The New Century: A Parliament for The People

[Kamala]

Did John Wisniewski, Benjamin Jealous, Keith Ellison, Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, Peter DeFazio, Suzanne Bonamici, Robert Reich, Jeff Merkley, and Alan Grayson, or at least all of them who are in Parliament, also join Sanders in leaving? Or will they leave later?

Most of them remain in Labor, due to the fact that Labor is still popular. Jayapal and Sawant actually have a falling out due to Jayapal refusing to join NPSW. Reich joins, as does Wisniewski. Grayson, Welch, Merkley, and DeFazio aren't in Parliament, while the parliamentary members (Jayapal, Ellison) remain in Labor.

[Kamala]

Chapter 1.17: Her Finest Hour



As the Pelosi government continued to govern through the spring of 2018, approval ratings simmered down, although they were still positive. More and more tension between the former Liberal members of the government and the Labor-Farmer-Populist coalition hindered the ability of the government to pass legislation. Additionally, the rebellion of Bernie Sanders lost a reliable vote for the government, forcing it to either shift left to regain his support or completely surrender to the former Liberal members' wishes in crafting legislation. Thus, Pelosi shifted her attention to foreign affairs, seeing as she could act mostly independently in it, as well as reduce the influence of her foreign minister Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Pelosi's goal of introducing Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into NATO had mixed success - while Ukraine successfully joined the alliance, talks between NATO and Azerbaijan and Georgia faltered. By May 1st, 2018, Ukraine had officially joined NATO, effectively curbing Russian ambition into Eastern Europe.

While ISIL had effectively been eradicated as a threat in Iraq, as cooperation between the Iraqi Army and the Kurdish peshmerga successfully drove their forces out of Iraq. Meanwhile, ISIL's limited forces in Syria continued to cause headaches for global leadership as the Syrian Civil War continued to be as vicious as always.

Syria in fact became the latest challenge for Nancy Pelosi. Russian airstrikes, supposedly aiming at ISIL targets prevented US-led aid convoys from reaching distribution centers in Rojava, where food and medicine would further transported to aid workers in battlefronts.

It was time for action, as civilians in war-torn areas were starving and severely injured. It was unreasonable to assume that the Russians would stop their airstrikes, and a no-flight zone over Syria would certainly lead to war.

The best recourse was negotiation with the Russians - Nancy got into a phone call with Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister. Negotiations lasted for several hours.  The ascension of Ahmet Davotoglu, former Prime Minister, as President of Turkey, complicated matters. While he is a much less megalomanic character than Erdogan ever was, his skeptical approach to both the US and Russia made him more of an unknown element in the region. Like Erdogan, however, he has been staunchly opposed to the existence of a Kurdish state in Syria. Thus, it was much harder to call in a favor with the Turkish government.

Instead, negotiations resulted in the freeing of a Russian pilot whose plane crashed in Rojavan territory and then imprisoned for espionage by the government, as well as allowing Russian-guarded and -supported Syrian border station checks to randomly inspect convoy vehicles to ensure no arms are smuggled into Rojava from Iraq. This was all in exchange for Russians to stop sending strikes on theses convoys, and instead offer air protection in case of ISIL attacks. Additionally, the deal allowed for a force of Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga to enter Rojava and provide training and protection assistance.

The secret deal helped prevent a global war from breaking out, as well as resume the distribution of much-needed medicines to the frontline of the war. It was a victory for the Pelosi government, albeit a silent one.

[Kamala]

Chapter 1.18: The Final Page

As spring turned into summer, foreign affairs generally simmered down, once again Nancy looked inward. Other than a general budget, which was passed once again as last year's did, a signature piece of legislation came from a representative from New York. 



Nydia Velazquez (Lab - Brooklyn Bridge), one of the Puerto Rican members of Parliament, introduced a Bill Regarding the Status of Puerto Rico, which officially reclassified Puerto Rico as state, and increased the amount of seats in Parliament to reflect the increase in population (meaning that Puerto Rico receives 5 seats in the Parliament.)

"For centuries, the island of Puerto Rico has been a colony - first, under Spain, and then under the United States. Well, it is time to close that chapter of Puerto Rican history, as we in Parliament today finally voted to grant the three million residents of the island equal representation on our national political stage. I hope Puerto Ricans and Americans everywhere, whether they are in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, or on the San Juan Islands in Washington State, recognize that the Parliament has completed an action that was long overdue. I am thankful for your patience, and I apologize for the delay. But now, let us work together, as Puerto Ricans, as Americans, to build a better future for our country."

As Puerto Rico became a state under the signature of Nancy Pelosi on July 4th, 2018, 242 years after the United States came into existence, special elections were held to elect the representatives, this time on an at-large ticket. The seats were distributed as follows: 1 Labor, 3 Popular Democrats (a centrist Puerto Rican-interests party, which chose to provide confidence to the government until the next election as a measure of goodwill), and 1 Soberanista (a pro-devolutionary party, with some pro-independence factions)

Meanwhile, Nancy and her chancellor Nita Lowey were planning a new works program, reminiscent of FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration, to tackle both infrastructure problems and youth unemployment. The plan was to function as AmeriCorps on steroids. As the two left Velazquez's speech in Washington, they boarded an Acela train headed to New York City, where the two would continue to hash out their project.

At around 2 PM, between Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia, a bomb exploded underneath the private train car the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were traveling in. Within the hour, the two were declared dead at the emergency room at the University of Pennsylvania hospital, with their bodyguards injured.

Secondary Minister Adam Schiff was sworn in as Acting Prime Minister by Federal Governor Jimmy Carter.

At 3:19 PM, July 4th, 2018, he addressed the media in the halls of the Capitol.


"At 2:04 PM, near Marcus Hook, PA, a bomb went off in a private car aboard an Acela train that the Prime Minster and Chancellor Lowey were traveling on. We have reason to believe this was at the hands of domestic terrorists. We are acting swiftly to bring the attackers to justice. At the same time, I ask all Representatives to remain in safe areas with security. I ask we also take time to not panic, and remain calm."

And thus, the Premiership of Nancy Pelosi came to a close.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

What the Sch*ff?!

[Kamala]

What the Sch*ff?!

That's literally the only reason he was chosen as Secondary Minister. Nancy had a great sense of humor.

[Kamala]

Chapter 2.1 : Picking Up The Pieces



Prime Minister Nancy Pelosi was laid in state in the Capitol Rotunda, the first Prime Minister to be assassinated since Kennedy, and the first to die in office since Moynihan.

For the entire month of July, the nation was mourning the death of its leader. In fact, no fireworks were fired on July 4th. Flags were at half-staff for the next several weeks.

For Justice Minister Barack Obama, July was spent in organizing the Department of Justice to find the perpetrators of the attack.


"Our nation has been under attack. A terrorist group, one we suspect is homegrown, mercilessly assassinated our great Prime Minster Pelosi and Chancellor Nita Lowey. But they are no match for the United States. We will use every tool at our disposal, we will not rest, we will not surrender - until this criminals are brought to justice. We will not let fear, mongered by these cowardly terrorists, rule our country. Nancy Pelosi was a close friend and a great leader. She guided our country with a steady hand and a caring mindset. And we will carry on her legacy and her vision for our country. I will use the full force of the Justice Department, the FBI, and local police agencies to capture these terrorists and prevent such a bloody act from ever happening again."

Barack Obama immediately catapulted into the forefront of the government, becoming the de facto leader of the United States, even bypassing the Acting Prime Minister.

Adam Schiff, the acting Prime Minister, tried to keep the government calm and functioning in the face of this crisis. He promoted Marcy Kaptur (Lab-Lake Erie) to the position of Chancellor, but otherwise, knew his days were numbered. Labor would have a leadership election in the coming months to replace the late Pelosi, and while he had a shot, many of his fellow party members were itching to run as well.

In August, by-elections were held in New York and California to fill the seats vacated by the assassination. No parties other than Labor contested them, which meant the results were obvious.

[Kingpoleon]

What big name is running from the moderate wing? Shuler, Cuellar, Goodwin, Kind, and Donnelly obviously must have a large backing/wing in Parliament if all of them made it into the Cabinet.

[Kamala]

What big name is running from the moderate wing? Shuler, Cuellar, Goodwin, Kind, and Donnelly obviously must have a large backing/wing in Parliament if all of them made it into the Cabinet.

Initially, these are the people seriously considering running (sorry for spoilers): Obama, Schiff, Schuler, Gabbard, Tim Ryan,  Tammy Baldwin, Sewell, Doggett, Grijalva, Blumenuaer, Clinton, Manchin, Ed Markey and Bobby Scott.

[Kamala]

Chapter 2.2: Eternal Sunshine of the Labor Mind
The title is a reference to the format of Eternal Sunshine of the Democratic Mind, which I admire and hope Castro is alright with me borrowing this format for the Labor leadership election.

Lloyd
August 23rd, 2018

Lloyd Doggett, the Labour representative for the constituency of Alamo, sat in his office. Nancy had been his old friend ever since he set foot on Capitol Hill in 1995. With her passing, he translated his anger into a passion to strength the Labor party.

He'd never been a backbencher, yet was constantly passed over for leadership and cabinet positions. And he knew competing against those already at the forefront of the Labor Party - big names like Barack Obama, Heath Schuler, and Adam Schiff. They not only had resources and an institutional advantage, they were also quite youthful. Lloyd was nearly 72, no longer a rising star or even one with major future plans.

But he did have wisdom. He had relationships with other Labor members, stretching back twenty years. He had wisdom, battle-hardened by dozens of campaigns and elections. He had accomplishments, a history of introducing legislation and passing progressive bills. And, most importantly, he had the passion and energy to lead his party to uphold Nancy's legacy and make her proud.

He called his Chief of Staff.

"What the hell, let's do it."

Terri
August 23rd, 2018

Terri Sewell has had her fair share of obstacles. As the first black woman elected to Parliament from Alabama, she overcame her humble roots thanks to her love of learning and boundless intelligence.

 And now, she was ready to become the first black Prime Minster of the United States.

She had locked up the support of the Parliamentary Black Caucus, and already knew she had the support of her friends and fellow Representatives Cedric Richmond, Gwen Moore, and Jim Clyburn, the last of whom also was a high ranking Labor party officer.

But, an additional, and major, obstacle stood in her way for a winnable campaign for Labor leader: her good friend since college, Barack Obama.

His position as Justice Minister gave him many more advantages to win this election, and his roots in the northern states made his job easier - as a southern Representative, Terri needed some legwork to win over representative from the North.

But Terri wasn't about to give up. She remembered the interview she conducted with Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to be elected to Parliament. Terri knew she could break that ceiling, showing that black woman can and will lead this country to success.

Heath
August 24th, 2018

Despite being only 46, Heath Schuler knew he was one of the top contenders to become the next Prime Minister. Labor was an ancient party, with the oldest average member age of the (formerly) three major parties. Yet he was ready to change that.

Heath's coalition, the Red Dog Laborites, was relatively powerful, despite being much more moderate than the average Labor voter. He'd already gotten many of his block to bow out of contesting this leadership election, paving the way for Heath to monopolize the moderate vote. Even powerful cabinet members such as Minsters Carte Goodwin, Joe Donnelley, and Henry Cuellar, gave their private endorsement and support to Heath. They knew he was their best shot at winning the Labor leadership.

Privately, however, Heath had some doubts about running. He knew his occasional defiance of Labor leaders would come up to haunt him in his quest to become leader. He also knew that the Red Dogs, although fairly large, weren't large enough alone to win the leadership position. He didn't want to move to the left, for he refused to be inauthentic about his beliefs. But he also didn't want to waste this opportunity to become Prime Minister.

He would go on and enter into the leadership election, but by all means knew he didn't necessarily have it in the bag.

[Kamala]

Chapter 2.2: Eternal Sunshine of the Labor Mind Part Two

Barack
August 25th, 2018

Barack Obama was always destined to become a big figure in the Labor Party. Ever since his keynote speech at the 2004 Labor Party Convention in Boston, he had been hailed as a rising star in the party, not merely a Representative from Illinois.

After all, he had frequently faced adversity in politics. His first foray into national politics had him take down Bobby Rush, a six-year incumbent, in the constituency of Chicago Southwest in 1999. Despite having the cards stacked against him, Barack prevailed, eeking out a victory in the primary and then winning a landslide in the general.

And now, nineteen years later, he became the Minister of Justice, one of the "big four" ministries in the government. And with the job, came the most important and difficult task of his career: to find and prosecute the terrorists who had killed his boss, Prime Minister Nancy Pelosi.

After more than a month of searching and investigation, Barack finally knew who was responsible for the assassination of PM Pelosi: a far-right domestic terrorist organization, the Brotherhood of the American Cross, affiliated with the KKK.

The motive was there - the Brotherhood deplored Pelosi's left-wing policy. The modus operandi was fitting - just two years ago, a member affiliated with the Brotherhood was arrested for attempting to plant a car bomb outside a local chapter of the Liberal Party in Pittsburgh. And most importantly, some evidence was present: Washington Union Station video showed two men dressed in mock-up engineer uniforms entering and leaving the gate upon which the Prime Minister departed from.

With the knowledge that the arrest of these two men, and the subsequent trial, would propel his reputation, Barack knew it was time to arrange his campaign team.

He knew he had the best chance to become the first African-American Prime Minister of the United States.

Tammy
August 25th, 2018

Tammy Baldwin was a feisty progressive hailing from a state with a history of Progressivism, mainly helped by Robert LaFollette. Despite not being as well-known as many of her fellow representatives contemplating seeking the leadership position, Tammy was certain she could successfully channel the progressive spirit of the Labor party and win the position.

After all, Wisconsin has become much less feisty in its left-ish-ness since the days of Fighting Bob, yet Tammy continued to win with impressive margins in her home constituency of Madison. And she believed a Baldwin victory could convince Labor dissidents such as Bernie Sanders to come back into the fold.

Yet, moderating to appeal to the less leftist members of the Labor Party was something Tammy was ready to do. After all, she'd still channel the same energy, towards the same cause.

Raúl
August 25th, 2018

Raúl Grijalva was almost finished with the Labor party. He expressed many of the same grievances Representative Bernie Sanders did - but instead of leaving the party, he chose to stay, looking for an attempt to fix the party from the inside.

He knew his campaign was a long shot - a relative backbencher, further to the left than much of the party, with plenty of star-quality candidates looking to run - but if Labor refused to at least adopt some of his plans for the party, he would simply leave, and join his colleague Sanders.

Hillary
August 26th, 2018

Hillary Rodham has represented the constituency of Little Rock ever since her husband, Bill Clinton, resigned after Labor's loses in the 1996 election. And despite being decently more left-wing than her district, she continued to be reelected, and even served as Foreign Minister under Prime Minister Moynihan.

And for her entire career - both before Parliament and during it - has always played an important role in Labor Party politics. But when Nancy Pelosi became Prime Minister, Hillary felt a tinge of jealousy. She'd always wanted to be America's first female Prime Minster, and Pelosi took the achievement from underneath her.

But upon hearing of the assassination of Nancy, Hillary's life flashed before her eyes. Had she become Prime Minister, would she have also been assassinated? A selfish question, most would say. But Hillary mourned the loss of her friend and a powerful leader in the Labor party.

Now she had to ask herself the question, "Would I settle for the second female Prime Minister?"

Maybe. In a different life.

Hillary knew her time had passed. There was plenty of talent in the Labor Party, members who would be more effective and charismatic and propel the party to new heights.

Hillary was done. But Hillary's endorsement, a well-respected figure in the country, did matter.

So she sat tight, waiting for the rest of the candidates to come begging for her help.

[Kamala]

Here are just some miscellaneous things going on in the United States in this TL.

New York City Council

New Progressive and Socialist Workers' Party - 3 Seats
Working Families Party - 4 Seats
Labor Party - 37 Seats
The Greens - 4 Seats
Metropolitan Liberal Party - 22 Seats

The Mayor of New York City is chosen similarly to the Prime Minister.

The Metropolitan Liberal Party was a merger of the Metropolitan Party, founded by Fiorello LaGuardia , and the New York City branch of the national Liberal Party, which was headed by Michael Bloomberg. Officially, the Metropolitan Liberals were supported by the national Liberal and received funding from the national office. However, after the collapse of the Liberal Party, neither of the successor branches, the Civic Union or the Alignment, wanted to spend money on supporting the Metropolitan Liberals, so they are technically now an independent party.

In the 2017 municipal council elections, Labor won 40 seats. However, three members decided to defect to Sanders' new party. However, Labor still has a majority and Bill de Blasio remained Mayor.

Alaska Legislature
House of Representatives

Labor Party - 8 Seats
Libertarian - 16 Seats
Civic Union Party (elected as Liberal Party) - 2 Seats
The Alignment (elected as Liberal Party) - 4 Seats
Conservative party - 7 Seats
Alaskan Independence Party - 3 Seats

The Libertarians and Labor formed the majority coalition.

Senate

Labor Party - 6 Seats
Libertarian - 4 Seats
Civic Union Party (elected as Liberal Party) - 2 Seats
The Alignment (elected as Liberal Party) - 3 Seats
Conservative party - 4 Seats
Alaskan Independence Party - 1 Seats

Labor, the Libertarians, and the Civic Union form a coalition in the Senate. Before the Liberal collapse, the Liberals and Labor formed a majority coalition. After the collapse, the Alignment members refused to work with Labor, per the national party's orders.

[Kamala]

Chapter 2.3 : The Vote Heard 'Round the World

RESULTS OF THE 2018 LABOR LEADERSHIP ELECTION

Thanks to the Labor Party's internal reforms in 2015, leadership elections took place fairly quickly. The election took place through a modified instant-runoff ballot, modified by having a maximum of six candidates in the second round and removing all those placing seventh and below in the first round.

Through the night of September 14th, Heath Shuler lead for the first ballot, and Lloyd Doggett on the second. Many predicted that Barack Obama might be able to win on an early ballot, before all other candidates are eliminated, but he had instead greatly underperformed expectations, leading to media panic in the early hours of the evening, as well as complete panic on some nerdy political forum website, where many declared Obama was "doomed" and that Labor may as well die as a party.

However, around 9:00 PM, as the third round results trickled in and Alabama's Terri Sewell was eliminated. This lead to a deluge of votes for Obama and he jumped into first place, becoming the first candidate to break the 25% margin and guaranteeing himself a place as one of the three final candidates, despite there being more rounds to go.

The loser of the third round was the incumbent Acting Prime Minister Adam Schiff, who could not even manage to get 15% of the vote despite have near-universal name recognition. He soon announced after the results of the round were finalized:

"I wish the best of luck to whoever will win tonight. It is clear that the will of the voters desires a change in leadership. Within several days, you'll be in charge of our great nation - and let me tell you, it's a difficult job. Good luck and thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Prime Minister."

After Schiff was eliminated and the fourth round finalized, around 10:30PM, it was clear that Tammy Baldwin, the last remaining voice of the progressive wing of the party, could not get enough votes to advance to the next round. This left the final three candidates as Shuler, the conservative/moderate, Doggett, the solidly left, and Obama, the unifying and ideologically ambiguous party-liner. As of the fourth round, Shuler had also gained back the first place position, obtaining nearly a third of the vote.

By midnight, the results of the fifth round were revealed: Shuler retains the lead, with about 38% of the vote. Obama comes up close with 34%, and Doggett is eliminated with just 28% of the vote. The oldest candidate in the race, Doggett knew he had faced an uphill battle with many of these young, energetic, and fresh-faced candidates, but was still satisfied with his showing.

The final round was between Obama and Shuler. The sixth round's results would take a while to tabulate, seeing as almost 30% of the votes had to be counted again due to Doggett's elimination. But by 2 in the morning, it was revealed that Barack Obama had officially been chosen by Labor party members to be their Leader, and thus, Prime Minister.

Obama became the first African American Prime Minster of the United States. He gave a short speech at his watch party.
 


"Well folks, we've done it.

They told we couldn't, that we shouldn't, and that if we do, we'd fail. They said our country wasn't ready.

But what did we say? Yes! We! Can!

And yes we did. I want to thank you for all your hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm. I want to thank my lovely wife Michelle and my daughters Sasha and Malia for tolerating me being absent and gone on the campaign trail, and for putting them in the spotlight even though they didn't ask. I want to thank Heath, Lloyd, Adam, Tammy, and all the other candidates for participating in an extremely civil campaign, with no harsh words and no tears. We've shown the world that Americans do know what decent in politics is.

And importantly, I want to honor our late Prime Minister, Nancy. She has corrected the sails on the ship that is America. She has brought back a focus on justice, equality, opportunity, and a commitment to making lives better for Americans. I wish she could still be here with us, without the need for this election, still commanding the helm of our country. And I want to honor my colleague, Chancellor Nita Lowey, who has dedicated decades of her career to helping everyday American families.

May God bless America and the families of our fallen comrades."

Obama was to be inaugurated next week on Friday, September 21st.

Meanwhile, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Hillary Clinton was in town for a constituency surgery and later a town hall.

She had stayed up into the wee hours of the night watching the results come in. Once Barack was projected to have won, she called up his wife Michelle. She had endorsed Barack after a long week of consideration at the end of August, and was satisfied to see that her opinion still held weight in the party.
 


"Michelle! Good evening - or should I say, good morning! I want to congratulate you and Barack on his successful, historical victory. I think you are going to make an absolutely fantastic First Lady, and I just want to offer that, if you ever need any advice, don't hesitate to ring me up. I know how difficult life can sometimes be in the White House, even for the Prime Minister's wife.

I wish you, Barack, and the girls nothing but happiness, health, and success.

And I must say, I'm glad the results are finally in - I can finally go to sleep happy and satisfied. I really do hope we can continue to talk, even in your newfound position. Good night, Michelle."

[MAINEiac4434]

CLINTON FOR HOME SECRETARY!

[Kamala]

Chapter 2.4: Prime Minister Obama

September 21st, 2018

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Michael Sandel, issued the Oath of Office to Prime Minister-designate Barack Obama.

"I do solemnly swear"
I do solemnly swear
"that I will faithfully execute the Office of Prime Minister of the United States"
that I will faithfully execute the Office of Prime Minister of the United States
"and will to the best of my ability,"
and will to the best of my ability,
"preserve, protect and defend"
preserve, protect and defend
"the Constitution of the United States."
the Constitution of the United States.

After his inauguration, Prime Minister Barack Obama decided to maintain the Pelosi cabinet unchanged, with the exception of a few shuffles.

Marcy Kaptur (Lab - Lake Erie) remained Chancellor. Former Acting Prime Minister and Former Secondary Minister Adam Schiff (Lab - Burbank) was sacked in favor of Industry Minister and leadership-election runner-up Heath Shuler (Lab - Blue Ridge). Second runner-up Lloyd Doggett (Lab - Alamo) was then appointed Industry Minister. Terri Sewell (Lab - Selma) , another leadership contender, was then appointed to the PM's previous post of Justice Minister.

The media and party leadership applauded the new PM's appointments, signaling a quick healing of the Labor Party after a somewhat aggressive election. The one exception was the apparent pushing-out of Adam Schiff, who seemed surprised at his sudden forced resignation. Some had suggested the administration of PM Obama was going to be significantly different from Pelosi's, and had already gone directly to the old guards of the previous administration. 

Meanwhile, however, very little of this threatened Obama's current popularity, as the trial against the two members of the Brotherhood of the American Cross responsible for the assassination of Nancy Pelosi was to be held within the next week - a trial that Obama himself had been ready to try. It was unheard of for a sitting Prime Minister to act as the prosecuting attorney for a trial, but Obama believed it was best for him to do so, seeing as he has acted on this case ever since the assassination. Sewell was just appointed for Justice Minister, and would join Obama, but not take the reins.

Gallup polling conducted after the inauguration found that Obama was enjoying a very strong honeymoon period, helped by the late Prime Minister's popularity as well. It saw Labor getting a majority of the popular vote, which would lead to over 300 seats in Parliament, something that was unheard of since the mid-twentieth century.

Do you approve or disapprove of Prime Minister Barack Obama?
Approve - 77%
Disapprove - 8%
No Opinion - 15%

If the election were held today, which party would you vote for?
Labor - 53%
Conservative - 18%
Civic Union - 7%
The Alignment - 7%
Farmer-Populist - 3%
Texan National - 2%
New Progressive and Socialist Workers' - 2%
Other/Undecided - 8%

[Kamala]

Chapter 2.5: October Surprise

Barack Obama had been Prime Minister officially for less than two weeks. His family had just gotten moved into the White House, as has Secondary Minister Shuler's family into the Naval Observatory.

Obama, however, was already ready to make waves - ready to lead with a stronger majority. Believing the current polls showing strong support for both his leadership and the Labor party, Obama thought the Labor Party had a pretty good shot at winning a majority right now.

"We all remember what happened to Prime Minister Ryan when he assumed the Prime Ministership, don't we? His Liberal Party lost the next election - and then promptly disintegrated into bits and pieces.

Well, we don't want that to happen again, do we? I know how much the American people despise unelected leadership - and that makes sense. They voted for the Labor Party with the knowledge that Nancy Pelosi would be Prime Minister. And as we all can tell, I am not Nancy Pelosi. Ever since that abominable and cowardly attack on our elected leadership, America has been cheated. It lost one of its most effective leaders in decades, and lost the pact it established with Parliament after the elections.

Thus, in order to make sure that Americans are governed by the people they elected, with a specific purpose, not by accident or tragedy, I am calling for an early election, one that will be held on Tuesday, November 6th. It will come to a vote on the floor of the Capitol later today.

Thank you, and may God bless America."


The motion of no confidence in the government passed, with support from all parties except for the Farmer-Populists, who were worried that they would lose support, as is common for junior partners in coalitions.

Federal Governor Carter acknowledge the motion and sanctified the election for November 6th, exactly one year earlier than the planned election was to be held. The early election effectively "reset the clock" on elections, meaning that the next election would be held in 2021 instead of 2019. The campaign period began immediately.

UP NEXT: Campaign manifestos and the Great Debate.

[Kamala]

The Civic Union Party Manifesto 2018
Citizens United For Prosperity

Tax and Tax Reform:

- Cut the federal corporate tax rate to 19%
- Reform the tax brackets - reduce the number of brackets from 7 to 5, with a top marginal tax rate of 42% for those making over $1 million individually or $1.25 million jointly
- Create a 1% national sales tax on all purchases save for fresh produce and all organic foods
- Increase the mortgage, childcare, and healthcare tax credits

Foreign Policy and Trade:

- Better economic and trade relations with China
- Seek to improve military and diplomatic ties with the PRC.
- Create a trans-Pacific partnership for trade
- Strengthen NAFTA, possibly creating a single market or economic union
- Maintain current foreign bases

Military:

- Increase military R&D budget
- Begin upgrading intelligence technology and defense communications
- Begin upgrading port security

Social Issues, Education, and Health:

- Defund Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers who are recipients of federal money
- Call for a national referendum on gay marriage, if two other major parties (Labor, Conservatives, or The Alignment) support it
- Cut arts funding
- Greatly limit the power of the Ministry of Education to simply distributing federal student aid and loans
- Defund EWIG hospitals, instead providing health tax credits for rural residents
- Repeal the Lily Ledbetter Act, but grandfather in the corporate tax rate reduction (meaning businesses which have earned the reduction will keep it ad infinitum)
- Repeal the Public Internet Act, instead granting tax credits to internet providers who expand into rural areas
- Offer tax credits to employers who provide health insurance to their employees
- Increase the Social Security retirement age to 70
- Phasing out the early retirement option for Social Security
- Cutting approx. $500 billion from Medicaid programs

Miscellaneous:

- Provide $500 billion in subsidies and tax credits for infrastructure improvement
- Increase border security and deport any new illegal immigrants, but allow current illegal immigrants residing in the United States to remain by paying a yearly fine
- Provide tax credits to oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, Texas, and North Dakota
- Cut agricultural subsidies
- Weaken federal labor laws

[Kamala]

The Alignment Party Manifesto 2018
Protecting our Borders, our Jobs, and our Way of Life

Tax and Tax Reform:

- Cut the federal corporate tax rate to 8%
- Reform the income tax, replacing it with a flat tax set at 19%.
- Establish a border-adjustment tax of 30%
- Remove a majority of tax loopholes and deductibles

Foreign Policy and Trade:

- Lift all current sanctions on Russia
- Threaten to embargo Mexico unless it takes substantial action to reduce the flow of immigrants and crime across the border within six months
- Expand foreign bases in strategic areas
- Refuse to share strategic intelligence to NATO nations not contributing at least 2% of their GDP to defense spending

Military:

- Increase military budget

Social Issues, Education, and Health:

- Defund Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers
- Take steps to limit abortion in the District of Columbia
- Propose an amendment defining marriage as being between one man and one woman
- Cut arts funding
- Eliminate the Ministry of Education
- Defund EWIG hospitals
- Repeal the Lily Ledbetter Act
- Repeal the Public Internet Act
- Increase the Social Security retirement age to 70
- Phasing out the early retirement option for Social Security
- Cutting approx. $500 billion from Medicaid programs

Miscellaneous:

- Withhold federal funding for programs located in sanctuary cities
- Increase border security and begin the construction of a more secure border fence
- Create a national agency to begin deporting all illegal immigrants
- Increase agricultural subsidies by 25%
- Weaken federal labor laws
- Eliminate the EPA
- Withhold federal funds from states which have legalized marijuana or physician-assisted suicide.

[MAINEiac4434]

Love the logos.

[America Needs R'hllor]

The Alignment Party Manifesto 2018
Protecting our Borders, our Jobs, and our Way of Life

Tax and Tax Reform:

- Cut the federal corporate tax rate to 8%
- Reform the income tax, replacing it with a flat tax set at 19%.
- Establish a border-adjustment tax of 30%
- Remove a majority of tax loopholes and deductibles

Foreign Policy and Trade:

- Lift all current sanctions on Russia
- Threaten to embargo Mexico unless it takes substantial action to reduce the flow of immigrants and crime across the border within six months
- Expand foreign bases in strategic areas
- Refuse to share strategic intelligence to NATO nations not contributing at least 2% of their GDP to defense spending

Military:

- Increase military budget

Social Issues, Education, and Health:

- Defund Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers
- Take steps to limit abortion in the District of Columbia
- Propose an amendment defining marriage as being between one man and one woman
- Cut arts funding
- Eliminate the Ministry of Education
- Defund EWIG hospitals
- Repeal the Lily Ledbetter Act
- Repeal the Public Internet Act
- Increase the Social Security retirement age to 70
- Phasing out the early retirement option for Social Security
- Cutting approx. $500 billion from Medicaid programs

Miscellaneous:

- Withhold federal funding for programs located in sanctuary cities
- Increase border security and begin the construction of a more secure border fence
- Create a national agency to begin deporting all illegal immigrants
- Increase agricultural subsidies by 25%
- Weaken federal labor laws
- Eliminate the EPA
- Withhold federal funds from states which have legalized marijuana or physician-assisted suicide.

Wow, evil manifesto. I'd support Labour as if my life depended on it here.

[Kamala]

The Labor Party Manifesto 2018
Solidarity in Progress

Tax and Tax Reform:

- Create an additional income tax bracket for those earning more than $1 million, set at 50%
- Remove tax breaks and loopholes used by the rich (unspecified)
- Increase the bottom income tax bracket from $9,275 to $13,150

Foreign Policy and Trade:

- Not enter into any more free trade agreements that harm US workers
- Amend current free trade agreements with countries that function as offshore tax havens, requiring them to crack down on offshoring and amend their tax systems or see an end to free trade
- Begin leaving certain foreign bases
- Seek closer military ties with China
- Continue to expand NATO in an attempt to contain Russian aggression

Military:

- Stop the production of any more F-35 bombers
- Cut approximately $100 billion from military budget, following the Defense Ministry's recommendation
- Move funding within the DM's budget toward R&D and port security
- Invest in psychological and health resources for currently enlisted soldiers
- Require women to sign up for the draft

Social Issues, Education, and Health:

- Call for a national referendum on same-sex marriage
- Pass an Equal Rights Amendment regarding sex, race, religion, and disability
- Amend and expand EWIG hospitals to all rural areas, not just the Ohio River Valley
- Create the Office of the Insurance Commissioner under the Ministry of Health to set standards for health insurance
- Move toward legalizing medical marijuana
- Expand the Pell Grant system
- Begin providing free community college for all residents of the District of Columbia as an experimental program - if it is successful, expand it nationally.


Miscellaneous:

- Reform the immigration and green card system (unspecified)
- Establish electoral reform for parliamentary elections, such as a top-two system or a mixed-member proportional system.
- Strength workers' and consumers' rights
- Audit the Federal Reserve

[Shameless Lefty Hack]

The Labor Party Manifesto 2018
Solidarity in Progress

Tax and Tax Reform:

- Create an additional income tax bracket for those earning more than $1 million, set at 50%
- Remove tax breaks and loopholes used by the rich (unspecified)
- Increase the bottom income tax bracket from $9,275 to $13,150

Foreign Policy and Trade:

- Not enter into any more free trade agreements that harm US workers
- Amend current free trade agreements with countries that function as offshore tax havens, requiring them to crack down on offshoring and amend their tax systems or see an end to free trade
- Begin leaving certain foreign bases
- Seek closer military ties with China
- Continue to expand NATO in an attempt to contain Russian aggression

Military:

- Stop the production of any more F-35 bombers
- Cut approximately $100 billion from military budget, following the Defense Ministry's recommendation
- Move funding within the DM's budget toward R&D and port security
- Invest in psychological and health resources for currently enlisted soldiers
- Require women to sign up for the draft

Social Issues, Education, and Health:

- Call for a national referendum on same-sex marriage
- Pass an Equal Rights Amendment regarding sex, race, religion, and disability
- Amend and expand EWIG hospitals to all rural areas, not just the Ohio River Valley
- Create the Office of the Insurance Commissioner under the Ministry of Health to set standards for health insurance
- Move toward legalizing medical marijuana
- Expand the Pell Grant system
- Begin providing free community college for all residents of the District of Columbia as an experimental program - if it is successful, expand it nationally.


Miscellaneous:

- Reform the immigration and green card system (unspecified)
- Establish electoral reform for parliamentary elections, such as a top-two system or a mixed-member proportional system.
- Strength workers' and consumers' rights
- Audit the Federal Reserve

Lovely! Probably going to end up as a swing Labor/SWP voter.

[_]

Waiting for Conservatives, but I think I'm a Civic Union voter.

[Kamala]

The Conservative Party Manifesto 2018
Ethics, Tradition, Community

Tax and Tax Reform:

- Maintain the current income tax brackets, except increasing the highest one from 39.6% to 40%
- Increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit benefit, as well as increasing the amount of child-brackets; instead of 0,1,2 and 3+, add additional brackets for 4, 5, and 6+.
- Lower the corporate tax to the (current) OECD average
 

Foreign Policy and Trade:

- Seek to create a trans-pacific and trans-atlantic trade partnership
- Increase NATO military bases in Europe
- Officially denounce the PRC's claims of the Senkaku Islands and the South China Sea
- Recognize Taiwan as a separate, legitimate, and sovereign entity from the PRC
- Reduce funding to the UN and UNESCO
- Remain skeptical of Russia
- Send in ground troops to assist the defense of Rojava

Military:

- Increase the military budget
- Improve port security
- Construct an additional 4 aircraft carriers
- Reintroduce "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Social Issues, Education, and Health:

- Create a national marriage amendment classifying marriage as being "between one man and one woman"
- Cut all funding to any abortion providers receiving federal funds
- Pass a "heartbeat bill" regarding legal abortion time
- Expand EWIG hospitals throughout Appalachia and the South
- Provide tax credits and vouchers for private primary and secondary education
- Limit the powers of the Ministry of Education

Miscellaneous:

- Deport any new illegal immigrants found at the border while allowing established families to stay
- Increase agricultural subsidies
- Provide $250 billion in infrastructure investment
- Strength companies' rights
- Audit the Federal Reserve

[_]

Definitely Civic Union.

[Kamala]

Ugh, I really don't want to write the debate. I can't do it well.

I might just skip straight to election night.