Out to Pasture (2020 Election Game) Gameplay Thread

[adamevans]

https://flic.kr/p/2dm3qok

Cory Booker swears off corporate PAC donations ahead of 2020 campaign.

Ahead of the upcoming 2020 election, Cory Booker announced to local press that he would no longer receive corporate donations in any future campaign which were, as he described, 'sources of corrosive effects in politics.' While the main announcement was his refusal to accept corporate PAC donations, he also listed fossil fuel donations, super PAC money, donations from federal lobbyists, insurance company money, and ending any association or ties with closed-door, high-dollar fundraisers. In his speech to the press, he clarified that, while this announcement may help him receive 'backlash' from high-dollar, wealthy donors, it would bring himself 'closer to his constituents, whom are predominantly working families.'

He described the existing campaign finance system as 'corrosive and systemic' and that 'the only way we will break it is with individual senators and representatives refusing to participate in it, one-by-one.' He cited America's growing shift to the right-wing over recent decades on the Overton window, specific votes like TPP, the Trump tax cuts, extension of the Bush tax cuts, etc, and overall decline of wages as evidence of corrupting influence of money, and vouched for a complete overhaul of the existing campaign finance system in favor of public finance or a public voucher system similar to the Seattle model.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/21/obama-endorse-booker-new-jersey-senate/2680801/

Barack Obama reportedly mentoring Cory Booker for 2020 campaign.

Anonymous reports are suggesting Cory Booker, U.S Senator and potential presidential candidate, has a behemoth of a surrogate behind him. Former President Barack Obama has reportedly been mentoring the U.S Senator, whom is a longtime ally and friend of the former President, and has been talking up his name with close political allies. Cory Booker was a surrogate for Obama both in 2008 and 2012, and many have compared his candidacy to that of the former President. Both have a similar passion for issues such as climate change, criminal justice reform, raising incomes, but the main similarities come from their impoverished upbringing and their ability to persevere despite it and inspire people. Booker has become a poster child of that poor upbringing in his ability to reverse a trend of urban blight as Newark Mayor and build a progressive record in Congress.

(repost from signup thread)

[adamevans]

Cory Booker 2020
Opportunity & Justice for All

https://flic.kr/p/2fwRYXV

Announcement Speech

Thank you all so very much for being here today and being part of a large political movement that will transform America. Thank you for being part of a movement to build a country based on the principles Martin Luther King Jr. espoused a half-century ago: economic justice, social justice, racial justice and environmental justice. And thank you, Mom and Dad, I am here today because of your example of grace, courage and service. Today, we live in an America where small businesses and manufacturers across this country have shuttered, devastating and hollowing out small communities. We live in an America where children, moms and dads are being trapped into cycles of poverty and incarceration; trapped in low-income neighborhoods and ghettos with little opportunity and little justice. We live in an America where half of our wage-earners make less than 30,000 per year and our infrastructure rating scores a mere D-.

And all this in the richest country in the world. All this while the richest 1% gains 82% of all the new wealth.

If we claim to be the wealthiest country in the world, why is our economy plagued with so many illnesses? Why are so many afflicted with dead-end jobs and starvation wages? Why does our life expectancy continue to decline? So many questions, yet so little answers from the people leading this nation. As Martin Luther King Jr. espoused more than a half-century ago, "there is nothing new about poverty. What is new is that we now have the techniques and the resource to get rid of poverty." But we cannot rightly claim to be a wealthy nation of justice and opportunity when so many of our hard-working people experience poverty and so many communities are hollowed out. We cannot claim it when so many live lives doomed to that experience of poverty.

I know, because I lived it.

I was born in Washington D.C. My parents moved me to a neighborhood here in New Jersey with great public schools. But one thing stopped us. The realtors wouldn't sell us a home because of the color of our skin. A group of civil rights lawyers were inspired to protect African-American families in their own communities, and they sued those realtors for racial discrimination. Their courage changed the course of my life forever. My dad told me to never forget where I come from or how many people had to sacrifice to get me where I am, and I could never be more honored or privileged to have the chances that I have been given.

But, unfortunately for so many, that is the exception, not the rule. While three families in America control enough wealth to match 4 million average families, the cost of basic necessities to a good and meaningful life, childcare, college, healthcare, soars. For too many of our fellow Americans, the dream of progress and opportunity is being denied by the grind of an economy that funnels all the wealth to the top. It is denying so many working families their right to free opportunity and equal justice, both of which is mentioned in our founding documents countless times. It is those who have bankrolled and lobbied Washington who have shaped an economy that works only for their bottom line.

Fortunately, in America, if we have the courage and the will to challenge the status quo, we can do so. We did it in Newark, and we beat the city's political establishment. We ushered billions in new economic development, the most in five decades, doubled affordable housing units, and for the first time in 60 years, the population of Newark rose instead of fell. Now, it's that story of challenging the status quo here in Newark that is, as well, a story and model of urban revival. Because America's most triumphant eras came from when we challenged status quo's and political establishments.

The progressive era was brought about when working people, regardless of race, creed or origin, stood together on picket lines and said that justice and opportunity is not for some, it is for all. It was their success and solidarity that brought us the minimum wage and other workplace protections. The civil rights era was brought about when people of all races linked arms in marches and protests to say that justice and opportunity is not for some, it is for all. It was their success that brought us the great sermons of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act despite years of obstruction and filibusters by racist southern senators. Now, it is our turn to challenge the status quo and clarify that justice and opportunity is not for some, it is for all.

Today, we will send a message that, in the wealthiest nation in the world, it is not acceptable that some live without justice nor opportunity. It is with that in mind that I announce my candidacy for President of the United States.

Make no mistake about it, this struggle is not just about defeating Mike Pence. This struggle is about taking on the incredibly powerful institutions that control the economic and political life of this country. And I’m talking about Wall Street, the insurance companies, the drug companies, the military-industrial complex, the prison-industrial complex, the fossil fuel industry and a corrupt campaign finance system that enables billionaires to buy elections. We will build a country where everyone can enjoy economic, social, racial and environmental justice. We have an enormous amount of work in front of us. And this what I believe. If we stand together, if we don’t allow Pence and his friends to divide us up, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

Together, we will rise.

[adamevans]

[adamevans]

https://flic.kr/p/D8ni9z

Barack Obama confirms rumors, endorses Cory Booker for President

"I've known Cory for a good while. I remember him when he was a superstar mayor that defeated the city's political establishment. I remember him when he championed affordable housing and increased the city's population for the first time in 60 years. He understands these systemic injustices in our economy because he's lived them, and he's ready to take on the Pence swamp like he took on the swamp in Newark. So yes, I'm endorsing my man Cory. He fundamentally understands these problems, and he's building a movement of people to build our country around the vision and principles that Martin Luther King Jr. half a century ago: economic justice, social justice, racial justice and environmental justice. He's the leader the Democratic Party needs, not just to defeat Donald Trump but, to bring about transformative change that truly gives everyone fair access to justice and opportunity. That's Cory Booker, and he's got the credentials, the experience, the leadership, the charisma to make it happen."

[adamevans]

                               (source hyperlinked)

Cory's First Schedule

Campaign Constants
Always periodically travel to local campaign HQs & meet staff, emphasize crucial campaign volunteering
Always meet with campaign officials & discuss strategy, fundraising, grassroots, social media
Always visit with local Democratic, non-partisan groups, political groups, local leaders, emphasize campaign message
Always talk to anyone who wants to, no matter who they are or what their political affiliation is
Always periodically hold interviews with local radio stations and newspapers, emphasize campaign message

New Jersey (Jan. 1 - 6)
Deliberate and consult potential staff hirings in campaign preparation
Visit New Jersey NAACP officials, discuss police reform, crim. justice reform
Hold interviews with major news companies regarding 2020 election
Renounce corporate money for all future campaigns

Cory Booker announced his campaign on January 6th, 2019.

"Today, we will send a message that, in the wealthiest nation in the world, it is not acceptable that some live without justice nor opportunity. It is with that in mind that I announce my candidacy for President of the United States."

South Carolina (Jan. 7 - 19)
Hold campaign rallies in Charleston, Greenville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach
Meet with African-American seniors, emphasize expanding social security
Meet with local NAACP officials, discuss closing racial wealth gap
Tout work as mayor increasing affordable housing, reversing population trends
Receive endorsement from Barack Obama in Charleston

Alabama (Jan. 20)
Deliver speech on Selma bridge discussing history of civil rights
Meet with Barack Obama and other local African-American leaders
Visit national NAACP leaders, discuss endorsement and economic justice
Emphasize up-bringing and housing discrimination story

"The civil rights era was brought about when people of all races linked arms in marches and protests to say that justice and opportunity is not for some, it is for all. It was their success that brought us the great sermons of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act despite years of obstruction and filibusters by racist southern senators. But we must fulfill the goals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement. We will CLOSE the racial wealth gap and provide economic justice to every community, whether it is a poor ghetto or wealthy suburb."

New Hampshire (Jan. 21 - 31)
Hold campaign rallies in Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth
Deliver campaign speech on opioid epidemic, promise action against big pharma
Meet with local climate activist organizations to discuss net-zero emission plans
Visit local college campuses, unveil plan to cancel student debt

Iowa (Feb. 1 - 5)
Hold campaign rally in Davenport
Deliver agricultural summit speech, emphasizing rural broadband
Visit factories, farms, college campuses, emphasize economic justice message
Emphasize empowering family farmers and addressing corporate consolidation

South Carolina (Feb. 6 - 17)
Hold campaign rallies in Greenville, Florence, Columbia, Spartanburg
Visit major newspaper editorial boards for interviews, emphasize campaign message
Tour South Carolina's major cities, emphasizing reducing homelessness and raising wages
Earn endorsement from NAACP, citing Booker's mayor record, economic justice message
Receive endorsement from Jim Clyburn at campaign rally in Columbia

Unveil comprehensive plan to reduce poverty & close racial wealth gap:
1. Reinvest in low-income neighborhoods with historic infrastructure & affordable housing investments
2. Cancel all student loan debt, which is disproportionately affecting minorities and trapping college graduates
3. Introduce a 'Baby Bonds' program, creating a savings account for every newborn worth tens of thousands by 18
4. Significantly reinvest in public education, including teacher pay increases and making school meals universal
5. Raise the minimum wage to $15 p/hr and strengthen access to free & fair collective bargaining

Nevada (Feb. 18 - 31)
Hold campaign rallies in Las Vegas, Reno and Henderson
Visit local culinary workplaces, hold Q&As and town halls with workers
In Las Vegas: emphasize urban revitalization and wage increases
Meet with working moms, hold town halls discussing gun violence


Campaign Messaging
- Hammer away on Cory's message of economic justice and open opportunity for all.
- Present Booker as the candidate of MLK's dream message.
- Use social media to build the campaign and reach out to young people.
- Present Booker as the candidate of "forgotten America" and the 99%.
- Make strong initial steps at targeting African-American and other minority voters.
- Tout up-bringing and housing discrimination story.
- Tout successful record as 'superstar mayor.'
- For other references, read Cory's announcement speech.

"Mr. Booker, what do you have to say to people criticizing you for voting for President Pence's legislation on lobbying and infrastructure?"
"We have to remember why we are against this President to begin with. This President has divided America into categories and let the rich run away with more of the wealth. He has pushed tax cuts which give wealthy Americans yet another unneeded tax break to please his donors, and he has attacked the foundation of the Affordable Care Act losing millions their coverage. We are against him because he has allowed the wealthy to gain exponentially at the expense of all of us, but the proposals brought forth on lobbying reform and infrastructure investment have not meant that. I'm not sure whether it is just a political ploy to boost his re-election chances or a genuine attempt to undo the work the wealthy have done to subvert our democracy, but we will fight for progressive proposals whether they come from a Democrat or Republican."

"Mr. Booker, you've decided to cosponsor Republican Senator Rand Paul's legislation mandating term limits in Congress. Can you elaborate why you've decided to support this proposal?"
"Absolutely. When I first really began my venture into politics, I ran against a four-term mayor who had built a political machine from sheer corruption and time in office. Incumbents have begun staying in office for an egregious amount of time in America today, and it's working great for no one except the well-connected. You've got congresspeople staying in office for generations, and whether or not they joined that office with good intentions, they're being corrupted over time, building political machines, voting the way their donors tell them, just to win re-election. We've got to break that system, and term limits is one of many proposals to make it happen."

(on a smaller note, sorry for my absence from the beginning of this game. i've been preoccupied with stuff outside of the game, but i do plan to post more in the game going forward)

[adamevans]

Cory Booker Press Release
January 2019

- Campaign Communications Director, Jeff Giertz -

The Booker Campaign is disappointed to announce that Cory Booker will not be attending CNN's 'Commander-in-Chief' town hall. Due to a hefty amount of campaigning the week of the debate and several pre-planned events, the candidate will not be able to make an appearance due to scheduling conflicts between the campaign's planned events and the date of the debate. We look forward, however, to appearing and participating in all future town halls and presidential debates and spreading Cory Booker's message of justice and opportunity for all. Until then, we hope all the candidates appearing have a great night at the 'Commander-in-Chief' town hall.

[adamevans]

(source hyperlinked)

Cory Booker signs 'Living Wage' pledge, urges other candidates to follow

Earlier this week (April 2020), Cory Booker's campaign announced to the media and in a major press conference that the Senator would sign a $15 'living wage' pledge, vowing to spend extensive political clout if elected President towards ensuring all Americans, regardless of race, origin or income, whom work 40 hours a week "does not live in poverty." He cited that this pledge was important "because half of African American wage-earners do not earn a living wage of fifteen dollars an hour" and said it was "a critical reason as to why the racial wealth gap persists in this country." Moreover, he cited that America "has not budged it's minimum wage for a full decade, leaving inflation open to reduce the effect of it."

He later stated he would introduce a bill to the floor of the senate which raises the minimum wage to $15 per hour and chains it to inflation. Booker noted that "almost every other developed nation has a way of routinely updating it's minimum wage," regardless of "whether politician's have the guts to raise it." He hoped this proposal would garner Republican support and the support of the President because it "is critical to the assurance of the values cited in our constitution: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The essence of that message? "You cannot be free and live in poverty simultaneously." Booker's aides do not believe it will go far in the Senate, but they hope it will put Senators and Presidential Candidates on the record, with polls suggesting a majority of Americans support the proposal.

[adamevans]

OOC: What were the details of Pence’s healthcare reform? I can’t seem to find anything about it.

[adamevans]

Senator Booker voted in favor of the President's recent legislation on prescription costs out of principle, but he continues to criticize the President's approach to healthcare, calling for a guaranteed health insurance program by expanding Medicare to everyone. Booker is repeating this campaign message in town halls and speeches, criticizing the private healthcare industry for corporate greed and price fixing.

[adamevans]

OOC: Obviously nothing changed, since it failed...

Booker's criticizing Pence for calling out Democrats on not passing the prescription drug bill but not addressing the cost of medical bills and bankruptcies ("what changed" meaning why Pence addresses one but not the other, implying profit and corruption is what changed). None of these posts necessarily reflect my actual views because it's just a game.

[adamevans]

(note: Booker's campaign cited scheduling conflicts again for the 1st Democratic Debate, but he hopes his first appearance here at tonight's debate will significantly boost his national profile.)

Debate Answers

Opening Statement

Thank you, Anderson. Tonight, I am on this stage on behalf of people who have sent me here which are struggling and which are questioning the decisions this President, and others in the past, have made. The major question is how do we end up in the wealthiest nation in the world and be afflicted with so many injustices that deprive working people the ability to achieve a good and meaningful life? Today, we live in an America where small businesses and manufacturers across this country have shuttered, devastating and hollowing out small communities. We live in an America where children, moms and dads are being trapped into cycles of poverty and incarceration; trapped in low-income neighborhoods and ghettos with little opportunity and little justice. We live in an America where half of our wage-earners make less than 30,000 per year, and the outrageous burden of student debt and college tuition continues to suppress the next generation of young Americans.

The question is who in the hell is making these decisions that cause these problems for so many people in the wealthiest nation in the world? How come all that new wealth flowing into our economy only comes to benefit the wealthiest among us, when working America's productivity has continued to rise? I'm here, tonight, on this stage to represent that question; because it has been made abundantly clear this President has only revolved his decisions around making sure all the new wealth falls into the top 1%. If we come together, we can take on incredibly powerful institutions that control the economic and political life of this country: the insurance companies, the drug companies, the military-industrial complex, the prison-industrial complex, the fossil fuel industry and a corrupt campaign finance system that enables billionaires to buy elections. If we stand together, if we don’t allow Pence and his friends to divide us up, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

Both you and Ms. Abrams have been endorsed by prominent members and organizations from the African-American community. What makes you think you would be the better President for black America?

I'm not on this stage to knock anyone else down, especially not Stacey Abrams, who has spent so much time and dedication towards modern-day voting rights, but I will say this. Serving a majority black city as Mayor and being raised by low-income, minority parents, I have witnessed the injustices so many in this country have faced living in ghettos, in dangerous streets, in crumbling communities, but make no mistake, these issues are not just black America issues. These are issues that are affecting all races and origins: white, black, men, women, gay, straight, immigrant, native. We are all affected when someone dies because they could not afford health insurance. We are all affected when a young adult is incarcerated for marijuana possession. We are all affected when a man or woman works 40 hours a week and lives in poverty. We are all affected when our children are shot in the streets of Detroit or when small businesses shut down in small communities. We must channel these common pains which we all share into a common purpose. When we come together and build a mass movement to guarantee healthcare to all, cancel outrageous student loan debt, eliminate egregiously high college tuition fees, ensure all men and women who work 40 hours a week earn a living wage, end the era of mass incarceration, and challenge the special interests protecting the status quo allowing these injustices to persist in the wealthiest nation in the world, it is not just communities like mine who benefit. It is all of us who benefit.

Closing Statement

One of my favorite writers growing up was a man named James Baldwin, and I remember him saying this. "You asked my father to wait, my brother to wait, my uncle to wait, how long must I wait on freedom? How long must I wait on rights and equality and liberty?", and as someone surrounded by communities carnaged by gun violence, pervaded with substandard housing, and personally affected by housing discrimination, that resonated with me because I knew my communities had been denied, and I personalized that. As I grew, though, I started to understand that it wasn't just communities like mine who had been denied. Poor white people had been denied. Women had been denied. Gays, lesbians and transgender people had been denied. Immigrant children had been denied.

Everyone outside of the special interest had been denied.

When you go to that booth next year and cast your vote for whoever the Democratic nominee is, I want you to remember the memory of this room: Black. White. Straight. Gay. Men. Women. We are together. We are united. Our time is right now. We will not wait twenty more years. We will not wait four more years. We will not wait next year, next month, next week. The time is right now to challenge the special interests that have corrupted our government originally framed to represent us. If we stand together, we will channel those common pains into our collective common purpose, we will defeat President Pence in November, and we will build a government which ensures that justice and opportunity can be achieved by everyone. Thank you.

[adamevans]

                               (source hyperlinked)

Cory's Spring Schedule

Campaign Constants
Always periodically travel to local campaign HQs & meet staff, emphasize crucial campaign volunteering
Always meet with campaign officials & discuss strategy, fundraising, grassroots, social media
Always visit with local Democratic, non-partisan groups, political groups, local leaders, emphasize campaign message
Always talk to anyone who wants to, no matter who they are or what their political affiliation is
Always periodically hold interviews with local radio stations and newspapers, emphasize campaign message

Texas (Mar. 1 - 7)
Hold campaign rallies in Houston, San Antonio and Arlington
In Houston: emphasize police reform, housing expansion, taking on big money
Tour colleges and universities, hold Q&As and town halls discussing debt, tuition
Deliver major immigration policy speech in border city
Applaud recent actions to challenge border wall in court

Unveil plan for fair, compassioniate and humanitarian immigration reform:
1) Immediately reinstate DACA for 1.8 million young people currently eligible for the program.
2) Expand DACA to all who came to the United States under 18 and remove arbitrary cut off dates.
3) Enact a swift, fair pathway to citizenship for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants working in America today
4) Ensure justice and due process for immigrants in court, including the right to counsel and an end to cash bail.
5) Ensure all children who were separated from their families by the U.S government are reunited swiftly.
6) End President Pence's  “zero-tolerance” policy and Operation Streamline

South Carolina (Mar. 8 - 23)
Hold campaign rallies in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Spartanburg, Anderson
In Charleston: emphasize rebuilding urban America, eliminating college tuition fees, police reform
Launch barnstorm campaign across rural South Carolina, strengthening support among senior African-Americans
Emphasize increasing social security benefits and expanding Medicare benefits to dental and vision to seniors
Tour across universities and colleges, meeting with students and discussing college debt and tuition
Deliver policy speech on campaign finance reform and the importance of running a "grassroots" campaign
Receive endorsement from Joe Cunningham in major Charleston rally

"If we claim to be the wealthiest country in the world, why is our economy plagued with so many illnesses? Why are so many afflicted with dead-end jobs and starvation wages? Why does our life expectancy continue to decline? Why do so many of the next generation reach less success than their parents? So many questions, yet so little answers from the people leading this nation. As Martin Luther King Jr. espoused more than a half-century ago, 'there is nothing new about poverty. What is new is that we now have the techniques and the resource to get rid of poverty.'"

New Hampshire (Mar. 24 - 31)
Hold campaign rallies in Keene, Nashua and Portsmouth
Visit local working moms in town halls to discuss childcare, healthcare
Deliver major policy speech discussing climate change
Meet with college students in round-table discussions about debt, tuition

South Carolina pt.1 (Apr. 1 - 31)
Hold campaign rallies in Charleston (4), Columbia (4), Greenville (3), Florence (2), Spartanburg (2)
Tour local churches in town halls and Q&As, emphasize MLK Jr's economic justice message
Visit inner-city schools and housing units, highlight affordable housing & public school reinvestment
Travel to majority-black small towns, visit black moms, stress universal childcare & child tax credit expansion
Tout record revitalizing Newark in inner-city town halls and campaigning

"The United States, as the wealthiest country in history, should have the best education system in the world. Today, in a highly competitive global economy, if we are going to have the kind of standard of living that the people of this country deserve, we need to have the best educated workforce. But let me be very honest with you, and tell you that, sadly, that is not the case today."

South Carolina pt.2 (May 1 - 31)
Hold campaign rallies in Charleston (2), Columbia (4), Greenville (4), Myrtle Beach (2), Spartanburg (2)
Visit teachers in inner-city schools, discussing public education reinvestment and teacher pay raise
Host town halls and Q&As in inner-cities, emphasizing message of urban revitalization
Meet with working families forced to file bankruptcy over medical bills and insurance costs
Tour across housing units in inner-cities, meeting tenants, stressing housing for all
Roll out "Affordable Housing for All" plan in major policy speech surrounded by tenants

Cory Booker's Affordable Housing for All Plan:
1) Invest $148 billion annually constructing affordable housing units over the next decade.
2) Repeal the Faircloth Amendment to allow the construction of new public housing units
3) Fully fund tenant-based Section 8 rental assistance at $410 billion over the next decade
4) End exclusionary and restrictive zoning ordinances, including incentives to repeal zoning laws
5) Implement a “just-cause” requirement for evictions

"For more than 40 years, we have had an affordable housing crisis in America that has only gotten worse. How are families in America supposed to pay for food, transportation, health care, prescription drugs, education, and childcare when over half of their income is going to pay the rent or the mortgage? The sad and painful reality is that many of them cannot, and millions of Americans are going deeply into debt just to make ends meet."

Iowa (June 1 - 9)
Hold campaign rallies in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Dubuque
Visit factories, farms, college campuses, emphasize economic justice message
Host town halls and Q&As at college campuses, discussing college debt, tuition
Deliver policy speech on local agricultural markets and breaking agricultural monopolies

Senate Duties (June 10 - 20)
Travel to Washington D.C


Campaign Messaging
- Ditch any previous "identity politics" messaging for an all-encompassing, anti-status quo campaign
- Hammer away on Cory's message of economic justice and open opportunity for all.
- Grow base among African-American women and, especially, African-American youth.
- Present Booker as the candidate of MLK's dream message.
- Increase focus on issues affecting youth: college cost, minimum wage, healthcare
- Use social media to build the campaign and reach out to young people.
- Present Booker as the candidate of "forgotten America" and the 99%.
- Tout successful record as 'superstar mayor.'
- For other references, read Cory's debate answers.

[adamevans]

                                (source hyperlinked)

Cory's Summer + Fall Schedule

Campaign Constants
Always periodically travel to local campaign HQs & meet staff, emphasize crucial campaign volunteering
Always meet with campaign officials & discuss strategy, fundraising, grassroots, social media
Always visit with local Democratic, non-partisan groups, political groups, local leaders, emphasize campaign message
Always talk to anyone who wants to, no matter who they are or what their political affiliation is
Always periodically hold interviews with local radio stations and newspapers, emphasize campaign message

Manhattan (June 21)
Deliver speech regarding historical & modern LGBTQ+ discrimination
Visit local pride organizations, discussing ending LGBTQ+ discrimination.
Tour the original site of the Manhattan Stonewall Riots.

"The United States has made remarkable progress on equality in a relatively short amount of time. But there is still much work to be done. In many states, it is still legal to fire someone for being LGBTQ+. Incredibly, it is still legal to deny someone housing or service in the military for being transgender. That is unacceptable and must change. We must end discrimination in all forms."

South Carolina (June 22 - 30)
Hold campaign rallies in Columbia, Florence, Spartanburg, Greenville
In Columbia: tout mayor record as model for "urban revitalization"
Visit college campuses in town halls and Q&As, discussing debt, tuition cost
Appear at Clyburn Fish Fry event, emphasize Dr. King's economic justice message
Deliver policy speech on gun violence and taking on the NRA in Charleston

"In communities across the country, from Newark to Charleston, from Pittsburgh to Las Vegas, Americans are being killed and families are being torn apart by an epidemic of gun violence. We face an epidemic of gun violence in this country. A significant majority of Americans want common-sense gun reform. But the NRA, now a full-fledged, right-wing political organization, spends millions on TV and internet ads attacking candidates who dare to stand up for what voters want. When we are in the White House, we will move aggressively to end the epidemic of gun violence in this country and pass the common sense gun safety legislation that the overwhelming majority of Americans want."

Nevada (July 1 - 15)
Hold campaign rallies in Las Vegas (2), Henderson, Carson City, Reno
Visit minimum wage minority workers to discuss raising the minimum wage
Host town halls and Q&As with working families regarding healthcare costs
Launch phone-banking operation targeted at working-class minorities

"For the first time ever, the next generation will be worse off than the last. Our kids, our teens, young adults entering the economy, will be worse off than the generation before them because of stagnant wages and the skyrocketing prices of healthcare and tuition. I'm proud to stand up for a $15 living minimum wage because we need good jobs for our youth. I'm proud to stand up for tuition-free, debt-free college because in order to make certain that the next generation is stronger, they should not have to bear the cost of this trickle-down economy. We should invest in tax cuts for young people and middle class families, not blowing up the deficit with tax cut after tax cut for the rich. No more to an economy that works for only a wealthy few, it's time to make certain that the next generation can make by, and that can be done with a strong minimum wage and universal education."

Los Angeles (July 16)
Hold major campaign rally in Los Angeles
Emphasize: housing affordability, economic justice

Roll out "Equal Justice" criminal justice reform plan:
1) End harsh mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenses.
2) Eliminate the racially-targeted sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine.
3) Extend clemency to individuals serving excessive sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.
4) Decriminalize marijuana, expunge records, and restore justice to communities devastated by the War on Drugs.
5) Reinstate the right to vote in federal elections for formerly incarcerated individuals.
6) Improve the ability of those behind bars to stay in touch with their loved ones.
7) Remove barriers to employment for former felons by “banning the box”

"Today, we say to the prison-industrial-complex that we are going to bring about real criminal justice reform. We are going to end the international embarrassment of having more people in jail than any other country on earth. Instead of spending $80 billion a year on jails and incarceration, we are going to invest in jobs and education for our young people. No more private prisons and detention centers. No more profiteering from locking people up. No more 'war on drugs.' No more keeping people in jail because they're too poor to afford cash bail."

Iowa (July 17 - 25)
Hold campaign rallies in Ames, Iowa City, Des Moines
Tour across small towns in town halls and Q&As
Discuss bringing back commerce to rural America
Emphasize rebuilding "forgotten America"

New Hampshire (July 26 - 31)
Hold campaign rallies in Nashua, Portsmouth, Concord
Host town halls and Q&As in colleges and universities, discussing debt, tuition
Visit local working moms in town halls to discuss childcare, healthcare
Meet with families affected by the opioid epidemic in meet-and-greets

Alabama (Aug. 1 - 6)
Hold campaign rallies in Huntsville, Birmingham, Mobile
In Birmingham: emphasize ending gerrymandering and equal justice
Meet with families affected by marijuana incarceration in town halls
Visit local NAACP officials in round-table discussions regarding police reform

South Carolina (Aug. 7 - 31)
Hold campaign rallies in Columbia (3), Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Spartanburg (2), Charleston (3)
In Charleston: emphasize rebuilding urban America, eliminating college tuition fees, police reform
Visit college campuses in town halls and Q&As, discussing debt, tuition cost
Tour senior centers discussing social security expansion and cutting drug costs
Meet with working families forced to file bankruptcy over medical bills and insurance costs
Deliver major policy speech regarding Cory Booker's plan for environmental justice

Cory Booker's Plan for Environmental Justice
1) Create a Climate Justice Resiliency Fund to aid climate-vulnerable, low-income communities
2) Repair the nation's water systems with significant reinvestment & guarantee clean water as a right
3) Ensure a hunger-free transition with universal public school meals & significant reinvestment in SNAP
4) Increase funding for firefighting to deal with more frequent and severe wildfires.
5) Retrofit our public infrastructure to withstand climate impacts.

"In the words of Dr. King, 'wait' has almost always meant 'never.' Wait for clean water, wait for decent-paying jobs, wait your turn, wait. In the face of injustice, there is no 'wait.' There must be work. When I am President, we won't wait on clean water or economic justice or affordable housing. Our history is a perpetual testimony to impatient, demanding, unrelenting people who in every generation stood up for justice, and now it is our turn. Now, it is our turn to stand up for justice and opportunity for all of God's children."

New Hampshire (Sept. 1 - 10)
Hold campaign rallies in Keene, Nashua and Portsmouth
Visit local working moms in town halls to discuss childcare, healthcare
Deliver major policy speech discussing climate change
Meet with college students in round-table discussions about debt, tuition

New York City (Sept. 11)
Visit the 9/11 World Trade Center for remembrance

North Carolina (Sept. 12 - 16)
Hold campaign rallies in Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro
In Charlotte: slam GOP gerrymandering and Pence's inaction on medical bankruptcy
Visit local NAACP officials, discussing ending gerrymandering, police reform
Deliver policy speech on police reform, bringing up people killed to police violence in NC

South Carolina (Sept. 17 - 31, Oct. 1 - 15)
Hold campaign rallies in Charleston (4), Columbia (4), Greenville (3), Florence (2), Spartanburg (2)
Tour local churches in town halls and Q&As, emphasize MLK Jr's economic justice message
Visit inner-city schools and housing units, highlight affordable housing & public school reinvestment
Travel to majority-black small towns, visit black moms, stress universal childcare & child tax credit expansion
Tout record revitalizing Newark in inner-city town halls and campaigning

Nevada (Oct. 16 - 31)
Hold campaign rallies in Las Vegas (2), Henderson, Carson City, Reno
Visit minimum wage minority workers to discuss raising the minimum wage
Host town halls and Q&As with working families regarding healthcare costs
Emphasize raising the minimum wage and creating good-paying jobs

Same campaign messaging as previous schedule.

[adamevans]

Cory Booker announced in a press conference his withdrawal from the Democratic presidential primary race, announcing an endorsement of front-runner Tom Steyer. Cory Booker has struggled in most early state polls, excluding South Carolina, and, despite gains in polling in recent months, has not captured national momentum that would have potentially made him viable in crucial states like Iowa and New Hampshire. He went onto to announce that he would focus on his 2020 re-election bid to Senate, continuing his no corporate money pledge going into it, and he would pledge to campaign "his heart out for" whoever the Democratic nominee is.

(this has been a great game, and I thank DatGottTho for putting so much effort into it and responding to all of my questions, but I simply don't have the time nor enthusiasm to continue the game.)

[adamevans]