided a second Great Depression in 2008, and we cannot afford to have it happen again. Break up the major banks into smaller ones, so that if they go under, the economy doesn't
• Universal healthcare and college. Every American has the right to a college education and healthcare that doesn't cost the world. We must create Medicare for all and make public college debt-free for students.
• Be responsible in the use of force. I voted against the Iraq War because it was not a responsible use of force. America is not the world police. I am opposed to the unwise and unnecessary wars in the Middle East, and must instead of going it alone, align ourselves with other nations opposed to ISIS. 
  

[NewYorkExpress]

Elizabeth Warren announces for President!
 
June 14, 2015
Boston, Massachusetts


I announce my bid for the White House to bring justice to those who have lost it all over the last eight years. We need to break up the big banks, to prevent a crisis such as that which occurred almost seven years ago. We need to mobilize as much of resources as possible into green energy, so that the earth's climate can long endure. We need a foreign policy that is flexible enough to use diplomacy effectively, without ruling out the use of force with allies when appropriate. We need to once and for all settle the legacy of racism and sexism in this country in a decisive manner. With your support, we can pass real health care reform, instead of the half-hearted effort President Obama made with the Affordable Care Act. We can break up the big banks, and with your support we can elect progressives across the country.

Of course, we can also make history. If nominated, I will be the first woman nominated by a major party for the Oval Office, and if elected I will be the first woman elected to serve as President. Obviously, this is a tough challenge, and I am facing difficult opposition such as Vice-President Biden, and we will start out behind, but I am confident we will win.

It's time to elect a true Progressive, who actually is a registered Democrat, rather than someone who isn't registered Democrat, and is just using the party to further his own goals. It's time to make history and elect a woman for President.

[This account no longer in use.]

Thanks for participating, everyone. Signups should be open for ~28 more hours.

[CMB222]

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran Enters Presidential Race

McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Kansas

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[wjx987]

"I'm In It To Win It"-VP Joe Biden Is Running For President

June 15, 2015. Scranton, Pennsylvania

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Jaguar4life]

RATT LEAD SINGER TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2016
Blabbermouth.com
One of the finest lead frontmen in glam metal Stephen Percy in a stunning announcement says he will run for president Monday night on the Eddie Trunk show

PERCY:Well you know I wanna run because you look at these chooses that are not third party. Some that will run and they have said it and some who haven't put their hat in the race but prob will soon.

You see the people who have so far said they would run don't sound exciting to me.

TRUNK:Why's that?

Percy:Well for Ted Cruz is basically a bible thumper and has a voice I just not stand it sounds like someone is pinching his nose. *They both laugh* Biden is old and will be a repeat of the Obama administration though he won't have what really made Obama a star for the democrats is a good speaking and one who looks pretty when you put him next to the camera.

Trunk:What about the favorite for the democratic nomination Hillary Clinton?

Percy:Oh that's even worse. She is Obama but more of a war mongering and her forgien policy plans are similar to something Jeb Bush would say and speaking of Jeb Bush nothing needs to be said over then he's a Bush lol.

Trunk:People are you tell you you don't look Presidental how will you respond to that?

Percy:Well I will tell them remember Kennedy who basically was a womanizer or Bill Clinton who looked more like a rock star than a Presidental candidate or even Obama with him smoking pot in high school.

Hey what happened in the 80s lost its value for me. It's not going  out of the cellar yes that pun was intended

[diptheriadan]

Can you enter later on?

Yes, although entering after the first debate may not be the best idea.

Actually, I think I will enter.

[This account no longer in use.]

Okay. Still as Trump, I assume?

[diptheriadan]

Okay. Still as Trump, I assume?

As a Republican yes.

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

I would like to participate as Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. I will have an announcement post up before the end of the sign up period.

DANIELS ANNOUNCES RUN

Indianapolis - Former Indiana Governor and current Purdue University President Mitch Daniels today launched what it sure to be a long-shot bid for President yesterday. Daniels, who was director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Bush prior to his tenure as Governor, decried the state of fiscal conservatism in the current crop of candidates while highlighting his own experience reducing deficit spending - both federally and in Indiana. In his first speech as a declared candidate, Daniels attacked President Obama for his "reckless" spending and repeatedly promised to repeal and replace the healthcare law known as Obamacare if elected. Whether a pitch to voters based on fiscal conservatism in the current electoral climate will be a winning strategy, however, remains to be seen. Current polls have Daniels in a distant last place in Iowa and near the back of the pack in New Hampshire.

[UWS]

Marco Rubio
A New American Century

Announcement :

Date : April 13, 2015

Place : Freedom Tower in Miami, Florida

Thank you.

After months of deliberation and prayer about the future of our country, I have come here tonight to make an announcement on how I believe I can best serve her.

I chose to make this announcement at the Freedom Tower because it is a symbol of our nation’s identity as the land of opportunity. And I am more confident than ever that despite our troubles, we have it within our power to make our time another American Century.

In this very room five decades ago, tens of thousands of Cuban exiles began their new lives in America. Their story is part of the larger story of the American miracle. How, united by a common faith in their God given right to go as far as their talent and work would take them, a collection of immigrants and exiles, former slaves and refugees, became one people, and together built the freest and most prosperous nation ever.

For almost all of human history, power and wealth belonged only to a select few. Most people who have ever lived were trapped by the circumstances of their birth, destined to live the life their parents had. But America is different. Here, we are the children and grandchildren of people who refused to accept this.

Both of my parents were born to poor families in Cuba. After his mother died when he was nine, my father left school to go work. My mother was one of seven girls raised by a disabled father who struggled to provide for his family.

When they were young, my parents had big dreams for themselves. But because they were not born into wealth or power, their future was destined to be defined by their past. So in 1956 they came here, to the one place on earth where the aspirations of people like them could be more than just dreams.

My father became a bartender. My mother a cashier, a maid and a Kmart stock clerk. They never made it big. But they were successful. Two immigrants with little money or education found stable jobs, owned a home, retired with security and gave all four of their children a life far better than their own.

My parents achieved what came to be known as the American Dream. But now, too many Americans are starting to doubt whether achieving that dream is still possible:

Hard working families living paycheck to paycheck, one unexpected expense away from disaster…Young Americans, unable to start a career, a business or a family, because they owe thousands in student loans for degrees that did not lead to jobs…And small business owners, left to struggle under the weight of more taxes, more regulations and more government.

Why is this happening in a country that for over two centuries has been defined by equality of opportunity? Because while our people and economy are pushing the boundaries of the 21st century, too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the twentieth century. They are busy looking backward, so they do not see how jobs and prosperity today depend on our ability to compete in a global economy. So our leaders put us at a disadvantage by taxing, borrowing and regulating like it’s 1999.

They look for solutions in yesterday, so they don’t see that good-paying modern jobs require different skills and more education than the past. And they have forgotten that when America fails to lead, global chaos inevitably follows, so they appease our enemies, betray our allies and weaken our military.

At the turn of the 19th century, a generation of Americans harnessed the power of the Industrial Age and transformed this country into the leading economy in the world. And the 20th century became the American Century.

Now, the time has come for our generation to lead the way toward a new American Century.
If we reform our tax code, reduce regulations, control spending, modernize our immigration laws and repeal and replace Obamacare, the American people will create millions of better-paying modern jobs.

If we create a 21st century system of higher education that provides working Americans the chance to acquire the skills they need, that no longer graduates students with mountains of debt and degrees that do not lead to jobs, and that graduates more students from high school ready to work, then our people will be prepared to seize their opportunities in the new economy.

If we remember that family – not government – is the most important institution in society, that all life deserves protection, and that all parents deserve to choose the education that’s right for their children, then we will have a strong people and a strong nation.

And if America accepts the mantle of global leadership, by abandoning this administration’s dangerous concessions to Iran, and its hostility to Israel; by reversing the hollowing out of our military; by giving our men and women in uniform the resources, care and gratitude they deserve; by no longer being passive in the face of Chinese and Russian aggression; and by ending the near total disregard for the erosion of democracy and human rights around the world; then our nation will be safer, the world more stable, and our people more prosperous.
This election is not just about what laws we will pass. It is a generational choice about what kind of country we will be.

The Democrats are promising to take us back to yesterday. But yesterday is over, and we are never going back. We Americans are proud of our history, but our country has always been about the future. Before us now is the opportunity to author the greatest chapter yet in the amazing story of America.

We can’t do that by going back to the leaders and ideas of the past. We must change the decisions we are making by changing the people who are making them.

That is why today, grounded by the lessons of our history, and inspired by the promise of our future, I announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.

My candidacy might seem improbable to some watching from abroad. In many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful. But I live in an exceptional country where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power and privilege.

I recognize the challenges of this campaign, and the demands of the office I seek. But in this endeavor as in all things, I find comfort in the ancient command to, “Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

I have heard some suggest that I should step aside and wait my turn. But I cannot. Because I believe our very identity as an exceptional nation is at stake, and I can make a difference as President.

I am humbled by the realization that America doesn't owe me anything; but I have a debt to America I must try to repay. This isn't just the country where I was born; America is the place that changed my family’s history.

I regret my father did not live to see this day in person. He used to tell me all the time: En este pais, ustedes van a poder lograr todas las cosas que nosotros no pudimos. “In this country, you will achieve all the things we never could.”

My father was grateful for the work he had, but that was not the life he wanted for his children. He wanted all the dreams he once had for himself to come true for us. He wanted all the doors that closed for him to be open for me. My father stood behind a small portable bar in the back of a room for all those years, so that tonight I could stand behind this podium in the front of this room.

That journey, from behind that bar to behind this podium, is the essence of the American Dream.
Whether or not we remain a special country will depend on whether that journey is still possible for those trying to make it now:

The single mother who works long hours for little pay so her children don’t have to struggle the way she has… The student who takes two buses before dawn to attend a better school halfway across town…The workers in our hotel kitchens, the landscaping crews in our neighborhoods, the late-night janitorial staff that clean our offices … and the bartenders who tonight are standing in the back of a room somewhere…

If their American Dreams become impossible, we will have become just another country. But if they succeed, the 21st Century will be another American Century. This will be the message of my campaign and the purpose of my presidency.

To succeed on this journey, I will need your prayers, your support, and ultimately, your vote. Tonight I am asking you to take that first step with me, by joining us at marcorubio.com.

The final verdict on our generation will be written by Americans not yet born. Let us make sure they record that we made the right choice. That in the early years of this century, faced with a rapidly changing and uncertain world, our generation rose to face the great challenges of our time.

And because we did, there was still one place in the world where who you come from does not determine how far you can go.

Because we did, the American miracle lived on.

And because we did, our children and theirs lived in a new American Century.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

Campaign Positions :
-Budget balance
-Abolition of the IRS
-Repeal and replace Obamacare
-Defense of the Second Amendment
-Opposition to abortion
-Reinforcement of the US-Mexico borders before reforming immigration system
-Energy independence through taking advantage of all sources of energy (including oil, gas, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, etc.)
-American competitiveness in the world economy
-Tax cuts for the American people and business owners
-Increased defense spending
-Reinforced and modernized US military to fight and defeat ISIS and other radical Islamic terrorist groups and to restore international territorial integrity against Russia and China