Nyman Weekly June 2016 Presidential Debate

[Mike Thick]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Nyman Weekly Presidential debate. We have with us former Senators Truman and Leinad, who are locked in a heated battle for the White House in the first post-ratification Presidential election. Myself and Senator Smith will be your moderators.

The debate will consist of three 24-hour rounds: opening statements, questions, and rebuttals. Candidates, please post opening statements within 24 hours.

(Questions and formatting were mutually created by myself and Senator Smith.)

[Leinad]

Thank you, Ted, and Smith, for hosting this debate!

This election is one of immense importance. Of course I would say that, given that I'm running, but I think it's objectively true. With the Constitutional Convention we saw a grassroots movement that silenced the doubters and made substantive improvements to Atlasia--all through the system set forth in the previous Constitution.

But the Convention is merely a prologue to the book we're about to write. Whoever wins this election will play a major part in setting the tone for the new era of Atlasia.

As my slogan implies, what we need is "Clear Leadership for the Future." We need efficient leadership, with experience in executive offices, knowledge of Atlasia's problems, the clear solutions for those problems, and the ability to make those solutions a reality for the future of Atlasia.

I've already released my economic plan, and as the election rolls closer I plan to release more policy plans, and I look forward to having this debate about the issues that face this country.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Thank-you, Ted. I am profoundly grateful to the writers of Nyman Weekly for hosting this debate. As you know, I got my start in Atlasia as a journalist - I moderated more than a few debates in my time - and so I know what a tremendous effort it is to organize one of these events. I'm honored to be here, and I intend to make good use of your time.

I have been active on the political scene - first as a journalist for the Mideast Record Courier, then as a public servant in both Regional and federal office - for almost eighteen months, and while it's cliche to say that an election is "the most important in our history," I think it's fair to say that Atlasia has never seen a campaign quite like this one. The momentous work of the Constitutional Convention - an effort that I had the honor to lead as Presiding Officer, and that was fueled by the ceaseless energy and commitment of citizens from all parties - has been completed. Our Constitution promises a new era of resurgent activity, competition, and a fresh start for a new generation of Atlasians clamoring to make their mark on the game. It is our responsibility, and most particularly the responsibility of the next president, to make that promise of national rebirth a reality.

The next president, whoever that may be, will be tested on two fronts. First, he will need to establish the new government on solid ground. This is no small undertaking. The sheer size of the new national government - from the cabinet, to the six member Senate, to the nine member House, to the five seats on the Supreme Court (not to mention the myriad of regional officers) - makes it more complex than any in our history. I am the only candidate with any experience leading a body of this size. As Presiding Officer of the ConCon, I led a chamber of 25 delegates who were constantly at each other's throats for six months. That job required diligence, strategy, patience, and a healthy dose of perspective to get me through the bad days (and believe me, there were many). The next president will need those same skills.

Second, he must renew the promise of equal opportunity that made this country the envy of the world. This means building an economy that works for everyone by standing up for the middle class and tearing down barriers that limit innovation and mobility. It means defending the rights of LGBTQ citizens so that they can live their lives free of fear. It means giving everyone a voice in deciding their country's future, from protecting the right to vote to bringing more people into the conversation.

This is the future we need, and the future that I will fight for as your president.

[Mike Thick]

Well, better late than never . Here are the questions: candidates have 24 hours to post responses.

To both candidates:

Over the years since ISIS was formed, it has become a major threat to Atlasia and its people. The group even attacked several Atlasian cities before the new Constitution was passed. How would you address ISIS in your term as president?

To Leinad:

While we're on the topic of foreign policy, there has been some debate over trade in general, and more specifically tariffs. Do you believe tariffs should be raised, lowered, or stay at the same level?

To both:

Atlasia has suffered from severe inactivity lately -- from inactive officeholders to vacant offices. It has caused several crises, including one in the Pacific that required federal intervention. If elected, how would you increase activity?

To Truman:

The Federal Reserve has kept interest rates on loans her low for some time. As President, would you pursue an increase in these interest rates? Would you maintain the same rates? What policy would you pursue?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

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First, we must defeat ISIS on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq. Second, we must neutralize the threat posed by home-grown terrorism (while respecting the liberty of peaceful citizens). Third, we must stop ISIS from expanding its appeal by reaching out to peace-loving Muslims and pulling vulnerable youths back from the edge.

1. My administration will support our allies in the region - particularly the Arab Confederation (an alliance between the Kurds and the Kingdom of Jordan) - who are fighting to drive ISIS from its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. Earlier this year, I drafted legislation committing $500 Million in weapons and foreign aid to the Arab Confederation. As president, I will press Congress to extend this aid and to authorize air strikes against ISIS. I will not, however, support any plan to send Atlasian ground troops into combat - if we learned anything from the Iraq War, it is that another invasion of the Middle East will only make things worse.

2. Domestic terrorism is a thornier bush to uproot, for a number of reasons. While right wing fearmongers love to exploit tragedies like the recent shooting in Orlando by calling for a blanket ban on Muslim immigration, the fact of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of terror attacks committed on our soil are carried out by natural-born citizens. An immigration embargo would not have stopped these attacks; instead, it would feed the narrative that Atlasia and the West are anti-Islam and push Muslims into the arms of ISIS. That is not only immoral, it is strategically irresponsible.

Instead of stoking the flames of hatred, my administration will support the following proposals as anti-terrorism measures: a blanket ban on arms purchases by persons on the Terrorist Watch List; mandatory background checks for all firearms purchases; authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to monitor the social media accounts of suspected terrorists and the members of terrorist groups; and working with the Regional Governors to develop a strategy for responding to another Dearborn-style attack.

3. We must reach out to peace-loving Atlasian Muslims and work with leaders in the Muslim community to nip terrorism in the bud. The surest way to counter radical Islam is with moderate Islam, and the people best positioned to check the rising tide of extremism are Muslims themselves. Again, this is not only the right thing to do - it's the smart thing to do.

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While no one person can create activity out of thin air, there are several things that the president can do to lay the foundation for sustainable activity. As president, I will conduct regular interviews with the press to ensure maximum transparency, regularly update the "Introduction to Atlasia" thread so that new citizens can seamlessly assimilate and get involved, establish a strong and relevant Game Engine, and maintain open lines of communication with the leaders of both parties in Congress.

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Not to be snarky, but that's not how the Federal Reserve works. The president does not have the legal power to set interest rates, nor does he have a say in anything that the Fed does (apart from appointing the Chairperson, whose power is far less than what the media would suggest). So, while I personally believe that interests rates are about where they should be, I will respect our laws and the integrity of the financial system by allowing the Federal Reserve to do its job.

[Leinad]

Over the years since ISIS was formed, it has become a major threat to Atlasia and its people. The group even attacked several Atlasian cities before the new Constitution was passed. How would you address ISIS in your term as president?

I will start off by addressing the concept of military engagement: war is one of the worst things in humanity--a transaction of human lives and resources for destruction and instability. It is something we must avoid if possible, but unfortunately it is not always possible. The use of aggression is only justified if it is against a side which has committed aggression itself. And ISIL, as you said, has attacked Atlasia and I'm sad to say it will continue to do so--making self-defense not only just but needed.

We must support our allies in the region, and put as few Atlasians in harm's way as possible. We must have a clear strategy of defeating ISIL with minimal cost--both economic cost and, more importantly, human cost--both during and after the conflict.

I must say, I agree with Truman's assertion that we must ally with moderate Islam to defeat radical Islam. There are many peaceful Muslims -- we need to work with them to find and defeat the radical elements. We must attack terrorism at it's root instead of focusing on merely cutting the branches.

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I believe in free trade and think that tariffs do little to improve anything. Instead, they restrict business at the cost of the consumer. These rates aren't magically absorbed by the business. Instead they're passed on to everyday Atlasians in the form of increased prices. The best way to keep jobs from leaving Atlasia and the best way to increase wages without increasing prices is to lower business taxes.

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There are two keys to increasing activity as president:

For one thing, the president must be active personally. Both by providing updates in public, and by annoyingly nagging friendly reminding various government officeholders to stay active as well. While you can't single-handedly increase activity, it's the President's responsibility to do their part to ensure government is running smoothly, specifically the executive branch.

Also, we must identify inactive officeholders and work with regions to encourage activity across all of Atlasia, not to mention encouraging recruitment of the many active forum users not in the game. What makes Atlasia great is when regional governments are strong and successful - they provide a wonderful outlet for new members to get involved, eventually moving on to higher offices.

I understand that activity feeds on itself--an inactive game will lead to apathy, and thus decrease activity. An active game will act as a magnet for more people to join, and more people already here to be more active themselves. And this is not only activity while in office, but competitive and publically active campaigns, which I think Truman and I have both been working hard to do in this election.

[Mike Thick]

Okay, rebuttals time. I'll try and be "hands-off" here to foster some good debate, but keep it civil.

You may rebut your opponent's answers as you wish.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The best way to increase wages without increasing prices is to lower business taxes.

Senator, I voted to cut the corporate tax rate during the last budget talks. I wrote an amendment that effectively cut taxes in half for our small and medium-sized businesses - an amendment that passed with Federalist votes. I am far from a red-blooded socialist on this issue. But to market tax cuts for big business as a "one stop solution" that will make wages go up, prices go down, and send our employment numbers to the moon is just not accurate. It is not supported by the evidence, and it ignores the reality of how the business sector operates.

The fact of the matter is that we have been cutting the federal corporate regularly for decades, but the median household income is lower today than it was 20 years ago. That's because businesses don't use the money they save from tax cuts to pay their workers more - they use it to line the coffers of corporate executives. Tax cuts for small businesses are part of the solution, but if we want economic growth to benefit everyone, we need to raise the minimum wage and protect the right to unionize as well. Again, this so is not only the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do.

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This was basically my job description as Presiding Officer of the Constitutional Convention. I sent literally hundreds of PMs during the six months that I was at the helm of the ConCon, most of them alerts to the delegates reminding them about votes, procedural matters, and generally preventing them from sliding into activity. As the resounding success of the ConCon shows, I was rather good at that job, and I am fully prepared to take up the torch once again as your president!

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Indeed - this is, hands down, the most enjoyable campaign I've been part of in a long time thanks to the energy and commitment that both sides have brought to this race. That Atlasia is engaged so spirited and competitive an election after so many predicted our impending collapse not quite a year ago is a tribute to the efforts of the Constitutional Convention, and everyone - Laborite, Federalist, CR, or Independent - ought to be proud of it.

[Leinad]

I am the only candidate with any experience leading a body of this size.

I understand how tricky it was to lead the ConCon, although I think that being Governor for 8 months is much better experience for the Presidency. Presiding Officer is probably more similar to Speaker than President--where the decisions are more procedure-based than policy-based.

As Governor, I kept near constant dialogue with the Speaker, and frequent dialogue with the other Legislators, and was active in making the legislation as good as possible. Of course, with a VP and a more active and experienced legislature at the Federal level, I may not need to be that hands-on, but the point remains that I am the only candidate with executive experience.

And I know you were busy with the ConCon, but in your first two terms as a Senator you only introduced 2 pieces of legislation--for comparison, I introduced 3 pieces of legislation as Governor, and 3 pieces of legislation in one month as Southern Legislator before that. Of course, that doesn't count the legislation, both as Governor and in my brief time in the Senate, that I "wrote," in a sense, by massively amending it.

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Is this related to Atlasian voting regulations? Of course, we had that evergreen v. Rpryor case recently, but that was decided in favor of letting those votes count, generally speaking controversy over voter suppression is rare. What, exactly, do you mean by that?

The best way to increase wages without increasing prices is to lower business taxes.

But to market tax cuts for big business as a "one stop solution" that will make wages go up, prices go down, and send our employment numbers to the moon is just not accurate

I'm not saying it's a "one stop solution," though. I didn't go in detail for that question--since it was about tariffs, not employment--but I've also proposed to make pay raises and new hirings tax deductible. This is the incentive to pay workers more.

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Amen.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I understand how tricky it was to lead the ConCon, although I think that being Governor for 8 months is much better experience for the Presidency.

I strongly disagree. I'm sure you had plenty to do in the South, but the fact remains that as governor you were the leader of a 5-person body, while as Presiding Officer I was the leader of a 25-person body. Our new national government will have ~24 separate offices. It takes a specific set of skills to lead a government of that size - coordinating with a 3-person legislature is very different from working with a 15-person bicameral Congress - and I'm the only person who has experience leading so large a group.   

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This is a very misleading statistic, and a poor argument at that - are you seriously trying to argue that I'm not active enough? The old Senate did most of its work at the amendment stage (though I don't fault you for not knowing this, as you only spent a few weeks in the chamber). A much better measure of senatorial activity would be to count the number of amendments offered, and by that standard I was easily one of the most active Senators in Nyman. In addition to writing the Reconstruction of the Pacific Act and basically re-writing the Arab Confederation Recognition Act and the Fix the Justice System You Kinda Broke Act, I introduced key amendments to the ConCon Regulations Act, the Election Certification Clarity Act, the Closing Election Loopholes Act the Student Loan Reform Bill, the 2016 Budget, and I'm probably forgetting some.

Ultimately, I did devote more of my energy to the ConCon, as finishing the Fourth Constitution was vastly more important than passing legislation that was only going to be repealed the moment the reboot took effect. But I did not neglect my Senate duties, as anyone familiar with my record and how that chamber operated can testify.

[tmthforu94]

All right, this has been a little disappointing, so The Atlasian Sentinel will step in and ask some questions, then post again tomorrow for closing statements.

A line that is often heard during discussions on certain topics is that the issue "is best left to the regions." Where do you draw the line between what the regional governments should take care of and what the federal government should take care of?

What role do you see the federal government having in making sure regional governments are successful?

In your opinion, what is the most pressing issue currently facing Atlasia and how do you plan to address it?

With our budget and legislation being reset to America 2016 levels, we have an opportunity to fundamentally change the direction of Atlasia. Give us a picture of what your ideal federal budget looks like and what your topic legislative priorities will be.

An issue that has arisen lately in Atlasia is the death penalty. It was abolished in Atlasia several years ago, but with the reset, it is back in effect. What is your stance on the issue?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

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The role of the federal government is to confront issues that don't end at the state line. For example, the threat posed by climate change affects all of us, no matter where we live, and requires a uniform response - it just makes sense for the federal government to take the lead here. When the dynamics of an issue vary greatly from region to region - such as what we look for in an education - it is best to let each Region address it individually, so that the response is tailored to fit the problem.

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When it comes to Regional activity, the federal government should act as a "catcher in the rye" whose job it is to keep the Regions from straying too close to the cliff. I have a good deal of experience in this role, having led the effort to rescue the former Pacific Region earlier this year. Last February, the elected governor of the Pacific abandoned his post after four months of negligence, inactivity, and colossal indifference towards his constitutional responsibilities. There had been no elections in over four months, contrary to the mandate of the law, which meant that not only was the Pacific short a governor - there was no legislature or judiciary to replace him. A special Senate committee, organized to study the situation months previously, recommended inaction. Instead, I introduced the Reconstruction of the Pacific Act (ROPA), which gave the president emergency powers to conduct elections for governor and the legislature, restoring an active government to the Pacific Region.

As president, I will maintain open lines of communication with all three Regional governors to prevent the next activity crisis before it happens. If a Region seems to be edging towards inactivity, my first step will be to contact Regional leaders to develop a response: if these efforts fail, and the decline continues, I will ask Congress for emergency powers to intervene directly.

The provisions set forth in ROPA were temporary, intended to get the Pacific through a crisis - not as a substitute for organic activity. I will always be available to help in times of need, but the responsibility for sustaining activity at the regional level ultimately rests with the Regions themselves.

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The threat posed by terrorism, at home and abroad, is without question the greatest single immediate threat facing Atlasia today. As stated previously, I will attack this issue with a three-pronged strategy: first, by working with our allies in the Middle East to defeat ISIS wherever it rears its ugly head; second, by passing legislation to nip homegrown terrorism in the bud; third, by reaching out to peace-loving Atlasian Muslims and thus nurturing the strongest antidote to radical Islam: moderate Islam.

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Good question! It's difficult to say exactly what the 2017 Budget will look like until we have a Game Engine to research revenue estimates, but this - broadly - is what I'd like to see our budget look like going forward:

As Senator At-Large, I played a large role in passing the 2016 Budget (the last passed under the Third Constitution. It was at my suggestion that the Senate dramatically slashed rates for middle and working class families, as well as for small and medium sized businesses. This was the final product:

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Last January, these rates were endorsed by almost the entire center-right caucus, including several senators who have endorsed my opponent. I will use this as a starting point for the 2017 Budget. If possible, I would like to see a reduction of the income tax (with priority going to the first two brackets), though I will not support any proposal that risks running a deficit. I will also support raising the "sin tax" on alcohol and tobacco products, a $35/ton Carbon Tax, and a 1.0% Financial Transaction Tax.

Balancing the budget is a priority of mine, so I don't want to give hard numbers for spending until we know how much revenue is coming in. Generally speaking, I will prioritize preserving the Affordable Care Act (without which my mother, as well as legions of Americans like her, might not be alive today), creating a program of force wide badge cameras for our police officers, and sustained funding for Social Security, Medicare, and existing social welfare programs.

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There is no rational argument, moral or fiscal, for continuing to execute convicted criminals. Not only is the death penalty more expensive to impose than a life sentence, it is riddled with possibilities for irreversible error. I support a Constitutional Amendment to abolish the death penalty. Convicts currently on death row should have their sentences commuted to life in prison.

[Mike Thick]

If the candidates are willing to answer tmth's questions, I'm fine with this. We planned a short debate because we thought the election was going to be held last weekend and didn't want to creep into balloting.