- Location
- Here
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Has kinda been the running problem with why the whole abortion/Planned Parenthood topic keeps coming up.
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MakeAmericaSaneAgain. A 2016 political campaign.
- Thread starter KarvokaQueen
- Start date
- Original
Has kinda been the running problem with why the whole abortion/Planned Parenthood topic keeps coming up.
- Location
- Europe
I'm not saying you have to read every page of discussion but reading the plans and the highly-rated comments should give you a better understanding of how we got where we are.
Yes, that's kind of a requirement for winning the primaries.
I'm getting as fed up by this as Chengar. Okay, to provide a brief summary:
1. Not dodging abortion, we're just not making it a key issue in our campaign. We're playing to our strengths, which are law and order, various fiscal and anti-establishment policies.
2. Position on abortion is the same as the majority of Americans: No abortion post-viability. I personally think this stance is too soft to win over pro-lifers, but it might be enough to make them not hate us and it's the "best" we can do considering Pataki's previous position as governor.
3. Pro-lifers care about defunding Planned Parenthood. They care a lot. Planned Parenthood is the biggest provider of abortions in the US and the government is currently indirectly funding abortions by subsidizing PP. Stopping that is a top priority for many pro-lifers.
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Valkur
The True Valkyria, Valkur!
- Location
- Fólkvangr
Come on giys you have to be more republican.
Read up the constitution, hate minorities (even if like me, you are one), Jesus rocks, immigration bad, ISIS bad, and stop crooked hillary!
Just some stuff mind you. Wbile we can say that we personally like something ooc, Ic we either hate it or simply do not care enough.
That should be our standard of victory! Now lets get Pataki in office!!
Read up the constitution, hate minorities (even if like me, you are one), Jesus rocks, immigration bad, ISIS bad, and stop crooked hillary!
Just some stuff mind you. Wbile we can say that we personally like something ooc, Ic we either hate it or simply do not care enough.
That should be our standard of victory! Now lets get Pataki in office!!
Chargone
Invisable operator
- Location
- New Zealand
Not really? Or, well, maybe. The plan, as I understand it, is to defund PP, fund other entities which do all the stuff PP does except abortions, but not to forbid abortions in general, just government funding for such under non-emergency conditions.
I think the idea is to appease the less extreme republicans without seriously/completely alienating anyone else.
Bonus: it can be tucked under the whole "rationalizing government spending" thing, because of what the money's actually for, and how it ends up being used.
Which is to say, funding somewhere which does things A, B and C, but only for things B and C, functionally funds thing A as well by letting them shift some of the funds they would have been using for B and C without your contribution to thing A. When the intended result is that they keep funding B and C themselves the same amount they were before, then add the government funding on Top of that. Meaning the money isn't being spent properly, so should be resigned to places where it would actually achieve the intended objective.
Basically, none of the money is going to be taken away from the services it's already tagged as funding. Just from an entity which is functionally appropriating some of it for other purposes.
On a different note:
An interesting multi-way dodge used in New Zealand (note that this would probably make the tax system more complicated without the systems NZ has in place which basically dump most of the work on the employer and/or Inland Revenue Department rather than the individual worker and the like.):
In NZ, when you donate money to registered charities*, you are, of course, given a receipt (or whatever the word is). Each year, a form is sent out to pretty much every taxpayer. You fill in how much you gave to those charities, total, attach the receipts, fill in a box with a number which is basically 1/3rd of what you donated, or the amount of tax you payed, whichever is smaller. Send the form in, and once it's processed, you get that money back.
The reason it's a dodge? The government counts a portion of it (roughly equal to how much goes to aid organizations, in theory) towards it's international aid obligations (treaties, UN, whatever), and so doesn't have to include so much of that in the "expense" column of its budget, It encourages people to donate to charities, meaning the charities are funded and the services they provide are available without having to appear in the government's budget, Everyone loves getting a chunk of their taxes back, obviously...
Ultimately, the dodge is that everything gets done nicely and properly, and everyone comes out looking like they got something for nothing. They could just charge less tax in the first place, but then people wouldn't donate to the charities as much and the government would either need to fund the services itself or fund whatever mechanism it used to deal with the consequences of not having those services (or accept whatever negative consequences came from not dealing with those.)
Then what you do is you don't give official charity status to the various entities which spend way more of their money on campaigning to get more money, high staff salaries, etc. than they do on the thing they're supposedly For. (yes, this includes those churches which spend their money on private jets rather than on helping the community. Don't fund those. A mosque that's actually helping the community and Not encouraging terrorism and the like (or, ideally, discouraging it.)? charity, fund it. Political campaign? not a charity, no rebate.)
*there's logic behind what does and doesn't count, but churches and aid organizations make up the bulk of them. Also the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind (provides guide dogs), the NZRSPCA (I believe), various entities helping the poor not end up actually destitute, that sort of thing. It basically amounts to providing a service that's beneficial to the community or world at large while being funded primarily or entirely by donations, so far as i can tell.
In light of that, NZ's tax code!
For your average citizen, it goes like this:
Income falls in one bracket or another (entirely based on how much you earn a year. If you're not self employed/a business owner, and haven't won the lottery or been gifted hundreds of thousands of dollars for some reason, that's all that matters.)
You register with the IRD as a tax payer, give the resulting ID number to your employer... And your taxes get taken out of your wages/salary before you even see it. Even if you Did see it, unless you're getting a bunch of benefits in lieu of pay, it'd be a straight up percentage of your income. Your taxes get processed by your boss's accounting department the same as all the other taxes the business has to pay. This is what that rebate for the charitable donations is compared against.
The Other tax people pay is the Goods and Services tax. It's a consumer tax which functions as a sales tax. It's pretty much awful as a Method, but the actual tax burden's not too high. It's a flat percentage of the price of what you're buying added to the bill. Whenever you pay for a good or service, you add... i think it's 12.5% these days. could be wrong. Now, in the US, you have to add the sales tax to everything when you buy it, yes?
Yeah, here, prices are assumed to include GST. The total includes GST. the amount of the total that is GST is included as a separate item at the end of the receipt. GST only gets excluded in advertising and stuff for things costing over 1000 dollars to make them look cheaper, or when the thing's getting auctioned or subject to something which can cause the price to vary. And then it's required to include a "excludes GST" disclaimer on every single price which does so (including in their advertising mailers and on the actual ticket in the shop.) Functionally, the consumer never deals with the tax, they just pay the money.
How the GST works is annoying though. come tax time, Every business has to add up all the GST they've collected from people buying from them, and all the GST they've Payed from buying things from other businesses, then they pay the government the Difference in tax. (note that if they've payed more than they've collected, it means they're Losing Money, and i think the government may actually refund the difference.) This causes an unfortunately large amount of overhead, apparently, but does ensure that it is consumers who pay it, wherever they may be on the chain. Including tourists. (Note that you don't pay GST on imports, though there are customs duties and the like if said imports cost enough. Like all of these things, not something a consumer's going to ever see unless they buy a car or boat or something.)
then there's what amounts to an income (or possibly profit) tax on businesses. Again, i Think this is broken up like the income tax is (that is, the more money you get in, the bigger cut the government takes, to a point. You'll always get more money if you do more work, but how much more for a given amount of extra work goes down a bit.)
...
...
I swear i had a point when i started this, it got away on me....
Oh! Right!
Charitable donation tax rebate: Good PR all around, may help the budget a bit (certainly makes it look better), Should help improve the minimum quality of life if implemented properly... and throws something of a bone to the religious right if this isn't the case already: Their tithes count if the church they're giving money to isn't a rip off/scam. Also encourages charities to actually do what they say they do so as to keep the status so that people keep giving them money rather than shifting it to someone honest/effective enough to actually qualify under the rebate scheme.
*headdesk*
I fail at being succinct and focused and on topic and the like.
edit: also, this post took way too damn long to write.
TL;DR: The defunding PP thing is fine, it's been thought out well, and, assuming the US doesn't already have something similar, proposed an idea which should throw the religious right a bone, somewhat appeal to the sort of "small government" types who like seeing the government spend less money (and don't consider the consequences to actual services which comes from that), appeal to the sort of people who like paying less tax, And sound good to democrats come the actual election. Again, assuming such a thing isn't already in place. And is presented a lot better than i did.
Assuming it's even possible, given the USA is the USA with all the weirdness that implies.
why do even my TL;DRs end up as large paragraphs? :S <_< *headdesk*
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Turn 8. Results
KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
Release Schedule
[X] Staggered Release of your Major Planks
- Your campaign experts should have time to go over and finalize the Major Planks by next week. Plan for either a Monday (July 27) or a Wednesday (July 29) release of 'People over Politics'. Then release 'Safe at Home' the following Monday (August 3). Plan for TV appearances and special campaign events to talk up each plank as they're released. Finally, publish the 'Defending Life' plank to our website as soon as the first debate begins (August 6) for Pataki to spring on the moderators and other candidates. Release 'Secure our Future' the Monday after the debate (August 10) with a surprise appearance/endorsement by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Our release schedule would look like
July 29: People Over Politics (campaign motto, emphasizes campaign theme)
August 3: Safe at Home (red meat for base, emphasizes candidate's reputation)
August 6: Defending Life (more red meat, use as ambush during debate)
August 10: Secure our Future (surprise appearance with Neil, emphasizes optimism)
Fleshing Out the Platform
[X] People over Politics, Safe at Home, Defending Life, Secure our Future 60% Completed
Alright! Fucking A! You are in business, finally. It took well over ten hours, and you are pretty sure Neil has passed out, but as you hit 'save' for the final time today, you feel elation! Jubilation! Fucking victory! You have to suppress the urge to call your mother and tell her about the fucking amazing job you've done planning this motherfucker out. You've got three planks done, plus a chunk of a fourth. The thing is, though, that is more than enough for what you've got planned, and the second the meeting is over you are on the phone, making a booking for….shit, what was the place? Eh, you'll ask Neil in the morning. You make a note to do that.
As you head out, piling into your new not quite as awful car with Jeanie, she is still visibly nervous, but as you talk it out, you realise it is more the nuclear stuff you've put in the platform. Goddamn greens. You can have a real proper science man explain shit to 'em and they still don't learn nothin'! You drop her off after having to stop at a goddamn wholefoods to buy some goddamn noodles (Fucking $14 for noodles? She's a PA! How does anyone pay for that shit? And why?!) and make your way to the place you've been staying the past few days. You are still hopped up on caffeine so you spend the entire night on your computer reading out shit, managing shit, and all that good stuff! As you run oversight, you…..
NYT:
[X] Social Media blitz. "Palmer! Go get George on the phone." Draft an initial response for Pataki to release on Twitter, going after NYTimes' shady tactics. Follow up with consistent attacks on media credibility. Prepare response to downplay arrest ("as far as I've been told" "unpaid volunteer" "picked up for loitering" "no charges filed", etc.) if Pataki is asked in person, but otherwise stick to a counterattack via social media.
Roll (d100) = 87. Pataki knocks it out of the park.
"I mean, of course we were unavailable to give a comment on an unpaid campaign volunteer being arrested. The New York times called us once, at three am the day the were publishing! My campaign staff had all retired for the night, as we do not typically anticipate calls that early in the morning." Pataki flashes a photogenic smile to the reporters as several swarm closer, he points to one from Fox News
"Anna Kooiman, Fox News. Are you alleging that the New York times might have reported on the incident falsely?" Pataki nods, and his grin just gets wide. As you watch him speak, you can't help but feel a grin grown across your heavily moustachioed face.
"I think the New York times using dodgy tactics to slander people they dislike is well established. This is just another sad chapter in their long history of anti-republican, anti-conservative bias. I think it is a shameful display of journalistic dishonesty, but I'm not surprised, given the well established liberal bias much of the print media has long had. Now, this is a personal request, but can we perhaps focus on something more important?" The media erupts into a temporary frenzy before Pataki forces them back on topic. Yep. This was feeling pretty damn good! Hah!
Throughout the week you've been having Palmer amp up the twitter feed. Starting out with the dismissal of the NYT's story and dragging more and more people into a giant twitter firestorm. Fucking ace. You might actually have to give that idiot a reward for a job well done.
Pataki TV:
[X] Yes. Things went great last time!
- Fareed Zakaria GPS
- Foreign Policy
"Welcome to GPS, the Global Public Square, Welcome to all of you, from the United States and around the world, I'm Fareed Zakaria. Today on GPS we will be looking into America's relations abroad. Fourteen years into the war on terror, is America any safer? We will look into the ramifications of the U.S. Patriot act, as well as interviewing Republican Presidential Candidate, George Pataki, the Governor of New York state during the September 11 attacks.
Before that, here's my take…."
After roughly twenty minutes, the show cuts to an interview with George Pataki conducted roughly one day before the show's broadcast. Pataki is well presented, wearing a sharp suit and smiling warmly
Roll (d100) = 73 (58+15). Pataki outlines his take on global security and the post 9-11 consensus.With a few minor gaffes here and there.
Fareed: Welcome to the show, George. I'm glad you've agreed to come on. Now, my first question is, having been out of the public eye for almost ten years, what could you say on foreign policy? The world has changed since 2006.
Pataki nods slowly, leaning in to shake Fareed's hand, before giving his response
Pataki: Well, it certainly has! For the worse, I'd say. That said, as governor during the 9/11 attacks, I'd say I have at least some experience in dealing with terror groups. I think abroad America's foreign prestige has taken a beating in recent years. We've been mishandling countries, launching failed interventions that have strengthened the global islamist terror cells that prey on the innocent. I might've been gone from politics for the past nine years, but that isn't to say I don't understand the issues facing America, and the world abroad.
Fareed: Islamist? Would you argue that Islam is a leading cause of terrorism in the modern world, or that Islam is a threat to America?
Pataki suddenly looks slightly nervous, before recomposing himself
Pataki: Not at all. I'd say islamism is a threat. Islamists pervert the religion of Islam as the KKK did to protestantism, to justify their brutal, hateful crimes. We need to really dig into these groups and suffocate them, before they get a chance to gain momentum. We defeated the Klan, we can defeat groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and we can do it while keeping America safe.
Pataki nods confidently, as Fareed looks to his notes, before looking back up
Fareed: So you are against people saying that Islam is responsible for terrorist attacks, like the September Eleven attacks?
Pataki gets nervous again, slowly nodding
Pataki: Of course. I don't hold conservatism responsible for the WTO attack in the 1990s, and it'd be folly to say a religion with over a billion adherents is behind the 9/11 attacks. The madmen behind the attacks just used their religion as a cover for their own madness. I believe we should absolutely double-down against Islamists both at home, and abroad. We can't allow a second 9/11 attack to occur.
Fareed nods, and the show continues in this vein. The only notable incidents are Pataki being unable to name the current President of Iran, and confusing Aleppo with Ankara.
Campaign Actions:
Well….Cool J wasn't fucking you around when he said he wanted to ask you something important. You….you aren't even sure what to make of that.
Covered in interlude - 'Would the real senator from New York please stand up?'
Research:
[X] Expanding surveillance. Harry is apoplectic about last week's fuck up. Splitting his time screaming at his interns, and apologising to you. which makes you feel a little better, but has also made you realise, of course he's fucking up. You need some proper spying infrastructure! To get this kind of shit off the ground, though, would bite into your cash reserves a bit. It'd also take time. (Cost: 18k per turn until completed. 6k once completed. Time: 3 turns. Result: Research stat raised to 3. Harry will have an easier time coordinating spying and subterfuge)
Roll (d100) = 49. Work begins. Harry makes friends with some men in suits.
Well….Harry is being disturbing again. Damn it. Still you can't deny being impressed with the sheer amount of equipment he's getting shipped in. He's also sent off a few of his pollsters to get some training with some 'men he met, with relevant experience'. You don't know what that means, but these men are bald, wear black suits, and have ear pieces. You don't want to fucking know at this stage.
[X] Invulnerable. Harry wants to conduct a sweep of the state organizations for spies. To make sure your organistion is tight and unbeatable. (Cost: 20k. Time: 2 turns. Result: Spies purged from Campaign HQ)
Roll = 96. Spies purged. Jeb! Campaign operative detained. Palmer did a good job for once.
Well, all fucking right. You never knew Harry was a good runner, but you've learned something today. Turns out Harry has largely swept the organisation clean, or so he thought until he found a fairly reclusive Jeb! Campaign operative. When he found out about him, the spy tried to escape, only for Harry to mount a desk and crash-tackle him to the ground.
Of all the goddamn things you'd never thought you'd see, Harry Enten screaming as he pinned down a balding, middle-aged pollster who'd been sent as a spy…...wasn't exactly high on your list of things you'd expect.
[X] The Beanslide begins. Apparently Harry has been taking Scott Walker's attacks very personally. You can't blame him. You have been as well. He's a real piece of work, that slick-haired twat. Harry's got an idea to help screw him, though. (Cost: 15k upfront. Unknown amount down the road. Chance of Success: Unknown. Time to Completion: Unknown. Result: Harry Enten appeased. Otherwise unknown. This action locks until completion)
Cost: 5k this turn.
Well, Harry's been a suprise this week. Apparently Walker's finances might be in more hot water than people expected, and the WSJ has been reporting on rumors that Walker's campaign might actually be broke. Harry hasn't said if this was him but he seems way happier than he was this time last week. What the fuck goes on in that office of his?
Pataki Actions:
[X] Practice Issue familiarity. This is important for when the debate season starts, but also if you have to give interviews. Having George able to not fuck up the few interviews he will land would be a very, very good idea. (Issue Familiarity increased by +10)
Roll (d100) = 73. Pataki continues to build on experience.
Well, as the week caps off, you are fairly satisfied with how Pataki is progressing, if nothing else he isn't likely to have an 'Aleppo moment' like on Zakaria's show. Thank God he recovered from that quickly. That could've been a disaster.
(Issue Familiarity raised to 4)
Libby:
[X] Hit the track. Libby has apparently worked on her speaking, time to put that to the test, and have her Barnstorm on her own! (Cost: 8k. Chance of Success: 75% Result: +Momentum in [STATE]. Restricted to New England, New York, South Carolina, and Nevada.)
- [X] South Carolina
Roll = 29. Well….that was something. (The abortion question is here)
"Mrs. Pataki, do you have anything to say about your husbands pro-death history?" After several fairly easy questions about her personal life, and about her husband's plan to restore American infrastructure and restore manufacturing jobs, when a sneering, overweight woman with a cross printed onto a too-tight t-shirt sneered. Libby was taken aback for a second. She'd thought that security would be able to screen that from question time. Regardless, Libby rolled with the attempted smear, with a friendly grin.
"My husband was the governor of one of the most liberal states in the country, and when he was in charge, he pursued a relentlessly conservative agenda. Did we have to compromise? Sometimes. That said, we've always, as catholics, been deeply opposed to abortion, with the exceptions, of course, of rape and if the mother's life is at risk." There was some silence, as the woman fired back at this attempted deflection
"So it is fine to be selfish?! Why should the mother be allowed to murder her child?!" Libby's grin grew wider. Her retort had, admittedly, been quite weak, but that didn't matter. This woman had thrown the crowd into her corner for her.
"You do understand if the mother dies, the odds of the child surviving are so slim they barely exist? Abortion is a horribly traumatic experience, and we should absolutely push back against the liberal consensus, that has negatively impacted the moral fiber of the country, but let's not go insane. All a flat-out ban would do is cause mothers to die in labour, and force women to deal with the horrible trauma of rape even more than before. That's just not something I, as a Catholic, a Republican, and a woman, can endorse." The woman fumed, and hurled an insulting retort about Libby being 'no real woman' before being escorted out. The crowd looked at her much more positively than before, and the reporter present recorded a glowing article about 'Libby Pataki: FemCon Hero?' Libby actually seriously considered thanking that woman for her rude, brusque interruption, that was the most press coverage she'd gotten in ages!
SuperPAC rolls:
People Before Politics PAC = 80. 250k Ad buy in IA, NH. Pataki Momentum, +5 Grassley Momentum +2, Ayotte Momentum +3
African-Americans for a Better America PAC = 97. 1.5m Ad buy in IA, NH, SC, NV. +10 Momentum. -10 Trump Momentum -10 Ben Carson momentum.
The SuperPACs had a great run of it this week, and you can feel the love radiating from the crowd as things begin to pump up, you also got an email from both Grassley and Ayotte saying they appreciate your 'contribution' to their re-election bids. It's all coming together now!
[X] Staggered Release of your Major Planks
- Your campaign experts should have time to go over and finalize the Major Planks by next week. Plan for either a Monday (July 27) or a Wednesday (July 29) release of 'People over Politics'. Then release 'Safe at Home' the following Monday (August 3). Plan for TV appearances and special campaign events to talk up each plank as they're released. Finally, publish the 'Defending Life' plank to our website as soon as the first debate begins (August 6) for Pataki to spring on the moderators and other candidates. Release 'Secure our Future' the Monday after the debate (August 10) with a surprise appearance/endorsement by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Our release schedule would look like
July 29: People Over Politics (campaign motto, emphasizes campaign theme)
August 3: Safe at Home (red meat for base, emphasizes candidate's reputation)
August 6: Defending Life (more red meat, use as ambush during debate)
August 10: Secure our Future (surprise appearance with Neil, emphasizes optimism)
Fleshing Out the Platform
[X] People over Politics, Safe at Home, Defending Life, Secure our Future 60% Completed
Alright! Fucking A! You are in business, finally. It took well over ten hours, and you are pretty sure Neil has passed out, but as you hit 'save' for the final time today, you feel elation! Jubilation! Fucking victory! You have to suppress the urge to call your mother and tell her about the fucking amazing job you've done planning this motherfucker out. You've got three planks done, plus a chunk of a fourth. The thing is, though, that is more than enough for what you've got planned, and the second the meeting is over you are on the phone, making a booking for….shit, what was the place? Eh, you'll ask Neil in the morning. You make a note to do that.
As you head out, piling into your new not quite as awful car with Jeanie, she is still visibly nervous, but as you talk it out, you realise it is more the nuclear stuff you've put in the platform. Goddamn greens. You can have a real proper science man explain shit to 'em and they still don't learn nothin'! You drop her off after having to stop at a goddamn wholefoods to buy some goddamn noodles (Fucking $14 for noodles? She's a PA! How does anyone pay for that shit? And why?!) and make your way to the place you've been staying the past few days. You are still hopped up on caffeine so you spend the entire night on your computer reading out shit, managing shit, and all that good stuff! As you run oversight, you…..
NYT:
[X] Social Media blitz. "Palmer! Go get George on the phone." Draft an initial response for Pataki to release on Twitter, going after NYTimes' shady tactics. Follow up with consistent attacks on media credibility. Prepare response to downplay arrest ("as far as I've been told" "unpaid volunteer" "picked up for loitering" "no charges filed", etc.) if Pataki is asked in person, but otherwise stick to a counterattack via social media.
Roll (d100) = 87. Pataki knocks it out of the park.
"I mean, of course we were unavailable to give a comment on an unpaid campaign volunteer being arrested. The New York times called us once, at three am the day the were publishing! My campaign staff had all retired for the night, as we do not typically anticipate calls that early in the morning." Pataki flashes a photogenic smile to the reporters as several swarm closer, he points to one from Fox News
"Anna Kooiman, Fox News. Are you alleging that the New York times might have reported on the incident falsely?" Pataki nods, and his grin just gets wide. As you watch him speak, you can't help but feel a grin grown across your heavily moustachioed face.
"I think the New York times using dodgy tactics to slander people they dislike is well established. This is just another sad chapter in their long history of anti-republican, anti-conservative bias. I think it is a shameful display of journalistic dishonesty, but I'm not surprised, given the well established liberal bias much of the print media has long had. Now, this is a personal request, but can we perhaps focus on something more important?" The media erupts into a temporary frenzy before Pataki forces them back on topic. Yep. This was feeling pretty damn good! Hah!
Throughout the week you've been having Palmer amp up the twitter feed. Starting out with the dismissal of the NYT's story and dragging more and more people into a giant twitter firestorm. Fucking ace. You might actually have to give that idiot a reward for a job well done.
Pataki TV:
[X] Yes. Things went great last time!
- Fareed Zakaria GPS
- Foreign Policy
"Welcome to GPS, the Global Public Square, Welcome to all of you, from the United States and around the world, I'm Fareed Zakaria. Today on GPS we will be looking into America's relations abroad. Fourteen years into the war on terror, is America any safer? We will look into the ramifications of the U.S. Patriot act, as well as interviewing Republican Presidential Candidate, George Pataki, the Governor of New York state during the September 11 attacks.
Before that, here's my take…."
After roughly twenty minutes, the show cuts to an interview with George Pataki conducted roughly one day before the show's broadcast. Pataki is well presented, wearing a sharp suit and smiling warmly
Roll (d100) = 73 (58+15). Pataki outlines his take on global security and the post 9-11 consensus.With a few minor gaffes here and there.
Fareed: Welcome to the show, George. I'm glad you've agreed to come on. Now, my first question is, having been out of the public eye for almost ten years, what could you say on foreign policy? The world has changed since 2006.
Pataki nods slowly, leaning in to shake Fareed's hand, before giving his response
Pataki: Well, it certainly has! For the worse, I'd say. That said, as governor during the 9/11 attacks, I'd say I have at least some experience in dealing with terror groups. I think abroad America's foreign prestige has taken a beating in recent years. We've been mishandling countries, launching failed interventions that have strengthened the global islamist terror cells that prey on the innocent. I might've been gone from politics for the past nine years, but that isn't to say I don't understand the issues facing America, and the world abroad.
Fareed: Islamist? Would you argue that Islam is a leading cause of terrorism in the modern world, or that Islam is a threat to America?
Pataki suddenly looks slightly nervous, before recomposing himself
Pataki: Not at all. I'd say islamism is a threat. Islamists pervert the religion of Islam as the KKK did to protestantism, to justify their brutal, hateful crimes. We need to really dig into these groups and suffocate them, before they get a chance to gain momentum. We defeated the Klan, we can defeat groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and we can do it while keeping America safe.
Pataki nods confidently, as Fareed looks to his notes, before looking back up
Fareed: So you are against people saying that Islam is responsible for terrorist attacks, like the September Eleven attacks?
Pataki gets nervous again, slowly nodding
Pataki: Of course. I don't hold conservatism responsible for the WTO attack in the 1990s, and it'd be folly to say a religion with over a billion adherents is behind the 9/11 attacks. The madmen behind the attacks just used their religion as a cover for their own madness. I believe we should absolutely double-down against Islamists both at home, and abroad. We can't allow a second 9/11 attack to occur.
Fareed nods, and the show continues in this vein. The only notable incidents are Pataki being unable to name the current President of Iran, and confusing Aleppo with Ankara.
Campaign Actions:
Well….Cool J wasn't fucking you around when he said he wanted to ask you something important. You….you aren't even sure what to make of that.
Covered in interlude - 'Would the real senator from New York please stand up?'
Research:
[X] Expanding surveillance. Harry is apoplectic about last week's fuck up. Splitting his time screaming at his interns, and apologising to you. which makes you feel a little better, but has also made you realise, of course he's fucking up. You need some proper spying infrastructure! To get this kind of shit off the ground, though, would bite into your cash reserves a bit. It'd also take time. (Cost: 18k per turn until completed. 6k once completed. Time: 3 turns. Result: Research stat raised to 3. Harry will have an easier time coordinating spying and subterfuge)
Roll (d100) = 49. Work begins. Harry makes friends with some men in suits.
Well….Harry is being disturbing again. Damn it. Still you can't deny being impressed with the sheer amount of equipment he's getting shipped in. He's also sent off a few of his pollsters to get some training with some 'men he met, with relevant experience'. You don't know what that means, but these men are bald, wear black suits, and have ear pieces. You don't want to fucking know at this stage.
[X] Invulnerable. Harry wants to conduct a sweep of the state organizations for spies. To make sure your organistion is tight and unbeatable. (Cost: 20k. Time: 2 turns. Result: Spies purged from Campaign HQ)
Roll = 96. Spies purged. Jeb! Campaign operative detained. Palmer did a good job for once.
Well, all fucking right. You never knew Harry was a good runner, but you've learned something today. Turns out Harry has largely swept the organisation clean, or so he thought until he found a fairly reclusive Jeb! Campaign operative. When he found out about him, the spy tried to escape, only for Harry to mount a desk and crash-tackle him to the ground.
Of all the goddamn things you'd never thought you'd see, Harry Enten screaming as he pinned down a balding, middle-aged pollster who'd been sent as a spy…...wasn't exactly high on your list of things you'd expect.
[X] The Beanslide begins. Apparently Harry has been taking Scott Walker's attacks very personally. You can't blame him. You have been as well. He's a real piece of work, that slick-haired twat. Harry's got an idea to help screw him, though. (Cost: 15k upfront. Unknown amount down the road. Chance of Success: Unknown. Time to Completion: Unknown. Result: Harry Enten appeased. Otherwise unknown. This action locks until completion)
Cost: 5k this turn.
Well, Harry's been a suprise this week. Apparently Walker's finances might be in more hot water than people expected, and the WSJ has been reporting on rumors that Walker's campaign might actually be broke. Harry hasn't said if this was him but he seems way happier than he was this time last week. What the fuck goes on in that office of his?
Pataki Actions:
[X] Practice Issue familiarity. This is important for when the debate season starts, but also if you have to give interviews. Having George able to not fuck up the few interviews he will land would be a very, very good idea. (Issue Familiarity increased by +10)
Roll (d100) = 73. Pataki continues to build on experience.
Well, as the week caps off, you are fairly satisfied with how Pataki is progressing, if nothing else he isn't likely to have an 'Aleppo moment' like on Zakaria's show. Thank God he recovered from that quickly. That could've been a disaster.
(Issue Familiarity raised to 4)
Libby:
[X] Hit the track. Libby has apparently worked on her speaking, time to put that to the test, and have her Barnstorm on her own! (Cost: 8k. Chance of Success: 75% Result: +Momentum in [STATE]. Restricted to New England, New York, South Carolina, and Nevada.)
- [X] South Carolina
Roll = 29. Well….that was something. (The abortion question is here)
"Mrs. Pataki, do you have anything to say about your husbands pro-death history?" After several fairly easy questions about her personal life, and about her husband's plan to restore American infrastructure and restore manufacturing jobs, when a sneering, overweight woman with a cross printed onto a too-tight t-shirt sneered. Libby was taken aback for a second. She'd thought that security would be able to screen that from question time. Regardless, Libby rolled with the attempted smear, with a friendly grin.
"My husband was the governor of one of the most liberal states in the country, and when he was in charge, he pursued a relentlessly conservative agenda. Did we have to compromise? Sometimes. That said, we've always, as catholics, been deeply opposed to abortion, with the exceptions, of course, of rape and if the mother's life is at risk." There was some silence, as the woman fired back at this attempted deflection
"So it is fine to be selfish?! Why should the mother be allowed to murder her child?!" Libby's grin grew wider. Her retort had, admittedly, been quite weak, but that didn't matter. This woman had thrown the crowd into her corner for her.
"You do understand if the mother dies, the odds of the child surviving are so slim they barely exist? Abortion is a horribly traumatic experience, and we should absolutely push back against the liberal consensus, that has negatively impacted the moral fiber of the country, but let's not go insane. All a flat-out ban would do is cause mothers to die in labour, and force women to deal with the horrible trauma of rape even more than before. That's just not something I, as a Catholic, a Republican, and a woman, can endorse." The woman fumed, and hurled an insulting retort about Libby being 'no real woman' before being escorted out. The crowd looked at her much more positively than before, and the reporter present recorded a glowing article about 'Libby Pataki: FemCon Hero?' Libby actually seriously considered thanking that woman for her rude, brusque interruption, that was the most press coverage she'd gotten in ages!
SuperPAC rolls:
People Before Politics PAC = 80. 250k Ad buy in IA, NH. Pataki Momentum, +5 Grassley Momentum +2, Ayotte Momentum +3
African-Americans for a Better America PAC = 97. 1.5m Ad buy in IA, NH, SC, NV. +10 Momentum. -10 Trump Momentum -10 Ben Carson momentum.
The SuperPACs had a great run of it this week, and you can feel the love radiating from the crowd as things begin to pump up, you also got an email from both Grassley and Ayotte saying they appreciate your 'contribution' to their re-election bids. It's all coming together now!
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KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
Really, really, really unhappy with that damned interview. Couldn't get it going anywhere, though, so I figured I'd just cave and post.
Vindictus
XENO
- Location
- Texas
Just lost any chance of pulling the Trump supporters lol
- Location
- USA
The interview was solid in my opinion. Considering the nature and subject matter of the interview there weren't any other ways to naturally segue into the other topics of the interview like the gaffe concerning Aleppo and Ankara without it looking like Pataki was getting asked trivia questions. It got the point across anyway.
This turn didn't end up as bad as expected considering the abortion question came up. We even ended up turning a bad roll into a good opportunity since it gave us more media coverage and helped us nip the abortion question in the bud, which could have been a bigger issue if it were brought up in the debate or in another manner where the person asking the question wasn't as unreasonable looking as this person was.
- Location
- Europe
Okay, that's pretty damn bad. A politician should not confuse Ankara, the capital of the vital NATO ally Turkey, with Aleppo, the second biggest city in Syria, which is a country allied with Russia and Iran... not to mention the current civil war and ISIS. It shows a fundamental lack of understanding with the situation in the Middle East, especially if he didn't correct himself immediately after he made the gaffe.
Well to be fair, the president of Iran really doesn't matter. He's just a mouthpiece for Khomeini.
Good update though, really liked the NYT and Libby part. Seemed very natural and a good way to break the ice on the abortion debate. I wonder what kind of options we can take in regards to the captured spy.
Cybandeath
Lord Darkness, and Representative of Mad Science
- Location
- The United States of America
I say we go for it.
- Location
- I think somewhere. I might be nowhere though
I think Karvoka got the idea from Gary Johnson
Cybandeath
Lord Darkness, and Representative of Mad Science
- Location
- The United States of America
turkey will leave nato so that means jack shit in regards to vital ally.
Vindictus
XENO
- Location
- Texas
There's a reason nobody considers Johnson a serious candidate.
- Location
- I think somewhere. I might be nowhere though
I know. I never said he was a good candidate. I was just saying where I think the source of Pataki's Aleppo blunder is.
Chargone
Invisable operator
- Location
- New Zealand
Nevermind that even people who know exactly what the answer should be and are good at public speaking can trip over a word and just flat out say the wrong thing if asked an unexpected question, or asked it in an awkward way, or speaking too quickly.
He doesn't need to not know the difference to say the wrong word. ... Mind you, if he does know the difference, it's the sort of thing he should notice and correct himself, ideally, and at minimum be able to correct if the person he's talking to responds by asking for a clarification.
Basically, it can be, depending on the interviewer, audience, and recovery (and I, at least, know nothing about any of those), anything from a minor humourous irrelevancy to a rather dramatic failure (somewhat mitigated by most of the population neither knowing nor caring about the difference anyway.)
He doesn't need to not know the difference to say the wrong word. ... Mind you, if he does know the difference, it's the sort of thing he should notice and correct himself, ideally, and at minimum be able to correct if the person he's talking to responds by asking for a clarification.
Basically, it can be, depending on the interviewer, audience, and recovery (and I, at least, know nothing about any of those), anything from a minor humourous irrelevancy to a rather dramatic failure (somewhat mitigated by most of the population neither knowing nor caring about the difference anyway.)
KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
Well, he hasn't gone up on the debate stage, not yet.
On stage, well.....you say what happened to Jeb Bush.
Katsuragi
The 1%
Ha. Fair.
He's also doing well enough to be seen as a threat now, I think. So there might be some concerns about other groups targeting ads and such against him.
Are you running the other campaigns on a similar system? Giving them turn options, resource allocations, rolls to see how things go, etc?
Pataki is making a big enough stir at this point that cannon is largely gone.
He's also doing well enough to be seen as a threat now, I think. So there might be some concerns about other groups targeting ads and such against him.
Are you running the other campaigns on a similar system? Giving them turn options, resource allocations, rolls to see how things go, etc?
Pataki is making a big enough stir at this point that cannon is largely gone.
KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
Not quite. It's a secret!
Suffice to say, most people have not been having good runs, though. I'm halfway tempted to write up that Clinton campaign stop in Iowa from about two weeks ago....
- Location
- I think somewhere. I might be nowhere though
Did she have a breakdown on camera after college costume party-goers mistook her for Dolores Umbridge?